Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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Park Street in Shelton will be closed from Sept. 21 until Oct. 1 as Granite Construction Co. of Olympia overlays asphalt from South Seventh Street to South First Street. For decades, Park Street was a popular path to deliver logs to the Shelton waterfront, first for the Simpson Lumber Co. and now Sierra Pacific Industries. Now that route is closed to logging trucks. The Shelton City Council on July 20 gave final approval to awarding a $263,000 contract to Granite Construction to overlay asphalt...
The surging number of COVID-19 cases in Mason County prompted the organizers of the Mason County Forest Festival to cancel the Paul Bunyan Grand Parade and fireworks slated for Saturday. "The biggest part of making this decision is keeping the community safe and doing our part," Forest Festival Chairman Mick Sprouffskee said in an interview with the Journal. "That's really what this is about." Sprouffskee said he understands the decision is not popular with some people. Only 50 % of eligible...
Mason County recorded 149 cases of COVID-19 last week, decreasing once again from the previous week. As of Tuesday, there are six people hospitalized in Mason County with COVID-19 and one hospitalized outside of Mason County. There were two additional deaths this week. There have been 320 cases in the last 14 days and the rate per 100,000 has decreased to 492. Mason Area Command provided an email update that positive test results are being sent right away while negative results are taking...
What a difference a year makes for Cedar High School. The Shelton School District's newest school debuted last September with all 70 students in grades nine through 12 learning at home due to the pandemic, and all seven teachers are offering instruction, alone in classrooms, at CHOICE High School in downtown Shelton or from home. On Sept. 1, Cedar High School started its second year with 100 students on the 27-acre Olympic College Shelton campus. Olympic College President Marty Cavalluzzi and...
Brian Louis Omdahl, left this life on Thursday, September 9, 2021. Brian was born February 5, 1977 in Oceanside, CA. His parents, Max and Vikki Omdahl, moved to Shelton, WA in 1979. He has lived in Shelton his entire life. Brian attended Pioneer School from kindergarten thru eighth grade and made lifelong friends. He then moved on to Shelton High School and graduated in 1995. After high school, he went to work for Taylor Shellfish on the mussel crew. He learned how to weld and had a knack for... Full story
Madeline Lillian Brown was born June 26, 1930, to Eli and Bella Wolden in Shelton, Washington. She was the ninth of ten children. Madeline lived most of her life in Shelton and passed away there on August 10, 2021. Madeline was a 1948 graduate of Irene S. Reed High School and worked at the local J.C. Penney store until she married in 1950. While family was her main focus in life, she was also active in her church and community. After her children were raised, she opened Nosegay Florist in... Full story
Washington state Rep. Jim Walsh (R-Aberdeen) and anti-tax activist and former gubernatorial candidate Tim Eyman are the keynote speakers at the Mason County Republicans' Reagan Day reception at 6 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Beginning Christian Church at 123 W. C St. in Shelton. Admission is $30. The fundraiser will feature beer, wine and hors d'ouevres. For more information, call Alice Wells at 360-463-9382. Walsh represents the 19th District, which includes parts of Grays Harbor, Lewis, Cowlitz,...
Ruth Solberg passed away at home on September 6, 2021, in Shelton, WA, at the age of 91. Ruth was born March 30, 1930, in Hamilton, North Dakota to Fred and Florence Switzer. In her early years, Ruth was a school teacher and later became a successful business woman, owning and operating The Brotherhood, Maplebrook, and Maytown Taverns. Ruth was very active throughout her life and enjoyed her time performing with the Wrinkles of Washington. Ruth was also a talented artist, painting many... Full story
The Shelton City Council on Sept. 7 gave final approval to surplussing three police patrol cars. The council gave preliminary approval at its Aug. 17 meeting. All three vehicles are Crown Victorias, one model from 2004, the others from 2006 and 2008. Shelton Police Chief Carole Beason told the council on Aug. 17 that all three vehicles have “well exceeded” their lives as patrol vehicles. All three models are no longer made, and the vehicles have become too costly to maintain and are no longer safe, she said. The 2004 car was involved in an acc...
Lalee Churchill, beloved wife of Charlie Churchill, born September 7, 1947, passed away on May 3, 2021, after a short stay in the Morton hospital. Charlie and Lalaee were happily married 22 years. Her full obituary will be printed in the Morton paper. Memorial for Lalee will be held this coming Sunday, September 19, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. by Zoom video conference. To attend, please text (334) 538-3646 for your invitation.... Full story
Devon Matthew Barker-Cornell, born December 21st, 2001 to Heather Florek (Barker) and Leroy Cornell, passed away September 3rd, 2021. Devon was 19, and attended Shelton High School for his senior year. He graduated in 2020 with honors. His immediate family, work family, and friends would describe him as loving, caring, funny, hard working, and determined. He would always make a bad day better, even if he was having a bad day himself. He is survived by his parents, both of Shelton. His step... Full story
Banned Books Week starts at the end of September and National Librarian Day is coming up April 16, so how about we get a jump on being thankful for libraries and librarians. A library is one of the few indoor places in this nation where you can expect to be treated fairly regardless of how much money you have or what color you are. Rich people, poor people, people without shelter, the old and the young get the same treatment at libraries. Libraries are a testament to this nation’s egalitarian s...
David E. Howe died at home September 1st, 2021. He was born May 24, 1934. He served in the U. S. Navy from 1951-1955 aboard the U.S.S. Stickell. He is survived by his wife and six children. A Memorial service will be held September 20th, 2021 at 11a.m., at Shelton Memorial Park Cemetery.... Full story
Randolph (Randy) Max Brand, 72, of Shelton, Washington passed away peacefully on September 1, 2021, at his homeafter succumbing to pancreatic cancer. A Celebration of Life potluck lunch will be held at 1:00 pm on Saturday, September 18 at 350 SE Binns Swiger Loop Rd, Shelton.The gathering will be outdoors, please dress accordingly. Randy was born February 25, 1949, in Olympia, Washington to Donald and Barbara (Davis) Brand. He spent his formative years adventuring with his siblings, andhe was a... Full story
The Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce is now accepting nominations for the Chamber's awards. The Chamber recognizes businesses, individuals and organizations through its annual awards. There are five categories open for nominations, including business of the year, rookie of the year, boss of the year, citizen of the year and nonprofit of the year. Last year, AAA Septic LLC won business of the year, ISH PNW won rookie of the year, Holly Cahoon of 2nd Street Design Studio won boss of the year, Don Welander won citizen of the year and Cross... Website
Mason Health hosting Bikers for Babies Mason Health is hosting the second Bikers for Babies event this Saturday, Sept. 18. The Indian Motorcycle of Bremerton, Indian Motorcycle Riders Group #2047 and Brothers Powersports is hosting the event and money raised will support the purchase of GE Panda Radiant Infant Warmer for the Mason General Hospital Birth Center. Registration begins at 9 a.m. with breakfast for registered riders and passengers. The event starts at 11 a.m., with the route starting at The Brothers Powersports in Bremerton. The bike...
Some guidance for letter-writers Editor, the Journal, I feel that prolific, long-winded, angry complainers have achieved a near monopoly in the Journal's letters to the editor. Newspapers rarely publish letters longer than 300 words and most stay away from publishing rants. Therefore, I request that the Journal implement a policy similar to many other newspapers by limiting letters to 150 to 200 words. One letter per person per month is another worthwhile policy. Your recent full-page...
Spinach is a ubiquitous green in our culture, and grocery stores have ruined it for me. It's fragile when bundled and intolerant of mishandling. When spoiling in a clamshell of mixed greens, it quickly rots the lot. I briefly put it in everything from stews to pastries when I found it at a local Indian grocer in Queens, New York. Though not organic, it was in field-fresh condition. As I stood admiring it for the first time, no fewer than five South Asian housewives examined a couple of bundles...
There was quite a debate at the Mason County commissioners meeting last Tuesday about rezoning three parcels of property from residential to commercial. According to the briefing packet, New Hiawatha LLC, owned by Mark Kamin, applied to rezone parcels adjacent to existing commercial industrial zoned parcels along E. Johns Prairie Road for about two miles. Hiawatha LLC is intending to utilize the parcels for potential expansion of the existing business. Community Development Administrator Kell...
Shelton Centennial Lions selling apples The Shelton Centennial Lions are selling 40-pound boxes of fresh Fuji apples for $40 each, with the proceeds going to public projects as health screenings for Shelton students and the Shelton YMCA. The apples can be ordered by calling Bill Scholl at 360-520-6802 or email [email protected]. Orders can also be placed on the group's Facebook page. Oct. 8 is the deadline to order the apples, which will be picked in eastern Washington. Last year, the...
The Mason County commissioners approved a proposal for a housing needs assessment to inform the housing chapter of the comprehensive plan. According to the packet, the county is looking for consultive services to perform a housing needs assessment to evaluate and recommend housing needs to inform the comprehensive plan and identify the highest needs of affordable housing. Housing supply is in short supply for public and affordable housing. According to the Point in Time Counts, there are more than 100 individuals unsheltered and 146 individuals...
Mason County commissioners approved the hiring of temporary community services public health positions. The county is hiring a full-time temporary public health nurse to focus in COVID-19 response. According to the briefing packet, some of the duties for this position include providing professional public health nursing and case management services to people over the phone and the public health office is the primary worksite. This position is responsible for disease investigation, monitoring, treatment and reporting and will work with other...
Mason County commissioners approved a 3.4% rate increase for water and sewer systems owned and operated by Mason County in Rustlewood, Beards Cove and North Bay Case Inlet for 2022. According to a news release, the increase corresponds to the April 2021 Consumer Price Index for the Bremerton Area. The increase applies to all charges associated with the referenced water and sewer utility systems, including monthly service rates, connection and permit fees and other related charges. It also covers the annual cost increase experienced by the count...
Mason County commissioners approved a contract extension with MasonWebTV for live streaming services of regular commission meetings and Board of Health meetings. According to the briefing packet, the original contract began in 2015 and the extension is through 2022. The rate per regular meeting is $100 for up to two hours and $25 for each additional hour. The anticipated cost of the extension is $5,000....