Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Sorted by date Results 901 - 925 of 1021
The Mason County Sheriff’s Office and the Mason County Coroner are asking for the public’s help to identify a dead man’s body that was found on Harstine Island on Jan. 16. The Mason County Coroner posted pictures of the John Doe on Facebook and asked for the public’s help Jan. 21. The post has been shared 541 times but hasn’t produced any leads, according to Mason County Coroner Jaime Taylor. The body was found on the beach near East Camden Way on Harstine Island. The deceased man is about 6 f...
Rep. Dan Griffey, R-Allyn, saw a bill pass out of the House Finance Committee and two bills pass out of the House Transportation Committee. According to a news release, House Bill 1657 passed out of the House Finance Committee on Feb. 4 and would help reduce emissions and safety risks caused by inadequate commercial truck parking through tax incentives. “We need more safe and secure overnight truck parking options in Washington,” Griffey said in a news release. “By law, truckers must take manda...
Sen. Tim Sheldon’s, D-Potlatch, bill about finance processes for large fire districts cleared the Senate on Feb. 2 with a unanimous vote. According to a news release, Senate Bill 5565 allows larger fire districts with revenues in excess of $10 million to use its own treasurer rather than using the local county or city treasurer. The bill applies to regional fire district authorities in which two or more fire districts share governance. “This is what we mean when we talk about goo...
Rep. Drew MacEwen, R-Union, said House Bill 1788 was the only bill that made it out of committee after Republicans proposed bills about law enforcement. According to the news release, HB 1788 was part of Republicans Safe Washington Plan, which is a set of bills focused on stopping crime, supporting law enforcement and putting victims first. Of five proposed bills, one made it out of committee. MacEwen provided an update about the long-term care and payroll tax, citing a vote to delay the...
Members of the Shelton City Council, the Mason County Board of Commissioners and the Port of Shelton Commission gathered to discuss annexation, economic opportunities, sewer-capacity expansion and land exchanges at a special meeting Jan. 28 at the Ridge Motorsports Park near the airport. The two-hour gathering of three governmental entities didn't lead to specific proposals, but allowed a free-flowing conversation. "It's important to get together and talk," said City Manager Jeff Niten, who...
More than 50 people fired up their computers, tablets or phones to join a Zoom room for a public hearing about the Belfair sewer project Monday evening. The hearing lasted more than four hours, with staff presenting information to the public, followed by community questions, public testimony and commissioners voting to continue the public hearing at 9:15 a.m. on March 1 before making a decision on what to do next. Belfair sewer information County Administrator Mark Neary started the hearing and...
Voters in the Mary M. Knight School District have until Tuesday to cast their ballots for the district's proposed replacement levy. The district is asking for the passage of a two-year school education levy - formerly known as a maintenance and operations levy - that would collect $586,187 for the 2023 tax year and $639,632 for the 2024 tax year. The levy would replace a two-year levy passed by voters in February 2020 by 53.33%. If the levy passes on the Feb. 8 ballot, district homeowners will...
The City of Shelton is considering removing and replacing 38 downtown trees whose expanding roots are lifting and breaking sidewalks and pushing up grates. The Shelton City Council talked about the trees and possible solutions at a work session Jan. 25. Most of the downtown street trees are chanticleer pears planted in 1995, said Public Works Director Jay Harris. During the past nine years, the trees have more than doubled in size and the roots are lifting the sidewalk and street improvements ne...
The Port of Hoodsport welcomed its newest commissioner at its Jan. 26 meeting, and OK'd the trimming of "hazard trees" and other trees to ensure its trail park and disc golf course are cleared and safe before spring starts. Cody Morris was welcomed to his first meeting as the port's Position 3 commissioner, repeating his oath of office, though he'd already been sworn in with a notary. Morris' term is set to end in 2027. The port district's 1,851 registered voters cast 793 ballots in the...
Sen. Tim Shelton, D-Potlatch, has proposed a bill that would allow target shooting on state Department of Natural Resources land. According to a news release, Senate Bill 5865 bill would clear up liability issues for recreational target shooting on public land. The hearing for the bill was Jan. 27 and the bill would establish that the state would not be held liable for unintentional injuries. “The liability issue has been the major obstacle in designating areas for target shooting,” Sheldon sai...
Washington’s highly touted and highly contentious long-term care program will be delayed by at least 18 months while lawmakers work amend the program. Gov. Jay Inslee signed bills last week to delay the WA Cares payroll tax on Washington workers just days after the Senate voted 46-3 in favor of delaying the collection of premiums and WA Cares Fund’s implementation. The House of Representatives voted 91-6 in favor of the same bill. Inslee’s action pauses the collection of premiums. The collection is scheduled to begin July 1, 2023, inste...
Kathy McDowell is a survivor. The 68-year-old McDowell is the last active member from the three-member Shelton City Commission, and hence the longest serving member of the seven-member Shelton City Council. "My heart is in the community," the Shelton native said. "I love this community, and I want to see it thrive." McDowell's council term is up at the end of 2023, and she's considering running for another term even while living with Parkinson's disease. She said she has projects she wants to he...
From 1897 until recent years, the structure at the corner of West Railroad Avenue and Seventh Street in downtown Shelton has been home to mortuaries. Frank Willey established Mason County's first undertaking business in a plain wood building before replacing it with the current brick building in 1926. According to the Mason County Historical Society, three or four owners used it as a funeral parlor/mortuary until it became available for lease by other businesses. Skokomish Valley-based Gravity...
The Mason County Board of Health met on Jan. 24 to provide updates on COVID-19, environmental health and social service programs. Mason County Health Officer Dr. Keri Gardner provided her report about the COVID-19 omicron variant, stating she has only hospitalized one person out of the hundreds that she’s seen that have omicron, which she said is good news even though omicron is spreading like wildfire. Gardner said the unfortunate news is because infections are widespread, even a small p...
Next week is National Burn Awareness Week, an event sponsored by the American Burn Association that’s designed to educate people about the dangers of burn injuries. This year’s theme is cooking burns. According to the National Fire Prevention Association, cooking-related fires are the No. 1 cause of home fires and home fire injuries. By following a few safety tips, you can prevent these type of fires. The best time to cook is when you are wide awake. If you’re tired or have consumed alcohol or m...
The Mason Transit Authority has officially reopened the Shelton Matlock Park and Ride (shown at right) following expansion and improvements. Shelton Matlock serves bus Route 7, which is the Shelton North Loop and Route 63. The improvements to the park and ride include parking for 65 vehicles, a shelter, security cameras and lights. The money for improvements was provided through state grants to improve transit safety. "With the opening of Shelton Matlock, we are nearing completion of our...
The North Mason School District closed Hawkins Middle School, James A. Taylor and North Mason high schools on Tuesday due to a recommendation from the Mason County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office investigated threats of violence Monday and recommended closing the upper campus until the investigation was completed, according to a news release from the school district. On Tuesday afternoon, the Sheriff’s Office deemed the threats not credible after determining the threats could not be valid...
On Jan. 11, Pioneer Elementary and Middle School students and teachers were given about 20 minutes notice to evacuate the schools due to an outbreak of COVID and staff shortages. For seven school days, instructors taught remotely, which was a challenge for three teachers who don't have internet at their homes. Some teachers gave lessons while sitting in their cars in the middle school parking lot. Teachers shared their challenges and concerns Tuesday evening at the Pioneer School Board meeting...
its monthly commissioners meeting Jan. 18 and responded to questions submitted by the community, which may have brought up more community questions than before. The Journal attempted to schedule an interview with the commissioners and chief Kelli Walsworth, but commissioner Albert Wilder said the commissioners or chief Walsworth would not do any interviews until after the accountability audit being conducted by the state Auditor’s Office is completed. During the meeting, it was announced the d...
Advocates hope mandatory conservation of key habitat areas will help salmon runs recover, but opponents worry farmers will pay a price. House Bill 1838, to be known as the Lorraine Loomis Act in honor of the deceased Northwest Indian Fisheries commissioner, will reserve land on public and private property near salmon-bearing waterways. Prime sponsor of the bill, Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Anacortes, said salmon play a vital cultural and economic role in Washington. The potential loss of the species will affect all Washingtonians, she said....
Washington marijuana users won’t face losing their job over a positive drug test, if a proposal under consideration in the Legislature wins approval. Senate Bill 5517 would update the Washington law that allows employers to turn away job applicants and fire employees who test positive for marijuana in drug screenings. The prime sponsor of the bill, Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, said current employment laws must be changed to accommodate legalization of the drug. “The war on drugs has had a really negative impact on so many communities,” she...
Creating higher densities in Washington’s cities will help reduce housing costs, cut fuel emissions and put an end to exclusionary zoning, supporters of House Bill 1782 say. Critics of the idea, however, say it will require significant overhauls in cities’ infrastructure and reduce local control of housing. The bill addresses the “missing middle,” housing options that exist between single-family homes and apartment complexes, including duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes. The bill requires cities to allow middle housing in every zone where s...
Rep. Dan Griffey, R-Allyn, sent out a newsletter Jan. 21 to update constituents about the 2022 legislative session. In his newsletter, Griffey wrote one of his biggest priorities is to address the governor’s emergency powers. House Bill 1772 would address legislative involvement in gubernatorial proclamations relating to a state of emergency. Senate Bill 5039 would subject gubernatorial emergency orders to legislative approval. Griffey also said House Republicans are trying to address public s...
Representative Drew MacEwen, R-Union, sent out a newsletter highlighting some of the bills House Republicans are working on. According to the newsletter, five bills are aimed at providing tax relief, including House Bills 1898 to reduce state property tax levies, House Bill 1594 to repeal the long-term care trust act and payroll tax, and House Bill 1913 repealing and replacing the long-term care trust and payroll tax. House Bill 2015 would expand the working families tax credit and House Bill...
