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 1007
Monday's blustery weather met power lines in a head-to-head match. Numerous outages occurred throughout the day, but most customers in PUD1 had power back by the afternoon, according to General Manager Kristin Masteller. "These were all small tree and limb related outages due to the high winds today. All relatively quick fixes," she told the Journal in an email. Crews made repairs from Brinnon to Union, she said, logging driving hours between Bee Mill, Finch Creek, Galloway/Point Whitney and...
Mason County Public Health is monitoring a Halloween “trick” that could potentially sicken children with salmonella. The Panhandle Lake 4-H Camp Kids Haunted Halloween event Oct. 26 provided candy treats, but an individual at one cabin also gave away real chicken feet as a trick, according to MCPH. Many participants thought the chicken feet were rubber “so extensive handling by some of the recipients did take place,” MCPH said in a statement. No illnesses have been reported as of Oct. 28, according to the county. “The chicken feet were purc...
The body of 24-year-old Haley Benjamin, of Elma, was recovered Oct. 29 by Thurston County Sheriff's Office Dive Rescue Team. Benjamin fell through a decommissioned train trestle near Kelley Road in the Schafer Grade area near Matlock while hunting Oct. 25. A police drone located Benjamin, who was deceased, but the steep terrain was inaccessible that night and by the next morning, her body had been swept away by the rising river. "Over the last four days several agencies assisted in the search...
An Elma woman hunting Friday in the Matlock area fell through an old train trestle, plunging 100 to 150 feet and dying on impact with the riverbank, according to the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office. An Aberdeen Police Department officer used a drone in steep terrain to locate the victim, 24-year-old Haley Benjamin, and determined she was dead. She fell from a decommissioned train trestle near Kelley Road in the Schafer Grade area, according to the Mason County Sheriff’s Office. Fire 12 in Matlock got the original call, Chief Mike Brown told the...
The Youth Connection has submitted building permits to the City of Shelton to remodel its two-story building at 2nd and Cota streets that will include 12 apartments upstairs for homeless youths ages 18-24. The almost $7 million project is projected to be completed by the end of 2025, with an opening in January 2026. If the building permits are approved, Youth Connection will then put the project out for constriction bids, said Susan Kirchoff, executive director of the nonprofit organization. The upper floor of the building is now mostly empty....
The Mason County Planning Advisory Commission staff presented another draft for short-term rental regulations, including a permit requirement and mandatory management plan that includes rules of conduct for guests, according to a public hearing Oct. 21. Mason County commissioners directed the PAC to come up with rules for short-term rentals to address residents’ concerns about overuse of septic systems, beach trespassing and harvesting, and noise complaints, according to the county. The PAC solicited public comments and hosted several workshops...
A Union woman was arrested Oct. 18 on 15 counts of animal cruelty after deputies performed a welfare check and discovered numerous animals, including dogs, cats, sheep, goats and horses living in deplorable conditions, according to a Mason County Sheriff’s Office probable cause document. Jenny King, 63, said the animals belonged to her and “stated nothing was wrong with her dogs and failed to acknowledge the animals’ condition,” MCSO Detective Drogmund wrote in the document. King was allegedly caring for homeowner Brian Cook. Cook’s friend ca...
Olympic Highway North, last repaired in the 1990s, is "shattered," says City of Shelton Public Works Director Jay Harris. At an Oct. 22 study session devoted to city's pavement preservation program, Harris told the Shelton City Council, "You can tell about every 20 feet you hit a crack, another crack, another crack, every 20 feet or so you go ka-thump, ka-thump, ka-thump, when you're going down the road, there's what's called the old market road is laying under there." He added, "We can't let...
Mason County Sheriff Ryan Spurling filled in new Matlock Fire 12 commissioners on the FBI’s investigation into alleged fraud committed by the former administration, saying the inquiry is proceeding. “I can tell you that I’m satisfied that they’re still moving forward,” Spurling said at Fire 12’s Oct. 14 meeting. “Last week I called the supervisor of the FBI agent who’s involved in the investigation,” Spurling said. “They asked me not to divulge anything right now because it may compromise some of the investigation,” he said. While much of w...
A man allegedly caught on video surveillance leaving his neighbor’s home holding a gun shortly before the neighbor was found shot to death faces trial this week. Jury selection and trial proceeding started Tuesday for Shelton resident Jerry Upson, charged with first-degree murder and first-degree unlawful firearm possession in connection with the death of Kenneth D. Simmons. Upson was seen on surveillance video with a handgun entering and leaving the victim’s home numerous times Oct. 27, 2023, according to the probable cause document filed by...
All are welcome when New Horizon Communities and South Sound Solar hosts a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of the Shelton Veterans Village solar project from 11 a.m. to noon Oct. 30 at 2471 N. 13th St. in Shelton. Construction of the solar array on Shelton Veterans Village’s 30 tiny homes and community center was completed in September. A reception will follow the ribbon cutting. The Shelton Veterans Village has 156 solar panels, 102 of them on the tiny houses and 54 on the community center. South Sound Solar designed and i...
MACECOM, the county's 911 center, plans to move from the Shelton Civic Center to a Port of Shelton location and is finalizing a lease agreement, according to MACECOM Executive Director Joe Schmit. The move was also announced at the Oct. 15 Port of Shelton commission meeting. "We are working on lease negotiations with MACECOM," Port of Shelton Executive Director Wendy Smith announced at the meeting. "We're just thrilled," she said. The office building is 5,000 square feet on West Rose Nye Way in...
Second-half property tax payments for 2024 are due on or before Oct. 31, according to a news release from Mason County Treasurer Lisa Frazier. Payments can be made at the Treasurer’s office at 411 N 5th St., Bldg. 1 (2nd Floor) in the office between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. or at the drive-up payment drop box in the alley. For those mailing in their payment, payments must be postmarked no later than Oct. 31 to be considered on time and avoid interest charges. Postmarks and delivery can be delayed when using USPS to mail payment(s), so mail early. D...
The Mason County Sheriff's Office and Mason County Regional Swat Team arrested two burglary suspects Oct. 8 with the help of K9 Kylo, according to a MCSO news release. The bust took place on Northeast Dewatto Hills Road in Tahuya where police recovered nearly 20 firearms with 15,000 rounds of ammunition, two stolen commercial work trailers and Mason County Public Works traffic signs, the release said. A third suspect on the property escaped into the woods and was arrested Oct. 10, according to...
A woman has sued a nonprofit housing provider, the City of Shelton and four police officers for wrongly evicting her from a subsidized apartment in downtown Shelton. Michelle Engles, 62, claims Crossroads Housing and the Shelton Police Department violated the Residential Landlord Tenant Act by removing her from a one-bedroom transitional unit on Cota Street that Crossroads supplied, according to a federal complaint filed on Oct. 2. “Crossroads and Ms. Engles entered into a rental agreement under which Ms. Engles agreed to pay monthly rent, j...
Southside School District Superintendent Paul Wieneke is asking Mason County for help with Collier Road. Wieneke’s request was discussed at Monday’s Mason County commission briefing. “Southside School District has requested that you resend us your Right of Way Engineer for another feasibility discussion about the following Collier Road safe solutions: ■ Widening the west side of Collier Rd. to include a right turn lane (southeast to Arcadia Rd.), ■ Install flashing yellow warning lights at the intersection of Arcadia Rd/Collier/Binns Swiger, a...
On Tuesday evening, the Shelton City Council awarded a $947,571 contract to Keystone Utility Systems to install already-purchased new meter boxes, lids and transmitters to replace every water meter in the city. With the new system, employees will no longer be physically reading the meters at the sites but collecting the numbers with transmitters. 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 De...
Shelton moves on tourism grants The Shelton City Council on Tuesday evening gave preliminary approval to awarding $97,000 in tourism grant requests to local organizations for 2025. The grant awards can be finalized with a vote at the council's meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Shelton Civic Center. The money comes from taxes collected from motels in the city. The city's Local Lodging Tax Advisory Committee met Sept. 18 to review the tourism grant applications, with local groups requesting...
The Shelton-Mason County Journal won 33 awards, including nine first-place prizes, at the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association’s 2024 Better Newspaper Contest. Staff members received their awards at the 137th annual convention Oct. 5 at the Indian Summer Golf & Country Club in Olympia. The entries were judged by members of the Arizona Media Association. Fifty Washington newspapers sent entries. “Over the last four years, our paper has received more than 100 awards from WNPA,” Journal Publisher John Lester wrote in a statement. “Our reade...
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...
