Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Sorted by date Results 226 - 250 of 334
Port of Grapeview commissioners made Mason County’s latest free Wi-Fi hot spot official before following up on diver-safety matters during their Aug. 16 meeting. Art Whitson, District 1 commissioner, said this summer’s Grapeview Water Festival and Art Show saw its vendors exceed online capacity, leading to “a lot of internet drop-outs and frustrated folks,” before they were shifted over to Wi-Fi access on port property. “We already had everything ready to go,” said Jean Farmer, District 3...
This week's reviews are densely packed, including two well-received streaming shows and ... a book of poems? 'She-Hulk' Disney+ continues to expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe through surprisingly societally conscious streaming series. And now that Bruce Banner's cousin, up-and-coming career lawyer Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany from "Orphan Black"), has acquired Hulk powers of her own from accidental exposure to Bruce's gamma-irradiated blood, I look forward to the office sitcom promised...
The Aug. 18 meeting of the North Mason School Board saw Superintendent Dana Rosenbach congratulate Director of Transportation Maurine Simons and her crew for being recognized by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for their annual inspections over the past two years. She also shared details about OSPI’s 2022-23 education requirements and Inclusionary Practices Project. State school chief Chris Reykdal and State Patrol Chief John Batiste cosigned a July 22 letter lauding the N...
The Dewatto yard sale, barbecue and potluck scheduled for Saturday has been canceled because not enough people signed up to participate. During their Aug. 10 meeting, Port of Dewatto commissioners acknowledged the lack of interest in the event, with “only a couple of people” wanting to take part, in spite of the efforts of Port of Dewatto neighbors Rich and Kathy Kroll to stage the gathering. When Kathy Kroll asked port Manager Jeana Crosby what it would take to stage such an event, Crosby tol...
The Haven in Allyn, an assisted living and home-care agency, invites the community to attend Aging Smarter, a presentation from 10 a.m. to noon on Aug. 25 that’s designed to help people “prepare for life’s unexpected turns” as they age, according to Debra Jamerson, director of resident care. Jamerson, who’s been the resident care director at the Haven since 2007, said she’s seen an increase in people “who are in crisis” and don’t know where to start when it comes to arranging proper care for their elderly loved ones. “Aging comes with a unique...
The nonprofit organization Friends of Lake Cushman Dog Park is one of 20 finalists for PetSafe "Bark for Your Park" grants of $25,000 each. Four communities will receive one of those grants. Friends of Lake Cushman Dog Park Secretary Bill Long thanked Mason County commissioners and County Parks & Trails Manager John Taylor and staff for their support of the planned dog park, and called upon the Mason County community for assistance. "We desperately need the help of our community to vote for us...
Cofounders Kelli Kohout and Shannon Crabb-Stanton are presenting the fifth year of Hoodstock, which runs from just before 11 a.m. to well after 8 p.m. on Aug. 20 near the Hood Canal Marina in Union. A hallmark of Hoodstock has been its evolution, most notably when COVID prompted the concert to move to the water last year. This year, event sponsor Alderbrook Resort & Spa in Union has contributed the use of the Lady Alderbrook private ship, which has scheduled three sailings for concert...
A common criticism of certain films is that they're "formulaic," which I dislike as a criticism, because it's imprecise. A formula, after all, is simply a set of descriptions and measurements of specific ingredients, illustrating how and when to combine them, in order to achieve the results you're looking for. In that sense, a formula is a rudimentary story, and while it's true certain stories can feel hindered, or perhaps even trapped, by their underlying formulas, it's a mark of a versatile...
Section of SR 302 closure begins today A nine-day closure of a section of state Route 302 at Little Minter Creek is set to begin at 9 p.m. today. Construction crews working for the state Department of Transportation will install two culverts to improve fish migration under the highway. During the round-the-clock closure, detours will be in place. Passenger vehicles should follow a detour between 118th Avenue Northwest and 134th Avenue Northwest. Semitrailers and oversized loads should follow a detour using Routes 302, 3 and 16, which will add...
Quirky comedic New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi has more than earned my love over the years, but after watching "Thor: Love & Thunder," I'm starting to wonder whether someone should be exercising control over his sugar and caffeine intake. Waititi's 2017 "Thor: Ragnarok" elevated the Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Thor" franchise from its competent yet uninspired onscreen origins, in the Norse God of Thunder's previous two MCU films, by abandoning the mock-Shakespearean aspirations for which...
Last year's Allyn Days was reduced to a single day due to COVID-19, but this year will see the full three-day weekend lineup run from Friday through Sunday. Allyn Community Association President Jason Ilarraza said he's thrilled all three Allyn Days will be presented this year, though he acknowledged the event is still recruiting volunteers to conduct some of the event activities. If you're willing to pitch in, call Ronnie Colburn at 360-275-5002. "Our sponsors have been absolutely fantastic,"...
The North Mason School Board heard from Director of Information Technology Clint Forsythe on June 16 about this year’s technology uses and upcoming plans for technology for the district. Forsythe said while the district has gained more computers, it’s created more challenges and complications, especially with the number of aging computers still in use. He said the district has achieved a 1:1 ratio of computers to students across its schools, even though several of them are more than three yea...
As the summer recreation season gets underway, the Port of Hoodsport is ensuring its park facilities are safe for visitors after the damage caused by last winter’s storms. Port of Hoodsport Commissioner Lori Kincannon told the Shelton-Mason County Journal how the port’s 80-acre trail park, which includes the 20-acre Hoodsport Hills Disc Golf course, is awaiting the removal of hazardous damaged trees, along with hundreds of trees that fell during winter storms. “After a forestation plan, and p...
June 30 and July 1 were some rough streaming viewing days for fans as the ninth episodes of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” Season 1 and “Stranger Things” Season 4 bid final farewell to a pair of fan-favorite characters. As much as I miss them both, and as much as I’m trying not to spoil too much of either episode, I feel like other TV shows and movies could glean storytelling lessons from these two characters’ deaths. In two franchises dominated by their fictional histories and recurring c...
The Port of Allyn and Mason County resident Bradley Carey agreed to settle lawsuits June 9 concerning alleged violations of Washington’s Public Records Act, Open Public Meetings Act and related claims, according to port Operations Manager LeAnn Dennis, who released copies of the settlement agreement to the public June 23. According to the settlement, Carey had asserted claims related to the state acts and other statutory claims against the port and individuals. Carey served lawsuits to Port o...
The Port of Dewatto continues to cope with vandalism at its Dewatto River Campground. The most recent incident of vandalism was “the carving of racist comments” on the campground’s trees, the port announced on its Facebook page June 8. The port had already devoted a portion of its commissioners’ May 11 meeting to sorting out the financial effects of an incident of vandalism that had occurred just days before. Dewatto River Campground Coordinator Joe Newman told commissioners that on May 8 someo...
After three years of searching for a suitable location for a dog park, members of the nonprofit organization “Friends of Lake Cushman Dog Park” have found a home. Bill Long, secretary of the organization, pursued options that included a proposed arrangement with the Port of Hoodsport, whose commissioners had spoken favorably of the group and its proposal during their April and May meetings, even though they ultimately declined to take part in a partnership. But it was the group’s discu...
After four seasons on Netflix, and six years at the forefront of pop culture consciousness, I'm suddenly hearing a lot of people ask what "Stranger Things" is all about, even though its focus has hardly shifted. "Stranger Things" is set almost entirely during the 1980s, and mostly in the American Midwest, and revolves around a loosely affiliated group of teens and tweens, plus their occasionally present parents. The group members have overcome their adolescent relationship drama to band...
Anyone who swings by the Skyline Drive-In Theater in Shelton tonight (June 9) can catch a two-hour-long screening of 22 short student films from The Evergreen State College Mediaworks department, all for free. Gates to the theater open for “Stars at the Skyline” at 8 p.m., with the screening set to commence around 9 p.m., depending on when it turns sufficiently dark. Mediaworks faculty members Suree Towfighnia and Julia Zay said they’re excited to share the work of their students, inclu...
North Mason School Board members marked the deaths of two people before recognizing the civil service of two others during their May 19 meeting. District 4 Director John Campbell moved to amend the meeting’s agenda to discuss sending the board’s condolences to the family of Shelton-Mason County Journal columnist Mark Woytowich, who died May 6. Campbell described Woytowich as an environmentalist, activist and “very good friend” of the North Mason School District who helped make the communi...
Erik Youngberg, the new director of District 1 on the North Mason School District Board of Directors, assumed another role during the board’s May 19 when District 3 Director Laura Boad nominated him to be the board’s Washington Interscholastic Activities Association representative for the 2022-23 school year. Youngberg accepted the position. District 5 Director Arla Shephard Bull said the WIAA is “the organization governing athletics, interscholastic activity and competitions in Washi...
A resident’s proposal to work with the Port of Hoodsport on creating a public dog park was tabled after port commissioners voted 2-1 on May 11 not to proceed with investigating the proposal. While Port Commissioner Terry Brazil said he intended to investigate further on his own, he and Port Commissioner Lori Kincannon voted against the port moving forward with the proposal. Port Commissioner Cody Morris voted in favor. Dog park proponent Bill Long expressed interest in using an acre and a h...
My review of "Stranger Things" Season 4, Part 1, will be forthcoming next week. I wasn't about to binge seven episodes in a single weekend. Instead, we'll be looking at another recently released tribute to the 1980s. Even speaking as a self-confessed generational chauvinist on behalf of the Eighties, I keep expecting everyone to get sick of that decade, and to move on from reviving its pop culture. Since the start of 2020, "Bill & Ted" and "Ghostbusters" released critically and commercially...
The North Mason School Board reviewed the redistricting reports and maps produced by Sammamish Data Systems so it could approve moving to the next phase of the school district’s redistricting. North Mason School District Superintendent Dana Rosenbach summed up the report from Sammamish Data Systems, which the district contracted to evaluate the latest U.S. Census information. “We do have a requirement, when the new census comes out, that we have to evaluate the distribution of our director dis...
North Mason School District Transportation Director Maurine Simons shared with the school board May 19 details about the return of the “Fill the Bus” event, scheduled to take place Aug. 20 at the QFC parking lot in Belfair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. “QFC does a great job of putting together packages that have the school supplies all together, right near the front,” Simons said. “The bus drivers will be out there. It’s all volunteer time.” She added, “We’ll have our little ‘Buster Bus’ out there for...
