Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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Voters in the Grapeview and Mary M. Knight school districts solidly passed two replacement levies in the Feb. 13 special election, and the Hood Canal School District's proposed $33.5-million building bond fell short of the 60% super majority. Of the 44,481 registered voters in Mason County, 15,315 cast ballots for a turnout of 34.43%. The ballot results are scheduled to be certified Friday. The proposition for Mason County to increase the sales and use tax by two-tenths of 1% to provide ongoing...
When a city hearing examiner last week gave Community Lifeline permission to increase the number of beds from 35 to 54 at its downtown Shelton shelter, the approval came with a slew of conditions. No one has filed an appeal of the hearing examiner's decision. Friday is the deadline. Community Lifeline is required to comply with city ordinances and codes, including building, plumbing and fire codes. Before receiving the certificate of occupancy for a 54-bed capacity, Community Lifeline must...
Police: Drunken driver rips up Shorecrest farmers’ hayfield James and Nancy Hancharik, who raise cattle in the Shorecrest area of Shelton, called police after seeing a pickup truck drive into their pasture, “ripping it up” and “doing donuts,” on Feb. 9, according to a Mason County Sheriff’s probable cause document. Deputies found John Gardenhire, 33, standing beside a Chevrolet pickup truck stuck in a muddy pasture waving his cellphone, the document says. “Initially I bypassed the truck and went straight to the residence where I was able to c...
Shelton schools sets 2024-25 calendar The Shelton School District has set the calendar for the 2024-25 school year. The Shelton School Board on Feb. 13 approved a schedule that begins with the first day of school Sept. 4, and the last day June 13, 2025. Notable dates include early release days of 1½ hours Sept. 11, Sept. 25, Dec. 11, Jan. 15, Feb. 12, March 12, March 26, April 23 and May 14; and early release days of three hours for staff training or conferences Oct. 11. Oct. 21, Oct. 22-25, Nov. 27, Dec. 20, Jan. 31, March 14, March 31,...
Replacement levies in the Mary M. Knight and Grapeview school districts were passing on the first special election ballot count Tuesday evening, and the Hood Canal School District’s proposed $33.5-million building bond was falling short of the 60% super majority. The proposition for Mason County to increase sales and use tax of two-tenths of 1% to provide ongoing money to buy, design, equip, repair, operate and improve the 911 emergency communication services was passing with 67.13%. Initial voter turnout was 31.55%. The results of the s...
A Shelton city hearing examiner approved Community Lifeline’s request to expand the capacity of its downtown Shelton homeless shelter from 35 beds to 54. In a decision released Monday, city Hearing Examiner Charlotte Archer approved the nonprofit’s request for an amendment to an existing conditional-use permit to expand its number of beds at 218 N. Third St. The City of Shelton recommended approving the amendment, with eight conditions including having at least one trained staff member on site for every 15 patrons staying at the facility and...
On Feb. 7, Habitat for Humanity of Mason County broke ground for a new house, the third of a trio of structures in a row on Park Street on the edge of downtown Shelton near Kneeland Park. The house at 529 Park St. will be home to Christina Salt and her three children, 20-year-old Alonya Barnes, 14-year-old Trevor Johnson II and 7-year-old Larry Dee III. This is Habitat for Humanity of Mason County's 38th house. Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organization working with...
Higher gasoline prices prompted Mason County Garbage to seek approval from the City of Shelton to raise monthly collection bills. The Shelton City Council in a 6-1 vote gave preliminary approval to the increase at its Feb. 20 meeting. If given final approval Tuesday, residential customers will see a 20-cent increase on their monthly bills, and commercial customers an extra $1.63 through the end of the year. Council member George Blush cast the dissenting vote. He pointed out that the proposed in...
Someone unsuccessfully tried to steal a ballot drop box at the Belfair North Timberland Library parking lot late Thursday, Feb. 1 or early Friday, Feb. 2, Mason County Auditor Steve Duenkel told the Journal. Vandals tried to dig up or pull out the box, which is fixed to a cement block. Library staff phoned Election Administrator Marie Stevenson about the incident "reporting that someone attempted to remove the ballot drop box located in the library parking lot," according to a news release....
Short-term rental regulations are coming to Mason County. The extent of new rules and fees for owners will be hammered out in the coming months by county commissioners and members of the Planning Department. “The Planning Department has been directed by the Mason County Board of Commissioners to review the short-term vacation rental (Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway, etc.) situation in Mason County. The county has never regulated, nor does it currently regulate short-term rentals. The state, however, enacted certain statutes, RCW 64.37, regarding s...
A Shelton High girls basketball player was cited by Shelton Police for assault in the fourth degree, a gross misdemeanor, on Jan. 31 after a fight broke out during the Climbers game with Aberdeen at Terry Gregg Court at the Shelton Mini-Dome. With 3:35 remaining in the third quarter of the contest, Aberdeen’s Jaylynn Phimmasone — identified by the Bobcats’ roster — collected a rebound and under tight defense from Shelton’s Jasmine Rivera slipped on the floor near the baseline. Video of the in...
A required investigation following the March 24, 2020, fatal shooting of Kathryn Hale by Mason County Sheriff’s Deputy Dylan Helser largely complied with state laws, but the investigating team failed to document certain communications and properly restrict access to the case file, according to a Feb. 1 report by the Washington State Auditor’s office. The report says the Mason County Sheriff’s Office and Region 3 Critical Investigation Team, led by investigators from the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Grays Harbor...
The Mason County Sheriff's Office celebrated its new North Precinct location in Belfair with an open house that allowed community members to inspect a SWAT vehicle, tour a mobile command center and partake of free food and drinks while listening to folk duo The Angel and the Outlaw on Feb. 2. The building, at 460 NE Old Belfair Highway, is the former home of North Mason Regional Fire Authority. It moved to a new building next door with hopes of creating an emergency management campus, according...
The income threshold for Mason County’s property-tax exemption program for senior citizens and people with disabilies has increased. A news release from the Mason County Assessor’s Office states that effective for the 2024 tax year, income thresholds for Mason County have increased to $55,000 due to subsitute House bill 1355. Exemption recipients enrolled in the Senior Citizen & People with Disabilities exemption program received an automatic adjustment to their 2024 tax statement. Taxpayers who meet the qualifications are encouraged to app...
Apply for Shelton Police Citizens Academy The Shelton Police Department is accepting applications for its Citizens Academy, an eight-week program highlighting the department’s community-oriented policing mission, partnerships with local agencies and a judicial overview. Starting Feb. 15, classes will be hosted in person from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays in the Shelton Civic Center. The Citizens Academy will have a maximum of 30 people. City of Shelton residents and business owners will be given priority, followed by Mason County residents. The goal of...
Furever Love, a fundraiser for the Humane Society of Mason County and Kitten Rescue of Mason County is this Saturday at Bent Bine Brewery in Belfair. Adoptable pets will be at the event, and there will be raffles, a live auction and kissing booth, according to the organizers. “Last year, HSMC experienced significant growth in both capacity and animals served. We moved into our new Belfair office and Community Clinic! Our small-yet-mighty staff and team of dedicated volunteers worked tirelessly to promote responsible pet ownership, deliver l...
A proposal to make voting mandatory drew criticisms from 2,000 people in a legislative hearing Jan. 25. “We are already in a moment of extreme distrust in elections, so you should not be doing anything to further that perception,” said Sharon Damoff. Lawmakers mainly dismissed the large number of people signing on to testify, as they believe one organization was responsible. “The election deniers have ramped up this year,” Sam Hunt, D-Olympia, said. “Conservative Ladies of Washington, they’ve got these mass emails asking people to sign up.” H...
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...
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...
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...
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...
