Year in Review - Shelton

JANUARY

Melissa Stearns, George Blush and Tom Gilmore on Jan. 2 were sworn in as new members of the Shelton City Council, followed by the seven-member council unanimously reelecting Eric Onisko as mayor. Joe Schmit was re-elected deputy mayor.

Stearns, a local Realtor and lifelong Shelton resident, defeated eight-year incumbent Kathy McDowell with 60.63% for a four-year term as council member 2.

Blush, the owner of Nita's Koffee Shop and the nonprofit 5XL Shelton Food Bank that provides pet food to people in need, won a four-year-term as council member 1 with 57.61% to defeat Tristen Smith. The seat became open when James Boad, the owner of Wilde Irish Pub, declined to run for a second term.

Gilmore received 50.81% of the vote to edge Mark Frazier to be council member 5. The seat opened up when Diedre Peterson, who is president and CEO of the Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce, declined to run for a second term.

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Shelton Mayor Eric Onisko announced he will run on the August primary ballot for a seat on the state House of Representatives.

Onikso will be running as a Republican in a bid to unseat fellow Republican Travis Couture, who is serving his first term in position 2 representing District 35. Onisko, a 56-year-old retired businessman, last week was unanimously elected for a second term as mayor of Shelton by the other six members of the Shelton City Council.

In an interview with the Journal, Onisko said he's been considering a run for the state House for years.

"I was going to run last year, but the plate was full - there were three Republicans that year," he said.

Onisko said the morning after his announcement, he was reading social media posts criticizing him for running against Couture, who lives in Allyn.

"It's not about Travis," he said. "It's about me. It's a goal I have. I want to help people."

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Mary M. Knight School District in January announced district voters on the Feb. 13 ballot will be asked to replace an expiring educational programs and operations (EP&O) levy that was approved by voters in 2022.

Passage of the levy by a simple majority for 2024-26 could raise more than $2.5 million. The replacement levy would collect $730,500 in 2025 and $818,200 in 2026. The district would also be eligible for more than

$1 million in state-funded levy equalization money.

Grapeview School District followed suit by asking voters on the Feb. 13 ballot to replace an expiring educational programs levy that would tax property 63 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, the same as the levy that is expiring.

If passed, the levy would collect $946,724 in 2025, $990,095 in 2026, $1.024.570 in 2027 and $1.042,216 in 2028.

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Meet the new leagues, same as the old leagues.

As Washington Interscholastic Activities Association's quadrennial process of reclassification of its member schools came to a close over the weekend, not much changed on the surface for Mason County's three sports-playing high schools.

After four years in 2A as a member of the Evergreen Conference, Shelton High School was returned to 3A despite an appeal to remain at the lower level, but the change will only affect the Highclimbers when postseason rolls around.

Shelton will remain a member of the Evergreen Conference and compete against Aberdeen, Black Hills, Centralia, Tumwater and W.F. West. The league has also invited Kelso High School to join and the Longview-area school is expected to make a decision on Feb. 6.

The only other change to the 2A Evergreen Conference involved Rochester High School. The Warriors' declining enrollment dropped the school into 1A. It will likely join the 1A Evergreen Conference, which includes Elma, Montesano and Hoqiuam.

Shelton's student enrollment when factoring in free and reduced-price meals was just 87 students over the 2A cutoff limit according to district athletic director Scott Chamberlain.

FEBRUARY

Two races for the Shelton County Commission are taking shape.

Commissioner Kevin Shutty in February announced he will not seek another term in the fall representing District 2, and Commissioner Randy Neatherlin told the Journal he's still considering whether to toss his hat into the ring for another term representing District 3.

Richard Beckman, owner of Richard Beckman Realty Group in downtown Shelton, announced he is running to replace Shutty. William Harris, a Republican who lives at LakeLand Village, said he is running for Neatherlin's seat.

In an interview with the Journal, Shutty said his announcement "gives a three-month runway" for others to file to represent District 2. He said he and his wife Catherine, a nurse practitioner at Mason Health, will continue to live in Union and he will continue to teach courses in American government on the Olympic College campuses in Shelton and Poulsbo.

"We're staying put in Mason County," Shutty said. He added, "We have a vested interest in the community."

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When a city hearing examiner in February gave Community Lifeline permission to increase the number of beds from 35 to 54 at its downtown Shelton shelter, the approval came with a slew of conditions.

No one has filed an appeal of the hearing examiner's decision.

Community Lifeline is required to comply with city ordinances and codes, including building, plumbing and fire codes. Before receiving the certificate of occupancy for a 54-bed capacity, Community Lifeline must secure permitting from the city's building official and fire marshal for required changes to the facility's layout. All lighted exit signs, emergency lights and portable fire extinguishers must be maintained and serviceable at all times. Levels of inside and outside noise can't exceed city code.

Community Lifeline is also required to give the city a written set of operating rules and procedures at the overnight shelter, which requires an on-site member/volunteer always be on-site when the shelter is in operation.

The outdoor smoking area must be monitered, a daily logbook of incidents and activities must be maintained, and staff members and volunteers are required to regularly patrol the area to pick up trash and any "stashed items around the property."

The nonprofit must have at least one trained staff member on site for every 15 people staying at the shelter. That means four staff members will be required when all 54 beds are filled.

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Voters in Grapeview and Mary M. Knight solidly passed two replacement levies in the Feb. 13 special election, and the Hood Canal School District's proposed $33.5-million building bond fell short of a 60% super majority.

Of the 44,481 registered voters in Mason County, 15,315 cast ballots for a turnout of 34.43%.

The proposition for Mason County to increase sales and use tax of two-tenths of 1% to provide ongoing money to buy, design, equip, repair, operate and improve the 911 emergency communication services passed with 67.62%. with 10,340 voting "yes" and 4,951 voting "no."

The Hood Canal School District's $33.5-million building bond garnered 56.8%, short of the 60% required. The same bond proposal fell 45 votes short of passing in the November general election with 58.1%.

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The Shelton School District is investigating the injuries of five Shelton High School students sustained Jan. 31 during a weight training class, when two football coaches substituting for the regular teacher ordered the students to perform football tackling drills without padding or helmets.

Four students reportedly suffered concussions, and one a dislocated finger when they were slammed to the mat and against padded walls in the wrestling room.

On Feb. 27, four of the students told the Shelton School Board the football coaches told students to get out of the way of the drills after they were injured. Parents told the board they are frustrated and angry about a lack of communication from the district about the incident.

Superintendent Wyeth Jessee spoke briefly about the incident at the board's Feb. 13 meeting. He said an investigation had been launched.

MARCH

A quintet of teens on March 19 were crowned the new members of the Mason County Forest Festival Royalty Court at the Shelton High School Performing Arts Center.

Shelton High School senior Lindsey Ozuna Uriostegui is the new Queen of the Forest, and Shelton High School senior Ben Watkins is Paul Bunyan. Cedar High School junior Jasmine Mejia is Princess of Hemlock, Shelton High School junior Kodee Galloway is Princess of Douglas Fir and Shelton High School senior Orre Leggett is Timber the Axe Man.

Eight students from Shelton, Cedar and North Mason high schools competed for the honor. Shelton High School senior Filesi Tausa earned both the Sprit Award from her fellow contestants, and the award for best essay award from the judges.

For two of the new court members, Forest Festival royalty runs in the family. Watkins' mother Lori was a princess in 1989, and his grandmother was a Queen of the Forest. Leggett's mother Lisa was also a princess in the early 1990s and her grandmother a queen in 1976.

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Two Shelton High School female students claim the school allowed a guidance counselor to "systematically groom and sexually prey" on them, according to a complaint originally filed March 6 in Mason County Superior Court and withdrawn March 8 due to a captioning error.

Lesley O'Neill, one of the attorneys representing the defendants, told the Journal her firm, Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala in Seattle, plans on refiling the complaint as soon as possible.

The girls and their parents are identified by their initials in the complaint. The Journal does not identify minor victims of sexual crimes or their families.

During the 2022-2023 school year, the students were both 14 and in ninth grade. Samuel Caffey was their freshman guidance counselor.

Caffey, 30, is serving 41 months after pleading guilty to third-degree child rape related to a teenage student under his advisement.

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Parents of a 4-month-old girl have been arrested for manslaughter after an infant was found unresponsive and could not be revived at the couple's home in Shelton on March 6.

Stevie Kadoun, 30, the child's mother, was arrested at the scene. The father Damion Giacchino, 31, fled, according to police, and was apprehended March 14.

According to the probable cause document, Kadoun called 911 to report her child wasn't breathing and her husband was attempting CPR.

"I recalled going to this address several times in the past. I knew the property to be littered with trash, derelict vehicles, wanted subjects, and controlled substances, making it a dangerous place for any child to live. Leading me to believe there was a possibly a criminal element to this case. Further, I knew the property not to be attached to any type of grid power system, or have running water or working sewage," Mason County Deputy R. Carney wrote in the document.

Carney said he went to check on the infant in the ambulance and took turns with medics performing CPR but the infant was deceased.

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The Shelton School Board on March 26 accepted the resignation of Mark Smith, the Shelton High School head football coach and the district's K-8 athletic and activities director.

Smith, a 1987 Shelton High School graduate, coached the team for five seasons. His resignation was effective March 13. Smith did not immediately reply to a request for comments from the Journal.

The Shelton School District is investigating the injuries of five Shelton High School students sustained Jan. 31 during a weight training class, when Smith and another football coach substituting for the regular teacher ordered the students to perform football tackling drills without padding or helmets. Four students reportedly suffered concussions, and one a dislocated finger when they were slammed to the mat and against padded walls in the wrestling room.

In a statement to the Journal on Wednesday morning, the district stated, "The situation on Jan. 31 is very unfortunate and not reflective of the District's commitment to providing a safe environment for students. The Shelton School District has already taken steps to help prevent any further injuries to students during physical fitness courses. Additional training has been provided to all high school coaches about the roles and responsibilities, including rules under WIAA."

APRIL

Three suspects in a shooting at the Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton April 3 led multiple law enforcement agency officers on a high-speed chase, ending with their arrest in Thurston County.

Roberto Evans, 22, Austin McCord, 19, and a 17-year-old juvenile were arrested in connection with the shooting that happened in the casino's parking garage, wounding Damien Castellane, 21, and Roger Allen Turner Ford, 27, according to a Mason County Sheriff's Office probable cause document.

A third person, Malique Eckstein, 20, was "scared but uninjured," Detective M. Ledford wrote.

The shooting happened just before 3 p.m.

Casino surveillance captured the shooting and showed "A silver 1996 2dr Chevy Tahoe ... enter the parking garage and head northbound to the second level as the white Infinity, occupied by Roberto, Austin and [juvenile] were passing the Tahoe in the opposite direction to exit the structure. As the vehicles passed the white Infinity brake lights briefly illuminated and numerous gun shots were fired from the Infinity at the Tahoe and its occupants. The occupant(s) of the Infinity continued to shoot at the Tahoe until they rounded corner to exit the parking structure," the probable cause document states.

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Shelton Deputy Mayor Joe Schmit said he is resigning from the Shelton City Council halfway through his second term because he wanted to work on long-term city policies and plans and most of the other council members, and the community, do not.

"Instead of trying to resist or get frustrated, I felt it was time to step aside," Schmit said April 9 in an interview with the Journal. He said he feels he is "at the crossroads" after six years on the City Council.

"It's not so much a frustration, but you come in with a hope that your city wants quick changes ... But it doesn't feel like the community wants to 'solve' the problems," he said.

Schmit said he and the other council members have a differing ideas about the role of the council. He said he wanted to work on long-term city policies that would be vetted by the community, conveyed to the city departments and enacted.

"I was always very hungry to deep dive into that ... I needed six other council members to go on that adventure with me," Schmit said. He added, "really, the job is long-term planning and visioning with the community."

Schmit's resignation was announced at the council's April 2 regular meeting, which he did not attend. Lyndsey Sapp would take his place in May.

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Mason County Commissioner Kevin Shutty is the new executive director of the Economic Development Council of Mason County.

Shutty replaces Jennifer Baria. He assumed his position May 1 and continued in his role with the county commission until his term expired at the end of the year.

The Shelton-based organization provides consultation to businesses establishing or relocating in Mason County. The agency states that its mission is "to expand and diversify the economy throughout Mason County by retaining and recuring jobs, growing sustainable industry clusters, and promoting global competitiveness for Washington State."

"The EDC plays an important role in bringing the private and public sector together to support economic growth in Mason County," Shutty wrote to the Journal. "I am excited to continue serving our community in this new role as I work with the EDC's Board of Directors, members and dedicated staff to build the necessary partnerships to support projects to bring jobs and housing to our community."

MAY

Two fire and medical service measures on the April 23 special election ballot were passing overwhelmingly.

Grapeview Fire District 3's proposed merger with Central Mason Fire District 5 to provide fire and emergency medical services to areas served by the two districts had 573 approval votes for 77.64%, and 165 rejection votes for 22.36%.

West Mason Fire District 16 proposed property tax levy of 50 cents or less per $1,000 of assessed valuation for six years, beginning this year, for emergency medical services received 497 "yes" votes for 60.68%, and 322 "no" votes for 39.32%.

Both needed a simple majority to pass. Voter turnout was 33.8%.

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State Sen. Drew MacEwen of Union announced he is running to represent District 6 in Congress.

MacEwen, who represents the 35th District in the state Senate, is a Republican who will face Democrat Hilary Franz. They hope to replace Derek Kilmer, a Democrat who didn't seek another term.

State Reps. Dan Griffey and Travis Couture, both Allyn Republicans, are seeking new two-year terms representing District 35 in the state House. At the Journal's deadline Wednesday, Griffey was running unopposed and Couture is facing Democrat James DeHart of Shelton.

Two of the three seats on the Mason County Commission are up for grabs.

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Six people who inspired local youths in the classroom and on the playing field were inducted into the Shelton School District & Community Hall of Fame at a ceremony May 7 in the Shelton School District Performing Arts Center.

The inductees are Sheryal Balding, Brian Fairbrother, Mike Fox, Dann Gagnon, Leslie Orme and Dick Wentz.

The hall recognizes students, alumni, faculty, staff, friends, benefactors and residents who have contributed to the success, tradition, integrity, development and promotion of the district, and/or excelled in athletics, fine arts, academics and/or business.

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In one week in May, Fire District 12 lost insurance coverage, was declared a disaster area and saw all three of its commissioners resign.

Mason County Administrator Mark Neary said the May 17 disaster declaration was "unprecedented" for a fire district.

"I've done a lot of research and I've been unable to find this happening anywhere else," Neary told commissioners. "We are in uncharted territory," he said.

Residents of the district, which covers western Mason County, including Matlock and some areas of eastern Grays Harbor County, should see no change in emergency response.

911 calls from the area will be directed by MACECOM to a variety of first responders, including neighboring fire districts, volunteers and state-provided teams, according to county officials.

Fire 12 became inoperable after its insurer, VFIS, canceled the policy due to mismanagement May 17.

Mason County commissioners quickly declared a disaster so the state could step in with resources.

Mason County commissioners appointed Trina Young and Dave Persell as commissioners for Fire District 12, Positions 1 and 3 respectively, on May 24.

JUNE

Heavy rainfall didn't prevent thousands of people from converging on Shelton for the 80th annual Mason County Forest Festival from May 30 through June 2.

"Overall, I think it was a fantastic event," said Amy Cooper, vice president of the Mason County Forest Festival Association. The inaugural Smokey's Birthday Party event Friday evening in the Shelton Civic Center parking lot, co-hosted by KMAS, drew a large crowd which enjoyed birthday cake, ax throwing and photos opportunities with Smokey the Bear. "That went off better than imagined," Cooper said.

The Paul Bunyan Grand Parade on Saturday featured 98 entries and included the appearance of 30 to 40 former royalty court members. "It was one of our biggest parades," Cooper said. At the Logging Show Saturday at Loop Field, Erin Lavoie was the overall women's winner, David Moses the overall men's winner.

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Stores in Shelton lose more than 300 shopping carts a year, which end up in alleys, ravines and homeless encampments. It costs the City of Shelton staff time and money to retrieve them from its parks and when they become a nuisance.

At a study session June 11, the members of the Shelton City Council and city staff spent an hour discussing ways to mitigate the problem.

Jae Hill, the city's community and economic development director, said he reached out to stores in Shelton about their experiences with thieves walking away with their shopping carts. He also examined how other cities deal with it.

Hill said the shopping carts cost retailers between $300 and $1,000. Once off the store's property, they are considered stolen property, he said. They become a nuisance to the city when they and their contents are discarded in the city, and so far this year the city's code enforcement officer has retrieved 40 carts, he said.

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Mason County Sheriff deputies arrested Dale Red Hawk LaClair, 40, for murder after finding LaClair "shirtless and covered in blood" and Paul William Peterson, Jr., 35, apparently beaten to death on the front lawn of a home on the Skokomish Indian Reservation, according to court documents.

MACECOM began receiving calls about a man crying for help around 5 a.m. June 25 and dispatched deputies to North Salish Court on the reservation, according to a probable cause document.

"When the initial responding deputies arrived, they contacted a subject later identified as Dale Red Hawk LaClair. Dale was shirtless and covered in blood," the document states.

Deputies then discovered Peterson in the front yard.

"Although life saving efforts were taken by the initial responding deputies and later medics that arrived on scene, Paul was pronounced deceased on scene," MCSO Deputy Helser wrote.

Helser said based on Peterson's injuries, it appeared he was beaten with an object.

"Immediately adjacent to Paul's body was a piece of what appeared to be a pointed piece of cinder block which was completely covered in blood," according to the probable cause document.

JULY

The Shelton School District is proposing a $81.8 million budget for the 2024-25 school year that includes $2.9 million in reductions, mostly staff.

Brenda Trogstad, the district's assistant superintendent, and Superintendent Wyeth Jessee gave a presentation on the proposed budget July 9 to the Shelton School Board. Following a closed executive session, the board also voted unanimously to approve the superintendent's contract through 2027.

Trogstad compared the district's fund balances with those of neighboring districts Aberdeen, Olympia, North Thurston and Tumwater since 2018-2019. With the proposed budget, the Shelton School District is projected to have a fund balance of $3 million at the end of the 2024-25 school year, or 3.8%.

"They were in good shape when we were in good shape previously, but everybody is starting to struggle," Trogstad said. "They're cutting staff, they're doing the RIF (reduction in force) notices, enrollment is down in a lot of districts. Luckily, we're staying pretty steady in keeping these kids."

"Schools across the state are struggling to balance their budgets ... materials and people cost more," Jessee said.

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C.J. Allen cleared his first hurdle as a 10-year-old at Grapeview Elementary School. Unlike the other kids, he could jump hurdles designed for college athletes.

"Even in the fifth grade, I said I was going to be in the Olympics," Allen said in a telephone interview in July from his home in Georgia. "That's the pinnacle of my sport."

Allen achieved that pinnacle June 30 by placing second in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 47.81 at the U.S. Olympic qualifying time trials at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene. Currently ranked seventh in the world, Allen will compete at the Olympic Games in Paris Aug. 5 and 7, with the finals on Aug. 9.

Allen's Olympic qualifying race was at 5 p.m., which meant spending the day sitting around.

"The pressure is really hard," he said. "I had pre-race nerves." Those nerves vanished as he warmed up, he said.

"It was a relief," Allen said of qualifying for the Olympics. "I've been running hurdles for 19 years."

AUGUST

Allyn native C.J. Allen on Aug. 7 finished fourth in his heat in the semi-finals of the 400-meter hurdles at the Olympic Games in Paris, ending his pursuit of a medal for now.

The 2013 North Mason High School graduate had a time of 48.44. He advanced to the heat by placing second with a time of 48.64 two days earlier.

The former Washington State University track star, now a 29-year-old Atlanta resident, qualified for the Olympics June 30 by placing second in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 47.81 at the U.S. Olympic qualifying time trials at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene. He is currently ranked seventh in the world.

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Joe Schmit, who resigned from the Shelton City Council in April, on Aug. 6 was appointed the new emergency manager director of the MACECOM Board of Directors.

MACECOM is the primary public safety answering point for Mason County and operates around the clock. It is overseen by a board of directors of leaders from city, county and tribal governments and emergency responders.

"Joe brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to MACECOM and, coupled with his deep commitment to serving our community, will ensure the public and first responders have access to life-saving emergency communications when the need it most," Kevin Shutty, chair of the MACECOM Legislative Board, said in a news release from MACECOM. "The Board of Directors was unanimous in our appointment of Joe, and he has our full confidence to lead the organization into the future."

Schmit was an emergency management specialist in the Air Force. For the past 15 years, he has worked for the state Department of Transportation, where his positions have included emergency operations specialist, technology resource program manager, and technical services and operations officer at the state materials laboratory.

Schmit was elected to the Shelton City Council in 2018 and then re-elected in 2022

SEPTEMBER

Dramatically increasing costs in insurance, special education and supplies created budget challenges for the seven school districts in Mason County as they started the school year.

The Shelton School District made almost $2.9 million in reductions for the school year.

"It's like people's household budgets - things cost more," Shelton Superintendent Wyeth Jessee said. That includes insurance, food, fuel and staffing, he said.

"I think we're managing the money the best we can," he said.

The largest cut is the reduction of hourly para educator time at $843,501. The reductions include eliminating the positions of executive director of teaching and learning for a savings of $229,834 and the kindergarten-eighth grade athletic director for a savings of $161,641. The budget also eliminates six full-time certified teaching positions for a savings of $731,172.

The Pioneer School District in May discovered it was facing a budget shortfall of $1.4 million for the 2024-25 school. The district made $2 million in cuts, and 20 staff positions were eliminated.

"It was not fun," said Superintendent Jeff Davis. Last school year, the district began the year with 22 new employees; this year it's two, both bus drivers replacing employees.

The Grapeview School District made about $180,000 in cuts. "We're facing the fight all the other districts are ... All of us are spread thin," said Superintendent Gerry Grubbs.

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Don't expect any skyscrapers sprouting soon in downtown Shelton, but four and five-story buildings might arise in the near future.

The Shelton City Council on Sept. 3 gave preliminary approval to eliminating building height limits in almost all zones, to hopefully encourage affordable and multifamily housing and other development.

No one spoke at the public hearing on the proposal. The council can make the move official with a vote at its meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Shelton Civic Center.

If it passes, applicable building codes will still regulate the materials and safety of buildings based on height and method of construction. Height restrictions would remain in place in the Airport Industrial zone to protect operations at Sanderson Field.

If passed, "height limits for wireless facilities, freestanding signs, and accessory uses or structures shall be regulated by the specific content of each applicable zoning district or supplementary regulations."

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Timberlakes resident Bill Scholl has something in common with U.S. diver Greg Louganis, U.S. tennis player Venus Williams, New Zealand canoer Ian Ferguson and Norway speed skater Johann Olgu Koss.

Each won four gold medals and one silver medal in athletic competition.

Four of them earned their medals at Olympic competition. Scholl, a former minister who lost most of his sight, won his medals in four days in August at the National Veteran Golden Age Games in Salt Lake City.

Scholl competed in bocce ball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, cornhole and disc golf at the event. More than 1,000 competitors, all veterans over the age of 55, competed at the 38th annual games. The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs hosted the event.

Scholl was part of a team called Puget Sound Orcas, which featured three ambulatory veterans and six who are visually impaired.

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At a special meeting of the Shelton City Council on Sept. 24, state Sen. Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton, asked the council members and staff to name the city's top two funding priorities as the Legislature's biennium session approaches in January.

"Water storage is number one, one-hundred percent," City Manager Mark Ziegler replied. He added, "That's probably one, two and three, to be honest."

Public Works Director Jay Harris echoed that thought. "We're going to need bigger tanks to spur development," he said.

The city's goal is to start getting rid of the smaller reservoirs and build larger reservoirs, Harris said. The city has "significant development proposals" on the table, including 200 in Olympic Heights and 365 in Coffee Creek, he said.

The city's report on 2025 legislative needs states the city's 2023 water comprehensive plan determined that Shelton has a shortage of reservoir storage for potable water and fire protection. The report points out that all but one of the city's reservoirs are more than 50 years old, and the Capitol Hill and High School reservoirs "are at the end of life and need to be replaced in the next 10 years."

OCTOBER

OysterFest 2024 wrapped up Oct. 5 after a weekend of food, music and shucking contests.

Nearly 500 RV campers stayed onsite, a record for the 42nd festival, and almost 10,000 people paid admission. An additional 1,000 volunteers and vendors attended, Volunteer Chair/Public Image Chair Laurie Brown told the Journal.

Ticket sales showed many visitors were from out-of-state and throughout Washington, Brown said.

Jerry Obendorf, who was as the Grand Old Oyster, said the event was a great success and vendors reported "very strong sales."

The Shelton Skookum Rotary Club should have total contributions made back to the community available in a few months, he said.

A new event this year, the Seafood Pirates Shucking Contest, will have a permanent spot at upcoming OysterFests, according to Brown.

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A man allegedly caught on video surveillance leaving his neighbor's home holding a gun shortly before the neighbor was found shot to death faced trial in October.

Jury selection and trial proceedings started Oct. 22 for Shelton resident Jerry Upson, charged with first-degree murder and first-degree unlawful firearm possession in connection with the death of Kenneth D. Simmons.

Upson was seen on surveillance video with a handgun entering and leaving the victim's home numerous times Oct. 27, 2023, according to the probable cause document filed by the Mason County Sheriff's Office.

Simmons' brother Martin called police Oct. 28 after driving to Simmons' house at 990 E. Mikkelsen Road, finding him on the couch "cold to the touch, with an apparent gunshot wound to the head," the document states.

On Oct. 21, Upson's attorney Rose Boughton filed a pretrial request, known as a motion in limine, to prohibit testimony from MCSO Detective Dylan Helser regarding the surveillance video.

"On his approach, he's seen removing an object from his left jacket pocket. Based on my training and experience as a hunter and as a gun enthusiast, I recognized his movement as appearing to be cycling the slide on a semi-automatic handgun. This is a necessary action to load a cartridge from the magazine into the chamber prior to firing. Upson places the object back into his left jacket pocket," Helser wrote in the probable cause document.

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A Union woman was arrested Oct. 18 on 15 counts of animal cruelty after deputies performed a welfare check and discovered numerous animals, including dogs, cats, sheep, goats and horses living in deplorable conditions, according to a Mason County Sheriff's Office probable cause document.

Jenny King, 63, said the animals belonged to her and "stated nothing was wrong with her dogs and failed to acknowledge the animals' condition," MCSO Detective Drogmund wrote in the document.

King was allegedly caring for homeowner Brian Cook. Cook's friend called deputies Oct. 11, requesting they check on Cook. The friend said, "Brian was very sick, the house was full of animals that were not receiving proper care, and that the house was full of feces and in 'deplorable condition,' " according to the document.

When deputies and medics arrived at the home on Trudder Lane in Union, they found Cook in poor condition and took him to Mason General Hospital, according to court documents.

NOVEMBER

Washington got bluer, America got redder and Mason County didn't change much.

That was the overall takeaway of the initial results from the Nov. 5 general election, released late that night.

With more than 29,500 ballots counted in Nov. 5's tally, Mason County's initial turnout was 63.6%, placing it in the top 10 by turnout for Washington's 39 counties.

The next ballot count was scheduled for 5 p.m. Nov. 6, after the Journal went to press.

The county had an estimated 5,000 ballots left to count.

Mason County Auditor Steve Duenkel said almost 60 volunteers participated on Election Day, including members of the Shelton NJROTC who helped direct traffic past the ballot drop box next to the election center. Other volunteers came from the League of Women Voters of Mason County and the Republican and Democrat parties.

"The team has just done an incredible job," Duenkel said. He added, "It helps it's not raining like crazy."

The department didn't have any issues with voting machines, Duenkel said. All the ballots were collected from drop boxes the evening of Nov. 5, he said.

"We have a lot of new voters ... Tomorrow we'll have a lot of ballots to count," said Marie Stevenson, Mason County's election superintendent. She added, "I'm happy things are going well."

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One by one, the men and women gathered inside Memorial Hall in downtown Shelton on Veterans Day were handed a microphone to talk about their service to the country.

A 20-year Navy career took one man to 31 countries. Another served on a mine sweeper during the Korean War. A woman participated in communications duties during Operation Desert Storm. A Vietnam veteran mentioned he took part in the United States' evacuation in 1975.

With their loved ones, they were gathered to celebrate Veterans Day. Many wore caps identifying their branch of service and units, some festooned with ribbons. Some were adorned with medals.

Members of the Shelton ROTC participated in the ceremony. Everyone was served breakfast. At their tables, veterans found handwritten letters from Mountain View Elementary School students.

A letter from Devin stated, "Dear veteran, Thank you for your service and sacrifice. I admire your bravery and dedication to keeping our country sage and free. I am grateful to live in America because of you."

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The Shelton City Council on Nov. 19 approved a budget of $46.1 million for 2025 at its regular meeting.

No one from the public commented on the budget. The council gave preliminary approval to it at its Nov. 5 meeting.

Mike Githins, the city's finance director, told the council of changes to the general fund from the preliminary budget.

In an email to the Journal, Githins explained the city increased the revenue by $150,000 and increased expenditures $212,500 for a net increase over the first budget hearing of $62,500. With the changes, the ending fund balance is $1,131,267 instead of $1,068,767, he wrote.

Mayor Eric Onisko thanked Githin and city staff for their hard work producing the budget.

The budget totals $46,115,096, with a general fund appropriation of $17,042,051. The state requires that the budget be approved by the end of the year.

The budget adds one additional employee, a custodial position eliminated in 2023 in the facilities department.

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Almost 79% of registered Mason County voters cast ballots in the Nov. 5 general election.

That's the updated numbers from the Mason County Auditor's Office on Nov. 18. The results were certified Nov. 26.

In the ballot count, Donald Trump received 17,922 votes in Mason County for 49.35%, and Democrat Kamala Harris received 17,064 votes for 47.07%. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. received 663 votes for 1.83%.

In the races for the Mason County commission, independent Randy Neatherlin got 18,811 votes for 55.08% and Republican William Harris 15,138 votes for 44.32%, earning Neatherlin a fourth term representing District 1.

In the race to represent District 2 on the Mason County commission, Republican Pat Tarzwell received 17,585 votes for 52.51% to defeat Tom Beben, who stated no party preference and had 15,783 votes for 47.13%.

Republican Travis Couture earned a second term as a state representative in Position 2 in the 35th District with 51,742 votes for 58.58% and Democrat James DeHart 36,489 votes for 41.31%.

Running unopposed, Republican Dan Griffey received 64,699 votes for 94.74% to secure another term in Position 2 representing the 35th District.

In the race to replace Derek Kilmer representing the 6th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrat Emily Randall received 238,801 votes for 56.73% to defeat Republican Drew MacEwen, who has 181,400 votes for 43.09%. MacEwen will continue his term representing District 35 in the state Senate.

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The Shelton School District's strengths include improved student attendance, a large decrease in disciplinary measures and a drastic increase in English Language Arts scores for third-grade students. A drop in the graduation rate, the elimination of six jobs in the district office, and struggles to cover decreasing state funds for basic education are among the weaknesses.

The district's opportunities include The Evergreen State College's Shelton Promise program offering free tuition for up to four years for 2025 and 2026 graduates of Shelton, CHOICE and Cedar high schools. Retaining novice teachers and managing a fiscal deficit are among the threats.

Those are among the conclusions from the "State of the District" presentation by Superintendent Wyeth Jessee at the school board meeting Nov. 26 at Mountain View Elementary School.

The district is experiencing ongoing pressure on the general fund due to inflation and restricted funds, Jessee said.

DECEMBER

State legislators Dec. 3 shared their priorities for the upcoming year at a sendoff breakfast at the Alderbrook Golf & Yacht Club in Union.

The Shelton-Mason County Chamber, North Mason Chamber and Mason County Economic Development Council hosted the event featuring 35th District Reps. Travis Couture and Dan Griffey, both Republicans from Allyn, and state Sen. Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton.

Chamber President and CEO Diedre Peterson said the new legislative budget will have long-term impacts for Mason County.

"As business leaders, it's crucial we remain engaged through the session," she said.

Peterson and Kevin Shutty, executive director of the Mason County Economic Development Council, took turns questioning the legislators.

Peterson asked what they thought was realistic and "achievable" as minority party members in a Democrat-dominated state Legislature.

Couture said he was "pragmatic and realistic."

He pointed to "incredible wins" last year in the capital and transportation budgets as an example of what state Republicans can achieve.

Couture was more pessimistic about the "flavor" of this session, saying the 10 to 12 billion state debt is daunting.