Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Sorted by date Results 226 - 250 of 2448
The City of Shelton's wastewater treatment plant and water reclamation plant both received the Outstanding Performance Award for 2023 from the state Department of Ecology. The awards were presented to staff members Sept. 3 at the Shelton City Council meeting. A DOE representative told the council the award goes "to plants that have basically had a perfect year, that being there were no violations or anything like that on their permit." Brent Armstrong, the superintendent of public works,...
Mason County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to reports of a “suspicious, unexploded device” in the 1000 block of West Star Lake Drive Aug. 31, Deputy Matt Colbenson told the Journal in an email. Police found the device near the roadway, he said, and it appeared to be a homemade explosive about 3 inches by 4 inches, wrapped in foil, with a partially burned fuse. The Washington State Patrol Bomb Squad safely detonated the device, according to Colbenson. Members of the bomb squad include personnel from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobac...
Projected enrollment and school year operating budget Shelton School District — 4,200 students, $81.8 million North Mason — 2,357 students, $44.5 million Southside — 200 students, $4.5 million Pioneer — 714 students, $16 million Mary M. Knight — 170 students, $19 million (includes Washington Connections Academy) Grapeview — 200 students, $4.2 million Hood Canal — 320 students, $8.4 million Dramatically increasing costs in insurance, special education and supplies created budget challenges for the seven school districts in Mason County. The S...
The Shelton City Council on Tuesday evening gave preliminary approval to shopping cart ordinances designed to help prevent their theft and abandonment on streets, in the woods and in ravines. The council can make the new laws official with a vote at its Sept. 17 meeting. The laws would go in effect Jan. 1. An estimated 300 shopping carts are stolen from Shelton stores each year. No one spoke Tuesday at the public hearing on the proposal. The proposed requirements would not apply to any business...
About 200 people Friday participated in the ninth annual Mason County Overdose Awareness Walk & Resource Fair that began with a resource fair and speakers at Kneeland Park. The attendees, many carrying photos of loved ones lost to overdose, then marched through downtown Shelton. The Belfair Overdose Awareness Walk & Resource Fair was staged the next day. The events honored the memory of lives lost to overdose and provide hope to people who are struggling....
The Mason County Economic Development Council announces the Port of Shelton has been awarded a $200,000 Industrial Site Readiness Grant by the state Department of Commerce. The grant will fund wastewater engineering studies for the Port of Shelton’s development of Johns Prairie Industrial Park, a 400-acre industrial site northeast of the City of Shelton within the Shelton Urban Growth Area. “Expanding the sewer system at this business park represents more than mere infrastructure development; it symbolizes a catalyst for revitalization. By mov...
Fire District 12 commissioners appointed Nick Jones, who was the only elected member of the previous board, for the position 3 vacancy at the Aug. 28 regular meeting. Commissioner Dave Persell resigned at the Aug. 14 meeting. In May, Fire 12 lost its insurance coverage due to mismanagement, was declared a disaster area by the county and saw commissioners Kelli Walsworth and Cinda Compton, who were appointed by the previously recalled board in 2023, resign along with Jones. “We received a total whopping number of one application for this open p...
Two people suffered injuries in a propane explosion Aug. 22 at the Alderbrook Resort & Spa maintenance building. One person was critically injured and airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and the other person was treated and released by Mason General Hospital, Union Fire Chief Clint Volk told the Journal. “A very large underground propane tank” ignited by static possibly caused the explosion, though that is not confirmed, according to Volk. “The investigation is ongoing for the cause,” Volk said. Union Fire, along with Central...
North Mason School District Superintendent Dana Rosenbach announced her retirement at Monday's board meeting. She will work throughout this school year and retire June 30.. "This will be my eleventh year at North Mason. This will be my last year," she said at the meeting. "I am looking forward to taking on new opportunities and I think it's a wonderful opportunity for the district as well to have new leadership," Rosenbach said. Board Member Erik Youngberg thanked Rosenbach for serving the distr...
A packed City Council meeting Aug. 6 might not have been a spontaneous uprising of downtown business owners fed up with crime and the homeless. A flyer posted on social media seemed to suggest the city was hosting a forum on the topic. “A City in CRISIS!” the flyer said. “If you would like to see positive change in our amazing city? Please attend the City of Shelton Council meeting held at City Hall Civic Center on Tuesday August 6, 2024 at 6:00pm,” the flyer reads. It then lists a Zoom meeting ID and password and states “For questions...
Sharon Johnston remembers playing in the field at her grandparents' Peste Farm in Shelton before the U.S. government in 1941 exercised eminent domain and acquired the property for use by the U.S. Navy, which planned to build a Naval Air Station on the property and adjoining land. Now 86, Johnston on Aug. 19 stood on the property for the dedication of a plaque and two benches that celebrates it as the former site of the G. Peste Farm, established in 1909. In February 2023, the Port of Shelton...
James Hodkinson was born in Matlock, Derbyshire, England, in 1833. He emigrated to America in 1882 and was one of the earliest settlers in the Satsop Valley. When he became the area's first postmaster, he gave it the name of Matlock, after his hometown. A 1901 supplement to the Mason County Journal included two pages about "the thriving and prosperous town of Matlock, situated about 17 miles from Shelton in the midst of the great timber district." Matlock was 3 miles from the railroad line that...
The City of Shelton is working to improve pedestrian and vehicular safety at some of the city's most dangerous crossings. At its Aug. 20 meeting, the Shelton City Council gave preliminary approval to accepting a federal grant of almost $1.3 million for the design and construction of four Systemic Pedestrian Improvement Projects. The council can make the move official at its meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Shelton Civic Center. If passed, the grant will be used at four intersections. At the...
James Dale, the executive pastor at Shelton First Baptist Church, is the newest member of the Shelton School Board. On Tuesday evening, the Shelton School Board appointed Dale to represent District 1 on the five-member board during its regular meeting in the Mountain View Elementary School cafeteria. He replaces Karla Knudsen-Johnston, who announced her resignation at the June 25 board meeting. Dale's appointment extends to the November 2025 election, when the position will appear on the ballot...
The railroad tracks from the former Simpson Lumber Co.'s yard in Dayton and its mill on the Shelton waterfront used to rumble with activity. Simpson is gone and the rails are no longer used, except by the Vance Creek Railriders in the woods west of Shelton. Blackberry bushes, shrubs and small trees are sprouting through the tracks. At its Aug. 20 regular meeting, the Shelton City Council gave preliminary approval to accepting a $679,000 grant to remove the rails from three crossings. The...
Three new Washington State Patrol Troopers in Shelton are part of the first lateral program that allows certified law enforcement officers to sign on with WSP after shortened training. Troopers Noah Cameron, Levi Gundacker and Daniel Osborn graduated with six other troopers in May. “We need more great people to join our agency who’ll help us continue to meet the needs of Washingtonians. The bottom line is we have to think outside the historical box and still maintain the high standards for which our agency is known. Each of these nine has alr...
Market on the Hill Saturdays in Hoodsport St. Germain Episcopal Church hosts its Market on the Hill from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 14 and 28 at 600 Lake Cushman Road, Hoodsport. Learn about meteorites at mineral meeting The Shelton Rock and Mineral Society sponsors Tom Prang’s talk about meteorites at its regular meeting at 7 p.m. Friday at Shelton Christian Church, 115 Arcadia Road. Prang will talk about the origins, composition and identification of meteorites and where they might be found in Washington. If you have what you believe is a m...
While some Mason County residents spent their summer vacation chasing the sun, North Mason Firefighter/EMT Elli Lechner took leave to volunteer as an instructor at Camp Blaze, a weeklong camp where young women can try out a firefighting career. Teenagers ages 16 to 19 participate in live fire training, vehicle extraction, aerial ladder climbing, hose handling and rappelling, among other activities, according to the camp's website. "Think summer camp meets fire academy," Lechner told the Herald....
North Mason Timberland Library seeks user input The North Mason Timberland Library in Belfair is asking users to take a survey to “better understand your needs, preferences and experiences with our library system,” according to its website. Staff want feedback to help decide priorities for the library. The survey takes about five minutes, according to the library and responses are anonymous. The survey is at www.trl.org. North Mason Chamber hosts cocktail party The North Mason Chamber of Commerce hosts a free end-of-summer cocktail party fro...
I was helped by Billie Howard, who was head of the Shelton Mason County Historical Museum at the time. The original diary is there with the typed version that was done by Irene Davis in the 1990s. Irene's little typewriter is at the library too. Mary wrote in her diary for nearly 20 years and then Irene typed up a transcript of all 20 years in the 1990s, and then I came along and digitized it, and the Shelton-Mason County Journal printed it. I'm sure if Mary was alive, she would not have...
