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STAFFCOLUMN
JOURNALEDITORIAL
mm
mm
um
elieve it or not, the Mason take out more than just a fly this
County commissioners punt- week. Stuffed inside are our annu-
ing a marijuana ordinance al Visitors Guide, a Forest Festival
down the road is not simply elec- Th~ ~ ~nty ~i~ pre~ciew and a special section dedi-
cated to the new PUD 3 facility.
tiOnsial issue.year avoidance of a controver- ~ll~i~e ~i ~ij~ It's been a big year for Mason
It's not often this editorial board ~d~ tw~ ~ ~! : County and our new and updated
agrees with commissioner Tim ~ffe~i~ ~ea~i~ ~ ~ ~one guides reflect that.
Sheldon, and commissioner Lynda fo~ ~ ~ard~s~ : Much like our Profile that was
Ring Erickson has come under crit- published last month, the 2012
icism by this newspaper for ques- Mason County Visitors Guide has
tionable actions during her tenure, na, and if that happens we should been updated with new stories and
But, we do agree the moratorium expect a bevy of new regulations to information and is presented in
on collective marijuana gardens follow. It would be foolhardy to be- a magazine format. The bulging
is the correct course of action.., or lieve any ordinance Mason County guide came in at 80 pages and is
inaction, passed now would not need to bea wonderful reference for visiting
Marijuana is illegal statewide, tossed if the initiative makes it family members, tourists and lo-
af least until voters hit the polls into law. cals rediscovering their home.
later this year with enough force Whether 1-502 fails or passes, The preview of the Forest Fes-
to see it pass. 1-502 will be on the the ordinance should be addressed tival breaks down some of the big-
ballot and, if passed, will change on Nov. 8 when the moratorium gest events with detailed stories
the way Washington addresses ends. Then if the commissionersand presents a complete schedule
marijuana. Recently, Public Policy want to delay a decision they truly for the function. Our PUb 3 spe-
Polling surveyed Washington state are copping out. cial section gives insight into the
voters and found that 47 percent creation and history of the utility
support 1-502, while 39 percent Why's my paper so heavy this district with content submitted by
planned to vote against it. Wash- week? employees, contractors and other
ington may be on track to be the The Shelton-Mason County personalities involved in this mas-
first state with legalized marijua- Journal and Belfair Herald could sive project.
LETTERSTOTHEEDITOR
Thank you
from bluegrass
organizers
Editor, the Journal:
We held our eighth annual Blue-
grass from the Forest festival May
18. 19 and 20 at the Shelton Per-
forming Arts Center and campus
and I want to say "thank you" all
for coming out, and to the Shelton
High School. The campus grounds
were immaculate and obvious ef-
forts were made to accommodate
US.
Dave Miser. auditorium engi-
neer, as always, did an outstanding
job in accommodating us through-
out the weekend.
l personally received several
comments about the great school
campus and how we should be
proud of what we have.
Thanks from Kristmas Town Ki-
wanis, the business end and from
me. the bluegrass end. We hope for
continued use of this amazing facil-
ity!
Greg Linder
Union
Thanks for the
memories
Editor, the Journal:
I just want to g~ve you a great
big thanks from al! of us Bluegrass
Music Fans here in the Pacific
Northwest! This is becoming the
greatest music event in the state
and we highly look forward to it
each and every year. I know it
takes tons of work and lots of co-
ordination and I just want you to
know how very much we appreciate
it! I host a "slow" music jam each
month here in Winlock which ca-
Lers to beginners. Lots of time the
Bluegrass from the Forest music
festival held at the Shelton High
School is their very first experience
of attending such an event, and
it leaves a lasting impression on
them to attend and support other
music events throughout the re-
gmn. You're all doing a very great
thing!
Thanks. and I will definitely
be attending again next and every
year that it's available to us.
Marv Sobolesky
Winlock
Teens can learn from
NBA player's lessons
For the first time in re- Herren went drinking to
cent memory, I'agree celebrate. And while a beer or
with Charles BarNey.two might be okay, it never
Basketball players are not stopped at two for Herren.
role models. '~I~vo beers always turned
Especially not an ex-bas- to four, to eight, to 12," Her-
ketball player who starting ren said.
drinking at age 14 and soon Then Herren turned to his
followed with marijuana and cocaine dealer. For the bulk
addictions to cocaine, Oxyco- of the next 14 hours, Herren
tin and heroin, didn't leave the back seat of
Chris Herren is not a role his car.
model. His acts are not, as Oddly enough, he was told
the title is defined, to be emu- he'd have a drug test that
lated, same day.
Herren, 36, was one ~ Herren was sent
of the top high school ~ to a five-day resi-
basketball players in dential treatment
the country. He was program. He admit-
recruited by the likes ted, though, of sim-
of Syracuse and Duke, ply going through
among many other top- the motions.
tier Division I schools. Herren soon
"I had a very bright was introduced to
future," said Herren, By KEVIN Oxycotin. Ever the
who spoke to a crowd SPRADLIN opportunist, he later
of at least a few hun- moved on to heroin.
dred people, young and old, on His salary with the NBA's Den-
May 18 at the Skookum Creek ver Nuggets was funding his
Event Center in Kamilche. $25,000-a-month drug habit.
Over the course of two "I was a full-blown junkie,"
hours. Herren told his audi- Herren said.
ence how a series of decisions At age 32, he hit rock bot-
he made basically took those tom. A friend reached out and
dreams and booted them into offered to pay for a six-month
the next galaxy, in-patient drug treatment
While on full scholarship program.
at Boston College, he re- He left treatment only
turned to his dorm room one once -- for the birth of his
night. His roommate and a third child -- a son named
friend were snorting cocaine. Drew.
"I had never seen cocaine Herren said for four hours
before," Herren said. "As a he held his newborn son, with
big tough guy, I (felt I) had to his two other chilren at his
prove myself." side, "sober and proud."
Herren told himself he'd Then he called his drug
do it just this once, "and I'm dealer.
never going to do it again." "I left my kids stranded at
That single night helped the hospital."
kickstart a personal battle Herren is a convicted felon.
with drugs that complicated Herren is a drug addict --
the lives of his wife. three one who has been clean since
children, parents and numer- June 4, 2008, but an addict
ous friends and colleagues, just the same.
He failed two more drug Much of what Herren, a
tests at Boston College and paid speaker to audiences
was kicked offcampus. Her- across the country, said at
ren had a second chance at Skookum Creek Event Cen-
Fresno State and played for ter seemed rehearsed.
legendary coach Jerry Tar- During a post-talk ques-
kanian, tion-and-answer session,
In one game. he scored 29 ~hough, he made it clear his
points in team's 93-82 loss to path in life is not one to be fol-
Duke on Nov. 27. 1998. lowed. It's one to be avoided.
"It was the best game of But his message is a good
my college basketball career," one. In part, he asked Mason
Herren said. County parents to ask tough
Scouting analysts were questions of their children
abuzz with news that Herren and their actions, even -- or
was all but guaranteed to be especially -- in situations
a first-round pick in the NBA where "you don't want to ask
draft. Such a selection would it" for fear of the answer.
have guaranteed a minimum It might be the best way to
$1.5 million salary. - help your kid.
PAPERBOY
• • •
It was a 1948 Ford model 8N wheel he put it into gear. It was that
Tractor, red and cream, I think, easy and I was driving a tractor.
My Grandpa was an 1898 mod- So when friend wife and I finally
el and so for him, I suppose, it was had our place in Maxville built and
a new machine, lacking in just some basic grading
In my memory it was my fifth (moving dirt and boulders) I began
birthday and my Morn and the rest to look for a more
of my family were visiting her par- ~ modem version
ents on the farm, a few miles away ~ of that tractor to
from her birthplace in rural east- ~ call my own.
em Nebraska. My brother
My Grandpa asked me how old suggested that
I was and when I replied, "five," he I get a Bobcat
looked up toward the ceiling and or some other
said, "five? Well then, you're old such skid loader.
enough to drive a tractor." They're more
He took me out to the farmyard By TOM maneuverable
and climbed onto that tractor and MULLEN and practical. He
someone, I think my Morn probably is vastly more
worried to death, boosted me onto knowledgeable
his lap and he told me to push the than I when it comes to moving
start button, dirt. We both descended from a
The tractor chugged to life and couple generations of plumbers and
with my hands on the steering he still runs the family business.
But I didn't want a skid loader, I
wanted a tractor.
When I was 12 my brother gave
me the helm of a John Deere 4010
which was pulling a hay-baler. My
Uncle Marcus, who by then ran
my Grandpa's farm, was walking
between the rear of the tractor and
the baler we were pulling, help-
ing the baler feed itself so it would
neatly spit out a bale of hay on the
back end.
By the time I got that tractor
into gear it was seventh gear that I
found and within seconds I had the
tractor on its rear wheels and tear-
ing offinto its highest speed.
Had my brother not been there
at my shoulder, the tractor's speed
would have soon overtaken my un-
cle who was already running faster
than any man I'd ever seen, as he
tried to escape the jaws of the baler.
My brother popped the tractor
out of gear and that was probably
the last time I drove a tractor for
nearly forty years.
My search for a more modem
Ford tractor took me to Missoula
where I noticed a mid-80s version
of what I sought. About the time I
graduated from high school (1979),
the Iowa Department of Transpor-
tation began using modem versions
of the 8N and some of those beasts
are still in use so I figured it must
be a good tractor.
The salesman talked me into a
new Kubota instead. It didn't cost
much more and Kubota was, at the
time, offering a nothing-down, zero-
percent financing deal and he was
willing to throw in a mower and
the insurance.
It was 2009 and I think they
hadn't been selling many tractors.
The man who delivered it to me
provided me with about two hours
of invaluable training and then left
me there, to my own devices.
My own devices, when it comes
to using a tractor, were few.
So it was difficult for me to go
against my brother's advice but when
he first came to visit and saw my new
Kubota, I could see he understood.
And he gave me my best lessons.
Go slow. And wear that seat
belt.
A boy wishes for many material
things and ifhe's lucky he gets a
few.
But few of those things measure
up to his expectations.
My tractor was, and still is, an
exception.
It has done great things for me.
It moves objects that would oth-
erwise be unmovable.
It starts up rain or shine, despite
the temperature.
And it is orange.
Shelton-Mason County ~)
i i ii
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usPs 492-800 Washington Newspaper Publishers' Association.
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Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, Washington Shelton-Mason County Journal, Inc
Kari Sleight, publisher
Newsroom:
Jesse Mullen, editor
Natalie Johnson, reporter
Kevin Spradlin, reporter
Emily Hanson, sports reporter
Adam Rudnick, copy editor
Advertising:
Dave Pierik, Sr. Acct. Executive
Harvey Morris, ad representative
Sharee Miller, ad representative
Front office:
Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper
Margot Brand, circulation
Cricket Carter, mailroom
supervisor
Composing room:
William Adams, graphics
Pressroom:
Kelly Riordan, production manager
Travis Miller, press operator
Page A-4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, May 24, 2012