Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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A 52-year-old woman from Oroville is dead after a two-car collision on U.S. Highway 101 near the Cloquallum Road overpass in Shelton. According to a news release from the Washington State Patrol, Brandy E. Johnson died at Mason General Hospital from injuries sustained in the crash. According to the release, while driving a 2002 Kia Spectra, Johnson was traveling south in the northbound lane near milepost 347 when she struck a 2003 Subaru Forester driven by Ismael C. Castano, 22, of Tepoztlan, Mexico, head-on just after 10 p.m. Friday. The...
Jerry Emery Hayden, 89, of Shelton, Washington, passed away peacefully at Mason General Hospital on January 26, 2024. He was born in Aberdeen, Washington, on March 17, 1934, to Emery Frank Hayden and Lila Hayden. Jerry married Margie Edith "Edie" Hayden on September 18, 1971, in Winston, Oregon. Jerry is survived by his wife of 54 years, Edie; and several children by marriage and by a previous marriage, including Kay Mead of Roseburg, Oregon, Leroy (Deana) Mead of Roseburg, Peggy (Jeff) Johnson... Full story
Greg Segai passed away February 18, 2024, in Shelton, Washington, as a result of complications from COVID. He was born October 14, 1950, to Ted and Peg Segai in Aberdeen, Washington. A 49-year resident of Shelton, he also resided in Seattle and Hoquiam, Washington. Greg graduated from Hoquiam High School in 1968, attended Grays Harbor College, and earned a degree from Seattle University in 1973. He took Master’s classes from the University of Washington and University of Puget Sound. Professionally, he was a teacher and coach at Hood Canal S... Full story
Wesley William Straight, 76, a resident of Lilliwaup, (U.S. Navy) passed away February 19, 2024, at home. Arrangements are by Forest Funeral Home and Crematory. M. Allen Silva, 79, a resident of Shelton, passed away February 19, 2024, at home. Arrangements are by McComb & Wagner Family Funeral Home and Crematory. Janet Harper, 83, a resident of Shelton, passed away February 19, 2024, at home. Arrangements are by McComb & Wagner Family Funeral Home and Crematory. Wilma Bretthauer, 90, a resident of Belfair, passed away February 23, 2024, at the... Full story
The Shelton School District is investigating the injuries of five Shelton High School students sustained Jan. 31 during a weight training class, when two football coaches substituting for the regular teacher ordered the students to perform football tackling drills without pads or helmets. Four students reportedly suffered concussions, and one a dislocated finger when they were slammed to the mat and against padded walls in the wrestling room. On Tuesday evening, four of the students told the Shelton School Board that the football coaches told...
A 40-acre subdivision south of Island Lake known as Meadows Edge is closer to becoming a reality. The Shelton City Council on Feb. 20 gave preliminary approval to the final plat for the subdivision, which will host 36 residential lots. The council can vote for final approval at its regular meeting Tuesday evening. MTT Development of Seattle is the owner of the development, a square, wooded property that borders a corner of the city’s Huff’n’Puff Trail and is north of the Shelton Springs Subdivision and south of Frog Acres. The land was in th...
State Sen. Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton, had a telephone town hall Feb. 22 for 35th District constituents. MacEwen was eager to have a live community conversation and said the town hall calls were “an effective way” to communicate. He told callers the short legislative session, which ends March 7, “is down to the wire,” but should end on time. MacEwen was eager to talk about the six public initiatives that garnered enough signatures to be certified by the Secretary of State. The six initiatives are: ■ I-2109 Repeals the state’s capital gains tax. ...
Reps. Travis Couture and Dan Griffey, both Republicans from Allyn, had a telephone town hall Feb. 20 for 35th District residents to discuss the legislative session. The state Legislature’s short session ends March 7. “It’s a mixed bag for me this year,” Griffey said. He was disappointed that criminals’ rights continue to be prioritized over victims’ rights, but happy to see a bill he introduced allowing 10 Washington counties a six-month extension on the state-required comprehensive plan deadline passed by the House. Couture said a lot was goi...
After a two-year absence, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC, will be providing services to the community through a three-way partnership with Mason County Public Health, Mason General Hospital and the Shelton Family YMCA, Mason County Public Health Director Dave Windom said. A ribbon-cutting was Feb. 23 at the Shelton Family YMCA, where the clinic will operate. The WIC program provides supplemental food, health care referrals and nutrition...
Two months ago, a plastic freezer bag appeared on our front porch. Inside was a 100% Merino wool, long-sleeve black undershirt, with the tags still attached. All that was written on the freezer bag was "KIRK" (with the last "K" turned backward), with no hint who it was from. It had to be from someone who knows me well, well enough to know I have an affection for Merino wool, long-sleeve shirts, possessions that come free, the color black, and that I wear a size large. And perhaps the person was...
How many more need to die on 101? Editor, the Journal, How many more of our citizens are going to die in head-on crashes on the U.S. Highway 101 bypass around Shelton? For years and years, I begged the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Legislature to simply install jersey barriers on the centerline. Impaired drivers easily cross the centerline with tragic results. The bypass has adequate width for centerline barriers, even crossing Goldsborough Creek. I have lost track of how many of our community have died because of...
This story is from several editions of the Shelton-Mason County Journal published in 1923. In March 1923, the state of Washington appropriated more than half a million dollars to improve highways within Mason County, making way for the most extensive road operations in the history of the county. The biggest project was in Shelton and included an entirely new route for the Olympic Highway from Mill Creek into downtown. The county had built the existing route - which we now know as Pioneer Way -...
Museum director gives update to council From October through December, 1,352 people visited the Mason County Historical Museum in downtown Shelton, 1,187 of them local residents. That’s the word from Executive Director Liz Arbaugh, who gave a report on the museum’s fourth quarter of 2023 on Feb. 20 at the Shelton City Council meeting. Many visitors came to see the exhibit of 24 photos by Shelton native Dennis Meurer of the town and residents in the 1960s, she said. The photos were selected from thousands of Meurer’s photo negatives, and the m...
Higher gasoline prices prompted Mason County Garbage to seek approval from the City of Shelton to raise monthly collection bills. The Shelton City Council in a 6-1 vote gave preliminary approval to the increase at its Feb. 20 meeting. If given final approval Tuesday, residential customers will see a 20-cent increase on their monthly bills, and commercial customers an extra $1.63 through the end of the year. Council member George Blush cast the dissenting vote. He pointed out that the proposed in...
Veterans, others invited to join choir The Great Bend Chorale is collaborating with the nonprofit Quixote Communities and the residents of its Shelton and Orting Veterans Villages, and other local veterans, on a program that uses the healing power of music. The choir is open to veterans and nonveteran residents and will alternate music from Eric Whitacre, Eriks Esenvalds, Eric William Barnum, Frank Tichelli and Sean Kirchner with spoken anecdotes and stories from participating veterans about their healing. Rehearsals began Feb. 27 at Faith...
Commissioners lower gambling tax Commissioners approved 2-1 lowering the county gambling tax rate from 5% to 3% at the Feb. 26 meeting, with Commissioners Sharon Trask and Randy Neatherlin voting “yes” and Commissioner Kevin Shutty voting “no.” The change will mean about $35,000 less annually for the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, according to Mason County Treasurer Lisa Frazier. The sheriff’s office gets the revenue collected from the tax, Frazier said. Mason County’s gambling tax rate will now match Kitsap’s at 3%. Three businesses in B...
Science grant pays for Pioneer's 3-D printer Pioneer Middle School is one of 41 schools nationwide to receive a STEM research grant from the Society for Science. The school used the $2,000 grant to buy a 3-D printer. "Congratulations to the 41 recipients of this year's STEM Research Grants," Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of Society for Science and executive publisher of Science News, said in a news release. "These grants serve as a catalyst in classrooms across the country, igniting student...
Alicia Healey and Wes Wedell are Seattle singer/songwriters who draw inspiration from their rural roots and have collaborated musically for more than two decades. The two perform in concert at 3 p.m. Saturday at St. Germain's Episcopal Church, 600 N. Lake Cushman Road, Hoodsport. Admission is a suggested donation of $15, but no one will be turned away. Each will perform a set of original songs. "I will be backing him up, and he'll be backing me up," Healey said in a joint telephone interview...
Minor spoiler to start: "Drive-Away Dolls," contrary to its mildly misleading trailer, is not set in the 21st century. This matters because this period piece from 1999 is probably a golden mean between an absence of cellphones, whose presence would preclude most of this film's plot points, and a relative level of LGBTQ acceptance in society, which allows our lesbian protagonists to be careless over the course of their misadventures. It also matters because "Drive-Away Dolls" represents a...
For Centralia College women's basketball coach Tiffany Twiddy, it was a chance to come full circle. "For people that know me, Skok is my tribe and my people," Twiddy wrote in a text message. "It means something to me to be able to come back home and put on an event that's positive for young hoopers." Twiddy wrote that as a college coach, she strives to see her players grow as leaders and that it's exciting to see them give back and work with Skok youth athletes. "I think all of us, coaches and p...
District students are making progress towards year-end academic goals, but most have a long way to go, according to midyear presentations given at the North Mason School Board Feb. 26. The district’s academic goals for 2023-2024 are to have 100% of third-graders reading on grade level, 100% of seventh-graders meeting state standard on ELA (English Language Arts) and math SBA (Smarter Balanced Assessment), 100% of ninth-graders on track (0% failures in core classes), 100% graduation rate (85% on time) and 100% of graduates complete CTE (...
Port of Grapeview commissioners announced webmaster Bob Pastore’s resignation at the regular meeting. “We greatly appreciate his time and effort,” Commissioner Mike Blaisdell said. Blaisdell and Managing Official Amanda Montgomery will take over the website duties. Commissioners also discussed forest fire protection assessments on seven parcels donated by Pastore to the port. The Department of Natural Resources “uncombined” the parcels after the donation and billed each separately, Blaisdell said. Commissioners voted to apply for a refund an...
This week 78 years ago, was very rainy. Kind of like it is now. Attended meetings and a little shopping in Seattle going on. Had to remove Queenie from the washroom. She was barking, wanting to get out. Other than that, not much was going on. Sunday, Feb. 19, 1950 Arose late and got breakfast. Sam went up to the gun club as Bill Cady had sent work down by Emmett to be sure to come up to the shoot. I raked about 45 minutes on the lawn and then drove to Bremerton. The White Shrine had a practice...
