In this month's check-in, Jeff Slakey sits down with Mason County Sheriff Ryan Spurling for a wide-ranging conversation covering some of the most significant issues facing local law enforcement and the Mason County community right now. Governor Ferguson has signed the controversial law enforcement decertification bill into law — and sheriffs across Washington state are pushing back. Spurling breaks down what the 'may decertify' provision actually says, why he believes it threatens voters' rights to choose their elected officials, and what the upcoming constitutional challenge in the courts could mean for elected sheriffs statewide. On a brighter note: the 35th Legislative District's representatives helped secure a major federal grant for Mascom — Mason County's 911 emergency communications center. That funding will help modernize the system and eventually support the center's move from the Civic Center to the Port of Shelton facility. Spurling also shares the Sheriff's Office approach to growing community involvement in public safety — including a new partnership blending neighborhood watch programs with emergency preparedness efforts being led in part by the Hood Canal Improvement Club. The goal: help neighbors know their neighbors before the next major earthquake or snowstorm. Plus: the Mason County DARE patrol car is turning heads on I-5 — and has just been invited to lead the pace car at a Moto America motorcycle racing event at Ridge Motorsports Park. This conversation is brought to you by Our Community Credit Union.

#MasonCounty #SheltonWA #FocusOnShelton #KMASRadio #MasonCountySheriff #RyanSpurling #WashingtonState #LocalNews #PublicSafety #LawEnforcement #EmergencyManagement #NeighborhoodWatch #DAREProgram #MotoAmerica #CommunityPolicing #911 #MasonCom #WashingtonSheriff #SheltonWashington #PNW

KMAS is the local radio station in Mason County Washington.

One day after Governor Ferguson signed Washington's new 9.9% income tax into law, State Senator Drew MacEwen and Representatives Dan Griffey and Travis Couture sat down with KMAS Radio's Jeff Slakey at the annual 35th District Legislative Wrap-Up breakfast in Shelton. 

In this candid hour-long conversation, the three Republican legislators discuss the longest floor debate in Washington House history (24.5 hours), the $880 million rainy day fund withdrawal, cuts to child care and rural school funding, the Belfair Bypass, federal Medicaid and SNAP changes, and what they say has become a "structural deficit" in Olympia.

Hosted by the Economic Development Council of Mason County, the Shelton-Mason County Chamber of Commerce, and the North Mason Chamber of Commerce. Sponsored by Peninsula Credit Union and RCU. Catered by Taylor Station. 

Recorded March 31, 2026 at Shelton Civic Center.
🎙 KMAS Radio — AM 1030 / 103.3 FM
📺 Also available via Mason Web TV 

#35thDistrict #WALeg #MasonCounty #WashingtonState #Olympia #IncomeTax #SheltonWA #BelfairWA

Jeff Slakey sits down with Tamra Ingwaldson, named the 2025 Citizen of the Year by the Shelton Mason County Chamber of Commerce. Over nearly 20 minutes, they explore what it means to truly serve a community — and what keeps Tamra showing up.

Tamra shares how growing up watching her parents coach sports she wasn't allowed to play planted the seed for a lifetime of civic engagement. As a single mother of two daughters in the mid-90s, she figured out how to model citizenship even when time and resources were thin — bringing her girls to board meetings with Happy Meals and coloring books, turning every community interaction into a teaching moment.

She and Jeff dig into one of Shelton's most persistent challenges: how to get factions and silos talking to each other. Tamra's answer draws on 20+ years of nonprofit work — United Way of Kitsap and Mason counties, the Home Builders Association, and now New Horizon Communities and Shelton Veterans Village. She also introduces 'The Peacekeepers,' a local group of equal numbers of Democratic and Republican women who break bread together, do service projects together, and work to prove that compromise isn't a dirty word.

Plus: her philosophy on volunteering for families who feel too stretched or unqualified to give back, the 'time, talent, or treasure' framework for finding your contribution, and a personal story about stepping into a church where she was the only person who looked like her — and what she found there.
Recorded six years to the day from the COVID lockdowns, the conversation is a timely reminder that community is built one small act at a time — and that none of us can do it alone.

#FocusOnShelton #SheltonWA #MasonCountyWA #CitizenOfTheYear #KMASRadio #CommunityService #CivicEngagement #Volunteerism #SheltonVeteransVillage #UnitedWay #ThePeacekeepers #LocalLeadership #PNWCommunity #WashingtonState #NonprofitLife #ServiceAboveSelf #NeighborhoodPodcast #CommunityRadio #MasonCounty #WesternWashington

KMAS is the local radio station in Mason County Washington.

Jeff Slakey sits down at Shelton Veterans Village on North 13th with Executive Director Colleen Carmichael and Program Support Specialist Tamra Ingwaldson for a wide-ranging conversation about what's really happening inside this unique community of 30 veterans — and why the data says permanent supportive housing is one of the smartest investments a community can make.

In this episode:

•       Who lives at Shelton Veterans Village, how residents are selected, and what 'permanent supportive housing' actually means

•       Why 85% of homeless individuals in any area were born or raised there — and the data behind the misinformation

•       How the village uses Saint Martin's University and Olympic College interns to provide behavioral health and nursing services

•       The real cost of homelessness vs. housing someone — and why leaving people on the streets costs taxpayers twice as much

•       A new dog training / behavioral support animal pilot program launching in 2024

•       What expansion could look like — and what it would mean for Mason County's chronically homeless population

Shelton Veterans Village is located at N. 13th Street in Shelton, WA and serves disabled veterans experiencing chronic homelessness. The village operates as permanent supportive housing funded through HUD, with case management provided by Michael, Sondra, and supervisor Dave on site.

Want to learn more or schedule a tour? Contact through the village directly. Resources and data mentioned in this episode — including research from the National Alliance to End Homelessness and Colleen's LinkedIn data posts — are linked below.

National Alliance to End Homelessness-  endhomelessness.org
Colleen's LinkedIn data posts
MASON COUNTY LOCAL HOMELESS HOUSING PLAN 2025-2030
Email for scheduling a village tour - [email protected]

Focus on Shelton airs on KMAS Radio in Shelton, Washington. New episodes at kmas.com and wherever you get your podcasts.

#SheltonWA #MasonCounty #VeteransVillage #SheltonVeteransVillage #WashingtonState #HomelessVeterans #AffordableHousing #PermanentSupportiveHousing #HousingCrisis #KMASRadio #FocusOnShelton #CommunityRadio #SheltonWashington #TinyHomes #VeteranSupport #HousingFirst #MasonCountyWA #WashingtonHomeless #ShelterNews #PublicAffairs

Mason Health and Mason General Hospital have several scholarship opportunities available for 2026 — including a brand-new $10,000 award from the Hospitalist Group designed to help Mason County students pursue careers in health care.  In this episode of Focus on Shelton, Jeff Slakey sits down with Dr. Doug Lindahl and Dr. Jacqueline Gorzynski from the Mason Health Hospitalist Group, along with Dr. Darren Cuevas and Jennifer Capps, to break down everything students and career-changers need to know.

Scholarships covered in this episode:
• Mason Health Hospitalist Group Scholarship — $10,000, deadline April 30, 2026 (NEW)
• Shelton High School Health Science Academy Nursing Scholarship
• Mason Health Foundation Auxiliary Healthcare Scholarship
•Centennial Guilds Scholarship 

These scholarships are open to students entering a wide range of health care fields, including medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, nursing, pharmacy, nutritional science, behavioral health, and healthcare administration. They are not limited to graduating seniors — anyone looking to enter or advance in the health care field may be eligible. 

#MasonCounty #SheltonWA #MasonHealth #MasonGeneralHospital #HealthCareScholarship #FocusOnShelton #KMAS #CommunityRadio #WashingtonState #HealthCareEducation #NursingScholarship #AlliedHealth #CollegeScholarship #MasonCountySchools #SheltonHighSchool #HealthScience #HospitalistGroup #MasonHealthFoundation #CareerChange #LocalHealthCare

They started meeting in living rooms. Now they've been shaping civic life in Shelton and Mason County, Washington for more than 55 years.

In this Focus on Shelton conversation recorded at the historic Mason Hotel, Jeff Slakey sits down with Leslie Peterson, April Pooler, and Jayni Kamin of the Mason County Republican Women's Club to talk history, community, and what it actually looks like to build bridges across political lines in a small town.

From Peggy Johnson's grassroots campaigns and her trip to meet President Reagan, to candidate forums in the park that invited every party, to a brand-new blood drive being co-organized with Democratic women under the banner of the Peacemakers, this is a conversation about what community service looks like when you set the partisan stuff aside and focus on the people in front of you.

You'll also hear about the club's expanded speaker program, their presence at the Mason County Expo, charitable giving to Gethsemane Ministries and Care Net, and the upcoming Liberty Dinner on May 16th at Ridge Motorsports Park.

If you've ever wondered what actually happens at a local civic organization meeting, or if you've been curious about getting involved, this is a good place to start.

MEETINGS: 1st Friday 12:30-2pm | 3rd Wednesday 6pm @ The Mason Hotel, Shelton WA
LIBERTY DINNER — May 16 | Ridge Motorsports Park | https://mcrwclub.wixsite.com/mcwc
PEACEMAKERS BLOOD DRIVE — March 31st

#SheltonWA #MasonCounty #MasonCountyRepublicanWomen #FocusOnShelton #KMAS #CommunityRadio #WomensHistoryMonth #CivicEngagement #LocalPolitics #PNWCommunity #WashingtonState #CommonGround #Peacemakers #LibertyDinner #MasonHotel #SheltonWashington #GetThingsDone #CommunityService #GrassrootsOrganizing

More local conversations at KMAS.com

Shelton School District Superintendent Wyeth Jessee joins Jeff Slakey on Focus on Shelton for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about the state of public education in Mason County — and across Washington State.

Shelton voters delivered a resounding 62% approval on the district's levy — one of the strongest showings for any comparable school district in the February election cycle. But that win has been complicated by enrollment decline, rising costs, and a state legislature that just cut the levy equalization dollars that high-needs districts like Shelton depend on.

Jessee breaks down how every student lost equals $18,000 in revenue — and how a drop of roughly 170 students translates to a $350,000 gap and the equivalent of three to four teaching positions. He explains the compounding pressure of lower birth rates, reduced immigration, rising fuel costs, and now a state legislature trimming the very funds designed to support lower-income districts.

Despite the financial headwinds, Jessee is emphatic that Shelton continues to outperform comparable districts on literacy, discipline, attendance, and graduation rates. He spotlights NJROTC, student athletes placing at state championships, students reading obsessively, and a local effort to rename the high school softball field in honor of a beloved community figure.

This is an essential listen for any Mason County resident who wants to understand the real pressures facing Shelton's schools — and the remarkable things still being accomplished inside them.

#SheltonWA #SheltonSchools #MasonCounty #FocusOnShelton #KMAS #PublicEducation #WashingtonState #SheltonCommunity #WyethJesse #SchoolFunding #LevyElection #SheltonAthletics #WashingtonSchools #EducationFunding #SheltonHighclimbers

Jeff Slakey sits down with Molly Wheat Baker inside her studio at Graffiti Community Art Space in downtown Shelton, Washington—and what starts as a conversation about her library exhibit quickly turns into a window on everything that’s growing in the Shelton arts scene right now.

Molly’s work is everywhere in Shelton—murals on Cota Street, stickers and shirts, commission paintings, and now a solo show at the Shelton Timberland Library through the end of March 2025. She talks about what it’s been like to find her community here, how organizations like Mason County Blue Zones and spaces like Marmo have knit Shelton’s creatives together, and what it means to go from “living in the woods” to being part of a movement working toward official state Creative District designation.

Oh—and she’s painting a bus.

📍 Graffiti Community Art Space | Railroad Ave, Shelton WA (across from Tolley’s)

🎨 Library Show: Shelton Timberland Library | Through end of March 2025

🗓️ Tue March 24 | 2:45–4:45pm — Live painting session

🗓️ Thu March 26 | 2:00–3:30pm — Artist talk (Tea Talk & Time Out)

🌐 mollywheatbaker.com | 📧 [email protected]

#SheltonWA #MasonCounty #FocusOnShelton #KMAS
#SheltonArt #CommunityArt #LocalArtist #MuralArt #PNWArt #WashingtonArt
#SheltonArtsWalk #CreativeDistrict #DowntownShelton #SheltonLibrary
#PNWCommunity #SmallTownArt #PublicArt #WashingtonState #CommunityRadio

Focus on Shelton is produced by KMAS Radio, your community radio station for the Shelton and Mason County area. New episodes drop regularly—subscribe so you never miss a conversation.

In this episode of Focus on Shelton on KMAS, host Jeff Slakey sits down with Jordanne Krumpols from the City of Shelton Parks & Recreation Department to talk about two exciting community initiatives.  First: the PROST Plan — Shelton's Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Trails six-year master plan is in the community input phase RIGHT NOW. The survey is live online and via QR code on posters throughout the city. Jordanne shares what the city is hoping to learn, what trends are emerging (spoiler: pickleball courts and a splash pad are leading the wishlist), and how you can get involved — including an in-person open house at the Civic Center in May.  Second: Empty Bowls is returning to Shelton for three consecutive Wednesdays starting March 11. Come in and create your handmade clay bowl (free!), come back to glaze it on the 18th, and join your neighbors on March 25th for soup and bread donated by local Shelton restaurants — with all donations benefiting the Saints Pantry food bank. 

🔗 PROST Survey: https://sheltonwa.gov/government/departments/parks_and_recreation/parks,_recreation,_open_space_and_trails_plan.php
🍲 Empty Bowls Info: https://sheltonwa.gov/government/departments/parks_and_recreation/shelton_arts_commission.php
📧 Contact Jordan: [email protected]

#SheltonWA #FocusOnShelton #KMAS #SheltonParks #SheltonPROST #SheltonRecreation

KMAS is the local radio station in Mason County Washington.

The Mountain View Café at Mason Health is officially reopened — and it’s better than ever.

Culinary Manager Ashlee Johnson joins Jeff Slakey on location to talk about:

• The 9-month remodel
 • Prime Rib Fridays ($12 plates, 4:30–7pm)
 • Healthy, locally sourced ingredients
 • Partnerships with Colvin Ranch and Skokomish Valley Farms
 • Blue Zones and Mason Matters collaboration
 • Community art and gathering space
 • Ashlee’s inspiring journey from GED to culinary manager

The café is open to the public and serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

📍 Located inside Mason Health in Shelton, Washington
 🔗 Weekly menu available at https://www.masonhealth.com/visit-us/bistro-menu

If you love supporting local food, community spaces, and Shelton businesses — this one’s for you.

#SheltonWA
 #MasonHealth
 #SupportLocal
 #PrimeRibFriday
 #MasonMatters
 #HoodCanalLife
 #LocalFood
 #MasonCounty