Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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For people not on social media, I envy you. If you’re involved in Seattle sports Twitter, Facebook or Reddit, you have probably seen the highs and lows of a sports season as it happens. People reacting (and overreacting) to everything posted by media members, analytics websites, hot takes from national pundits, player or staff news and games. This could be about every sport in Seattle, but this time, I am referring specifically to the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners season has been nothing n...
A 2-year-old child died after being submerged in a car that plunged down an embankment into Lake Cushman on Monday. “This is still under investigation and the cause is still under investigation,” MCSO Chief Criminal Deputy of Patrol Operations Ryan Spurling told the Journal. “It’s terrible. Every year, it seems like we lose one or two people up there from jumping off the rock or drownings.” According to the Mason County Sheriff’s Office Declaration of Probable Cause, Christopher J. Valeta, 30,...
Mason County included in settlement Mason County commissioners approved a proposed settlement between multiple parties, including Mason County, and the state Department of Natural Resources regarding DNR-managed forest lands. According to the information packet, Mason County along with other counties, school districts, fire districts and government entities, challenged the Sustainable Harvest Calculation for the 2015-2024 planning decade adopted by DNR and the proposed settlement. The settlement is intended to improve the forest inventory data...
State Parks urge Fourth of July responsibility The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission encourages safe gatherings in state parks during the Fourth of July weekend. According to a news release, the commission urges visitors to check for closures and alerts before heading out and leave no trace by packing out trash and anything they have brought with them, and all fireworks must be extinguished. Parks asks people to practice fire safety by keeping them small and contained and respect beach closures to protect wildlife and marine habi...
Preliminary county budget guidelines approved Mason County 2023 and 2024 preliminary budget guidelines were approved by county commissioners at the June 21 meeting. According to the information packet, the calls for budget from county departments goes out by the second Monday in July. The board sends out budget instructions on or before the date the auditor sends out the call for budgets. The Congressional Budget Office has projected elevated inflation will continue through 2022 because of a combination of strong demand and restrained supply...
The Mason County Board of Commissioners and the Shelton City Council each signed proclamations recognizing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer-plus month, commonly known as Pride Month. According to the Library of Congress, LGBTQ+ Pride Month marks the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, which was a tipping point for thea gay liberation movement in the U.S. Billy Thomas spoke at the June 7 commissioners’ meeting about the proclamation after commissioners signed it. “Thanks to thi...
The Skokomish River Ecosystem Restoration Project money is at risk due to inaction by Mason County in acquiring the land necessary to complete the project. The project was the topic of a special Mason County commissioners meeting June 2 over Zoom with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees. According to the project website, the effort aims to restore 277 acres in the Skokomish River Basin that is habitat for chinook and chum salmon and a key food source for southern resident orca whales. The pro...
People in Mason County can be cautiously optimistic about this year's wildfire and fire season, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. "Fires on the west side, especially really bad fires on the west side, are not a very common thing," Wildland Fire Meteorologist Matthew Dehr told the Journal. "You really have to have a lot of factors line up for a prolonged period of time. Last summer was one of those times where it was hot and dry for a long enough time that people were...
If you see some art or participate in a program at the North Mason Timberland Library, chances are the Friends of the Library helped provide it in some way. The Friends of the Library is a group that fundraises in order to promote fun, learning and social activities within the community. Vice President Guyla Vann has been a member of Friends of the Library since 2007. She came to book sales and donated money while working full time, but after retiring in 2006, she started attending board meeting...
National LGBTQ+ Pride Month proclamation Mason County commissioners signed a National LGBTQ+ Pride Month proclamation at their June 7 meeting. According to the information packet, the proclamation recognizes the diverse LGBTQ+ community in Mason County and is committed to supporting visibility, dignity and equity for all people in the community. The proclamation states the commissioners observe June as a time to celebrate the dynamic LGBTQ+ community, raise awareness of quality services and foster a dialogue to promote healthy, safe and...
East Agate Loop Road closure starts June 27 Mason County commissioners approved a county road closure of East Agate Loop Road to replace the upper Uncle Johns Creek culvert on East Agate Loop Road. According to the information packet, the culvert will be replaced in July by Redside Construction and the road will be closed at 7 a.m. June 27 and reopen at 4 p.m. July 25 from milepost 1.0120 to 1.140. The road will be closed so in-water work can begin the first day of the “fish-window” July 1. Closure information will be posted on the Mason Cou...
U.S. 101 bridge repairs scheduled for June 17-20 U.S. Highway 101 over Shelton-Matlock Road will be repaired June 17 to 20 in both directions. According to a state Department of Transportation news release, the repairs will begin at 8 p.m. June 17 and last until 6 a.m. June 20. Both directions of 101 will detour to the city center and Matlock exits and drivers will return to the highway via exit ramps. Flaggers will keep drivers moving and it will add travel time to people traveling the Olympic Peninsula. From 7 p.m. June 20 to 6 a.m. June 21,...
County administrator approved to sign services agreement County Administrator Mark Neary has been approved by Mason County commissioners to sign a professional services agreement with Cabot Dow Associates for labor employment services. According to the information packet, the services will not exceed $50,000. The request for proposals for labor employment services closed April 29, with the only response from Cabot Dow Associates. Cabot Dow is a small sole-proprietor that has extensive experience specializing in representing public sector...
Tahuya Peninsula outage will affect 2,300 customers Mason PUD 3 announced an outage on June 14 that will affect about 2,300 customers on the Tahuya Peninsula for 10 hours. According to a news release, the outage is for a maintenance project to replace transmission poles in the area and requires two substations to be offline. The outage will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will require all of PUD 3's line crews working on the project and a mutual-aid crew from Grays Harbor PUD. The work is...
It's never too late to join a choir or learn an instrument, and the Great Bend Center for Music in Union is an organization that hopes to help kids and adults find their sound. Founder and general director Matthew Melendez described the organization as "an organization that explores the research-based ways that music can be used as a tool for community development." Melendez said he wanted to create the organization as an institute for applied research, figuring out how to "programitize" the...
The Forest Festival logging show and chainsaw exhibition is staged from noon to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Loop Field. The logging show is hosting the STIHL Timbersports Western Qualifier for men and women. Events include the standing chop, horizontal chop, springboard, hot saw, stock saw, stock chainsaw and single buck. "I think, with the competition, the event that's most popular is the springboard competition," Forest Festival Board President Mick Sprouffske told the Journal. "You're pairing two...
Shelton's Alauna Carstens ended her senior year with an exclamation point, winning the State 2A 1,600- and 3,200-meter races Thursday and Saturday at the state 2A, 3A and 4A track and field meets at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma. Carstens competed in the 1,600-meter race Thursday and pulled ahead in the third lap and was able to narrowly edge Ellensburg's Kate Laurent at the finish line with a time of 4:58.34 to Laurent's 4:58.48. The time was a personal record and school record. "It feels...
North Mason senior Addilyn Varick saved her best for last to earn second place in the state 2A girls javelin throw Thursday at Mount Tahoma High School. Varick's final throw of her high school career measured 116 feet, 4 inches, a personal best and good enough to take second place. Tumwater's Natalie Sumrok won the state title with a toss of 126 feet, 2 inches. "It felt really nice because I've been dealing with really bad rib issues all season and that one was probably my best because I was abl...
After many delays, Mason Transit Authority’s Belfair Park & Ride officially opened May 23 on Northeast Log Yard Road. “I’ve been hearing from a couple of drivers that have been up here that they’re really enjoying having a space to work out of and happy to have a permanent place to be for their breaks and rest breaks up in the north county area,” MTA General Manager Amy Asher told the Herald. “Our park and ride’s getting used. We have a lot of the folks from the worker-driver program parki...
Pandemic restrictions might be mostly gone, but COVID-19 is still prominent throughout Mason County. Director of Community Services Dave Windom updated the Board of Health during Tuesday’s meeting. Mason County Division of Emergency Management reported a seven-day case rate per 100,000 people of 161.5 as of May 22, and a 14-day case rate of 292.5. The county reported 38 cases from May 20 to 22. Windom said that is an undercount because it only accounts for PCR tests, not the at-home tests t...
Central Mason Fire & EMS graduates five members Central Mason Fire & EMS celebrated the graduation of five members from its annual Firefighter Recruit Academy. According to a news release, the training burn May 14 marked a successful end to its recruit training. Each member participated in more than 300 hours of training in six months. All graduating members are now certified by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress as Firefighter I. Training also included HazMat Awareness and...
Career incentive pay policy approved Mason County commissioners approved the adoption of a new pay and benefit policy and added it into the Mason County Personnel Policy. According to the information packet, the budget will be affected for Public Works with a $35,000 increase prorated for the remainder of 2022, $40,000 per year for eligible positions that could achieve the incentive and the auditor and financial services $10,000 increase prorated for the remainder of 2022. The reason for the pay policy is to recognize and encourage staff to...
Mason County Fire District 12 decided to keep on fire chief Kelli Walsworth pro tem in order to help the district transition to a new fire chief. At the May 17 fire commissioners meeting, commissioner Albert Wilder said after talking as a board and with the attorney, they decided to retain Walsworth as the pro tem chief “to help the community and help the district in finding a new fire chief and doing a proper pass down to a new fire chief.” “It is a nonsalaried position she will be assum...
Shelton's Alauna Carstens continued her record-breaking senior season, winning the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter race at the District 4 2A track and field meet Friday at Highclimber Stadium in Shelton. Carstens won the 1,600-meter race in 5:08.57 and the 3,200-meter race in 11:13.35. Ali Clifton was the other Shelton girls athlete to qualify for state, finishing fourth in the 3,200-meter race with a time of 12:08.95. On the boys side, Kaden Pearson qualified for the 100- and 200-meter races....
Shelton baseball falls to Ellensburg to end season The Highclimbers had a lead against Ellensburg on May 21, but were unable to hang on as Ellensburg won 6-5 to end Shelton’s season in the State 2A baseball tournament at Davis High School in Yakima. The Highclimbers were down 2-0 until the fifth inning, rallying with five runs in the top of the fifth to take a 5-2 lead. Ellensburg tied the game with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Ellensburg walked off with the win with a run in the bottom of the seventh. Shelton baseball finished the s...
