ONE OF A KIND
/
Mason County
Illursda3 July 31, 2014 - Week 31 - The Voice of Mason County
since 1886 -- $1
City commission weighs
ordinance on 'tent cities'
By GORDON WEEKS
gordon@masoncoun com
A Shelton minister said
city rules proposed for tempo-
rary homeless encampments
are "unduly burderlsome"~ to
host churches.
Father Joe Mikel, pastor at
St. David of Wales Episcopal
Church, said an ordinance be-
ing considered by th~ city ttia~
establishes rules for churches
see CAMPS, page A717
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t
INSIDE TODAY
Opinion Page A-4
Journal of Record Page A-12
Living Page A-19
Business News Page A-21
Obituaries Page A-22
Belfair Herald Page A-25
Sports Page B-1
Classifieds Page B-6
Legals Page B-8
Crossword Page B:IO
Sudoku Page B-IO
8 IIIIU! !l!!ll!!!U!l1112
HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT
i,
....... Journal photo by Emily Hanson
Johnny Espeland of Madras, Oreg°n, holds on tight while saddle bronc riding Saturday evening at the 2014 Mason
County NPRA I~odeo at Sanderson Field. For more rodeo coverage, see page B-1. For more photos of the fair, see page
A-IO. '
Local
crews may
in
By NATALIE JOHNSON
natafie@masoncounty, com
Three weeks after wildfires
began burning hundreds of
thousands of acres in Eastern
Washington, Mason County
firefighters are still working
to protect homes from the
flames.
Robert White, a firefighter
with Mason County Fire Dis-
trict 4, helped keep flames
away from homes for six days
earlier this month, and may
soon go back.
"What stood out the most
was theheat," he said.
Temperatures reached
105 degrees during the week
White was working at the
Mills Canyon fire near Entiat
in north-central Washington.
White was stationed with a
group of firefighters assigned
to protect houses and other
structures in the nearby
Wenatchee area.
"We were there in case it
... went in that direction," he
said. "It's important for us to
be there for those structures."
Central Mason Fire & EMS
Chief Tim McKern said Lt.
K.C. Whitehouse from Cen-
tral Mason is still in Eastern
Washington, as is a brush rig
Photo courtesy of Robert White
A brush crew walks on a hillside near the Mills Canyon Fire
near Entiat earlier this month. Mason County crews traveled
to the east side of the state this month to help battle wildfires
threatening homes and cities.
from Mason County Fire Dis- a burn ban in 20 counties in
trict 3. Eastern Washington, accord-
Crews may soon be de- ingto the Department of Nat-
played to more fires on the ural Resources.
east side of the state, McKern Fires in Eastern Washing-
said. ton, including the Mills Can-
The Washington State yon, Chiwaukum and Carlton
Fire Services Resource Mo- Complex fires, have burned
bilization Plan has autho- nearly 300,000 acres and de-
rized state fire assistance for strayed hundreds of homes
fires in Douglas and Spokane and other structures. The
counties, according to news Carlton Complex fire, at more
releases from the state Fire than 250,000 acres and 391
Marshal's office, square miles, is the largest in
Gov. Jay Inslee has issued state history.
stay or go?
North Mason School
District issues survey
to gather more input
By NATALIE JOHNSON
nata/ie@masoncoun com
North Mason resi-
dents have another
chance to weigh in on the
fate of the Mary E. The-
ler Community Center.
The North Mason
School District has sched-
uled a public forum for 6
p.m. Aug. 14 at the dis-
trict's administration
building to discuss the
Theler Center, which the
school board voted in June
to add to its surplus list.
District property
must be on the surplus
list bet'ore the district
can sell or otherwise dis-
pose of it.
The district has also
posted a link on its web:
site, nmsd.wednet.edu,
see THELER, page A-28
