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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
January 4, 2007     Shelton Mason County Journal
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January 4, 2007
 
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SHELTON- MASON COUNTY JOURNAL Thursday, January 4, 2007 121st Year -- Number I 4 Sections -- 36 Pages Published in Shelton, Washington 75 cents Born in the USA Cradled safely in his mother's arms is Isaac Keith Whitley, the first baby born at Mason General Hospital this year. From left are sister Maite, age 8, father Allen and mother Paula Whitley of Shelton. Isaac was born at 10:58 a.m. on New Year's Day. He weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces and was 20xh inches long. Dr. Farida Ghoghawala assisted during the birth. Tarrant is okay after concussion Shelton Mayor John ('You ought to see the other guy") Tarrant is sporting a pair of black eyes these days, but that isn't because he got into a tussle with a discontented constituent. At 7 a.m. on the morning of Saturday, December 23, Tarrant was in Sandpoint, Idaho, and was wal his dog in a motel park- ing lot when he slipped on ice, fell and fractured his skull. The injury caused him to lose consciousness for a time and land- ed him in a hospital for a day and a half. On Tuesday evening Tar- rant, as chipper as ever, was back at his post chairing the Shelton City Commission meeting. Rainfall in 2006 15" over normal The evergreen wood fiber which does so much to improve the lives of man and woman, fish and fowl living hereabouts, owes its abun- dance in no small part to the same Precipitation which chills us to the cry marrow of our bones. Trans- ation: the gain in rain is mainly la the pain. As is our habit at the start of every new year, the staff of The JOUrnal will take pains to gain COmprehensive knowledge about the rain that falls in this vicinity. Toward this end, we invite persons Who watch the rain to share their results with the news staff so that they can pass it on to our readers. Two rainmeisters anticipated this request and have already filed their reports. Jess Tobler of Is- land Lake tells us that in 2006 he COunted 110.25 inches of precipita- tion at his home, with 29.5 inches falling in November. Carl Johnson of Union counted 97.6 inches at his home on Union .Heights Place, including 31.6 inches in November. There was no naeasurable precipitation in July and August. Measurements are recorded for Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll On the inside Births .................................... 2 Classifieds ........................... 28 Community Calendar .... ... 17 Crossword ........................... 32 Entertainment, Dining ..... 29 Health Journal ................. 18 Journal of Record ............. 22 Obituaries ........................... 10 Opinions, Letters ................. 4 Sports ................................... 25 Tides ..................................... 20 Weather .................................. 9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIUIIIIIIIIIIlUIIIUUllUlUlIIIIIIIIIIIIIU 1111151!lJl!!lllJlJ!l!l!llill00 the National Weather Service at Sanderson Field. Rain watchers there counted 80.85 inches of pre- cipitation for 2006. That's 15.87 inches more than the 75-year average of 64.98 inches. The re- ported totals were 23.27 inches in January, 3.93 in February, 5.01 in March, 1.71 in April, 2.36 in May, 1.15 in June, 0.24 in July, 0.00 in August, 1.68 in September, 1.57 in October, 27.31 in November and 12.71 in December. Somehow they add up to .09 inch more than the 80.85 figure. Persons who would like to share their rain results with readers can mail them to The Journal at P.O. Box 430, Shelton, 98584. For more information, call Sean Hanlon at 426-4412. Emergency agency has new director By JEFF GREEN In emergency management, you just never know. Remember the Y2K computer scare? As New Year's Day ap- proached in 2000, people around the globe held their breath won- dering if their computers would continue functioning. Local law enforcement agen- cies, fire departments and public utility districts were ready and waiting for any additional woes created by the Y2K computer is- sue. The Y2K problem, caused by the inability of older computer systems to recognize all four dig- its of a year, put public service employees on high alert. Fortunately, no major prob- lems arose and computers and systems continued working. "Sometimes we're the victims of our own success," said Marry Best, the new director of Mason County's Department of Emer. gency Management. "Emergency (Please turn to page 7.) Southside boosters' ex-treasurer accused By MARY DUNCAN A former treasurer of the South- side School Booster Club appeared in Mason County Superior Court last month facing allegations she stole more than $20,000 from the nonprofit, volunteer group during her tenure in office. Michelle Lee Gustafson, 33, of 5371 SE Arcadia Road, Shelton, was identified on December 27 in an investigation of theft in the first degree. She appeared with defense attorney George Steele. Gustafson is accused of mak- ing unauthorized cash withdraw- als totaling $20,596.50 from the booster club account at Bank of America between May 6, 2005 and August 29, 2006, according to a probable-cause statement by Inspector Dean Byrd of the Ma- son County Sheriffs Office. She served as treasurer for the orga- nization from January 1, 2005 to October 10, 2006. Officers said Christina S. An- dersen, booster club president, discovered the withdrawals when her treasurer Nicole A. Cougher called her about a cash with- drawal. Andersen said there are no provisions for any officer to make cash withdrawals from the account. Michelle Gustafson reportedly admitted to Cougher in a tele- phone conversation on November 11 that she had taken the cash. She also allegedly admitted to her sister-in-law, Leslie A. Gustafson, in a conversation on November 29 that she had taken the cash, ac- cording to Byrd's report. Leslie A. Gustafson is vice president of the booster club. "What it boils down to is that people here just feel really taken advantage of," Cougher said. Judge James Sawyer said the $2,500 bail which Gustafson posted would remain in effect and scheduled arraignment for Janu- ary 8. He ordered her to have no contact with the booster club and its officers, who may be potential witnesses. Fairgrounds manager let go By REBECCA WELLS Due to recent delegations of responsibilities at the Mason County Fairgrounds, the county decided it no longer needed Deb- by (Baker) Alexander to work as the full-time fair director. So on Tuesday, December 26, county staff gave her two weeks notice of her contract ending. "It just wasn't a full-time job any longer except right before the fair time," explained Greg Hering, the county's human re- sources director. Her termina- tion was based on business - good stewardship of the county's money - not performance issues, he noted. Alexander had accepted the job as the county's fair man- ager in June of 2006, under for- mer stipulations which included overseeing the grounds and tour- ism as part of her duties, Hering said. However, since then Mike Rutter, the county's facilities and grounds manager, has taken over supervision of the fairgrounds fa- cilities and the Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce is promoting tourism. "We've kind of divided it up so you don't need a year-round fair manager anymore," Hering told The Journal. Betty Wing, the county's direc- tor of central operations, is cur- rently in charge of discussions on how to address Alexander's replacement. Though the county has not come to an official deci- sion at this point, there is some consideration of hiring a vend- ing coordinator and marketing personnel, along with making do with current staff. But all of this is yet to be determined, Hering said. Alexander did not return the Journal's phone call to her. County denies music fest funds By SEAN HANLON The Mason County Commis- sion has reiused another infu- sion of public funds requested by the Annas Bay Music Festival, a nonprofit group that is bringing art music and the classics to the shores of Hood Canal. Action came on the advice of the Mason County Lodging Tax Advi- sory Committee, a panel chaired by Jayni Kamin during her final days as a county commissioner. Draft minutes from last month's meeting of the committee noted that festival events planned for October and December were can- celed "due to a lack of support and attendance." A schedule for this year's festi- val is to be announced on Satur- day, and a preview suggests the 2007 program will include perfor- mances of French chamber music and German art song as well as dance lessons and a dance series that may includc waltz, salsa and polka. The featured event of last year's music fest was a series of concerts titled, "Of Thee We Sing," which began on August 31 and concluded on September 11 with a special commemorative concert honoring the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New (Please turn to page 6.) Driver who dumped log load here accused in coastal fatal accident A log truck driver who dumped a load of logs near Shelton during a mishap on November 6 was sent to jail in Grays Harbor County on December 18 where he faces vehicular homicide charges in an earlier case. Garland Massingham, 41, of Rochester faces trial on January 30 in Grays Harbor County Supe- rior Court on two counts of vehicu- lar homicide in the October 2005 deaths of two seismologists on Highway 101 near Humptulips. Massingham is accused of being on methamphetamine at the time he lost a load of logs in the Grays Harbor County incident. The seis- mologists, Tony Qamar and Daniel Johnson, died when their car was crushed by the logs. Massingham was uninjured and was reportedly driving about 70 miles per hour as his log truck approached a curve, said a news story in The Daily World newspa- per. According to court documents, a blood test some 90 minutes after the accident indicated Massing- ham had meth in his system and investigators said his truck was overloaded by 7,700 pounds, the newspaper reported. No one was injured in the No- vember 6 accident near Shel- ton. According to Inspector Dean Byrd of the Mason County Sher- iffs Office, the trailer on Mass- ingham's log truck went into a ditch on Hulbert Road. There are no charges pending against the (Please turn to page 7.) MARTY BEST, the new director of Mason County's Department of Emergency Management, says he plans major changes in 2007. SHELTON- MASON COUNTY JOURNAL Thursday, January 4, 2007 121st Year -- Number I 4 Sections -- 36 Pages Published in Shelton, Washington 75 cents Born in the USA Cradled safely in his mother's arms is Isaac Keith Whitley, the first baby born at Mason General Hospital this year. From left are sister Maite, age 8, father Allen and mother Paula Whitley of Shelton. Isaac was born at 10:58 a.m. on New Year's Day. He weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces and was 20xh inches long. Dr. Farida Ghoghawala assisted during the birth. Tarrant is okay after concussion Shelton Mayor John ('You ought to see the other guy") Tarrant is sporting a pair of black eyes these days, but that isn't because he got into a tussle with a discontented constituent. At 7 a.m. on the morning of Saturday, December 23, Tarrant was in Sandpoint, Idaho, and was wal his dog in a motel park- ing lot when he slipped on ice, fell and fractured his skull. The injury caused him to lose consciousness for a time and land- ed him in a hospital for a day and a half. On Tuesday evening Tar- rant, as chipper as ever, was back at his post chairing the Shelton City Commission meeting. Rainfall in 2006 15" over normal The evergreen wood fiber which does so much to improve the lives of man and woman, fish and fowl living hereabouts, owes its abun- dance in no small part to the same Precipitation which chills us to the cry marrow of our bones. Trans- ation: the gain in rain is mainly la the pain. As is our habit at the start of every new year, the staff of The JOUrnal will take pains to gain COmprehensive knowledge about the rain that falls in this vicinity. Toward this end, we invite persons Who watch the rain to share their results with the news staff so that they can pass it on to our readers. Two rainmeisters anticipated this request and have already filed their reports. Jess Tobler of Is- land Lake tells us that in 2006 he COunted 110.25 inches of precipita- tion at his home, with 29.5 inches falling in November. Carl Johnson of Union counted 97.6 inches at his home on Union .Heights Place, including 31.6 inches in November. There was no naeasurable precipitation in July and August. Measurements are recorded for Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll On the inside Births .................................... 2 Classifieds ........................... 28 Community Calendar .... ... 17 Crossword ........................... 32 Entertainment, Dining ..... 29 Health Journal ................. 18 Journal of Record ............. 22 Obituaries ........................... 10 Opinions, Letters ................. 4 Sports ................................... 25 Tides ..................................... 20 Weather .................................. 9 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIUIIIIIIIIIIlUIIIUUllUlUlIIIIIIIIIIIIIU 1111151!lJl!!lllJlJ!l!l!llill00 the National Weather Service at Sanderson Field. Rain watchers there counted 80.85 inches of pre- cipitation for 2006. That's 15.87 inches more than the 75-year average of 64.98 inches. The re- ported totals were 23.27 inches in January, 3.93 in February, 5.01 in March, 1.71 in April, 2.36 in May, 1.15 in June, 0.24 in July, 0.00 in August, 1.68 in September, 1.57 in October, 27.31 in November and 12.71 in December. Somehow they add up to .09 inch more than the 80.85 figure. Persons who would like to share their rain results with readers can mail them to The Journal at P.O. Box 430, Shelton, 98584. For more information, call Sean Hanlon at 426-4412. Emergency agency has new director By JEFF GREEN In emergency management, you just never know. Remember the Y2K computer scare? As New Year's Day ap- proached in 2000, people around the globe held their breath won- dering if their computers would continue functioning. Local law enforcement agen- cies, fire departments and public utility districts were ready and waiting for any additional woes created by the Y2K computer is- sue. The Y2K problem, caused by the inability of older computer systems to recognize all four dig- its of a year, put public service employees on high alert. Fortunately, no major prob- lems arose and computers and systems continued working. "Sometimes we're the victims of our own success," said Marry Best, the new director of Mason County's Department of Emer. gency Management. "Emergency (Please turn to page 7.) Southside boosters' ex-treasurer accused By MARY DUNCAN A former treasurer of the South- side School Booster Club appeared in Mason County Superior Court last month facing allegations she stole more than $20,000 from the nonprofit, volunteer group during her tenure in office. Michelle Lee Gustafson, 33, of 5371 SE Arcadia Road, Shelton, was identified on December 27 in an investigation of theft in the first degree. She appeared with defense attorney George Steele. Gustafson is accused of mak- ing unauthorized cash withdraw- als totaling $20,596.50 from the booster club account at Bank of America between May 6, 2005 and August 29, 2006, according to a probable-cause statement by Inspector Dean Byrd of the Ma- son County Sheriffs Office. She served as treasurer for the orga- nization from January 1, 2005 to October 10, 2006. Officers said Christina S. An- dersen, booster club president, discovered the withdrawals when her treasurer Nicole A. Cougher called her about a cash with- drawal. Andersen said there are no provisions for any officer to make cash withdrawals from the account. Michelle Gustafson reportedly admitted to Cougher in a tele- phone conversation on November 11 that she had taken the cash. She also allegedly admitted to her sister-in-law, Leslie A. Gustafson, in a conversation on November 29 that she had taken the cash, ac- cording to Byrd's report. Leslie A. Gustafson is vice president of the booster club. "What it boils down to is that people here just feel really taken advantage of," Cougher said. Judge James Sawyer said the $2,500 bail which Gustafson posted would remain in effect and scheduled arraignment for Janu- ary 8. He ordered her to have no contact with the booster club and its officers, who may be potential witnesses. Fairgrounds manager let go By REBECCA WELLS Due to recent delegations of responsibilities at the Mason County Fairgrounds, the county decided it no longer needed Deb- by (Baker) Alexander to work as the full-time fair director. So on Tuesday, December 26, county staff gave her two weeks notice of her contract ending. "It just wasn't a full-time job any longer except right before the fair time," explained Greg Hering, the county's human re- sources director. Her termina- tion was based on business - good stewardship of the county's money - not performance issues, he noted. Alexander had accepted the job as the county's fair man- ager in June of 2006, under for- mer stipulations which included overseeing the grounds and tour- ism as part of her duties, Hering said. However, since then Mike Rutter, the county's facilities and grounds manager, has taken over supervision of the fairgrounds fa- cilities and the Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce is promoting tourism. "We've kind of divided it up so you don't need a year-round fair manager anymore," Hering told The Journal. Betty Wing, the county's direc- tor of central operations, is cur- rently in charge of discussions on how to address Alexander's replacement. Though the county has not come to an official deci- sion at this point, there is some consideration of hiring a vend- ing coordinator and marketing personnel, along with making do with current staff. But all of this is yet to be determined, Hering said. Alexander did not return the Journal's phone call to her. County denies music fest funds By SEAN HANLON The Mason County Commis- sion has reiused another infu- sion of public funds requested by the Annas Bay Music Festival, a nonprofit group that is bringing art music and the classics to the shores of Hood Canal. Action came on the advice of the Mason County Lodging Tax Advi- sory Committee, a panel chaired by Jayni Kamin during her final days as a county commissioner. Draft minutes from last month's meeting of the committee noted that festival events planned for October and December were can- celed "due to a lack of support and attendance." A schedule for this year's festi- val is to be announced on Satur- day, and a preview suggests the 2007 program will include perfor- mances of French chamber music and German art song as well as dance lessons and a dance series that may includc waltz, salsa and polka. The featured event of last year's music fest was a series of concerts titled, "Of Thee We Sing," which began on August 31 and concluded on September 11 with a special commemorative concert honoring the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New (Please turn to page 6.) Driver who dumped log load here accused in coastal fatal accident A log truck driver who dumped a load of logs near Shelton during a mishap on November 6 was sent to jail in Grays Harbor County on December 18 where he faces vehicular homicide charges in an earlier case. Garland Massingham, 41, of Rochester faces trial on January 30 in Grays Harbor County Supe- rior Court on two counts of vehicu- lar homicide in the October 2005 deaths of two seismologists on Highway 101 near Humptulips. Massingham is accused of being on methamphetamine at the time he lost a load of logs in the Grays Harbor County incident. The seis- mologists, Tony Qamar and Daniel Johnson, died when their car was crushed by the logs. Massingham was uninjured and was reportedly driving about 70 miles per hour as his log truck approached a curve, said a news story in The Daily World newspa- per. According to court documents, a blood test some 90 minutes after the accident indicated Massing- ham had meth in his system and investigators said his truck was overloaded by 7,700 pounds, the newspaper reported. No one was injured in the No- vember 6 accident near Shel- ton. According to Inspector Dean Byrd of the Mason County Sher- iffs Office, the trailer on Mass- ingham's log truck went into a ditch on Hulbert Road. There are no charges pending against the (Please turn to page 7.) MARTY BEST, the new director of Mason County's Department of Emergency Management, says he plans major changes in 2007.