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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
September 8, 2011     Shelton Mason County Journal
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September 8, 2011
 
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Oyster beaches closed due to bacteria By KEVAN MOORE Several people who ate raw Hood Canal oysters have gotten sick from a naturally occurring bacteria called Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Cooking shellfish thoroughly prevents vibrio- sis illness and is especially important during the summer months when warm temperatures and low tides al- low the bacteria to thrive. State health officials close a shell- fish growing area when there are four or more sporadic illnesses in a specific area; this recently happened in Samish Bay and in Hood Canal 5, which runs from Clark Creek (about a mile north of Hoodsport) north to Cummings Pointe. Oyster harvest in both areas has been closed by the state Department of Health to reduce exposure to Vibrio bacteria. There have been other vib- riosis cases identified this summer, scattered around the state&apos;s growing areas. Typically, Washington sees about 50 cases of vibriosis a year. Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria are found naturally in the environ- ment. When water temperature ris- es, so does the chance of dangerous bacterial growth. The warm weather and daytime low tides have likely contributed to the latest cases of ill- ness. Symptoms of vibriosis include di- arrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, headache, fever, and chills. The symptoms usually appear about 12 hours after eating infected shell- fish, but they can begin within two hours or as late as 48 hours after con- sumption. The illness is usually mod- erate and lasts for two to seven days; however, it can be more serious, even life threatening to people with weak immune systems or chronic liver disease. Teking certain medications may make vibriosis more likely to oc- cur after eating shellfish. To help keep shellfish safe to eat, keep them cool from the time they are harvested until the time they are cooked. Thorough cooking will kill the bacteria, making the shellfish safe to eat. Food safety specialists recommend oysters be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 ° F to kill the bacteria. More information, including maps of the affected areas, is available on the agency's website (http://www. doh.wa.gov/ehp/sf/default-sf.htm). It's important to remember that just because an area doesn't appear to be closed because of Vibrio parahaemo- lyticus, it may be closed for marine biotoxins. Check our biotoxin Web page (http://ww4.doh.wa.gov/gis/mo- gifs/biotoxin.htm) to make sure an area you wish to harvest in is free from marine biotoxins. County releases preliminary budget By NATALIE JOHNSON Mason County released its preliminary 2012 bud- get for the first time during the regular Board of Coun- ty Commissioners meeting Tuesday morning. "We are presenting the anticipated revenues and the anticipated expendi- tures from each elected official and each depart- ment director," said Kar- en Herr, Mason County Auditor. Herr addressed the com- mission Tuesday, and gave a brief outline of the bud- get. According to the prelim- inary budget, the county expects revenues total- ing $23,739,767. Total re- quested expenditures at this point in the budget process total $24,454,287, resulting in a $714,520 deficit. "These figures are very similar to last year," Herr said. County department heads and staff members Journal photo by Natafie Johnson Mason County Auditor Karen Herr presented the preliminary 2012 county budget to the county commission Tuesday. have worked to draft the preliminary since July, when the county commis- sion gave them initial bud- get instructions. "Each department was asked to submit a budget at the same level or below their current June 30, 2011 level," Herr said. Most departments com- plied with the commis- sion's request to keep fund- ing levels at the status quo. "For the fourth year in a row, these budgets do not include any salary increases for the depart- ment directors, for the 80 plus employees not repre- sented by a union, or for any elected official, with the exception of the three percent salary increase for the board of commission- ers," Herr said. Herr said there are also no new provisions for new contractual obligations with "employee bargaining units." "Weighing our available resources, with what ser- vices are essential to our citizens, will no doubt be quite a challenge," Herr said. The preliminary budget, totaling 331 pages, consists of three different sections - current expenses, spe- cial and enterprise funds, and an 11 page condensed budget with comparisons to previous budgets. Copies of the budget documents are available at www.co.mason.wa.us. State test scores show good, bad and ugly results for Mason County kids By ARLA SHEPHARD Local school districts welcomed good and bad news last week, as the Wash- ington state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction released the results of last spring's standardized test scores. High school sophomores took the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE), consisting of reading, writing, math and science portions, and are required to pass the reading and writing exams or a state-approved alternative in 2011 and 2012 to graduate high school. Students were also offered End of Course (EOC) exams in algebra and ge- ometry; in 2013 and 2014, graduating classes will be required to pass one math EOC exam with the HSPE reading and writing, and in the class of 2015, stu- dents will need to pass two math EOCs, the HSPE reading and writing and a Bi- ology EOC to graduate. In the Shelton School District, 75.9 percent of tenth-graders passed the writing portion of the HSPE and 79.7 percent passed the writing (see website reportcard.ospi,kl2.wa.us). While little more than 20 percent of tenth-graders passed the math HSPE, 55.6 percent of students in all grades passed the EOC Math Year 1 exam (Al- gebra) and 74.2 percent passed the EOC Math Year 2 exam (Geometry). "We actually had some very good news and some great gains in the school district," said Pare Farr, director of teaching and learning at Shelton School District. '%Ve're very proud of our kids." Third- through eighth-graders took the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) exam, and in the Shelton School District students across the board held steady in reading -- more than 50 per- cent ofstudents in all grade levels passed, All grades levels in the Shelton School District showed improvement over last year's math MSP scores: third- and eighth-graders performed the best with 57.3 percent passing in each grades and fifth-graders performed the least well with a 45.3 percent pass rate. Shelton School District students also improved in writing and science; 71.2 percent of seventh-graders passed the writing and 47.4 percent of fifth-graders passed science - a more than 20 percent improvement over the previous year. About 4,200 students attend schools in the Shelton School District, with a 5.4 percent dropout rate in 2010, the most recent year for which data is available, and 61.3 percent qualifying for free or reduced lunch in 2011. At little more than half the size of the Shelton School District, about 83 per- cent of North Mason sophomores passed the reading and writing HSPE, 46.4 per- cent passed the EOC Math Year 1 and 58.5 percent passed Math Year 2 (See story in this week's Belfair Herald for more North Mason scores). Mary M. Knight sophomores per- formed well in everything but math -- 82.4 percent passed reading, 94.1 percent passed writing and 50 percent passed science. Only one-third of students in all grades passed either of the EOC Math exams. Overall at Mary M. Knight, less than a third of each grade level passed math beyond fourth-grade. Each grade level taking the MSP performed lower than the same grade level in math the previous year, except for fourth-grade. Sixth- through eighth- graders also performed lower in reading over the previous year. Some of the results were particularly dismal -- only 29.4 percent of Mary M. Knight seventh:graders passed reading and 11.8 percent passed math (see web- site). About 190 students attend Mary M. Knight schools, with a 1.9 percent drop- out rate in 2010 and 56.7 percent on free or reduced lunch in 2011. The K through 8 Pioneer School Dis- trict, with 766 students enrolled in May 2011, witnessed drops in reading scores among eve:y grade but fourth and sixth, which scored the highest with 75 per- cent of students passing. Writing scores held steady with a nearly 50 percent pass rate in fourth- and seventh-grade and science scores improved over last year -- 34.9 per- cent of fifth-graders and 64.2 percent of eighth-graders passed. Except for students in the eighth- grade, math scores improved or held steady, with sixth:graders again posting the best scores at a 59.7 percent pass rate, a 30 percent jump over the sixth- graders of the previous year. About 57 percent of Pioneer students qualify for free or reduced price lunch. At the Southside School District, where 223 students attended in May 2011 and 48 percent qua[ified for free or reduced price lunch, math scores im- proved overall, while reading slightly dipped over the previous year and writ- ing and science held steady. Math and reading scores hovered mostly at the 50 percent pass rate or below, with notable exceptions in third- .............. ca, !!!,,e! For adveriisiog 00oformoiio00 .............. :ii : I.,./ " '"' c,om, I ......... Y: i:i .227 W Cota* (360) jnts evem annua ts sure to be a hit Bulls & Barrels 7:00 p,m, at the Fairgrounds Come Join Us for Union's 6th Annual Autumn 00almo- Bake Saturdayi September 17th - 1:2:00 to 5:00 pm Union Fire Hall - 3rd & Seattle Street "Pre-Sale" Tickets Available Adults: $t5,00 - Children (7.t4): $7.00 -Ages (6 & Under)- "Free' Tickets: "At-the=Door" Adults: $17.00 - Children (744): $10.00 . 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