Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 2004
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...
Harstine Island theater play opens Friday The Harstine Island Theatre Club stages "Crossing Delancey" at 7:30 p.m. Friday and April 13, and 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and April 14 at the Harstine Island Community Hall, 3371 E. Harstine Island Road N. Tickets are $10 and are available at Olympic Bakery on Pickering Road, Williams Flowers in downtown Shelton and at the door starting 45 minutes before the show. To get to the hall, take a left off the Harstine Island bridge and drive about 3 miles....
The Shelton School Board on Tuesday evening accepted the resignation of Mark Smith, the Shelton High School head football coach, who is also the district’s K-8 athletic and activities director. Smith, a 1987 Shelton High School graduate, coached the team for four seasons. His resignation was effective March 13. Smith did not immediately reply to a request for comments from the Journal. The Shelton School District is investigating the injuries that five Shelton High School students sustained Jan. 31 during a weight training class. Smith and a...
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...
Tom Beben, owner the High Steel Beer Co. in downtown Shelton, this week announced he will seek a seat on the Mason County Commission. Commissioner Kevin Shutty last month announced he will not seek another term in the fall representing District 2. Richard Beckman, owner of Richard Beckman Realty Group in downtown Shelton, has also announced he is running for the seat as a Republican. Commissioner Randy Neatherlin hasn't responded to the Journal's inquiries about whether he's tossing his hat...
In her book "Long, Long Ago in Skokomish Valley," written in 1965, Emma Richert included a chapter on transportation. In the very early days in Skokomish Valley, transportation consisted of horse-drawn wagons or buggies, or riding horseback. By 1893, bicycles were coming into popular use. In 1897, Barber Wehnes rode her bicycle from Shelton to visit the Will Hunters in the Valley in an hour and a half - a "nice record," according to the Journal. Emma remembered the crookedness, the narrowness an...
The City of Shelton last week made a move to help preserve its past. The Shelton City Council assured the Mason County Historical Society it will help the nonprofit group pursue a state historical grant to add storage space to its museum at 427 W. Railroad Ave. The structure was first the city hall, then the city library, and it's owned by the city. "It's a perfect location, I think, for the museum," Liz Arbaugh, the group's executive director, told the Shelton City Council at its March 19 meeti...
Shelton and Skookum Rotary clubs April 5 is the deadline to apply for scholarships from the Shelton and Skookum Rotary clubs. Scholarships are available in the categories of academic education, continuing education and vocational/trades education. The Robert Burns scholarship is awarded to applicants going into the performing arts, the Janis Byrd scholarship for business art, the Mary Penny scholarship for the medical arts and the Bryson Finlay scholarship for the computer arts. The scholarship amounts range from $1,500 to $3,000. Information,...
Mardi Gras Gala raises money for youths in need Help support homeless and at-risk youth in Mason County by attending Mardi Gras Gala 24, a fundraiser for the Shelton Youth Connection on April 6 at the Alderbrook Resort and Spa, 10 E. Alderbrook Drive in Union. Tickets are $150 per person. Specialty drinks for VIPS are served is from 6 to 6:30 p.m., the social hour and silent auction from 6 to 7 p.m., and the dinner and live auction is at 7 p.m. Information, 1-360-462-0125 and www.sheltonyouthconnection.org. Hundreds of books on sale The...
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...
It snowed this week in 1950! This week is a continuation of the same old, same old. Sunday, March 19, 1950 Today there was such a cold wind we could not be out all day. I ironed clothes and put them all away. Then up to the Masonic Temple where I watched the girls go through their addenda for Alice Pope. It is so clever. I'm sure it will be well received. Home and ate venison steak for dinner. Very good. Took a box of weaving to Eunice Duffield's and she will exhibit it at social club Tuesday....
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...
People making public comments at a Shelton School Board meeting will no longer be verbally warned specifically not to defame anyone or to illegally invade someone’s privacy. A cover letter for the meeting agenda still cautions speakers not to be “libelous or slanderous under a legal standard.” The Shelton School Board on March 11 voted unanimously to change the language regarding public comments at the meeting, which are read aloud by Board Chair Matt Welander before speakers have three minutes to comment. The following sentence was elimi...
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...
Drivers know they’re in for a bumpy ride on Olympic Highway North in Shelton. A smoother road is closer to reality after the Shelton City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to accept a $3.7-million state grant to reconstruct the highway between C Street to Wallace Kneeland Boulevard. The council can make the grant acceptance official with a vote at its April 2 meeting. Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2025. The city plans to pay for it with the $3,688,752 state Transportation Improvement Grant, a previous safety i...
Library deck improvements move ahead The Shelton City Council on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to accepting a $67,000 state grant to improve the deck at the Shelton Timberland Library. The council can make the move official with a vote at its April 2 meeting. According to the city report, the city in April 2022 applied for a state Department of Commerce Library Capital Improvement Program grant. The city asked for $70,000 for the deck project and received $67,900. The city has budgeted...
Shelton and Skookum Rotary clubs April 5 is the deadline to apply for scholarships from the Shelton and Skookum Rotary clubs. Scholarships are available in the categories of academic education, continuing education and vocational/trades education. The Robert Burns scholarship is awarded to applicants going into the performing arts, the Janis Byrd scholarship for business art, the Mary Penny scholarship for the medical arts and the Bryson Finlay scholarship for the computer arts. The scholarship amounts range from $1,500 to $3,000. Information:...
Ride historic train to visit Easter bunny Simpson Railroad hosts its Easter Bunny Special from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at 10138 W. Shelton Matlock Road, 10 miles west of downtown Shelton. The event includes a train ride, a hunt for Easter eggs, face painting and the opportunity to meet the Easter bunny. Tickets for people older than 2 are $15. For more information, go to www.simpsonrailroad.org. Spring Bazaar at Shelton senior center The Mason County Senior Activities Center hosts Spring Bazaar from 10 a.m. to...
