Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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Belfair man killed in SR 300 accident An 86-year-old Belfair man was killed in a two-car collision on state Route 300 on Monday afternoon. According to a Washington State Patrol news release, Karl E. McNeill, 86, of Belfair died in the wreck. He was traveling west and a 36-year-old Shelton man was driving east. McNeill’s car crossed the centerline and struck the Shelton man’s vehicle head-on. McNeill died on his way to the hospital. The Shelton driver was not injured. County records cases of tuberculosis Mason County has five active cases of...
Shelton boys wrestling Shelton finished second in the Ramrock Invitational on Dec. 3 at North Thurston High School in Olympia. It was the highest finish ever for the Highclimbers at the invitational. Senior Daniel Tausa at 285 pounds and juniors Tyler Fleshman at 132 pounds and Phenix Oleachea 160 pounds each won their weight classes. Logan Peach placed second at 145 pounds and Drew Schirman finished third at 138 pounds. Mario Boxley at 220 pounds and Dante Coker at 106 pounds finished fourth....
Washington’s COVID state of emergency ended Oct. 31, but for Mason Health and General, not much has changed. “There’s a big health care exclusion. We have to continue masking … patients, visitors, staff — we all continue to mask,” Chief Nursing Officer Melissa Strong told the Journal. “That is a requirement. We have expanded our visitor hours, we went back to pretty much pre-pandemic visiting hours.” COVID is not over. Kimberly Cooper, program manager for infection prevention and employee health and safety, said Mason County is one of eight co...
Commission OKs budget public hearing County commissioners approved a public hearing for 9:15 a.m. Dec. 20 to consider approving the supplemental budget requests and budget transfers to the 2022 budget. According to the information packet, this is the first draft and final planned budget amendments for 2022. Field-use rates increase Mason County commissioners approved a 2023 rate increase for Parks & Trails field-use fees at their Nov. 22 meeting. According to the information packet, fees will be adjusted annually by using the Seattle Consumer...
Shelton gets grant for crisis responder The City of Shelton is implementing a pilot program for a crisis responder for Shelton and Mason County. According to a news release, the city was awarded a grant from the Association of Washington Cities and Washington State Healthcare Authority. The grant will allow a crisis responder to work with the Shelton Police Department to receive and respond to referrals from community members, service providers and law enforcement. The position was recommended by the city’s Homelessness Task Force, which met s...
Professional services contract signed Mason County signed a professional services contract with Bridgeview Consulting to update the county’s multijurisdictional hazard mitigation plan. According to the information packet, counties are required to update their hazard mitigation plans every five years to stay compliant with the state and federal emergency management requirements. Current plans are required to access emergency management and disaster funding programs. Bridgeview Consulting will work with county staff and representatives from g...
North Mason, Bremerton issue statement about incident The North Mason and Bremerton school districts issued a joint statement in regard to a Oct. 18 incident following a volleyball match at North Mason High School in Belfair. According to the statement, the incident involving athletes, students and parents violated the standards and expectations of civil conduct. “We believe that actions of a few are not representative of the values of our communities, nor do they define our school districts,” the statement reads. “However, we have the respo...
Sheriff’s Office orders four vehicles The Mason County Sheriff’s Office was approved to place an order for four police interceptor utility vehicles to replace two canceled Interceptor Utility and Tahoe Canine vehicles for the 2023 Sheriff’s Office Motor Pool vehicles. According to the information packet, county commissioners approved the order of three police pursuit vehicles on July 5, which consisted of one police interceptor and two Tahoe Canine vehicles, and one more pursuit vehicle was approved on Oct. 11. Enterprise recently notif...
North Mason volleyball North Mason’s season ended on Friday in a three-set loss to Orting in the West Central District III volleyball tournament at Franklin Pierce High School. Orting won with set scores of 25-21, 25-7 and 25-18. North Mason senior middle blocker Desarae Timmons had two aces, six kills and two blocks. Senior setter Ashlyn Stephens had one kill, 15 assists and five digs and senior outside hitter Teegan Skjonsby had three kills and two digs. “We had an exceptional end of our normal season and are grateful to have earned postseaso...
Pitching machine complex at Sandhill Mason County commissioners approved a pitching machine complex at Sandhill Park in Belfair at the Oct. 25 meeting. According to the information packet, the Belfair Little League constructed batting cages at its own expense, but the snow from last winter collapsed the cages. There are many teams and players using the facility and replacing the batting cages with a similar complex located at Sandhill Park is safe and cost effective. The projected complex is a fully covered structure with a modern...
CMFE promotes Fox to battalion chief Central Mason Fire & EMS promoted lieutenant and paramedic Samantha Fox to battalion chief. According to a news release, Fox joined CMFE in 2011 as a paramedic and firefighter. She is a graduate of South Puget Sound Community College and Tacoma Community College. She began her career in 2002 as a firefighter. In 2021, Fox was promoted to lieutenant and paramedic. In her first three rotations, she commanded five fire events and managed over 100 calls. Fox's...
ARPA money allocations approved Mason County commissioners approved the American Rescue Plan Act money allocations at the Oct. 25 meeting. According to the information packet, the commissioners allocated a total of $6,238,667 to 13 projects from 34 requests sent in for ARPA funding. The projects and dollar allocations are $1,500,000 for the Belfair Sewer extension, $425,000 for Mason County Fiber Optic Infrastructure upgrade, $300,000 for Belfair Water backup generators and $750,000 for PUD 1 Vuecrest storage phase 3. Other projects and dollar...
Shelton boys tennis Shelton’s Jayden Lovingfoss and Wyatt Wagner finished fourth in the District 4 boys tennis tournament Oct. 27 and 28 at Club Green Meadows in Vancouver to earn a state tournament berth. The duo started the tournament as the top seed out of the Evergreen Conference. Lovingfoss and Wagner defeated the Greater St. Helens League’s No. 4 seed, 6-0, 6-1. Shelton was upset in the semifinals by Columbia River’s Cole Benner and Alex Harris, 6-3, 6-2. Wagner and Lovingfoss bounced back with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Columbia River...
Dally reappointed to historic commission Mason County commissioners reappointed David Dally for a three-year term to the Mason County Historic Preservation Commission at Tuesday’s meeting. According to the information packet, the seven-member commission identifies and encourages the conservation of Mason County’s historic resources. The commission has one position that expires Nov. 30 and an open seat will expire Nov. 30. The reappointment of Dally fills one of those seats, with another seat empty until filled and the county has received no...
Shelton football The Highclimbers fell to Black Hills 38-34 in an Evergreen Conference football game Friday at Tumwater Stadium. Shelton is 4-4 overall and 2-3 in EvCo games and hosts Aberdeen on Friday on senior night. The Highclimbers are in a tie for third place in the EvCo with Aberdeen and Black Hills. Shelton must beat Aberdeen in order to force at least a Kansas tiebreaker for the second-straight season. Black Hills can avoid a tiebreaker if they defeat Tumwater on Friday. Shelton boys golf Shelton finished fourth as a team at the...
Route 106 closure begins on Monday Drivers who use state Route 106 are asked to plan for extra travel time for trips from Monday to Wednesday for tree removal. According to a state Department of Transportation news release, DOT crews will close a portion of the highway during the three-day period to remove trees above the highway. The closure is planned for 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will close state Route 106 to all travelers between mileposts 5.5 and 5.6. A detour will be set up through East McReavy Road and East Dalby Road. Oversized loads are...
Shelton football The Highclimbers fell to Tumwater 49-7 in Shelton’s homecoming game Oct. 14 at Highclimber Stadium. Shelton (4-3, 2-2) travels to Tumwater to take on Black Hills on Friday in an EvCo game. Shelton girls soccer Shelton lost two matches to Elma and Centralia last week. The Highclimbers fell to Elma 1-0 on Oct. 11 at Highclimber Stadium in a nonleague game. Shelton hosted Centralia on Oct. 13 and lost 2-0 in an Evergreen Conference match. Shelton (2-10, 1-7) traveled to Tumwater on Tuesday and hosts Rochester today in EvCo contest...
Structure fire Friday on 7th Street Central Mason Fire and EMS fought a structure fire on South 7th Street in Shelton on Friday afternoon. According to a news release, the first unit arrived in three minutes to find a fire at a condemned house. Crews fought a house fire at the same location several weeks ago and were able to quickly extinguish the fire. The cause is under investigation. Mason County Fire District 11, 4, Shelton Police Department and PUD 3 assisted Central Mason Fire with the...
Chamber candidate forum Monday The Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce hosts a candidate forum at 6 p.m. Monday at the Colonial House in Shelton. The chamber is hosting the event along with the Journal and MasonWebTV for candidates to discuss their platforms and answer questions. The event will be in-person and streamed through MasonWebTV. Candidates who have been invited to participate are 35th Legislative District state senator candidates Julianne Gale and Drew MacEwen, 35th District representative Position 1 candidates James DeHart and...
Shelton girls soccer Shelton lost two Evergreen Conference games last week to Black Hills and W.F. West. The Highclimbers fell 3-0 to Black Hills on Oct. 4 in Shelton and lost 5-0 to W.F. West in Chehalis on Oct. 6. Shelton (2-8, 1-6) faced Elma in a nonleague game Tuesday at home and hosts Centralia today in an EvCo game. Shelton volleyball The HIghclimbers were swept in two Evergreen Conference volleyball matches against Black Hills and W.F. West. Shelton fell 3-0 to Black Hills in Tumwater on Oct. 4 and the Highclimbers lost to the Bearcats...
Pedestrian dead in Route 3 accident A pedestrian died in a one-car accident on state Route 3 near East Agate Road on Sunday evening. According to a Washington State Patrol news release, Paul B. Taft, 56, of Shelton was struck and killed while sitting in the southbound lane by a 63-year-old Shelton driver. WSP spokesperson Katherine Weatherwax said Taft is suspected of attempting suicide. No charges have been filed against the Shelton driver. The driver and a 58-year-old Shelton female passenger were not injured in the accident. One dead in...
County surplus of old vehicle Mason County commissioners approved declaring a vehicle surplus at the Sept. 27 meeting. According to the information packet, Equipment Rental and Revolving Fund has a 2007 Toyota Prius with 70,000 miles, a 2001 small unit deicer, a 2002 herbicide unit and 1999-2002 Ford F350 Rear End, Ford F150 Cab Guard, a sander and a chip spreader that has now been declared surplus and will be disposed of at public auction. The auction will be through the state Surplus Program at 7511 New Market St., Tumwater. Auction...
Shelton Girls Soccer Shelton earned a win against Rochester before a loss to Aberdeen in EvCo girls soccer action last week. The Highclimbers won 2-1 in Rochester on Sept. 27, but dropped a match 3-0 in Aberdeen on Sept. 29. Shelton (2-6, 1-4) hosted Black Hills on Tuesday and is on the road in Chehalis today against W.F. West. Shelton Volleyball The Highclimber volleyball team earned a win against Aberdeen last week in an Evergreen Conference match. Shelton fell in a 3-2 match to Rochester at home Sept. 27. The Highclimbers hosted Aberdeen on...
Outstanding warrants canceled Mason County commissioners approved the cancellation of outstanding warrants at the Tuesday meeting. According to the information packet, RCW 39.56.040 states “warrants not presented within one year of their issue shall be canceled by passage of a resolution of the governing body of the municipal corporation.” The Treasurer’s Office reviews the county financial records to determine outstanding warrants that have not been presented for payment and creates a list, which is sent to the auditor’s financial service...
Motorcycle rider injured on state Route 106 A 56-year-old Eugene, Oregon, man was injured while riding a motorcycle in a two-vehicle accident on state Route 106 near Belfair on Monday. According to a Washington State Patrol news release, the motorcycle was eastbound when a 76-year-old Belfair man turned left in front of the motorcycle, causing the motorcycle rider to be launched off the bike and land in a ditch. The rider was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center. The Belfair man was cited for...
