COUNTY BRIEFS

Unemployment rate in county drops

The Mason County unemployment rate dropped in September to 4.6%, according to the Washington Employment Security Department.

That’s lower than the 5.1% rate in August, but higher than June’s 3.9% and July’s 4.3%. The county’s highest unemployment this year was 8.1% in February. The county numbers are not seasonally adjusted because the sample size is too small, according to the state website.

One dead in U.S. 101 collision

Shelton resident Elliott Madea, 32, died in a car accident Oct. 26 after attempting to pass another car on the shoulder of U.S. Highway 101 at Wallace Kneeland Boulevard, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Madea struck the car, driven by Elma resident Stacie Haney, 29, while traveling north and then crossed into southbound traffic, crashing into a pickup driven by Mike Fox, 67.

Central Mason Fire & EMS had to extricate Madea and transfer him to a medic unit, but Madea died on the way to the hospital.

Haney and Fox weren’t seriously injured, State Patrol officials said.

The roadway was blocked for four hours for an investigation.

Tahuya man charged with DUI after crash

Police charged Tahuya resident Vance Bennett, 62, with DUI after Bennett failed to negotiate a curve on state Route 300 just west of milepost 2 and crashed into a ditch Oct. 27.

Bennett was injured and was taken to St. Michaels Medical Center in Silverdale, according to a Washington State Patrol news release.

Lawmakers visit Sierra Pacific sawmill

State Reps. Dan Griffey and Travis Couture, Republicans from Allyn, took state House Speaker Laurie Jinkins on a tour of the Sierra Pacific Sawmill in Shelton on Oct. 17 after Jinkins asked the lawmakers to show her around the 35th District, according to a news release from the congressmen.

“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to help Speaker Jinkins better understand the 35th District, and specifically what drives our local economy in Mason County. I was proud to highlight the mill’s history and its commitment to working in a way that helps protect the environment for future generations,” Couture said in a statement.

SPI’s sawmill employs more than 300 workers and is a member of the nonprofit Sustainable Forestry Initiative, an organization that is “focused on providing solutions that reduce negative environmental impacts to improve planet sustainability,” the news release states.

“Speaker Jinkins plays a critical decision-making role in the legislative process, so it is vital she know what we are all about here in the 35th District, including what industries support our economy,” Griffey said in a statement.

Jinkins said in a statement that she takes time out to visit every member in their own district to learn more about the communities they represent.

“It was really great to meet with Reps. Griffey and Couture recently, and to tour a business in an industry so important to the economy of the 35th Legislative District,” Jinkins said.