N|ason County
Thursday, July 3, 2014 - Week 27 - The Voice of Mason County since 1886 -- $1
ion artist
res ski s
Shelton
Relay for
i Life raises
over $75K
By GORDON WEEKS
gordon@masoncoun com
More than $75,000 was
raised to help find a cure for
cancer at the annual Shelton
Relay for Life fundraiser Fri-
day and Saturday at High-
climber Stadium at Shelton
High School.
Thirty-nine teams partici-
pated in the American Cancer
Society event, which began
under sunny skies at 4 p.m.
Friday. Participants were
deluged by rain throughout
the night during the 24-hour
event.
see RELAY, page A-17
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INSIDE TODAY
Opinion Page A-4
Journal of Record Page A-10
Living Page A-19
Business News Page A-21
Obituaries Page A-22
Belfair Herald Page A-25
Sports Page B-I
Classifieds Page B-6
Legals Page B-8
Crossword Page B-IO
Sudoku Page B-IO
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Journal photo by Kathy Brooks
A 26-year-old Shelton man, shown lying along the road, was arrested Saturday morning by
Mason County Sheriff's Deputy Chris Mondry after a 100-mph chase that ended with the
driver flipping a stolen vehicle on Phillips Road.
Driver flips stolen car
after 100 mph chase
By NATALIE JOHNSON
natalie@masoncounty, com
A Shelton man was arrested .Saturday morn-
ing after leading a Mason County Sheriffs dep-
uty on a 100 mph chase on Lynch Road, south-
west of Shelton.
Zach Kevin Reynolds, 26, was arrested on
suspicion of felony eluding and vehicle theft af-
ter crashing on Phillips Road.
He also had an active warrant for his arrest
on burglary charges, according to the Sheriffs
Office.
Mason County Sheriffs Deputy Chris Mon-
dry tried to pull Reynolds over just after 9:30
a.m. According to Mondry's probable cause re-
port, Reynolds, who was driving a red Honda
later found to be stolen, tried to pass another
car on Lynch Road.
Mondry tried to pull Reynolds over, but the
Honda accelerated.
The deputy's report listed his patrol car's top
speed as 100 mph.
Reynolds turned left on Phillips Road and
pulled ahead of Mondry's patrol car. After a few
more turns, Mondry lost sight of the Honda in
front of him, and realized it had crashed and
come to rest on its roof on the side of the road,
according to the probable cause report.
Mondry tried to help Reynolds out of the up-
turned vehicle, but couldn't get the door open.
He tried breaking a window with his baton but
broke the baton instead.
ARer trying again, Mondry got the wedged
door open and Reynolds exited the Honda and
was arrested.
Lack of money might close Community Kitchen
Donations sought to help
serve hungry residents
By GORDON WEEKS
gordon@masoncounty, com
After 16 years of feeding
hungry people in downtown
Shelton, the nonprofit Commu-
laity Kitchen might be forced to
close.its doors because it can't
pay its operational costs.
The agency at 114 S. Second
St., which is operated entirely
by volunteers, has fallen be-
hind on its bills, said founder
and manager Ken Benjamin.
The kitchen operates on a
"bare bones" budget of $1,200 a
month, which pays for the rent
and electric gas, with all food
and labor donated, he said.
see KITCHEN, page A.28
Journal photo by Gordon Weeks
Ken Benjamin founded the all-volunteer Community Kitchen,
which has been feeding hungry people in Shelton for 16
years. He might be forced to close the kitchen because it
can't pay its bills. The volunteers include 9-year-old Hope
Kirton, who cooks, cleans and serves, and her mother,
Krista Kirton, the assistant manager.
Not in
their
backyard
County imposes
moratorium on
commercial Cannabis
By NATALIE JOHNSON
natalie@masoncounty com
A week attar listening
to nearly two hours of pub-
lic comment against a com-
mercial marijuana farm
on Sells Drive southwest
of Shelton, Mason Coun-
ty commissioners took a
stand in opponents' favor.
Commissioner Tim
Sheldon made a motion
Tuesday asking for a six-
month moratorium on all
production and processing
of recreational marijuana
in all county zoning, ex-
cluding industrial and ag-
ricultural zones.
Sheldon and Commis-
sioner Terri Jeffreys voted
for the motion. Commis-
sioner Randy Neatherlin
voted no.
"I think it is so restric-
tive that it's going to cost a
lot of people a lot of money
and it's our fault," Neath-
erlin said.
Steve Fuhr's Cannabis
production and processing
company, Agropack, on
Cady Farms Road, was ef-
fectively shut down by the
moratorium. The compa-
ny has a pending applica-
tion with the state Liquor
Control Board.
"It's essentially ended
dozens of businesses,"
Fuhr said.
The commission's
agenda originally includ-
ed a motion to enact a
less restrictive six-month
moratorium for only rural
residential and rural com-
mercial zoning.
However, it was Shel-
don's motion on the more
restrictive moratorium
that the commission voted
on.
"I think with a morato-
rium it gives us a chance to
get it right," Sheldon said.
Some residents of Sells
Drive were disappointed
that the moratorium will
not affect existing permits
for structures associated
with commercial grows,
such as the one held by
Forbidden Farms in the
400 block of Sells Drive.
'I feel that the damage
has already been done,"
said Iris Wells Van Ak-
eren, who lives near the
Sells Drive operation.
see POT, page A-28
