Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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Two-year-old Cedar High School, in the middle of its first school year on the Olympic College Shelton campus, has set attendance and graduation goals for its 100 students. Cedar High Principal Amber Hosford detailed the school's improvement plan at the Shelton School Board's Feb. 23 meeting. By the end of the school year in June, the school seeks to have at least 70% of current seniors graduate. After debuting all online in the fall of 2020 from the CHOICE High School building, Cedar High...
Mason County commissioners took several actions involving the Belfair Urban Growth Area and the Mason County Comprehensive Plan after a public hearing about the UGA and amendments to the comprehensive plan. The commissioners approved amendments to the Belfair subarea plan and the comprehensive plan on a 2-1 vote. Commissioners Kevin Shutty and Sharon Trask voted in favor while Commissioner Randy Neatherlin voted against. The changes to the Belfair Subarea plan update growth and land-use...
City of Shelton residents would be allowed a maximum of five hens and no roosters in a proposed animal ordinance. The Shelton City Council gave preliminary approval to new animal ordinances at its Feb. 15 meeting. The council can vote for final approval at its meeting at 6 p.m. March 1. People are invited to share their comments during the Zoom meeting. The link can be found on the city's website. Under the proposed ordinance, residents in neighborhoods on land between 5,000 and 43,559 square...
New details have emerged from a fatal accident at Sierra Pacific Industries in Shelton on Feb. 14. According to Washington State Patrol District 8 spokeswoman Katherine Weatherwax, the wife of the driver said he was having “previous issues.” The driver seemed disoriented and didn’t know what happened after his truck hit the guard shack, according to Weatherwax. The driver drove through a red light on First Street and West Railroad Avenue, hit the 8-inch curb, launching the truck into the air a...
The City of Shelton has contracted with Adopt-A-Pet of Shelton to accept unclaimed shelter animals and care for them while they arrange for pet adoption. The Shelton City Council made the deal official with a unanimous vote at its Feb. 15 meeting. The city report states the agreement allows Shelton's animal shelter to be a short-term holding facility pending transfer to Adopt-A-Pet, a nonprofit with a shelter on East Jensen Road north of Shelton. The city will pay the organization $200 per dog....
Gov. Jay Inslee announced at a news conference Feb. 17 the indoor mask requirement will be lifted March 21 in schools and certain indoor spaces. Masks will no longer be required in schools, child care facilities, libraries, restaurants, bars, churches, gyms, recreation centers, indoor athletic facilities, grocery stores, businesses and retail establishments. Masks still will be required in health care and medical facilities, long-term care settings, correctional facilities, and private...
Crime was up in 2021 compared to 2020, according to data from the Mason County Sheriff’s Office. Calls for service were 23,836, which is about the level expected, according to Patrol Division Chief Ryan Spurling. In 2019, calls increased about 2,000 from 2018r and have been steady in recent years. “We were around anywhere from 20,000 to 22,000 and then we jumped all the way up to 24,000 and we’ve been pretty consistent,” Spurling said. He said the rise might stem from having more people here now because a lot of the people who had cabins...
The Pioneer School District is beginning its search for a new superintendent after parting ways with Jill Diehl after 1½ years. The Pioneer School Board on Tuesday swore in Doris Bolender after changing her title from acting superintendent to interim superintendent. Bolender, the former superintendent of the Southside School District, is the principal of the Pioneer Middle School. The board announced it will begin the search for a new superintendent at its retreat on March 5. The board will decide whether to hire a firm to find candidates,...
Mason Health Superintendent and CEO Eric Moll gave the Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce a look at how COVID-19 affected the hospital. Moll told the gathering Feb. 17 that Mason Health's inpatient numbers are "still high by historical standards," but not as high as it was last month. Moll estimated the hospital averaged about 13 patients pre-pandemic, whereas the five months prior to February were trending around 30, more than double the preceding (and current) numbers. According to...
The Shelton City Council on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to new and amended noise ordinances that would outlaw repetitive squealing tires, revving car engines, continuous noise from pets and off-hours construction. The council can make the new noise laws and amendments official by granting final approval at its March 1 meeting. The city's current noise ordinances were adopted in 2006. The council discussed the proposed additions and changes Nov. 23 at a study session. The laws are aimed at...
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, visited Mason County PUD 3 on Monday with U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small and USDA state director Helen Price Johnson to talk with local leaders and officials about broadband infrastructure and other needs. Kilmer said rural broadband allows people to access the internet for virtual classes or for senior citizens to have telehealth visits. "Sometimes it's the door of opportunity for a local business...
With data showing a decline in cases and COVID-related hospitalizations, the state is entering a period when restrictions can be lifted, Gov. Jay Inslee said last week. A date to end the indoor mask requirement hasn’t been set, but Inslee said the pause on elective surgeries and procedures at hospitals will end today. Additionally, requiring people to wear masks at outdoor events with 500 people or more will expire Friday. “I think it would be helpful for Washingtonians to have a goal and helpful for them to do whatever planning is nec...
The Shelton City Council on Tuesday awarded two design contracts to a Tacoma company to design the repaving of Brockdale Road, and Safe Routes to School to help students walking near Oakland Bay Junior High, Evergreen Elementary School, and Shelton, CHOICE and Cedar high schools. RH2 Engineering will receive a maximum of $161,238 to design both projects. The council gave preliminary approval at its Feb. 1 meeting. The city advertised the need for design services for both projects in August, and...
The Pioneer School District is parting ways with Superintendent Jill Diehl. In a special meeting Feb. 11, the Pioneer School Board voted 5-0 to let Diehl remain on leave with pay for the remainder of the contract year in June. On Feb. 4, the board voted 4-1 to place Diehl on paid administrative leave, and named former Southside Schools Superintendent Doris Bolender as the acting superintendent. The moves came two months after the Pioneer Education Association presented a vote of “no confidence” on Diehl to the board. School Board President Sus...
A $16 billion plan to fund hybrid ferries, high-speed rail and highway maintenance is gaining speed in the Legislature. “‘Move Ahead Washington’ is a promise to put Washingtonians first,” said Rep. Jake Fey, D-Tacoma, chairman of the House Transportation Committee. “It’s future-oriented while still dealing with the realities people face today. It reflects what people told us they wanted to see in this package.” Transit programs get $3.1 billion, including $150 million for high-speed rail. Another $3 billion would go toward highway preservation...
Sewer hearing moved to 6 p.m. Mason County commissioners approved moving the time of a Belfair sewer public hearing to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1. During the meeting, county resident Ken Vanbuskirk asked commissioners why the meeting was moved from 9:15 a.m. to 6 p.m., and commissioner Kevin Shutty responded that it was changed so more people could attend an evening public hearing. The first public hearing was Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. through Zoom, and the hearing lasted more than four hours. After hearing from county staff and the public,...
Rep. Dan Griffey’s bill to reopen safety rest areas throughout the state as soon as possible passed the House unanimously. According to a news release, House Bill 1655 passed Feb. 9. The bill would keep roads safe by allowing all drivers to use safety rest areas immediately, which is a growing safety concern throughout the country. The problem was exacerbated in the state due to the state government closing of many state-owned and operated safety rest areas in fall 2021 due to the pandemic. “We...
Gov. Jay Inslee announced the indoor mask mandate will be lifted March 21 in schools and certain indoor spaces. According to the news conference, masks will no longer be required in schools, child care facilities, libraries, restaurants, bars, churches, gyms, recreation centers, indoor athletic facilities, grocery stores, businesses and retail establishments. Masks will still be required in health care and medical facilities, long-term care settings, correctional facilities and private...
The Squaxin Island Tribe's Little Creek Casino Resort has launched sports betting before one of the biggest betting weeks of the year. Little Creek Casino Resort CEO Ramon Nunez said the move complements the casino's position in the market and adds to the excitement of watching sports. "There's a sense of accomplishment knowing that it's done, and it's started," Nunez told the Shelton-Mason County Journal. "Relief in getting to this point and to be able to finally operate it. There's a lot of...
Voters approved replacement levies for the Hood Canal and Mary M. Knight school districts, while a Hood Canal building bond is falling short of a 60% super majority. In initial ballot results released at 8 p.m. Tuesday, the Mary M. Knight levy received 57.19% of the vote, and the Hood Canal levy 59.61%. Hood Canal's proposed bond to expand and renovate was at 56.16%. The Mason County Auditor's Office released the second count of ballots at 4 p.m. Wednesday, after the Journal went to press. Turno...
The Pioneer School Board on Friday placed Superintendent Jill Diehl on paid administrative leave and named former Southside Schools Superintendent Doris Bolender as the acting superintendent. The move came almost two months after the Pioneer Education Association presented a vote of "no confidence" on Diehl to the board. Four members of the five-member board voted for the actions, with Dwayne Kipple abstaining. "The board is pleased to have Ms. Bolender available to assume this important...
The pandemic prevented the staging of a student play last year in Shelton High School's Performing Arts Center. But after class these days, the theater is abuzz with students adjusting lights, moving props and preparing to launch into rehearsals for the romantic comedy "Almost, Maine," which debuts at 7 p.m. Friday. "Project!" acting teacher and director Wendy Burr calls to the 17 masked actors on stage warming up their voices. "To be or not to be!" "To be or not to be!!" they bellow back....
Mason County recorded 643 cases and 15 deaths from COVID-19 from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6. According to Mason County Division of Emergency Management, the deaths included three men in their 50s, one man in his 60s, four men and a woman in their 70s, two men and two women in their 80s and two women in their 90s. The seven-day case rate per 100,000 people is at 1,144 and the 14-day case rate is 2,627.6. There were three people hospitalized as of Sunday and the county is 57.2% vaccinated. People can...
