Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 52
Free Christmas tree recycling extended Free Christmas tree recycling at the Belfair solid waste drop off, at 1611 NE Sand Hill Road in Belfair, has been extended through Jan. 25 from Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mason County Garbage and Recycling curbside service customers can also cut up their trees and place them in their cart as part of their regular pickup, according to a county news release. The Shelton Transfer Station, at 501 West Eells Hill Road in Shelton, is also providing free tree recycling Monday through Sunday...
Couture prefiles bills on fentanyl, education accounts Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, prefiled two bills before the start of the legislative session in Olympia. One would create scholarships via education savings accounts, and another would require removal of children from homes with fentanyl or other dangerous drug abuse. Under House Bill 1140, parents can apply for scholarship money distributed through a state-issued debit card that “families must use to pay for educational needs such as tuition, fees, textbooks, tutoring, therapies, and m...
Sale of commercial salal permits scheduled Olympic National Forest will begin selling commercial salal harvest permits starting from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday at the Quilcene office, 295142 Highway 101 S., Quilcene. Fifty permits are available to harvest areas in Mason County, the east side of Clallam County and the east side of Jefferson County, according to a Forest Service news release. Anyone harvesting salal to sell must have a commercial-use permit while picking, the release states. Permits cost $150 paid by cash or check only, with one...
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...
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...
Appraisers visiting properties throughout county for 2025 Throughout December, county appraisers will be visiting property in Area 2, which includes the Shelton city limits and Shelton Matlock Road to Dayton, Shelton Valley Road, Brockdale Road to just before McEwan Prairie Road, Shelton Springs Road, Johns Prairie Road and state Route 3 out to Bayshore, Arcadia out to Totten Shores, a portion of the beginning of Cole Road and the Mill Creek area. Inspections will be used for the 2025 assessment year/2026 tax year, according to a news release...
New human resource officer at Mason Health Mason Health has hired Carolyn McCain as its chief human resource officer, according to a September news release. McCain has an MBA in human resource management from the Center for Graduate Studies at Baker College and has worked in Michigan, Colorado and Oregon. “Supporting those who take care of our communities is my true passion. While I’m not a caregiver myself, I believe that HR plays a critical role in caring for our staff, who are, in turn, able to provide the best care for patients. At Mason He...
A Portland man who allegedly threatened to kill a Shelton woman in online postings is wanted for felony harassment. Judge Monty Cobb issued a warrant for Steven Ray Smith, 35, on Sept. 12 after the most recent alleged threat was posted on LinkedIn, a business and employment social media platform. An abuse and content enforcement employee at LinkedIn contacted police about “threats of violence and imminent danger,” according to a Shelton Police Department probable cause document. An account under the name “Dead Ninja,” posted numerous threats...
Murder suspect William Williams, 41, charged with first-degree murder, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and drive-by shooting in connection with the death of Janus Afo on Sept. 28 in downtown Shelton, could face trail this week. A decision on the trial’s opening day was made after the Journal’s press time. Prosecutors filed a pretrial request, known as a motion in limine, Sept. 12 to limit evidence during the trial. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tyler Bickerton asked Judge Daniel Goodell to exclude certain references to Afo’s chara...
Free smoke alarms at HUB The North Mason Regional Fire Authority will be giving free smoke and carbon monoxide alarms Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the HUB Center for Seniors in Belfair. Residents can also request free smoke alarms and an in-home check of existing smoke alarms, including battery replacement at northmasonrfa.com or calling 360-275-6711. New hours for North Precinct The Mason County Sheriff’s North Precinct office, at 460 NE Old Belfair Highway, is changing office hours. The office will be open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and closed F...
North Mason Timberland Library seeks user input The North Mason Timberland Library in Belfair is asking users to take a survey to “better understand your needs, preferences and experiences with our library system,” according to its website. Staff want feedback to help decide priorities for the library. The survey takes about five minutes, according to the library and responses are anonymous. The survey is at www.trl.org. North Mason Chamber hosts cocktail party The North Mason Chamber of Commerce hosts a free end-of-summer cocktail party fro...
Judge protects some evidence in North Mason school suit A judge has ruled video recordings of a bus ride and a police interview of a kindergartner allegedly abused on the bus by another student are confidential and exempt from public disclosure. Mason County Superior Court Judge Monty Cobb granted a protective order Aug. 6 in the suit filed by parents of a 5-year-old kindergartner against North Mason School District after video footage showed the child being “sexually and physically abused” by a fifth grade student during a bus ride home, acc...
United Way of Mason County dissolves United Way of Mason County announced Aug. 14 it will dissolve. “With a heavy heart, United Way of Mason County announces its dissolution. After many years of dedicated service to the community, the organization will cease operations and quit taking pledges effective immediately,” Board of Directors Chair Dani Cook said in a statement. When Executive Director Ted Jackson resigned June 6, Cook told the Journal United Way was “taking time to evaluate the program,” and would not be immediately seeking a new exe...
Board approves Sand Hill Elementary emergency repairs The North Mason School Board authorized emergency replacement of a fire control panel at Sand Hill Elementary at a special meeting July 26. “There are not parts easily available or even available at all,” so replacement was not an option, Superintendent Dana Rosenbach said at the meeting. The board contacted the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction because the $88,780.50 needed for the panel was not in the district’s budget, according to Rosenbach. Board members agreed to decla...
Drunk driver crashes, thinks he’s home Police say an intoxicated Seabeck man drove into a ditch near Allyn and thought he was in his driveway. Shawn Ferguson, 29, drove off state Route 302 near the intersection of East Coulter Creek Road around 10 p.m. July 9 and his car landed “with its nose within the south bound ditch and the rear bumper of the vehicle was just outside of the southbound fog line,” Mason County Sheriff’s Deputy J. Ogden wrote in a probable cause document. Ferguson allegedly exited the crashed vehicle with a bottle in his han...
State Route 106 blocked after crash A suspected drunken driver allegedly caused a head-on collision on state Route 106 north of Twanoh State Park Sunday, injuring three people. Bremerton woman Katharine Cuyle, 40, was driving westbound near Twanoh Tides Drive at 7:25 p.m. when she crossed the center line and struck a vehicle driven by Sergey Bezzabara, 44, of Federal Way, according to the Washington State Patrol. The accident blocked both lanes. Cuyle was taken to St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale and Bezzabara and two of his three...
Jackson resigns from United Way United Way of Mason County Executive Director Ted Jackson resigned June 6, the organization said in a news release. "Mr. Jackson has served UWMC with dedication, and the Board of Directors extends its gratitude for his service," according to the statement. UWMC Board President Dani Cook told the Journal in an email the group is "taking time to evaluate the program," and will not currently be seeking a replacement executive director. Jackson was a Port of Allyn commissioner until his resignation Jan. 19. He is...
Fight outside CHOICE graduation ends with arrests Shelton police arrested three men fighting outside the June 6 CHOICE High School graduation at the Shelton High School Performing Arts Center, according to court documents. Damien Castellane, 21, James Elmund, 19, and Malique Ekstein, 20, were arrested for assault and obstructing a law enforcement officer, according to a probable cause document. Shelton Police Officer M. Mullins got called for a “verbal disturbance” at the center at 6:10 p.m. and en route, MACECOM told him it escalated to a “ph...
Fatal crash on state Route 108 A 19-year-old died June 9 on state Route 108 near milepost 7 when his Lexis R33 left the road on a curve and went down a creek embankment, according to the Washington State Patrol. South Mason Fire stabilized the vehicle and “rapidly worked to extricate the sole occupant,” Casey Dickerson of Poulsbo, a SMF Facebook post states. Dickerson was removed from the car within 8 minutes of firefighters arriving at the scene and airlifted to an unidentified medical facility, but died “despite extensive resuscitation effor...
Airbnb guests find banana thief A couple staying at an Airbnb rental in Union awoke May 13 to find a thief stealing a banana. The suspect later told police he was looking for a house his friend had rented, “but was unable to provide any information about the residence or his friend,” Mason County Sheriff’s Deputy S. Fischer wrote in a probable cause document. Clay McKennell was staying at the rental on state Route 106 when the “unknown subject broke in and took a banana and started going through the bedrooms,” according to the document....
The Forest Festival carnival is open early this year at 1st and Grove streets in downtown Shelton. The company that runs the carnival had a cancellation, so it set up May 24 and will continue operating through Sunday, according to Forest Festival organizers. The carnival has a mini-Ferris wheel, rides "that make your head spin," games with stuffed animal prizes, and food booths offering cotton candy, candy apples and churros. Hours are 5-9 p.m. tonight, 4-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday...
Shelton man headed to prison for crash A former Shelton resident will be spending up to 12 years in prison for driving drunk and killing a pregnant woman and her son in Olympia. Draedon James Jorgenson, 28, pleaded guilty in Thurston County Superior Court on May 3 to two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of vehicular assault. Jorgenson caused the wrong-way collision that killed Samantha Denney, 31, and Adonis Denney, 2, on Interstate 5 north of U.S. Highway 101 on Nov. 10, 2023. Prosecutors said Jorgenson had a blood alcohol content...
Taylor Shellfish break-in A man discovered inside Taylor Shellfish’s fenced property by Taylor Town Restaurant was arrested April 23 for allegedly stealing fuel cans. Mason County Sheriff’s Office Deputy J. Ogden said he received a dispatch call after Taylor employee Carl Goldsby saw a man walking inside the restricted area. “I approached the alleged suspect vehicle and noted a male, later identified as Edgar Mendoza Castillo, 29, lying down at the front of the vehicle, and appearing to be looking up under the vehicle. I also noted two gas c...
Public defenders receive honors Mason County commissioners recognized two county public defenders who have received the Washington Defender Association President’s Award at the April 23 commission meeting. The award singles out the state’s best public defender, according to Mason County Chief Public Defender Peter Jones. Rose Boughton was named this year’s recipient and Ron Sergi won the award in 2018, but was not recognized by the county at the time, Commissioner Randy Neatherlin said. “This is pretty huge for Mason County public defense...
Couple sue Harstine Island HOA over wheelchair modifications A Grays Harbor County couple is suing the Harstene Pointe Maintenance Association for improperly denying them a building permit that includes Americans with Disabilities Act modifications, according to a complaint filed in Mason County Superior Court April 9. Daniel and Jolene Tupper want to add wheelchair access features to their home on Harstine Island that’s subject to the nonprofit homeowners association covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs). The Tuppers submitted t...
