Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 144
Professional services contract signed Mason County signed a professional services contract with Bridgeview Consulting to update the county’s multijurisdictional hazard mitigation plan. According to the information packet, counties are required to update their hazard mitigation plans every five years to stay compliant with the state and federal emergency management requirements. Current plans are required to access emergency management and disaster funding programs. Bridgeview Consulting will work with county staff and representatives from g...
North Mason, Bremerton issue statement about incident The North Mason and Bremerton school districts issued a joint statement in regard to a Oct. 18 incident following a volleyball match at North Mason High School in Belfair. According to the statement, the incident involving athletes, students and parents violated the standards and expectations of civil conduct. “We believe that actions of a few are not representative of the values of our communities, nor do they define our school districts,” the statement reads. “However, we have the respo...
Sheriff’s Office orders four vehicles The Mason County Sheriff’s Office was approved to place an order for four police interceptor utility vehicles to replace two canceled Interceptor Utility and Tahoe Canine vehicles for the 2023 Sheriff’s Office Motor Pool vehicles. According to the information packet, county commissioners approved the order of three police pursuit vehicles on July 5, which consisted of one police interceptor and two Tahoe Canine vehicles, and one more pursuit vehicle was approved on Oct. 11. Enterprise recently notif...
Pitching machine complex at Sandhill Mason County commissioners approved a pitching machine complex at Sandhill Park in Belfair at the Oct. 25 meeting. According to the information packet, the Belfair Little League constructed batting cages at its own expense, but the snow from last winter collapsed the cages. There are many teams and players using the facility and replacing the batting cages with a similar complex located at Sandhill Park is safe and cost effective. The projected complex is a fully covered structure with a modern...
CMFE promotes Fox to battalion chief Central Mason Fire & EMS promoted lieutenant and paramedic Samantha Fox to battalion chief. According to a news release, Fox joined CMFE in 2011 as a paramedic and firefighter. She is a graduate of South Puget Sound Community College and Tacoma Community College. She began her career in 2002 as a firefighter. In 2021, Fox was promoted to lieutenant and paramedic. In her first three rotations, she commanded five fire events and managed over 100 calls. Fox's...
ARPA money allocations approved Mason County commissioners approved the American Rescue Plan Act money allocations at the Oct. 25 meeting. According to the information packet, the commissioners allocated a total of $6,238,667 to 13 projects from 34 requests sent in for ARPA funding. The projects and dollar allocations are $1,500,000 for the Belfair Sewer extension, $425,000 for Mason County Fiber Optic Infrastructure upgrade, $300,000 for Belfair Water backup generators and $750,000 for PUD 1 Vuecrest storage phase 3. Other projects and dollar...
Dally reappointed to historic commission Mason County commissioners reappointed David Dally for a three-year term to the Mason County Historic Preservation Commission at Tuesday’s meeting. According to the information packet, the seven-member commission identifies and encourages the conservation of Mason County’s historic resources. The commission has one position that expires Nov. 30 and an open seat will expire Nov. 30. The reappointment of Dally fills one of those seats, with another seat empty until filled and the county has received no...
Route 106 closure begins on Monday Drivers who use state Route 106 are asked to plan for extra travel time for trips from Monday to Wednesday for tree removal. According to a state Department of Transportation news release, DOT crews will close a portion of the highway during the three-day period to remove trees above the highway. The closure is planned for 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will close state Route 106 to all travelers between mileposts 5.5 and 5.6. A detour will be set up through East McReavy Road and East Dalby Road. Oversized loads are...
Chamber candidate forum Monday The Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce hosts a candidate forum at 6 p.m. Monday at the Colonial House in Shelton. The chamber is hosting the event along with the Journal and MasonWebTV for candidates to discuss their platforms and answer questions. The event will be in-person and streamed through MasonWebTV. Candidates who have been invited to participate are 35th Legislative District state senator candidates Julianne Gale and Drew MacEwen, 35th District representative Position 1 candidates James DeHart and...
City homeless forum on Tuesday The City of Shelton hosts a “Spotlight Shelton” community forum on homelessness from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Shelton Civic Center. Some of the nonprofit groups that partner with the city will give presentations, and residents can share their thoughts. The city’s homeless task forces’ last scheduled meeting is set for Oct. 11, before the community forum, where it will produce two short-term goals, two intermediate goals and two long-term goals. Those goals will be presented to the city council. City gives O...
Pedestrian dead in Route 3 accident A pedestrian died in a one-car accident on state Route 3 near East Agate Road on Sunday evening. According to a Washington State Patrol news release, Paul B. Taft, 56, of Shelton was struck and killed while sitting in the southbound lane by a 63-year-old Shelton driver. WSP spokesperson Katherine Weatherwax said Taft is suspected of attempting suicide. No charges have been filed against the Shelton driver. The driver and a 58-year-old Shelton female passenger were not injured in the accident. One dead in...
County surplus of old vehicle Mason County commissioners approved declaring a vehicle surplus at the Sept. 27 meeting. According to the information packet, Equipment Rental and Revolving Fund has a 2007 Toyota Prius with 70,000 miles, a 2001 small unit deicer, a 2002 herbicide unit and 1999-2002 Ford F350 Rear End, Ford F150 Cab Guard, a sander and a chip spreader that has now been declared surplus and will be disposed of at public auction. The auction will be through the state Surplus Program at 7511 New Market St., Tumwater. Auction...
City downtown homeless forum Oct. 11 The City of Shelton hosts a “Spotlight Shelton” community forum on homelessness from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 11 in the Shelton Civic Center. Some of the nonprofit groups that partner with the city will give presentations, and residents can share their thoughts. The city’s new task force on homelessness, which includes members of the council, business owners, Mason County Commissioner Sharon Trask and others, met on Tuesday to hear from a Jefferson County commissioner to talk about what’s worked for the county....
Outstanding warrants canceled Mason County commissioners approved the cancellation of outstanding warrants at the Tuesday meeting. According to the information packet, RCW 39.56.040 states “warrants not presented within one year of their issue shall be canceled by passage of a resolution of the governing body of the municipal corporation.” The Treasurer’s Office reviews the county financial records to determine outstanding warrants that have not been presented for payment and creates a list, which is sent to the auditor’s financial service...
Motorcycle rider injured on state Route 106 A 56-year-old Eugene, Oregon, man was injured while riding a motorcycle in a two-vehicle accident on state Route 106 near Belfair on Monday. According to a Washington State Patrol news release, the motorcycle was eastbound when a 76-year-old Belfair man turned left in front of the motorcycle, causing the motorcycle rider to be launched off the bike and land in a ditch. The rider was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center. The Belfair man was cited for...
City downtown homeless forum scheduled for Oct. 11 The City of Shelton has scheduled a community forum on homelessness from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 11 in the Shelton Civic Center. Some of the nonprofit groups that partner with the city will give presentations, and residents can share their thoughts. The city's new task force on homelessness, which includes members of the council, business owners, Mason County Commissioner Sharon Trask and others, met Tuesday to hear from a Jefferson County commissioner...
Garbage truck tips on state Route 3 A garbage truck tipped over due to a flat tire Sept. 12 on state Route 3 in Bremerton. According to a Washington State Patrol report, the garbage truck was driving south and had a flat right-front tire that blew and caused the driver to lose control and tipped on its side. The road was closed at milepost 35 just south of state Route 304 and the road was closed for more than three hours. Recreational burn ban lifted Mason County has lifted the recreational burn...
Visitor information money set to be allocated Mason County commissioners approved the allocation of money to three organizations from 2023 visitor information services funding at Tuesday’s meeting. According to the information packet, the amount allocated was $173,972 by the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee, who met July 20 and recommended how the money should be allocated. The North Mason Chamber of Commerce received $48,712 for 2023, the Mason County Historical Society received $19,137 and the Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce r...
Youth ride free on Mason Transit Mason Transit riders under 18 now can ride for free on all routes, including routes that leave Mason County. According to a news release, everyone rides fare-free within Mason County, but the new policy provides youths with free transit to Bremerton, Olympia and other destinations outside of Mason County. Youths used to pay $1.50 one-way for out of county trips. “The fare change encourages young people to use transit and improves their access to schools, jobs and other resources,” Mason Transit Authority Gen...
The Shelton City Council on Tuesday gave final approval to an application request by two property owners on Peacock Ridge east of Olympic College Shelton to be annexed into the city. On Aug. 16, the council had given gave preliminary approval to accepting the proposed annexation request of two properties totaling 50 acres owned by the Alpine Evergreen Co., and two properties totaling 51.44 acres owned by Terry and Patricia Bence. The council April 5 voted to accept the proposed annexation request of two other properties totaling 280 acres on...
Salal permit sales Sept. 14-15 Permits for commercial-use salal in Olympic National Forest will go on sale Sept. 14 and 15 at the Quilcene, Quinault and Forks offices. According to a news release, Quilcene and Quinault offices will sell permits Sept. 14 and the Forks office will sell permits Sept. 15. Sales begin at 9 a.m. and anyone harvesting salal within the Olympic National Forest for the purpose of selling must carry a commercial use permit while picking. Fifty permits will be offered for $150 from the Quilcene office for harvest areas in...
County to receive USDA money Mason County commissioners approved allocating U.S. Department of Agriculture Secure Rural Schools and Roads money at the Aug. 30 meeting. According to the information packet, the USDA requiries counties to choose an allocation of USDA money from three categories. Title I money is for roads and schools, Title II is for projects on federal lands and Title III is for county projects, depending on the size of the county’s share of money. The allocation was set by Resolution 49-13, which is 80% to Title I, 13% to T...
Pacific marten recorded in Olympic National Forest A Pacific marten was recorded by motion-triggered wildlife cameras, marking the first time it has been recorded by a camera survey in Olympic National Forest. According to a news release, Woodland Park Zoo joined with Olympic National Forest to install six motion-triggered cameras and scent dispenser stations in the forest to try and detect martens, a rare native carnivore thought to be living there in sparse numbers. In July, the survey team...
Transportation panel vote prompts tense exchange Tim Lincoln, Phil Wolff and Don Pogreba were reappointed to the seven-member Transportation Improvement Program Citizen Advisory Panel at Tuesday’s Mason County commissioners meeting. According to the information packet, six members had terms that expired Aug. 1, and all six members submitted applications for another term. Recruitment for new members has not received any other applications and Public Works continues to seek two more volunteers to serve on the panel. Lincoln and Wolff represent Ma...
Heinrich resigns from Union Fire Mason County Fire District 6 commission chair Richard Heinrich has resigned with the intent to retire Aug. 31 at midnight. According to Mason County Fire District 6, he gave his resignation verbally Aug. 16 at the regular commissioner meeting. “Commissioner Richard Heinrich has served the citizens of Mason County for over 40 years as a member of the fire service,” Chief Clint Volk said in an email to the Journal. “Starting as a volunteer firefighter with Mason County Fire District 5, next as a career firef...
