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 2463
Driver injured in wreck near Victor A single-car rollover Dec. 28 on state Route 302 south of Victor sent the driver to Mason General Hospital. Lacey resident Gideon Senono, 23, was eastbound at milepost 4 when he failed to negotiate a curve, lost control of his Toyota Corolla and crashed, according to the Washington State Patrol. Senono was speeding and charged with reckless driving, the WSP stated in a news release. Senono’s car was totaled. Goodell retires, Butler begins term Former Mason County Superior Court Commissioner Tirsa Butler began...
North Mason School District voters will see an education programs and operations replacement levy on the Feb. 11 ballot. The four-year replacement levy will be a renewal of the levy approved by voters in 2022 that is set to expire at the end of 2025, Superintendent Dana Rosenbach told the Herald in an email. "The proposed replacement levy is the renewal of our existing EP&O Levy that is about to expire. This levy, approved by the voters in 2022, fills the gaps between state funds and the actual...
Community members looking to volunteer on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, Jan. 20, can help remove invasive species at the Salmon Center in Belfair. "By removing invasive species in a crucial wetland area, we hope to bolster the local ecosystem by protecting the native plants that provide food and habitat for various creatures including birds, pollinators, and Pacific salmon," according to the HCSEG news release. A group of AmeriCorps members will host the volunteers at the center,...
The Wild Felid Advocacy Center for big cats on Harstine Island suffered a devastating loss of at least 20 animals due to avian influenza. "We are heartbroken to share that animal health officials have confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) among over half of our wild felids as of December 2024. This devastating viral infection, carried by wild birds, spreads primarily through respiratory secretions and bird-to-bird contact and can also be contracted by carnivorous...
The City of Shelton's wastewater treatment plant lost power during a major storm Dec. 18, which led to contaminants seeping into Hammersley Inlet and closing some shellfish growing areas. "The issue that occurred at the wastewater treatment plant (WTTP) was that an internal transfer switch did not engage our backup source (generator) when the power went out during the storm," Aaron Nix, the city's assistant public works director, wrote to the Journal on Monday. "The power was out at the main...
Last month's tsunami warning for the Northern California and Southern Oregon coasts, issued after a 7.0 earthquake struck west of Ferndale, California, saw panicked motorists lining the Pacific Coast Highway before the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration canceled the alarm. The devastating effects of a tsunami are easy to imagine on coastal communities, but what about Hood Canal? While Mason County doesn't have oceanfront land, our local fjord could face catastrophic flooding from a...
Kyle Lauderdale, the chief experience officer for Peninsula Credit Union, recently was honored as a "Patriotic Employer" by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. According to a news release, the award recognizes supervisors and employees who demonstrate exceptional support for employees serving in the National Guard or Reserve. The award was presented at PCU's headquarters branch, where Lauderdale was celebrated by his peers and members of the community. Lauderdale was nominated by...
My son is a talented classical guitarist, and he recently began playing for us as we opened our Christmas Eve presents. Seeing everyone’s happiness and gratitude for their gifts filled my heart with joy. It was especially remarkable that my son could join us. He had been unwilling or unable to attend most of our family gatherings for too many years. His mother’s sudden death when he was 10 years old. Then, four years later, a life-changing frontal lobe traumatic brain injury that resulted in poor decision-making. Years later I was relieved to...
Aron Collins left Indiana for the West Coast in the spring of 1853. This story is from the first letter he wrote back home to his brother on Dec. 8, 1853. "I take my pen in hand to inform you that we are well and hope these few lines may find you all enjoying the same blessing. I arrived in San Francisco on the first of June. We had a very pleasant trip except crossing the isthmus of Panama was somewhat interesting. Particularly from Crusez to Panama on mules. There was near one thousand...
Auditions Sunday for Neil Simon play The Harstine Island Theatre Club hosts auditions for its spring production of “Rose and Walsh” by Neil Simon at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Harstine Island Community Hall, 3371 E. Harstine Island Road N. This is the last play written by Simon, whose many hits include “The Odd Couple,” “The Sunshine Boys,” “Barefoot in the Park,” “Lost in Yonkers” and “Biloxi Blues.” “Rose and Walsh” follows two great literary figures and the depth and consequences of their enduring love. Rose, a celebrated but near pennile...
Twanoh State Park subcontractor sues over lost equipment A subcontractor that worked on a culvert installation project at Twanoh State Park has sued the main contractor and Washington State Parks for failing to return equipment or pay the subcontractor for loss, according to a complaint filed in Mason County Superior Court Dec. 12. OMA Construction performed dewatering work for SEA Construction on the park project. “Upon completion of follow up work, it was agreed that the dewatering system would be returned to OMA,” the complaint states. SEA d...
Travis Couture, R-Allyn, is now the lead Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, according to a Dec. 17 news release. He will also serve as an assistant floor leader during the 2025 session. “I’m honored to be selected to help lead this important committee as we work to right the state budget and rein in the out-of-control spending we have seen from the majority party over the past decade. Washington has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. I look forward to working in a bipartisan way during the 2025 session and will fiercely a...
Commissioners have hired consultants to perform a feasibility study for the possible county purchase of Mason Lake Camp. The $99,523 contract for BerryDunn, approved at the Dec. 17 meeting, will assess the viability of purchasing and operating the property at 1052 East Mason Lake Drive West in Grapeview. BerryDunn, based in Portland, Maine, has a seven-phase analysis that should help the county decide, according to the proposal. One of the first things the consulting firm will do is a market...
Volunteers from the Grapeview Community Association spent several days cleaning Grapeview Loop Road right of way from Treasure Island Road to the Loop Road’s south intersection with state Route 3 — a distance of 6 miles. “We used to do this annually but somehow it fell off the radar. We intend to put it back on track. Our volunteers did a fantastic job on both sides of the road — that’s 12 miles of right of way,” Jim Hanson, GCA president said. GCA member Ed Johnson was assigned to head the project. “We had eight volunteers and they covered...
Jerry Upson has been sentenced to life without parole for murdering Kenneth Simmons on Oct. 28, 2023. A jury found Upson guilty of first-degree murder Nov. 8. At a hearing Dec. 17, Judge Daniel Goodell handed down the mandatory sentence for Upson under the state Persistent Offenders Accountability Act, or “three strikes” law. The law, passed by a voter initiative in 1994, requires life without parole for those convicted of three serious felonies. Upson immediately appealed the verdict and sentence. Upson was seen on surveillance video with a ha...
In 1980, Karen Everett was a substitute teacher at Pioneer School when her husband died, leaving her to raise their two children ages 3 and 9. Pioneer students conducted a food drive for Everett for the three and staff gave her money to help her through the tough times. "I'm sure it changed us forever," Everett said. "Pioneer School became like a family." She added, "It was unheard of to have so much generosity shown to someone who wasn't really a full staff member." Everett became a full-time...
Simpson Lumber rail crossings last year were removed on Cota Street, 10th Street and Railroad Avenues in downtown Shelton in preparation for a 2.5-mile crosstown trail, and railroad tracks, ties and switches will be removed next year. But that doesn't mean every remnant of the historic line will disappear, Capital Projects Manager Aaron Nix told the Shelton City Council at a study session Dec. 10 on capital projects. "One of the things we are going to do is the remaining rail components - there...
Taylor Shellfish’s proposed floating oyster bag farm in Oakland Bay is closer to operation after the Shorelines Hearings Board ruled on an appeal that aquaculture development is a preferred use and the company adequately addressed possible environmental impacts. Friends of Oakland Bay and Taylor Shellfish both appealed Mason County’s decision last year to approve the farm. Friends claimed the farm is inconsistent with public access policies, doesn’t comply with views and aesthetics policies and said the county examiner failed to impose reaso...
JANUARY Melissa Stearns, George Blush and Tom Gilmore on Jan. 2 were sworn in as new members of the Shelton City Council, followed by the seven-member council unanimously reelecting Eric Onisko as mayor. Joe Schmit was re-elected deputy mayor. Stearns, a local Realtor and lifelong Shelton resident, defeated eight-year incumbent Kathy McDowell with 60.63% for a four-year term as council member 2. Blush, the owner of Nita's Koffee Shop and the nonprofit 5XL Shelton Food Bank that provides pet...
The line dancers and the chorus at the Mason County Senior Activities Association senior center in Shelton on Dec. 17 performed at the members-only Christmas in the Islands party and luncheon. Many attendees wore Hawaiian shirts, despite the cold downpour outside....
JANUARY Port of Allyn Commissioner Ted Jackson unexpectedly resigned Jan. 19. Commissioner Judy Scott read Jackson's terse resignation letter at a Jan. 23 special meeting. The port was already facing challenges after Executive Director Lary Coppola died Sept. 30, 2023, Interim Executive Director LeAnn Dennis died on Christmas Day, 2023 and Patty Noel, who was appointed interim executive assistant Jan. 1, quit less than three weeks later. ■ ■ ■ North Mason School Board members met James A. Taylo...
Wild overnight weather left a quarter of Mason County without power at one point early Wednesday morning, closed roads due to downed power lines and felled trees, flooded roads and delayed schools. At 6:45 a.m. Wednesday, almost 25% of PUD 3 customers lacked service, according to the utility’s website. As of 11 a.m., that number had dropped to 4,419 customers (12.45%) throughout the county, PUD 3’s outage tracker showed. Roads were slower to recover. As of 9 a.m., Purdy Cutoff Road was closed due to multiple downed trees, Skokomish Valley Roa...
