Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Sorted by date Results 476 - 500 of 1010
The state Auditor’s Office released an accountability audit of the Housing Authority of Mason County, finding problems in the organization and offering recommendations on how to fix them. The accountability audit was released May 25, and examines the Housing Authority from Oct. 1, 2016, to Sept. 30, 2021. In the areas examined, the audit states the Housing Authority operations did not comply in all material respects with state laws, regulations or its own policies. The Housing Authority also d...
Shelton customer hours change The second-floor customer service desk at the Shelton Civic Center has new and reduced operation hours that began Saturday. According to a news release, customer service will be open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays with appointment only availability 1 to 4:30 p.m. With the change in hours, customers will experience longer wait times. The new customer services operating hours will not affect police or municipal court. Death on Route 3 A one-car accident resulted in the...
Two county roads to be closed for bridge repairs Mason County commissioners approved Public Works closure of roads for two upcoming projects on Cloquallum Road and North Shore Road. According to the information packet, the Rock Creek Bridge Repair Project at milepost 5.85 will force the closure of Cloquallum Road from 7 a.m. Aug. 7 to 4 p.m. Aug. 11. The detour around the project will start at Highland Road and Schaefer Park Road. The Little Shoefly Culvert Replacement Project at milepost 8.18...
Former Shelton High School counselor Samuel Martin Caffey, 30, was denied a reduction in bail at a hearing June 21 in Mason County Superior Court. Caffey was arrested June 2 on charges of third-degree rape of a child, third-degree child molestation and distribution of a controlled substance to a minor. Judge Daniel Goodell presided over the hearing. Caffey’s lawyer, Joshua Bruner, argued to the court that Caffey’s family could not afford the $300,000 bail, but could afford $100,000 bail to get...
Mason County Fire District 12 in Matlock received community pushback after the release of a report on the results of an internal investigation and the appointment of Cinda Compton to the commission. During community comments at the Fire 12 regular meeting June 20, some residents spoke up against the findings of the investigation. “It appeared to me that it was more of a prosecution defense report, not really an investigation,” a resident said during the meeting. “I didn’t see any benefit...
City Council candidates debate at forum Mary Eagleson, Tristen Smith and George Blush, who are vying for a position on the Shelton City Council, took part in a candidate forum at the Shelton Civic Center on Monday. The forum, sponsored by the Mason County Republican Party, was moderated by Jeff Slakey. It can be viewed on www.MasonWebTV.com. The candidates answered prepared questions, as well as questions from the audience, on a range of topics including taxes, homelessness, business...
State Corrections housing contract renewed Mason County commissioners approved the state Department of Corrections contract renewal through 2025 at its June 20 meeting. According to the information packet, the current contract was set to expire Friday. The contract is a standardized state contract for prisoner housing, and the Mason County Sheriff’s Office has not housed state prisoners for years due to booking restrictions based on a lack of beds. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic a...
The Shelton City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to remove the "interim" title from Mark Ziegler and appoint him city manager. After meeting in an executive session following its regular meeting, the council reconvened and voted unanimously for the appointment of Ziegler, a Shelton native who has worked for the city for 29 years. Mayor Eric Onisko and Deputy Mayor Joe Schmit will now negotiate a contract with Ziegler. Ziegler was named interim manager three months ago following the...
Samuel Martin Caffey pleaded not guilty to three charges at his arraignment hearing Tuesday in Mason County Superior Court. Caffey's lawyer asked Superior Court Judge Daniel Goodell if he would entertain an argument on bail reduction at the arraignment and a motion to reduce bail was heard Wednesday after the Journal's print deadline. The former Shelton High School freshmen counselor's omnibus hearing is scheduled for July 3, the pretrial hearing July 24, the trial term will begin Aug. 1 and...
Shelton Police Chief Carole Beason will retire in November. In an email to the Journal, Mary Ricker, the city’s communications specialist, said Beason had given the city notice of her retirement, effective Nov. 2. The city had not yet decided on a recruitment process to replace her, she said. Beason was hired in November 2020 to replace the retiring Darrin Moody and started the job in January 2021. The other two finalists for the position were Ronald Schaub, a lieutenant with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, and Ton Phan, former deputy pol...
After multiple delays, Fire District 12 commissioners have released a report on the results of an internal investigation. The investigation, posted last week on the district’s website, was conducted in response to an accountability audit and fraud investigation reports released by the state Auditor’s Office in September 2022. Attorney Thomas G. Burke compiled a 26-page report. The summary of the report says Fire 12’s “consistent failure to provide supporting data is an ‘unwilling or unable’ s...
Belfair woman injured in SR 3 crash A 63-year-old Belfair woman was injured in a state Route 3 crash Tuesday morning near Bremerton. According to a news release, a 20-year-old Bremerton woman driving a 2006 Dodge was entering Route 3 as the Belfair woman, driving a 2004 Saturn, was northbound in the right lane on Route 3. The Dodge left the road, crossed the onramp gore point and struck the Saturn. Both vehicles came to rest on the right shoulder. The Bremerton woman was not injured in the accident. The Belfair woman was transported to St....
The Port of Hoodsport Commission took a moment at its June 7 meeting to review the May 27 grand reopening for the Hoodsport Community Trail Park and the accompanying disc golf course. Port of Hoodsport Executive Director Kathleen Wyatt noted that tables had been stocked with discs and packages of pine tree seeds, stamped with the Port of Hoodsport logo, which were given to the public, along with an assortment of drinks and snacks Port Commissioner Terry Brazil had prepared near the entrance of...
A 35-year-old Port Orchard motorcycle rider died Sunday in a head-on collision south of Allyn on state Route 3. According to a Washington State Patrol news release, Kenneth M. Speers died at the scene of the crash. His next of kin was notified. A 2002 Suzuki sport utility vehicle, driven by a 34-year-old Allyn man, was southbound on Route 3 while the motorcycle was northbound. The Suzuki crossed the centerline and struck the motorcyclist. The Suzuki rolled onto its top into the northbound...
Vaping will be banned in all city parks, if the Shelton City Council approves the change Tuesday. The council gave preliminary approval to the ban by unanimous vote at its June 6 meeting. Banning vaping at the city’s 10 parks is one of the recommendations from the city’s parks advisory board, said Jordanne Krumpols, recreation coordinator for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. Another recommendation was to clarify that alcohol is only allowed if part of a special event permit, shelter or field use that requires a reservation, she s...
City councils and county commissions routinely sign proclamations noting monthlong observances, which this month in the United States include African-American Music Appreciation Month, Caribbean-American Heritage Month and National Safety Month. The proclamations are usually noted briefly at a meeting and signed by council and commission members without a vote or comment. But when the Mason County Board of Commissioners and Shelton City Council both signed national LGBTQ+ Pride Month proclamations June 6, they were greeted with calls of support...
Mason County Fire District 12 commissioner John Pais resigned at a special meeting Friday in Matlock. Fire 12 called the special meeting to tell the community the internal investigation, conducted by an attorney retained by district commissioners, will be posted to the website this week. The attorney was paid with taxpayer money. Prior to the end of the meeting, Pais announced his resignation, effective immediately. “Now that the investigation is over, and it will be posted and it did what it w...
The Shelton City Council hosts a public hearing Tuesday evening on the proposed annexation of 40 wooded acres south of Island Lake known as "Meadows Edge" into the city. The single owner of the property wants to build a 36-lot subdivision, which was recently approved by Mason County, contingent on the city providing roads and utilities. The land is located within the Shelton Urban Growth Area, north of the Shelton Springs Subdivision and south of Frog Acres. The City Council accepted the...
Missing backpacker in Olympic found A Stanford University professor who was backpacking and had been missing since June 7 was found near the Dosewallips River Trail with the assistance of other hikers. According to a news release, Hunter Fraser was driven to Quilcene where his family, park personnel and medical responders were waiting for him. Fraser had planned a 40-mile backpacking trip and intended to be back in Seattle on June 7. He was reported overdue by a family member and the search for...
Mason County will be returning “several hundred thousand dollars” of COVID-19 relief money to the state at the end of the month. Mason County Director of Community Services Dave Windom provided the information to the county Board of Health at their May 23 meeting. “It’s for COVID vaccine. We’re just not getting demands for COVID vaccine work so I talked to the hospital and they aren’t getting a big demand either,” Windom told the board. The Board of Health talked about ways to use the money befo...
Shelton grad excels at eastern university Emmett Anderson of Shelton earned a spot on the dean’s list for the spring semester at Lasell University in Newton, Massachussets. To be eligible, a student must earn a semester GPA of 3.5 or better while completing at least 12 credits as a full-time student that semester. Harstine students get scholarships The Harstine Island Women’s Club and the Judy and Charles Chase Scholarship Fund Management Committee awarded five scholarships to full-time Harstine Island residents who are starting their post high...
Three week closure on state Route 106 Drivers will need to plan for closures on a segment of state Route 106 at Twanoh State Park to remove and replace an outdated culvert. According to a news release from the state Department of Transportation, between July 10 and 30, WSDOT will close state Route 106 at Twanoh State Park and a signed detour will direct traffic around the closure onto U.S. 101 and state Route 3 through Shelton. The total closure reduces the overall construction timeline and reduces the project’s effect on the environmental f...
A former Shelton High School freshman counselor was arrested Friday at his Shelton-area residence by Mason County Sheriff’s Office deputies after a two-month investigation. Samuel Martin Caffey, 29, faces charges of child rape, child molestation, sexual misconduct with a minor, delivery of a controlled substance and possession of child pornography. Caffey was booked into Mason County Jail on Friday afternoon and made his initial court appearance Monday in Mason County Superior Court, where Superior Court Judge Monty Cobb set bail at $...
An 18-year-old Shelton man was killed in a one-car rollover accident Sunday morning on U.S. Highway 101 just south of Shelton. According to a news release, Irving U. Bautista died at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He was driving north on U.S. 101 at a high speed when he attempted to pass another car using the left-turn lane at Ryan Road. The car swerved and struck the cable barriers in the median, which caused the vehicle to roll. The car stopped rolling and the northbound lanes and one...
