Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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A private camp once used exclusively by timber workers could become a county park. Mason County commissioners approved a feasibility study at Tuesday's regular meeting for the purchase of Mason Lake Camp from Green Diamond Resource Co. The detailed analysis will "assess the viability of purchasing and operating the property," according to the Request for Qualifications. Commissioner Randy Neatherlin said the county would investigate how to keep the camp, located on Mason Lake at 1052 East Mason...
Hood Canal summer chum have returned to the Union River in record-breaking numbers, with 12,021 as of Monday morning. There are still three weeks left in the count. "It is amazing," Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group Executive Director Mendy Harlow told the Journal. The previous record of 11,916 in 2003 was due to hatchery supplementation, which ended that year, according to HCSEG. Harlow credited this year's healthy run to improving ocean conditions and HCSEG's 2013 habitat restoration...
At a special meeting of the Shelton City Council on Tuesday morning, state Sen. Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton, asked council members and staff to name the city's top two funding priorities as the Legislature's session approaches in January. "Water storage is number one, one-hundred percent," City Manager Mark Ziegler replied. He added, "That's probably one, two and three, to be honest." Public Works Director Jay Harris echoed that thought. "We're going to need bigger tanks to spur development," he sai...
Mason County Fire District 12 Fire Association 7.0 has a few things to celebrate. On Saturday, the association hosted a free barbecue at the Matlock Grange that was "one of the largest events ever held in our community, other than the Old Timers [Fair]," Association President Dave Persell told the Journal, with more than 250 people attending. Then on Tuesday, Mason County commissioners ended the State of Disaster for the district, which had been in effect since May 17. "The disaster is...
The trial for accused murderer William Williams, 41, continued this week with the prosecution calling witnesses. Williams has claimed self-defense in the death of Janus Afo on Sept. 28 in downtown Shelton, according to court filings from Williams’ attorney Justus Kandoll. “The defendant is asserting Self Defense-justifiable homicide and will likely testify to his knowledge about specific acts committed by Mr. Afo that created a reasonable apprehension of danger for Mr. Williams. Several officers are familiar with Mr. Afo and his reputation in...
The town of Hoodsport was officially created Aug. 1, 1890, when Vincent and Ida Finch went to Shelton and signed a certificate naming their property Hoodsport and dedicating the streets and alleys to the public forever, except for the right to grant right of way to the railroads. By 1892, the combined population of the Hoodsport and Lake Cushman area was 145. The United States government sent a surveyor to the Cushman District, who changed survey lines from the north and west. The results were...
Former Shelton resident Brittany Burkhardt, a mineral and fossil dealer for more than 20 years, will talk about her most spectacular digs at a meeting of the Shelton Rock and Mineral Society at 7 tonight at Shelton Christian Church, 115 Arcadia Ave., Shelton. Everyone is welcome to attend, and admission is free. After the presentation, Burkhardt’s business, Elemental Endeavors, hosts a sale of minerals, fossils and meteorite specimens from around the world, including many pieces collected by her. Burkhardt makes her living presenting mineral s...
Shelton cemetery seeks removal of broken objects The management at Shelton Memorial Park Cemetery is asking patrons to remove all broken glass, clay and ceramic decorations from graves and niche walls by Oct. 1. In a Facebook post, management wrote, "Any items that are broken and removed will be disposed of; we will not be saving these items. It is the responsibility of plot owners and families to remove any broken items that you wish to keep ... With the changing weather, these figurines can deteriorate and become unsightly, and we want to...
PUD 1 hopes to partially fund a new substation at Lilliwaup and bury overhead lines at Seal Rock in Brinnon using grants from the state Department of Commerce. Both projects are eligible for up to $3 million each under the Grid Resilience Program. Awards are given to “efforts that generate the greatest community benefit by providing clean, affordable, and reliable energy, and reducing the frequency and duration of power outages,” according to the DOC. The Jorstad substation, planned for Lilliwaup, will let PUD switch power feeds between Hoo...
The Hamma Hamma River, Potlatch State Park and Union are among the spectacular sites that inspire Jan Morris' vibrant watercolor paintings. The flowers come from her imagination. At her new art gallery in Hoodsport, she and her mostly local friends and acquaintances showcase and sell their art. And the drinks are also local, produced a couple doors down at the Hardware Distillery owned by her and her husband, Chuck, since 2012. Flywheel Fine Art & Strong Waters, 24180 U.S. Highway 101, is named...
Shelton schools offer free cooking classes The Shelton School District and Washington State University’s Mason Extension host a free three-part series of cooking and nutrition classes. The classes are from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 15 and 29 and Nov. 5 at Oakland Bay Junior High School, 3301 N. Shelton Springs Road. Participants must be able to attend all three classes as the content and skills build on upon one another. To register, go to sheltonschools.org and click “HEAT cooking classes.” The classes are open to anyone 16 and older who lives in th...
Timberlakes resident Bill Scholl has something in common with U.S. diver Greg Louganis, U.S. tennis player Venus Williams, New Zealand canoer Ian Ferguson and Norway speed skater Johann Olgu Koss. Each won four gold medals and one silver medal in athletic competition. Four of them earned their medals at Olympic competition. Scholl, a former minister who lost most of his sight, won his medals in four days last month at the National Veteran Golden Age Games in Salt Lake City. Scholl competed in...
Drivers approaching the intersection of Wallace Kneeland Boulevard and Shelton Springs Road hoping to make a left-hand turn know they face a challenge, especially when school is about to begin or has just ended at Shelton High School and Oakland Bay Junior High. The City of Shelton has been proposing building a roundabout there for years and has about $1.6 million in grants earmarked for it. At a work session on Sept. 10, the Shelton City Council and staff members discussed a quicker and less...
Shelton can’t use the courts to solve its homeless problem. At least not now. That’s the opinion of city officials and the city’s insurer, Washington Cities Insurance Authority. Shelton City Manager Mark Ziegler, speaking with the Journal in August, said while some may see a solution in a recent Supreme Court decision overturning Martin v. Boise and allowing camping bans on public land, he is wary. “It’s not necessarily the fix,” he said. Ziegler and other municipal officials throughout the state rely on WCIA’s advice and right now the insur...
The Shelton City Council on Tuesday awarded a $231,526 contract to United Home Builders to complete a project on the Shelton Timberland Library deck. In June, the city advertised the project for bid, but received no offers. The second solicitation received two offers, with United Home Builders offering the lowest responsible bid. The project will remove the existing waterproof membrane that covers the wood-framed deck and safety railings to expose the deck sheeting and structure. The sheeting...
The Shelton City Council on Tuesday evening gave final approval to shopping cart ordinances designed to help prevent their theft and abandonment on streets, in the woods and in ravines. The council gave preliminary approval at its Sept. 3 meeting. The laws goes in effect Jan. 1, 2025. An estimated 300 shopping carts are stolen from Shelton stores each year. The new requirements do not apply to any business that has 15 or fewer shopping carts or contain less than 3,000 square feet of retail space. The ordinance requires the bigger stores to...
About 2,200 people attended the Kristmas Town Kiwanis’s 19th annual Bluegrass from the Forest festival July 12-14 at the South Mason Youth Soccer Park. Duane Wilson from the group presented a report on the festival Tuesday evening to the Shelton City Council. Wilson told the council that 160 attendees stayed at local hotels and Airbnbs. Sixty guests stayed with local friends and families and about 228 campers stayed at the concert site off Johns Prairie Road, he said. Wilson said 1,431 patrons travelled 45 miles or more, 124 came from d...
A Fire 12 Labor and Industries inspection in April has resulted in $4,500 in fines, according to state officials. Three serious safety violations, including no annual hose test, no annual pump test and no training or ongoing education and development and were assessed at $1,500 each, L & I’s Dina Lorraine told the Journal in an email. Chief Mike Brown said the fines were around $45,000 at Fire 12’s regular meeting. Aug. 28. Brown clarified in an email to the Journal he hadn’t received a final letter from L & I when he announced the fines...
Grill coverings have come off at Twanoh State Park now that a burn ban was lifted on Monday. Washington State Department of Natural Resources rescinded the ban and Mason County immediately followed suit allowing recreational fires throughout the county not under DNR jurisdiction, according to the Fire Marshal's Office. Clearing and residential burning are still restricted. DNR made the change dur to improving atmospheric conditions....
Mason Health has four new healthcare providers who started practicing this summer, three in primary care and one specialist in obstetrics and gynecology. “These providers bring a wealth of expertise and a dedication to preventative medicine to Mason Health,” a news release states. Jacqueline Gorzynski, MD, graduated from the University of Washington School of Medicine in 2021 and completed her residency training at Chehalis Family Medicine in 2024. She is a full-spectrum family provider and has special interest including addiction medicine, lac...
The Shelton chapter of the nonprofit women’s Philanthropic Education Organization (PEO) Chapter B is offering a grant of up to $1,000 to a woman who is returning to college to further her education, and several grants of up to $4,000 for continuing education. The group is dedicated to helping women achieve their educational goals. The Mary M. Knight Achievement Award honors Mary M. Knight, a Mason County pioneer educator and a member of Chapter B. This award has been supporting women’s education in Mason County since 1936. To qualify, the stu...
According to the U.S. Department of Education, about 48 million American adults cannot read above a third-grade level. "People are stigmatized and shamed for low literacy, for not being able to read the newspaper, not being able to help their kids with their homework," said Shannon Klasell, executive director of the nonprofit Sound Learning in downtown Shelton. This is national Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, as designated by the U.S. Congress. The nonprofit organization ProLiteracy...
