Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Sorted by date Results 176 - 200 of 202
Commissioners appoint Jaime Taylor as acting coroner Mason County commissioners approved the appointment of Jaime Taylor as acting coroner Jan. 1 until a replacement coroner has been appointed at the Dec. 21 meeting. According to the information packet, former coroner Wes Stockwell belonged to the Democratic party and a letter has been sent to the Democratic party requesting three nominations be submitted for commissioner consideration. The nominations will not be submitted until mid-January. Taylor will be paid at the coroner’s salary b...
Mason County records 10 COVID-19 deaths Maso County reported 10 deaths from COVID-19 in the past week, according to Mason County Emergency Management. The deaths were a man and woman in their 50’s, a man and woman in their 60’s, two men and a woman in their 70’s and three men in their 90’s. In a daily update, the county noted that public health is dedicated to providing accurate data on deaths due to COVID and that means that each death is examined to see if it was truly related to COVID or not. Due to the lengthy process, the county is slow...
American Rescue Plan Act money appropriated Mason County commissioners approved County Administrator Mark Neary to use American Rescue Plan Act Money for county purposes at the Dec. 7 meeting. According to the information packet, Mason County received $12,949,242 in grant funding and the county received $6,484,451 on June 25. Neary was approved to allocate the money, including $92,078 for temporary county staff to address COVID, $200,000 for Rustlewood Water Well & Reservoir Electrical Control System, $100,000 for Beards Cove AC Mainline...
Christmas tree permits available online and through local vendors Olympic National Forest holiday tree permits are available to purchase online through recreation.gov and in-person at vendors around the peninsula. According to a news release, details about designated cutting areas, dates and types of trees that can be cut will be outlined at recreation.gov. “For every tree that is found, cut and carried home as a holiday fixture, a new story is created,” USDA Forest Service Chief Randy Moore said in a news release. “These stories become the p...
COVID cases declining in Mason County Mason County recorded 230 COVID-19 cases in the past 13 days and the case rates have dropped in recent weeks. According to the Mason County Emergency Management data, the county has seen four additional deaths in the past 13 days, including women in their 40’s, 60’s and 80’s and a man in his 60’s, bringing the pandemic total to 72. The 14-day case rate per 100,000 is 288 and the seven-day case rate is 108. The county is 53.8% vaccinated. The U.S. authorized COVID booster shots for all adults Nov. 19 and...
County awarded Public Services community development block grant Mason County commissioners signed a sub-recipient agreement with Community Action Council of Lewis, Mason and Thurston counties at the Nov. 8 commissioner’s meeting. According to the information packet, the county was awarded a public services community block development grant through the state Department of Commerce, and it will allow the county to provide referrals or direct client services to eligible participants through the partnership with Community Action Council. The contr...
Sheriff’s Office gets approval for interview room video recording system The Mason County commissioners approved the purchase of a new interview room video recording system for the Mason County Sheriff’s Office at Tuesday’s meeting. According to the information packet, House Bill 1223 was passed during the 2021 legislative session and takes effect. Jan. 1, which requires recordings to be made for most interviews. The current equipment at the Sheriff’s Office was purchased in 2013 and needed to be replaced. The office recently purchased body an...
One injured in two-car accident near Hoodsport A 61-year-old Seattle man was injured in a two-car accident Sunday near Hoodsport. According to a news release, the Seattle man was driving south and crossed the center line and struck a car with a 42-year-old Raymond man driving north. The Seattle man was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital while the Raymond man was not injured. The road was blocked for 3.5 hours. Car rollover on state Route 300 injures one A car rolled over Saturday on state Route 300 near Belfair and injured a passenger....
County commissioners approved Primitive Road designations at the Oct. 12 meeting. According to the information packet, the designation provides lower liability for warning signing on low volume unpaved access roads. Roads with 100 vehicles or fewer per day are eligible. Public works staff reviewed the current list to update the list. The list of primitive roads includes Ford Loop Road, Kelly Hall Road, Beerbower Road, White Road, Rock Creek Road, Waldrip Road, Ellis Road, Cove Drive, Squaxin Drive, Maples Road, Cemetery Road, Yates Road, Four...
Seven bridges had designation changes at the Oct. 12 commissioners meeting after Mason County Public Works inspections. According to the information, Stretch Island and Rossmaier bridges each had maximum load limits established. Hliboki, Gosnell Creek, Eich Road, Eich and Carlson bridges each were established as one-lane travel bridges....
Mason County property owners have until Nov. 1 to pay their second half property taxes. According to a news release, Mason County Treasurer Lisa Frazier noted there are options to make property tax payments. There is a drive-up property tax payment drop box located in the alley next to 411 N 5th St., building 1. Taxpayers can mail their payments and it must be postmarked no later than Nov. 1 to avoid interest charges. Taxpayers can pay online or over the phone with a credit or debit card or an E-check. in-person property tax payment...
Travelers who use U.S. Highway 101 near Hoodsport may see a workzone in separate locations, possibly delaying travel. At milepost 331.4 in Hoodsport, there will be one-way alternating traffic during daylight hours each weekday until Friday, Oct. 29. Crews will be repairing a section of debris fence. For traffic updates, download the WSDOT app or visit the regional Twitter account....
Restrooms are closed in the day-use area at Potlatch State Park until further notice, according to the Washington State Parks Twitter account. Restrooms in the campground area are still available....
Shelton Boys Tennis Shelton hosted Tumwater last Wednesday and traveled to Centralia last Thursday to end the regular season, but no results were posted. Volleyball The Highclimbers traveled to Aberdeen last Thursday and earned a 3-0 win in an Evergreen Conference match. Shelton faced Centralia on the road Tuesday and hosted Rochester in a doubleheader Wednesday in EvCo contests. Girls swimming Shelton earned a 110-43 win against Centralia-Rochester-W.F. West in an Evergreen Conference dual meet...
Rep. Kilmer encourages students to apply for military service academy nominations U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, encourages students in Washington’s 5th Congressional District to apply for the nation’s military service academies. According to a news release, Kilmer can nominate students to the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy does not require a nomination. “It’s an honor to consider students for service academy nominat...
Candi Hilyard named September 2021 Mason Health employee of the month Candi Hilyard has been named the Mason Health employee of the month for September 2021. Hilyard, a technician with environmental services at Mason Health, joined Mason Health in 2015. “I wanted to find the best place to work in my area and Mason Health sounded like a good place,” she said. “I love working here. It’s fantastic. Everyone is really friendly.” Hilyard grew up in Bremerton and graduated from Bremerton High School in 1988. She graduated from Olympic College i...
Washington State Patrol’s Eric Gunderson died of COVID-19 on Sunday morning in Olympia. According to a news release, Gunderson contracted COVID while in service to the state of Washington. He was 38 and had served the patrol for almost 16 years. He is survived by his wife and two sons. “Eric Gunderson was a respected trooper and public servant,” Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste said in a news release. “His is the first line of duty death since we commemorated our first century of service to this state just a few weeks ago. How I h...
The Shelton Timberland Library closed Monday until Oct. 18 for remodeling. The library will be providing “takeout” during the closure, which means the library can bring you’re your books, movies and print jobs. Other “takeout” services include scanning and faxing, grab bags, returns, Wi-Fi, reference help, and more. The library asks that you park in one of the designated spaces and call 360-426-1362 for all of your takeout needs....
Mason County commissioners amended a contract with Kennedy-Jenks for two projects extending sewer service to the Puget Sound Industrial Center at the Sept. 14 meeting. According to the information packet, the two projects are the sewer system pre-design report and general sewer plan amendment and the sewer system design. The contract had four previous amendments. The fifth amendment adds a construction inspection for the southern half of the Belfair sewer extension mainline. It also adds an inspection from the railroad crossing to the existing...
Mason County commissioners approved the purchase of two electronic reader boards. According to the information packet, Public Works authorized the purchase of two trailer-mounted electronic message reader boards in 2009. Both reader boards are no longer operable or repairable due to vandalism and Public Works asked to replace the two reader boards with new reader boards. The county will purchase the reader boards through a state contract for $35,630.51 for two reader boards. The money will come from the road fund budget....
Mason County Public Works has been authorized by the county commissioners to purchase a handheld sign retro-reflectometer with an extension pole. According to the information packet, the retro-reflectometer is designed to measure the retro-reflection of road signs and other material. The county’s road sign reflectively is measured visually at night and this purchase will allow technicians to achieve a more accurate reading to ensure the county’s signs are following the manual on traffic uniform control devices minimum requirements. The cos...
The Mason County commissioners approved the purchase of a 16.2-acre parcel of property from Mason PUD 3. According to the information packet, the property is on West Dayton Airport Road between the Washington Corrections Center and Shelton Auto Parts. The purpose of purchasing the property is for sorting county archive documents, possible facilities substation, possible evidence storage and a future location for a county jail. The parcel will be purchased through REET 1 money for $320,000....
Mason County commissioners approved a sole source agreement to purchase a keying system for the Mason County Jail from Morse Watchman. According to the information packet, the current system for tracking keys at the jail is a manual system that requires several hours of time, considering regular duties of the understaffed jail are time consuming. Research for an automatic keying system for the jail concluded there was one system that fulfilled the needs for the jail, which is the same system used in Kitsap County. The system would allow the...
County commissioners approved a sale of property to the Skokomish Tribe for $1,664. According to the information packet, the property is on U.S. Highway 101....
State lands free day Saturday, Sept. 25 Free entrance to state lands will be permitted Saturday in recognition of National and Washington Public Lands Day. According to a news release, Washington State Parks, Washington Department of Natural Resources and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will offer free entrance to state lands without a Discover Pass. This applies to all DNR and WDFW lands and in day-use areas at state parks. In 1994, National Public Lands Day was established as the fourth Saturday in September, with the National...
