Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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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...
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,...
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 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:...
Local animal shelters at capacity The Shelton Animal Shelter announced March 7 it was at capacity and no longer accepting strays or surrendered pets. A technician working at the shelter, who did not wish to be identified, said it was unusual to have so many pets at the facility and the shelter doesn’t know when it will be able to accept new animals. “I’ve never seen it this crowded,” the employee told the Journal. Adoptable pets from the Shelton facility are available on Petfinder.com. People who have safety concerns about animals can call 91...
Two Shelton High School female students claim the school allowed a guidance counselor to “systematically groom and sexually prey” on them, according to a complaint originally filed March 6 in Mason County Superior Court and withdrawn March 8 due to a captioning error. Lesley O’Neill, one of the attorneys representing the defendants, told the Journal on Monday her firm, Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala in Seattle, plans to refile the complaint as soon as possible. The girls and their parents are identified by their initials in the complaint. The J...
Two Union family members and their business must pay $250,000 in fines and $33,492 for mitigation after their illegal bulkhead caused the death of Chinook salmon. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced in January that Joan and Phillip Bayley, mother and son, and their business Big D’s Beach Cabin LLC would pay penalties for killing the endangered fish. The EPA sued the Bayleys and the LLC, which is on the Hood Canal in Union, in 2020 for Clean Water Act violations. Philip Bayley planned to build a bulkhead and a house 10 feet l...
The building that houses Mason County District Court in downtown Shelton was dedicated Monday in the name of Gary Paul Burleson, the county's prosecuting attorney for 28 years. About 50 people attended the dedication ceremony at the building that formerly housed Olsen Furniture at 414 W. Franklin St. Burleson died in July 2017. "Gary would be so honored," said his wife, Kathy. She added, "He spent his whole career in Mason County." Burleson was Mason County's deputy prosecuting attorney before...
Grapeview Community Tomorrow is the deadline for high school seniors to apply for scholarships offered by the Grapeview Community Association. All seniors can apply, but special consideration will be given to students who attended Grapeview School or performed community service in the Grapeview community. For more information, go to grapeviewwa.com. Harstine Women’s Club The Harstine Island Women’s Club, through its Charles and Judy Chase Scholarship Fund, is offering scholarships to full-time residents of Harstine Island entering or con...
A Seattle attorney who says he was unlawfully “conscripted” into being a Mason County public defender has sued Mason County District Court and Judge George Steele to reverse the appointment. 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. Steele assigned Lewis to defend a man charged in district court with DUI whose primary language is Kanjobal. Lewis immediately “re...
Deadline Friday to submit names for memorial The names of 23 local students who died between the sixth and 12th grade will be added to a student memorial at the head of the Huff’n’Puff Trail across the street from Shelton High School, and tomorrow is the deadline to submit names for the update. The Shelton Rotary Club — in cooperation with the City of Shelton, the Shelton School District and project founder Abe Gardner — are planning to complete an initial update to the memorial. No names of local students who died before high school graduat...
Alleged drunken driver causes 3-car collision A woman who allegedly caused a three-car collision March 3 on state Route 3 has been arrested for vehicular assault. Charges are pending for Shelton resident Suzan Rolland, 57, after a trooper at the scene found Rolland “smelled heavily of alcohol,” according to a probable cause document. Rolland was traveling north in a Ford Explorer of milepost 5 just north of Shelton when she crossed over the center line and sideswiped a Toyota Tacoma driven by Mario Lucas, 57, of Shelton. She then hit a Hon...
Owners can opt out of spraying Herbicide spraying will start in April, the Mason County Department of Public Works announced. Property owners who want to opt out can enroll in Public Work’s Owner Will Maintain program by calling 360-427-9670 Ext. 450. Property owners who have already enrolled and designated their land “no spray” do not need to contact Public Works. A detailed list of roads being sprayed is available on the Public Works Herbicide Spray Program webpage at www.masoncountywa.gov. Harstine timber sale postponed The state Depar...
The Washington Legislature passed three citizen initiatives in the waning days of the session — I-2111, which prohibits the state, counties, cities and other local jurisdictions from imposing or collecting income taxes, I-2081, a parental bill of rights relating to their children’s public school education and I-2113, which lifts restrictions on police pursuits. Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, celebrated the “historic victories,” in a post on the social media site X. While he was happy about the outcome, Couture was frustrated about the limited...
A proposal to increase the maximum allowable size of temporary signs, including political campaign signs, from 16 to 32 square feet failed to move beyond a Shelton City Council study session. At the council's session Feb. 27, the council debated the proposal by council member George Blush, who introduced the subject at its Feb. 20 meeting. The council doesn't vote on any resolutions at its study sessions. The proposal required four of the seven council votes to move forward to the business...
Belfair Clinic’s primary care patients are struggling with the loss of their doctor while the clinic’s future is being debated by Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. Belfair resident Monna Haugen told the Journal her partner had an appointment with Dr. Raul Dominguiano on Jan. 6, but received a call the morning of the visit saying “Dr. D was gone,” Haugen said. They had no notice Dominguiano was leaving. Now the only option for primary care at the clinic is Dawn Galvez, ARNP, according to the clinic’s website. Haugen said her and her partner w...
