County Briefs

Tahuya Peninsula outage will affect 2,300 customers

Mason PUD 3 announced an outage on June 14 that will affect about 2,300 customers on the Tahuya Peninsula for 10 hours.

According to a news release, the outage is for a maintenance project to replace transmission poles in the area and requires two substations to be offline. The outage will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will require all of PUD 3's line crews working on the project and a mutual-aid crew from Grays Harbor PUD. The work is considered extremely dangerous and requires high voltage lines to be de-energized for the safety of crews and because of the substations being taken out of service, other substations cannot handle all of the load of customers in the area.

The PUD will be notifying customers affected in the area. The PUD recommends unplugging sensitive appliances and electronic equipment until power has been restored for 20 minutes and surge protectors are encouraged with electronics.

For more information, go to http://www.pud3.org.

Three free state parks days in June

Admission to Washington state parks is free June 11, 12 and 19 for State Parks free days in 2022.

June 11 is national get outdoors day, June 12 is free fishing day and June 19 is Juneteenth. The three days open parks to the public without a Discover Pass.

For a full list of state parks, go to http://www.tinyurl.com/3n33bdh5.

Three injured in state Route 300 accident

Three people were injured and transported to hospitals after a two-car crash on state Route 300 near Northeast Sand Hill Road on Sunday in Belfair.

According to a Washington State Patrol news release, a 31-year-old Bremerton man was driving west on state Route 300 in the eastbound lane. A 30-year-old Gig Harbor woman driving with a 27-year-old Gig Harbor man were traveling east on state Route 300 and the two vehicles hit each other head-on.

The Bremerton man and Gig Harbor woman were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and the Gig Harbor man was transported to St. Joseph's Medical Center in Tacoma.

Charges are pending and the cause of the accident is under investigation. The road was fully closed for more than four hours.

Salmon Group offers summer camps

The Hood Canal Salmon Enchancement Group is offering two summer camps for young kids and teenagers.

According to a news release, the camps are the Salmon Center Farm Stewards and Explore the Fjord. The Salmon Center Farm Stewards are for ages 7-11 and runs from June 21 to Aug. 11. The camp is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Salmon Center in Belfair. Kids will begin with an introduction to gardening and nutrition bfore learning about pollinators, wild and domestic animals, mindfulness and creativity, water systems, environmental science and restoration, salmon and the ways these topics connect to sustainable agriculture and the environment.

The camp is available for a $5 donation with financial assistance available. Lunch is not provided. Any questions about the camp can be directed to camp coordinator Heather Hamilton at [email protected].

Explore the Fjord is for ages 12-16 and runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays July 15 to Aug. 19. Campers will meet at the Salmon Center each day before heading out with the group to various locations around the Hood Canal watershed. Some of the activities campers will learn about include sailing, shellfish, tide-pooling and painting in nature. The camp is available for a $5 donation with financial assistance available and lunch is not provided. Questions can be directed to camp coordinator Whitney McDaniel at [email protected].

Parkinson's Support Group meets June 8

The Parkinson's Support Group will meet from 1 to 3 p.m. June 8 at the Mason County Senior Center at 190 West Sentry Drive.

According to a news release, meeting others who share similar circumstances is important to build a support system. Anyone attending must be vaccinated.

For more information, call Marilyn or Carroll at 360-462-0230.

Jeff Snyder appointed fire chief of Central Mason

Central Mason Fire & EMS announced the appointment of Jeff Snyder as the next fire chief.

According to a news release, CMFE Fire Chief Mike Patti will be retiring this summer and has been with CMFE for more than 10 years. Patti was deputy fire chief/fire marshal and promoted to chief in May 2020.

Snyder started with the department in 1987 as a volunteer and was hired in 1992 as a full-time firefighter/EMT.

Once Snyder assumes the role of fire chief, Battalion Chief Greg Yates will be appointed to deputy fire chief.

Yates has been with CMFE since 1999 when he was hired as a full-time firefighter/paramedic. Chief Yates also served in many roles throughout his career.

Kilmer votes for family access to baby formula

U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, voted for two bills May 18 that aim to improve access to infant formula.

"As a dad, I know how important it is to ensure your kids have what they need to live healthy lives. Simply put – the baby formula shortage in our country today is unacceptable," said Rep. Kilmer in a news release. "That's why I supported two critical bills to help ensure that we cut red tape, get shelves restocked, and ensure parents and caretakers can access the nutrition resources they need to care for their kids."

Kilmer voted to support a supplemental funding bill that provides the U.S. Food and Drug Administration urgently needed resources to help address the infant formula shortage.