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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
February 4, 1999     Shelton Mason County Journal
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February 4, 1999
 
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School measure results are mixed (Continued from pag e 1.) MARY M. KNIGHT Schools Sut)crintendcnt Fred Yancey was downcast by the lopsided failure (d  his district's 20-year, $8.4 mil- limi bond issue to build a new ele- mentary school and community resource (;enter. add to and mod- ernnze the high school and build a new auxiliary gym. "They don't want to pay the taxes - real simple," he said of the voters. "And they think it's very expensive. Of course it's ex- pensive There's no denying to fix the school properly is expensive." The MMK School Board will meet later this month to determine what to do next, he said. "I don't see we can scale back the plan at all," he added. "I think what we do is we continue limp- ing along and fix problems as they arise." Yancey admitted he was disap- pointed by Tuesday's vote. "I think we had an opportunity to really build a first-class district that would solve long-standing problems," he said. "And now we?re done nothing to solve any of the problems. " Come hard to port, matey A LOGGING TRUCK splashes through water running through the valley periodically during the day, elec- over the Skokomish Valley Road late Tuesday morn- tion polls stayed open at the Skokomish Grange ing. Despite heavy rains and high winds that swept Hall. Elections officials mull impact, solutions: i Mail in ballots affect timely tally Is the day coming when state and local elections officials - be- cause of the growing number of absentee ballots - won't have enough ballots to count on elec- tion day to decide the outcome of clrly races? Washington Secretary of State Ralph Munro thinks so. Washington State's elections system is no longer properly structured to cope with the grow- ing number of absentee (mail-in) votes and the demand for speedi- er tabulation and certification of election results, according to a statement tYom Munro's office. The state has mad(.' absentee wJting easier in the last few years, with dramatic results, Munro notes. Absentee voters ac- counted ibr 60 percent of the turnout in the 1998 primary and 47 percent in the general election. Currently, a third of the state's 3.1 million registered voters are signed up as permanent absentee voters. LAST FALL, THE outcome of numerous races and issues re- mained in doubt for days and even weeks while local election of- ficials processed and tabulated hundreds of thousands of mail-in ballots that arrived after the elec- tion. Unlike most other states, Washington accepts mail-in bal- lots if they are postmarked on election day and received up to 15 days after a general election and 10 days after a primary election. The problem is that more and more absentee ballots are arriv- ing after election day, and elec- tion officials fear the day may be coming when there are too few ballots to count on lection night to decide the outcome of any rac- es. The solution, Munro's office says, is to require that all ballots be received no later than 8 p.m. Southside won't go for an eighth grade By a 3-2 split vote, Southside School Board members this week decided to drop consideration of adding an eighth grade at the school. After a public hearing Monday night, board members Mike Barn- ard, Bill Sloane and Mel Kirpes voted to discard the grade addi- tion proposal, while John Halver and Don Robbins voted in favor of continued discussions, Southside's current grade con- figuration is from kindergarten lent job of educating students and said they would like to see the students stay at the school for one more year. Those opposed to the change felt the students need the one-year transition at Shelton Middle School before attending Shelton High School and partici- pating in t£he greater diversity of programs there. Hazen, while not taking a posi- tion on the matter, told the school board that if an eighth grade were added, it should be done needed resources not provided. It was also pointed out during the discussion that Shelton was moving toward a new grade con- figuration that would include eighth and ninth graders attend- ing the same school, Hazen told The Journal. If that occurs, Southside's current configuration would fit much better, the board members opposed to the change said. on election day. But such a re- quirement cannot be implement- ed without significant changes to the state's election timetable. Mason County Auditor Al Brotche agrees. "If they want faster results, they will have to do something," he said. Legislation to change the timetable would re- quire school and fire districts to submit ballot measures 60 days in advance of elections rather that the cttrrent 45 days; Brotche' added. Brotche supports proposed leg- islation (listed below) to make the changes. Mason County's perma- nent absentees total some 30 to 35 percent of the approximately 27,500 registered voters in the county. "We're in excess of 8,000 now," he said. There's normally a 90 percent return rate by those permanent absentees, which means that in an election where 60 percent of Mason County's vot- ers cast ballots, absentees make up some 44 percent of the total number of ballots cast. WHEN THE STATE'S elec- tions system was designed dec- ades ago, no one ever thought half the voters or more would be cast- ing their ballots by mail. Sched- uled on the third Tuesday in Sep- tember, Washington's primary is one of the latest in the nation. And the state has an extremely compressed election schedule that was never built to deal with huge I I volumes of mail-in ballots. through seventh grade and has been that way for many years, There were comments from the audience on both sides of the is- sue, Superintendent Harvey tia- zen said. Those tbr adding the grade con- tended Southside does an excel- right, which would require many upgrades to the school and would take facilities, staffing and mate- rials not currently available. He added that he was con- cerned about maintaining a good climate at the school if all neces- sary changes were not made and CAM-BELT REPLACEMENT Car owners should take the time to familiarize themselves with the replacement schedule of their cars' camshaft belts (if they have them). Failure to replace a cam belt within the prescribed time can lead to a broken cam belt that will cause massive internal engine damage. The cam belt's job is to maintain a fixed relationship between the position of the crankshaft and the camshaft (which opens the engine's intake and exhaust valves). If the cam belt stretches, it can "'uml P" on the cam sprocket, altering the relationship between the camshaft and the crank- shaft. This can lead to loss of engine power. Car owners should not wait to experience this symptom before having the cam belt replaced. The way to make sure your car lives and long and happy life is to take care of it along the way. That means that you don't need to keep up on all the ins and outs of how you car works as long as you take it to a shop which does. At CARTS TIRE & REPAIR, family-run since 1961, we are easy to deal with and we work hard to be helpful which makes the whole process of having your car repaired a lot more pleasant. We speak English, not "mechanics" so you'll always find us easy to talk to about what's been done on your car. We're at 202 South First St. (426- 9762). HINT: Vehicles with cam chains do not need to follow the cam-belt replacement prescription. Page 2 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, February 4, 1999 .Edw. ard Jones invites you to attend a live broadcast on Financial Stocks Puzzle: Putting The Pieces Together Featuring Wells Fargo CEO Dick Kovacevich Highlights of this program include: ! Picking financial-service stock winners I How shareholders can benefit when banks consolidate I Live question/answer session with the CEO of one of the 10 largest U.S. bank-holding companies Date: Wednesday, February I 0, 1999 Time: 3 p.m. Place: 821 West Railroad Avenue The broadcast is free, but seating is limited. Call or stop by today for reservations. Armin Baumgartel Investment Representative 821 West Railroad Avenue, Suite A, Shelt0n 426-0982 • 1-800-441-0982 www.edward jones.eom Member Edward Jones. Servi Individual hveors Since s87 II III I TaxAide ready to lend a hand TaxAide volunteers completed training last week will be ready next week to assist folks who need help preparing their 1998 income-tax returns. "We will begin operations the week of February 8," John Davis, one of the trainers in the program. particularly designed for senior citizens and families, but information is available to other taxpayers as well. TaxAide volunteer sites and hours in Mason County the coming tax season, Davis says, include the following: * William G. Reed Library, Seventh and Alder Shelton: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. * Olympic College Shelton campus, North 13th and Alpine Way: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays. Electronic ing is available from OCS as is regular return Davis notes. e Mason County Senior Activities Center, Ninth Railroad, Shelton: 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays appointment only. * Timberland North Mason Library, Highway 3, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays. • Hoodsport Timberland Library, Schoolhouse Hoodsport, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays. Tax-Aide is a program of the U.S. Internal Revenue vice and the American Association of Retired Persons. The problem is further compli- cated by federal law, which re- quires that all states allow suffi- cient "transit time" for the mail- ing and return of absentee ballots used by out-of-state and overseas voters, particularly those in the military. States that have failed to provide sufficient transit time have been sued consistently and successfully by the U.S. Depart- ment of Defehse. During the current legislative session, Munro will request legis- lation to provide for timely pro- cessing, tabulation and certifica- tion of elections results. That will include the following: • Moving back the candidate filing period and the primary by at least three to four weeks. • Requiring that all absentee and mail-in ballots be received by the county election department no later than 8 p.m. (when polls close) on election day. • Requiring that all permanent absentee ballots received up to the day of the election and other absentee ballots issued prior to the printing of the poll books be counted with the votes from the polls on election night. • Requiring all other absentee ballots be counted no later than three days after the primary or general election (the Friday fol- lowing the election). '55 Alive' class set to start American Association of Re- tired Persons will offer "55 Alive," its class for senior drivers, on Monday and Tuesday, February 22 and 23, in the Ellinor Room of Mason General Hospital. Donald Payne will be instruc- tor for the course. The class, he said, will help seniors deal with age-related changes which affect driving skills. Participants will also ex- plore defensive-driving tech- niques and receive information on recent changes in traffic laws. The eight-hour course runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. both days, and attendance is required at both days to receive a certificate person, and preregistration quired. There are 12 op available in the class, emphasized, so it's serve a place. The phone for preregistering is General information about class is available from 426-0590. PUD 3 not meeting on' February The Mason Count' of completion. The class is avail- Commission has ca able to drivers aged 50 and older:' ular meeting scheduled for' Membership in AARP is not re- quired, Payne noted. "Those completing the course may be eligible for a reduction in their insurance premiums," he commented. Tuition for the class is $8 per day, February 9. The next regular the commission will be held a.m. Tuesday, February 16, commission room in the headquarters at Third and streets in Shelton. Chevron C.C. Cole & Sons, D.B.A. 24 HOUR DIESEL FUELING STATION From & Grove streets Evergreen Fuel Full Line Petroleum • Tanks • Lubricants • Furnaces & Equipment 661 East Pine Shelton Serving Mason County 426-44 I since 1935 4; Your community needs your HELP The City of Shelton is forming an advisory board to asssist officials on land use planning issues. Citizen involvement in government is the cornerstone of a strong Community The Planning Advisory Board (PAB) will advise the City Commission on all decisions that effect the ways in which our community will GROW The PAB will be a balanced group with membership drawn from nm business districts, and key civic organizations. For more information call Paul Rogerson, Planning Director at 426-9731 • Apply by February 15TH.  "Building A Stronger Community TOGETHER" School measure results are mixed (Continued from pag e 1.) MARY M. KNIGHT Schools Sut)crintendcnt Fred Yancey was downcast by the lopsided failure (d  his district's 20-year, $8.4 mil- limi bond issue to build a new ele- mentary school and community resource (;enter. add to and mod- ernnze the high school and build a new auxiliary gym. "They don't want to pay the taxes - real simple," he said of the voters. "And they think it's very expensive. Of course it's ex- pensive There's no denying to fix the school properly is expensive." The MMK School Board will meet later this month to determine what to do next, he said. "I don't see we can scale back the plan at all," he added. "I think what we do is we continue limp- ing along and fix problems as they arise." Yancey admitted he was disap- pointed by Tuesday's vote. "I think we had an opportunity to really build a first-class district that would solve long-standing problems," he said. "And now we?re done nothing to solve any of the problems. " Come hard to port, matey A LOGGING TRUCK splashes through water running through the valley periodically during the day, elec- over the Skokomish Valley Road late Tuesday morn- tion polls stayed open at the Skokomish Grange ing. Despite heavy rains and high winds that swept Hall. Elections officials mull impact, solutions: i Mail in ballots affect timely tally Is the day coming when state and local elections officials - be- cause of the growing number of absentee ballots - won't have enough ballots to count on elec- tion day to decide the outcome of clrly races? Washington Secretary of State Ralph Munro thinks so. Washington State's elections system is no longer properly structured to cope with the grow- ing number of absentee (mail-in) votes and the demand for speedi- er tabulation and certification of election results, according to a statement tYom Munro's office. The state has mad(.' absentee wJting easier in the last few years, with dramatic results, Munro notes. Absentee voters ac- counted ibr 60 percent of the turnout in the 1998 primary and 47 percent in the general election. Currently, a third of the state's 3.1 million registered voters are signed up as permanent absentee voters. LAST FALL, THE outcome of numerous races and issues re- mained in doubt for days and even weeks while local election of- ficials processed and tabulated hundreds of thousands of mail-in ballots that arrived after the elec- tion. Unlike most other states, Washington accepts mail-in bal- lots if they are postmarked on election day and received up to 15 days after a general election and 10 days after a primary election. The problem is that more and more absentee ballots are arriv- ing after election day, and elec- tion officials fear the day may be coming when there are too few ballots to count on lection night to decide the outcome of any rac- es. The solution, Munro's office says, is to require that all ballots be received no later than 8 p.m. Southside won't go for an eighth grade By a 3-2 split vote, Southside School Board members this week decided to drop consideration of adding an eighth grade at the school. After a public hearing Monday night, board members Mike Barn- ard, Bill Sloane and Mel Kirpes voted to discard the grade addi- tion proposal, while John Halver and Don Robbins voted in favor of continued discussions, Southside's current grade con- figuration is from kindergarten lent job of educating students and said they would like to see the students stay at the school for one more year. Those opposed to the change felt the students need the one-year transition at Shelton Middle School before attending Shelton High School and partici- pating in t£he greater diversity of programs there. Hazen, while not taking a posi- tion on the matter, told the school board that if an eighth grade were added, it should be done needed resources not provided. It was also pointed out during the discussion that Shelton was moving toward a new grade con- figuration that would include eighth and ninth graders attend- ing the same school, Hazen told The Journal. If that occurs, Southside's current configuration would fit much better, the board members opposed to the change said. on election day. But such a re- quirement cannot be implement- ed without significant changes to the state's election timetable. Mason County Auditor Al Brotche agrees. "If they want faster results, they will have to do something," he said. Legislation to change the timetable would re- quire school and fire districts to submit ballot measures 60 days in advance of elections rather that the cttrrent 45 days; Brotche' added. Brotche supports proposed leg- islation (listed below) to make the changes. Mason County's perma- nent absentees total some 30 to 35 percent of the approximately 27,500 registered voters in the county. "We're in excess of 8,000 now," he said. There's normally a 90 percent return rate by those permanent absentees, which means that in an election where 60 percent of Mason County's vot- ers cast ballots, absentees make up some 44 percent of the total number of ballots cast. WHEN THE STATE'S elec- tions system was designed dec- ades ago, no one ever thought half the voters or more would be cast- ing their ballots by mail. Sched- uled on the third Tuesday in Sep- tember, Washington's primary is one of the latest in the nation. And the state has an extremely compressed election schedule that was never built to deal with huge I I volumes of mail-in ballots. through seventh grade and has been that way for many years, There were comments from the audience on both sides of the is- sue, Superintendent Harvey tia- zen said. Those tbr adding the grade con- tended Southside does an excel- right, which would require many upgrades to the school and would take facilities, staffing and mate- rials not currently available. He added that he was con- cerned about maintaining a good climate at the school if all neces- sary changes were not made and CAM-BELT REPLACEMENT Car owners should take the time to familiarize themselves with the replacement schedule of their cars' camshaft belts (if they have them). Failure to replace a cam belt within the prescribed time can lead to a broken cam belt that will cause massive internal engine damage. The cam belt's job is to maintain a fixed relationship between the position of the crankshaft and the camshaft (which opens the engine's intake and exhaust valves). If the cam belt stretches, it can "'uml P" on the cam sprocket, altering the relationship between the camshaft and the crank- shaft. This can lead to loss of engine power. Car owners should not wait to experience this symptom before having the cam belt replaced. The way to make sure your car lives and long and happy life is to take care of it along the way. That means that you don't need to keep up on all the ins and outs of how you car works as long as you take it to a shop which does. At CARTS TIRE & REPAIR, family-run since 1961, we are easy to deal with and we work hard to be helpful which makes the whole process of having your car repaired a lot more pleasant. We speak English, not "mechanics" so you'll always find us easy to talk to about what's been done on your car. We're at 202 South First St. (426- 9762). HINT: Vehicles with cam chains do not need to follow the cam-belt replacement prescription. Page 2 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, February 4, 1999 .Edw. ard Jones invites you to attend a live broadcast on Financial Stocks Puzzle: Putting The Pieces Together Featuring Wells Fargo CEO Dick Kovacevich Highlights of this program include: ! Picking financial-service stock winners I How shareholders can benefit when banks consolidate I Live question/answer session with the CEO of one of the 10 largest U.S. bank-holding companies Date: Wednesday, February I 0, 1999 Time: 3 p.m. Place: 821 West Railroad Avenue The broadcast is free, but seating is limited. Call or stop by today for reservations. Armin Baumgartel Investment Representative 821 West Railroad Avenue, Suite A, Shelt0n 426-0982 • 1-800-441-0982 www.edward jones.eom Member Edward Jones. Servi Individual hveors Since s87 II III I TaxAide ready to lend a hand TaxAide volunteers completed training last week will be ready next week to assist folks who need help preparing their 1998 income-tax returns. "We will begin operations the week of February 8," John Davis, one of the trainers in the program. particularly designed for senior citizens and families, but information is available to other taxpayers as well. TaxAide volunteer sites and hours in Mason County the coming tax season, Davis says, include the following: * William G. Reed Library, Seventh and Alder Shelton: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. * Olympic College Shelton campus, North 13th and Alpine Way: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays. Electronic ing is available from OCS as is regular return Davis notes. e Mason County Senior Activities Center, Ninth Railroad, Shelton: 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays appointment only. * Timberland North Mason Library, Highway 3, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays. • Hoodsport Timberland Library, Schoolhouse Hoodsport, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays. Tax-Aide is a program of the U.S. Internal Revenue vice and the American Association of Retired Persons. The problem is further compli- cated by federal law, which re- quires that all states allow suffi- cient "transit time" for the mail- ing and return of absentee ballots used by out-of-state and overseas voters, particularly those in the military. States that have failed to provide sufficient transit time have been sued consistently and successfully by the U.S. Depart- ment of Defehse. During the current legislative session, Munro will request legis- lation to provide for timely pro- cessing, tabulation and certifica- tion of elections results. That will include the following: • Moving back the candidate filing period and the primary by at least three to four weeks. • Requiring that all absentee and mail-in ballots be received by the county election department no later than 8 p.m. (when polls close) on election day. • Requiring that all permanent absentee ballots received up to the day of the election and other absentee ballots issued prior to the printing of the poll books be counted with the votes from the polls on election night. • Requiring all other absentee ballots be counted no later than three days after the primary or general election (the Friday fol- lowing the election). '55 Alive' class set to start American Association of Re- tired Persons will offer "55 Alive," its class for senior drivers, on Monday and Tuesday, February 22 and 23, in the Ellinor Room of Mason General Hospital. Donald Payne will be instruc- tor for the course. The class, he said, will help seniors deal with age-related changes which affect driving skills. Participants will also ex- plore defensive-driving tech- niques and receive information on recent changes in traffic laws. The eight-hour course runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. both days, and attendance is required at both days to receive a certificate person, and preregistration quired. There are 12 op available in the class, emphasized, so it's serve a place. The phone for preregistering is General information about class is available from 426-0590. PUD 3 not meeting on' February The Mason Count' of completion. The class is avail- Commission has ca able to drivers aged 50 and older:' ular meeting scheduled for' Membership in AARP is not re- quired, Payne noted. "Those completing the course may be eligible for a reduction in their insurance premiums," he commented. Tuition for the class is $8 per day, February 9. The next regular the commission will be held a.m. Tuesday, February 16, commission room in the headquarters at Third and streets in Shelton. Chevron C.C. Cole & Sons, D.B.A. 24 HOUR DIESEL FUELING STATION From & Grove streets Evergreen Fuel Full Line Petroleum • Tanks • Lubricants • Furnaces & Equipment 661 East Pine Shelton Serving Mason County 426-44 I since 1935 4; Your community needs your HELP The City of Shelton is forming an advisory board to asssist officials on land use planning issues. Citizen involvement in government is the cornerstone of a strong Community The Planning Advisory Board (PAB) will advise the City Commission on all decisions that effect the ways in which our community will GROW The PAB will be a balanced group with membership drawn from nm business districts, and key civic organizations. For more information call Paul Rogerson, Planning Director at 426-9731 • Apply by February 15TH.  "Building A Stronger Community TOGETHER"