Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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William Williams, who testified in his own defense Oct. 2, said he didn’t go to 710 Cedar in downtown Shelton to shoot Janus Afo. “I had no reason to shoot Janus,” Williams said. “He believed I owed him money because of my girlfriend.” Williams told the jury Afo was a “collector” and an “enforcer” and was trying to collect a debt Kennedy Karpf allegedly owed to Afo’s friend. Williams described what happened in the early hours of Sept. 28, 2023, before he shot and killed Afo. Santana Krise, Afo’s girlfriend who was also there the night of th...
Washington State Patrol Trooper Shaeffer Subcleff started his evening shift Sept. 27 by explaining to the civilian passenger how to use a patrol radio. "In case a suspect tries to fight me or I need help," he said. "Just press down the button and tell dispatch." Subcleff opened the trunk of his WSP vehicle and pointed out the first aid kit, road flares, latex gloves, blood sample vials, fire extinguisher, traffic cones and other equipment inside the multidrawer toolbox. After checking his...
In accordance with WAC 458-12-360 & RCW 84.40.045, the Mason County assessor announces the countywide mailing of our annual Notice of Value on or before Oct. 14. These notices represent value as of Jan. 1, 2024, for taxes payable in 2025, which was based upon 2023 and prior sales data. In accordance with state law, properties must be assessed at 100% of market value; this is based upon sales data of similar homes within your area. Mason County is divided into six geographic areas for...
Port of Hoodsport commissioners sponsored an appreciation event for state legislators, friends of the pier and community members Friday to celebrate receiving funding for the Hoodsport's dock and pier emergency repairs. The port could not have made repairs without the state funds, Commissioner Cody Morris said at the event. "The award of $40,000 covered most of the immediate repairs," he said. The dock and pier were closed to the public at the end of October due to "significant safety...
Firefighters discovered Mistelle Huskey, 49, dead after a residential fire Saturday in the Mountain View neighborhood, according to officials. A neighbor who called in the 6:02 a.m. fire at Washington and East K streets, told dispatch someone lived in the home. Within four minutes, Central Mason Fire & EMS were there with mutual aid resources and crews quickly determined the house was occupied, Central Mason Chief Jeff Snyder told the Journal. "It was a small house with heavy, heavy smoke...
The City of Shelton’s water customer meters are more than 20 years old and have “reached the end of their useful life,” the city states. The city is close to falling out of compliance with the state Department of Health’s regulatory requirements to ensure accurate customer billing for water use and sewage discharge. On Tuesday evening, the Shelton City Council gave preliminary approval to awarding a contract to install already-purchased new meter boxes, lids and transmitters to replace every water meter in the city. With the new system,...
Championship oyster shucking, country and rock bands, children's activities and a tsunami of wine, beer and food offerings are among the draws at the annual OysterFest event from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Port of Shelton's Sanderson Field, one-half mile north of Shelton just west of U.S. Highway 101. The 33 vendors include civic groups, clubs, churches, Scout troops and lodges. Eighteen wineries offer their wares in the Salish Sea Wine Pavilion, with 19 kinds...
Twenty-three names of Shelton youths who died while in grades six through 12 will be recognized at a rededication ceremony from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 18 at the student memorial at the City of Shelton's Huff'n'Puff Trail across the street from Shelton High School. The ceremony will also note the installation of two granite benches. The event will be presented rain or shine. Parking is limited at the Huff'n'Puff trailhead and attendees are invited to park nearby at the Shelton YMCA....
Dean Jewett, who owns Radio Fryer with his wife, Jackie, told Mason County commissioners illegal homeless camping is increasing in Shelton's woods. "I want to talk about the railroad camps," Jewett said at the Sept. 24 regular commission meeting. The camps sprawl on either side of the tracks that wind by Sierra Pacific Industries' lumber mill up behind the Shelton Yacht Club and beyond. Jewett said the county manager told him a 5-gallon bucket of human feces can contaminate 13 acres of...
A private camp once used exclusively by timber workers could become a county park. Mason County commissioners approved a feasibility study at Tuesday's regular meeting for the purchase of Mason Lake Camp from Green Diamond Resource Co. The detailed analysis will "assess the viability of purchasing and operating the property," according to the Request for Qualifications. Commissioner Randy Neatherlin said the county would investigate how to keep the camp, located on Mason Lake at 1052 East Mason...
At a special meeting of the Shelton City Council on Tuesday morning, state Sen. Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton, asked council members and staff to name the city's top two funding priorities as the Legislature's session approaches in January. "Water storage is number one, one-hundred percent," City Manager Mark Ziegler replied. He added, "That's probably one, two and three, to be honest." Public Works Director Jay Harris echoed that thought. "We're going to need bigger tanks to spur development," he sai...
Mason County Fire District 12 Fire Association 7.0 has a few things to celebrate. On Saturday, the association hosted a free barbecue at the Matlock Grange that was "one of the largest events ever held in our community, other than the Old Timers [Fair]," Association President Dave Persell told the Journal, with more than 250 people attending. Then on Tuesday, Mason County commissioners ended the State of Disaster for the district, which had been in effect since May 17. "The disaster is...
The trial for accused murderer William Williams, 41, continued this week with the prosecution calling witnesses. Williams has claimed self-defense in the death of Janus Afo on Sept. 28 in downtown Shelton, according to court filings from Williams’ attorney Justus Kandoll. “The defendant is asserting Self Defense-justifiable homicide and will likely testify to his knowledge about specific acts committed by Mr. Afo that created a reasonable apprehension of danger for Mr. Williams. Several officers are familiar with Mr. Afo and his reputation in...
PUD 1 hopes to partially fund a new substation at Lilliwaup and bury overhead lines at Seal Rock in Brinnon using grants from the state Department of Commerce. Both projects are eligible for up to $3 million each under the Grid Resilience Program. Awards are given to “efforts that generate the greatest community benefit by providing clean, affordable, and reliable energy, and reducing the frequency and duration of power outages,” according to the DOC. The Jorstad substation, planned for Lilliwaup, will let PUD switch power feeds between Hoo...
Don’t expect any skyscrapers sprouting soon in downtown Shelton, but four-and five-story buildings might arise in the near future. The Shelton City Council on Sept. 3 gave preliminary approval to eliminating building height limits in almost all zones in hopes of encouraging affordable and multifamily housing and other development. No one spoke at the public hearing on the proposal. The council can make the move official with a vote at its meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Shelton Civic Center. If it passes, applicable building codes will still r...
Mason County commissioners and Union residents agree that pedestrian safety improvements may be needed along state Route 106 in downtown Union by the Hood Canal Marina. "Continued growth and pedestrian traffic within the community of Union warrants a look at safety improvement options and the installation of low-cost safety solutions. Suggested solutions from the community include: improved signage, a pedestrian actuated Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon, and speed read-out signs," the...
The Shelton City Council on Sept. 3 gave preliminary approval to accepting a $200,000 grant from the state Department of Commerce for construction and design on the city's 2.5-mile crosstown trail. At the same meeting, the council gave preliminary approval to accepting a $275,000 grant from the state Department of Transportation for construction design for phase 2 of the project, from Kneeland Park to the Oakland Bay Marina. Both measures can pass with a vote by the council at its meeting at 6...
The City of Shelton's wastewater treatment plant and water reclamation plant both received the Outstanding Performance Award for 2023 from the state Department of Ecology. The awards were presented to staff members Sept. 3 at the Shelton City Council meeting. A DOE representative told the council the award goes "to plants that have basically had a perfect year, that being there were no violations or anything like that on their permit." Brent Armstrong, the superintendent of public works,...
Mason County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to reports of a “suspicious, unexploded device” in the 1000 block of West Star Lake Drive Aug. 31, Deputy Matt Colbenson told the Journal in an email. Police found the device near the roadway, he said, and it appeared to be a homemade explosive about 3 inches by 4 inches, wrapped in foil, with a partially burned fuse. The Washington State Patrol Bomb Squad safely detonated the device, according to Colbenson. Members of the bomb squad include personnel from the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobac...
The Shelton City Council on Tuesday evening gave preliminary approval to shopping cart ordinances designed to help prevent their theft and abandonment on streets, in the woods and in ravines. The council can make the new laws official with a vote at its Sept. 17 meeting. The laws would go in effect Jan. 1. An estimated 300 shopping carts are stolen from Shelton stores each year. No one spoke Tuesday at the public hearing on the proposal. The proposed requirements would not apply to any business...
About 200 people Friday participated in the ninth annual Mason County Overdose Awareness Walk & Resource Fair that began with a resource fair and speakers at Kneeland Park. The attendees, many carrying photos of loved ones lost to overdose, then marched through downtown Shelton. The Belfair Overdose Awareness Walk & Resource Fair was staged the next day. The events honored the memory of lives lost to overdose and provide hope to people who are struggling....
The Mason County Economic Development Council announces the Port of Shelton has been awarded a $200,000 Industrial Site Readiness Grant by the state Department of Commerce. The grant will fund wastewater engineering studies for the Port of Shelton’s development of Johns Prairie Industrial Park, a 400-acre industrial site northeast of the City of Shelton within the Shelton Urban Growth Area. “Expanding the sewer system at this business park represents more than mere infrastructure development; it symbolizes a catalyst for revitalization. By mov...
Fire District 12 commissioners appointed Nick Jones, who was the only elected member of the previous board, for the position 3 vacancy at the Aug. 28 regular meeting. Commissioner Dave Persell resigned at the Aug. 14 meeting. In May, Fire 12 lost its insurance coverage due to mismanagement, was declared a disaster area by the county and saw commissioners Kelli Walsworth and Cinda Compton, who were appointed by the previously recalled board in 2023, resign along with Jones. “We received a total whopping number of one application for this open p...
Two people suffered injuries in a propane explosion Aug. 22 at the Alderbrook Resort & Spa maintenance building. One person was critically injured and airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and the other person was treated and released by Mason General Hospital, Union Fire Chief Clint Volk told the Journal. “A very large underground propane tank” ignited by static possibly caused the explosion, though that is not confirmed, according to Volk. “The investigation is ongoing for the cause,” Volk said. Union Fire, along with Central...
