Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 144
Commissioners approve Homeland Security Program contract amendment Mason County commissioners approved a contract amendment with a state Homeland Security Program from the Washington State Military Department through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. According to the information packet, Mason County Emergency Management Division is part of Homeland Security Region 3 with Lewis, Thurston, Grays Harbor and Pacific counties. The contract pertains to an annual grant through the Homeland Security region. The grant money is distributed...
Griffey introduces bills on crime, transportation The 2022 legislative session began Jan. 10, and state Rep. Dan Griffey, R-Allyn, has introduced bills to address crime and transportation in the state. According to a news release, Griffey introduced five bills. House Bill 1656 would include concealment under the definition of theft in retail stores. House Bill 1292 would criminalize the act of knowingly providing pornographic and other harmful materials to a minor by anyone 18 or older. If passed, a person who provides harmful material to a...
Mason Health’s Pam Schlauderaff recognized by national organization Mason Health’s Director of Quality, Patient Safety and Regulatory Compliance Pam Schlauderaff was recognized as the community star for the state by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health. According to a news release, the NOSORH honors people throughout the country who make contributions to improve rural health in the U.S. Schlauderaff was nominated by the Office of Rural Health within the state Department of Health. “To me, to even be nominated by the staff...
The Shelton City Council will pursue federal money to improve the safety on some of its most dangerous roads, which include the East Wallace Kneeland Boulevard business corridor and the North 13th Street/Shelton Springs Road intersection. The council Jan. 4 gave preliminary approval to a Road Safety Plan. The council can vote to give the plan final approval at its Tuesday meeting. The city report states that if the council had declined to adopt the plan, the city would have missed out on the...
County responds to tribe’s letter on water rights Mason County commissioners approved a letter in response to the Squaxin Island Tribe’s letter about a Memorandum of Agreement on water rights between the county and tribe signed in February 2019. The Squaxin Island Tribe wrote a letter to the commissioners Dec. 8 addressing the MOA. The tribe summarizes its letter by saying “the county has failed to complete many tasks under the MOA in a timely manner and appears likely to miss upcoming deadlines. Please understand that the tribe may need to in...
On Tuesday evening, four members of the Shelton City Council were sworn in for new terms. Eric Onisko and Joe Schmit are beginning their second four-year terms. Onisko ran unopposed as council member No. 4 in the Nov. 2 general election, while Schmit defeated Tyler "Mad Dog" Elliott to return as member No. 6. Onisko owns two local gas stations and serves on the emergency food and shelter committee, the emergency planning committee, and the Mason County Housing and Behavioral Health Advisory...
6 county residents contract COVID-19 Mason County recorded 141 COVID-19 cases in the past week, according to the Division of Emergency Management. Two people died in the past week, including a woman in her 40s and a man in his 60s. The seven-day case rate per 100,000 people is 175.2 and the 14-day case rate per 100,000 is 300.1. Five people are hospitalized with COVID-19 and the county is 55% fully vaccinated. As of Dec. 20, 82.2% of eligible people in the state have received at least one dose of a vaccine and 75.6% are fully vaccinated....
6 county residents contract COVID-19 Mason County recorded 141 COVID-19 cases in the past week, according to the Division of Emergency Management. Two people died in the past week, including a woman in her 40s and a man in his 60s. The seven-day case rate per 100,000 people is 175.2 and the 14-day case rate per 100,000 is 300.1. Five people are hospitalized with COVID-19 and the county is 55% fully vaccinated. As of Dec. 20, 82.2% of eligible people in the state have received at least one dose of a vaccine and 75.6% are fully vaccinated....
American Rescue Plan Act money items approved The Mason County commissioners authorized County Administrator Mark Neary to use Americans Rescue Plan Act money for two items. According to the information packet, $42,000 will be used for the Lakeland Pump Station and $4,000 will be used for the Washington State Association of Counties 2022 dues. County receives competitive grant from Department of Ecology Mason County commissioners approved the authorization to accept a 2021-23 Shoreline Master Plan competitive grant from the state Department of...
A mountainous landscape line featuring a single tree received the most votes for the City of Shelton’s new logo, but the Shelton City Council has decided to go back to the drawing board. In online voting on the city’s website from Nov. 3 through Dec. 8, residents preferred the logo to two other choices, one that featured a blue heron, another that showed a two-person handsaw. The poll received 626 responses, said Mary Ricker, the city’s communications and government relations specialist. At a Dec. 14 work session dedicated to the new logo, all...
Car drives off state Route 106 into Hood Canal A 76-year-old McCleary man drove off state Route 106 into Hood Canal on Dec. 15. According to a news release, the man was driving east and suffered a medical emergency and drove off the road to the right and struck an embankment. He drove his car back onto the road and crossed the center line and drove off the road to the left, rolling down an embankment and coming to rest in Hood Canal. The man was transported to Mason General and state Route 106 was blocked for an hour and 20 minutes. Democratic...
Commissioners appoint Jaime Taylor as acting coroner Mason County commissioners approved the appointment of Jaime Taylor as acting coroner Jan. 1 until a replacement coroner has been appointed at the Dec. 21 meeting. According to the information packet, former coroner Wes Stockwell belonged to the Democratic party and a letter has been sent to the Democratic party requesting three nominations be submitted for commissioner consideration. The nominations will not be submitted until mid-January. Taylor will be paid at the coroner’s salary b...
After a 16-year career as the Mason County Coroner, Wes Stockwell resigned from his position Nov. 29. Stockwell, 63, worked for the Washington State Patrol for 27 years before being appointed the Coroner in 2005 after coroner Martha Reed died of leukemia. Stockwell ran for office in 2006 unopposed and has ran four times unopposed for the position. He has a Master's degree in Public Administration and a bachelor's degree in public policy. His experience at WSP prepared him for what he would see...
City of Shelton residents can prepare to say goodbye to monthly visits from water meter readers. The city is in the process of exchanging aging Sensus brass water meters, which are read manually monthly by city employees, for new Sensus Imperl meters with radio antennas that transmit water use information to city staff as they drive by. The city last summer approved the purchase of the new water meters and transmitters, and the purchase of new meter boxes and lids this fall. The Shelton City Council on Dec. 7 approved spending $451,815 on...
Mason County records 10 COVID-19 deaths Maso County reported 10 deaths from COVID-19 in the past week, according to Mason County Emergency Management. The deaths were a man and woman in their 50’s, a man and woman in their 60’s, two men and a woman in their 70’s and three men in their 90’s. In a daily update, the county noted that public health is dedicated to providing accurate data on deaths due to COVID and that means that each death is examined to see if it was truly related to COVID or not. Due to the lengthy process, the county is slow...
American Rescue Plan Act money appropriated Mason County commissioners approved County Administrator Mark Neary to use American Rescue Plan Act Money for county purposes at the Dec. 7 meeting. According to the information packet, Mason County received $12,949,242 in grant funding and the county received $6,484,451 on June 25. Neary was approved to allocate the money, including $92,078 for temporary county staff to address COVID, $200,000 for Rustlewood Water Well & Reservoir Electrical Control System, $100,000 for Beards Cove AC Mainline...
Mason County Public Works plans to solicit bids this month for the next phase of the Belfair Sewer project a project that has cost the county millions with a long and tumultuous history that is making progress toward completion. At the Nov. 22 Mason County commissioners meeting, Belfair Sewer project manager Michael Lubovich said during a briefing on the sewer that the project's next phase is a significant milestone. He said the original concept for the project was to find a way to join with...
Mark Neary is excited to be in Mason County and see what the county can accomplish after being hired as the county administrator. Neary was born in Walla Walla and graduated from Oregon State University with a business administration degree with an emphasis in accounting. He moved back to Washington, where he's remained his entire professional career. He began his career working for the state Auditor's office. "It was on the local government side, so it really gave me an opportunity to see the...
Commissioners approve money for Belfair Sewer project Mason County commissioners approved an award of $450,000 a year from the Rural County Sales & Use Tax Fund to be used for the Mason County Belfair Sewer fund for the next two years. According to the information packet, the money will be spent on the Belfair Wastewater Treatment & Water Reclamation Project, specifically phases 1 to 4 of planning and capital infrastructure development. The requests were circulated to the ports, the Economic Development Council and the City of Shelton for...
Christmas tree permits available online and through local vendors Olympic National Forest holiday tree permits are available to purchase online through recreation.gov and in-person at vendors around the peninsula. According to a news release, details about designated cutting areas, dates and types of trees that can be cut will be outlined at recreation.gov. “For every tree that is found, cut and carried home as a holiday fixture, a new story is created,” USDA Forest Service Chief Randy Moore said in a news release. “These stories become the p...
The City of Shelton is moving forward on plans to transform its eastern Civic Center parking lot, including adding a basketball and pickle ball court, benches, garbage cans and landscaping. At its Nov. 16 meeting, the Shelton City Council voted to extend a contract with Transpo Group to complete the design of the project, on West Cota Street between Fourth and Fifth streets. The city also added another $37,480 to the contract. “Our partners will agree this is a well-loved project and something everyone is looking forward to seeing completed,” s...
COVID cases declining in Mason County Mason County recorded 230 COVID-19 cases in the past 13 days and the case rates have dropped in recent weeks. According to the Mason County Emergency Management data, the county has seen four additional deaths in the past 13 days, including women in their 40’s, 60’s and 80’s and a man in his 60’s, bringing the pandemic total to 72. The 14-day case rate per 100,000 is 288 and the seven-day case rate is 108. The county is 53.8% vaccinated. The U.S. authorized COVID booster shots for all adults Nov. 19 and...
The Shelton City Council on Nov. 16 approved a new art exhibit for display from Nov. 30 through Feb. 28 at the Rotating Art Gallery in the Shelton Civic Center. The council followed the recommendation of its Shelton Arts Commission to exhibit wood creations by Steve Charles, acrylics on canvas by Fen Hsu, works in acrylic dustman pour by Heather Rosborough, and photography by Deborah Chava Singer....
Miguel Gutierrez holds a five-vote lead over George W. Blush for a seat on the Shelton City Council following the final Nov. 2 general election ballot count released on Monday, triggering a recount by the Mason County Auditor’s Office. Gutierrez had 728 votes for 49.59% and Blush 723 votes for 49.25% in their race for a four-year seat as council member No. 7. Write-in candidates had received 17 votes. The results released on Nov. 4 had Gutierrez with a three-vote lead. A couple weeks ago, Mason County Auditor Paddy McGuire told the Journal t...
County awarded Public Services community development block grant Mason County commissioners signed a sub-recipient agreement with Community Action Council of Lewis, Mason and Thurston counties at the Nov. 8 commissioner’s meeting. According to the information packet, the county was awarded a public services community block development grant through the state Department of Commerce, and it will allow the county to provide referrals or direct client services to eligible participants through the partnership with Community Action Council. The contr...
