Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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Mason Health reveals new patient access center A patient access center officially opened at Mason Clinic with a ribbon-cutting event for staff March 8. According to a news release, plans to remodel the former clinic and office space was delayed in 2020 due to COVID-19. Construction began in August 2021 and was completed in February. Public Hospital District No. 1 commissioners Darrin Moody and Gayle Weston, patient access center staff and Mason Health Senior leadership attended the ribbon cutting. “The outstanding work of leaders and f...
The Seattle Seahawks made a big move and traded quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos for two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant and defensive lineman Shelby Harris. I know a lot of fans are upset about this move, and rightfully so, but I’m here to tell fans that everything is going to be fine. Wilson has been the quarterback in Seattle since he was drafted in the third round out of Wisconsin in 2012. He helped the Seahawks r...
Track & Field The Owls kicked off the track season with a jamboree at Montesano on March 10. Mary M. Knight’s Danny Goeders finished eighth in the 400-meter dash and he placed ninth in the discus. Junior Drake Jenkins finished 10th in the shot put and 12th in the discus. Mary M. Knight returns to Montesano today for a league meet. Baseball The North Mason baseball team fell in its opening game 13-1 at home against Klahowya in a nonleague game. The Bulldogs (0-1) host Port Angeles today in the first Olympic League game of the season before t...
State Route 3 runs through Belfair and is the main artery connecting north Mason County communities. In Belfair, the intersection of Route 3 and Ridgepoint Boulevard has become a contentious topic of conversation between residents and the state. The intersection is the only entrance to the new Olympic Ridge and Olympic View developments, up the hill from the post office, McDonald’s and NAPA Auto Parts, among other businesses. Department of Transportation spokesperson Doug Adamson said about 17,000 vehicles per day use both directions of Route 3...
Commissioners sign SR3 Freight Corridor funding letter County commissioners signed a letter to the legislative transportation committees regarding the state Route 3 Freight Corridor. According to the information packet, the letter is addressed to Sen. Marko Lias, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, Sen. Curtis King, ranking member of the Senate Transportation Committee, Rep. Jake Fey, chair of the House Transportation Committee and Rep. Andrew Barkis, ranking member of the House Transportation Committee. The letter supports an...
The Mason County Sheriff's Office breakfast featured retired Brig. Gen. Stan Flemming as the guest speaker Feb. 25 at Little Creek Casino Resort. The Shelton NJROTC program presented the colors before Flemming took the podium. Fleming, who received his doctorate in osteopathic medicine and is board certified in family medicine and a retired officer in the Army and Army Reserve, talked about senior mental health throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Flemming is a University Place city councilor and...
Gov. Jay Inslee announced the state mask mandate will end Saturday. Inslee announced the new end date Feb. 28 after receiving new guidance from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and continued decreases in hospitalization rates in the state. Masks won’t be required in schools, child care sites, libraries, restaurants, bars, houses of worship, gyms, recreation centers, indoor athletic areas, grocery stores, businesses and retail establishments. Masks will still be required in health care and medical facilities, long-term care s...
Mason County Superior Court penalized Fire District 6 $94,300 on Monday for violating the state’s Public Records Act. Judge Amber Finlay reviewed the courts findings, saying this was “a challenging case for a variety of factors.” Finlay said the court is concerned because the court found negligence due to altering records. Finlay said agencies need to be transparent. The penalty of $94,300 comes from the tax base multiplied by $50. Jeffrey Brittig was the plaintiff in the case against Mason County Fire District 6 and filed his lawsuit again...
State Route 302 near Victor closed until further notice Heavy rainfall triggered roadway settlement and sloughing, causing state Route 302 to close east of Victor in Mason County. According to a state Department of Transportation news release, An 80-foot section of highway settled more than 6 inches and WSDOT is in the process of identifying what work is needed to reopen the highway. Only local traffic is allowed from milepost 1 in Mason County to milepost 7.5 in Pierce County. People who usually use state Route 302 will need to use a 22-mile d...
MacEwen introduces bill to divest public funds from Russia Rep. Drew MacEwen, R-Union, has introduced a bill that would require state agencies in the state to cancel outstanding contracts with Russian companies. Because the legislative session is slated to end March 10, the bill is unlikely to be heard this session. According to a news release from House Republicans, MacEwen co-introduced the bill with Rep. Drew Stokesbary, R-Auburn. It would require the state investment board to divest from its pension and other investments Russian companies....
The Belfair sewer public hearing March 1 went into more detail about how the project will affect Belfair residents. County Administrator Mark Neary highlighted the ways the county can pay for sewer debt. Neary talked about the rural county public facilities 0.09% sales tax, which is used for overall economic development. He also talked about the Real Estate Excise Tax, specifically the first quarter percent, which is 0.25% upon all real estate sales within unincorporated areas of the count. The...
The 2021-22 winter high school sports season looked much closer to normal after nearly two years of pandemic restrictions. Many teams qualified for postseason play, as did several Mason County athletes who competed in the first state tournament action in two years. Today, the Shelton-Mason County Journal honors athletes from winter 2022 sports, which included boys and girls basketball, boys and girls wrestling, boys swimming and bowling. Eighteen Mason County athletes are being honored for...
Mason County commissioners resumed a public hearing Tuesday about the Belfair sewer, and once again, decided to continue the public hearing to allow more time for county staff to gather information. After the first public hearing Jan. 31, which lasted more than four hours, the commissioners voted 2-1 to continue the public hearing at 6 p.m. April 5. Commissioners Kevin Shutty and Sharon Trask voted again to continue the public hearing in April, with commissioner Randy Neatherlin opposed. The...
Contract amended for fire investigation services Mason County commissioners amended an agreement between the city and the Mason County Fire Chiefs’ Association at its March 1 meeting. According to the information packet, the scope of work includes “investigations into origin, cause, circumstances and extent of loss from fire whether of civil or criminal nature” and “to ensure cooperation among local fire districts, the state fire marshal and all state and county law enforcement and regulatory personnel.” One of five criteria is needed fo...
The Shelton Yacht Club announced Jim Ross is the 2022 commodore. According to a news release, Ross and his wife, Joanne, retired and moved to Washington in 2013. Ross joined the yacht club in 2017 and was elected rear commodore in 2020 and was vice commodore in 2021. Ross owned a 36-foot Grand Banks Trawler while living in Southern California. In 2016, the couple bought a Ranger Tug 27. In Dec. 2020, they traded for a 39-foot main ship 390. Ross's theme for the club's cruise schedule is...
Olympic National Forest gets money to repair damage Olympic National Forest received $1.7 million in disaster relief money to help access along Forest Service Road 29. According to a news release, the road has been closed since November due to debris flow and washouts caused by extreme weather. As a vital emergency route, the money will allow for installation of temporary structures that will allow access through the northwest portion of the Olympic Peninsula. Preliminary work, including design and planning, is underway by staff to prepare...
In 1960, three teachers at Central Grade School in Snohomish created an elementary play day that include 50- and 75-yard dash races. Dan Dittmer finished third in both events. "Little did I realize those two races would be the beginning of a journey that finds me here 61 years later," Dittmer told an audience at the Washington Track and Field Coaches Association's Hall of Fame Banquet on Jan. 21 at Hotel Murano in Tacoma. A veteran of 51 years of coaching track and field across Western...
The Seattle Kraken’s inaugural season has not gone as well as some new hockey fans hoped. As of Tuesday, the Kraken have 37 points, which is the third worst total in the league, ahead of only the Montreal Canadiens and Arizona Coyotes. They have a seven-game losing streak going into tonight’s game against the Nashville Predators. No Kraken player is in the Top 50 in the league in points and the highest scoring player is Jared McCann with 33 points, including 21 goals. Goaltender Philip Gru...
Mason County commissioners took several actions involving the Belfair Urban Growth Area and the Mason County Comprehensive Plan after a public hearing about the UGA and amendments to the comprehensive plan. The commissioners approved amendments to the Belfair subarea plan and the comprehensive plan on a 2-1 vote. Commissioners Kevin Shutty and Sharon Trask voted in favor while Commissioner Randy Neatherlin voted against. The changes to the Belfair Subarea plan update growth and land-use...
New details have emerged from a fatal accident at Sierra Pacific Industries in Shelton on Feb. 14. According to Washington State Patrol District 8 spokeswoman Katherine Weatherwax, the wife of the driver said he was having “previous issues.” The driver seemed disoriented and didn’t know what happened after his truck hit the guard shack, according to Weatherwax. The driver drove through a red light on First Street and West Railroad Avenue, hit the 8-inch curb, launching the truck into the air a...
Gov. Jay Inslee announced at a news conference Feb. 17 the indoor mask requirement will be lifted March 21 in schools and certain indoor spaces. Masks will no longer be required in schools, child care facilities, libraries, restaurants, bars, churches, gyms, recreation centers, indoor athletic facilities, grocery stores, businesses and retail establishments. Masks still will be required in health care and medical facilities, long-term care settings, correctional facilities, and private...
Crime was up in 2021 compared to 2020, according to data from the Mason County Sheriff’s Office. Calls for service were 23,836, which is about the level expected, according to Patrol Division Chief Ryan Spurling. In 2019, calls increased about 2,000 from 2018r and have been steady in recent years. “We were around anywhere from 20,000 to 22,000 and then we jumped all the way up to 24,000 and we’ve been pretty consistent,” Spurling said. He said the rise might stem from having more people here now because a lot of the people who had cabins...
Shelton senior Ryan Mackiewicz placed sixth at 170 pounds at the 2A Mat Classic on Friday and Saturday at the Tacoma Dome. Mackiewicz earned two wins Friday to reach the semifinals. He defeated Burlington-Edison's Nathan Keith in a 13-4 major decision. He earned a sudden victory in the quarterfinals against Ellensburg's Breck Hammond. Mackiewicz lost in the semifinals on Saturday in the final six seconds of the match to North Kitsap's Zakaria Hammou in a 6-3 decision. He lost to Othello's Ethan...
The best pro basketball team in the state is gearing up for its version of The Last Dance. For those who don’t know, “The Last Dance” is in reference to Michael Jordan’s final season with the Chicago Bulls and the team that won five championships. The Last Dance season culminated with the Bulls’ sixth championship, defeating the Utah Jazz in the NBA finals on Jordan’s infamous shot in Game 6 in Salt Lake City (sorry, editor Justin). My parents were Utah Jazz fans — my dad is from Salt Lake Cit...
The North Mason School Board hosted a public hearing Feb. 17 to discuss the proposed transfer of surplus Theler Wetlands property to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Board member Leanna Krotzer read an opening statement for the public hearing, stating that any land transfer, the district will retain the right to use the classroom space and use the exhibit center for school-related purposes. It would also be subject to the public's continued use of the trails and property. There was no...
