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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
May 9, 2024     Shelton Mason County Journal
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J Thursday, May 9, 2024 "I. SHELTON-MASON COUNTY ourna The Voice of Mason County Since 1886 —- Vol. 138, No. 19 Honoring community legends Dann Gagnon, whose 48-year coaching and teaching career in the Shelton School District spanned parts of six decades, watches speaker Gwenny Smith talk about him during the Shelton School Dis— trict & Community Hall of Fame induction ceremony Tuesday at the Shelton High School Performing Arts Center. Gagnon was one of six inducted‘into the Hall of Fame on Tuesday, joining Sheryal Bald- ing, Mike Fox, Brian Fairbrother, Leslie Orme and Dick Wentz in the Class of 2024. See more photos and the story on page 13. Journal photo by Shawna Whe/an Eur“iiigniiimliniiuiill“ll!t;Nifiilgjigilllillmllihi *“j‘xi‘yi‘ia’rxgx’k‘wg‘TQR'R‘i LOT**C 035 SMELL TU'WN PAPERS (322‘. W“ WLRQAE} AVE SHELTQN WA, 9853'ir384? 381 8-14 $2 Election field takes shape By Gordon Weeks gordon@masoncounty. com State Sen. Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton, is run- ning to represent District 6 in Congress. Monday was the first day candidates could file for positions up for grabs in the Aug. 6 primary election. Candidates have until 5 pm. Friday to file. Lots then will be drawn for the order of the candi— dates on the ballot. May 13 is the deadline for peo- ple to withdraw their candidacy. MacEwen, who represents the 35th District in the state Senate, is a Republican. The only other candidate who has filed as ofWednesday morning is Democrat Hilary Franz. They hope to replace Derek Kilmer, a Democrat who isn’t seeking another term. State Reps. Dan Griffey and' Travis Couture, both Allyn Republicans, are seeking new two-year terms representing District 35 in the state House. At the Journal’s deadline Wednesday, Griffey was running unopposed and Couture is facing Democrat James DeHart of Shelton. Two of the three seats on the Mason County Board of Commissioners are up for grabs. Repub— lican Richard Beckman and Tom Beben, an inde- pendent, are vying to replace Kevin Shutty repre- senting District 2. Shutty chose not to seek another term and recently started working as executive di- rector of the Economic Development Council of Ma— son County. Both Beckman and Beben are down- town Shelton business owners. Republican William Harris of Allyn is compet- ing to represent Commission District 2. Incumbent Randy Neatherlin had not filed for a new term when the Journal went to press. I Duckabush project moves ahead By Gordon Weeks gordon@masoncounty. com A project design that includes a 1,613-foot~long bridge over the Ducka- bush River Estuary on US. Highway 101, miles north of the Jeffer— son-Mason County line, is about 65% complete, and people interested in the project’s progress got a preview at an open house Saturday at the Brinnon Community Center. Feasibility studies for the project to reconnect the Duckabush River to its historic floodplain be— gan in 2016. The project is led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers» and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife with support from the state Department of Transpor- tation and the Belfair- based Hood Canal Salm— on Enhancement Group. The design work began in 2019 and is expected to be completed in late 2025. A 1,613-foot—long bridge will be built over the Duck— abush River Estuary on us. Highway 101, 5 miles north of the Jefferson-Mason County line. The proj- ect includes removing two bridges, including this one built in 1934. Journal photo by Gordon Weeks work is expected to take up to five years. The proj- ect includes removing the two bridges that span U.S. 10l in the estuary and removing causeways and berms. The project is estimated to cost more than $100 million. According to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, project part- ners are monitoring fish and Wildlife for compari- son after the project is complete. The department re— ports the Duckabush Es- tuary has “been degraded for almost 100 years by a wall of highway fill that nearly severs the ecologi— cal connection of the estu- ary to the tidelands.” see DUCKABUSl-I,page New Patrol troopers By June Williams june@masOncounty.com After 26 weeks of training and 10 weeks of coaching, Mason County has two new Washington State Patrol troopers. A.J. Gomez and CB. Zimmer- man are now patrolling county roads from busy US. Highway 101 to remote Forest Service Road 23. Both troopers spoke to the Jour- ' rial abOut the job from the Shelton detachment office on the grounds of the WSP Academy. The 190-acre academy, at 631 W Dayton Airport Road, has been a training facility since 1969. The campus has dorms, class- rooms, a gym, water safety train- ing tank, firing range and a 2.7- mile drive course. Before they graduate, Gomez said cadets make a “dream list” of location assignments. He and Zim- merman said Mason County was one of their top three choices and they are happy to be working in the county. “Mason County was definitely on my list. This area is gorgeous,” Zimmerman said. Gomez came to the job right out Once construction begins, , "Lil! lllll lllllllll 3263 00111 Spell-E-Bration fundraiser in June INSIDE THIS WEEK of the Navy. He said he served his last day at Naval Base Kitsap and “immediately started the journey with Washington State Patrol.” He spent two months working in the WSP office before he started the academy. Zimmerman said interactions with troopers when he was a truck driver made him want to join WSP. “The contact I had with Patrol officers and their professionalism really inspired me. It’s what moti- vated me to be a trooper,” he said. Both men. start the workday by checking all their equipment. “You test the radar at the begin— ning and after your shift,” Gomez said. If there are no dispatch re— quests, the troopers head out on the highways. “You are in charge of your own schedule,” Gomez said-This means the troopers aren’t specifically as— signed a location but use their judgment. Gomez said he likes to start with school zones, making sure drivers are following the posted speeds in the morning. see shapes; page 9 ’Something Rotten’ at ConnectionStreet Theatre 3 : Allyn searches for solution to loitering sea lions