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The 79th Forest Festival saw sunny skies and lots of smiles after four days of activities in downtown Shelton. Forest Festival Board President Mick Sprouffske said the weekend was great. "I believe the crowds were real large and seemed to be happy with the event," Sprouffske said. "Unfortunately, I don't get down to the parade so just judging from what I've heard from others and the photos that come through Facebook and the photos that one of our sponsors, Cooper Studios, has supplied, I think...
A former Shelton High School freshman counselor was arrested Friday at his Shelton-area residence by Mason County Sheriff’s Office deputies after a two-month investigation. Samuel Martin Caffey, 29, faces charges of child rape, child molestation, sexual misconduct with a minor, delivery of a controlled substance and possession of child pornography. Caffey was booked into Mason County Jail on Friday afternoon and made his initial court appearance Monday in Mason County Superior Court, where Superior Court Judge Monty Cobb set bail at $...
An 18-year-old Shelton man was killed in a one-car rollover accident Sunday morning on U.S. Highway 101 just south of Shelton. According to a news release, Irving U. Bautista died at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He was driving north on U.S. 101 at a high speed when he attempted to pass another car using the left-turn lane at Ryan Road. The car swerved and struck the cable barriers in the median, which caused the vehicle to roll. The car stopped rolling and the northbound lanes and one...
Commissioners sign Pride Month proclamation Mason County commissioners signed a National LGBTQ+ Pride month proclamation at the Tuesday meeting. According to the proclamation, the county has a diverse LGBTQ+ community and is committed to supporting visibility, dignity, equality and freedom from discrimination for all people in the community. The commissioners observe June as a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, raise awareness of quality services, and foster a dialogue to promote healthy, safe and prosperous communities for all. “The M...
Count on this: We'll soon have people who claim they developed PTSD from fighting in this nation's culture wars. One experience I miss about having babies around: Not being able to say "zero" when people would ask how old my not-yet-1-year-old kids were. Something true in America: Dystopia sells. Overheard rant on the street: "Incans made adobe out of bananas ... at least I think that's true." Invention idea: Shoes with a built-in odometer. That way, you might be able to say, "I got 700 miles...
Verbose condensation Editor, the Journal, I enthusiastically applaud the Journal's new policy regarding letters to the editor. Though some regular contributors' freedom of grievance speech may be restricted by a paragraph or two, I'm serendipitously wishful it may broaden or even enlighten their understanding of the world. It's said brevity is the soul of wit. And wisdom. Craig Anderson, Shelton Who you are Editor, the Journal, A few words about you. You are without an agenda. You are confident...
In 1924, Olympic Highway came down into Shelton from Hillcrest. Drivers wanting to continue on the highway had to make a left turn onto Railroad Avenue, then turn right on Fifth Street and drive up to reconnect with the highway, which for a few blocks in town was known as Alder Street. At that time, Alder did not extend beyond Fifth Street to the east. The Peninsular Railroad roundhouse was on Railroad Avenue near Fifth, and a number of train tracks crossed Fifth Street. The streets were paved...
On a sunny day in May, Southside Elementary School physical education teacher Chris Meyer descended from 14,000 feet while reciting Dr. Seuss' words about the "grum grum" of a hippo chewing gum and the "pip" of a goldfish kiss. Meyer's book recital, while strapped to professional skydiver Luke Aikens of Skydive Kapowsin, was the culmination of Southside Elementary School's Read Across America Day event. During March, students brought home reading logs and submitted them weekly. Together, they...
Mason County Fire District 11, known as Island Lake Fire, officially consolidated and merged into Central Mason Fire & EMS on Thursday. According to a CMFE news release, the merger will help the district to better serve the community. Combining both departments allows CMFE to better manage future training, required training classes, one-on-one training needs and management of training records. Another benefit includes large supply purchases, including daily-use medical supplies, consolidated...
Central Mason Fire & EMS extinguished a residential fire May 31 on Meyer Lake Road in Shelton. According to a news release, the fire was reported at 1:23 a.m., and crews arrived to a fire on an outside deck that had extended into an exterior wall, filling the home with smoke. The main body of the fire was extinguished, and based on construction and location of the fire, crews spent a lot of time on scene performing overhaul, removing smoldering material and ensuring the fire didn’t extend f...
A 36-year-old Belfair man died in a two-car accident Friday evening on state Route 3 near Grapeview. According to a Washington State Patrol news release, Richard T. Falk, 36, of Belfair, died at Harborview Medical Center after being injured in his Jeep Wrangler in the accident. According to the release, the Jeep was northbound and crossed over the centerline, and striking a southbound Nissan Murano driven by a 37-year-old Shelton woman. The woman was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in...
Shelton writer Maddux speaking at library June 16 Shelton writer Carolyn Maddux will talk about writing fiction in a program at 5 p.m. June 16 at the Shelton Timberland Library. Any questions can be directed to Carolyn at 360-426-2268. Music, markets this summer at Hoodsport church St. Germain Church at 600 N. Lake Cushman Road (state Route 119) hosts Music on the Hill concerts this summer. Angel & the Outlaw with Kathy Jonas and Craig Gurney play folk music, with motorcycle poetry from 3 to 5 p.m. June 17. Hank and Claire sing sweet harmonies...
As the Hardware Distillery and Hood Canal Events team up to stage the fifth annual Fjordin Crossin festival on June 17, event co-founder Jan Morris wants to ensure returning and new attendees know the festival's features. Morris, co-founder of the Hardware Distillery with her husband, Chuck, said a free shuttle is set to run roughly every half hour from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. that Saturday to cater to those arriving early and to encourage them to explore the area later that afternoon. The shuttle...
Just as 2021’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” beat 2022’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” in introducing the concept of the multiverse to live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe fans, so did 2018’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (and 2021’s “What If…?” streaming series for the MCU) beat both films in introducing the multiverse to Spider-Man and Marvel fans alike in animation. (Warning: Multiple spoilers ahead.) Between all those big (and small) screen works, plus 2022’s “Every...
Louise Hays Cothary of Belfair, WA, passed away Sunday morning, April 30, 2023, in Bremerton. She was born November 6, 1929, to Roy Roderic Hays and Hilda Kathleen (Heryford) Hays. Louise was one of two children, her younger sister Vera Jean was born three years later. Her childhood was spent in Shasta County, California mostly at the family farm near Big Bend and the Pit River. Louise attended Indian Springs School, then later her family moved to Redding where she attended Shasta Union High Sch...
Cathern "Charlene" Leeds passed away on April 18, 2023, at the age of 89. Charlene was born to Paul and Lura (Timberman) Hurst in Shelton, Washington. She graduated from Shelton High School in 1951, and married Earl Chappell. They had two daughters, Shelley and Nancy. Together they enjoyed circle track stock car racing and Charlene brought home many trophies while racing in the 'powder puff' at Elma race track. Charlene was married to Josh Dunn who died unexpectedly from a heart attack at the...
Loren Thomas Mercer passed away peacefully on May 20, 2023, with his family by his side, after several months of cumulative health struggles. He was born June 13, 1938, in Tacoma, Washington, to Carroll and Ruby Mercer. He grew up and resided in Shelton, Washington, from 1938 to 1957 and Olympia, Washington, from 1959 to 2023. After graduating from Shelton High School in 1957, Loren went from reserves to active duty in the U.S. Navy, stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He married his high school...
Derek Smith is the new North Mason boys basketball coach. He was hired May 18. Smith, 28, has been the JV basketball coach and head football coach at Muckleshoot Tribal School in Auburn for the past three years and was the head baseball coach for one year. While he attended Whitworth University, he was an assistant coach at a middle school for two years. He was a varsity and JV intern football assistant at Mead High School in Spokane County. He coached at Lakeside High School just outside of Spo...
Iris W. Van Ackeren, born Christobel Iris Wells on January 27, 1926, died May 9, 2023 at 97 years of age. She was born and raised in Shelton, WA (enjoying summers on her family's nearby farm, and winters in town on Cota Street), and was proud to spend the last 22 years of her life back in her beloved home town. After graduating from Irene S. Reed High School in 1943, and working at the Shelton Library, Iris worked at the Shelton Post Office under emergency Civil Service until December 1944. She...
Kacee Elizabeth Fredson, died May 7, 2023, at the age of 38 in Wenatchee, Washington. She was born April 16, 1985 to Jeff Fredson and Janice Fredson, and lived in Shelton for all but the past seven years, where she lived in Cashmere, Washington. Kacee graduated from Shelton High School in 2003. She was briefly married to Michael London and they had a daughter, Hailey, in 2012. Hailey was the joy of Kacee’s life. They played, fished, cooked, built, traveled, and adventured together. When Kacee was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer in O...