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 129
Mason County Chief Public Defender Peter Jones told commissioners his office is about to be “hit by a train” thanks to updated Washington State Bar standards that “drastically” change attorney caseloads, which will affect how the county prosecutes and defends criminal cases. At a March 24 briefing, Jones requested commissioners immediately form a committee to study the problem and begin implementing changes to the county’s criminal justice system. “I think we need to start putting together a committee right now that figures out how to minimize...
A Port Orchard man has been arrested for stealing a car in Mason County and leading deputies on a high-speed chase down state Route 106. Joseph Hubbard, 22, of Port Orchard, was arrested on felony charges of eluding police and possession of a stolen vehicle March 26. A Mason County Transit employee called MACECOM on March 11 to report a man trying to break into parked cars at Northeast Log Yard Road in Belfair, according to a Mason County Sheriff incident report. While the caller was on the phone, he said the suspect had entered a gray Nissan...
A Seattle attorney suing Mason County District Court and Judge George Steele for appointing him to defend a local man charged with DUI wants the suit to proceed even though he’s been removed as the man’s counsel. Jonathan Lewis, who has a legal practice in Seattle, filed a writ of mandamus in Mason County Superior Court on Feb. 27. The writ is used when government officials have allegedly taken a legally prohibited action. Lewis says Steele improperly appointed him to defend Martin Andres Alonzo, who is being charged with DUI for the third tim...
A Mason County resident who contacted the Journal about his uncounted March 12 presidential primary ballot says its now been tabulated. Scott Gordon said the delay was because he mistakenly signed his wife’s return envelope. “I appreciate everybody looking into it,” Gordon said in a voice message. Mason County Auditor Steve Duenkel’s investigation showed the ballot arrived at the elections department Feb. 21 and was counted in the results for the March 12 presidential primary. When Gordon checked the status of his ballot through the Mason C...
Union property owner Philip Bayley is challenging $250,000 in fines and $33,492 in mitigation fees assessed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for an illegal bulkhead. Bayley told the Journal the EPA’s news release about the judgment is “slanderous” because he still has motions before U.S. District Judge David Estudillo, who ruled on the case. The EPA sued Bayley, his mother, Joan, and their business Big D’s Beach Cabin LLC in 2020 for Clean Water Act violations related to a bulkhead that he says had all required permits. “Althou...
Fire District 12 Commissioner Nick Jones requested at the March 19 commission meeting that any “members or commissioners” in the district who are under investigation be immediately suspended until the inquiry is complete. Fire 12 covers western Mason County, including Matlock and some areas of eastern Grays Harbor County. “It was stated at the last meeting by Mason County Sheriff’s Office that members of the district are under investigation. We should work with the sheriff’s office to determine the names of the members or commissio...
Mason County resident Scott Gordon says he dropped off his March 12 presidential primary ballot at the Belfair post office drive-thru mailbox in February and was “shocked” to see it wasn’t counted. Gordon contacted the Journal after he checked on his ballot through the Mason County elections website. If you are a registered Washington voter, you can sign in and learn when your ballot was mailed, when it was received by Mason County and when it was accepted. “With all this talk about mail-in voting I decided to check on my ballot through...
The North Mason Food Bank will be relocating to a larger building, helped in part by $47,000 in state money secured in the last legislative session. The nonprofit group recently purchased the property at 24131 NE state Route 3, Belfair, in the old HD’s Pub’s building just a few miles from its current location. “For more than 20 years we have been operating out of a small, converted house on a main highway. Parking is extremely limited, and our clients have to back out onto the busy road. In addition, we are very small, so our folks wait outsi...
The 2024 legislative session ended with passage of budgets that bring in millions for Mason County and the 35th District. The state Legislature passed supplemental capital, operating and transportation budgets March 7 that include $16 million for local projects. "The millions we were able to get in this capital budget will make a significant difference in our community. I am proud to be a member of this 35th District team and what we have been able to accomplish together," state Sen. Drew...
Parents of a 4-month-old girl have been arrested for manslaughter after the infant was found unresponsive and could not be revived at the couple’s home in Shelton on March 6. Stevie Kadoun, 30, the child’s mother, was arrested at the scene. The father, Damion Giacchino, 31, fled, according to police, and was apprehended March 14. According to the probable cause document, Kadoun called 911 to report her child wasn’t breathing and her husband was attempting CPR. “I recalled going to this address several times in the past. I knew the property to b...
Local animal shelters at capacity The Shelton Animal Shelter announced March 7 it was at capacity and no longer accepting strays or surrendered pets. A technician working at the shelter, who did not wish to be identified, said it was unusual to have so many pets at the facility and the shelter doesn’t know when it will be able to accept new animals. “I’ve never seen it this crowded,” the employee told the Journal. Adoptable pets from the Shelton facility are available on Petfinder.com. People who have safety concerns about animals can call 91...
Two Shelton High School female students claim the school allowed a guidance counselor to “systematically groom and sexually prey” on them, according to a complaint originally filed March 6 in Mason County Superior Court and withdrawn March 8 due to a captioning error. Lesley O’Neill, one of the attorneys representing the defendants, told the Journal on Monday her firm, Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala in Seattle, plans to refile the complaint as soon as possible. The girls and their parents are identified by their initials in the complaint. The J...
Two Union family members and their business must pay $250,000 in fines and $33,492 for mitigation after their illegal bulkhead caused the death of Chinook salmon. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced in January that Joan and Phillip Bayley, mother and son, and their business Big D’s Beach Cabin LLC would pay penalties for killing the endangered fish. The EPA sued the Bayleys and the LLC, which is on the Hood Canal in Union, in 2020 for Clean Water Act violations. Philip Bayley planned to build a bulkhead and a house 10 feet l...
A Seattle attorney who says he was unlawfully “conscripted” into being a Mason County public defender has sued Mason County District Court and Judge George Steele to reverse the appointment. Jonathan Lewis, who has a legal practice in Seattle, filed a writ of mandamus in Mason County Superior Court on Feb. 27. The writ is used when government officials have allegedly taken a legally prohibited action. Steele assigned Lewis to defend a man charged in district court with DUI whose primary language is Kanjobal. Lewis immediately “re...
Alleged drunken driver causes 3-car collision A woman who allegedly caused a three-car collision March 3 on state Route 3 has been arrested for vehicular assault. Charges are pending for Shelton resident Suzan Rolland, 57, after a trooper at the scene found Rolland “smelled heavily of alcohol,” according to a probable cause document. Rolland was traveling north in a Ford Explorer of milepost 5 just north of Shelton when she crossed over the center line and sideswiped a Toyota Tacoma driven by Mario Lucas, 57, of Shelton. She then hit a Hon...
Owners can opt out of spraying Herbicide spraying will start in April, the Mason County Department of Public Works announced. Property owners who want to opt out can enroll in Public Work’s Owner Will Maintain program by calling 360-427-9670 Ext. 450. Property owners who have already enrolled and designated their land “no spray” do not need to contact Public Works. A detailed list of roads being sprayed is available on the Public Works Herbicide Spray Program webpage at www.masoncountywa.gov. Harstine timber sale postponed The state Depar...
The Washington Legislature passed three citizen initiatives in the waning days of the session — I-2111, which prohibits the state, counties, cities and other local jurisdictions from imposing or collecting income taxes, I-2081, a parental bill of rights relating to their children’s public school education and I-2113, which lifts restrictions on police pursuits. Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, celebrated the “historic victories,” in a post on the social media site X. While he was happy about the outcome, Couture was frustrated about the limited...
Two Leap Day babies were born at Mason General Hospital, Braxton Krippelcz and Jackson Turner Hageman. Feb. 29 is the rarest birthday, occurring only every four years. Braxton's parents, Madison Crossan and Quinnton Krippelcz, plan on celebrating his birthday March 1. "And then a bigger party every four years," Crossan told the Journal. Jackson's mom, Alyssa Brooks, said his birthday celebration will be the Feb. 28 and March 1. "It adds up to 29!" she said....
Belfair Clinic’s primary care patients are struggling with the loss of their doctor while the clinic’s future is being debated by Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. Belfair resident Monna Haugen told the Journal her partner had an appointment with Dr. Raul Dominguiano on Jan. 6, but received a call the morning of the visit saying “Dr. D was gone,” Haugen said. They had no notice Dominguiano was leaving. Now the only option for primary care at the clinic is Dawn Galvez, ARNP, according to the clinic’s website. Haugen said her and her partner w...
State Sen. Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton, had a telephone town hall Feb. 22 for 35th District constituents. MacEwen was eager to have a live community conversation and said the town hall calls were “an effective way” to communicate. He told callers the short legislative session, which ends March 7, “is down to the wire,” but should end on time. MacEwen was eager to talk about the six public initiatives that garnered enough signatures to be certified by the Secretary of State. The six initiatives are: ■ I-2109 Repeals the state’s capital gains tax. ...
Reps. Travis Couture and Dan Griffey, both Republicans from Allyn, had a telephone town hall Feb. 20 for 35th District residents to discuss the legislative session. The state Legislature’s short session ends March 7. “It’s a mixed bag for me this year,” Griffey said. He was disappointed that criminals’ rights continue to be prioritized over victims’ rights, but happy to see a bill he introduced allowing 10 Washington counties a six-month extension on the state-required comprehensive plan deadline passed by the House. Couture said a lot was goi...
After a two-year absence, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC, will be providing services to the community through a three-way partnership with Mason County Public Health, Mason General Hospital and the Shelton Family YMCA, Mason County Public Health Director Dave Windom said. A ribbon-cutting was Feb. 23 at the Shelton Family YMCA, where the clinic will operate. The WIC program provides supplemental food, health care referrals and nutrition...
Commissioners lower gambling tax Commissioners approved 2-1 lowering the county gambling tax rate from 5% to 3% at the Feb. 26 meeting, with Commissioners Sharon Trask and Randy Neatherlin voting “yes” and Commissioner Kevin Shutty voting “no.” The change will mean about $35,000 less annually for the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, according to Mason County Treasurer Lisa Frazier. The sheriff’s office gets the revenue collected from the tax, Frazier said. Mason County’s gambling tax rate will now match Kitsap’s at 3%. Three businesses in B...
District students are making progress towards year-end academic goals, but most have a long way to go, according to midyear presentations given at the North Mason School Board Feb. 26. The district’s academic goals for 2023-2024 are to have 100% of third-graders reading on grade level, 100% of seventh-graders meeting state standard on ELA (English Language Arts) and math SBA (Smarter Balanced Assessment), 100% of ninth-graders on track (0% failures in core classes), 100% graduation rate (85% on time) and 100% of graduates complete CTE (...
Port of Grapeview commissioners announced webmaster Bob Pastore’s resignation at the regular meeting. “We greatly appreciate his time and effort,” Commissioner Mike Blaisdell said. Blaisdell and Managing Official Amanda Montgomery will take over the website duties. Commissioners also discussed forest fire protection assessments on seven parcels donated by Pastore to the port. The Department of Natural Resources “uncombined” the parcels after the donation and billed each separately, Blaisdell said. Commissioners voted to apply for a refund an...
