Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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Public defense attorneys get raise Mason County commissioners approved a pay raise for public defense attorneys at their Jan. 30 meeting. Attorneys providing indigent defense for misdemeanors, heard in district court, will get a pay raise from $75 an hour to $100 an hour. Attorneys providing indigent defense for felonies, heard in superior court, will see their pay increase from $100 an hour to $125 an hour. Hourly indigent defense investigators will now make $75 an hour. Chief Public Defender Peter Jones thanked the commissioners at a...
Soup & Song benefit helps families in need The Shelton-based nonprofit Love INC hosts its annual Soup & Song benefit concert at 4 p.m. Saturday at Shelton Presbyterian Church, 1430 E. Shelton Springs Road, Shelton. Tickets are $20 and are available at the Love INC office at 109 Second St., downtown Shelton, or by calling the office at 360-462-5683. Gabe Sartori and his family will perform worship music. Local harpists Emily Hageman and her daughter Ellen will also perform. The event includes seven homemade soups, a live auction of dozens of...
On Feb. 1974, two armed men who had robbed a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Bremerton were thought to be on their way to Shelton. Their getaway car was stopped in Belfair about 8 p.m., and a young woman, the only occupant, was taken into custody. Twenty-three law officers from the Mason and Kitsap County sheriff departments, the Bremerton Police Department, and two detachments of the Washington State Patrol were involved in searching for the suspects. Roadblocks were set up in the area,...
The day after Christmas, a large white truck bearing the initials ETS pulled up next to the Community Lifeline homeless shelter in downtown Shelton. Ever since, residents with homes or without have been treated for opioid use disorders inside the truck six mornings a week. The nonprofit Evergreen Treatment Services, funded by a grant from the Health Care Authority, states that it "aims to minimize barriers to accessing substance use treatment by meeting patients where they are." Established in...
Adams Street car fire Central Mason Fire & EMS crews fought a car fire on Adams Street in Shelton Monday morning. The call was reported about 10:15 a.m. and fire crews arrived in minutes to find a passenger vehicle in the alley between Adams Street and Olympic Highway North on fire. Crews quickly extinguished the blaze. The driver of the vehicle was evaluated at the scene for minor burns and transported to Mason General Hospital for further evaluation and care. The cause of the fire is under...
Port of Allyn Commissioner Ted Jackson has resigned, the remaining port commissioners said at a special meeting Jan. 23. Commissioner Judy Scott read Jackson’s terse resignation letter at the meeting. “Please accept this as my resignation letter as Port of Allyn Commissioner District. I have returned the Port of Allyn computer, cellphone, office key, and credit card to Travis Merrill. I have also provided Travis Merrill with the computer and cell phone passwords. Sincerely, Ted Jackson,” the letter said. The port has seen recent upheaval with t...
The City of Shelton is considering creating a 2.5-mile paved path that connects the Shelton Marina to Kneeland Park to the city's western boundary on Railroad Avenue. Jae Hill, the city's community and economic development director, gave a presentation on the proposal to members of the Shelton City Council on Tuesday evening at a study session at the Shelton Civic Center. In his report, Hill said "desired amenities" in preliminary concept plans envision a 12-foot-wide paved path separated from...
On the Feb. 13 ballot, voters in the Grapeview School District are being asked to replace an expiring educational programs levy that would tax property owners 63 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, the same as the levy that is expiring. If passed, the levy would collect $946,724 in 2025, $990,095 in 2026, $1.024.570 in 2027 and $1.042,216 in 2028. The Grapeview levy is one of five education funding measures on the Feb. 13 ballot. Voters in the Mary M. Knight School District are also...
The Port of Hoodsport dock adjacent to Ingvald J. Gronvold Park on U.S. 101 in Hoodsport could be open by May if approved repairs are promptly completed, Commissioner Lori Kincannon told the Journal in an email. Port commissioners signed off on the work at the Jan. 17 meeting after receiving a favorable bid from Marine Floats in Tacoma. "We are hoping that permits can be received and that repairs can be made quickly so that the dock can be re-opened before the upcoming shrimping season in May,"...
Coroner needs space in Belfair Commissioners approved Mason County Coroner Jaime Taylor’s request for $45,875.02 for additional equipment, including a cooler, storage racks and a lift, at the Jan. 22 meeting with department heads. Taylor also asked for an additional cooler space in Belfair. “We have a lot of calls up there,” she said. Belfair is about 40 minutes from the Shelton office and Taylor said it would be “fantastic” to have a permanent storage space in the north end of the county. Commissioners discussed whether the additiona...
Flagging, computer courses at OC Shelton Olympic College Shelton is offering a course on understanding your personal technology from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays Feb. 6-29, and a course on flagging from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 8. For information, call 360-432-5400 or go to www.olympic.edu/academics/continuing-education. Dental exams offered at Shelton schools The Shelton School District has joined with Big Smiles to offer dental care at schools. Dental exams can be scheduled by filling out and returning paper forms sent home by...
A citizen initiative aimed at Washington cities could soon be required to block off zones near public transit for multifamily housing, if new regulations are approved by the Legislature. Some regulation is necessary, backers say, if cities want to provide affordable housing and make it easy for people to get to work. "I ran for office because of the enormous challenges that people of my generation, people in their 30s and 40s, face in finding a home in this state," Rep. Julia Reed, D-Seattle,...
Some fear artificial intelligence might open a chapter to a dystopian future. Others say the progress it promises is unlimited. To find a balance among those concerns, Washington state is considering launching a task force to determine how it can best promote the most beneficial uses while mitigating potential problems. Sen. Joe Nguyen, D-White Center, has introduced SB 5838 that would establish the task force. The bill has 17 Democratic and two Republican co-sponsors and the support of Attorney General Bob Ferguson. “The Legislature is set u...
Woody Guthrie subject of Northwest lecture Sunday on Harstine Island Olympia actor/teacher/musician/historian Joel Underwood brings the singer and the times to life with "That Ribbon of Highway: Woody Guthrie in the Pacific Northwest" at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Harstine Island Community Hall, 3371 E. Harstine Island Road North. The Harstine Island Community Club, in association with Humanities Washington, hosts the Inquiring Minds series. Admission is free. To get to the hall, turn left off the...
In 2022, fire killed 81 civilians in Washington, according to the most recent figures from the state Fire Marshal’s Office. More than 30,733 fire incidents resulting in $330 million in property damage happened that year. Most of these events are preventable, state officials say, by taking steps such as installing multiple smoke detectors, having fire extinguishers handy and having an escape route. Rural Mason County residents may face additional challenges with fires, including increased response times, limited driveway access and lack of a...
North Mason School Board members met the Sasquatch on Jan. 22. James A. Taylor High School's new mascot made its debut at the monthly board meeting. "I think it looks strong right before it gets scary," District 2 Director Leanna Krotzer said. The logo features a stern bigfoot face popping out of evergreen trees and holding "JTHS" with its claws. Superintendent Dana Rosenbach said staff used artificial intelligence to design the logo so that it's "totally original" and students approved it. "I...
Wet, cold and snowy. Mary and Sam had to drive with chains. Sam has too much alcohol while hanging out in Belfair. Mary hates that! Sunday, Jan. 15, 1950 Today it warmed up some so the water runs in the cabin bath and on our back porch. Last night we hung up the clothes so today I ironed all the handkerchiefs, made applesauce and dusted the house. The snow is still coming down. Sam went to Belfair, so our road is clear. Nichols poison oak is bad again so I called Newkirk for him saying he could...
The Evergreen State College hopes to offer free tuition through a new program for Shelton High School graduates starting with the Class of 2025, according to a presentation Evergreen President John Carmichael and Director of Government Relations Sandy Kaiser gave Mason County commissioners Jan. 8. Carmichael said the college is seeking legislative funding. Evergreen is asking for $285,000 to fund the program’s first year and estimates the total for four years will be $3.5 million. “If we get that legislative funding we would first make tha...
Replacing brass water meters with an advanced drive-by system that eliminates monthly manual meter readings and reconstructing an aging water line from Well 1 to the high school water tank are among the City of Shelton's biggest capital projects this year. Public Works Director Jay Harris and Capital Projects Manager Aaron Nix gave the members of the Shelton City Council updates on those projects Jan. 9 at a work session in the Shelton Civic Center. City officials, including Mayor Eric Onisko, a...
Editor’s Note: A story in the Jan. 11 issue of local legislators and the current session stated that the Journal did not receive questionnaire responses from Rep. Dan Griffey, and his responses came after the Journal went to press. Here they are: 1. Are you introducing any bills? We want to do something right and real about sexually violent predators (SVPs) that are being released into our communities with virtually no notice to less restrictive alternatives (LRAs) that in many cases are not operated by or overseen by the state. These are j...
Matt Welander is the new chairman of the Shelton School Board. The Shelton School Board at its Jan. 9 meeting voted 4-1 to appoint Welander, who had been serving as vice chair. Board member Becky Cronquist cast the dissenting vote without comment. Welander was elected to the school board in 2021 and represents District 3. He is a firefighter/paramedic with the West Mason Fire Department. He replaces Keri Davidson, who was elected unanimously by the board as vice chair. Davidson talked about the role of the board chair before the election of...
