Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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PUD 1 plans Bellwood water outage Thursday Mason County PUD 1 announced a water outage for Bellwood A&B system users from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday to do electrical work to install a generator. According to a Twitter post, PUD 1 is asking people to have extra drinking water on hand and turn off the breaker to their hot water heater. If you have any questions, call the district office at 360-877-5249. PUD 1 also asked people to share the notice with others who might not have heard about the outage. Candidate filing period ends Friday Mason...
Longtime Mason County resident and Shelton-Mason County Journal outdoors columnist Mark Woytowich died Friday after suffering a heart attack. He was 65. Woytowich wrote the Journal's popular column "On The Trail" - which became "On The Go" in January - beginning in 2015, providing colorful tales of hiking and adventure around the county and Olympic Peninsula. He wrote a book titled "Where The Waterfalls And Wild Things Are" that was published in 2019, detailing many locations throughout Mason,...
The Hood Canal School District announced Superintendent Nikki Grubbs has accepted a job as the assistant superintendent in the North Thurston School District. Grubbs was hired three years ago and she will remain in her position until the end of June. The Hood Canal School District states it hopes to have the position filled by that time. In a news release, the district announced, "The School Board is currently putting in place a search plan that will include opportunities for all key...
Mason County Superior Court Judge Amber Finlay has seen a lot in her legal career and will hang up her robe for the last time June 30. Finlay, 60, has been on the bench in superior court since starting the job in 2009. Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, her family moved to Kent when she was 6 years old. "I was a truant kid," Finlay recalled to the Journal. "Because of life issues, I didn't go to school. I would go to band, I would go to debate. I was one of those types of skippers. I really...
Visitors to the Mason County Landfill, after learning how much it will cost to deposit their TVs and refrigerators, sometimes continue driving northwest on Eells Hill Road, and dump their load down a steep, wooded embankment on Green Diamond Resources land. On Saturday, 36 members of Shelton Dirt Riders LLC and three others pulled 7 tons of items out of the canyon, including 1,400 pounds of garbage, 3,000 pounds of metal and 28 tires, said John Eton, the owner of Shelton Dirt Riders. The bank...
A proposed community dog park was put before the Port of Hoodsport for consideration on April 13. Resident Bill Long, who moved to the area several years ago from University Place in Pierce County, is the founding member and president of SUN (Safe, Unleashed, Natural) Dogs of Pierce County, a nonprofit organization that developed and paid for an off-leash area at Chambers Bay starting in 2005. It operates in partnership with University Place and Pierce County. The group raised more than $40,000 to fence and develop that park, and Long said he...
A pedestrian was killed on West Railroad Avenue in a possible vehicular homicide late Saturday night. According to a Shelton Police Department news release, the collision occurred in the 1600 block of Railroad Avenue, just outside of the city limits. Officers arrived at the scene at 11:40 p.m. The pedestrian was walking in the middle of the road at the time of collision, according to police. The driver was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide and DUI. According to Washington State Patrol’s Katherine Weatherwax, the pedestrian was p...
The City of Shelton is considering screening family-friendly films Friday nights this summer in Kneeland Park. The cost for showing movies under the stars was the focus of a work session the Shelton City Council conducted April 26. Jordanne Krumpols, recreation coordinator of the city’s parks and recreation department, said the city could present the movies on Fridays from July 8 through Aug. 12. The screenings could “piggyback” on the Thursday Music in the Park concerts staged by the Skookum Rotary Club July 7 through Aug. 11, she said. Counc...
The City of Shelton is considering either adding a student representative to the seven-member city council or creating a student commission that would advise on matters such as parks and recreation. Members of the Shelton City Council discussed the proposal at its work session April 26. City Manager Jeff Niten said city councils in Sequim and Quincy each have a “youth liaison.” In Sequim, the president of the Associated Student Body fills the role, while in Quincy, the mayor appoints the student and the council confirms the choice, he sai...
The Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce honored its members and celebrated its 100th anniversary at its awards gala April 29 at the Little Creek Casino and Resort in Shelton. The sold-out event drew 326 guests. Jamie Mell, owner of John L. Scott Real Estate & Mell Property Management, was named Boss of the Year. The Patty Wagon, owned and operated by Patty Perry, was named Business of the Year. Dawn Myers was honored as Citizen of the Year. The Youth Connection was named Nonprofit of the Year. Kealy Electric is the Rookie of the Year, and...
After a two-year interruption due to COVID-19, the Matlock Old-Timers Historical Fair will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Mary M. Knight School. Engine enthusiasts can marvel at the Steam Donkey and antique tractors. Inside the gym, patrons can find bargains at the swap meet tables, listen to live music and create crafts. Thrill seekers can plummet down the giant pink slide. Admission is free. The school is at 2987 Matlock-Brady Road. The displays include World War II...
A North Mason High School student died last weekend, according to a post on the North Mason School District’s social media pages. According to the post, North Mason Principal Chad Collins and staff were mobilizing counselors to be available to students and staff Monday morning to offer support and guidance. “We ask that you take a moment to delicately share the news with your student; and let them know we have prioritized having resources in place to help them cope,” the post states. “We a...
After being in the works for more than a year, the Belfair Park & Ride is set to open May 23. According to Mason Transit Authority General Manager Amy Asher, MTA will transition its routes to run out of the new building May 23 and away from the temporary Roy Boad Road and the park and ride behind The Bridge Church before closing, which will impact routes 3 and 23. There are still a few things left to complete in the building but Asher said she was confident MTA will meet the May 23 deadline. “I...
COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Mason County, according to Director of Community Services Dave Windom. Speaking to the county commissioners during the Monday briefing, Windom said cases are up 217% in the past two weeks. “We had gotten to a point where we were at zero deaths per 100,000 for 14 days and we had 1.5 hospitalizations per 14 days and those numbers have doubled,” Windom said. “That’s what it looks like on paper. That’s the problem with small numbers. Our deaths are back up again,...
As of April 21, the North Mason School District needs makeup days and a new board director. Superintendent Dana Rosenbach submitted a waiver to make up for the days the district missed due to weather and emergencies. Rosenbach said state law requires a district to go past June 14, at least, in instructional days, including any makeup days, before that district can be considered for a waiver. “In a typical year, you would have had to make up at least three days, plus hit that June 14 mark, b...
A performance by the Hawkins Middle School Orchestra for the North Mason School Board on April 21 led middle school Principal Robert Kalahan to catch the school board up on the school’s progress through COVID. After the orchestra played the songs “Sparkle,” “Pepperoni Pizza” and “Dragon Slayer,” Kalahan said seeing all the students “playing together was something I was really hoping for” and is indicative of “a lot of really great things happening” at Hawkins Middle School. “Another exam...
The Shelton City Council gave preliminary clearance to selling 10.5 acres of land it leased to the Shelton YMCA for $123,200. The council can make the move official at its meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The city declared the property at the intersection of Shelton Springs Road and East Wallace Kneeland Boulevard surplus. In July 2017, the Shelton City Council approved leasing the site to the YMCA for $1 a year, for 100 years. The facility opened in March 2021. At the council’s April 19 meeting, City Manager Jeff Niten said the lease agreement r...
The Shelton City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on proposed code changes in neighborhood residential zones that could open the door to more single-family homes, triplexes and accessory dwellings. The council gave preliminary approval to the changes at its April 19 meeting. Tuesday’s Zoom meeting begins at 6 p.m., and can be viewed on MasonWebTV. According to a report by the city’s community development department, “The existing code does not meet, in many instances, modern needs in housing and development standards … Staff believe...
People associated with a group called the Mason County Election Integrity Committee have been canvassing door-to-door in the county and aren’t associated with the Mason County Auditor’s Office or any other official government office, the state Auditor’s Office and Secretary of State’s Office said in separate news releases Monday. Despite the official-sounding title, the Mason County Election Integrity Committee is a group of private individuals who have no recognized authority, officia...
After three months of being closed, the Shelton Timberland Library reopened its doors Monday with that new building smell. While the building was closed, the library operated out of the Shelton Civic Center and the Shelton YMCA. "As chaotic as it's been, I think having a good team to work with has helped out a lot," Library assistant Joe Alessi told the Journal. "I would say that it's gone as good as it could have. As far as being able to pack up a van and move it to another building, I think...
The City of Shelton, Hands on Personal Empowerment (HOPE) Garden and the Mason Conservation District celebrated Earth Day on Friday by officially opening its new community garden at Callanan Park in Shelton. Twenty raised garden beds are available to low-income families who want to grow their own fruits and vegetables. The garden beds are available first-come, first-served. Application forms are at [email protected] or masoncd.org/callanan-community-garden. Four or five of them are...
In October, Turning Pointe Advocacy Center Executive Director Gina Finley received a letter from the local Margery Jones Charitable Trust. Finley anticipated a check of $40,000 or $50,000 in the tiny white envelope, the usual annual amount the agency receives in the memory of the Mason County native and teacher. Instead, she said she was astonished to find a check for $1 million. Placing that $1 million in the bank allowed Turning Pointe to open an agency endowment fund with the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation. While accumulating about a...
Mason County Fire District 12 decided to retain Fire Chief Kelli Walsworth through May 19 after fire commissioners voted unanimously April 19 to dismiss Walsworth. According to an announcement on Fire District 12's website, the district will function "as normal" and commissioners Albert Wilder, John Pais and Brian Jutson are reviewing other options. Following the April 19 vote, the district posted an announcement that all volunteers had resigned effective immediately, temporarily suspending...
