Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Sorted by date Results 301 - 325 of 334
I've spoken before about what a gravity-defying franchise "The Karate Kid" films already were, even before they became the foundation for the ongoing "Cobra Kai" Netflix series, and that's never been more true than now, in the wake of the show's fourth season. "Cobra Kai" continues to thread the needle between empathetically reflecting the minefields of modern adolescence and sharing the Marvel Cinematic Universe's ability to whistle past what would happen if certain events occurred in the real...
Area art exhibitors offered their outlook on what lies ahead this year in their world of art. When asked what she looks forward to in 2022, Belfair Self-Storage owner and manager Barbara Treick expressed hopes of generating a good turnout for the “Keep Music In School” show she has planned for March. “I am working on a prospectus for a call to artists to celebrate MIOSM (Music In Our Schools Month) by creating art that shows their favorite song or musical instrument,” Treick said. “My art wall...
Port of Allyn Executive Director Lary Coppola addressed the port's damage claims and security measures during the board of commissioners' Jan. 3 regular meeting. Coppola had previously conferred with the commissioners regarding the "severe damage" to the finger pier on the dock during an Oct. 25 storm, with waves so strong they fractured the 4-inch galvanized brackets holding the finger pier to the main dock and tore 4-inch lag bolts out of the beams holding the brackets to the pier. Coppola...
Port of Allyn Executive Director Lary Coppola gave progress reports on several projects and expenditures, including the port’s upcoming update to its comprehensive to-do list, at the port’s Jan. 3 board of commissioners meeting. Coppola noted the port posted a community survey on its website and its Facebook page, and included a copy of the survey in its meeting packet. “I posted it in every Facebook group that I can identify for Mason County,” Coppola said. “There’s about 10 of them.” The...
Retired teacher Nancy Snyder has found a way to educate people about the causes of extreme weather, and the Climate Change Committee of the League of Women Voters of Mason County is but one of the recipients of the knowledge Snyder has gained in the past year. Snyder was originally slated to attend an in-person training session offered by the nonprofit Climate Reality Project, which was founded by former Vice President Al Gore in 2005 as the Alliance for Climate Protection. However, COVID-19...
Is it possible to evolve (or retain) a social conscience while remaining an unrepentant criminal? Gangster fables have contemplated that question for generations, with "The Godfather," "Pulp Fiction," "The Sopranos" and "Breaking Bad" serving as some of the more notable examples. And while the answer has been "no" in all the aforementioned examples, none of those tales have been set in a world as lawless as Tatooine, where there aren't even any cops to bribe. It's no exaggeration to describe...
Sunday promises to see Belfair Self-Storage test out a new approach as owner and manager Barbara Treick invites the public to enjoy “Art From My Living Room” at 2 p.m.at the business’ location at 23270 NE state Route 3. Although Belfair Self-Storage’s previous art receptions have showcased some of the artists in-person with their pieces, and even included a couple of live performances, Treick said the post-holiday months can be slow for foot-traffic. Treick described Belfair Self Storage...
The Port of Dewatto adopted a 2022 budget of $119,500 after commissioners conducted a public hearing on its revenue sources prior to the winter holidays. Port of Dewatto Commission Chair Ray Mow oversaw the November meeting, which didn’t draw any members of the public, while port volunteer Kris Tompkins reviewed the specifics of the port’s proposed budget and its revenue sources. According to Tompkins, the port received $16,427 more in state Department of Natural Resources timber trust fun...
The Port of Allyn received a recap of what to expect from its upcoming legislative session during its board of commissioners’ Jan. 3 regular meeting, thanks to a presentation by port governmental affairs consultant Holly Cocci. The session began Monday. It’s the second year of the legislative biennium, or the shorter legislative session of the two, so it’s scheduled to last 60 days. “Legislators attempted to lower expectations for the forthcoming short session,” Cocci said. “However,...
I've seen a few folks review writer-director-producer Adam McKay's "Don't Look Up" under the assumption it was intended as a response to COVID-19, even though enough of its pre-production was finished COVID and its principal photography was originally slated to start in April 2020. More than a dozen years ago, I was rewatching an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" with one of my housemates at the time, in which Picard was captured and tortured by alien interrogators (Trek fans will...
The Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce’s Zoom meeting split into focus groups Dec. 16 to answer several questions designed to help the Shelton School District develop a five-year plan. When asked to describe what they saw as the school district’s reputation in the business community, Melissa Strong, chief nursing officer at Mason Health, credited the district with being “pretty involved” in the Health Science Academy rollout, which she deemed a “really great experience for us” and a “reall...
The Rev. Barbra Weza, development director of Community Lifeline, addressed the League of Women Voters of Mason County on Dec. 21 about how the pandemic has affected the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Community Lifeline's mission is to provide low-barrier shelter, meals, showers, case management, advocacy, education and resource connections as pathways to permanent housing. Weza said limits on crisis services have made it more difficult to serve people already in need, even with diverse...
The new year is almost upon us, and you are pretty much done with holiday spirit. You need a palate cleanser to wash the taste of holly-jolly cheer out of your mouth. Just as "Die Hard" is the seasonal 1980s action film that actually embodies the spirit of Christmas, "Less Than Zero" is the '80s drama that's also set during Christmas but runs absolutely counter to the spirit of the holiday. The 1987 film is based on Bret Easton Ellis' 1985 debut novel of the same name. It is practically the...
Exhibitors of area artists offered their thoughts on what the past year has meant for the local art scene and what the year ahead could bring. Elizabeth Bennett, operational manager of the Rest-A-While RV Park, saw her annual art and music fair expand into an entire series of one-weekend-per-month events, running from spring through fall, with a growth in the number and diversity of vendors. “It’s been a really special year, with a lot of new vendors,” Bennett said. “And the people who are alr...
The Port of Grapeview’s final regular meeting of the year Dec. 21 was an evening of farewells. District 2 Commissioner Glenn Carlson read aloud from his letter of resignation, which takes effect Jan. 18, that referenced several accomplishments over the past nine years, from rebuilding the boat ramp to adding a dock, gangway and restroom, for which he credited “the help of able colleagues.” “I’ve got many wonderful memories of fine friends and working relationships developed over these past year...
Hed: ‘Green Amendment’ proponent recaps history of environmental movement Word count: 964. By Kirk Boxleitner [email protected] The League of Women Voters of Mason County’s Climate Change Committee meeting on Zoom opened the floor to Maya K. van Rossum, author of “The Green Amendment; Securing Our Right to a Healthy Environment.” Van Rossum opened her remarks Nov. 18 by saying permitting is essential to environmental protections, because “environmental pollution and degradation...
Although 2020 was the year COVID first struck, 2021 has been more of a year of transition for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Disney+ shows like "WandaVision" and "Loki" took established characters on arcs that redefined who they were and could be, while "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" and "Eternals" introduced new players to the MCU. What "Black Widow" attempted to do in theaters is what "Hawkeye" so far seems to be doing more successfully on Disney+ by portraying a torch-passing...
In the wake of Belfair Self-Storage hosting Native American musician Vince Redhouse and painter Tai Connell for a holiday reception before Thanksgiving, Belfair Self-Storage owner and manager Barbara Treick is putting any further live appearances by artists on hold through at least the holidays. “The reception with Vince Redhouse and Tai Connell went well,” Treick said. “However, with the arrival of winter, we won’t be able to host guest artists for the simple reason that it would be too col...
The last time we got an attempted big-screen resurrection of the "Ghostbusters" franchise, back in 2016, online trolls started review-bombing it for sexist reasons before the film even premiered in theaters, because director Paul Feig had the temerity to cast all four members of the team as women. This was unfair and unhelpful, because while the film did not deserve such abuse, neither was it actually any good, but the online trolls undermined their own cause by ensuring any substantive...
In one important sense, filmmaker Chloé Zhao's cinematic adaptation of comics creator Jack Kirby's "Eternals" is incredibly faithful, in that both tried to establish a semi-independent universe-in-microcosm within a broader Marvel universe, and neither one quite managed to stick that particular landing. While "Eternals" has been review-bombed online, it matters why it doesn't work, which is far different from the reasons motivating a number of internet trolls with grudges. Zhao is to be commende...
Shelton City Manager Jeff Niten opened the State of the City address for the Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 21 by reviewing how the pandemic continues to affect the city. Shelton is receiving what Niten deemed “significant amounts” of state and federal money in 2021, which he pledged would be used for projects such as Western Gateway, Safe Routes to School, a new reclaimed water tank, and replacing pipes from Well 1 to the high school water tank. The money includes $2.9 mil...
They finally got it right. As a nearly lifelong fan of Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi novel “Dune,” I can’t pretend to be coming to director Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 movie adaptation of “Dune” — or, more accurately, of the first half of the novel — as an impartial or disinterested viewer. However, I hope I can persuade my fellow “Dune” fans, and those who might otherwise be intimidated by the story’s length or complexity, that it is very much worth your time. Yes, this film runs more than two and...
Barbara Treick’s rotating art gallery at Belfair Self-Storage is preparing to welcome back two of her previously appearing artists next month for a seasonally themed reception. The Sunday before Thanksgiving, from 2-4 p.m., will see abstract painter Tai Connell, who previously appeared Aug. 5, displaying her art and Christmas gifts, including jewelry and coasters. Also appearing will be Native American musician Vince Redhouse, who previously appeared June 12, performing holiday songs and s...
In my spare time, I think up titles for country-western songs. The practice provides an opportunity to explore the themes that country-western music is known for. Here are some: “My Boyfriend’s a Dirty, Low-Down, No-Account, Lying, Cheating, Bird-Dogging Fool, But I Hate Him Anyway” “You’re the Grout in My Log Cabin of Love” “There’s a Deer in My Beer” “Eating Beans, Splitting Seams” “I Have High Friends in Low-Cut, Acid-Washed Jeans” “He Stole My Heart So I Stole His Smokes” “My Liver’s Liv...
Port of Hoodsport commissioners heard about the transportation electrification movement when Tonia Buell of the state Department of Transportation gave a briefing on grant money for installing electric vehicle charging stations. Buell, who addressed the port during the commissioners’ Oct. 13 meeting on Zoom, said the Electrify America organization was created as a result of the Volkswagen Clean Air Act Civil Settlement of 2017. Buell said $2 billion is going to Electrify America, with $800 m...
