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SINCE 1886 - VOL. 134, NO. 42
MASON COUNTY, THURSDAY, OCT. 15, 2020
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’ On Tuesday morning, Olympic Middle School teacher Hannah Megan teaches
math to sixth-graders
who are learning English as part of the newcomer’s program. Small groups
of special needs stu-
dents are learning in Shelton School District buildings. A survey of 1,388
district parents shows 65%
would put their children back in the district’s eight schools when the
district goes from all online
education to a hybrid of in-classroom and remote learning. Journal photo by
Gordon Weeks
Parents mixed on kids’ return to class
By Gordon weeks
gordon@masoncounty. com .
Parents of Shelton School District students have
mixed feelings about their children returning to the
classroom during the coronavirus.
A survey of 1,388 parents conducted the first week
of October‘shows 905 (65%) would put their children
back in the district’s eight schools when the district
goes from all online to-a hybrid of in—classroom and
remote learning. In the survey, 199 parents said they
would not send their childrenlback to class, while
284 people (20%) said they are “unsure.”
’ In another survey question, 339 parents (24%),
said they plan to commit to keeping their children
exclusively remote learning no matter what the dis-
trict does on reopening.
Katie Diamond, the district’s communication spe-
cialist, shared the survey results Tuesday evening at
the Shelton School Board’s regular meeting.
The district sent out the questionnaire in English
and Spanish on Oct. 1, and accepted the responses
through Oct. 5, Diamond said.
The results will be used to plan the hybrid learn-
‘ing model, where half of the students would be in
the classrooms on Mondays and Tuesdays and the
other half on Thursdays and Fridays. while everyone
learns online on Wednesdays, Diamond said.
Thirty parents with children at the Early Learn-
ing Center filled out the questionnaire, 225 from
Bordeaux Elementary, 80 from Evergreen Elemen-
tary, 241 from Mountain View Elementary, 282 from
Olympic Middle School, 294 from Oakland Bay Ju-
nior High, 33 from CHOICE High Schdol, 41 from Ce-
dar High School, and 722 from Shelton High School.
School board member Sally Karr pointed out 77
parents responded in Spanish. She asked whether
that is a high number, and if the district is consid-
ering other ways to reach out to Spanish-speaking
families. ' 1
Diamond said the district usually receives 15 to 20
responses to questionnaires from Spanish-speaking
families; is the largest so far, she said.
“I’m impressed with the level of response,” Karr
said;
see PARENTS, page A-1 2
Murder
suspects I,
arrested '
By sexism...
kbox/e/tner@masoncounty.com
The Mason County Sheriffs Office announced
last weekend that both suspects in the kidnap-
ping and slaying of Rachell Rene Roberts, the
31-year-old Lacey resident whose body was found
in the Lake Cushman area Oct. 2, had been ar—
rested in Humboldt County, California.
. Prior to the arrest, investigators wrote in
court documents that they believed they’d pieced
together a partial timeline of events before and
after Roberts’ death.
Roberts’ body was found down an embank-
ment off of US. Forest Service Road 24, near the
intersection with state. Route 119, by a person
who called 911 at 10:47 a.m. on Oct. 2. The body,
an adult white woman whose hands and feet were
bound, was identified as Roberts by her finger-
prints, and her next of kin were notified.
Mason County Coroner Wesley Stockwell said
the cause of Roberts’ death, and the exact date
and time of her death, remain under investiga-
tion, although he did describe her as “recently de-
ceased” when her body was found. ‘
An autopsy was completed Oct. 5, and the sher—
iff’s office gave a public statement before noon
Oct. 8 that stated, “It was apparent from the evi-
dence at the scene that this was a homicide,” and
that Roberts was assaulted and that the medical
examiner had found signs of suffocation.
Jason Dracobly, chief criminal deputy of inves-
tigations for the Sheriff’s Office, explained that
investigators are working to determine where
Roberts was killed, but do not believe her death
happened where she was found.
Ryan Spurling, chief criminal deputy of pa-
trol operations for the Sheriffs Office, noted that
sheriffs personnel have logged long hours along-
side the Washington State Patrol and the FBI on
investigating the case.
The investigation yielded enough evidence to
request arrest warrants for» first-degree murder
and first-degree kidnapping for two suspects,
both of which were signed by a Mason County
see MURDER, page A-16
Wendy’s, Starbucks slated for Shelton
By Gordoh Weeks
gordon@masoncounty. com
Ground is expected to be.broken in
December to build a Wendy’s and Star-
bucks on Olympic Highway North in
Shelton, on a site that housed Burger-
master and then Roosters Restaurant.
The City of Shelton last week ap-
proved an application to demolish the
4,688-square-foot Roosters and a Shell
gas station at 3001 Olympic Highway
North and construct a '2,159-square~
foot Wendy’s and a 2,068-square-foot
Starbuck Cofi‘ee Co. franchise.
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The, two franchises will be sand-
wiched between Jack in the Box and
Happy Ter'iyaki Restaurant. Denny’s
sits across the street.
City Manager Jeff Niten announced
approval of the application Oct. 6 at
the Shelton City Council’s regular
meeting. He said he is looking forward
to enjoying a Baconator and a Frosty
at Wendy’s.
The applicant filed a site review
plan and State Environmental Pelicy
Act determination to authorize the de-
molition of Roosters and the gas sta—
tion and the replacement with the-two
new businesses. The proposal offers no
timeline for opening the businesses,
said City Planner J asonDose. ‘
“All I have at this time is the de-
veloper’s information,” Dose wrote in
an email to the Shelton-Mason County
Journal. “My understanding is that
he’ll be constructing the Starbucks
and handing them the proverbial
‘keys,’ but Wendy’s has a contractor
that will be building their building.
The developer will be doing all the site
work — demolition of existing struc-
tures, removal of gas tanks, grading
and installation of ' the new parking/
drainage/landscaping/lighting.”
Andy Barber is the developer.
“Pending permit issuance, we antic-
ipate breaking ground in December,”
the Edmonds developer wrote to the
Journal. “I can’t, however, speak for
any tenant on their projected opening
date.” 1
Both businesses would feature
drive-thrus. The site improvements in-'
. clude new parking facilities, utilities,
landscaping and lighting.
On the social media page “You
. see WENDYS, page A-12
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Port of Allyn
Long-sought Park BluStery fall
’and Ride underway winds hit county~ approves budget,
Page s2 ‘ Page .533 Page s27