Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 210
Republican Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton, appears to have made it through the 6th Congressional District primary and will face Democrat Emily Randall in November’s general election. “I am very pleased with tonight’s returns. After my opponents outspent our campaign by 8 to 1, the results show voters desire steady and tested leadership in Congress during these tumultuous times. We have clear momentum heading into November and will continue to unite the Olympic Peninsula to bring real change to Congress,” MacEwen said in a statement. “Throug...
The Squaxin Island kelp bed is the last major kelp bed in South Puget Sound and has declined 97% since 2013, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. The Squaxin Island Tribe and DNR plan to conserve the kelp bed and create a "priority habitat zone" to protect and restore the bed, according to a DNR news release. "Squaxin people have been stewarding these waters and lands for thousands of years. Kelp beds have also been stewarding these waters for thousands of years, providing nou...
The passing of Linda "Blondie" Jones on July 18 saddened a community that went to Blondie's restaurant for homestyle cooking and socializing with "family" they had in fellow customers, staff and especially Linda. "She treated her customers like family," longtime patron Bill Lopez said. "She'd come up to the table and check on you," he said, even though Jones hadn't performed official waitress duties in years. Lopez said no matter what happens to the restaurant, a Shelton staple for 23 years,...
Fire District 12 has obtained insurance, commissioners announced Aug. 1, moving the embattled district one step closer to normal operations. In May, Fire 12 lost insurance coverage, was declared a disaster area and saw all three of its commissioners resign. The district’s insurer canceled the policy May 17 due to mismanagement and several steps were required for reinstatement. That happened last Thursday. “We have a long way to go but it sure feels good to get over this mandatory hurdle,” Commissioner Dave Persell told the Journal. “We still h...
Starting Monday, fish barrier removal work on U.S. Highway 101 at the Thurston/Mason County border will reduce lanes and increase travel times, according to the state Department of Transportation. Both directions of U.S. 101 will be reduced to one lane in each direction at the county line. Between milepost 356.62 and 357.89, the speed limit will be reduced from 60 mph to 45 mph and the median at Old Olympic Highway will close. There will be no access to U.S. 101 from Old Olympic Highway near the work zone. West Old Olympic Highway, farther...
Monte Ritter told Mason County commissioners he lives in the Shelton Urban Growth Area “just outside the city limits” and has had trouble for years with his neighbors’ illegal burning. People who live in an urban growth area “have to abide by the fire code as if you were in the city, not in the county,” Ritter said. Shelton Fire Marshal Keith Reitz told the Journal outdoor burn bans in UGAs are state mandated “from a smoke management standpoint.” Burning woody debris from cleared land is not allowed in UGAs, Reitz said. The Olympic Regional Cle...
Mason County commissioners unanimously approved raising building height limits in the Airport Industrial Zone from 36 feet to 45 feet at their July 30 regular meeting. The Port of Shelton applied for the ordinance amendment so it can replace a building that burned down in April 2021. The 32,000-square-foot building was being used as a marijuana manufacturing facility when it burned in a three-alarm blaze. The building was originally used for metal fabrication by an aerospace company and the port hopes to bring back similar manufacturing to the...
All campfires, including charcoal, are now banned in Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest, including coastal areas of the national park. The restrictions started July 26, according to a news release from Olympic National Park. Anything that produces ash is banned. Visitors can use pressurized or bottled liquid fuel stoves that have an on-off switch or valve capable of immediately extinguishing the flame, lanterns or heating devices in campgrounds and wilderness areas, if no flammable materials are within 3 feet of the devices, the...
Washington State Patrol Academy cadets practiced submersed vehicle rescue as part of a water safety training July 16. The training has changed over time, Cpl. Louis Worley told the Journal. "We used to make it more difficult," Worley, who is with the training division, said. Cadets were expected to perform the passenger extraction in very cold water, typically around 55 degrees, simulating conditions of Pacific Northwest rivers, lakes and the Puget Sound. That changed around 15 years ago,...
Board approves Sand Hill Elementary emergency repairs The North Mason School Board authorized emergency replacement of a fire control panel at Sand Hill Elementary at a special meeting July 26. “There are not parts easily available or even available at all,” so replacement was not an option, Superintendent Dana Rosenbach said at the meeting. The board contacted the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction because the $88,780.50 needed for the panel was not in the district’s budget, according to Rosenbach. Board members agreed to decla...
Schafer State Park celebrated its centennial Saturday, July 20, with food, games, storytelling and discussions about the past and future of the park. Around 700 people attended the event, according to Shafer Park Ranger Angela Galli, who told the Journal it was "a great turnout." Galli said officials originally planned for 300 attendees. Trina Young, president of the Friends of Schafer and Lake Sylvia State Parks (FOSLS), put attendance at around 800, and said more than 50 Schafer family...
Drunk driver crashes, thinks he’s home Police say an intoxicated Seabeck man drove into a ditch near Allyn and thought he was in his driveway. Shawn Ferguson, 29, drove off state Route 302 near the intersection of East Coulter Creek Road around 10 p.m. July 9 and his car landed “with its nose within the south bound ditch and the rear bumper of the vehicle was just outside of the southbound fog line,” Mason County Sheriff’s Deputy J. Ogden wrote in a probable cause document. Ferguson allegedly exited the crashed vehicle with a bottle in his han...
Mason County has miles of hiking paths for feet and hooves. Horse riders have many options for a day on the trail or a night in the backcountry. Local Backcountry Horsemen of Washington member Traci Koch told the Journal camping with a horse is a great experience if you "do your homework." It's important to know your needs and your horse's needs as well, she said. The U.S. Forest Service recommends you get your animal used to highlines, rope stretched between two trees used for tying stock,...
Twanoh State Park and Belfair State Park beaches have posted swimming warnings after Mason County Public Health and Human Services found high levels of enterococci bacteria. J.J. Stepan, with Mason County Environmental Health, told the Journal he is optimistic the warnings will be lifted before the weekend. "Most likely" the bacteria level will come down, Stepan said. A second sample of the water was tested yesterday or will be tested today, he said. The bacteria indicate the presence of fecal...
Green Diamond Resource Co. forest lands in Mason and Grays Harbor counties see 20 to 30 tons of garbage dumped illegally each year, and that amount keeps rising, Policy and Communications Manager Jason Callahan told the Journal. Cleanup costs for the company have also increased fivefold in the past few years, he said. Disposing of just one RV can cost $1,300, “and we get a number of those every year,” Callahan said. Green Diamond has cleaned up all types of garbage dumped on their property, including household garbage, old boats, cars, app...
Hot, dry weather has descended on Western Washington, causing a variety of burn bans for Mason County. The Department of Natural Resources has issued a statewide burn ban through Sept. 30. The DNR can extend or shorten the date depending on fire conditions, according to a news release. The Mason County Fire Marshal also implemented restrictions through that date, subject to changing conditions. All outdoor burning, including campfires in firepits, charcoal briquettes and any other equipment that creates ash is prohibited on all lands in the cou...
State Route 106 blocked after crash A suspected drunken driver allegedly caused a head-on collision on state Route 106 north of Twanoh State Park Sunday, injuring three people. Bremerton woman Katharine Cuyle, 40, was driving westbound near Twanoh Tides Drive at 7:25 p.m. when she crossed the center line and struck a vehicle driven by Sergey Bezzabara, 44, of Federal Way, according to the Washington State Patrol. The accident blocked both lanes. Cuyle was taken to St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale and Bezzabara and two of his three...
A $14-million state Department of Ecology loan will help Harstene Point Water and Sewer District, on Harstine Island, update 50-year-old lines and reduce operating costs, according to General Manager Jeff Palmer. “We are very excited to receive this loan, which is $14 million, but $5 million of it is forgivable principle, bringing it down to $9 million in repayable,” Palmer told the Journal. DOE provided the money from its clean water fund at 1.2% interest. “Washington’s clean water funding is a mix of state and federal funds dedicated toward...
Fire District 12 commissioners agreed to change regular business meeting days to 6 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month at a meeting July 3. Meetings are currently at the Matlock Grange, 61 West Beeville Road in Matlock. The district is also getting a new website at mason12.org, which should be up and running soon, acting Chief Mike Brown said. Brown gave an update on maintenance happening on apparatus and emergency equipment at Station 1 during the meeting. “We’re making headway,” he said. Oil filters on the vehicles haven’t be...
The three-day Allyn Days Salmon Bake and Geoduck Festival begins Friday with Music in the Park, a free event on the main stage at Port of Allyn Waterfront Park, where all the events take place. The Allyn Community Association will have a hamburger and hot dog stand and Bent Bine Brewery will be serving “new, fresh summer beers,” according to the association. The lineup: 4 to 4:30 p.m.: Samuel and the Band Who Knows, a local country-rock band. 5 to 6 p.m.: Jason Rogers, a Grapeview guitar player/singer performing classic rock. 7 to 8 p.m.: King...
Fire crews are monitoring the area underneath the High Steel Bridge after a wildfire started there July 4, according to the U.S. Forest Service. No active suppression is happening now because the terrain is too dangerous for firefighters, but the Vincent Creek fire appears to be out, Keith Alholm, public affairs specialist with Olympic National Forest, told the Journal. “There are no active flames or smoke,” Alholm said. A helicopter dumped water on the fire and engines sprayed water down at the flames from the bridge, according to the For...
Central Mason Fire & EMS Chief Jeff Snyder joined state Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz on July 2 at the site of last year's McEwan Fire to talk about fire safety on forest lands. Snyder gave a brief history of the McEwan Fire that started on the Fourth of July last year around 2 p.m. Central Mason was dispatched to a possible brush fire behind Rainbow Lake and units arrived within minutes, he said. The fire was about one-fourth of an acre but there was "rapid fire growth," Snyder...
Police have arrested an Elma man in connection with the death of a woman whose decomposing body was found in a ravine near Schafer State Park. Joshua Morris, 43, was seen on video surveillance May 22 leaving the Lucky Dog Casino with Joanna Ruth Saunders, 29, according to court documents. Saunders was later identified as the body found June 11 on West Beerbower Road in Elma, about 1 mile away from the state park. Mason County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Morris on July 3 for manslaughter. Deputies discovered Saunders June 11, after gravel pit em...
Mason PUD 1 customers went longer than expected without power after overnight maintenance on the Potlatch substation June 27. Residents of Union, Lilliwaup and Hoodsport were scheduled to have electricity cut from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. so Bonneville Power Administration could service the substation. Power was restored by 8 a.m. Mason PUD 1 General Manager Kristin Masteller told the Journal in an email that BPA didn’t give a reason for the delay but sometimes work takes longer than anticipated. “After BPA restored power to their sub that feeds our...
Port of Allyn commissioners agreed to drop “interim” from Executive Director Travis Merrill’s title at the July 1 regular meeting. Merrill has been the interim director since January, after former Interim Executive Director LeAnn Dennis died in December 2023. Dennis was serving in the position after Executive Director Lary Coppola died in October. “You’ve earned your title.” Commissioner Judy Scott said. Port discusses $25K refund Port of Allyn Commissioners tabled discussion on a $25,000 refund for connection hookup fees paid last year by Rona...
