Year in Review

JANUARY

Sanderson Field in Shelton is one of six western Washington airports being considered to become a hub for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The state's Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission (CACC) announced on Jan. 15 that Sanderson Field could be selected to help alleviate cargo and passenger traffic at Sea-Tac, the eighth busiest airport in the country with 24 million passengers in 2020.

The other five finalists are Bremerton National Airport, Arlington Municipal Airport, Paine Field (Snohomish County Airport), Tacoma Narrows Airport in Gig Harbor, and Ed Carlson Memorial Field (South Lewis County Airport).

"The list of six potential sites should only be considered preliminary because it only includes existing airports at this time," David Fleckenstein, CACC chairman, said in a news release. "Additional work needs to be done to identify potential sites that may be more appropriate for a major airport. The work of the CACC was greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which constrained opportunities for community engagement."

On Jan. 21, the Southside School District opened its doors to students in a hybrid model where students split time between the buildings and at-home learning. That means four of the seven school districts in Mason County have students in their buildings: Grapeview, Southside, Mary M Knight and North Mason. The others host a handful of special needs students.

The Pioneer School District Board of Directors will set a reopening date Jan. 26 at its regular board meeting. The Shelton School District has set a tentative reopening date of Feb. 22. The Hood Canal School District Board of Directors will consider a reopening date at a March 4 special meeting.

Will a proposed development of 400 rental homes on the City of Shelton's last large green belt provide affordable housing that will allow young natives to stay in their hometown, or a future "slum" for Olympia workers that will overwhelm local schools and health care services?

Residents evoked both those visions during the Shelton City Council meeting Jan. 19 conducted via Zoom.

The City of Shelton is considering selling 86 acres of wooded land near the intersection of Wallace Kneeland Boulevard and East Brockdale Road to Virginia-based Equity Plus, LLC for a project called Shelton Workforce Housing Development. The company proposes as many as 400 single-family detached manufactured homes of two to four bedrooms for households with annual incomes between $35,000 and $60,00.

After almost a year's pause, high school athletics in Washington will take a big step forward Feb. 1.

Girls soccer, volleyball, boys and girls golf, boys and girls cross country, and boys tennis begin official practices, with competition scheduled to begin Feb. 9, if the Northwest Region of Gov. Jay Inslee's Healthy Washington recovery plan can reach Phase 2. The Northwest Region includes Mason, Kitsap, Clallam and Jefferson counties.

If the region moves to Phase 2 on Feb. 1, prep football practice can begin. If the region is still in Phase 1, limited practices in groups of six or fewer athletes or seven-on-seven drills with no line play will be allowed.

Low-risk sports, as defined by the National Federation of High Schools, include golf, cross country and tennis and they will be allowed to compete beginning Feb. 8, even if the region remains in Phase 1.

FEBRUARY

The Shelton School District will bring students in preschool through first grade, fifth grade and seventh grade back to the classrooms in a blended model of in-person and online learning on Feb. 22, and the remaining students through grade 12 on March 15.

The Shelton School Board unanimously passed the reopening plan Feb. 9 at its regular board meeting.

Currently, all 4,200-plus students are learning from home online except for a handful of special needs students at each building.

Under the plan, students will be divided into two groups and use either Schedule A or Schedule B. The Schedule A students will attend class in-person on Mondays and Tuesdays, and online Wednesdays through Fridays; students on Schedule B will be online Mondays through Wednesdays, and in the classrooms Thursdays and Fridays. The school buildings will be thoroughly cleaned on Wednesdays.

Shelton resident Ricardo Del Bosque, a leader in Mason County's Spanish-speaking and educational communities, died Feb. 8 from the coronavirus.

The Mexican immigrant was the bilingual family and student support coordinator for the Shelton School District.

When Del Bosque was named the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction's 2010-2011 Regional Classified Employee of the Year, the award noted, "His colleagues describe Ricardo as the person the entire Spanish-speaking community turns to with their questions about health care, schooling, housing, employment, immigration, guidance for errant teenagers and so much more."

After the coronavirus forced the Shelton School District to close its doors last March, Del Bosque continued to deliver food to the Hispanic-speaking families in need in Mason County. His son, Ricardo Del Bosque Jr., in October told the Shelton-Mason County Journal he believes that's how his father contracted the coronavirus.

The North Mason School District will lose $2.1 million in budgeted revenue from the state because of declining enrollment.

To add to the financial challenges, the district will collect no levy money starting in October. The district hopes to collect money from FEMA and other federal programs to help make up the difference.

Ashley Murphy, the district's executive director of finance and operations, gave that grim assessment

Feb. 8 at its monthly meeting.

MARCH

The new $16-million Shelton YMCA opened its doors March 1.

At almost 23,000 square feet, the steel, wood and glass structure at 3101 North Shelton Springs Road features an outdoor recreational pool, an indoor gymnasium, an indoor cycling studio and nature trails. It also offers state-of-the-art cardio and resistance equipment, functional training and free weights, family-friendly locker rooms, a full basketball court, volleyball and pickleball courts, a yoga and Pilates studio. Wi-Fi is available for free.

A proposed 400-unit housing development deal between the City of Shelton and a Virginia-based company is dead.

"The council is reviewing all options for all city-owned parcels, including the parcel discussed for workforce housing," City Manager Jeff Niten wrote to the Journal.

That declaration seemingly ends Equity Plus, LLC's effort to develop an affordable housing neighborhood on the city's watershed and last large greenbelt.

The city was considering selling 86 acres near the intersection of Wallace Kneeland Boulevard and East Brockdale Road to Equity Plus, LLC for a project called Shelton Workforce Housing Development. The company proposed as many as 400 single-family detached manufactured homes of two to four bedrooms for households with annual incomes between $35,000 and $60,00.

On March 15, about 450 students in grades nine through 12 walked through the doors of Shelton High School for the first time in more than a year.

For the freshmen, it was the first day of class in the structure.

"The first day, I spent the morning at Shelton High School helping new students find their way around campus," Don Welander, the district's director of alternative education PK-12, wrote in an email to the Shelton-Mason County Journal. "Overall, it has been a very good week. The teachers are excited to be back face to face with the students."

APRIL

Wyeth Jessee, a top administrator for Seattle Public Schools for the past 14 years, was hired as the new superintendent of the Shelton School District.

Jessee will begin his new job on July 1. He replaces Alex Apostle, who is retiring after leading the district for five years. The Shelton School Board selected Jessee from the three finalists in an executive session on April 1.

Since July 2019, Jessee has been the chief of schools and continuous improvement for Seattle Public Schools. He provides guidance and oversight to the district's 104 schools, 3,734 classroom teachers, 189 school leaders and 91 central office staff. The district's annual budget is more than $1 billion.

In mid-April, bulldozer operators began ripping up the cement from the Shelton High School employee parking lot, breaking ground for the Shelton School District's fourth academy.

Starting in December, the Manufacturing, Engineering and Technology (MET) Academy will begin to prepare students for careers as welders, auto technicians, CAD specialists, sheet metal specialists, heavy equipment operators, engineers, robotics technicians, electricians, manufacturers, and residential and commercial builders.

Crews from Berschauer Group Inc. are removing the concrete to make way for the academy's first building, with room for planned expansion on both sides of the structure. The district hopes the building is completed by mid-September, said Don Welander, the district's director of career connected education.

MAY

After missing a year due to the pandemic, it was announced the 77th annual Mason County Forest Festival would returns not as its usual three-day event, but a series of offerings that begin with live music, outdoor movies and races June 4 and 5, and culminates with the Paul Bunyan Grand Parade Sept. 18.

"We didn't have Forest Festival last year, so we're excited to bring it back," said Amy Cooper, vice president of the Mason County Forest Festival Committee.

"We're just trying to extend the fun with safe events," she said.

It was announced that of the four Shelton City Council seats up for grabs in the Nov. 2 general election, two would feature only one name on the ballot, one would pit an incumbent against a challenger, and the fourth featured three contenders competing first in an August primary runoff.

Sharon Schirman, the majority owner of ISG PNW in downtown Shelton, is running unopposed for the position three seat being vacated by Mayor Kevin Dorcy. Incumbent Eric Onisko, elected four years ago when the then three-member Shelton City Commission expanded to the seven-member Shelton City Council, is running unopposed for a second term. For position six, incumbent Joe Schmit will run against Tyler W. "Mad Dog" Elliott.

Three people are vying for the seat being vacated by Megan Fiess in position seven: Trenton Powers, George W. Blush and Miguel Gutierrez.

The two candidates who receive the most votes in the Aug. 8 primary election will advance to the November general election.

The North Mason School District hopes the third time is a charm as it places a levy proposal on the Nov. 2 general election ballot.

The district's levy measure in February 2020 failed with 45.07%. Two months later, the measure lost by a mere 58 votes, with 49.43 voting yes.

Following the recommendation of its 42-member citizens advisory committee, the North Mason School Board on May 20 voted unanimously to place a four-year levy on the Nov. 2 ballot that calls for a tax of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value for four years. That amount will collect $3.8 million each year.

JUNE

Cedar High School in downtown Shelton culminated its inaugural year with 14 graduates, a new principal and an impending move up the hill.

The Shelton School District's new high school sports 74 students in grades nine through 12 learning in classrooms on the bottom floor of CHOICE High School at 807 W. Pine St. But starting in September, Cedar High will conduct classes on the campus of Olympic College Shelton.

Two months ago, Amber Hosford replaced Stacy Anderson as principal of Cedar. Anderson remains the principal at CHOICE High School.

The Mason County Commissioners unanimously approved the creation of a county administrator position at the County Commissioners meeting June 22.

The approval appointed Frank Pinter as the Interim County Administrator, effective July 1. The County Administrator position will be at salary range 47, which is the highest among county staff. The salary range 47 is to be determined, and salary range 46 is from $118,229.76 to $134,184.72.

A blistering heat wave scorched Western Washington the last week of June, shattering temperature records throughout the Puget Sound region.

A reading at 4:53 p.m. June 28 at Sanderson Field in Shelton recorded an all-time daily high temperature record of 110 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. It broke a record of 107 degrees that had been set June 27.

Shelton's record prior to this weekend was 104, set July 29, 2009.

JULY

"School's out for summer!" is the rallying cry from the 1972 hit by the Alice Cooper Band.

The pandemic erased summer school in 2020. But almost 500 students in the Shelton School District are taking summer school classes at Mountain View Elementary School and Olympic Middle School, almost double the size of a typical summer. Some students are filling holes in their education, particularly in reading and math, while secondary students are catching up on classes they failed or did not complete.

"They're just super excited to be there," Kelly Neely, the district's director of state and federal programs, said in an interview with the Shelton-Mason County Journal.

"For some kids, it's a safe place to go," she said. "There's food, there's interaction. They missed that."

Summer school classes started June 21, and continue Mondays through Thursdays through July 15.

The students in kindergarten through the fourth grade are at Mountain View Elementary, and next door at Olympic Middle School are the students in grades five through 12, for central location.

In the first case in which tree DNA evidence was used to convict a defendant in a federal criminal trial, former Hood Canal-area resident Justin Andrew Wilke was convicted in early July of conspiracy, theft of public property, depredation of public property, trafficking in unlawfully harvested timber and attempting to traffic in unlawfully harvested timber.

Wilke was convicted July 8 after a six-day jury trial in U.S. District Court in Tacoma. The jury deliberated seven hours before reaching a verdict, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

According to charges filed by the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington, the 39-year-old Wilke was the lead defendant in a 2018 scheme to steal maple wood near Elk Lake, west of Brinnon in northwestern Mason County, which resulted in what would become the Maple Fire. The fire burned 3,300 acres of National Forest land and led to the closure of the Jefferson Lake area for two years.

Wilke was scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 18.

On a Tuesday afternoon in July, a logging truck lumbered east on Seventh Street through downtown Shelton, crossed a bridge over Goldsborough Creek, and turned left onto Park Street.

For decades, this has been the popular path to deliver logs to the Shelton waterfront, first for the Simpson Lumber Co. and now Sierra Pacific Industries.

That route is about to close for logging trucks as the Shelton City Council on July 20 gave final approval to awarding a $263,000 contract to Granite Construction to overlay asphalt on Park Street from South Seventh Street to South First Street. The council gave preliminary approval at its July 6 meeting.

The heavy trucks have cracked Park Street, last paved more than two decades ago.

The project includes planing the roadway and adjusting the existing utility structures. It also includes erosion control, signage, striping, traffic control and other related work. When it's done, logging trucks will not longer be allowed to use Park Street and traffic signs will say so.

A Tahuya man has filed a lawsuit against the Port of Allyn claiming the Port is withholding public records and hosting illegal meetings, some of it dealing with water rights regarding his brother.

Brad Carey filed the lawsuit July 23 in Mason County Superior Court alleging the Port of Allyn has violated the Public Records Act and the Open Public Meeting Act. The suit alleges the Port has refused to provide him with the public records he has requested, and has ignored his questions at Port of Allyn Commission meetings.

Carey also alleges the Port commission conducted an illegal public meeting by gathering with legal council in May to write an open letter to the public that disparaged him.

AUGUST

The Mason County commissioners acted on Aug. 3 to help improve some of the internet infrastructure in the county, approving the use of American Rescue Plan Act money to help Hood Canal Communications build fiber in Colony Surf and Eldon.

"Hood Canal Communications is pleased that all three of our grant applications to Mason County received approval from the Mason County Commissioners this week," Oblizalo said in an email to the Journal. "We look forward to working with county staff to finalize the approval and funding process from Washington Department of Commerce."

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard workers who live in Mason County, and truckers hauling freight through Belfair are among those who would benefit from a proposed $547-million project to improve the state Route 3/state Route 16 corridor in Gorst.

Formed more than a year ago by agencies and officials in Mason and Kitsap counties, the Gorst Coalition on Aug. 12 announced its goals to ease congestion and improve safety at the corridor at a gathering in the parking lot at Peninsula Subaru in Gorst.

The proposed project would add an additional lane on state Route 3 in each direction from the Gorst intersection with state Route 16 to state Route 304. The project would also reinforce or rebuild the state Route 3/16 intersection to address safety, congestion, access and resiliency.

The plan also calls for the creation of a network connection between Belfair, Bremerton and Port Orchard that is more resilient to frequent flooding and seismic events, such as an earthquake that could cause extensive damage.

The coalition is seeking $457 million from the state Legislature to fund the project.

North Mason School District parents and administrators shared their concerns during the school board's Aug. 19 meeting about new COVID rules announced by Gov. Jay Inslee on Aug. 18.

Belfair resident and small business owner Kris Klusman said he and his wife are alumni of the North Mason School District and have volunteered their time to its committees and other activities, in addition to donating more than $40,000 since they graduated, to emphasize their "vested interest" in the district.

Klusman asked the school board and superintendent to consider the effects if state vaccination requirements for school district staff cause North Mason to lose a portion of its employees if those employees don't follow the rules.

Klusman said the potential loss of district staff would be "very devastating," given the numbers of folks who he says are "not ready to receive" the vaccine.

SEPTEMBER

Would the slogan "Timber to Tideland" or "Pearl of Washington" entice visitors to Shelton?

Would the phrase "We Got Wood!" or "Friendly, By Nature" on a city letterhead lure new residents to Mason County's only incorporated town?

Those are among the 72 suggestions the city received for a proposed three-word slogan as it seeks to "rebrand" the town for use on advertisements, letterheads and on street signs. The city accepted online suggestions through Aug. 20 on its website.

In an email to the Shelton-Mason County Journal, City Manager Jeff Niten said the city this week will select a designer to create four to six designs based on the community suggestions.

"Once the designer has come up with the different options, we'll ask the city council to reviews them and select two or three final designs that we'll ask the community to vote on," he wrote. "Once the voting is completed, likely sometime in early December, the council will select the final version and we'll debut the new logo with our new website design in early January."

Port of Allyn commissioners have adopted a policy prohibiting consumption of alcoholic beverages at port facilities, except under specific conditions.

Port Commissioner Ted Jackson had requested the policy, which Port Executive Director Lary Coppola drafted for approval at the commissioners' Aug. 2 regular meeting.

One exemption to the prohibition would be for private events on port grounds and facilities, serving attendees ages 21 years or older, so long as a state-issued banquet permit has been issued to the event's sponsor.

Alcohol cannot be served outside the designated event area or the boundaries of the facility for which the permit is specifically issued, or to attendees under the age of 21. Violating the policy would be grounds to cancel the event immediately, without a refund, and to expel all its attendees.

For public events such as Allyn Days and other festivals, alcohol can be served inside designated areas such as beer gardens, provided they are clearly defined and segregated from the rest of the event. People's ages must be verified before entering alcohol zones.

The COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to many things, including utility payments, but on Sept. 30, the utility moratorium is ending, and Mason County PUD's are trying to get ahead before the deadline.

Governor Jay Inslee issued his final extension of the utility moratorium July 2, and that deadline is fast approaching.

Mason County PUD 3 Customer Service Manager Diane Hennessy said the pandemic hasn't been good for PUD 3.

"It's been trying, I'd say, but good," Hennessy told the Journal. "We've been busy. We're doing an awful lot to reach out to our customers through so many different avenues so with my team in the customer service department, that's really been what our focus has been. A little bit of business as usual, we've had a lot of people moving in and moving out but as far as the pandemic, it's really trying to get our customers the help that's available. That's taken a lot of time and effort."

The surging number of COVID-19 cases in Mason County prompted the organizers of the Mason County Forest Festival in early September to cancel the Paul Bunyan Grand Parade and fireworks.

"The biggest part of making this decision is keeping the community safe and doing our part," Forest Festival Chairman Mick Sprouffskee said in an interview with the Journal. "That's really what this is about."

Sprouffskee said he understands the decision is not popular with some people.

The Port of Allyn celebrated its 100th anniversary Sept. 12 with salmon, clams and mussels, music from the Lester Crow Band and The Undecided, beer from Bent Bine Brewery, and summaries of the port's past and future.

Port district resident Norm Dicks, who represented Washington's 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than 30 years, recapped the port's first 100 years. It was officially chartered Sept. 10, 1921, making it the oldest port district in Mason County and the third oldest in Washington.

Fish in Oakland Bay, the Skokomish River, Kennedy Creek and Hood Canal will benefit from more than $1 million in state grants.

The Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board in September announced the award of $21 million in grants across the state to aid in salmon recovery.

The grants, awarded annually, went to 105 projects in 29 of the state's 39 counties. The grants will pay for work to restore salmon habitat, including repairing degraded habitat in rivers, removing barriers blocking salmon from reaching the ocean, and preserving pristine habitat.

Coronavirus surging through the students and staff at Pioneer Schools prompted the district on Sept. 27 to close its elementary and middle schools for five school days.

As of Sept. 28, 11 students and four staff members have tested positive for COVID, Superintendent Jill Diehl told the Journal in an email. The district announced the five-day closure to parents on Sept. 27 afternoon after reviewing the Washington State Department of Health's guidelines for K-12 schools and consulting with Mason County Public Health, she wrote.

The students are scheduled to return to the classrooms on Tuesday, Oct. 5.

OCTOBER

You can no longer find single-use plastic bags at local stores in Mason County with the ban on those bags starting Oct. 1.

The state Legislature passed a statewide ban in the 2020 legislative session and Gov. Jay Inslee signed the bill into law in May. According to the state Department of Ecology, the bill will help reduce the use of some plastics and could drive the development of new markets for Washington's recyclable plastic to it.

Ninety-one percent of Shelton School District employees have received COVID vaccinations as the deadline for state's mandate approaches on Oct. 18.

That's the figure Superintendent Wyeth Jessee announced Oct. 12 at the Shelton School Board meeting. Fifty-two employees have applied for medical or religious exemptions, and 32 of them have been accommodated through exemptions or plans to get vaccinated, he said.

Like all the other school districts in the state, the Shelton School District is obligated to follow Gov. Jay Inslee's mandate for employees to be vaccinated, receive an exemption, or be fired.

Siblings Christopher Floe and Caroline Harris were arrested in connection with the Oct. 7 shooting in the 500 block of North 4th Street in downtown Shelton.

Floe, who was the victim of the shooting, was booked into Mason County Jail for first-degree assault, first-degree criminal conspiracy assault, false reporting and criminal conspiracy to commit a drive-by shooting. Harris was arrested for first-degree assault, first-degree criminal conspiracy assault, and criminal conspiracy to commit a drive-by shooting.

Bail was set at $250,000 and his arraignment hearing is set for 9 a.m. on Oct. 25.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Floe was interviewed about the incident and inconsistencies began to show in his statement. Security footage from the jail showed a vehicle blacked out leaving the scene at the same time as the shot was heard on multiple cameras. During an interview on Oct. 14, Floe admitted to talking his sister, Harris, into shooting him.

NOVEMBER

On the Nov. 2 first general election ballot count, Joe Schmit was overwhelmingly elected to a second term on the Shelton City Council, while George W. Blush and Miguel Gutierrez were separated by only 23 votes.

Running unopposed, Eric Onisko won a second term on the council as member No. 4, and newcomer Sharon Schirman joins the council as member No. 3.

On the initial ballot count, Schmit received 865 votes for 72.20%, while Shelton native and thrift shop owner Tyler "Mad Dog" Elliott received 326 votes for 27.21% for a four-year term as council member No. 6.

The Shelton City Council on Nov. 2 approved a law that criminalizes camping on city right of ways.

The council voted 5-2 to establish the new law, with council members Megan Fiess, Joe Schmit, Mayor Kevin Dorcy, James Boad and Deidre Peterson voting for the ordinance, and council members Eric Onisko and Kathy McDowell voting against it.

The ordinance received preliminary approval by the identical 5-2 vote by the council at its Oct. 19 meeting.

The ordinance makes it a misdemeanor to stay overnight in a tent, hut, lean-to or other temporary shelter or structure on city land "which is reserved for any public purpose, including city-owned rights-of-way, parks, public facilities, easements, critical areas and buffers."

The crime would be a misdemeanor, and punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Mason County Fire District 12 addressed public concerns that the district has violated state law that turned heated during public comment before the state Auditor's office spoke to the fire district commissioners Nov. 18 at the fire station in Matlock.

The meeting was held as people are growing frustrated with the department's lack of communication and transparency with the public, according to several people at the meeting.

Members of the state Auditor's office were in attendance and spoke to the commissioners about the accountability audit that will be conducted.

Assistant Director of Local Audits Tina Watkins and Assistant Audit Manager Megan McFarlane talked to the commissioners about the audit at the meeting. According to Watkins, the last audit for Mason County Fire District 12 was Dec. 31, 2016, and Watkins said in general, all local governments are required to be audited every three years.

Repeatedly blasting loud music, continuously revving your engine, or allowing your dog to bark excessively at night could land you a ticket if the City of Shelton passes a new noise ordinance.

The Shelton City Council discussed the proposed new ordinance Nov. 23 at a study session. Under the proposal, residents who receive complaints about loud noise between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. would be issued a warning, and if police have to return, a $1,000 fine.

The proposed ordinance aims to quiet down "loud music, house parties, those types of things," said City Manager Jeff Niten said. "Someone working in their garage at 1:30 in the morning, which I have seen."

The proposed ordinance is focused on residential areas and not commercial districts, where some businesses operate around the clock, Niten said.

The recount of two close races in the Nov. 2 general election did not change the results, with Miguel Gutierrez beating George W. Blush by five votes for a seat on the Shelton City Council, and Arla Shephard Bull defeating Michael Curtin for another term on the North Mason School Board.

The vote counts remained the same from the most recent results released on Nov. 22, Mason County Auditor Paddy McGuire wrote the Journal in an email.

Gutierrez received 728 votes for 49.59% and Blush 723 votes for 49.25% in their race for a four-year seat as council member No. 7.

Shephard Bull defeated Curtin by 22 votes in the race for North Mason School Board Director No. 5.

Mason County Public Works plans to solicit bids this month for the next phase of the Belfair Sewer project, a project that has cost county taxpayers millions with a long and tumultuous history that is making progress toward completion.

At the Nov. 22 Mason County commissioners briefing, Belfair

Sewer project manager Michael Lubovich said during a briefing on the sewer that the project's next phase is a significant milestone.

He said the original concept for the project was to find a way to join with local agencies and run a sewer line parallel to the planned state Route 3 freight corridor - previously known as the Belfair Bypass - to bring in more customers, more sewage and more service into the Belfair Water Reclamation facility. Interlocal agreements were made with Mason County, Bremerton and the Port of Bremerton to explore the project and its benefits.

DECEMBER

Two students at Hawkins Middle School were arrested after being overheard talking about plans to bring guns to school and kill people.

According to the Mason County Sheriff's Office, Hawkins Middle School staff investigated, and the two students involved were placed under emergency expulsion and released to their parents or guardians. Deputies and detectives were notified and interviewed witnesses to the conversation and established probable cause to arrest the two students for felony harassment.

Detectives and deputies went to the students' residences and were taken into custody without incident and booked into Mason County Juvenile Detention Center in Shelton.