Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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Mason County Chief Public Defender Peter Jones advised commissioners on a huge budget increase his office will be seeking in 2025 and got preliminary approval to pursue contract attorneys at the May 20 briefing. Jones said “to continue to operate” at current levels, the public defender’s office will seek over a half a million dollar increase in its budget next year. “That has a total budget impact of almost $580,000. I figured before we got to the budget I would present that to you and let you know,” Jones said. The commissioners signed of...
Shelton has a new deputy mayor Sharon Schirman is the new deputy mayor of Shelton. The Shelton City Council voted to award her the office at its regular meeting May 21. Schirman is the majority owner of ISW PNW in downtown Shelton and was elected to the council in 2022. Schirman replaces Joe Schmit as deputy mayor. Schmit resigned in April. In the election of the deputy mayor, council member George Blush nominated Schirman and Tom Gilmore nominated Miguel Gutierrez. Schirman won with four votes....
Fern Kinsey Jacobson was a high school senior in Grants Pass, Oregon when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The Fawn Lake resident, who turns 100 tomorrow, remembers listening to the radio while President Franklin Roosevelt delivered his "day that will live in infamy" speech and declare war on Japan. "I determined at that time I'd help my country," Jacobson said in an interview with the Journal. Jacobson would have to wait a year before she came of age to join the war effort,...
Airbnb guests find banana thief A couple staying at an Airbnb rental in Union awoke May 13 to find a thief stealing a banana. The suspect later told police he was looking for a house his friend had rented, “but was unable to provide any information about the residence or his friend,” Mason County Sheriff’s Deputy S. Fischer wrote in a probable cause document. Clay McKennell was staying at the rental on state Route 106 when the “unknown subject broke in and took a banana and started going through the bedrooms,” according to the document....
The names of 21 Shelton-area youths who died young will be added to memorials at the trailhead of the City of Shelton's Huff'n'Puff Trail across the street from Shelton High School. Abe Gardner, who led the campaign to create the memorial as his Eagle Scout project 25 years ago, and fellow Shelton Rotary Club member Kristin French gave an update on the student memorial to the Shelton City Council at its regular meeting May 21. The Shelton Rotary Club just signed up for a second year adopting...
Belfair resident Letricia Macomber, 50, died in a single-car crash May 22 on state Route 106 when her Tesla left the road and hit multiple trees and a power box, according to the Washington State Patrol. Macomber was driving west in a red Tesla at 7:30 p.m. near Alderwood Road when she veered off the canal-side of the highway. Macomber’s vehicle caught on fire after the crash and she died at the scene, according to Katherine Weatherwax, State Patrol spokesperson for WSP’s District 8. Detectives will not be investigating because there are no...
Annual Dessert and Silent Auction at Shelton church Mason County Care Net Pregnancy Resource Clinic hosts its annual Dessert and Silent Auction at 6 p.m. Friday at St. Edward Catholic Church, 601 C St., downtown Shelton. Information: 360-427-9171. Mental health fundraising walk in Shelton The goals of National Alliance on Mental Illness’ NAMIWalks Thurston-Mason fundraiser Saturday in Shelton are to promote awareness of mental health and reduce the stigma, raise money for NAMI’s free mental health programs, and to build community and let peo...
"Believe in Bunyan and Babe" is the theme of the 80th annual Mason County Forest Festival, which kicked off with the carnival at the intersection of First and Grove streets in downtown Shelton and concludes with fireworks Saturday night above Oakland Bay Junior High School. The carnival is open from 4 to 9 p.m. today, 4 to 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. The Goldsborough Creek Fun Run/Walk on Saturday morning features a 7-mile walk, a 7-mile run and a 2-mile...
Some of the top logging sport athletes will compete this weekend at the Forest Festival Logging Show at Loop Field. While the competition is no longer a STIHL Timbersports qualifier event, the company still supports the contest and athletes will use results to "build their resume," Branden Sirguy, an organizer and former competitor, told the Journal. The event will have up to 16 men competing in the "Super Six" championship and 12 women in the "Featured 4" championship. The Super Six events are...
County officials say the Stretch Island Bridge is in better shape than a group of island property owners claim. Mason County Public Works deputy director and county engineer Michael Collins told the Herald Stretch Island Bridge is not "structurally deficient" and that term is no longer used in describing structures. "Bridges are rated as Good, Fair, or Poor. Stretch Island Bridge is rated Good," Collins said in an email. The Stretch Island Property Owners wrote a letter lamenting the state of...
Pretty much a typical week for Mary and Sam. Johnnie Pope got married this week. Monday, May 22, 1950 Today was warm and I cleaned house good. Made potato salad to take to White Shrine. Sam washed clothes and now this evening he is mowing the lawn. It surely looks good. Mrs. Rose Mann and Mr. and Mrs. Irish of San Diego came down to see the flowers. Eddie Fischler and Al Orie were down also. Rec'd our pictures of installation so officers can have them Thursday. Wrote quite a few invitations to p...
In the past week, Fire District 12 has lost insurance coverage, been declared a disaster area and saw all three of its commissioners resign. Mason County Administrator Mark Neary said the May 17 disaster declaration was "unprecedented" for a fire district. "I've done a lot of research and I've been unable to find this happening anywhere else," Neary told commissioners. "We are in uncharted territory," he said. Residents of the district, which covers western Mason County, including Matlock and...
Like other cities, Shelton is required every 10 years through the Growth Management Act to create a comprehensive plan that develops a vision for the community. Jae Hill, the city's community and economic development director, talked about the city's evolving comprehensive plan May 16 at a Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Mason County Public Works headquarters. The completed plan is due Dec. 31, 2025. The consulting group working with the city on the plan, SCJ Alliance,...
Lyndsey Sapp, a mother of five studying for a real estate license, on Tuesday evening was sworn in as the new member of the Shelton City Council. The council chose Sapp from four candidates following interviews at a work session May 14 at the Shelton Civic Center. The other candidates were Tiffany Anderson, Kathy McDowell and Dave Pierik. Schmit’s resignation was announced at the April 2 council meeting, giving the city 90 days to find a replacement. The term expires at the end of 2025, so the seat will be up for grabs in the November 2025 elec...
Learn about active threat training Tuesday The Shelton Police Department, the Mason County Sheriff’s Office and the Economic Development Council of Mason County host a free active threat training from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Shelton Civic Center. Information: Tiana Dunbar, 360-426-2276. Annual Dessert and Silent Auction at Shelton church Mason County Care Net Pregnancy Resource Clinic hosts its annual Dessert and Silent Auction at 6 p.m. May 31 at St. Edward Catholic Church, 601 C St., downtown Shelton. Information: 360-427-9171. Support g...
The May 29, 1958, Journal was printed on green paper and featured enthusiastic reports on Forest Festival activities that had taken place the previous weekend. The first story, titled "Forest Festival Draws Huge Crowd from Pacific Northwest," claimed that 25,000 to 40,000 visitors had flocked to Shelton for the festivities. An official traffic count showed more than 55,000 vehicles coming into and leaving Shelton between Friday and Sunday evenings. The Queen's Coronation and Pageant had been...
Goldsborough Creek Fun Run & Walk on June 1 The annual Goldsborough Creek Fun Run and Walk, a Mason County Forest Festival Event, takes place June 1. Day of race registration begins at 6 a.m. at South 2nd Street and West Railroad Avenue. All registered participants must pick up their competitor number 30 minutes before their scheduled event at the registration desk. Bus transport from downtown to the start line at Shelton Valley is provided. Scheduled events include: the 7-mile walk beginning at 7 a.m. The 7-mile run, 2-mile run and walk begin...
Mason County Auditor Steve Duenkel talked about seeking security at the county's 13 ballot drop boxes, encouraged people to observe the election process, and said he believes his position should remain a partisan office Tuesday at a meeting of the League of Women Voters of Mason County in the Olympic College Shelton library meeting room. The League submitted eight questions in advance to Duenkel, who was elected in 2022. He presented his answers in a Powerpoint presentation and then elaborated...
A group of Stretch Island property owners is hoping Mason County Public Works makes replacement of the Stretch Island bridge a priority. The bridge has been declared "structurally deficient" according to the department's 2024 Annual Bridge Report. The bridge is the only way on and off the island and now has a posted load limit. "The Stretch Island Property Owners (SIPO) is in receipt of Mason County's Public Works Department's 2024 Annual Bridge Report. Accordingly, we have formed the SIPO, an...
Monday, May 15, 1950 Today started with Tom K. waking Sam up to go to Port Gamble. Then Joe Buldoc called. Seems the state lost a paper which shows his first 10 years of work, so he came and signed that. Then Sam ate and he and Tom went off in a cloud of dust. So, I cleaned house good, and Skenes came just as I was half done. They stayed just half an hour. So, I ironed and now everything is done. Very cloudy this a.m. but warm now at 2:30. Put away all my gifts and it was quite a task. Then I fo...
Fire District 12 is set to lose its insurance Friday and can’t provide EMS services until new coverage is found, Commissioner Nick Jones told community members Monday at a meeting in the Matlock Grange. Jones said Fire 12’s insurer, VFIS, canceled the policy due to “serious failure” to comply with financial reporting and accounting, among other things. The insurer sent a certified letter to Fire 12 “but no one ever received it. It got returned back to VFIS,” Jones said. Jones then read a portion of the letter. “The reasons for this policy c...
