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Articles from the February 1, 2024 edition


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  • Landslide cleanup

    Feb 1, 2024

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  • Shelton creating new plan

    Gordon Weeks|Feb 1, 2024

    The City of Shelton started preliminary work on a new comprehensive plan for a city whose residents are younger, poorer, less educated and more likely to rent than surrounding communities. Demographics of the city's population was one of the topics when the Shelton City Council heard updates on the comprehensive plan development at a study session Jan. 23 at the Shelton Civic Center. In October, the city kicked off the process of developing the comprehensive plan, which isn't slated to be...

  • Coroner moves to larger space

    June Williams|Feb 1, 2024

    Mason County Coroner Jaime Taylor is getting comfortable in her new Shelton office at 126 Kneeland St. Taylor and her staff moved the last week of November. When Taylor started as coroner, she worked below the family court building in an area "basically just a cooling space," she told the Journal. "We love our new office," Taylor told Mason County commissioners at a recent meeting. After the move, Taylor hosted an open house for the commissioners and other officials, including former coroner...

  • COMMISSION BRIEFS

    Compiled by reporter June Williams|Feb 1, 2024

    Public defense attorneys get raise Mason County commissioners approved a pay raise for public defense attorneys at their Jan. 30 meeting. Attorneys providing indigent defense for misdemeanors, heard in district court, will get a pay raise from $75 an hour to $100 an hour. Attorneys providing indigent defense for felonies, heard in superior court, will see their pay increase from $100 an hour to $125 an hour. Hourly indigent defense investigators will now make $75 an hour. Chief Public Defender Peter Jones thanked the commissioners at a...

  • COMMUNITY BRIEFS

    Compiled by reporter Gordon Weeks|Feb 1, 2024

    Soup & Song benefit helps families in need The Shelton-based nonprofit Love INC hosts its annual Soup & Song benefit concert at 4 p.m. Saturday at Shelton Presbyterian Church, 1430 E. Shelton Springs Road, Shelton. Tickets are $20 and are available at the Love INC office at 109 Second St., downtown Shelton, or by calling the office at 360-462-5683. Gabe Sartori and his family will perform worship music. Local harpists Emily Hageman and her daughter Ellen will also perform. The event includes seven homemade soups, a live auction of dozens of...

  • THESE TIMES

    Kirk Ericson|Feb 1, 2024

    It’s easy to be entranced by the innocent looks of toddlers. They appear to have no idea what’s coming at them. The wonderful thing about quitting cigarettes is you have the opportunity to start them all over again. When both our boys were living at home and would go out for the evening, returning after I went to bed, one of my first destinations the next morning was to check the shoe rack to ensure their shoes were there. Seeing those shoes always gave me a serene feeling. All was well wit...

  • LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

    Feb 1, 2024

    Gun insanity: Revisited Editor, the Journal, This letter is in response to Dr. Busacca's Letter to the Editor on Jan. 11, "Gun Insanity." Dr. Busacca, you have been a long-standing, respected member of Mason County, but your letter, while spirited, veers away from historical precision and distorts key statistics. First, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, guns are not the leading cause of death for people under 20. I suspect you got that statistic from a flashy headline...

  • HISTORY AT A GLANCE

    Jan Parker, Mason County Historical Museum|Feb 1, 2024

    On Feb. 1974, two armed men who had robbed a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Bremerton were thought to be on their way to Shelton. Their getaway car was stopped in Belfair about 8 p.m., and a young woman, the only occupant, was taken into custody. Twenty-three law officers from the Mason and Kitsap County sheriff departments, the Bremerton Police Department, and two detachments of the Washington State Patrol were involved in searching for the suspects. Roadblocks were set up in the area,...

  • Road to recovery on drug treatment truck

    Gordon Weeks|Feb 1, 2024

    The day after Christmas, a large white truck bearing the initials ETS pulled up next to the Community Lifeline homeless shelter in downtown Shelton. Ever since, residents with homes or without have been treated for opioid use disorders inside the truck six mornings a week. The nonprofit Evergreen Treatment Services, funded by a grant from the Health Care Authority, states that it "aims to minimize barriers to accessing substance use treatment by meeting patients where they are." Established in...

  • COURT & CRIME BRIEFS

    Compiled by reporter June Williams|Feb 1, 2024

    Adams Street car fire Central Mason Fire & EMS crews fought a car fire on Adams Street in Shelton Monday morning. The call was reported about 10:15 a.m. and fire crews arrived in minutes to find a passenger vehicle in the alley between Adams Street and Olympic Highway North on fire. Crews quickly extinguished the blaze. The driver of the vehicle was evaluated at the scene for minor burns and transported to Mason General Hospital for further evaluation and care. The cause of the fire is under...

  • William "Billy" St. Paul

    Feb 1, 2024

    Bill passed away January 7th, 2024, at the age of 65. He was born on July 5th, 1958, to Jack and Edith Davidson, in Sandpoint, Idaho. The family moved to Kamilche when he was nine years old, where he lived until his death. He attended the Kamilche School until it closed and finished his education in Shelton. His hobbies included crabbing, shrimping, and fishing with his family and friends. His number one passion was sprint car races on dirt tracks. He was the crew chief for several drivers at...

  • James Peter Wysocki

    Feb 1, 2024

    James Peter Wysocki, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, and respected former U.S. Coast Guard Captain, passed away peacefully at his home in Shelton, Washington, on the eve of December 24, 2023. He was born to Leonard and Josephine Wysocki on March 15, 1942, in Bevent, Wisconsin. James' life journey was marked by dedication, love, and resilience. James' 30-year career in the U.S. Coast Guard, spanning from 1963 to 1993, was a testament to his unwavering commitment to his country. He...

  • Eldon Lee Johnston

    Feb 1, 2024

    Eldon Lee Johnston, 85, passed away quietly in the night at home early on Thursday morning, January 18th, 2024. Eldon Johnston was born on August 7th, 1938 in Aberdeen, Washington, to Charlie X. Johnston and Viola Dora Johnston (nee Smith), both deceased. Eldon lived in the Shelton area from the early 1950's until his passing. Eldon served in the United States Navy for three years, first as a Quartermaster and Helmsman and then as a reservist. Eldon traveled the world as a Sailor for the Navy....

  • Arthur L. "Bud" Enger

    Feb 1, 2024

    Arthur L. "Bud" Enger, 91, long time resident of Shelton, passed away January 13, 2024, surrounded by family. Bud was born July 3, 1932 in Dickinson North Dakota to Arthur L. and Lillian Enger. He moved to Miles City, Montana at a young age. He left Montana to serve in the United States Army during the Korean War. After returning to the states, Bud and Army comrade, Major Gray, were stationed at Fort Lewis. One night, the two men attended a dance in Olympia where they would both meet two...

  • Wade Samuel Ogg

    Feb 1, 2024

    Wade Samuel Ogg, 63, of Ruston Washington, passed away peacefully at home on January 5, 2024, surrounded by family after his battle with Cancer. Wade was born June 3, 1960 to Ancil (Sam) Ogg and Marguerite (Maggie) Ogg. He went through his school years in Shelton, graduating with High Honors from Shelton High School in 1978. He then went on to PLU where he graduated with an Engineering degree. Wade worked at PUD #3 in Shelton, then Tacoma Power and Light before moving to Seattle City Light as a...

  • "Lightnin" Larry Goldsby

    Feb 1, 2024

    "Lightnin," aka Larry Goldsby, passed away on January 18, 2024. Born in Olympia, WA on January 13, 1939 to Carl Wesley Goldsby and Myrtle Donna Whittle, the family moved to Shelton the following year. The Goldsby brothers were loggers, and very early in Lightnin's childhood he often went to work with his Dad and uncles. It was his uncle Happ who gave him the name Lightnin because he could move so fast. Around the age of 10, he and his cousin "Pete", (also re-named by uncle Happ), spent many...