Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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OCEANSIDE, Calif. — It is good to know there are more of us than there are of them, but enough with this election. Other matters are worth considering in this muddled-up world, including godwits, surfers and Californians, to name just three. Mrs. Ericson and I are on holiday in Southern California, just two near-pensioners looking for warmth. We’ve spent much of our time walking beaches, including the shore along Oceanside in north San Diego County. We like how crashing waves muffle all oth...
Blatant usurpation Editor, the Journal, The Shelton-Mason County Journal front-page headlines for Nov. 3 explained Sen. Maria Cantwell's and Congressman 6th District Rep. Derek Kilmer's meeting with city, county, and economic leaders for a roundtable discussion on local economic development opportunities. I was appalled at the blatant usurpation of taxpayer funds for efforts best left to the private sector - until I recognized the unintended humor of the bill's title: RECOMPETE (Rebuilding...
The original "Quantum Leap," which ran for five seasons and 97 episodes from 1989 to 1993 on NBC, is one of the most well-built shows in the history of television. It used its sci-fi premise of Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) time-traveling within the span of his own lifetime, by "leaping" into the lives of other people, to stage a stealth anthology series. Each episode, the time, the place and just about all the characters except for Sam and his holographic best friend, retired Navy Adm. Al...
WEB UPDATE: In Wednesday’s second ballot count, slightly more than 3,600 votes were added to results in Mason County, helping Republican challengers Steve Duenkel (auditor) and Charles Rhodes (clerk) to erase leads held by their incumbent Democrat opponents after Tuesday’s initial tally. Duenkel now leads Paddy McGuire by seven votes and Rhodes leads Sharon Moore-Fogo by 124 votes. According to the Secretary of State’s website, approximately 3,000 votes remain to be counted, in addition to ballots still in the mail. After Wednesday’s count,...
WEB UPDATE: Steve Duenkel took a seven-vote lead in the Mason County auditor's race after Wednesday's second ballot count. Wednesday's tally saw 3,630 additional votes counted in the race, allowing Duenkel to wipe out a 547-vote lead by incumbent Paddy McGuire's after Tuesday's initial count. According to the Secretary of State's website, approximately 3,000 ballots remain to be counted. McGuire leads first count The closely watched and at times contentious race for Mason County auditor saw...
The Mason County Jail has space for 93 inmate beds and a current target population of 60, but staffing shortages mean only people arrested on felony charges are being booked into the facility in downtown Shelton. The City of Shelton has reserved seven of those inmate beds, but is looking at booking up to 20 beds per month with the Nisqually Tribe for a year, which would be a temporary solution. Mason County and City of Shelton administrators talked about staffing shortages at the county jail...
Taxpayers in the Shelton School District on Valentine's Day will vote on a proposed three-year levy. The Shelton School Board on Tuesday night authorized the request for a Feb. 14 vote to collect $2.09 per $1,000 of assessed property value in 2024, 2025 and 2026. If passed by a simple majority, the money will be used to fund educational programs and operations not funded by the state, including reducing class size, special education, after-school programs, teachers, extracurricular activities,...
Shelton High students star in two shows Shelton High School stages its annual “Night of Musical Theater” production at 7 p.m. Nov. 17 and 18, and 2 and 7 p.m. Nov. 19 in the school’s Performing Arts Center. Admission is the suggested donation of $15. The choirs and bands perform a holiday concert at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 in the PAC. Donations are accepted....
WEB UPDATE: Republican challenger Charles Rhodes leads incumbent Democrat Sharon Moore-Fogo by 124 votes after Wednesday’s second ballot count in the race for Mason County clerk. With Wednesday’s totals added in, Rhodes has 12,359 votes for 50.20%, while Moore-Fogo received 12,235 votes for 49.70%. Moore-Fogo led the initial vote count Tuesday night. The next vote count update is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday. In the Mason County auditor’s race, Steve Duenkel took a seven-vote lead over Paddy...
WEB UPDATE: None of the 35th District races saw lead changes in Wednesday's second ballot count. The three Republican candidates maintained or expanded their respective leads. Republicans leading in three 35th District races In the initial ballot count Tuesday evening, three Republicans were leading in their quests to represent the 35th District in the state Legislature. The first ballot count gave Republican Drew MacEwen a lead over Democrat Julianne Gale in Mason County for a four-year term...
WEB UPDATE: There were no lead or significant margin changes among the three levies in the county, nor the PUD 3 race after Wednesday’s second ballot count. Mixed results for Mason County levies In the initial election ballot count Tuesday evening, the Southside School District’s replacement levy was passing, as was Mason County Fire Protection District 17’s, but Mason County Fire Protection District 16’s levy was failing, and 936 votes separated the candidates seeking a six-year term on the PUD 3 Commission. The results of the second ballot co...
Pitching machine complex at Sandhill Mason County commissioners approved a pitching machine complex at Sandhill Park in Belfair at the Oct. 25 meeting. According to the information packet, the Belfair Little League constructed batting cages at its own expense, but the snow from last winter collapsed the cages. There are many teams and players using the facility and replacing the batting cages with a similar complex located at Sandhill Park is safe and cost effective. The projected complex is a fully covered structure with a modern...
Recall petitions for Mason County Fire Protection District 12 were allowed to proceed after a motion hearing on Nov. 3 in Mason County Superior Court. Judge Monty Cobb presided over the hearing. Kristin Masteller and Amanda Gonzales, who filed the recall petitions, were in attendance. Fire commissioners John Pais, Albert Wilder and Brian Jutson did not attend the hearing and were represented by attorney Aaron Haynes. About 25 people attended the hearing. "The Matlock community showed up last...
Mason County Fire Marshal Randy Collins said the 2022 fire season was “quieter than most” regarding wildfires within the county. Collins said he thinks most of that has to do with the late spring rains and not having any mega heat waves, like the temperatures reached in 2021. From September 10 to 16, Mason County instituted a recreational burn ban when the National Fire Danger Rating System was elevated to very high fire danger, which caused red flag fire conditions. “With the exception of th...
This two-part story is from a memoir written by Jim Howell in the late 1990s. Jim was born in Hoquiam in 1929 and lived with his parents and two sisters at Simpson Logging Company's Camp 3 in the Skokomish Valley from 1934 to 1946. "Growing up in Simpson's Camp 3 in the 1930s and 1940s was a unique experience. Our houses were close to each other, but our backyard was trees for miles and miles, with small lakes and streams, hills and canyons, abounding with wildlife. The Skokomish River, down a...
Choirs, quintet perform concerts Women of Note, the Harstine Island Community Choir and the Evergreen Brass Quintet perform a "Sounds of Christmas" concert at 4 p.m. Nov. 27 at Faith Lutheran Church, 1212 Connection St., Shelton. The two choirs will team again for a concert at 3 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Harstine Island Community Hall, 3371 E. Harstine Island Road N. Both choirs welcome new members of all ability levels. For more information, contact Elizabeth Berndt at [email protected] and...
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking public comment on the proposed purchase of up to 64 acres on Lynch Cove south of Theler Wetlands to promote fish and wildlife conservation and public access. The department's Lynch Cove project could include four separate worksites in the Union River Unit of the South Puget Sound Wildlife Area. Five different landowners own the acreage near the intersection of state Routes 3 and 106. Conserving the property would help estuarine habitat that...
I like to compare our weather at the time Mary is writing her diary. Sounds pretty much the same. In fact, it was the weather several years ago that got me into reading Mary’s diary. We were having snow in March and people were saying Belfair had never had snow this late. Mary’s diary showed they had, and on the exact same days. Friday, Nov. 5, 1948 Today I got up early and left for Bremerton. Met Maimie by the street corner. Roy Mitchell brought her to the dock. We met Bertha Attridge on the...
Churches accept donations of gifts for children Calvary Fellowship of Shelton and The Bridge Church in Belfair are accepting donations of gifts packed in shoe boxes for the annual international Operation Christmas Child drive. Calvary Fellowship of Shelton is at 50 E. Island Lake Road. Donation times are 2 to 4 p.m. Nov. 14, 3 to 5 p.m. Nov. 15, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16 and 17, noon to 3 p.m. Nov. 18, 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 19, noon to 3 p.m. Nov. 20, and 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 21. The Bridge Church is at 23001 NE state Route 3 in Belfair.... Full story
Four months after photographer Teresa "Tree" Smith's work first appeared on Barbara Treick's art wall at Belfair Self-Storage, Smith has returned. Smith said the months between her two showings have passed as she suspects they've passed for many others. Sometimes, it feels like a month since her last exhibition; other times, it feels like years. This vague sense of time passing has been compounded by caring for her mother, which led to a bit of artistic dormancy for her. "Creating art and...
Marcus Edward Teeters, of Shelton, passed away at home on October 31, 2022, at the age of 74. He was born on June 6, 1948, in Longview, WA, the eldest child of George Edward and Josephine Ann (Downey) Teeters. Marc grew up in western Washington, living in cities such as Cathlamet, Chehalis, Raymond, Bellingham, and Edmonds. He was a spirited, fun-loving youth who enjoyed playing baseball and practical jokes. Upon graduating in 1966 from Edmonds High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He... Full story
Irma Jean McPherren passed away peacefully at home in Hoodsport, Washington, with family by her side on November 2, 2022, at the age of 96. On January 29, 1926, Jean was born to Ellen and Otis Cordell in Willits, California. When the family moved to a farm in southern Iowa, she attended a one-room schoolhouse and performed the rigorous daily chores of farm life. She was ten years old when her mother's death from appendicitis left her to help raise her younger siblings, Robert and Lois, and... Full story
Linda Cargill, 73, a 42 year resident of Shelton, WA passed away on November 3, 2022. She was born to Orlean and Joyce Boen in Minneapolis, MN on April 22, 1949. She graduated from Rosemount High School in Minneapolis. She received her BA in Elementary and Special Education from St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN. She married Herb Cargill May 3, 1980 at Faith Lutheran Church in Shelton. Linda taught special Education in Winthrop, MN. She was the Youth Leader and Adult Education coordinator for Faith Lutheran Church for 28 years retiring... Full story
On Sunday, October 30, 2022, Clayton Lamarr Kimball, adoring husband, son, brother, uncle and friend to all, passed away at the age of 39 due to heart complications. Clayton's friends and family remember him as a loyal, kind soul who charmed and inspired all with his sense of humor, champion hugs and unshakable conviction. Clayton had the ability to make everyone feel loved and accepted. His motivation and determination was contagious, his encouragement made you feel invincible. Clayton was... Full story
