Notice: Undefined index: HTTP_REFERER in /home/stparch/public_html/headmid_temp_main.php on line 4394
Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
January 5, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
PAGE 4     (4 of 18 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
 
PAGE 4     (4 of 18 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
January 5, 2012
 
Newspaper Archive of Shelton Mason County Journal produced by SmallTownPapers, Inc.
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader




I i JOURNAL E DITORIAL Just don't do it The holidays were a happy time for most Mason County residents, but a few. 30 to be exact, got a sobering wake-up call. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission this week released the local results of a holiday DUI enforce- ment campaign. From Nov. 24, 2011, through Jan. 2, 2012, 30 Mason County motorists were stopped and arrested for driving under the influence (DUI). This year's slight up-tick in DUI ar- rests is disheartening and should serve as a reminder to everyone that drink- ing and driving is often a one-way jour- ney on a dead-end road. People are sometimes surprised that they can be cited for DUI if even their blood alcohol level (BAC) is below the .08 "legal limit." That's because any amount of alcohol can impair a per- son's ability to operate a vehicle, even amounts below the misnamed "legal limit." The easiest way to avoid a DUI, or worse, is to not drive anywhere after drinking. Those that "have to" go some- where, should have a designated driver lined up ahead of time or available via phone. Short of those two things, taxis are sparse, but available; and sleeping it off somewhere outside of a jail cell, ditch, hospital room or morgue is a far better option than those other alterna- tives. In Mason County, the Shelton and Squaxin Island Police Departments, the Mason County Sheriffs Office and the Washington State Patrol partici- pated in the extra emphasis patrols, with the support of the Mason County Target Zero Traffic Safety Task Force. The extra patrols were funded by a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. Last year during the same time peri- od, officers in Mason County on routine and extra patrols arrested 27 people for DUI. If ever there was an excuse to get be- hind the wheel after the proverbial one or two drinks, there isn't anymore. Just don't do it. BEJNGFRANK Salmon work their way across a Skokomish Valley road during a recent flood season Journal file pnolo Salmon are for everyone I'm starting to wonder ff the state's budget prob- lems mean it will no lon- ger be able to co-manage natural resources with the treaty tribes. Even President Barack Obama has said recently that the state's budget crisis is a "huge problem." Like  most of ::i]i! ....... state :ii:i::::: govern- ment, Yii':::P: natural 2::o : resource  agencies are like- By BILLY ly going to see a FRANK huge hit during this upcoming legisla- :ive session as the state seeks to fill its $2 billion badget gap. It's sad to see state government backing away from the basic work of natural resources man- agement, but there's been at least one bright spot. The governor has wisely proposed a one- time transfer of $1.5 million from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife's wildlife fund to protect salmon production at several hatcheries. We hope the Legislature will support her plan. Sport. commercial and tribal fishermen from the ocean to deep South Puget Sound would all feel the effects of the lost hatchery production. Some say the transfer would be wrong because the funds come from hunting and recreational fishing license fees, but will be used to maintain production at hatcher- ies that also support commercial and tribal fisheries. I would remind those people that in 2010, treaty tribes in Western Washington produced more than 30 million salmon and steelhead at their hatcheries. Those fish will be harvested by everyone, Indian and non-Indian. That's be- cause all hatcheries sup- port all fisheries to some extent. That's the way it should be, because the salmon is for everyone. Don't ever let anyone tell you it's not. Salmon production at state hatcheries in West- ern Washington already has dropped sharply in the past decade from a high in 2001 of nearly 90 million fish. That figure could dip to less than 50 million if projected cuts become reality. Most hatcheries were built to make up for lost natural salmon production caused by lost and dam- aged habitat. If produc- tion at those hatcheries is reduced or eliminated, we all pay twice: once for the lost natural produc- tion and again for the lost hatchery production. It is important to re- member that tribal and state co-management is not optional. It is required under U.S.v. Washington, (the Boldt Decision) and is key to international processes such as the U.S./Canada Pacific Salmon Treaty. Co-management also is required for implementa- tion of agreements such as the Puget Sound Salm- ,on Management Plan and the Hoh v. Baldrige Framework Management Plan, which form the basis of salmon manage- ment in Western Wash- ington. The state's budget problems, combined with the ongoing loss of salmon habitat and the state's inability to stop that trend, put tribal cul- tures and treaty-reserved rights at risk. The decline of wild salmon and deg- radation of their habitat already has restricted the ability of the tribes to exercise their treaty- reserved fishing rights. More cuts in hatchery production and state participation in co-man- agement would further threaten those rights. The treaty tribes are committed to co-man- agement. We know that difficult decisions must be made during these tough economic times, but they should not come at the further expense of tribal cultures and treaty rights or the fish produc- tion that we all, both Indian and non-Indian, rely on. Billy Frank Jr. is the Chairman for the North- west Indian Fisheries Commission. What l hope to achieve Editor, the Journal Upon just having been sworn in as Mayor of Shel- ton, I feel I should take this opportunity to make an opening statement. First, I would like to ex- press my deep appreciation and thanks to Shelton's past,Mayor John Tarrant and Commissioner's Mike Byrnes and Dawn Pannell for their years of service to our community. I would also like to ac- knowledge the hard work and dedication the employ- ees of the City of Shelton demonstrated every day; their jobs are not always easy. Last, I want to thank the citizens of Shelton for their patience and support as we, the commission- ers, work together to serve them. This coming year and the years to come will bring new challenges and opportunities to our city. I am looking forward to being a team player with my fellow commissioners - Mike OIsen and Dawn Pannell - as we make poli- cies that will help Shelton grow smart. Sometimes politicians make promises to get elect- ed and then ignore them when they realize how hard it is to accomplish them. I don't want that to happen to me. I am aware of our city's financial condition, but: We still need to pave more of our city streets; and we still want to make our neighborhoods safer places to live; and we need Shelton to be a "business friendly city that encour- ages quality businesses to locate here. I believe our citizens want these things also. Thank you and may God bless our city. Gary Cronce Mayor of Shelton Water Energy Editor, the Journal In the Dec. 26 letters to the editor, a William S. Zeigler had a letter questioning the wording of RCW 19.285, Initiative 937 passed by the voters in 2006. He has a very valid point and I encourage him to do whatever he can to get the word out. Not al- lowing use of any water, clean or not, to generate electricity, is, to put it mildly, stupid. I believe the originators of that ini- tiative couldn't see past their noses. I am sure they were thinking only of big hydro dams. Think smaller people. Hundreds of years before dams people used water wheels. They work and have the ability to be made in any size. You don't have to have dams. Water wheels not only are more ascetic than windmills or solar panels, they do noth- ing to harm birds, animals or fish. They can be put in any year-round river, stream or creek. They can be sized to fit the exist- ing grids for which the power companies already have the right of ways. say a 10 kw here,, a 50 kw there or which ever size fits. Off the shelf genera- tors and alternators can be used instead of import- ing them from Europe or wherever for millions of dollars, like those wind generators. Birds won't fly into them, they don't make sub-sonic noise to disorient birds or animals, and fish can go under or around them without harm. I would suggest the editor of this paper get behind mister Zeigler and push our legislators to amend that initiative (this can be done because more than the required two years has passed) and start talking to power companies and get this started. Think about it, clean energy at a fraction of the cost of wind and solar. Richard Jones Grapeview Hats off to Mason County Editor, the Journal As we bring to a close the 65th year of the 40 et 8 Journal Christmas Basket program, I want to thank all individuals, civic groups, fraternal groups, church groups and busi- nesses of Mason County that gave to this project. Total donations amounted to $27,154. With the econ- omy down I am thankful for all your support for our needy families of Mason County. This year we had 905 baskets with a cost of $30,813. Thanks to all of the vendors, Red Apple, Franz Bakery, Dairy Fresh Farms for the great help in procuring the food for all the baskets. This year's baskets i!iiiilili!i!iiiil fed over 3,700 of which 1,850 were kids 16 years and younger. A thank you goes to the Toys for Kids Plus Auction at Bob's Tavern for get- ting toys for all the kids at Walmart. Families who could not make it along with late sign-ups got toys at the Armory. Thanks to Mason County Garbage and a family who together donated over 20 bikes. Special thanks must be given to all my help- ers on this project. The helpers on sign up days, Julie Orme for all the work putting names in the computer, Boy Scout troop and Cub Scout Troop 110 for taking the baskets out to the cars along with the ROTC of Shelton High School and all my fellow 40et8 and Le Femmes Olivia Petty for unloading the trucks. Also Patty's Teddy Bear Brigade for all the stuffed animals given to all the kids and thanks to my wife and the Shelton-Ma- son County Journal for all the work on collecting the donations and work- ing with me - great job ladies. We in Mason County can stand tall and proud for helping the less fortu- nate of our great commu- nity. I say thank you all for your generosity and caring. What a great community to be part of. May the new year bring good health and prosperity to all. Gene Strozyk Shelton Thanks for your help Editor, the Journal We want to thank all the people who searched, called and put up posters to help us find our beloved dog Bear. We want to es- pecially thank Lin Greger- son and the entire Kitten Rescue network for all their hard work. Sadly, we found out Thursday night, Dec. 29, that Bear had been hit by a car on John's Prairie on Dec. 11 and died. Thankfully a man saw what happened at the time and thought that animal control was going to be called. If not for him seeing what happened and seeing Bear's picture in the paper, we wouldn't have been able to bring Bear home at last. Once again, thanks to all. Kevin and Linda Nelson Shelton USPS 492-800 Shelton-Mason County Journal is a member of Washington Newspaper Publishers' Association. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason County Journal, P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584. Published weekly by Shelton-Mason County Journal, Inc. at 227 West Cota Street, Shelton, Washington Mailing address: P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584 Telephone (360) 426-4412 • www.masoncounty.com Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, Washington SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $37 per year for Mason County addresses, $51 per year in state of Washington but outside Mason County, $61 per year out of state. Owned and published by Shelton-Mason County Journal, Inc Page A-4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, January 5, 2012 Karl Sleight, publisher Advertising: Jesse Mullen, general mgr. Dave Pierik, advertising manager Harvey Morris, ad representative Newsroom: Kevan Moore, managing editor Front office: Aria Shephard, North Mason, Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper environment, reporter Margot Brand, circulation Cricket Carter, mailro0m Natalie Johnson reporter Emily Hanson, sports reporter supervisor Adam Rudnick, Copy editor Composing room: William Adams, graphics Koleen Wood, classifieds/legals Becky Corr, typing Pressroom: Kelly Riordan, production manager Travis Miller press operator