Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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A 52-year-old woman from Oroville is dead after a two-car collision on U.S. Highway 101 near the Cloquallum Road overpass in Shelton. According to a news release from the Washington State Patrol, Brandy E. Johnson died at Mason General Hospital from injuries sustained in the crash. According to the release, while driving a 2002 Kia Spectra, Johnson was traveling south in the northbound lane near milepost 347 when she struck a 2003 Subaru Forester driven by Ismael C. Castano, 22, of Tepoztlan, Mexico, head-on just after 10 p.m. Friday. The...
The Shelton School District is investigating the injuries of five Shelton High School students sustained Jan. 31 during a weight training class, when two football coaches substituting for the regular teacher ordered the students to perform football tackling drills without pads or helmets. Four students reportedly suffered concussions, and one a dislocated finger when they were slammed to the mat and against padded walls in the wrestling room. On Tuesday evening, four of the students told the Shelton School Board that the football coaches told...
A 40-acre subdivision south of Island Lake known as Meadows Edge is closer to becoming a reality. The Shelton City Council on Feb. 20 gave preliminary approval to the final plat for the subdivision, which will host 36 residential lots. The council can vote for final approval at its regular meeting Tuesday evening. MTT Development of Seattle is the owner of the development, a square, wooded property that borders a corner of the city’s Huff’n’Puff Trail and is north of the Shelton Springs Subdivision and south of Frog Acres. The land was in th...
State Sen. Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton, had a telephone town hall Feb. 22 for 35th District constituents. MacEwen was eager to have a live community conversation and said the town hall calls were “an effective way” to communicate. He told callers the short legislative session, which ends March 7, “is down to the wire,” but should end on time. MacEwen was eager to talk about the six public initiatives that garnered enough signatures to be certified by the Secretary of State. The six initiatives are: ■ I-2109 Repeals the state’s capital gains tax. ...
Reps. Travis Couture and Dan Griffey, both Republicans from Allyn, had a telephone town hall Feb. 20 for 35th District residents to discuss the legislative session. The state Legislature’s short session ends March 7. “It’s a mixed bag for me this year,” Griffey said. He was disappointed that criminals’ rights continue to be prioritized over victims’ rights, but happy to see a bill he introduced allowing 10 Washington counties a six-month extension on the state-required comprehensive plan deadline passed by the House. Couture said a lot was goi...
After a two-year absence, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC, will be providing services to the community through a three-way partnership with Mason County Public Health, Mason General Hospital and the Shelton Family YMCA, Mason County Public Health Director Dave Windom said. A ribbon-cutting was Feb. 23 at the Shelton Family YMCA, where the clinic will operate. The WIC program provides supplemental food, health care referrals and nutrition...
Museum director gives update to council From October through December, 1,352 people visited the Mason County Historical Museum in downtown Shelton, 1,187 of them local residents. That’s the word from Executive Director Liz Arbaugh, who gave a report on the museum’s fourth quarter of 2023 on Feb. 20 at the Shelton City Council meeting. Many visitors came to see the exhibit of 24 photos by Shelton native Dennis Meurer of the town and residents in the 1960s, she said. The photos were selected from thousands of Meurer’s photo negatives, and the m...
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...
Commissioners lower gambling tax Commissioners approved 2-1 lowering the county gambling tax rate from 5% to 3% at the Feb. 26 meeting, with Commissioners Sharon Trask and Randy Neatherlin voting “yes” and Commissioner Kevin Shutty voting “no.” The change will mean about $35,000 less annually for the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, according to Mason County Treasurer Lisa Frazier. The sheriff’s office gets the revenue collected from the tax, Frazier said. Mason County’s gambling tax rate will now match Kitsap’s at 3%. Three businesses in B...
Science grant pays for Pioneer's 3-D printer Pioneer Middle School is one of 41 schools nationwide to receive a STEM research grant from the Society for Science. The school used the $2,000 grant to buy a 3-D printer. "Congratulations to the 41 recipients of this year's STEM Research Grants," Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of Society for Science and executive publisher of Science News, said in a news release. "These grants serve as a catalyst in classrooms across the country, igniting student...
At a Shelton City Council work session Feb. 13, Mayor Eric Onisko asked Shelton Police Chief Chris Kostad the same question he asked his two predecessors: "What's your dream? How many officers would be in your world if it was perfect?" "Four per shift ... one sergeant, three officers per shift," Kostad replied. The Shelton Police Department has two officers for each 12-hour shift. Staffing, recruitment challenges, the K-9 program and future projects were among the subjects discussed during the...
“When you leave here in eight weeks, our hope is you will know the truth of how the criminal justice system works,” Shelton Police Captain Daniel Patton told members Feb. 15 at the first class of the Citizens Academy. The goal of the academy is to strengthen relationships with the community through education. “You live here, you work here, you own a business here,” Patton said. Understanding the department can help residents and police come together to find solutions to complex problems affecting our community, according to Patton. One of the...
Community members can find the latest information about the Belfair Bypass, officially known as the Highway 3 Freight Corridor, and leave comments about the project through Feb. 28 at engage.wsdot.wa.gov/sr-3-freight-corridor. The state Department of Transportation prepared the online open house to present information in the recently completed supplemental environmental assessment, WSDOT spokesperson Mark Krulish told the Journal. A Feb. 13 public drop-in at North Mason High School featured 24...
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...
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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,...
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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....
