Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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By a 4-3 vote, the Shelton City Council on Tuesday evening rejected passing a sales tax increase of 0.01% on taxable goods in the city, designed to collect about $310,000 per year to help house the homeless and provide them services. Mayor Eric Onisko and council members Tom Gilmore and Miguel Guttierez voted for the tax. Deputy Mayor Sharon Schirman and council members Melissa Stearns, Lyndsey Sapp and George Blush voted against it. Eleven residents stepped up to the microphone during the public hearing — six of them said they favored the t...
The Shelton City Council on Tuesday evening gave preliminary agreement to extend MACECOM's lease through 2025 at the Shelton Civic Center. The council can make the move official with a vote at its Jan. 7 meeting. The agency that operates as a 911 center would rent a 2,472-square-foot space. In the new proposed agreement, MACECOM would pay $1,085 per month for rent and $3,936 per month for other expenses such as utilities, building maintenance, custodial services, supplies and communications. The...
Connection Street Theatre stages a play based on the movie "A Christmas Story" at 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Faith Lutheran Church, 1212 Connection St. in Shelton. Admission is $10 at the door. The doors open 30 minutes before the show. Set in the 1940s and based on a book by Jean Shephard - who also narrated the movie - the story chronicles young Ralphie's attempts to convince his parents, teacher and Santa Claus that a Red Ryder Range 200 Shot BB gun really is the perfect Christmas...
The Bluegrass Regulators, Faddis & Adkins, The Dirty Birds and Runaway Train will perform at the ninth annual Midwinter Bluegrass Celebration starting at 6 p.m. Dec. 28 at the Shelton School District Performing Arts Center at Shelton High School. Kristmas Town Kiwanis sponsors the concert. Admission is $20, with kids younger than 15 admitted for free. Donations will be accepted for refreshments. Tickets are available at BluegrassFromTheForest.com and at the door. The event raises money for the...
Regular attendees of Shelton's Holiday Magic Christmas Parade know there's a big chance they will be standing in freezing rain. That was not the case Saturday on West Railroad Avenue in downtown Shelton. The skies were clear for the event hosted by Kristmas Town Kiwanis and Peninsula Credit Union. "I've been joking with club members that I've never had my prayers answered by the weather gods," Kiwanis member Julie Rowan, co-chair of Holiday Magic, said with a laugh. "It was beautiful." The...
The Shelton School District is facing a $2.3-million budget deficit. “Our picture has shifted to a negative fund balance,” Clinton Sherman, the district’s new executive director of financial services, told the Shelton School Board on Tuesday evening at its regular meeting at Mountain View Elementary School. Sherman replaced Brenda Trogstad, who also served as assistant superintendent and is retiring effective Dec. 31. The district’s 2024-25 budget had a beginning fund balance of $1 million. The district is now projected to end the school year w...
The Hood Canal School District has placed two levies on the Feb. 11 special election ballot. One proposal is a six-year capital levy to pay for infrastructure and technology upgrades that would include replacing an aging transportation center and creating spaces for art, music and pre-kindergarten. The other is a four-year replacement Educational Programs and Operations levy to sustain programs and services the district calls critical. The Hood Canal School District serves about 330 students in...
Students at Shelton, Cedar and CHOICE high schools who graduate in 2025 or 2026 are eligible for free tuition for up to four years at The Evergreen State College. Those students are also eligible for additional money for housing, books and living expenses. They’ll receive support and advising beginning in high school and lasting through the completion of a degree. On Nov. 26, the Shelton School Board heard a presentation on the “Evergreen’s Shelton Promises” program by Chelsea Brady, the district’s director curriculum & instruction grades 7-12,...
Services for highly capable students The deadline is Friday to nominate or refer Shelton School District students for Highly Capable services. According to the district, highly capable students generally possess the following learning characteristics: ■ Capacity to learn with unusual depth of understanding, to retain what has been learned and to transfer learning to new situations. ■ Capacity and willingness to deal with increasing levels of abstraction and complexity earlier than their chronological peers. ■ Ability to make unusual conne...
Journal columnist signs copies of book Kirk Ericson, a columnist for the Shelton-Mason County Journal, signs copies of his new book of Journal columns, “Great Writing!” from 4-6 p.m. Friday at Marmo Caffe & Gallery, 217 W. Cota St., Shelton. High school teachers discuss civics The League of Women Voters of Mason County hosts “High School Civics: What Does it Take to be an Informed Citizen?” from 11:30 to 1 p.m. Tuesday in the Olympic College Shelton library meeting room, 937 Alpine Way, Shelton. Civics teachers from Mason County high schools...
Lake Nahwatzel resident John Acocks tried water-skiing for the first time at age 10 on Lake Superior in Michigan, where his family owned a cabin. "It took me seven tries to be successful, to pull up and stay up on the water," Acocks recalled. He remembers that number because his 12-year-old brother also tried "and was not successful at all." Acocks turned 80 last week. He's still water-skiing, slaloming on one board always, on Lake Nahwatzel with his friends and fellow members of the Lake...
The movie "A Christmas Story" became a holiday classic after its release in 1983. Set in the 1940s and based on a book by Jean Shephard - who also narrates - the story chronicles young Ralphie's attempts to convince his parents, teacher and Santa Claus that a Red Ryder Range 200 Shot BB gun really is the perfect Christmas gift. There's also some business about a bunny suit, a seductive lamp, an exploding furnace and tongues frozen to poles. Connection Street Theatre stages a play based on the...
The Shelton School District's strengths include improved student attendance, a large drop in disciplinary measures and a drastic increase in English Language Arts scores for third-grade students. A drop in the graduation rate, the elimination of six jobs in the district office, and struggles to cover decreasing state money for basic education are among the weaknesses. The district's opportunities include The Evergreen State College's Shelton Promise program offering free tuition for up to four...
The Shelton City Council wants local legislative representatives to pursue money for a homeless mitigation site, a roundabout, a crosstown trail and other capital projects when the Legislature convenes next month in Olympia. On Tuesday evening, the council gave preliminary approval to its wish list of capital projects at its regular meeting in the Shelton Civic Center. A final vote is Dec. 17. The requests include $2 million for a homeless mitigation site in partnership with local nonprofits, $2.5 million for a roundabout at Wallace Kneeland...
Six Mason County dancers ages 7 to 17 perform a new opening scene during the overture to Centralia Ballet Academy's production of "The Nutcracker" ballet at 1 p.m. Saturday and 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday at the Shelton School District Performing Arts Center at Shelton High School. The students are performing as part of the group's outreach program. Admission is $17 in advance, $19 at the door. The seating is general admission. For more information or to buy tickets, go to www.centraliaballet.com or...
Before they established careers, Mason County residents performed jobs where they ducked ice thrown at their head, cleaned up human remains scattered inside an airplane, and withstood putrid fumes while clearing sewer lines clogged with grease. They also taught native Alaskan children how to sing Hank Williams tunes, empowered Chinese teens to blossom onstage and fought forest fires on mountainous eastern Washington terrain. The Journal sent questionnaires to residents asking them to share the...
The Shelton City Council on Nov. 19 eliminated building height limits in almost all zones, to hopefully encourage affordable and multifamily housing and other development. No one spoke at the public hearing on the proposal. The council gave preliminary approval to the changes at its Sept. 3 meeting. The change required a 60-day review by the state Department of Commerce. Applicable building codes will still regulate the materials and safety of buildings based on height and method of...
Almost 79% of registered Mason County voters cast ballots in the Nov. 5 general election. That’s the updated numbers from the Mason County Auditor’s Office on Nov. 18. The results were certified Tuesday. In the ballot count, President elect Donald Trump received 17,922 votes in Mason County for 49.35%, and Democrat Kamala Harris 17,064 votes for 47.07%. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. received 663 votes for 1.83%. In the races for the Mason County Commission, Independent Randy Neatherlin got 18,811 votes for 55.08% and Republican William Harris 15,...
Celebrate Harstine Island Community Hall birthday The Harstine Island Community Club hosts a 110th Birthday Bash and Silent Auction Fundraiser from 3 to 6 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Community Hall, 3371 E. Harstine Island Road North. The event celebrates the hall’s 110th year. Attendees can bid on silent auction items, shop for gifts and purchase beer, wine and sparkling wine. Tickets are $15 for attendees ages 13 and older, $10 for ages 2-12. Tickets are available at the door and online at www.harstineCC.org. To get to the hall, take a left off the H...
The Shelton City Council on Tuesday evening approved a budget of $46.1 million for 2025 at its regular meeting. No one from the public commented on the budget. The council gave preliminary approval to it at its Nov. 5 meeting. Mike Githens, the city’s director of financial services, told the council of changes to the general fund from the preliminary budget. In an email to the Journal, Githens explained the city increased the revenue by $150,000 and increased expenditures $212,500 for a net increase over the first budget hearing of $62,500. W...
Improved student attendance, fewer expulsions and suspensions, improved English language arts test scores, and heightened critical thinking and analytical writing skills are among the goals of two schools in the Shelton School District. Each of the eight schools in the district annually produce improvement plans. On Nov. 12, the Shelton School Board heard the plans from Oakland Bay Junior High School and Olympic Middle School for the 2024-25 school year. Oakland Bay Junior High School Principal Maryann Marshall presented the improvement plan...
Heartwarming play staged on Harstine The Harstine Island Theatre Club stages the dramedy "The Curious Savage" at 7 tonight and Friday, and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Harstine Island Community Hall, 3371 E. Harstine Island Road N. Admission is free, with donations accepted. To get to the hall, take a left off the Harstine Island bridge and drive about 3 miles. Marmo Cafe & Gallery hosts poet Poet Nina Burokas reads her work from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Marmo Cafe & Gallery, 217 W. Cota...
Free online workshops to prepare preschoolers The Shelton School District is offering free online workshops to the parents and caregivers of preschoolers to help prepare them for kindergarten. The workshops are open to parents and caregivers in the Shelton School District of children ages birth to 5 years old. The format is online and self-paced — you can pause any time. Each workshop lasts about an hour. After registering, an email will arrive with approval to begin. Participants who complete the workshop can receive a free tool kit while t...
Since being approved by Shelton voters in 2016, sales tax for the city's Transportation Benefit District has collected $5 million dedicated for transportation maintenance projects. The sales tax increase of 0.2% for 10 years has funded 10.2 miles of paving and chip sealing. Along with state and federal money, the TBD money has also helped pay for ambitious capital projects such as the Safe to Schools traffic improvements in front of Evergreen Elementary School and Shelton High School, and the...
