Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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The Hood Canal School District's proposed $33.5-million building bond fell 45 votes short of passing in the November general election. District voters will see the proposal again on the Feb. 13 ballot. The Hood Canal School Board on Nov. 21 voted to put the same proposal in front of voters. The Nov. 7 ballot received 58.1%, short of the 60% super majority required. The board didn't alter the request because "the needs haven't changed," said Superintendent Lance Gibbon. He added, "The board felt...
The most conspicuous derelict house in downtown Shelton is gone. Last week, City of Shelton employees from the public works and community development departments, police and private companies filled five dump truckloads of trash and debris, removed four junk vehicles and asbestos, and demolished the structure at 1411 West Railroad Ave. It was the beginning of the end of a code enforcement case that started last year. Along with being an eyesore, the property was the scene of a SWAT raid this...
City's K9 will receive protective vest Valor, the Shelton Police Department's K9, will receive a bullet-and stab-protective vest courtesy of a donation from the nonprofit Vested Interest in K9s. In a news release, the city states the protective vest will be delivered in eight to 10 weeks. It will be embroidered with the words "In memory of K9 Hobbs, Des Moines, IA - EOW 12/12/23." Established in 2009, Vested Interest in K9s provides the protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law...
Growing up in Federal Way in South King County, Adrian Conner first heard AC/DC as a junior high student on a field trip while attending an assembly at her future high school. When "You Shook Me All Night Long" roared through the speakers, "I immediately had goose bumps - what is this?" she recalled in a telephone interview with the Shelton-Mason County Journal. These days, she's playing lead guitar licks on that song and other AC/DC classics such as "Highway to Hell," "Thunderstruck" and "Back...
A city hearing examiner is considering Community Lifeline's request to expand the capacity of its downtown Shelton homeless shelter from 35 beds to 54. On Monday evening, city hearing examiner Andrew Reeves heard three hours of testimony from the City of Shelton, Community Lifeline board members, business owners and neighboring residents about the shelter at 218 N. Third St. at the Shelton Civic Center. The nonprofit is requesting an amendment to an existing conditional use permit to expand its...
The City of Shelton's new neighborhood park is 1.8 acres with playground equipment, a disc golf basket, a field and trees on Northcliff Road. Contractors for the city erected the playground equipment Dec. 7 and 8, and about 30 volunteers Dec. 9 worked on the park. The park is designed for the residents of Terrace Heights, Barnhard Street, Joyce Street and Northcliff Road. Because it is a neighborhood park and not a community park, no public parking is available for vehicles. Unlike the...
Comic holiday show this weekend Connection Street Theatre stages the popular holiday play "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" at 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Faith Lutheran Church, 1212 Connection St. in Shelton. Tickets are $5 at the door. The doors open 30 minutes before showtime. Holiday events hosted countywide The HUB Center for Seniors hosts Pancakes with Santa from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday. The Hoodsport Holiday Festival is from noon to 2:10 p.m. Saturday at 24341 U.S. Highway 101 in...
The groups Runaway Train Bluegrass Band, the Union City Council Bluegrass Band and The Rank Strangers perform at the ninth annual Bluegrass from the Forest Midwinter Celebration from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 29 in the Shelton High School Performing Arts Center, 3737 N. Shelton Springs Road. Tickets are $20 and are available at the door and at bluegrassfromtheforest.com. People ages 15 and younger are admitted for free. Kristmas Town Kiwanis hosts the concert. The group also presents the 19th annual...
Since her death from cancer on Nov. 17, chef Xinh Dwelley has been celebrated for her cuisine, generosity and warmth. But the moment that elicited perhaps the most electric response at a service Tuesday at the Skookum Event Center came when a video tribute showed Xinh look into the camera, flash her trademark smile and then extend her middle finger. Hundreds of attendees erupted with laughter. Xinh's playful and saucy side shined through at the service at the Little Creek Casino and Resort in...
In a wish list approved by the Shelton City Council on Tuesday, the council asked state 35th District Reps. Travis Couture and Dan Griffey, both R-Allyn, and state Sen. Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton, to pursue $3 million for a multimodal path through Shelton on the former Simpson Timber Railroad right of way and $2 million for a homeless mitigation site during the legislature session that starts in January. The council unanimously gave preliminary approval to the list at its Nov. 21 meeting. The list...
An atmospheric river of torrential rain over several days caused the Skokomish River to crest at its second-highest recorded point Tuesday and flooded and closed roads throughout Mason County. The National Weather Service on Tuesday issued flood warnings in parts of Western Washington, including much of the Olympic Peninsula. Flooding and hazardous conditions prompted the state Department of Transportation to close state Route 106 from U.S. Highway 101 to Alderbrook at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. Other...
City’s Parks and Recreation Citizen Board opening The City of Shelton seeks a new member for its Parks and Recreation Citizen Advisory Board. The group provides the Shelton City Council with feedback on parks and recreation planning. The committee meets monthly to assist the city in delivering parks and recreation programs to residents and visitors. Applicants must live in Mason County. The committee has one vacancy. To apply, submit a letter of interest to Parks and Recreation Supervisor Jordanne Krumpols at [email protected] o...
Holiday events hosted countywide Burger Claim and More hosts photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus from 5 to 8 p.m. today at 24171 NE state Route 3 in Belfair. Candy canes and hot chocolate will be served. Local artists will also offer their goods for sale, including Sheds and Slabs Handcrafted Woodworks, Heather Reese Photography, Knotty Pine Apothecary, and Twilight Minerals Crystals & More. The second annual Christmas Market is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in the Oakland Bay Junior High...
Beth Bradley's church's Christmas pageant is predictable every year - the angel choir members wear too much lipstick, shepherds wear their father's bathrobes and the minister's son is always cast as Joseph. But when the authoritative pageant director breaks her leg, Beth's inexperienced mother Grace steps in. That's when the rambunctious Herdman children descend on the production, lured by the promise of free dessert at Sunday school and determined to win all the lead roles. During the frenzy...
Xinh Dwelley was a cooking legend, a champion oyster shucker, a philanthropist, and in her own words, "Julia Child in Shelton." Her radiant smile is the image that lingers. The native of South Vietnam who created exquisite cuisine in Xinh's Clam & Oyster House in downtown Shelton and authored two cookbooks died Nov. 17 at age 72. Her life will be celebrated at a memorial service at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Skookum Event Center at the Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton. The Shelton-Mason...
The Shelton City Council passed a $44-million budget for 2024. The council voted unanimously for the budget at its Nov. 21 meeting. The state requires the city’s budget to be complete by the end of the year. The budget is an increase of $3.1 million, 8%, from the revised 2023 budget. The budget also includes a general fund allocation of $15.5 million, a $326,349 increase from the 2023 general fund budget. The expenditures in the 2024 budget include $15,565 in the general fund, $1,886,758 in the street fund, $832,000 for the Transportation Benef...
Holiday events begin in earnest this weekend in downtown Shelton, Union and Belfair, and continue throughout December throughout Mason County. Dowtown Shelton The organization Christmastown hosts the Mason County Festival of the Firs events countywide during December. Shelton Cinemas screens the film "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," starring Jim Carrey, at 3:45 p.m. Friday at 517 W. Franklin St. The Shelton Merchants Cookie Stroll is from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday. The lighting of the Christmas tree...
Xinh Dwelley, a renowned chef who fused Vietnamese flavors with Pacific Northwest ingredients at her downtown Shelton restaurant, died on Friday. She was 72. Born in 1951, Dwelley, a master oyster shucker who gave generously to the community, developed her culinary skills growing up in South Vietnam, where she learned to cook using food produced and harvested on her family's rice farm. She was hired to cook for officers in an American mess tent and soon was renowned for her fried chicken and ham...
The Shelton School District is among about two dozen in the state receiving help from a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant because a low percentage of its graduates go on to college. At the Shelton School Board meeting on Nov. 14, Superintendent Wyeth Jessee talked about the program. He said he attended a Gates Foundation gathering the previous day, and two statistics "rang out" to him: that Washington ranks 49th among the 50 states for the number of high school graduates who go on to two-...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week announced a $1.35 million grant to the Skokomish Tribe to improve solid waste and recycling on the reservation. The grant awards were announced on Nov. 15, "America Recycles Day." A news release from the EPA states the agency gave $34.9 million in Solid Waste Infrastructure grants and almost $3.6 million in Recycling Education grants in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. The Skokomish tribe will use the grant to build a drop-box transfer station...
For its annual holiday production, The Harstine Island Theatre Club is bringing to life two O. Henry short stories - "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Cop and the Anthem" - at 7 p.m. Dec. 1, and 2 p.m. Dec. 2 and 3 at the Harstine Island Community Club. Admission is free. For the third time, Pam Mueller is directing the group's holiday play. She also directed "Velveteen Rabbit" and last December, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." "The Gift of the Magi" is one of O. Henry's most beloved short stor...
All State Honor Band includes four Bulldogs Four North Mason High School band students have been accepted into the 2024 Washington Music Educators All State Honor Band program in February. The students are Jack Buckingham, percussion; Raymond Felton, bass clarinet; Carl Lewis Jr., trombone; and Haleigh Scott, bass. The students sent in their audition recordings in October, along with hundreds of other high school students throughout the state. The four students will travel to Yakima in February to work with college professors and fellow band st...
Dr. Dean Gushee, the chief medical officer at Mason Health, is retiring after 30 years with the organization. Gushee's retirement is effective at the end of the year. He'll be replaced by Dr. Darren Cuevas, a doctor of osteopathic medicine. "We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Gushee, our retiring chief medical officer," Mason Health Chief Executive Officer Eric Moll said in a news release. "Dr. Gushee's remarkable 30-plus career with Mason Health has been marked by transformative...
The updated results of the Nov. 7 general election show Tom Gilmore with a 49-vote edge over Mark Frazier for the member 5 position on the Shelton City Council, and the Hood Canal School District's $33.5-million building bond falling short. Those are the numbers from the ballot count the Mason County Auditor's Office released Monday. The next ballot count is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday. The results are slated to be certified on Nov. 28. Of the 44,701 registered voters in Mason County, 15,255...
August car show in downtown Shelton drew 151 entrants Despite being rescheduled and staged on short notice, the Cruisin' Through Time car show Aug. 27 in downtown Shelton drew 151 entrants. That's the word from Mason County Historical Museum Executive Director Liz Arbaugh, who gave a report on the event Nov. 7 at the Shelton City Council's regular meeting. Her organization and the Shelton Downtown Merchants Association co-sponsored the event on West Railroad Avenue. "Amy Cooper really...
