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 North Mason School District has chosen three finalists for superintendent following an extensive search that began in August, the board of directors announced in a news release Jan. 23. The candidates are Benjamin Gauyan, assistant superintendent of Stanwood-Camano School District in Stanwood, Jeff Hardesty, superintendent of Oroville School District in Oroville, and Kristine Michael, superintendent of Northridge Local School District in Northridge, Ohio. All the candidates have Doctor of Education degrees. Gauyan has more than 30 years of...
"Fourteen minutes!" The cry arose above the din of sparks flying, flames firing and metal clanging on the concrete floor of Sierra Pacific Industries' cold, immense fab shop Saturday morning on Shelton's waterfront. The call meant the five sets of teens from Shelton, Rochester and Elma high schools had 14 minutes left to assemble an oxyfuel cutting table at the SkillsUSA Olympic Region Welding Fab Contest. Three hours and 46 minutes earlier, the teams had received the design plan and 43...
The City of Shelton’s Public Works department hosts a public meeting on downtown sidewalk repairs and street tree replacement from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Shelton Civic Center, 525 W. Cota St. Most downtown Shelton trees are Cleveland Select pears, also known as Chanticleer pears. They were planted downtown in 1995. According to a news release from the city, the biggest threat to these older trees is severe limb shearing from heavy winter ice or snowstorms. Sidewalks uplifting, creating hazards for pedestrians, has been a common c...
Several pets died when a fire Monday morning erupted at a house in downtown Shelton and then spread to the house next door. At 10:21 a.m. Monday, crews from Central Mason Fire & EMS were dispatched to a smoke investigation at the intersection of Park Street and South Seventh Street. Engine 58 arrived a few minutes later, reported a fire in a house and upgraded the call to a first-alarm structure fire. In a news release, Central Mason Fire & EMS said it was initially reported that the house was...
English naval Capt. George Vancouver paid these parts a visit for a couple of months in the spring of 1792, and he had a lot to do - chart the depth of waters, survey, chronicle flora and fauna, maybe some rum, sodomy and the lash, and most permanently, slap names on geographical features. "While in Puget Sound, Vancouver named 75 prominent features, from bays to mountains," according to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. "Many of these remain to this day, including Admiralty Inlet,...
A tale of two levies Editor, the Journal, Many people ask why we need school levies when the state is supposed to fund K-12 education. The state’s basic education funds can be compared to a mortgage and associated utility and living costs. Basic education keeps a roof over the school, provides lights and heat, while funding daily student needs like staffing, books, food and transportation. Proposition 1 for ongoing levy funds is like improving your yard or adding a few bright coats of paint to your home. They will increase the enjoyment and v...
This story is adapted from a memoir written by Pauline Barrom, niece of Bertha Cameron. Shelton was a bustling logging community when George and Bertha Cameron arrived in 1924 to open a boarding house. Seeing possibilities in the old Methodist Church building, recently damaged by fire and sitting empty at the corner of Second and Cota, the Camerons bought it. After acquiring a quarter of a block at Second and Grove, they moved the church building to the new location, refurbished it, and on...
Coroner releases 2024 death statistics Mason County Coroner Jaime Taylor has released the death review for 2024. Mason County had 237 deaths reported to the coroner's office, up from 228 in 2013. There were 70 accidental deaths, according to the report, an increase of five compared to 2024. Those accidental deaths include 14 traffic fatalities, two drownings, eight falls, two carbon monoxide poisonings, one hypothermia, two asphyxia, one acute alcohol poisoning and 40 drug overdoses including 25...
8th District Reps. Travis Couture and Dan Griffey, both Republicans from Allyn, and state Sen. Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton, have sponsored bills this session in the Democratic-led legislature. MacEwen sees hope for bipartisanship passage of some of those measures. “The 2025 session began with what served as a farewell speech from outgoing Governor Jay Inslee, which portrayed Olympia as a shining example for the nation to follow – and conveniently ignored the host of challenges facing Washingtonians,” MacEwen said in a news release. “To the sur...
Now in its 15th year, the Shelton-based nonprofit Love INC (In the Name of Christ) of Mason County last Thanksgiving distributed 271 baskets of food to local families in need and then helped 85 families with food and gifts for Christmas. One of the group’s biggest annual fundraisers, the Soup & Salad Benefit Concert and Dessert Auction, is at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Shelton Presbyterian Church, 1430 E. Shelton Springs Road, Shelton. Attendees can enjoy seven homemade soups, salads, rolls and desserts, and in a live auction, bid on 25 homemade d...
Meet your Union neighbors The Hood Canal Improvement Club hosts a “speed friending” event to meet neighbors from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4 at the Union Fire Hall, 50 E. Seattle St., Union. The group states speed friending “is a fun, fast-paced way to connect with neighbors, whether you’ve never met them before or have known them for years. It’s also a great opportunity to discover something new about people in your community!” Theater group stages Valentine’s mystery shows Connection Street Theatre stages “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940...
Six pigs abandoned in the Hamma Hamma area in Olympic National Forest have been taken in by an animal rescue group in Roy. Heartwood Haven reported staff and volunteers captured the pigs, left along a U.S. Forest Service road, on Sunday. The pigs were "dumped in the woods in a remote location," the organization said in a news release. "This family has been in the wild for some time. They are very skittish, thin, and unsure of people," the release states. "They are slowly settling in and happy...
School bus drivers needed The Mason County Transportation Cooperative has a shortage of school bus drivers. In a news release, the Shelton School District states, “We understand the hardship this puts on families to provide transportation to and from school when bus routes cannot be filled. We are working hard to keep all routes running, however there are still times when routes are not running. Information about cancellations are sent through the MCTC Facebook page and robocalls. If you have not gotten a robocall when your route is out, please...
Dora Lanier's mother and grandmother both wrote columns for the community newspaper in Tomah, Wisconsin. Lanier began crafting her writing and editing skills proofreading her mother's column, while also developing her theatrical skills performing in plays. Now living in Seattle, Lanier shares those talents at her "Intro to Improvisation" workshop at 4:15 p.m. Feb. 10 at the Shelton Timberland Library, 710 W. Alder St. Anyone 12 and older is welcome. Admission is free. In an email response to...
It perhaps says something about what kind of year we're in for when the first month of 2025's movie releases have skipped straight to the sort of horror movie premises typically reserved for October. In some ways, the two films are a study in contrasts. Steven Soderbergh has never directed a haunted house film, not even an inverted haunting such as screenwriter David Koepp helps him deliver with "Presence," while Leigh Whannell has become experienced at both writing and directing supernatural su...
North Mason boys basketball The North Mason boys basketball team dropped two games last week, falling 63-48 to Sequim on the road Jan. 21, and 95-47 at home to Bremerton on Friday. North Mason faced Kingston on Tuesday and hosts North Kitsap on Friday. The Bulldogs are 7-9 overall and 4-6 in Olympic League action. North Mason girls basketball The North Mason High School girls basketball team went 2-0 last week with a pair of double-digit home wins. On Jan. 21, the Bulldogs beat Sequim 38-28 and...
The Shelton High School girls wrestling team beat Aberdeen 42-30 on Jan. 22 at the Shelton Mini-Dome, wrapping up the home portion of their schedule....
The North Mason High School girls basketball team steamrolled to a 58-29 win over rival Bremerton on Friday night at Bulldog Gym in Belfair. The win earned the Bulldogs a season sweep of the Knights and moved North Mason to 10-5 overall this year....
Charles Alan Soverns passed away unexpectedly on January 2, 2025. Born May 21, 1945, in Nevada, Missouri, to Esta Lee and Charles F. Soverns. His father was killed in action one month before he was born. His mother remarried Robert Busby, and Bob became Dad to Charles. Charles spent his childhood moving frequently around the country and learning the meaning of hard work. He met his true love, Kathy, while attending high school. Charles joined the U.S. Air Force at the age of 17, and married... Full story
Marvin Lee Roush was a caring father, grandfather, brother and friend. He passed away on December 28, 2024 at age 73, after battling cancer. He enjoyed spending time with family and friends as well as hunting, fishing, mushroom picking, berry picking, gathering shellfish and golfing. Marvin was a millwright for ITT Rainer for many years and recently retired from driving truck for VCT. Marvin is survived by his brother Carl Roush and his children Dina Huston, Desirae Roush, Denise Roush, Dawn... Full story
Betty L. McLain, 94, resident of Shelton, passed away January 7th, 2025, at Mason General Hospital in Shelton. Arrangements are by Neptune Society. Kimberly Leann Davis, 58, a resident of Shelton, passed away January 17, 2025, at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, WA. Arrangements are by Funeral Alternatives, Tumwater, WA. Michael Paul Sjovold, 73, a resident of Shelton (U.S. Army Veteran), passed away January 17, 2025, at home. Arrangements are by Forest Funeral Home and Crematory. Elsie Pauline Ahern, 85, a resident of Shelton, passed... Full story
The Port of Allyn is owed thousands of dollars in unpaid water bills. Commissioners held a special meeting Monday to decide whether to attempt collection or write off the debts. "As of January 1st, 2023, accounting responsibilities were taken over by the Port current accountant, Erin Civilla. The previous accountant had difficulties accurately getting billing out consistently and removing and/or adding new users upon changes in service address occupants. This left outstanding balances with...
A projected budget shortfall spurred talk of a levy lid lift by the Port of Grapeview commissioners at a Jan. 21 meeting and workshop. "Timing is the most important thing here," Commissioner Jean Farmer said in discussing if and when to place a levy on the ballot. Commissioners said the port has limited revenue. Total 2025 revenue is budgeted at approximately $45,700, Commissioner Mike Blaisdell said at the workshop, including $29,476 from the current levy, approximately $13,000 from the boat...
North Mason library hosts “Dog Man” party The North Mason Timberland Library will be celebrating the upcoming animated movie “Dog Man” with a party from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday. The library is hosting a pet supply drive leading up to the party now through Saturday, and supplies can be dropped off during regular hours Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The pet supply drive benefits the Humane Society of Mason County and Adopt-a Pet of Shelton. Each organization has a list of preferred items on their websites at https://www.hsmcwa.or...
