Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Sorted by date Results 276 - 300 of 608
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...
Almost two years after the crime, Jordan and Jareau Afo each pled guilty to criminal charges Nov. 8 in Mason County Superior Court. The Afos are scheduled for a sentencing hearing Dec. 20. According to court records, Jareau U. Afo, 28, pled guilty to one count of second-degree murder for killing Derrick Wily. Jordan T. Afo, 31, pled guilty to one count of criminal assistance in the first degree and unlawful disposal of human remains. According to a Shelton Police report, Jareau choked Wily to...
Mason County appears to be in line for a new clerk as Charles Rhodes leads in the race for clerk against incumbent Sharon Moore-Fogo on Monday’s updated vote count. Rhodes, a Republican challenger, has received 13,761 votes for 50.64% and leads by 377 votes. Moore-Fogo has received 13,384 votes for 49.25%. Moore-Fogo has been working for the Clerk’s Office since 1992 and was appointed clerk in 2017. Commissioner Sharon Trask has retained her spot on the Mason County Board of Commissioners wit...
After the final event of the state 2A girls swim meet in Federal Way, the Shelton relay team of Lelia Ollenburg, Madeline Allred, Kaylin Mutoli and Abbi Sachs jumped into the pool to celebrate their 2022 season accomplishments. As the team scores were revealed, Shelton celebrated again. The big readerboard showed Shelton taking ninth place, the highest finish in school history, at the state 2A swim meet Nov. 11 and 12 at the King County Aquatic Center. "That's awesome. That's the first time the...
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...
WEB UPDATE: Republican challenger Charles Rhodes leads incumbent Democrat Sharon Moore-Fogo by 124 votes after Wednesday’s second ballot count in the race for Mason County clerk. With Wednesday’s totals added in, Rhodes has 12,359 votes for 50.20%, while Moore-Fogo received 12,235 votes for 49.70%. Moore-Fogo led the initial vote count Tuesday night. The next vote count update is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday. In the Mason County auditor’s race, Steve Duenkel took a seven-vote lead over Paddy...
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...
Recall petitions for Mason County Fire Protection District 12 were allowed to proceed after a motion hearing on Nov. 3 in Mason County Superior Court. Judge Monty Cobb presided over the hearing. Kristin Masteller and Amanda Gonzales, who filed the recall petitions, were in attendance. Fire commissioners John Pais, Albert Wilder and Brian Jutson did not attend the hearing and were represented by attorney Aaron Haynes. About 25 people attended the hearing. "The Matlock community showed up last...
Mason County Fire Marshal Randy Collins said the 2022 fire season was “quieter than most” regarding wildfires within the county. Collins said he thinks most of that has to do with the late spring rains and not having any mega heat waves, like the temperatures reached in 2021. From September 10 to 16, Mason County instituted a recreational burn ban when the National Fire Danger Rating System was elevated to very high fire danger, which caused red flag fire conditions. “With the exception of th...
What a difference a year makes. The Shelton Highclimbers football team was back in a Kansas tiebreaker once again on Monday at Tumwater District Stadium with Black Hills and Aberdeen, with two spots in the district crossover playoff games on the line. Shelton defeated Black Hills in the first matchup, and then took down Aberdeen to secure the No. 4 seed out of the Evergreen Conference into the District crossover games. The Highclimbers will travel to Washougal to take on the Panthers at 7 p.m....
North Mason students and parents violated North Mason's civil conduct policy in an incident after the North Mason volleyball match against Bremerton on Oct. 18 in Belfair. North Mason School District Superintendent Dana Rosenbach said the investigation has determined "a few" students and parents violated the policy. The incident had allegations of racial harassment and intimidation. "I think our athletic director, Ray Bonnell, has done an amazing job. He spent countless hours conducting...
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...
The Mason Conservation District updated the public on nine upcoming Skokomish Habitat projects, with two projects planning to begin construction in the summer. The Skokomish Valley Road "Dips" project is in the permitting phase and is planned to be constructed in the summer. The project will build a new bridge over Skokomish Valley Road, high enough to be above 100-year flood levels. The road elevation will be set so water will not go over it below a 1.4-year flood event. The project includes...
The Shelton boys cross country team qualified for the state tournament with a fourth-place finish at the District IV cross country meet Oct. 27 at Lewis River Golf Course in Woodland. Jacob Miller was the highest finisher for the Highclimbers in third place, completing the race in 16 minutes, 9 seconds. Jaydon Blackburn took ninth place in 16:43. Carson Bursch took 21st place in 17:10, Landon Bursch finished 39th in 17:55 and Jack Parker ended in 51st place with a time of 18:32. Richard Beckman...
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...
The North Mason School District is investigating alleged racist behavior during and after a volleyball game against Bremerton on Oct. 18 in Belfair. The allegations were against North Mason students and parents. According to a news release, allegations have been made about a group of North Mason students and the Bremerton volleyball team and an incident that involved racial harassment and intimidation. “This investigation has been difficult for my athletic director (Ray Bonnell) because of s...
Recall petitions for Mason County Fire Protection District 6 commissioners Richard Heinrich, Mike Sheetz and Troy Woodard didn’t move forward after a hearing Oct. 4 in Mason County Superior Court. Fire 6 is also known as Union Fire. The case was heard by Superior Court Judge Monty Cobb and Robin Fender was the plaintiff. “Petitions for recall are dismissed,” Cobb said toward the end of the hearing. “This is not a frivolous petition for awarding of fees under CR 11. There are things here that ca...
The motion hearing for the recall petition for Mason County Fire Protection District 12 commissioners is set for 2 p.m. Nov. 1 in Mason County Superior Court. Judge Monty Cobb will be presiding over the hearing. Fire commissioners John Pais, Brian Jutson and Albert Wilder had a special meeting Oct. 20 and voted to retain a law firm to defend the district. Whether the action taken at the meeting is legal is in question, considering the fire district did not properly advertise the special meeting...
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's Jayden Lovingfoss and Wyatt Wagner won the Evergreen Conference boys doubles tennis tournament on Oct. 17 and 18 at Tumwater High School. Lovingfoss and Wagner, both juniors, enter the district tournament at Club Green Meadows in Vancouver today and Friday as the No. 1 seed. "It was pretty awesome," Lovingfoss told the Journal about winning the league championship. "I'm just so excited God's provided so many opportunities for me to play tennis and get to expand my game. It's a real...
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...
It was an idea on a whim, but it's safe to say Shelton High School alumni will be part of more 24 Hours of Lemons races in the future. The SHS Alumni team placed 26th overall in the 24 Hours of Lemons race at The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton on Oct. 15 and 16. The race was called Smells Like AMC Spirit 2022, with a logo featuring Kurt Cobain. The Alumni team finished seventh in C-class with a total time of 32 hours, 34 minutes and took home the Organizer's Choice award. "It was amazing. We...
Recall petitions have been filed for Mason County Fire Protection District 12 commissioners Brian Jutson, John Pais and Albert Wilder. According to the documents, Wilder, Pais and Jutson “committed several acts of misfeasance and malfeasance and has violated his oath of office through neglect and a knowing failure to faithfully perform the duties imposed on him by law.” Wilder and Jutson had 17 listed allegations in the petition and Pais had 16 listed allegations. The allegations cited are att...
Mason County has begun the process of establishing the 2023 county budget with commissioner workshops earlier this week. The commissioner’s 2023 preliminary budget is due to the public by Nov. 21. A public hearing to certify levies must occur before Nov. 30 and the budget hearing is scheduled Dec. 5. The Mason County Sheriff’s Office 2022 maintenance level budget includes $1,143,172. MCSO’s salaries and benefits are $11,933,157, operating maintenance level budget is $3,404,382 and expen...
