Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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The Wild Felid Advocacy Center for big cats on Harstine Island suffered a devastating loss of at least 20 animals due to avian influenza. "We are heartbroken to share that animal health officials have confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) among over half of our wild felids as of December 2024. This devastating viral infection, carried by wild birds, spreads primarily through respiratory secretions and bird-to-bird contact and can also be contracted by carnivorous...
The City of Shelton's wastewater treatment plant lost power during a major storm Dec. 18, which led to contaminants seeping into Hammersley Inlet and closing some shellfish growing areas. "The issue that occurred at the wastewater treatment plant (WTTP) was that an internal transfer switch did not engage our backup source (generator) when the power went out during the storm," Aaron Nix, the city's assistant public works director, wrote to the Journal on Monday. "The power was out at the main...
Last month's tsunami warning for the Northern California and Southern Oregon coasts, issued after a 7.0 earthquake struck west of Ferndale, California, saw panicked motorists lining the Pacific Coast Highway before the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration canceled the alarm. The devastating effects of a tsunami are easy to imagine on coastal communities, but what about Hood Canal? While Mason County doesn't have oceanfront land, our local fjord could face catastrophic flooding from a...
Kyle Lauderdale, the chief experience officer for Peninsula Credit Union, recently was honored as a "Patriotic Employer" by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. According to a news release, the award recognizes supervisors and employees who demonstrate exceptional support for employees serving in the National Guard or Reserve. The award was presented at PCU's headquarters branch, where Lauderdale was celebrated by his peers and members of the community. Lauderdale was nominated by...
I was 7 or 8 when I first heard a person use the word “decapitate.” I asked what it meant, and the person said it means to have one’s head cut off. I was disturbed, because I didn’t know that level of barbarity could exist in this world. Once I absorbed that news, I wondered why the word “cap” was in “decapitate.” Maybe it was a way to say you’d lose your ability to wear a cap? But why not “dehatitate?” It seemed that all caps were hats, but not all hats were caps ... At that moment, if someo...
Bad news Editor, the Journal, Such bad news that the City Council rejected a tiny tax increase to allow at least a small degree of meaningful action to address the homeless problem in Shelton. The Journal article didn’t offer analysis of possible areas of agreement between the seven who voted that might enable them to move forward toward another plan. The problem isn’t going away, so the council needs to stay engaged. A more important reporting oversight was — with the exception of Schirman and Sapp — no reason was given for the other two “no...
My son is a talented classical guitarist, and he recently began playing for us as we opened our Christmas Eve presents. Seeing everyone’s happiness and gratitude for their gifts filled my heart with joy. It was especially remarkable that my son could join us. He had been unwilling or unable to attend most of our family gatherings for too many years. His mother’s sudden death when he was 10 years old. Then, four years later, a life-changing frontal lobe traumatic brain injury that resulted in poor decision-making. Years later I was relieved to...
Aron Collins left Indiana for the West Coast in the spring of 1853. This story is from the first letter he wrote back home to his brother on Dec. 8, 1853. "I take my pen in hand to inform you that we are well and hope these few lines may find you all enjoying the same blessing. I arrived in San Francisco on the first of June. We had a very pleasant trip except crossing the isthmus of Panama was somewhat interesting. Particularly from Crusez to Panama on mules. There was near one thousand...
Auditions Sunday for Neil Simon play The Harstine Island Theatre Club hosts auditions for its spring production of “Rose and Walsh” by Neil Simon at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Harstine Island Community Hall, 3371 E. Harstine Island Road N. This is the last play written by Simon, whose many hits include “The Odd Couple,” “The Sunshine Boys,” “Barefoot in the Park,” “Lost in Yonkers” and “Biloxi Blues.” “Rose and Walsh” follows two great literary figures and the depth and consequences of their enduring love. Rose, a celebrated but near pennile...
Twanoh State Park subcontractor sues over lost equipment A subcontractor that worked on a culvert installation project at Twanoh State Park has sued the main contractor and Washington State Parks for failing to return equipment or pay the subcontractor for loss, according to a complaint filed in Mason County Superior Court Dec. 12. OMA Construction performed dewatering work for SEA Construction on the park project. “Upon completion of follow up work, it was agreed that the dewatering system would be returned to OMA,” the complaint states. SEA d...
Travis Couture, R-Allyn, is now the lead Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, according to a Dec. 17 news release. He will also serve as an assistant floor leader during the 2025 session. “I’m honored to be selected to help lead this important committee as we work to right the state budget and rein in the out-of-control spending we have seen from the majority party over the past decade. Washington has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. I look forward to working in a bipartisan way during the 2025 session and will fiercely a...
Writer/artist/dancer Kathryn Frey will read, and maybe sing, from her work in progress of lyrical poetry about "friendship, love, grief, death, moss and stones" at 4 p.m. Friday at the Shelton Timberland Library, 710 W. Alder St. The resident of Portland, Oregon, is working on the piece as an artist in residence at Hypatia-in-the-Woods in Shelton. In Portland, Frey guides one-on-one embodiment sessions, weekly yoga classes, monthly workshops and seasonal retreats. In a news release, Frey states...
The New Year heralds the arrival of several movies and TV shows I'm looking forward to seeing, a number of which I might be able to review in this space. On the big screen, Steven Soderbergh has apparently reinvented the haunted house subgenre with "Presence," set to release Jan. 24, which is filmed from the perspective of the ghosts. When "Captain America: Brave New World" hits theaters Feb. 14, it will not only continue the story arc of 2021's "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," but it will...
The Mary M. Knight girls' basketball team improved to 6-2 on the season headed into the holiday break, earning three wins between Dec. 17-20. On Dec. 17, the Owls faced league opponent Ocosta in Matlock. The Owls jumped out to a 23-2 lead after the first quarter, behind the leadership from last season's 1B Coastal League MVP Cloey Fletcher, who scored 11 points in the first quarter enroute to a 62-37 victory. Fletcher ended the game with 31 points, 11 rebounds and nine steals. Senior Hailey...
Robert Paul Kurz, Sr. passed away peacefully on November 29, 2024. He is survived by his wife Michele, three children; Douglas (Jill) Kurz, Dawn McGee, Christine (Steve) Donovan, and many extended family members. Robert was born in Chicago, IL, where he joined the U.S. Air Force. He retired from Strategic Air Command after 20 years. He and wife Caroline (deceased) retired in Yuba City, CA and he eventually moved to Shelton. He will always be remembered by those who knew him and in the hearts of...
With heavy hearts we announce the passing of our beloved son, John E. Miller, 41, from Taylorsville, North Carolina. John passed away peacefully at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on December 26, 2024. Born in Shelton, Washington on April 26, 1983, John was the son of Bert and Janie Miller. His mother Janie passed away days after his birth. John grew up in Shelton and graduated from Shelton High School in 2001. John enjoyed playing sports, excelling in footbal...
Barbara Jean McLean passed away peacefully December 24, 2024, with family by her side. Barbara was born December 11, 1930 in Wenatchee, WA, she was 94. She married Neal H. McLean in 1948. They spent the majority of the life in the Belfair area where she worked at the Mason County Sheriff's Office until retirement. Her hobbies included camping, sketching, sewing, cooking and reading. Barbara moved to Clarkston, WA in 2001 and lived with family before going into assisted living and managed care...
Richard Allen Turner, 82, a resident of Shelton, (U.S. Navy) passed away December 14, 2024, at home. Arrangements are by Forest Funeral Home and Crematory. Joshua Claude Hanford, a resident of Shelton, 30, a resident of Shelton, passed away December 15, 2024, at home. Arrangements are by Forest Funeral Home and Crematory. William “Bill” White Langdon, 68, a resident of Shelton, (U.S. Navy) passed away December 17, 2024, at home. Arrangements are by Forest Funeral Home and Crematory. Diane Tomblom Robbins, 65, a resident of Olympia, passed awa...
Commissioners have hired consultants to perform a feasibility study for the possible county purchase of Mason Lake Camp. The $99,523 contract for BerryDunn, approved at the Dec. 17 meeting, will assess the viability of purchasing and operating the property at 1052 East Mason Lake Drive West in Grapeview. BerryDunn, based in Portland, Maine, has a seven-phase analysis that should help the county decide, according to the proposal. One of the first things the consulting firm will do is a market...
Volunteers from the Grapeview Community Association spent several days cleaning Grapeview Loop Road right of way from Treasure Island Road to the Loop Road’s south intersection with state Route 3 — a distance of 6 miles. “We used to do this annually but somehow it fell off the radar. We intend to put it back on track. Our volunteers did a fantastic job on both sides of the road — that’s 12 miles of right of way,” Jim Hanson, GCA president said. GCA member Ed Johnson was assigned to head the project. “We had eight volunteers and they covered...
