March 4, 1999 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
©
Shelton Mason County Journal. All rights reserved. Upgrade to access Premium Tools
PAGE 1 (1 of 36 available) PREVIOUS NEXT Jumbo Image Save To Scrapbook Set Notifiers PDF JPG
March 4, 1999 |
|
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader ![]() |
i)i:ii:!::
' /: :iii: ii::;: :;:!:ii:i;::
A HUGE MUD SLIDE about a mile north of Lilliwaup has kept High-
way 101 closed since February 24. The slide, which is still moving,
has caused some of the highway to buckle and has wrought damage
below the surface as well.
s follow storm;
tive slide closes 101
storm that blew
Mason County Tuesday
and into Wednesday top-
number of trees and
orae power outages, but
problems were report-
communications
said.
were no major road
injuries caused by the
Mike Akin, director of
Emergency 911 Com-
mons Center. A dispatcher
5 also reported no
Storm-related incidents.
that fell onto power lines
OUtages on Harstine Is-
north and south shores
Trails End Lake,
Drive West and a
of other areas, said Ron
manager for
r PUD 3.
affected between
2,000 utility customers,
without electricity for a
!AGATE AREA, Timber-
| a couple of small areas
remained with-
yesterday afternoon,
said PUD crews were
restore electricity in
pretty lucky," Brown
storm's effect on the
lucky were some 2,000
of Mason County PUD
north of the huge mud
Lilliwaup. A combina-
Wind and continued slides
Irea a mile north of Lilli-
out their power at
I0:30 a.m. Wednesday,
Wilson, PUD 1 manag-
now about one-quar-
closed Highway 101
February 24, and has
highway closed ever
state geologists
drop of three feet
of new cracks that
)ed at the top of the
last Friday, a news re-
the Washington State
of Transportation
addition, the roadway is
now buckling and showing signs
of distress.
"As long as it's still moving
there's nothing we can do," Ann
Briggs, a DOT spokeswoman, said
of the slide. She said it's a slow-
moving slide that's typically seen
on the Olympic Peninsula. It may
continue to be a problem, on and
off, even after it's sabilized, she
added.
The transportation department
has scheduled a pair of meetings
early next week in Hoodsport and
Brinnon to let residents know
what's going on in relation to the
slide. The first meeting will be 6
p.m. Monday at the Brinnon
Community Center. The second
will be 6 p.m. Tuesday at the
Hoodsport Community Hall, 331
North Finch Creek Road.
THE MUD SLIDE, located
just south of where the Springwa-
ter Tavern once stood, has creat-
ed a number of hardships for area
residents.
Marcy Craig, who with hus-
band Dennis purchased the Lilli-
waup Store and Motel, said busi-
ness has slowed up for them. "It's
a little traumatic at this time,"
she said.
There is a private road around
the slide for the use of locals only,
but that road requires vehicles
with four-wheel drive, she said.
The Jorsted Creek Road leading
from Hood Canal to Lake Cush-
man is no longer accessible due to
winter storm damage.
Some residents on the north
side of the slide with jobs on the
south side have been forced to
drive north to the Hood Canal
Bridge, then down through Bel-
fair and the south shore of Hood
Canal to get to work. It takes
them three and a half hours each
way, she said.
Tuesday, Governor Gary Locke
declared a state of emergency in
Mason County. The Mason Coun-
ty commissioners authorized a
declaration of emergency at their
board meeting that day.
THE DECLARATION begins
with the season's first flood, last
November 12. Joe Murray, emer-
gency management director, told
the board the reason for back-dat-
ing the declaration is that the
conditions the county is now ex-
periencing do not date back to a
single event but are the cumula-
tive effect of the total amount of
rainfall.
In the last 108 days there have
been 43 days of flood-condition
status for the Skokomish River,
Murray reported. During the
same time, 128 inches of rain was
reported in the Skokomish Valley,
with 119 inches at Lilliwaup.
The emergency declaration
"gives some justification to the
governor to go for federal funds,"
Murray said. Surrounding coun-
ties have issued declarations of
emergency, he added.
WET? YOU SAID IT
Precipitation has fallen at
some point every day for the past
three months, notes the National
Weather Service.
Charles J. Chambers, one of
The Journal's weatherwatching
readers, totted up 35.3 inches of
rain since the first of the year (his
year-to-date average being 17.89
inches) and notes that his four-
month total for November, De-
cember, January and February is
68.1 inches, more than his 12-
month average rainfall for the
years 1974 through 1998 (his
mean rainfall per year being
65.03 inches for 25 years).
That four-month figure, inci-
dentally, is a record; Chambers'
next highest total for that four-
month period is 56.0 inches,
recorded in 1995-96.
Out on Harstine Island, where
it's not quite so wet, one observer
reported a four-month November-
through-February rainfall of
62.25 inches.
The National Weather Service
observation site at Sanderson
Field recorded 32.64 inches since
January 1. Rainfall totaled 18.32
inches for February, and in one
24-hour period between February
23 and 24 a total of 3.81 inches
fell.
Towne exec resigns
Shelton Associa-
director Linda Par-
the old town for
who became OTSA's
January 1997, has re-
March 12 to take
the Washington State
Trade
Development in
enjoyed being a
community," Paronen
"It was a hard
enjoyed being here."
filling a new post-
the state agency and
market economic de-
and coot-
HAVE BEEN a lot
Paronen said of
Shelton. "It's exciting
are still moving for-
ward and in a positive direction."
Meanwhile, OTSA is starting
the process to find a new full-time
executive director. Until that new
person is brought on board, the
association will name an interim
director. Paronen's last day is Fri-
day, March 12.
OTSA's board of directors in-
vites the public to a reception for
Paronen from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 9, at Hattie Rose
Cafe, 121 South Fourth Street in
Shelton. Hors d'oeuvre will be
served.
"We're happy and sad," said
OTSA president Ryan Davis.
"Happy for her and sad for us.
She's going to be a big loss.
"I THINK SHE was very suc-
cessful networking in our down-
town and in supporting the ac-
complishments that we've seen in
her term," Davis said.
One of Paronen's more visible
accomplishments was last sum-
mer's successful Music in the
Park series that was held in the
Post Office Park, she added.
"She's really made a mark in
our town," Davis said. "I think
she's done a lot of quiet good in
our little town."
While she will be working in
Olympia, Paronen said she will
continue to reside in Shelton for
now.
Paronen's resignation leaves
two local business-promoting or-
ganizations seeking replacements
for the energetic young women
who have directed them for the
past two years, Just last week,
Shelton-Mason County Chamber
of Commerce executive director
Michele Jennings left her position
for a job with the Shelton Fire
Department.
Jury hears tangled case
of Saeger vehicle death
By SEAN HANLON
Jurors in Mason County Supe-
rior Court, hearing a tangled tale
of death on a Mason County road
this week, are expected to consid-
er final testimony today.
Jeffrey S. Sutherland, 38, of 26
West Fairway Drive, Elma, faces
criminal charges nearly four
years after Matthew Saeger was
found dead on Cloquallum Road
near Lake Isabella. Sutherland is
charged with felony hit-and-run
and stands accused of running
over Saeger in his 1972 Ford pick-
up, then giving a false name
when he dialed 911 to report the
incident.
His trial began with jury selec-
tion on Monday and was expected
to conclude today.
THE CASE took several
twists before charges were filed
against Sutherland and is pro-
ceeding despite the inability of
law officers to solve the mystery
of how Saeger got to a lonely
stretch of road four miles from
downtown Shelton. He was last
seen by a waitress at the Capital
Restaurant, where he was drink-
ing and dancing an hour of so be-
fore he died.
Saeger was 33 at the time he
died of massive injuries to his
head. Authorities say he was ap-
parently in the road on his hands
and knees when Sutherland came
around a curve at about 45 miles
an hour.
At first Washington State Pa-
trol troopers focused their atten-
tion on Darrin Lisk, who accord-
ing to testimony drove by the
scene in his Plymouth Volare sta-
tion wagon. His vehicle bore evi-
dence of blood and tissue when of-
ricers confiscated it and subjected
it to various tests before conclud-
ing that it did not hit Saeger.
Lisk testified Tuesday that he
drove through the scene four
times and said he picked up Saeg-
er's wallet from the scene. His
earlier claim to know nothing
about the wallet caused him to
fail a number of lie detector tests
given by troopers, according to
statements made in court.
STATE PATROL Detective
Dwight Combs told the court he
received a number of tips about
the case, one caller suggesting rit-
ual mutilation and another say-
ing Saeger had been run over as a
premeditated act.
Sutherland wasn't identified as
the prime suspect in the case un-
til August of 1997 when the state
patrol received a call from Caren
Nolan of California. She said she
was Sutherland's girlfriend at the
time of Saeger's death and that
she was in the pickup truck when
they ran him over.
Nolan told state patrol detec-
tives Sutherland placed a call to
911 in which he falsely identified
himself as "John Johnson."
THE STATE patrol's investi-
gation that followed her report
took until shortly before the sta-
tute of limitations expired last
spring. Sutherland was arraigned
shortly after the charge was filed,
but the case was delayed again
when Nolan was hospitalized last
summer shortly before Suther-
land's trial was scheduled.
Both Deputy Prosecutor Amber
Finlay and defense attorney Ron
Sergi flew to California to take
depositions from Nolan, whose
health at the time precluded her
from making the trip to Washing-
ton.
Sutherland was questioned
eight months after Nolan's report
and following a futile attempt to
find the truck. Troopers learned
that it had been sold to another
person who had later sold it for
scrap metal.
Finlay and Sergi were working
this week from a list of witnesses
33 names long. The actual num-
ber of witnesses called is expected
to be less than that.
Thursday, March 4, 1999
113th Year - Number 9
4 Sections - 36 Pages
50 Cents
Pioneer sets fourth vote
on bond for high school
Pioneer School Board has once
again voted to place a 20-year,
multi-million dollar bond issue
before district voters.
A $16.1-million bond to build a
new high" school and add class-
rooms to existirg buildings will go
on the Tuesday, April 27, ballot,
board members decided last
week.
The bond issue is identical to
the one that fell just nine votes
short of passing on February 2,
said Pioneer Schools Superinten-
dent Dick Sirokman.
"We hope that the weather will
cooperate with us this time," he
told The Journal. Heavy rains on
February 2 knocked out electrici-
ty in some of the voting precincts
within the school district, and
Sirokman said he's convinced the
inclement weather kept several
uuuu
Tox relief offered
Mason County Assessor Dixie
Smith will present a property tax
relief program for senior citizens
prior to next Tuesday evening's
Pioneer School Board meeting.
Smith will talk about options
seniors may have to relieve them
of their property tax burden. The
presentation starts at 6:30 p.m. in
the intermediate-middle school
building at 611 East Agate Road.
The public is invited, as a
number of programs are available
to senior citizens to help mitigate
the impact of their property tax-
es, Smith says. The regular board
meeting will follow the presenta-
tion.
voters away from the polls.
The district's election commit-
tee will work to get voters out to
the polls on April 27, he added.
If the measure passes next
month, the district will use the
funds to acquire a 56-acre parcel
next to the park-and-ride at State
Route 3 and Pickering Road,
build a new high school on that
acquired site that would house
about 500 students, add six class-
rooms to the primary school and
modernize and add classes at the
intermediate/middle school, a
building that dates back to 1952.
"The facilities needs will not go
away. They'll still be here," Sirok-
man said. He added that, accord-
ing to state projections, enroll-
ment in the Pioneer School Dis-
trict will continue to grow in com-
ing years.
Sirokman said he has been as-
sured by bond experts that the in-
terest rate on bonds should re-
main low for the next couple of
months. "Hopefully, that window
of opportunity will still be with
us," he said.
City will purchase historic
David Shelton Pear Orchard
Shelton city commissioners
Monday night approved the city's
purchase of the property known
as David Shelton's Pear Orchard.
Planning Director Paul Roger-
son announced Monday that the
city had received a grant allowing
it to purchase the property.
"This historic site lies on a 2.8-
acre parcel located between the
downtown Lumbermen's store
and the abandoned city sewage
treatment plant on Highway 3,"
Rogerson said. "The parcel will be
purchased with $127,500 award-
ed to the city under a federal
transportation grant program."
Rogerson said the property is
bracketed by land currently
owned by the city and completes
community ownership of a cor-
ridor extending from the down-
town area to the waterfront near
the Shelton Yacht Club. "The
corridor," the planning director
noted, "has also been identified by
citizens as a key gateway into the
city that should be improved and
is the location of at least two
major historic sites."
HE CALLED THE purchase
"the most important public acqui-
sition of land by the city in many
decades."
Providing public access to the
bay, Rogerson said, has been "a
goal identified by the public con-
sistently over a number of years."
If the old orchard, which still has
(Please turn to page 2.)
Apaez's wife arrested in his murder
After almost nine months of investiga-
tion, the Mason County Sheriffs Office has
made a second arrest in the murder of Felix
Apaez, who was found dead at the wheel of
his truck on Cole Road June 15.
In custody is Vicki L. Giffin-Apaez, 25.
The investigation showed she "solicited and
planned the murder of her husband," Un-
dersheriff Ga'y Crane said Wednesday.
"She apparently enlisted Adrian Garcia to
carry out the murder last June." Garcia,
who was 17 at the time, was arrested less
than a month after the homicide occurred,
and is pending trial for first-degree murder
in Mason County Superior Court.
Crane said the arrest took place "without
incident" late Wednesday afternoon at Gif-
fin-Apaez's workplace, the Shelton Wal-
Mart store. She was transported to the Ma-
son County Jail and booked on investiga-
tion of homicide, the undersheriff said.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlUlIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
On the inside
Births .................................... 15
Classifieds ........................... 25
Community Calendar ......... 7
Crossword ........................... 20
Entertainment, Dining ..... 24
Health Journal .................. 15
Journal of Record .............. 16
Obituaries ....................... 10.12
Opinions, Letters .................. 4
Sports .................................... 18
Tides ..................................... 24
Weather ................. , .............. 22
IIIIIIlIIUlIIIIIIIUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIUlIIIIUIIIIIIIIUIIIIIIIIUllIlIIlIII
Man dies in logging
mishap at Cushman
A California man lost his life
Tuesday morning after he was
struck by a log on a landing at a
logging site at Lake Cushman.
Jose Luis Ramirez, 42, from
Williams, California, died as a
result of blunt-trauma injuries to
the head, neck, chest and abdo-
men, Mason County Coroner
Martha Reed reported.
He was employed by Erickson
Air-Crane Company, Limited
Liability Corporation, a helicop-
ter logging firm. The whole crew
was from California, she said.
Reed said Ramirez was trans-
ported by the company's helicop-
ter directly to the helipad at Ma-
son General Hospital after he
was injured around 11 a.m. He
was pronounced dead upon arri-
val in the emergency room.
i)i:ii:!::
' /: :iii: ii::;: :;:!:ii:i;::
A HUGE MUD SLIDE about a mile north of Lilliwaup has kept High-
way 101 closed since February 24. The slide, which is still moving,
has caused some of the highway to buckle and has wrought damage
below the surface as well.
s follow storm;
tive slide closes 101
storm that blew
Mason County Tuesday
and into Wednesday top-
number of trees and
orae power outages, but
problems were report-
communications
said.
were no major road
injuries caused by the
Mike Akin, director of
Emergency 911 Com-
mons Center. A dispatcher
5 also reported no
Storm-related incidents.
that fell onto power lines
OUtages on Harstine Is-
north and south shores
Trails End Lake,
Drive West and a
of other areas, said Ron
manager for
r PUD 3.
affected between
2,000 utility customers,
without electricity for a
!AGATE AREA, Timber-
| a couple of small areas
remained with-
yesterday afternoon,
said PUD crews were
restore electricity in
pretty lucky," Brown
storm's effect on the
lucky were some 2,000
of Mason County PUD
north of the huge mud
Lilliwaup. A combina-
Wind and continued slides
Irea a mile north of Lilli-
out their power at
I0:30 a.m. Wednesday,
Wilson, PUD 1 manag-
now about one-quar-
closed Highway 101
February 24, and has
highway closed ever
state geologists
drop of three feet
of new cracks that
)ed at the top of the
last Friday, a news re-
the Washington State
of Transportation
addition, the roadway is
now buckling and showing signs
of distress.
"As long as it's still moving
there's nothing we can do," Ann
Briggs, a DOT spokeswoman, said
of the slide. She said it's a slow-
moving slide that's typically seen
on the Olympic Peninsula. It may
continue to be a problem, on and
off, even after it's sabilized, she
added.
The transportation department
has scheduled a pair of meetings
early next week in Hoodsport and
Brinnon to let residents know
what's going on in relation to the
slide. The first meeting will be 6
p.m. Monday at the Brinnon
Community Center. The second
will be 6 p.m. Tuesday at the
Hoodsport Community Hall, 331
North Finch Creek Road.
THE MUD SLIDE, located
just south of where the Springwa-
ter Tavern once stood, has creat-
ed a number of hardships for area
residents.
Marcy Craig, who with hus-
band Dennis purchased the Lilli-
waup Store and Motel, said busi-
ness has slowed up for them. "It's
a little traumatic at this time,"
she said.
There is a private road around
the slide for the use of locals only,
but that road requires vehicles
with four-wheel drive, she said.
The Jorsted Creek Road leading
from Hood Canal to Lake Cush-
man is no longer accessible due to
winter storm damage.
Some residents on the north
side of the slide with jobs on the
south side have been forced to
drive north to the Hood Canal
Bridge, then down through Bel-
fair and the south shore of Hood
Canal to get to work. It takes
them three and a half hours each
way, she said.
Tuesday, Governor Gary Locke
declared a state of emergency in
Mason County. The Mason Coun-
ty commissioners authorized a
declaration of emergency at their
board meeting that day.
THE DECLARATION begins
with the season's first flood, last
November 12. Joe Murray, emer-
gency management director, told
the board the reason for back-dat-
ing the declaration is that the
conditions the county is now ex-
periencing do not date back to a
single event but are the cumula-
tive effect of the total amount of
rainfall.
In the last 108 days there have
been 43 days of flood-condition
status for the Skokomish River,
Murray reported. During the
same time, 128 inches of rain was
reported in the Skokomish Valley,
with 119 inches at Lilliwaup.
The emergency declaration
"gives some justification to the
governor to go for federal funds,"
Murray said. Surrounding coun-
ties have issued declarations of
emergency, he added.
WET? YOU SAID IT
Precipitation has fallen at
some point every day for the past
three months, notes the National
Weather Service.
Charles J. Chambers, one of
The Journal's weatherwatching
readers, totted up 35.3 inches of
rain since the first of the year (his
year-to-date average being 17.89
inches) and notes that his four-
month total for November, De-
cember, January and February is
68.1 inches, more than his 12-
month average rainfall for the
years 1974 through 1998 (his
mean rainfall per year being
65.03 inches for 25 years).
That four-month figure, inci-
dentally, is a record; Chambers'
next highest total for that four-
month period is 56.0 inches,
recorded in 1995-96.
Out on Harstine Island, where
it's not quite so wet, one observer
reported a four-month November-
through-February rainfall of
62.25 inches.
The National Weather Service
observation site at Sanderson
Field recorded 32.64 inches since
January 1. Rainfall totaled 18.32
inches for February, and in one
24-hour period between February
23 and 24 a total of 3.81 inches
fell.
Towne exec resigns
Shelton Associa-
director Linda Par-
the old town for
who became OTSA's
January 1997, has re-
March 12 to take
the Washington State
Trade
Development in
enjoyed being a
community," Paronen
"It was a hard
enjoyed being here."
filling a new post-
the state agency and
market economic de-
and coot-
HAVE BEEN a lot
Paronen said of
Shelton. "It's exciting
are still moving for-
ward and in a positive direction."
Meanwhile, OTSA is starting
the process to find a new full-time
executive director. Until that new
person is brought on board, the
association will name an interim
director. Paronen's last day is Fri-
day, March 12.
OTSA's board of directors in-
vites the public to a reception for
Paronen from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 9, at Hattie Rose
Cafe, 121 South Fourth Street in
Shelton. Hors d'oeuvre will be
served.
"We're happy and sad," said
OTSA president Ryan Davis.
"Happy for her and sad for us.
She's going to be a big loss.
"I THINK SHE was very suc-
cessful networking in our down-
town and in supporting the ac-
complishments that we've seen in
her term," Davis said.
One of Paronen's more visible
accomplishments was last sum-
mer's successful Music in the
Park series that was held in the
Post Office Park, she added.
"She's really made a mark in
our town," Davis said. "I think
she's done a lot of quiet good in
our little town."
While she will be working in
Olympia, Paronen said she will
continue to reside in Shelton for
now.
Paronen's resignation leaves
two local business-promoting or-
ganizations seeking replacements
for the energetic young women
who have directed them for the
past two years, Just last week,
Shelton-Mason County Chamber
of Commerce executive director
Michele Jennings left her position
for a job with the Shelton Fire
Department.
Jury hears tangled case
of Saeger vehicle death
By SEAN HANLON
Jurors in Mason County Supe-
rior Court, hearing a tangled tale
of death on a Mason County road
this week, are expected to consid-
er final testimony today.
Jeffrey S. Sutherland, 38, of 26
West Fairway Drive, Elma, faces
criminal charges nearly four
years after Matthew Saeger was
found dead on Cloquallum Road
near Lake Isabella. Sutherland is
charged with felony hit-and-run
and stands accused of running
over Saeger in his 1972 Ford pick-
up, then giving a false name
when he dialed 911 to report the
incident.
His trial began with jury selec-
tion on Monday and was expected
to conclude today.
THE CASE took several
twists before charges were filed
against Sutherland and is pro-
ceeding despite the inability of
law officers to solve the mystery
of how Saeger got to a lonely
stretch of road four miles from
downtown Shelton. He was last
seen by a waitress at the Capital
Restaurant, where he was drink-
ing and dancing an hour of so be-
fore he died.
Saeger was 33 at the time he
died of massive injuries to his
head. Authorities say he was ap-
parently in the road on his hands
and knees when Sutherland came
around a curve at about 45 miles
an hour.
At first Washington State Pa-
trol troopers focused their atten-
tion on Darrin Lisk, who accord-
ing to testimony drove by the
scene in his Plymouth Volare sta-
tion wagon. His vehicle bore evi-
dence of blood and tissue when of-
ricers confiscated it and subjected
it to various tests before conclud-
ing that it did not hit Saeger.
Lisk testified Tuesday that he
drove through the scene four
times and said he picked up Saeg-
er's wallet from the scene. His
earlier claim to know nothing
about the wallet caused him to
fail a number of lie detector tests
given by troopers, according to
statements made in court.
STATE PATROL Detective
Dwight Combs told the court he
received a number of tips about
the case, one caller suggesting rit-
ual mutilation and another say-
ing Saeger had been run over as a
premeditated act.
Sutherland wasn't identified as
the prime suspect in the case un-
til August of 1997 when the state
patrol received a call from Caren
Nolan of California. She said she
was Sutherland's girlfriend at the
time of Saeger's death and that
she was in the pickup truck when
they ran him over.
Nolan told state patrol detec-
tives Sutherland placed a call to
911 in which he falsely identified
himself as "John Johnson."
THE STATE patrol's investi-
gation that followed her report
took until shortly before the sta-
tute of limitations expired last
spring. Sutherland was arraigned
shortly after the charge was filed,
but the case was delayed again
when Nolan was hospitalized last
summer shortly before Suther-
land's trial was scheduled.
Both Deputy Prosecutor Amber
Finlay and defense attorney Ron
Sergi flew to California to take
depositions from Nolan, whose
health at the time precluded her
from making the trip to Washing-
ton.
Sutherland was questioned
eight months after Nolan's report
and following a futile attempt to
find the truck. Troopers learned
that it had been sold to another
person who had later sold it for
scrap metal.
Finlay and Sergi were working
this week from a list of witnesses
33 names long. The actual num-
ber of witnesses called is expected
to be less than that.
Thursday, March 4, 1999
113th Year - Number 9
4 Sections - 36 Pages
50 Cents
Pioneer sets fourth vote
on bond for high school
Pioneer School Board has once
again voted to place a 20-year,
multi-million dollar bond issue
before district voters.
A $16.1-million bond to build a
new high" school and add class-
rooms to existirg buildings will go
on the Tuesday, April 27, ballot,
board members decided last
week.
The bond issue is identical to
the one that fell just nine votes
short of passing on February 2,
said Pioneer Schools Superinten-
dent Dick Sirokman.
"We hope that the weather will
cooperate with us this time," he
told The Journal. Heavy rains on
February 2 knocked out electrici-
ty in some of the voting precincts
within the school district, and
Sirokman said he's convinced the
inclement weather kept several
uuuu
Tox relief offered
Mason County Assessor Dixie
Smith will present a property tax
relief program for senior citizens
prior to next Tuesday evening's
Pioneer School Board meeting.
Smith will talk about options
seniors may have to relieve them
of their property tax burden. The
presentation starts at 6:30 p.m. in
the intermediate-middle school
building at 611 East Agate Road.
The public is invited, as a
number of programs are available
to senior citizens to help mitigate
the impact of their property tax-
es, Smith says. The regular board
meeting will follow the presenta-
tion.
voters away from the polls.
The district's election commit-
tee will work to get voters out to
the polls on April 27, he added.
If the measure passes next
month, the district will use the
funds to acquire a 56-acre parcel
next to the park-and-ride at State
Route 3 and Pickering Road,
build a new high school on that
acquired site that would house
about 500 students, add six class-
rooms to the primary school and
modernize and add classes at the
intermediate/middle school, a
building that dates back to 1952.
"The facilities needs will not go
away. They'll still be here," Sirok-
man said. He added that, accord-
ing to state projections, enroll-
ment in the Pioneer School Dis-
trict will continue to grow in com-
ing years.
Sirokman said he has been as-
sured by bond experts that the in-
terest rate on bonds should re-
main low for the next couple of
months. "Hopefully, that window
of opportunity will still be with
us," he said.
City will purchase historic
David Shelton Pear Orchard
Shelton city commissioners
Monday night approved the city's
purchase of the property known
as David Shelton's Pear Orchard.
Planning Director Paul Roger-
son announced Monday that the
city had received a grant allowing
it to purchase the property.
"This historic site lies on a 2.8-
acre parcel located between the
downtown Lumbermen's store
and the abandoned city sewage
treatment plant on Highway 3,"
Rogerson said. "The parcel will be
purchased with $127,500 award-
ed to the city under a federal
transportation grant program."
Rogerson said the property is
bracketed by land currently
owned by the city and completes
community ownership of a cor-
ridor extending from the down-
town area to the waterfront near
the Shelton Yacht Club. "The
corridor," the planning director
noted, "has also been identified by
citizens as a key gateway into the
city that should be improved and
is the location of at least two
major historic sites."
HE CALLED THE purchase
"the most important public acqui-
sition of land by the city in many
decades."
Providing public access to the
bay, Rogerson said, has been "a
goal identified by the public con-
sistently over a number of years."
If the old orchard, which still has
(Please turn to page 2.)
Apaez's wife arrested in his murder
After almost nine months of investiga-
tion, the Mason County Sheriffs Office has
made a second arrest in the murder of Felix
Apaez, who was found dead at the wheel of
his truck on Cole Road June 15.
In custody is Vicki L. Giffin-Apaez, 25.
The investigation showed she "solicited and
planned the murder of her husband," Un-
dersheriff Ga'y Crane said Wednesday.
"She apparently enlisted Adrian Garcia to
carry out the murder last June." Garcia,
who was 17 at the time, was arrested less
than a month after the homicide occurred,
and is pending trial for first-degree murder
in Mason County Superior Court.
Crane said the arrest took place "without
incident" late Wednesday afternoon at Gif-
fin-Apaez's workplace, the Shelton Wal-
Mart store. She was transported to the Ma-
son County Jail and booked on investiga-
tion of homicide, the undersheriff said.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlUlIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
On the inside
Births .................................... 15
Classifieds ........................... 25
Community Calendar ......... 7
Crossword ........................... 20
Entertainment, Dining ..... 24
Health Journal .................. 15
Journal of Record .............. 16
Obituaries ....................... 10.12
Opinions, Letters .................. 4
Sports .................................... 18
Tides ..................................... 24
Weather ................. , .............. 22
IIIIIIlIIUlIIIIIIIUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIUlIIIIUIIIIIIIIUIIIIIIIIUllIlIIlIII
Man dies in logging
mishap at Cushman
A California man lost his life
Tuesday morning after he was
struck by a log on a landing at a
logging site at Lake Cushman.
Jose Luis Ramirez, 42, from
Williams, California, died as a
result of blunt-trauma injuries to
the head, neck, chest and abdo-
men, Mason County Coroner
Martha Reed reported.
He was employed by Erickson
Air-Crane Company, Limited
Liability Corporation, a helicop-
ter logging firm. The whole crew
was from California, she said.
Reed said Ramirez was trans-
ported by the company's helicop-
ter directly to the helipad at Ma-
son General Hospital after he
was injured around 11 a.m. He
was pronounced dead upon arri-
val in the emergency room.