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 Belfair sewer project has received bids for its proposed extension, and Mason County commissioners will decide Tuesday what action to take. The commissioners had a briefing July 6 to go over information with County Administrator Mark Neary, Public Works Director Loretta Swanson and Deputy Director of Utilities and Waste Richard Dickinson. According to the briefing information packet, commissioners voted April 5 to authorize the Public Works Department to advertise and set a bid opening for...
Fourth of July is usually a busy time for fire departments, but not this year, according to local fire districts. West Mason Fire Chief Matthew Welander said it was a quiet Fourth of July for his department. "Agencies and organizations got ahead of most of the issues and put rules in place and did a good job of advertising them," Welander wrote in an email to the Journal. "We had one incident involving a firework starting a very small fire. We had prepositioned crews in that area and the fire...
Growing up in a small village in central Mexico, Jose de Jesus Melendez picked corn, beans and sweet potatoes to help support his subsistence-farming family. He attended a one-room schoolhouse, at least when a teacher was available. When Melendez was in the fourth grade, his father told him, "You're an educated man now" and pulled him out of school to pick sugar cane fulltime. His formal schooling days in Mexico were over. A remarkable educational journey that began in his 20s has led Melendez...
Members of Irene S. Reed High School's Class of 1952 celebrated their 70th high school reunion with lunch at Railroad Tap Station in Shelton. The Class of 1952 featured 129 graduates - 71 men and 58 women. Twenty-six men and 30 women are alive, and 13 graduates, two spouses and one daughter attended the June reunion. Dorene Stevens Rae organizes the reunions for the Class of 1952, being voted in by her classmates. "I just like to keep people up front, so they know what's going on and they love...
I have an idea for a pledge of allegiance that’s exclusively for Washingtonians: “I pledge fidelity to the flag of the mostly united state of Washington, And to the heavily democratic republic for which it stands. One state directly south of Canada, With wheat, apples and clam cakes for all.” When matters go kerflooey elsewhere in the United States and it seems the downside is on the upswing, we might search for a cubbyhole in our brain where we can wall ourselves off a bit. We’re in for an...
A Kool-Aid drinker Editor, The Journal, I take strong exception to Kirk Ericson's opinion editorial dated July 7. Your judgment that many people have embraced "a former president's fantasies" and that this is somehow reducing or destroying our faith in our election systems is far off the mark. Election integrity must be uppermost in all our minds, election after election. We have never had a fraud-free election in 250 years and human beings are always looking for "an edge" for their candidates i...
There's biochar! I've written about biochar in these pages before. Techniques and understandings evolve, and there's always more to share a little way down the road. Years of pit burns and my neighbor Kathy's wood stove have supplied me with adequate charcoal to this point. As I expand my composting operations and refine compositions, I return to biochar as an important amendment - particularly in South Sound, where we are spoiled for biomass. Any organic material can be made into biochar,...
Mason County issues burn ban Mason County Fire Marshal Randy Collins has issued a burn ban for permitted land clearing activities until further notice. According to a news release, the ban is in concert with the state Department of Natural Resources burn ban. Recreational fires can continue as long as they meet the guidelines for outdoor burning in the county. Those guidelinesare at tinyurl.com/5c5bwrp6. For more information, contact the Fire Marshal’s Office at 360-427-9670, ext. 352. Hammer the Inlet race July 24 Hammer the Inlet short and l...
Eli Elliott of Shelton turns 6 this week, and until a week and half ago, his hair had never been cut beyond a trim. Two Saturdays ago, Eli's mother, Amanda Elliott, braided his elbow-long hair and cut it off at KSB Salon in Shelton, where she is a master stylist. Eli said he was inspired by a video on the nonprofit Wigs for Kids and wanted to give his locks "to kids who have cancer and don't have any hair anymore." He winked at his grandmother, Angela Bonds, during the haircut, and pronounced th...
Tickets on sale for annual Love INC golf tournament Tickets are on sale for the 11th annual Love INC Charity Golf Tournament, which will be hosted July 18 at the Alderbrook Golf and Yacht Club in Union. Teams of up to four golfers can register for $175. The event is the largest fundraiser for Shelton-based Love INC (In the Name of Christ), whose 25 partner churches provide people with clothing, blankets, backpacks for kids, diapers, medical equipment and financial help. To register for the golf tournament, call 360-462-5683 or go to...
July 29 is the deadline to apply for an open position on the Shelton School District Board of Directors. Marilyn Ward, who was elected to a four-year term last fall, is moving out of the district. Three years remain on her term. Applications are available at the district's website at sheltonschools.org. The completed applications must be returned to the Alison Nutt at the district office by 5 p.m. July 29. The board meets at 6 p.m. the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at Mountain View...
Quirky comedic New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi has more than earned my love over the years, but after watching "Thor: Love & Thunder," I'm starting to wonder whether someone should be exercising control over his sugar and caffeine intake. Waititi's 2017 "Thor: Ragnarok" elevated the Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Thor" franchise from its competent yet uninspired onscreen origins, in the Norse God of Thunder's previous two MCU films, by abandoning the mock-Shakespearean aspirations for which...
Mason County Disc Golf Club vice president Janice Jones won the women's Amateur Master 60+ Championship tournament at the 2022 Pro Disc Golf Association U.S. Championships on June 30 to July 3 in Madison, Wisconsin. Jones, 64, won with a score of +14, four shots better than second-place Janet Cranshaw. "I'm thrilled. In the last year, I think I've worked very hard, deliberately, to put myself in that position," Jones told the Journal. Jones said she moved back to the state about a year ago...
One of the greatest players to ever put on a uniform in Seattle will be retiring at the end of the WNBA season. Sue Bird, who has played for the Seattle Storm since being drafted first overall in 2002, is calling it a career after this season. If there was a Mount Rushmore of Seattle sports athletes, she would certainly be on it, along with Walter Jones, Ken Griffey Jr. and Gary Payton. She’s won four WNBA titles in Seattle in 2004, 2010, 2018 and 2020, and she’s a 13-time WNBA all-star. Bir...
The Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Chamber Expo & Bite of Mason County from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday in downtown Shelton. Admission is free. Nearly 100 vendors with local restaurants, services, retailers and community groups will be there. More than a dozen local food and beverage vendors will be showcased in the Bite of Mason County. Dale's Mobile Kitchen, Shelton Candy Shoppe, Snacksidents, Tasty Bites and Wilde Irish Pub will make their first appearance at the...
Final day for free meals at Shelton schools Today is the last day the Shelton School District is providing free meals to anyone ages 18 and younger. The meals must be eaten on-site during the scheduled times of operations. Locations and times: ■ Shelton High School, 3737 N. Shelton Springs Road, breakfast 7:15-7:35 a.m., lunch noon to 12:30 p.m. ■ Olympic Middle School, 800 E. K St., breakfast 8-8:30 a.m., lunch 11:50 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. ■ Evergreen Elementary School, 900 W. Franklin St., breakfast 8-8:30 a.m., lunch 11 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. ■ CHO...
Last year's Allyn Days was reduced to a single day due to COVID-19, but this year will see the full three-day weekend lineup run from Friday through Sunday. Allyn Community Association President Jason Ilarraza said he's thrilled all three Allyn Days will be presented this year, though he acknowledged the event is still recruiting volunteers to conduct some of the event activities. If you're willing to pitch in, call Ronnie Colburn at 360-275-5002. "Our sponsors have been absolutely fantastic,"...
I enjoyed reading this week’s diary. Mary and Sam had an eventful week at the Calgary Stampede and during their return home. Auto camps and log cabins have kind of become a thing of the past. Friday, July 9, 1948 We arose late and ate breakfast. Then cleaned up camp and out to the stampede grounds. We saw dozens of cows, pigs, etc. The finest in Canada. Saw art exhibit, fancy work and other things. To the show. We had good seats too, K16 and 17. The most interesting of all was a wild cow m...
The North Mason School Board heard from Director of Information Technology Clint Forsythe on June 16 about this year’s technology uses and upcoming plans for technology for the district. Forsythe said while the district has gained more computers, it’s created more challenges and complications, especially with the number of aging computers still in use. He said the district has achieved a 1:1 ratio of computers to students across its schools, even though several of them are more than three yea...
It is with tears of sorrow and heavy hearts that we have to make the announcement that Richard Ernest Calvin passed away April 25, 2022, in Shelton, WA at the age of 59. He was an amazing man, husband, son, brother, uncle, grandpa, godfather, friend, veteran, chef, artist, musician, entertainer, craftsman, pirate, and so much more. He is preceded in death by his father John Calvin, survived by his mother Susan Calvin, wife Angie Huston-Calvin, brother Kris Calvin (Ardi) and niece Arianna,...
Frances Marilyn Hammack, born in Omaha, NE, on November 24, 1935, died peacefully at home on June 29, 2022, at the age of 86. Frances is preceded in death by her parents Bill and Billie Evans and her sister Janet Rau. Frances is survived by husband of 65 years Jerry Ray Hammack , her children, Cindy Kohoutek (GB), Randy Hammack and Marci Gionet (Doug). Grandchildren: TJ Gionet (Molly), Callie Hespe (Seth), Kyle Gionet, Ryan Hammack and Karli Hammack . Great grandchildren: Tucker Gionet and...
Come to the Celebration of Life for Sis McNair (Hagan) on Sunday, July 17th at 12 noon, 2022, at the Eagles Lodge in Belfair, WA. Bring smiles and stories!...
Join us in Celebrating the Life of Leslie Orme 1957-2021 on July 18, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. at Harmony Hill Retreat Center in Union, WA Mask required for the service. Reception following. Parking is limited, please carpool....
