Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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In the past week, Fire District 12 has lost insurance coverage, been declared a disaster area and saw all three of its commissioners resign. Mason County Administrator Mark Neary said the May 17 disaster declaration was "unprecedented" for a fire district. "I've done a lot of research and I've been unable to find this happening anywhere else," Neary told commissioners. "We are in uncharted territory," he said. Residents of the district, which covers western Mason County, including Matlock and...
Like other cities, Shelton is required every 10 years through the Growth Management Act to create a comprehensive plan that develops a vision for the community. Jae Hill, the city's community and economic development director, talked about the city's evolving comprehensive plan May 16 at a Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Mason County Public Works headquarters. The completed plan is due Dec. 31, 2025. The consulting group working with the city on the plan, SCJ Alliance,...
Lyndsey Sapp, a mother of five studying for a real estate license, on Tuesday evening was sworn in as the new member of the Shelton City Council. The council chose Sapp from four candidates following interviews at a work session May 14 at the Shelton Civic Center. The other candidates were Tiffany Anderson, Kathy McDowell and Dave Pierik. Schmit’s resignation was announced at the April 2 council meeting, giving the city 90 days to find a replacement. The term expires at the end of 2025, so the seat will be up for grabs in the November 2025 elec...
Learn about active threat training Tuesday The Shelton Police Department, the Mason County Sheriff’s Office and the Economic Development Council of Mason County host a free active threat training from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Shelton Civic Center. Information: Tiana Dunbar, 360-426-2276. Annual Dessert and Silent Auction at Shelton church Mason County Care Net Pregnancy Resource Clinic hosts its annual Dessert and Silent Auction at 6 p.m. May 31 at St. Edward Catholic Church, 601 C St., downtown Shelton. Information: 360-427-9171. Support g...
Kathryn Hamilton Wang remembers the dinner parties in their Shelton home on Grant Avenue. The plates were of fine china, bracketed by sterling silver, and their guests’ lips cusped the elegant rims of Waterford Crystal. “Appetizers and drinks were served ahead of time,” Kathryn, now an Olympia resident, wrote me in an email. “We girls [Kathryn is the oldest of four sisters] helped pass the hors d’oeuvres which might include stuffed mushrooms or ham and egg balls. We’d fill trays with these...
Editor’s note: The following letter to the editor was submitted by Shelton High School student teacher Shalisa Smith on behalf of Lily Bennett, a student and athlete for the Highclimbers. A letter to female athletes Editor, the Journal, Dear athletes, Nobody warns you about how different things are once you are in high school sports. It is often overlooked how much things change from the time we are preteens to the time we are teens. We used to be on an even playing field with all the boys, now biology limits how much we can grow. The most i...
Mason County's annual Forest Festival is a celebration of the abundant forests that surround us. This year, as our community gathers for the 80th annual fete, the future of our working forests gives even more cause for celebration. Washington Gov. Clarence Martin issued a proclamation in 1940 creating the Keep Washington Green Association to promote prevention of human-caused wildfires in Washington. Four years later, Forest Festival was born under the banner of Keep Washington Green. Mason...
The May 29, 1958, Journal was printed on green paper and featured enthusiastic reports on Forest Festival activities that had taken place the previous weekend. The first story, titled "Forest Festival Draws Huge Crowd from Pacific Northwest," claimed that 25,000 to 40,000 visitors had flocked to Shelton for the festivities. An official traffic count showed more than 55,000 vehicles coming into and leaving Shelton between Friday and Sunday evenings. The Queen's Coronation and Pageant had been...
Goldsborough Creek Fun Run & Walk on June 1 The annual Goldsborough Creek Fun Run and Walk, a Mason County Forest Festival Event, takes place June 1. Day of race registration begins at 6 a.m. at South 2nd Street and West Railroad Avenue. All registered participants must pick up their competitor number 30 minutes before their scheduled event at the registration desk. Bus transport from downtown to the start line at Shelton Valley is provided. Scheduled events include: the 7-mile walk beginning at 7 a.m. The 7-mile run, 2-mile run and walk begin...
Mason County Auditor Steve Duenkel talked about seeking security at the county's 13 ballot drop boxes, encouraged people to observe the election process, and said he believes his position should remain a partisan office Tuesday at a meeting of the League of Women Voters of Mason County in the Olympic College Shelton library meeting room. The League submitted eight questions in advance to Duenkel, who was elected in 2022. He presented his answers in a Powerpoint presentation and then elaborated...
The Shelton-based choir Women of Note, joined by classical pianist Dilyara Oliver, perform classic and modern choral music at two "Origins" concerts this week. The concerts are staged at 7 p.m. Friday at the Bridge Community Church, 500 E. N. Island Drive on Harstine Island, and 3 p.m. Sunday at St. David of Wales Episcopal Church, 324 W. Cedar St. in downtown Shelton. Admission is free and donations are accepted. In a news release, the nonprofit states the audiences will hear different vocal...
I don't know what I was expecting from an extremely loose sci-fi adaptation of Henry James' 1903 novella "The Beast in the Jungle," but I don't think anyone could have expected Bertrand Bonello's "The Beast." When he was 12, Bonello became interested in film after watching horror movies from directors, including David Cronenberg, George A. Romero, Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. Bonello's taste has always been top-notch. But with "The Beast," Bonello quietly goes for broke in recreating a...
Jayden Lovingfoss and Wyatt Wagner were paired up to play as a doubles team in ninth grade, and now they are getting ready to play in their final tennis tournament of their Shelton Highclimber careers. The duo will compete at the 2A boys state tennis tournament Friday and Saturday at the Nordstrom Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle. Both players are feeling good, but they have had a lot of time off since they last played tennis together. The duo finished 14-0...
A group of Stretch Island property owners is hoping Mason County Public Works makes replacement of the Stretch Island bridge a priority. The bridge has been declared "structurally deficient" according to the department's 2024 Annual Bridge Report. The bridge is the only way on and off the island and now has a posted load limit. "The Stretch Island Property Owners (SIPO) is in receipt of Mason County's Public Works Department's 2024 Annual Bridge Report. Accordingly, we have formed the SIPO, an...
Monday, May 15, 1950 Today started with Tom K. waking Sam up to go to Port Gamble. Then Joe Buldoc called. Seems the state lost a paper which shows his first 10 years of work, so he came and signed that. Then Sam ate and he and Tom went off in a cloud of dust. So, I cleaned house good, and Skenes came just as I was half done. They stayed just half an hour. So, I ironed and now everything is done. Very cloudy this a.m. but warm now at 2:30. Put away all my gifts and it was quite a task. Then I fo...
Donna Jean (Jarvis) Sund passed away peacefully and surrounded by her family in Shelton on May 13, 2024. She was 93. Donna was born on July 29, 1930 in Hover, Washington. She spent her childhood moving around until high school when she moved to Seattle, graduating from Lincoln High in 1948. She later married her high school sweetheart, Robert "Bob" Sund. The two celebrated their 73rd anniversary in January. Bob's teaching and coaching career took Bob, Donna and their four children all around... Full story
Bruce Byron Bamford was born to Rob and Bobbie Bamford on November 23, 1954, in Port Angeles, Washington. Bruce passed away in Olympia, Washington, on January 9, 2024, after a two-year courageous fight with cancer. Bruce graduated from Shelton High School in 1973 and worked for Safeway for many years in Shelton, Ellensburg, and Olympia. He then went to work at MetLife and went on to become certified in long-term care insurance and decided to start his own business, Bamford Financial Services in... Full story
Virginia was the first of four daughters born to Harold and Marjorie Gravatt on October 5, 1940 and she died on May 12, 2024 at home in Shelton. She spent her childhood at Lake Quinault. She married Gary (Pete) Peterson with whom she had four children. She and Pete divorced; later she married Dick Blauvelt and they had one son. Ginny and Dick spent 20 years living in Alaska, primarily on the Kenai Peninsula and Thorne Bay, Prince of Wales Island, where Ginny continued her lifelong working in mills and with wood products, sometimes specializing... Full story
Victoria Ann "Vicki" Cluver passed away peacefully on May 7th, 2024 at Swedish Hill Hospital in Seattle. Her daughter Angela was by her side. Vicki was born on the 27th of June, 1951 in Seattle, Washington. She was the 2nd child of a family of six children. Later moving to Vancouver, Washington where she attended Fort Vancouver High School in 1969. She followed high school with attending business school for accounting. She was a member of the Shelton First Baptist Church on Cota Street for two... Full story
A Celebration of Life for Patrick "Pat" Carney will be held on Saturday, June 8th, 2024 from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. at his home in Union.... Full story
Duane Ryan Gaddis, 46, Shelton, a resident of Shelton, passed away May 11, 2024, at home. Arrangements are by Forest Funeral Home and Crematory Ronald Franklin Palmer, 64, a resident of Shelton, passed away May 11, 2024, at home. Arrangements are by Forest Funeral Home and Crematory Edward Baddeley, 52, a resident of Shelton, passed away May 12, 2024, at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, WA. Arrangements are by McComb & Wagner Family Funeral Home and Crematory. Virginia Blauvelt, 83, a resident of Shelton, passed away May 12, 2024, at home.... Full story
