Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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Shelton embraced the nickname "Christmastown, USA" in 1955. Even the president of the United States ended that year with a Mason County holiday tree gracing his home. At the time, Mason County tree farms were selling more than 1 million Christmas trees a year. The Shelton-Mason County Journal, which immediately began showcasing the new slogan at the top of each page, chronicled the embrace of the moniker that year, which culminated in December with a Chicago Daily News article that proclaimed,...
Janice "Robertson" Pascher, 70, was set free and went to meet her Savior on December 7, 2022. She was born July 11, 1952 in Tacoma, WA and was brought to her parents Lloyd and Thelma Robertson in Shelton, WA. She grew up in Shelton, graduated from Shelton High School then attended Beauty School. July 29th, 1978 she married Frank Pascher in a backyard wedding. Frank and Janice met on a blind date, their joke was she was the date, and he was blind. They were married over 44 years. Let me tell you,... Full story
On November 10, 2022, at age 78, Mary Elizabeth Hagen passed away at Alpine Way here in Shelton. She is survived by daughters Christine Johnson and Cynthia Reyes, granddaughter Anne Weeden, brother George Hurst, sisters Patricia Desmond and Suzanne Hurst, and longtime friend Elizabeth Shoeman. Mary was born in Seattle, WA, graduated from high school in Long Island, New York, and graduated from the University of Oklahoma. She loved to travel, having been to all 50 of the United States and also a... Full story
Jason A. Clinton, 47, a resident of Union, passed away December 10, 2022, at home. Arrangements are by McComb & Wagner Family Funeral Home and Crematory. Doris M. Fenton, 83, a resident of Olympia previously of Mason County, passed away December 12, 2022, at Olympia Transitional Care & Rehab, Olympia. Arrangements are by McComb & Wagner Family Funeral Home and Crematory. Evelyn L. Noyes, 60, a resident of Olympia previously of Mason County, passed away December 13, 2022, at home. Arrangements are by McComb & Wagner Family Funeral Home and... Full story
The North Mason School Board's meetings Dec. 8 and Dec. 15 drew testimony from three area residents on the proposed transfer of the Theler wetlands, trail system and associated properties from the school district to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Herb Gerhardt and Don LePere supported the transfer, while Ken VanBuskirk requested certain conditions for the transfer to proceed. Gerhardt's written comments, which were read into the record by district Superintendent Dana Rosenbach,...
“The man without a navel still lives in me.” — Thomas Browne, English author From the Cambridge Dictionary: Navel-gazing — the activity of spending too much time considering your own thoughts, feelings or problems. From the Urban Dictionary: Navel-gazing — engaging in self-absorbed behavior, often to the point of being narcissistic. If you type “navel-gazing” into Google and hit the “All” tab, you’ll get 1.46 million hits, depending on the day, I suppose. I looked at some of the sites, and whil...
Minding the vote Editor, the Journal, Owen Ray said there hadn’t been any cases of voting issues proven in court. Wrong. Judicial Watch filed lawsuits nationwide requiring states to enforce the National Voters Registration Act of 1993. JW won lawsuits in Ohio and Kentucky; filed successful lawsuits against Indiana, Maryland and California; filed an amicus brief in the 11th Circuit Court for Alabama and Georgia; sent letters to election officials in Virginia and Colorado. JW estimated there were 3.5 million ineligible voters nationwide. I...
In July, the County Commission participated in a retreat to set priorities for the rest of 2022 and look ahead to 2023. Many of the presentations from staff began with "in the future, the county needs ..." But, I asked our team, when is the future? The answer is simple - the future is now. And in Mason County, the future is bright. Throughout 2022, we have taken action on several fronts to ensure Mason County leads our region and competes for opportunity in the post-pandemic years ahead. In...
At the Dec. 5 meeting of the Shelton City Council, Mayor Frank Travis Jr. announced the city had decided not to award a franchise for cable television within the city limits. He told applicant Thomas Brokaw that this decision left the business as a free enterprise with which he could proceed, if he wished. Gay Taylor, who was already operating a private cable television system in Shelton, had been denied a city franchise in 1957. Weather made the front page of the Journal on Dec. 7. Nearly 7 fee...
They say "If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life." If that is the case, Lisa Cree hasn't worked many days in her life. Mason Transit Authority celebrated its 30th anniversary earlier this month, and for 28 of those 30 years, Cree has been driving people around Mason County. Cree started her driving career in 1990 with Paratransit Services in Pierce County while living in Mason County. Paratransit was the original contractor for transit services in Mason County. Mason Trans...
Mason County Fire District 4 welcomed new fire chief Gregory Rudolph in October. "It's exciting, it's a good challenge," Rudolph told the Journal. "I'm enjoying my time here so far." Fire District 4 covers the southeast corner of Mason County, from Arcadia Road south county line and west to the county line on state Route 108. Rudolph, 49, took over from Bob Burbridge, who retired in April. Before becoming fire chief, he was the assistant chief at Griffin Fire Department for two years in Thurston...
County purchases building for coroner, facilities Mason County commissioners gave preliminary approval to purchase the property at 126 Kneeland St. in Shelton as the new location for the Mason County coroner and facilities at the Tuesday meeting. According to the information packet, Mason County facilities and coroner's offices need more space, with the lease on the current building set to expire in March. The coroner's office has office space, but needs more operational space and cold storage...
Holiday open house Friday at the HUB The HUB Center for Seniors hosts a holiday open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday. Attendees can enjoy live entertainment and appetizers and play Mingle Jingle Bingo. The first 100 seniors will receive Blanket a Senior gift bags. Arrangements also can be made for a caregiver to pick up a bag for a homebound senior. Beavers Firewood will give free firewood to seniors in the parking lot. The HUB Shop will be open, and the prices of all items will be marked half off. Community Resource Fair in Hoodsport Jan....
Mason County PUD 1 will receive $594,857 from the Bonneville Power Administration’s Power Dividend Distribution Credit through the next 10 months. PUD 1 will pass that money on to its customers after approving the action at the Dec. 13 commissioners meeting. PUD 1 staff proposed setting aside $25,000 in the local government investment pool to help fund the PUD’s low-income energy assistance program as required by the state’s Clean Energy Transformation Act and the remaining $569,857 will be di...
Car accident knocks out power lines A car ran into a pole on state Route 3 in Belfair near North Mason High School, knocking down a power line Friday night. According to Mason County PUD 3 social media posts, the incident was reported around 8:15 p.m. and PUD 3 sent out a lineman to investigate. In order to make repairs, the lineman had to cut power for customers in Allyn, LakeLand Village and Victor. The power was only out in Allyn and LakeLand Village for an hour before PUD 3 was able to reroute power from a different substation. Power was...
Jordan and Jareau Afo were sentened Tuesday for the murder of Derrick Wily in November 2020. Jareau pled guilty Nov. 8 to second-degree murder in Mason County Superior Court. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, according to Mason County Clerk Sharon Moore-Fogo. Jordan pled guilty to one count of first-degree criminal assistance and received a five-year prison sentence. He also pled guilty to one count of unlawful disposal of human remains and received 90 days in prison, according to...
The SteelHead Bluegrass Band, Borrowed Time and local band Runaway Train will perform bluegrass music at the Kristmas Town Kiwanis' Midwinter Bluegrass Celebration from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 30 in the Shelton High School Performing Arts Center. Admission for the eighth annual concert is $20 for adults, and kids 15 and younger are admitted for free. The SteelHead Bluegrass Band is based in Bremerton and plays traditional and contemporary bluegrass. Borrowed Time features Martin Stevens, Josh Adkins, J...
For chef Sara Harvey, making good meals is more than a profession - it's an ethos, a way to help improve her corner of the world by practicing her values and doing something pleasing for other people. Back after a three-year hiatus, Harvey has worked at Alderbrook Resort & Spa for two years this go-around, starting as the chef and retail manager of the Union City Market, the resort's sister property, before stepping into the Alderbrook's executive chef role, overseeing the menus and food...
How does James Cameron expect this franchise to sustain three more films? When I saw Cameron's first "Avatar" film in 2009, my reaction was similar to most reviewers and moviegoers. Its immersive, richly realized visuals absolutely blew me away, but its story and characters felt like a ham-fisted mashup of "Dances With Wolves" and "FernGully: The Last Rainforest." The plotlines and relationship dynamics of "Avatar: The Way of Water" are more complicated and populous than the original film, but...
Since he was a baby, Kayden Lucas has had a bat and a ball in his hands. The 12-year-old still has a bat and ball in his hands, but now he takes it with him around the country, playing baseball for two teams. The Allyn native has traveled to eight states and 10 cities and played 100 games this past season. "I have a lot of fun because I always think of baseball day in and day out," Lucas told the Journal. "I have a love for the game, not a like for the game. Every time I am around or playing, I...
The end of the year is upon us with the holiday season, and it’s a time to be positive as the rest of the year is perfect for wallowing in the pain that comes with being a sports fan. Looking at Seattle professional sports and the state as a whole, it has been a pretty solid year. Let’s go through the teams and talk about the positives. Storm: The Seattle Storm helped Sue Bird reach the WNBA semifinals in her final season. Bird is one of the greatest basketball players ever, and she has four WNB...
Shelton girls basketball The Shelton girls basketball team snapped a 22-game losing streak Dec. 16 with a 37-24 win against Olympic in Silverdale. The Highclimbers fell to Black Hills 49-43 at home Dec. 13 in an Evergreen Conference game. Shelton (1-4, 0-3) faces Kingston at 4:30 p.m. today at Terry Gregg Court in a doubleheader with the boys team and hits the road to face River Ridge at 6 p.m. Friday in Lacey. Shelton boys basketball Shelton dropped two games against Black Hills and Capital last week in nonleague and Evergreen Conference...
The Belfair View Apartments are now leasing. According to a news release, the apartment complex consisting of one- and two-bedroom apartments will rent with rates from $1,695 to $2,095 a month. The units range from 665 to 915 square feet. The project broke ground in March 2021 and the estimated completion for all three building is slated for the end of 2023. The 228-unit complex includes a carport and non-covered onsite parking, a recreational building, and an outdoor pool with views of Hood...
Mary and Sam are going on a hunting trip. Lovey got a little miffed at Mary about the plate thing. I think Lovey could be difficult at times, but Mary doesn't seem to care. Lovey is her friend. Friday, Dec. 17, 1948 Arose early and Sam went to Seattle on several errands. I took presents and went to Belfair. Delivered to Rudy, Schlange, Emmett, Rices, Grandma White, Hacketts, Cadys and Mary Ruths. All were fine but it was a job to stay but a few minutes each place. Then to Bremerton. Mrs....
