Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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Are the men and women living on the streets of downtown Shelton natives of Mason County or transients bused in from Thurston County to take advantage of homeless services? And do those services "enable" homeless people, or help them move on to more stable lives and housing? Downtown business owners, service providers and others shared their thoughts during the public comment period Aug. 16 at the Shelton City Council meeting. The comments came two weeks after the council voted 6-1 to approve...
The North Mason community shared its feelings with the state Department of Transportation at a community forum Aug. 11 in Belair. Most of the almost-two-hour forum focused on one intersection in particular: state Route 3 and Northeast Ridgepoint Road. The intersection next to McDonald’s, NAPA Auto Parts and the U.S. Post Office will soon see more traffic with the intersection being the only point of entry to the Olympic Sunset View apartments and the Olympic Ridge housing project, which are b...
As part of the third generation of a newspaper family, Stephen Gay helped bring the present into focus as a printer and advertising manager at the Shelton-Mason County Journal. But his passion in his spare time was bringing the past back to life, re-enacting settlers’ battles with Native Americans of the 1870s as a founder of the Frontier Soldiers Association, and World War II battles as a co-founder of Friends of Willie & Joe. “In my mind’s eye I shall always remember Stephen driving around Shelton in his World War II-era Jeep,” Jeff Green,...
Mason County Fire District 12 won’t look for a new fire chief until after the State Auditor’s Office completes its audit. At the Mason County Fire District 12’s commissioner meeting Aug. 16, commissioner John Pais said, “At this point, we’re not going to actively search for a fire chief until the audit is complete because the chief needs to stay on until that is all done.” The commissioners voted at the April 19 meeting to dismiss fire chief Kelli Walsworth without cause. The district posted an...
Are you looking to serve your community in a way that will truly make a difference? The Mason County Fire Chiefs Association is seeking applications for its Volunteer Fire Chaplain Program. Fire chaplains meet emotional and spiritual needs in times of crisis. They provide comfort, reassurance and guidance to those in Mason County who are displaced by fire or experience a traumatic event. Additional duties include assisting with contacting family members or pastors as needed, as well as...
Two more property owners on Peacock Ridge east of Olympic College Shelton have petitioned the City of Shelton to be annexed into the city. The Shelton City Council on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to accept the proposed annexation 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 can give final approval with a vote at its meeting at 6 p.m. Sept. 6. The council April 5 voted to accept...
One dead in Timberlake fire A person died Aug. 11 in a single-family residence fire at Timberlakes near Shelton, according to Central Mason Fire & EMS. According to a news release, another resident was hospitalized at Mason General Hospital with severe smoke inhalation. The victim was found on the floor of a bedroom near the window by firefighters while firefighters were extinguishing the blaze. Central Mason Fire was dispatched at 2:50 p.m. and the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it is believe to be an accidental equipment...
The Haven in Allyn, an assisted living and home-care agency, invites the community to attend Aging Smarter, a presentation from 10 a.m. to noon on Aug. 25 that’s designed to help people “prepare for life’s unexpected turns” as they age, according to Debra Jamerson, director of resident care. Jamerson, who’s been the resident care director at the Haven since 2007, said she’s seen an increase in people “who are in crisis” and don’t know where to start when it comes to arranging proper care for their elderly loved ones. “Aging comes with a unique...
Motorists driving into downtown Shelton on West Railroad Avenue face delays and one-way traffic as the city launches its ambitious Western Gateway construction project. On Tuesday, crews began work to install a new water main, water service improvements and storm drain improvements on the West Railroad Avenue corridor between Eighth Street and Pacific Court, the city's western border. After the underground utilities are installed, new pavement, curbs, gutters and sidewalks will be laid. A new...
Guns, throwing stars and other weapons are banned at Shelton School Board meetings. The Shelton School Board on Tuesday evening gave final approval to rule revisions on meeting conduct, the order of business and language considered "uncivil." The board have preliminary approval to the rules at its July 26 meeting. The new rules note the meeting site has changed to the Mountain View Elementary School cafeteria the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. The new rules also state "It is unlawful...
The City of Shelton started a plastic film recycling program in April. Three months in, the program is going strong, according to City Manager Jeff Niten. The program added plastic film as part of the city’s curbside recycling program, which allows residents to recycle clean and dry plastic bags, plastic storage bags such as Ziploc brand bags, dry cleaning bags and other flexible plastic film. Shelton partnered with SC Johnson to help with sending the plastic to a company that can recycle the p...
Transient killer whales have been spotted in the southern reaches of the Salish Sea. Julie Watson, killer whale policy lead for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, said transient killer whales are the ones most often spotted in Oakland Bay or Pickering Passage in recent months. Southern resident orcas are endangered, while transient killer whales are not. "They are called transient because they come and go, but we have been seeing in recent years more transients and them spending longer p...
The Shelton School District is considering a $78-million budget for the 2022-2023 school year. Brenda Trogstad, the district’s director of finance, gave the Shelton School Board a final overview Tuesday of the proposed budget. The board will host a public hearing on the budget at its meeting at 6 p.m. Aug. 23 in the Mountain View Elementary School cafeteria. The meeting can also be viewed live on MasonWebTV. The district is required to approve its budget by Aug. 31. The budget is based on the district’s projected enrollment of 4,125 ful...
Assessor’s notice of value mailed The Mason County Assessor’s annual notice of value has been mailed out to taxpayers to notify them of any change in the true and fair market value of their property. In a news release, the county states it is saving money by printing notices of value in postcard format. Property owners can sign up to receive their annual property valuation notice via email instead of through the United State Postal Service. People can sign up for the paperless option at www.enoticesonline.com. If you do not agree with the value...
Mason County Commissioner Sharon Trask, a Republican, will face Democrat and Shelton City Council member Miguel Gutierrez in the Nov. 8 general election, while Democrat Sandy Kaiser and Republican Travis Couture will compete to replace Drew MacEwen representing District 35, Position 2, in the state House of Representatives. Those are among the initial results of Tuesday’s primary election. The results of the second ballot count were scheduled to be released at 4 p.m. Wednesday, after the Journal went to press. For updates, go to the J...
Central Mason Fire Chief Mike Patti is hanging up his coat Aug. 19. Patti, 68, joined Central Mason Fire in July 2011 as the assistant chief and fire marshal. He worked in that position until 2015 when he was promoted to deputy chief of operations while continuing his fire marshal duties. He was promoted again in January 2020 to fire chief. "I think once I retire, I'm going to take a couple months to breathe and we'll just see what the future holds," Patti told the Journal. "I want to do some...
Guns and other weapons would be banned at Shelton School Board meetings under proposed new rules. At its July 26 meeting, the board gave preliminary approval to rule revisions on meeting conduct, the order of business and language considered “uncivil.” The board can make the changes official with a vote at its meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Some of the proposed changes include simple logistical tweaks, such as noting the meeting site has changed to the Mountain View Elementary School cafeteria the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. Oth...
The Shelton City Council on Tuesday evening approved code amendment changes that allow community organizations to host temporary homeless encampments of up to 30 people. The council in a 6-1 vote approved the code changes, with James Boad voting against it without explanation. The vote was the same when the proposal received preliminary approval by the council at its July 19 meeting. Under the amendments, a community group could be permitted for an encampment on private property of up to 30 people for seven months, and after that could apply...
NOTE: This story was updated to include Wednesday's 4:30 p.m. second ballot count. Four levies supporting emergency medical services in Mason County are passing after the initial ballot count of Tuesday's primary election. An emergency medical services levy for the City of Shelton is passing with 998 "yes" votes and 653 "no" votes. Mason County Fire Protection District No. 4's levy lid-lift vote was easily passing in the second count, gathering 1,346 "yes" votes against 804 "no" votes. The levy...
The Belfair sewer project has received bids for its proposed extension, and Mason County commissioners will decide Tuesday what action to take. The commissioners had a briefing July 6 to go over information with County Administrator Mark Neary, Public Works Director Loretta Swanson and Deputy Director of Utilities and Waste Richard Dickinson. According to the briefing information packet, commissioners voted April 5 to authorize the Public Works Department to advertise and set a bid opening for...
Fourth of July is usually a busy time for fire departments, but not this year, according to local fire districts. West Mason Fire Chief Matthew Welander said it was a quiet Fourth of July for his department. "Agencies and organizations got ahead of most of the issues and put rules in place and did a good job of advertising them," Welander wrote in an email to the Journal. "We had one incident involving a firework starting a very small fire. We had prepositioned crews in that area and the fire...
Growing up in a small village in central Mexico, Jose de Jesus Melendez picked corn, beans and sweet potatoes to help support his subsistence-farming family. He attended a one-room schoolhouse, at least when a teacher was available. When Melendez was in the fourth grade, his father told him, "You're an educated man now" and pulled him out of school to pick sugar cane fulltime. His formal schooling days in Mexico were over. A remarkable educational journey that began in his 20s has led Melendez...
