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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
April 5, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
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April 5, 2012
 
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Much more work needed to solve county health dilemna Mason County is ranked must be getting smaller because sometimes forget to put an em- teachers and administrators The high school graduation rate one of the least healthy two years ago we were ranked phasis on education. Why bother have done. has risen 8 percent in just a few counties in Washingtonthe 37th. finishing school when making Most of the teachers in our years from 72 percent graduating according to a yearly ranking The study also notes that Ma-$50,000 a year without a diploma community are taking a well de- to 80 percent. developed by the University of son County residents drink is a possibility? But times have served rest this week for spring Although it may be true our Wisconsin Population Health excessively at a rate double the changed and timber is no longer break. Over the last few years, friends in Aberdeen have helped Institute and the Robert Wood national average and a quarter a viable career path for a large many of them have worked tire- our rise with their decline, it's Johnson Foundation of Princ- of us are smokers, so it might be percentage of the population,lessly to improve test scores and good we have shown modest eton, New Jersey. The institute asked: "What don't we do?" Finishing high school has been increase graduation rates, improvements and hope our resi- surveyed all 50 states. We are The answer, according to the shown to make a major differ-Without the work of educators, dents, educators and government ranked the 35th least healthy out survey, is finish high school, ence in quality of life and Ma- Mason County may still be in the officials will continue working of 39 counties, the bottom five. Communities with large son County alternative schools bottom three counties in Wash- hard to help improve the quality And speaking of bottoms, ours amounts of natural resources should be applauded for the work ington according to the ranking, of life in Mason County. WO DONTHESTREET LETTERSTOTHEEDITOR Water line who could help this time of day. She contacted a dentist whom she knew through not needed church and that had an of- fice in Shelton. This dentist was Dr. Bowers. Dr. Bowers Editor, the Journal had just gotten home from Why a $3.5 million wa- work and was preparing to ter line? Why is the state leave for a fishing trip he of Washington building ahad planned. He also did not $3.5 million dollar water live real close to the office. line from the City of Shelton Our friend explained the sit- water supply to the State uation to him and asked if Patrol Academy in Shelton he could help or knew any- in Mason County? one who could. Dr. Bowers The State Patrol Acad- did not hesitate to help and emy now gets its water from told our friends to have us the Port of Shelton, which meet him at his office. We only uses a fraction of its had our friends take Skylar total capacity. The port has down to Dr. Bower's office to supplied excellent water to meet him as we raced from that property for years.Bremerton to get there too. I have not yet been given Dr. Bowers explained every- any understandable jus- thing in detail as he worked tification or need for this on Skylar's teeth. Skylar's expenditure, now or in the teeth were so ready to fall foreseeable future when out that Dr. Bowers had to there are such huge city, glue them together to hold county and state budget them in place and put an shortfalls. Funds are be- extremely heavy-duty wire ing cut from schools, law on his braces to keep them enforcement, social services from having any movement. and many others. He also carefully glued his The water line is not nec- bottom lip together, which essary; this money could be prevented us from having to spent as needed elsewhere, take Skylar to the emergen- Having been a commission- cy room for stitches. Due to er at the Port of Shelton for the trauma to Skylar's teeth almost 18 years, I am very Dr. Bowers said that it was aware of the port's morevery likely his teeth would than adequate water supply die and he would most likely to the State Patrol, which have to have root canals purchased the property for on them so we needed to the Port of Shelton manykeep a close watch on them. years ago. The reason we share this Why do they need two story is that Dr. Bowers is water supplies? a rare person. During this time we thanked him so Rose Nye much for seeing us at this Shelton inopportune time as it was not convenient for him and it interrupted his fishing trip. His response to us was that it was not a problem others as and having children of his own he hoped that someone you would would be there for him if this happened to him. Dr. Bowers saw us for follow want them ups and worked with our orthodontist along with our to treat you regular dentist to ensure the best for Skylar's teeth. Three years later with Editor, the Journal braces off, Skylars teeth sur- Just about three years vived and are healthy. Had ago our oldest son Skylar it not been for Dr. Bower's was at some friends of willingness and expert care, ours house while we were Skylar would have lost his out of town for a sporting teeth. Dr. Bowers also did event with youngest son on such a great job at gluing a Friday evening. Skylar Skylar's lip together that he was outside playing around does not even have a notice- with friends when their able scar. Some may say, dog, a large Malamute ran "well I am sure he made between his legs knocking great money on an emer- his feet out from under him gency call like that." I want in which he landed face to tell you Dr. Bowers did first onto a stump severely not even want to bill us. We knocking loose his four front had to insist he bill us. We teeth with braces on causing truly want to thank you Dr. them to go through his low- Bowers, you and your staff er lip. His teeth were pretty are a rarity. It is rare to find much just hanging there, people who willingly put Once we were contacted the needs of others before about the accident we im- their own without expecting mediately called our dentist something in return and to on his emergency line with de it with integrity. We are no luck of reaching him. forever grateful for the care We frantically contacted you gave our son. another friend of ours who works in the dental field to Mark and Tracie Core see if she knew of anyone Shelton Why do you think youth perform poorly on standardized testing? Ron Eileen Matt Erik Feldman Preferment Williams Smith-Dodgson "The tests themselves "Weak skills from the ask questions that al- start with no prereq- though the answers uisites and they make have been taught, the mistakes on things that questions are asked dif- they already know how ferently than they are to do. They also think taught. Students are they have a skill mas- taught the processes tered but forget it while and how to do the work testing." but do not understand what the question is asking." "School is too easy and "Teachers do not teach students are not chal- us what the state wants lenged enough. Their us to know." hand is held through all their work so they are not prepared." PAPERBOY Click your heels together three times W~uen I was 28 our family ffered a great tragedy ut those gloomy days were balanced by the tenderness of our family and friends. The greatest gift of that time was a recognition that our neigh- bors, most of whom I thought to be strangers, came forward with an outpouring of help. In the decades since, I have moved my fam- ily from place to place. First to a small town in Nebraska and then to an even smaller town in Wyoming. That first re- location wasn't By TOM difficult for me MULLEN despite the hard- ship of our finan- cial means. The job I had been offered paid only $14,500 per year (this was 1992) but held the promise of run- ning a newspaper. My two years in Nebraska were spent learning how to run a com- munity newspaper and playing with my kids. My wife busied her- self pursuing her degree, having put professional nursing behind her, and working part time jobs so we wouldn't fall too far behind on bills. So when I left for that first pub- lishing job in Wyoming there was little to miss other than my men- tor, Les, who had provided me with the opportunity that lay before me. Nine years later my sons were grown. Fed up with the responsibility that came with being that small town publisher, I happily fled my the arts and every wall, every coffee duties for the promise of anonymity cup, every where you looked you and more money in a bigger town were seeing or touching an original (17,000), overseeing the operations work of art. The home was an over- of a dozen or so papers, whelming experience of inspiration, Most of the friends I'd made in a true reflection of its owners. those nine years had moved on to Another newspaperman, Mike further their own professional lives Sellett of Jackson appeared to have so I was leaving little behind - I a nice home and once I almost got a thought, look inside. One night, before I left, I started One morning my partners and I writing down the names of those crashed his patio where he was en- few good friends who would remain joying his morning juice. We were there. They numbered 14. all sitting in the breezeway when a Still I was longing for the upcom- young moose came charging into his ing move and I thought there would yard. Having never seen a moose I be little to miss of the town I'd was a bit shocked and wondering called "home" from 1996 until 2005. what to do and as I looked around But I can still see those names, I could see that I was the only one and I knew I would miss each of left at the table so I knew it was them, terribly, time to move. One friend has set upon writ- Sellett had ducked into his kitch- ing a book on Wyoming's greatest en and so I jumped up and grabbed places and asked me for for some the handle on the sliding glass door ideas and that is when this memory only to discover the (expletive de- took hold. leted) had locked me out! Because in the past three years In Buffalo we often visited the I have seen little of my Wyoming home of Jim and Mary Hicks. It home but it was easy to recount was in his backyard that he taught what places I missed the most: The more than one of my boys how to fly homes of the people I missed most fish. There's even a petting zoo! (including our own). Angus Thuermer Jr is the long- Our home was built on the shale time editor of the Jackson newspa- ledge that runs from the edge of per and his cabin rests at the foot the Black Hills down to the Main of a mountain where I have been Street where the edge of the Thun- treated to a middle of the night der Basin begins. We could see apple martini and slept on his G.W. Laramie Peak from my deck, 135 Stevenson Memorial Couch. That miles away. That deck was in the couch is the stuff of legends and tree tops and birds were all around thanks to his dogs, you'll always us. The people who sold us the wake up wearing a new fur coat. home fed those birds so sitting on What I miss most about Wyo- my deck was akin to relaxing in an ming are the men and women who aviary, made it great. Their homes are the My favorite spot in Powell, Wyo- greatest places in the state because ming was Dave and Dianne Ben- they are filled with their love and ner's home. Diane was a patron of their lives. Shelton-Mason County 1~ USPS 492-800 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason County Journal, RO. 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 (380) 428-4412 • www.masoncounty.com Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, Washington She~ton-Mason County Journal is a member of Washington Newspaper Publishers' Association. 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 She~ton-Mason County Journal, Inc Karl Sleight, publisherAdvertising: Dave Pierik, Sr. Acct. Executive Newsroom: Harvey Morris, ad representative Jesse Mullen, editor Sharee Miller, ad representative Kevan Moore, reporter Front office: Natalie Johnson, reporter Emily Hanson, sports reporter Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper Adam Rudnick, copy editor Margot Brand, circulation Cricket Carter, mailroom supervisor Composing room: William Adams, graphics Becky Corr, typing Pressroom: Kelly Riordan, production manager Travis Miller press operator Page A-4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, April 5, 2012