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The classic image of school bullying has Big Billy beating up Little Bobby for his lunch money has mostly been replaced by online bullying on social media, including Mason County students. The National Center for Education Studies reports that in 2019, about 22% of students ages 12 to 18 reported being bullied during the school year. That’s a 10% drop from 2009. Of the students who reported bullying in 2019, about 15% reported being the subject of rumors; 14% reported being made fun of, called names or insulted; 6% reported being excluded f...
Bob Molesworth, Jr. passed away on July 7, 2023, with his family by his side Carson City, Nevada. Bob was born on May 14th, 1939 in Oakland, California, but raised in Sonoma. After graduating Sonoma Valley High school, he enrolled at Santa Rosa Jr. College and then enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1960, spending three years in Germany. After his time in the Army, he worked a variety of jobs including the U.S. Postal Service; the Design Division at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, until he found his love...
Randy Endicott, beloved husband, brother, friend, father, grandfather and teacher, went home to be with Jesus on August 22, 2023, at 69 years old, following a brief battle with lymphoma. Randy was born in May 1954 to Richard and Rachel Endicott. He grew up a country boy in Hoodsport, Washington, and he carried on the family traditions of hiking, camping, trout fishing, and exploring the outdoors throughout his life. He graduated from Shelton High School in 1972 and Seattle Pacific University in...
Inez "Nezzy" Glee (Benson) Jeffers was born on January 19, 1958 to Walter and Pearl Benson, in Seattle, Washington. She passed on July 16, 2023, at home with family and friends around her. She is survived by brother, Walter (Marjorie) Benson and sister Marilyn Kolcz. She is preceded in death by both parents and her brother Jimmy. Nezzy was engaged to Ronald Shipp, who passed away before their son Ron was born in 1979. She married Jeff Jeffers in 1980 and they had two sons, Jake and Aaron. Jeff w...
Ron Hunt peacefully passed in his home surrounded by loving family. Born February 27, 1955, to Harold and Margie Hunt in Bremerton, WA. He grew up in Guam, climbing coconut trees and jumping off cliffs into the ocean. He later set roots in the Shelton/Grapeview area. He made a living as a machinist with a great work ethic and skills. He loved to garden, fish, play guitar, shoot guns with friends and gaze up at the night sky. He fell in love with his cherished life partner, Linda in 1991. They...
Terry Johnston, 70, a resident of Belfair, passed away August 24, 2023, at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle, WA. Arrangements are by McComb & Wagner Family Funeral Home and Crematory. Ellis Bouvier, 60, a resident of Shelton, passed away August 28, 2023, at home. Arrangements are by McComb & Wagner Family Funeral Home and Crematory. Richard Dean Conant, 95, a resident of Shelton, (U.S. Army Air Corps) passed away August 30, 2023, at Alpine Way in Shelton. Arrangements are by Forest Funeral Home and Crematory. Edward Randall Johnson, 87, a...
Amber Carlson, director of behavioral health services for Mason Health, grew up in a family of alcoholics and drug addicts. Her mother and brother died of overdoses. Her father was also an addict. "It's hard to have hope," she said. Yet there was Carlson's father, marching alongside his daughter Friday evening at the seventh annual Overdose Awareness March from Kneeland Park through downtown Shelton. He got clean 20 years ago and now counsels others, Carlson told a crowd of more than 100 at the...
Sept. 25 is the deadline to challenge property values The Mason County Assessor's Office states notices of values for property owners were mailed on Aug. 23, and the last day to file an appeal if an owner disagrees with the new value is Sept. 25. The new values are based on sales of similar properties prior to Jan. 1, 2023. All sales occurring in 2023 will not be used to set assessed values until next year. Sales and statistical data are available at www.masoncountywa.gov/assessor/sales-data.php...
A woman in our neighborhood many years ago was getting treatment for lung cancer. I saw her walking along the sidewalk in front of the house one day – she was getting chemotherapy or radiation, I can’t remember which – and she looked weary. We talked for five minutes in front of the driveway. She was a wonderful woman, full of that rare combination of optimism and contrarianism that’s hard to maintain over a life. At the end of our chat, she had a question. “Could you say a prayer for me?” Um....
An excellent judge Editor, the Journal, Judge Cadine Ferguson-Brown is running for election to the Superior Court. Over 40 years, I practiced in front of more than 15 local superior court and district court judges, as well as many court commissioners, and have been a commissioner myself in both juvenile court and probate-domestic court. We have been extremely fortunate here because of the really high quality of almost all of these judges. I have spoken at length to Judge Ferguson-Brown, and she...
As a projected 4,150 students returned to classrooms yesterday, the Shelton School District is focusing special attention on the new freshmen at its three high schools, Shelton, Cedar and CHOICE. The Freshman Academy is making its debut. Ninth-graders will take two trimesters of the freshmen seminar, to help them learn to navigate the transition to high school. "Ninth grade is hard," said Superintendent Wyeth Jessee. A major goal is to ensure freshmen end the school year with six or more...
North Mason School District Superintendent Dana Rosenbach recently informed her students' families, through a letter sent to welcome them back to school for the 2023-24 year, that the district sees the process of fostering certain values in its students as similar to tending a garden. Rosenbach recounted how district and building administrators devoted one of their training and leadership sessions to selecting "impact words" to describe ways of "building our garden and developing our soil."...
The Pioneer School District started the 2022-2023 school year in turmoil. In February 2022, the Pioneer School Board had placed Superintendent Jill Diehl on paid administrative leave almost two months after the Pioneer Education Association presented the board with a vote of "no confidence" against her. Former Southside Schools Superintendent Doris Bolender replaced her as acting superintendent. Jeff Davis took the helm as superintendent the first week of July 2022. The native of Newberg,...
The Southside School District started the school year Aug. 30 with a cooling system for the first time in its 120-year history. Last spring, classes were sometimes conducted outside or in the gym when the building temperatures climbed into the lower 80s, said Superintendent Paul Wieneke. The heating system was also remodeled. "My challenge was getting it done in one summer," he said. The district projects it will start the school year with 207 students in kindergarten through seventh grade....
The Mary M. Knight School District on Aug. 30 opened its doors to 170 students in kindergarten through high school. The school in Matlock has 18 teachers. The second-graders are the largest class with 21 students. Kennedy Fieldstad is the new kindergarten teacher, and Deanna Niles is the new third-grade teacher. Josie Dewey has switched from teaching kindergarten to educating fifth-graders. Josh Stoney, the assistant principal last school year, is the new principal. Tom Kerr is athletic...
Like many people, Lance Gibbon did some reassessing during the pandemic, and realized he wanted a school administration job where he knew the names of all the students, which he might achieve as superintendent of the Hood Canal School District. About 325 students were expected to show up for the first day of school yesterday. "For me, it was an opportunity to get back to what was important, which is working more closely with students," said Gibbon, whose jobs have included elementary school...
Grapeview School District Superintendent Gerry Grubbs noted the changes students and families can expect as they start the new school year, beginning with a new administrative team, which he said is "working toward unity in leadership and vision." Cynthia Breeze is the district's director of student services and athletics, while Hannah Nelsen is its new principal. Grubbs touted their efforts to bring back the "robust volunteer program" the district had prior to COVID. Grubbs promised students...
When it comes to sources of casually consumable storytelling, polymath scholar Umberto Eco isn't the first name anyone thinks of, which is a shame, because while he produced challenging, data-dense novels such as "The Name of the Rose" and "Foucault's Pendulum," he was playful for an intellectual, as director Davide Ferrario reveals in his documentary, "Umberto Eco: A Library of the World." Before Eco died in 2016, he gave Ferrario a tour of his library, which has since been donated to the...
The axe went to Belfair in case it needed to change hands, but the Highclimbers ensured the Mason County Cup would remain in Shelton with a 35-19 win Friday in a nonleague football game to open the 2023 season. Shelton senior quarterback Gabe Conklin had a hand in all five touchdowns, scoring two rushing touchdowns and throwing three more. "We executed pretty well when we didn't have self-inflicted wounds," Shelton coach Mark Smith told the Journal. "Those extended drives for North Mason and the...
Port of Grapeview Commissioner Art Whitson has found several outlets at the port for his talents — particularly in the field of environmental issues — over the course of his decades spent working in commercial and government sectors. So it’s not surprising the port will be sending him to a statewide discussion of environmental concerns with fellow Washington port officials. On Sept. 21-22, Whitson will join the Washington Public Ports Association’s 2023 environmental seminar in Ruston, just no...
Mary and Sam are fishing for salmon on the Columbia River. I live on the Columbia River, and they are fishing now and seem to have better luck after it rains. Saturday, Aug. 27, 1949 Today I could not sleep after 6 but did not get up until nearly 8. Cleaned house and got started on my scrapbook. At 2:15 I had completed the book as far as I can go without the rest of my pictures. Then Bud Bickle came down to mow the lawn and he fixed the lawn mower so it does not die when you let it idle. The...
