Mason County Public Health Director Dave Windom sits down with Jeff Slakey from KMAS for an update after weeks of budget discussions in front of the county commissioners, and the picture is a difficult one. Windom lays out where his department's money actually comes from, and why state-level constraints on foundational public health funding are leaving Mason County short somewhere between $800,000 and a million dollars. Most of it has been absorbed through retirements and unfilled positions, the county now has one food inspector where it had two, but Windom says the department has reached the point where any further reduction means cutting programs outright.

The conversation widens from there. Windom explains what public health actually does day to day, from communicable disease investigations and bat protocols to septic inspections, code enforcement and the county's new mobile health unit, which is now running in partnership with North Mason Fire after the state clawed back funding for a nurse practitioner position. He discusses why health funding has grown steadily more urban-centric over the past decade, what HR1 could mean for rural hospitals where two-thirds of patients are on Medicaid or Medicare, and the fast-moving $181 million Rural Health Transformation award that small counties may not have the staff to chase, applications are due August 21 with the money spent by October 31.

Looking ahead, Windom describes a possible return to a model Mason County last used in the early 2000s, with public health itself providing low- and no-cost care, women's health, family planning, immunizations, out of two clinic rooms that are built and sitting empty. Paying for it may fall to local voters: the legislature's House Bill 2442 gives counties new sales and property tax options tied to public health clinics, and Windom plans to bring those models to the county commission. The interview closes with a practical roundup: why salmonella outbreaks come from big commercial packagers rather than the farmers market, the measles outbreak in Clark County, and a multi-year uptick in tuberculosis cases that has staff watching patients take their medication in person.

#MasonCounty #MasonCountyWA #PublicHealth #KMAS #SheltonWA #HoodCanal #RuralHealth #WashingtonState #DaveWindom #MasonCountyPublicHealth #HB2442 #RuralHealthcare #PNWNews #Matlock #NorthMasonFire #MeaslesOutbreak #FarmersMarket #LocalGovernment #ThingsToKnowWA

Author and playwright Joe Fuller joins Jeff Slakey at Lions Park in Olympia for two conversations in one. First: his book "8th Street," a collection of short stories and poetry about growing up in a big Catholic family in Olympia, Knights of Columbus, St. Michael’s School, and the kind of free-range childhood a lot of South Sound listeners will recognize. Joe talks about how a chance visit with fellow local author Dick Pust during the pandemic pushed him to finally publish stories he’d been writing since his early 30s, and shares one of the book’s best moments: the true story of sneaking out his bedroom window with his brother, only to get locked out by his own dad. Then the conversation shifts: Joe opens up about getting sober at 33, working at Olympia’s recovery clubhouse for $4.35 an hour, and a 1991 intervention for a high school friend that didn’t work that day, but did six months later, and the friend has been sober ever since. That night became the seed for a musical stage play Joe wrote about drug and alcohol intervention, with every song written from a family member’s point of view, what addiction looks like from the outside, not the inside. Joe closes with a simple message: it’s never too late to ask for help, and support is closer than you think.

https://www.amazon.com/8th-Street-Joe-Fuller/dp/B0BXMTJT3N

#OlympiaWA #KMAS #SouthSound #ThurstonCounty #LocalAuthor #8thStreetBook #PNWAuthors #Playwright #RecoveryStory #Sobriety #InterventionSupport #AddictionRecovery #WashingtonState #CommunitySpotlight #NeverTooLateForHelp

Kevin Shutty is leaving the Mason County Economic Development Council at the end of the month, and before he goes he sits down with Jeff Slakey from KMAS for a wide-ranging look back at two and a half years, and a pointed look forward at what the county has to get right next. Shutty, who came to the EDC from the Mason County Commission, says the arrow keeps pointing up for Mason County: the community landed in the top 10 nationally for growth among communities its size, and he describes an organization that has deliberately widened what "economic development" means, from supporting existing small businesses to career pathways with the Shelton School District to a transportation partnership with North Mason Regional Fire Authority that gets people into recovery and health care appointments. His argument: a healthy, stable community is economic development.

The heart of the conversation is infrastructure, and Shutty doesn't soften it. With a new face joining the county commission in January, he lays out the collaboration problem in the Shelton urban growth area, the city, unincorporated Mason County, PUD 3 and the Port of Shelton all holding different pieces, and points to the Shelton Springs Road sewer extension as the kind of project that would unlock housing and development quickly if the jurisdictions could align. "The real question for the new commission," he says, "is how do they get out of their own way." He rejects the build-it-and-they-will-come framing in favor of something blunter: trunk-line infrastructure serves the public good, and if you don't build it, they aren't coming anyway. He also details a concrete win, Mason County and the Port of Shelton splitting the cost of site readiness at Johns Prairie Industrial Park, tied to an international recruitment: a shellfish and agriculture manufacturer looking to relocate from British Columbia to Mason County.

Shutty also makes the case for what Mason County could be. Living wage jobs come first, he says, but the county can hold onto its timber and shellfish heritage while courting remote workers, startups, manufacturers like TruFab, health care employers, and an emerging defense sector positioned to capture spillover from a multibillion-dollar investment at the naval shipyard in Bremerton, five miles up the road from Belfair. On growth itself he's unequivocal: "good enough isn't good enough for Mason County," and with roughly 1,500 housing units moving through Shelton's permitting process, growth is going to happen whether the county plans for it or not. The conversation closes on a lighter note, the EDC's own limited-edition blend with Olympic Mountain Ice Cream, debuting at the August 20 event, and on Shutty's confidence in Karin Leaf, who steps in as interim executive director, and the board that will hire his replacement.

#MasonCounty #MasonCountyWA #SheltonWA #KMAS #HoodCanal #Belfair #EconomicDevelopment #MasonEDC #ChooseMason #KevinShutty #PortOfShelton #PUD3 #WashingtonState #PNW #RuralEconomy #SmallBusiness #Housing #Infrastructure #LocalGovernment #OlympicMountainIceCream #Allyn #Matlock #ShipyardJobs #LivingWageJobs

KMAS is the local radio station in Mason County Washington.

This month's Sheriff Sit-Down, brought to you by Our Community Credit Union, finds Mason County Sheriff Ryan Spurling walking through the biggest changes the department has faced in generations. With the county's population reportedly tripling each summer, Sperling starts with how deputies are handling the seasonal traffic surge before diving into a major internal restructuring: two new lieutenant positions, four open sergeant slots, and a shift of detectives, neighborhood watch, DARE, school resource officers and the PIO into a reorganized civil division. He calls it the largest leadership turnover the 172-year-old agency has ever faced, driven by retirements and by growth anticipated from the naval shipyard's new dry dock. Sperling also details the department's SET team, the first proactive crime unit since 2018, bridging the gap between an overworked patrol division and detectives tied up on major cases. He closes with a direct answer to a question a lot of residents ask: with Washington ranking near the bottom nationally in officers per capita, how does Mason County avoid being either under-policed or an over-policed "police state"? His answer includes a real-world example, a 50% drop in crime after two neighborhoods funded a dedicated deputy — and a philosophy rooted in Sir Robert Peel's 1829 principles of community policing.

#MasonCountySheriff #SheriffSitDown #KMAS #MasonCountyWA #HoodCanal #WashingtonState #CommunityPolicing #PublicSafety #LawEnforcement #LocalGovernment #RyanSpurling #PNWNews #ThingsToKnowWA #SETTeam

Hoodstock 2026's Saturday night turns ticketed and 21+ at Robin Hood Village in Union, WA — and the James Berkley Band is one of two acts closing out the weekend on land, alongside the Stephanie Anne Johnson Band (6–10pm; James Berkley Band on around 8). Singer-songwriter James Berkley, born in San Diego, raised near Seattle, now based in the Spokane/Coeur d'Alene area, joins KMAS by phone for one of the most personal previews of the festival. He talks about the sound (for fans of Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz and John Mayer), how storytelling and genuine connection drive his shows, the Jason Mraz song that first put a guitar in his hands, and growing up in music through his father's churches. For Hoodstock he plays as a trio with his nephew Anthony Berkley on drums and Frank Sinclair on bass and vocals — his bandmate in The Red Books. It's the ticketed evening cap on a full Hoodstock weekend that also includes the free daytime Land Concert and Saturday's Water Concert out on Hood Canal. Get evening-show tickets and the full lineup at hoodstock.org.

James Berkley
Saturday Night Tickets

#Hoodstock #Hoodstock2026 #JamesBerkley #JamesBerkleyBand #TheRedBooks #KMAS #HoodCanal #MasonCounty #UnionWA #RobinHoodVillage #SingerSongwriter #AmericanaSoul #LiveMusicPNW #SpokaneMusic #PNWEvents #WashingtonEvents #ThingsToDoWA

Hoodstock 2026's Saturday Water Concert gets a full-horn dance party in the middle of the day when Seattle ska and reggae mainstays The Georgetown Orbits take the Water Stage at the Union Marina on Hood Canal. Guitarist and founder Orion and bassist Cale join KMAS by phone to talk about the band's two decades playing traditional Jamaican music — ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub — the Bob Marley gateway that started it all, and their 2025 album Constellations. A seven-plus-piece band with a full horn section (sax, trombone, trumpet, keys), the Orbits build the kind of danceable, deep-catalog set that gets a crowd moving — even a crowd floating on kayaks and paddleboards. They land midday on a water bill that runs from Santa Poco's country in the morning through DJ Mixtress to a Tom Petty tribute from Petty Thief at night — all part of a full Hoodstock weekend that also includes the free daytime Land Concert at Robin Hood Village. On the water, your ticket is a flag: grab one at the Union Country Store, Union City Market, Summertide Resort or May Mobile Marine, and see the full lineup at hoodstock.org.

https://thegeorgetownorbits.bandcamp.com/

#Hoodstock #Hoodstock2026 #GeorgetownOrbits #KMAS #HoodCanal #MasonCounty #UnionWA #WaterStage #WaterConcert #Ska #Reggae #Rocksteady #SeattleMusic #LiveMusicPNW #WashingtonEvents #ThingsToDoWA #ExploreHoodCanal

Hoodstock 2026 opens up a free, all-ages afternoon on land — and Seattle–Tacoma band Queen of Hearts is one of the standouts. On Saturday, August 15 from noon to 5pm, the Robin Hood Village in Union hosts a free Land Concert with vendors and food trucks, a newer addition to a festival that has traditionally lived out on the water (where a flag on a boat or paddleboard is your ticket). Queen of Hearts — a collective of singer-songwriters known for three-part female vocal harmonies over cello, guitar, keys and flugelhorn, with a sound they call "cinematic and sultry" — joins KMAS by phone to preview a return to the Robin Hood, where they'd played the venue's Revival series. Bandmates Carrie and Thomas talk about what makes a multi-genre festival special ("the beauty of a festival is you get to hear all different things"), the new land side that lets everybody in without a boat, and the new songs they're most excited to play. They share the free afternoon bill with Kaitie Wade, Norman Baker, Dakota Poorman and the Stacy Jones Band, all part of a full Hoodstock weekend that also features the Saturday Water Concert and a ticketed 21+ evening show. See the full lineup at hoodstock.org.

Queen Of Hearts

#Hoodstock2026 #QueenOfHearts #KMAS #ExploreHoodCanal #MasonCounty 

Hoodstock 2026's Saturday Water Concert kicks off at noon with Pacific-Northwest honky-tonk band Santa Poco opening the day on Hood Canal — the first act on the Water Stage at the Union Marina boat launch. Founder and songwriter Pat McHenry joins KMAS by phone to preview the set and tell the band's story: a San Antonio transplant who found a shared love of George Strait and classic western swing with co-founder Andy Shofner, and who watched a "small but mighty" country-music scene take root across Washington as fans arrived from Texas, Oklahoma and Georgia. Expect twangy Telecasters, pedal steel, and songs off their album Cowboy Songs including "The Way It Goes" and "Full House Queen." Santa Poco starts a stacked day on the water that rolls through DJ Mixtress between sets, Georgetown Orbits, and Seattle Tom Petty tribute Petty Thief to close — all part of a full Hoodstock weekend that also features the Robin Hood Village land concerts and vendors in Union. On the water, your ticket is a flag, not a wristband: grab one at the Union Country Store, Union City Market, Summertide Resort or May Mobile Marine, and see the full lineup at hoodstock.org.

Santa Poco

#Hoodstock #Hoodstock2026 #SantaPoco #KMAS #HoodCanal #MasonCounty #UnionWA #WaterStage #WaterConcert #HonkyTonk #CountryMusic #PNWCountry #LiveMusicPNW #WashingtonEvents #ThingsToDoWA #HoodCanalEvents #GeorgeStrait

Hoodstock 2026 closes out its Saturday on the water with Seattle's premier Tom Petty tribute, Petty Thief, headlining the Water Concert / Water Stage at the Union Marina boat launch on Hood Canal. Founder and frontman Andy Volmer joins KMAS by phone to preview a set built for a one-of-a-kind venue — where the sound carries clear across the canal and the crowd pulls up by boat, kayak and paddleboard as the day's final act takes the stage. A no-gimmicks, no-costumes five-piece that plays the songs "like Petty would have played them himself," Petty Thief digs well past the radio hits: expect Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers staples alongside Traveling Wilburys, a couple of Mud Crutch deep cuts, and the odd Byrds cover. The Water Stage is part of a full Hoodstock weekend that also includes the Robin Hood Village land concerts in Union — and on the water your ticket is a flag, not a wristband. Get your Hoodstock flags at the Union Country Store, Union City Market, Summertide Resort and May Mobile Marine, and see the full lineup at hoodstock.org.

Petty Thief
Water Show Ticket Information

#Hoodstock2026 #PettyThief #TomPetty #KMAS #ExploreHoodCanal #WashingtonEvents 

Hoodstock 2026 kicks off Friday, August 14 with a 21+ night at Robin Hood Village Resort in Union, WA on Hood Canal — and glam-folk duo Champagne Sunday is one of three bands opening the weekend, alongside Moon Music and 5 Guys 1 Flute (6–10pm, tickets $30). Married multi-instrumentalists Jessi and Jared Fredeen join KMAS by phone — a return visit for a duo who first came through the KMAS green room back in 2018 on the edge of a big Robin Hood weekend. In this preview they unpack what "glam folk" means (all-original, high-energy, story-driven, "everything to 11"), the surprising arsenal of instruments two people bring to the stage — ukulele, keyboards, harmonica, percussion, even trombone — and the running joke that they sound like a full band (including the time a fan brought four shots to the stage looking for the rest of the group). With 20-plus years together, a deep catalog, national touring and a Patreon following, Champagne Sunday sets the tone for a weekend that also spans the free daytime Land Festival and Saturday's Water Concert out on Hood Canal — where your flag, not a ticket, gets you in. Get Friday kickoff tickets and the full Hoodstock lineup at hoodstock.org.

Champagne Sunday
Tickets to Friday Night

#Hoodstock2026 #ChampagneSunday #KMAS #ExploreHoodCanal #WashingtonEvents