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 Shelton City Council on Tuesday made a preliminary move to buy land on Olympic Highway North for a new sewer lift station. The council voted unanimously to purchase parcels by two landowners at Olympic Highway North and A Street for $405,000. The council can make the move official at its Jan. 17 meeting. The North Division Sewer Lift Station would redirect most of the wastewater flow in the northwest sections of the city and pump it to the membrane treatment plant near Sanderson Field. Accor...
While Mason County Fire District 12 is fighting legal battles to keep the fire chief and commissioners in place, it appears the community has had enough. The final meeting of 2022 on Dec. 27 was attended by about 25 community members, who asked questions and directed criticism at fire district officials. Some asked the district for records, including the district's 2023 budget, previous meeting minutes and the fire chiefs' contract. There were questions about the district's 2022 spending and...
The state Department of Transportation used a blog post to update North Mason on the state Route 3 Freight Corridor project, pushing back the expected construction year to 2026 instead of 2024 as it had been projected. According to the blog post, the Move Ahead Washington funding package included two more roundabouts for the project, which are at the intersection of state Route 3 and state Route 302 near North Mason High School. The connections of the roundabouts will allow new local roads to...
The Shelton City Council on Tuesday formally accepted a $2-million grant from the state Department of Commerce to help rehabilitate its Well No. 1. The city secured the $2-million grant in the 2021-23 State Capital Budget, using the state’s Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds through the federal American Rescue Plan Act, administered through the state Department of Commerce. The city informed the Department of Commerce that the grant will be used for two things: ■ To complete a readiness survey “further characterizing” the project and ident...
Mason County high school juniors and seniors who are interested in being a member of Mason County Forest Festival Royalty Court, and their parents and guardians, are invited to attend an informational meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Shelton YMCA. Positions are open for Queen of the Forest and Paul Bunyan — who both must be seniors — Timber the Axe Man, Princess of Hemlock and Princess of Douglas Fir. Scholarships of between $1,000 and $2,000 will be awarded. The coronation ceremony will be Feb. 11, following coronation practices from 6:3...
The Port of Hoodsport closed out 2022 by discussing the state of its dock going into 2023. When Katherine Yackel, operations manager of the YSS Dive Shop in Hoodsport, asked whether donations or fundraisers could be organized for the dock, Port Commissioner Cody Morris said the port is working with attorneys to establish an account for funding any dock work. After a recent dock inspection, Morris said the dock was in "much rougher shape" than he'd realized, so dock work will be emphasized, but...
Sixty-three years of age — my age — is a careless time to make proclamations about human behavior: One has enough wisdom to recognize patterns and enough foolishness to believe one can make assumptions about those patterns. Of all the assumptions someone of any age is prey to, the most hazardous — outside of race — are comments about how women and men differ. The forces that govern the relationships between, and among, the sexes are as complicated as a teenager’s emotions and as unknowabl...
Support teachers Editor, the Journal, Dear friends in the Shelton School District, As we approach voting time for the replacement levy for our local schools, I appreciate this opportunity to tell you about my school experiences over the last year. Most people know me as the owner of Smoking Mo’s restaurant in town, but some new faces now know me as Ms. Mo, the substitute teacher. A little over a year ago, I developed some health issues that required me to step away from full-time kitchen work. After hearing a number of friends discuss the extre...
From the Jan. 9, 1920, issue of the Journal: Old 1919 passed away last Wednesday night to the tune of sweet music. Three hundred couples danced at his funeral at the Peninsular Railway Club's 12th annual ball, and eagerly welcomed in the new born babe, 1920. The hall was decorated with a canopy of garlands hung from a large bell at the center. Gay masquerade hats worn by the dancers lent color to the scene. At midnight, the program was suspended while supper was served at the Hotel Shelton. Afte...
Mason County receives block grant Mason County applied for and received a Public Services Community Development Block Grant through the state Department of Commerce. According to the information packet, the county joined with the Community Action Council to provide referrals or direct client services for eligible participants who are residents of Lewis or Mason counties. The contract is for $102,000 with a performance period from July 2022 to June 2023. This is a formula grant that can be applied annually. The county has agreed to serve as the...
Friends of the Shelton Library seeks members The Friends of the Shelton Library — a group of community volunteers that encourages public use and support of the library — is seeking members to assist with fundraising efforts, community advocacy and assistance with its book sale kiosk outside the library. The support services and programs for all ages are not covered by the Timberland Library budget. Gently used books can be purchased at the library, and donations are welcome. Meetings are at 1 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month in the lib...
Turning Pointe Survivor Advocacy Center in Shelton will use a $20,000 grant to remodel its kitchen to better serve women and children at its domestic violence shelter. The nonprofit, helping survivors of domestic violence since 2000, states it is one of more than 1,100 domestic violence shelters that applied for grants from the Mary Kay Ash Foundation this year. The foundation, which states it has donated more than $92 million to organizations since 1996, raises and distributes money for cancer...
Olympic College offers courses Olympic College Shelton is offering courses in creative writing, flagger certification and forklift certification. The class Creative Writing — Making Scenes is from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays Jan. 25 through Feb. 23. The class explores how to develop scenes through selling, exposition, action, conversation, pacing and clarity. Sign up by calling 360-432-5400 or go to tinyurl.com/anm42zsj. The class on flagger certification is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 14. Become a certified flagger by learning safety for e...
The past two weeks in Mason County has seen several extreme weather events. On Dec. 23, the county had to deal with freezing rain and cold, making roads slick and taking out power for several Mason PUD customers. On Dec. 27, the county had a low pressure system that included high winds coinciding with a king tide, causing flooding and damage throughout Mason County. Mason County commissioners hosted an emergency meeting on Dec. 27 and approved a resolution for a countywide state of emergency and...
The Northwest’s most prolific bootlegger of the 1920s, the history of atomic power in Washington, and a look back at the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens are the topics of three Inquiring Minds programs hosted by the Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau and the Harstine Island Community Club. This is the 14th year the two entities have presented the programs, which are staged at 1:30 p.m. on the last Sunday in January, February and March at the Community Club, 3371 E. Harstine Island Road North. Donations will be accepted to support I...
I'm starting 2023 by recommending a streaming series I was remiss in not reviewing in 2022, even though it was easily one of the best TV shows of last year. "Severance" was the show that persuaded me to subscribe to Apple+, and not only is its first season still available on the streaming service, but it's been confirmed to receive a second season this year. "Severance" is like Patrick McGoohan's "The Prisoner" if it was remade for the post-COVID era. In an unnamed wintery state, the Eagan busin...
The stormy seas have settled and the Highclimbers are full sail ahead. Shaking off an 0-5 start to the season, the Shelton High School boys basketball team routed Centralia 68-40 Tuesday night at Terry Gregg Court in Shelton for its fourth consecutive victory. "We're still working on consistency," Shelton coach Sam Kreiger said. "In those first couple of weeks, when we were struggling, we were making a good play and then we made a bad play. And unfortunately a lot of the teams that we faced...
North Mason's Winter Classic wrestling tournament was pinned due to weather before Christmas, but Jake Mathews and Pedro Salvador did some pinning of their own Dec. 28 as each won their respective weight classes. The Bulldogs finished fourth as a team at the North Mason Hawkins Memorial Classic tournament Dec. 28 in Belfair. Salvador wrestled at 152 pounds and defeated North Kitsap opponents by pin, against Solomon Furne in the quarterfinals and Mason Holmes in the semifinals, before winning...
Free parks days announced Discover Pass free days for 2023 were announced by lands managed by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, state Parks and Recreation Commission and state Department of Natural Resources. The first date to mark on the calendar is Jan. 16, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Other free days include March 9 and 19, April 22, June 10, 11 and 19, Sept. 23, Oct. 10, Nov. 11 and 24. National Parks, including Olympic National Park and Mount Rainier National Park, are also free to the public on Jan. 16. For more informati...
Port of Allyn lobbyist Holli Cocci reviewed the port’s priorities and what she will be requesting from the Legislature during its “long” 105-day session that begins Jan. 9. She spoke to the commission Dec. 19. Cocci noted the port’s pier is a primary priority, so she ceded the floor to Port of Allyn Executive Director Lary Coppola, who said the pier’s pilings are deteriorating. Coppola said the piling beneath the alcove on the pier has rotted out, compelling the port to close that section o...
The Port of Grapeview completed a hectic agenda of new business Dec. 20 as port commissioners agreed to a memorandum of understanding with Mason County for rural county 0.09 sales tax funding in 2023. Port Commissioner Jean Farmer said the money has been available for applications “for a while,” but the Belfair sewer had precluded that money from being available to the port. Under the memo, the port will receive a $20,000 grant it can use to pay for maintenance of its facilities. The port must s...
Mary and Sam attend a New Year's Eve party while on their hunting trip. Sam has been extremely successful hunting for ducks and geese. They eventually head south to Arizona and Mexico. Friday, Dec. 31, 1948 Sam got up at 6:45 a.m. and left to go hunting with Henry. So I went back to sleep, then they came back to get Sam's boots and I woke up. Again, I went to sleep and did not get up until 9:30 a.m. To the hotel and Laurice was just fixing her hair in pin curls after a shower. We ate breakfast...
