Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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Yesteryear Car Club The Yesteryear Car Club is offering a scholarship to any Mason County high school senior graduating in 2024 who plans to pursue a vocational/technical school education in automotive trades. May 1 is the deadline to apply. Selection will not be based on grade point average. Applicants are required to write a statement about themselves, their choice of vocation or trade, activities in school and the community, volunteer work, hobbies, work experience and plans. They must also include two letters of recommendations, and the...
Editor’s note: The Journal does not identify minor victims of sexual crimes or their families. The parents of a 5-year-old kindergartner have sued North Mason School District after video footage showed the child being “sexually and physically abused” by a fifth grade student during a bus ride home, according to the complaint filed April 1 in Mason County Superior Court. The complaint states the child has developmental and speech delays and attended kindergarten in the North Mason School District. The district provided door-to-door trans...
Mason County Chief Public Defender Peter Jones told commissioners his office is about to be “hit by a train” thanks to updated Washington State Bar standards that “drastically” change attorney caseloads, which will affect how the county prosecutes and defends criminal cases. At a March 24 briefing, Jones requested commissioners immediately form a committee to study the problem and begin implementing changes to the county’s criminal justice system. “I think we need to start putting together a committee right now that figures out how to minimize...
Evergreen Elementary and Shelton High School students will soon have a safer path walking and biking to school. Crews on March 27 began construction on three Safe to School projects. The city is creating crosswalks and other improvements on Shelton Springs Road at Shelton High School and the Huff'n'Puff Trail; Seventh and Franklin streets, across the street from Evergreen Elementary School; and two blocks away near Safeway, at Ninth and Franklin streets. Construction is expected to continue...
Shelton Deputy Mayor Joe Schmit announced he is resigning from the Shelton City Council. His resignation was announced Tuesday evening at the council’s regular meeting. Schmit did not attend the meeting. Shelton Mayor Eric Onisko told the Journal the city has 90 days to pick a replacement for Schmit. Schmit did not give a reason for his resignation, Onikso said. The city is accepting applications for the position. Schmit’s term expires Dec. 31, 2025, so the seat will up for grabs in the November 2025 election. Schmit did not immediately res...
Better water pressure and storage in the Angleside area is on its way after the Shelton City Council on Tuesday accepted a $1.8 million grant from the state Department of Commerce. The council voted to give preliminary approval at its March 19 meeting. The money will be used to design and construct water infrastructure improvements in the Angleside pressure zone. According to the city report, the city last year became aware of some potential deficiencies in water pressure and storage issues...
The new Marmo Caffé & Gallery at 217 W. Cota St. in downtown Shelton offers an eclectic mix of visual arts, books, coffee, jewelry, baked goods and performances. The business drew a large crowd for a ribbon-cutting ceremony March 28 hosted by the Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce. The current exhibition, "New Seasons Fantasy," is on display through May 4. The group exhibition features works by Greg Bartol and Carol Orr, Carrie Brennan, Maria Bressler, Arrington Dionyso, Lauren Kim,...
A Port Orchard man has been arrested for stealing a car in Mason County and leading deputies on a high-speed chase down state Route 106. Joseph Hubbard, 22, of Port Orchard, was arrested on felony charges of eluding police and possession of a stolen vehicle March 26. A Mason County Transit employee called MACECOM on March 11 to report a man trying to break into parked cars at Northeast Log Yard Road in Belfair, according to a Mason County Sheriff incident report. While the caller was on the phone, he said the suspect had entered a gray Nissan...
A Seattle attorney suing Mason County District Court and Judge George Steele for appointing him to defend a local man charged with DUI wants the suit to proceed even though he’s been removed as the man’s counsel. Jonathan Lewis, who has a legal practice in Seattle, filed a writ of mandamus in Mason County Superior Court on Feb. 27. The writ is used when government officials have allegedly taken a legally prohibited action. Lewis says Steele improperly appointed him to defend Martin Andres Alonzo, who is being charged with DUI for the third tim...
The Shelton School Board on Tuesday evening accepted the resignation of Mark Smith, the Shelton High School head football coach, who is also the district’s K-8 athletic and activities director. Smith, a 1987 Shelton High School graduate, coached the team for four seasons. His resignation was effective March 13. Smith did not immediately reply to a request for comments from the Journal. The Shelton School District is investigating the injuries that five Shelton High School students sustained Jan. 31 during a weight training class. Smith and a...
Union property owner Philip Bayley is challenging $250,000 in fines and $33,492 in mitigation fees assessed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for an illegal bulkhead. Bayley told the Journal the EPA’s news release about the judgment is “slanderous” because he still has motions before U.S. District Judge David Estudillo, who ruled on the case. The EPA sued Bayley, his mother, Joan, and their business Big D’s Beach Cabin LLC in 2020 for Clean Water Act violations related to a bulkhead that he says had all required permits. “Althou...
Fire District 12 Commissioner Nick Jones requested at the March 19 commission meeting that any “members or commissioners” in the district who are under investigation be immediately suspended until the inquiry is complete. Fire 12 covers western Mason County, including Matlock and some areas of eastern Grays Harbor County. “It was stated at the last meeting by Mason County Sheriff’s Office that members of the district are under investigation. We should work with the sheriff’s office to determine the names of the members or commissio...
Tom Beben, owner the High Steel Beer Co. in downtown Shelton, this week announced he will seek a seat on the Mason County Commission. Commissioner Kevin Shutty last month announced he will not seek another term in the fall representing District 2. Richard Beckman, owner of Richard Beckman Realty Group in downtown Shelton, has also announced he is running for the seat as a Republican. Commissioner Randy Neatherlin hasn't responded to the Journal's inquiries about whether he's tossing his hat...
The City of Shelton last week made a move to help preserve its past. The Shelton City Council assured the Mason County Historical Society it will help the nonprofit group pursue a state historical grant to add storage space to its museum at 427 W. Railroad Ave. The structure was first the city hall, then the city library, and it's owned by the city. "It's a perfect location, I think, for the museum," Liz Arbaugh, the group's executive director, told the Shelton City Council at its March 19 meeti...
Shelton and Skookum Rotary clubs April 5 is the deadline to apply for scholarships from the Shelton and Skookum Rotary clubs. Scholarships are available in the categories of academic education, continuing education and vocational/trades education. The Robert Burns scholarship is awarded to applicants going into the performing arts, the Janis Byrd scholarship for business art, the Mary Penny scholarship for the medical arts and the Bryson Finlay scholarship for the computer arts. The scholarship amounts range from $1,500 to $3,000. Information,...
Mason County resident Scott Gordon says he dropped off his March 12 presidential primary ballot at the Belfair post office drive-thru mailbox in February and was “shocked” to see it wasn’t counted. Gordon contacted the Journal after he checked on his ballot through the Mason County elections website. If you are a registered Washington voter, you can sign in and learn when your ballot was mailed, when it was received by Mason County and when it was accepted. “With all this talk about mail-in voting I decided to check on my ballot through...
The 2024 legislative session ended with passage of budgets that bring in millions for Mason County and the 35th District. The state Legislature passed supplemental capital, operating and transportation budgets March 7 that include $16 million for local projects. "The millions we were able to get in this capital budget will make a significant difference in our community. I am proud to be a member of this 35th District team and what we have been able to accomplish together," state Sen. Drew...
People making public comments at a Shelton School Board meeting will no longer be verbally warned specifically not to defame anyone or to illegally invade someone’s privacy. A cover letter for the meeting agenda still cautions speakers not to be “libelous or slanderous under a legal standard.” The Shelton School Board on March 11 voted unanimously to change the language regarding public comments at the meeting, which are read aloud by Board Chair Matt Welander before speakers have three minutes to comment. The following sentence was elimi...
Parents of a 4-month-old girl have been arrested for manslaughter after the infant was found unresponsive and could not be revived at the couple’s home in Shelton on March 6. Stevie Kadoun, 30, the child’s mother, was arrested at the scene. The father, Damion Giacchino, 31, fled, according to police, and was apprehended March 14. According to the probable cause document, Kadoun called 911 to report her child wasn’t breathing and her husband was attempting CPR. “I recalled going to this address several times in the past. I knew the property to b...
Drivers know they’re in for a bumpy ride on Olympic Highway North in Shelton. A smoother road is closer to reality after the Shelton City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to accept a $3.7-million state grant to reconstruct the highway between C Street to Wallace Kneeland Boulevard. The council can make the grant acceptance official with a vote at its April 2 meeting. Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2025. The city plans to pay for it with the $3,688,752 state Transportation Improvement Grant, a previous safety i...
Library deck improvements move ahead The Shelton City Council on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to accepting a $67,000 state grant to improve the deck at the Shelton Timberland Library. The council can make the move official with a vote at its April 2 meeting. According to the city report, the city in April 2022 applied for a state Department of Commerce Library Capital Improvement Program grant. The city asked for $70,000 for the deck project and received $67,900. The city has budgeted...
Shelton and Skookum Rotary clubs April 5 is the deadline to apply for scholarships from the Shelton and Skookum Rotary clubs. Scholarships are available in the categories of academic education, continuing education and vocational/trades education. The Robert Burns scholarship is awarded to applicants going into the performing arts, the Janis Byrd scholarship for business art, the Mary Penny scholarship for the medical arts and the Bryson Finlay scholarship for the computer arts. The scholarship amounts range from $1,500 to $3,000. Information:...
Local animal shelters at capacity The Shelton Animal Shelter announced March 7 it was at capacity and no longer accepting strays or surrendered pets. A technician working at the shelter, who did not wish to be identified, said it was unusual to have so many pets at the facility and the shelter doesn’t know when it will be able to accept new animals. “I’ve never seen it this crowded,” the employee told the Journal. Adoptable pets from the Shelton facility are available on Petfinder.com. People who have safety concerns about animals can call 91...
Two Shelton High School female students claim the school allowed a guidance counselor to “systematically groom and sexually prey” on them, according to a complaint originally filed March 6 in Mason County Superior Court and withdrawn March 8 due to a captioning error. Lesley O’Neill, one of the attorneys representing the defendants, told the Journal on Monday her firm, Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala in Seattle, plans to refile the complaint as soon as possible. The girls and their parents are identified by their initials in the complaint. The J...
Two Union family members and their business must pay $250,000 in fines and $33,492 for mitigation after their illegal bulkhead caused the death of Chinook salmon. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced in January that Joan and Phillip Bayley, mother and son, and their business Big D’s Beach Cabin LLC would pay penalties for killing the endangered fish. The EPA sued the Bayleys and the LLC, which is on the Hood Canal in Union, in 2020 for Clean Water Act violations. Philip Bayley planned to build a bulkhead and a house 10 feet l...
