Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 26
The second ballot count in the Aug. 1 primary election didn’t change any of the results, which means George Blush and Tristen Smith will be the finalists for a Shelton City Council seat and Mason County Fire District 16’s proposed six-year EMS levy failed to reach the 60% super majority for passage. With the ballot update Aug. 3, voter turnout was 28.97%. Of the county’s 23,027 registered voters, 6,671 ballots had been tabulated. The results of the next ballot count is scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday, with certification slated for Tuesday. In th...
Randall Bortoluzi, aka "Randy B" age 71, passed away Sunday, July 30, 2023, at Mason General Hospital. He was born March 3, 1952, in Lynwood, CA. Randy was a long-time resident of Shelton, WA. He loved camping, fishing, and the great outdoors. He also had an interest in U.S. History, particularly WWII. He collected model airplanes, original newspapers, and other war-time memorabilia. On the less serious side, Randy had an extensive Gumby collection. He often signed his name as, "Randy B., aka... Full story
Arla J. Strutz has passed on July 20th, 2023, due to cancer. Arla was born in North Dakota on 9/3/1960 to Harley and Ernestine Strutz, the second youngest of five children. Arla enjoyed Fastpitch softball with her sisters. She lived a life of warmth and joy as a single mother devoting her life to protecting, providing for, and loving her children unconditionally. Arla was known mostly for her cooking and ability to feed a village, she was fun, lively, outgoing, and exciting but also very loving... Full story
It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Virginia Lee Hussey, a remarkable individual who touched the lives of so, so many. Virginia departed from this world on June 29, 2023, leaving behind a legacy of love, compassion and unwavering strength. Her loss is felt deeply by her family, friends and all who had the privilege of knowing her. Virginia was born on October 4, 1949, in Tacoma, WA and from an early age, she displayed remarkable spirit and an insatiable thirst for life.... Full story
Michael "Mike" Wayne Clary, 73, passed away suddenly surrounded by family on Sunday, July 9, 2023, at Capital Medical Center in Olympia, Washington. Mike was born on October 3, 1949, to Wayne Clary and Josephine (Breckel) Clary in Shelton, Washington and raised on a farm in Kamilche. He graduated from Shelton High School in 1967 and joined the Navy where he served in Vietnam for 23 months. During that time, he had two children: Sherrell and Janel. After Vietnam, Mike lived in Shelton and his... Full story
The youngest of four, Ward was born to William and Carol Villines. After graduating Olympia High School he joined the U.S. Air Force and served two tours in Vietnam. The same year, he graduated from Georgia State he married his first wife, Judy McKinnon. Years later, Ward married his second wife, Debra Keravich. At the time of his passing the couple had spent 32 years together. Ward was the owner and manager of Characters Corner Tavern in the community of Steamboat Island. In total, he had worked 44 years at Characters before selling it in 2022... Full story
Debra Osborne, 69, a resident of Aberdeen, passed away July 31, 2023, at Tacoma General Hospital in Tacoma. Arrangements are by McComb & Wagner Family Funeral Home and Crematory. Barbara Jones, 90, a resident of Olympia, passed away August 5, 2023, at Fieldstone Memory care in Olympia. Arrangements are by McComb & Wagner Family Funeral Home and Crematory. Sheilah Beaumont, 79, a resident of Lakewood, passed away August 6, 2023, at home. Arrangements are by McComb & Wagner Family Funeral Home and Crematory. Dana Thacher, 89, a resident of... Full story
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, came to Veterans Memorial Hall in Shelton on Friday for a pinning ceremony for Vietnam veterans, hosted by VFW Post 1694. The ceremony started with posting the colors and singing the national anthem, followed by speeches from Shelton Mayor Eric Onisko and county commissioners Sharon Trask and Kevin Shutty. Kilmer gave the final guest speech before the pinning ceremony, with Vietnam War veterans or family members of Vietnam veterans coming to the front to...
Parents who say they're offended by some of the Shelton School District's literacy instruction books were told Monday that the district is following state laws and district policies while selecting books for students. At a work session at CHOICE High School, the school board gathered to discuss the district's curriculum. The session was scheduled after parents and guardians during regular board meetings in June and July complained about the content in about 10 of the 150 books for grades seven t...
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Ours is to question. Ink-stained wretches at weekly newspapers like this one were at one time content to put out the best newspaper they could muster, once a week. If something really big happened, like downtown burning to the ground, they’d put out a special edition, usually called an “Extra.” Our big-city cousins, often faced with a cross-town rival, would do the same but for the most part, people who wanted to know the latest news turned to their favorite radio station at the top of the hour....
"We don't have to get fat, We don't have to get old. We don't have information that we have to withhold." -The Pretenders, "Let the Sun Come In" Mrs. Ericson and I are doing fine money-wise, but we definitely don't have helicopter rescue money. That thought arose as I looked up at Aasgard Pass, a muscle-bound stretch of slope that rises from the tourmaline-green shores of Colchuck Lake in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in the central Cascades, just outside of Leavenworth. That incline of nearly...
Editor's note: This letter is in response to a letter from Craig Anderson in the Aug. 3 edition of the Journal. Auditor response Editor, the Journal, Thank you for visiting the Auditor's Office earlier this week. I truly appreciated the opportunity to get to know you and share with you some of the work we've been doing to "shore up" the elections system. As we discussed, state law (RCW 29A.60.170 (3)) requires investigation of any discrepancy found during an audit no later than 48 hours after el...
Peace Valley Barefoot Festival this weekend Live performances by more than 20 bands and solo musicians, laser and pyro shows, a circus tent and an 80-foot illuminated sphere are among the happenings at the Peace Valley Barefoot Festival, hosted Friday through Sunday at Peace Valley Farmgrounds between Shelton and Matlock. The festival at 2620 W. Little Egypt Road is staged by the nonprofit Sweitzer Strong Foundation, which support and educate people who are affected by traumatic brain injury. The organization’s major goal is to build The S...
Brinnon man hurt in U.S. 101 crash A 41-year-old Brinnon man was injured in a two-vehicle crash Saturday evening on U.S. Highway 101 just south of Lilliwaup. According to a Washington State Patrol news release, the Brinnon man was driving a 2001 Isuzu northbound and a 49-year-old Hoquiam man in a semitruck was driving south. The Isuzu crossed the centerline and struck the Hoquiam man’s vehicle, blocking the highway. The Brinnon man was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for his injuries. He was also charged with driving u...
Solid-waste public hearing Aug. 29 Mason County commissioners decided to table action until after a public hearing Aug. 29 on selecting and signing a contract for solid-waste long haul transportation and disposal services at a July 31 special meeting. According to the information packet, Public Works advertised a request for proposals for hauling and disposing of the county’s solid waste. Two proposals were received and deemed responsive from Republic Services and Mason County Garbage on July 12. Republic Services provides hauling and d...
Mason County is considering providing direct health care services to the community through the county Community Services and Public Health departments. The idea was discussed during the July 25 Board of Health meeting. County Health Officer Dr. Keri Gardner talked to the board about the idea, stating she and Director of Community Services Dave Windom have talked about the idea. Gardner said it would fill some gaps in the community’s public health needs. Gardner said the idea is still in the p...
Mason County Climate Justice and the Legacy Forest Defense Coalition had its preliminary injunction denied Monday by Mason County Superior Court Judge Cadine Ferguson-Brown. According to the judge’s findings, the court concluded for each sale, the state Department of Natural Resources used reasonably sufficient information and that the determination was issued in compliance with the procedural requirements of the State Environmental Policy Act. “Therefore, the appellants failed to meet the sta...
The Hoodstock Music and Arts Festival, at the Hood Canal Marina in Union on Aug. 19-20, aims to be bigger and better this year, thanks to event organizers Kelli Kohout, Meghan Maes and Shannon Crabb-Stanton. Each has a role in staging the festival, with Kohout handling promotions, Maes coordinating vendors and managing the Union City Market, and Crabb-Stanton booking concert acts while shouldering her share of marketing. When asked what this year's more significant upgrades are, Crabb-Stanton...
When Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird co-created the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1984, the most popular superhero comics on the market during the early '80s included Marv Wolfman and George Perez's "The New Teen Titans," Chris Claremont's "Uncanny X-Men" and Frank Miller's "Daredevil," so angsty teen heroes, outcast mutants and ninja crime-fighters were all the rage. Ever since, the popularity of teenagers, mutants and ninjas in superhero stories has remained relatively strong, but what's been...
High school football season officially begins Wednesday, with North Mason potentially kicking off the season as early as possible by practicing at midnight as they did last year. Shelton and Mary M. Knight will also begin practice Wednesday, with the season kicking off Sept. 2 with the Mason County Cup in Belfair. Shelton won last year's contest 39-18 at Jack Stark Field. The Highclimbers face another Olympic League opponent in Week 2, hosting Bremerton in Shelton's home opener. Shelton's other...
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A common perception of summer school is deskbound students trapped in a classroom hunched over a book while their classmates frolic outside. But that's not the reality inside Hawkins Middle School in Belfair, where summer school students are writing, animating and voicing characters as they create computer-animated shorts. Everyone is invited to view the results at the district's first Summer School Film Festival at 5 tonight at Hawkins Middle School. To make a reservation, contact Laura Pugh at...
This is a very full week for Mary and Blanche. Sam drove them to Vancouver, British Columbia, to catch a train to Toronto. Sunday, July 31, 1949 Today was a busy day. Arose early and did the balance of the mangling and put away the clothes. Then started breakfast. At 10 the Kurths came so we ate a farm breakfast with ham, pancakes and eggs. Just sat and talked. In the afternoon the Oaklands, the Bledsoes (who fish on the Columbia River) and another couple. Then Billy Hyde came in to ask to use...
The art wall at Belfair Self-Storage is doing something different for August — art wall founder and self-storage business manager Barbara Treick said its art exhibition is doubling as a silent auction through Aug. 31. “Area artists are displaying pieces ranging from ink drawings and acrylic paintings to collages,” Treick said. “The only information listed with each piece will be a number, with a corresponding bid sheet. Bids start at $1, with a minimum of $1 bid increments.” Treick has lined...
