Mason County News

Mason County Public Health reported four new cases of COVID-19 in the County Friday, September 25, 2020. Officials also adjusted the total number of positive cases in Mason County after four previous cases were transferred to other counties. The County’s total number of positive cases remained at 415 with 26 active cases and three hospitalized.

The September 25th, 2020 – 4:00 p.m. news release says: “Since the last release (9/24/20), Mason County Public Health was notified of Four (4) additional Mason County residents that tested positive for COVID-19. The total remains Four Hundred Fifteen (415) positive cases in Mason County due to reconciling 4 previous cases that were transferred to other counties. The all case demographics table was updated accordingly. Mason County staff are performing case investigations and tracing close contacts to reduce spread of COVID-19 in our community.”

[LIVE VIDEO] Watch MasonWebTV Powered by HCC’s live coverage of Mason County PUD No. 1’s Customer Appreciation Day Drive-Thru. The event at 21971 N. Highway 101 in Potlatch runs 11 AM to 2 PM. All PUD 1 customers are welcome.

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Mason County Public Health reported eight new cases of COVID-19 in the County on Thursday, September 24, 2020. The number of active cases in now 25 but the number of hospitalizations has dropped to three.

The September 24th, 2020 – 4:00 p.m. news release says: “Since the last release (9/23/20), Mason County Public Health was notified of Eight (8) additional Mason County resident that tested positive for COVID-19. This brings the total to Four Hundred Fifteen (415) positive cases in Mason County. Mason County staff are performing case investigations and tracing close contacts to reduce spread of COVID-19 in our community.”

Mason County PUD No. 1 is holding its annual Customer Appreciation Day Friday from 11 AM to 2 PM. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event will be a drive thru event and all PUD No. 1 customers are invited to celebrate Public Power Week from the safety of your vehicle.

Get your hot dog or burger, soft drink and Olympic Mountain ice cream along with PUD 1 gift bags, conservaion kits and T-shirts while supplies last. Drive to Mason County PUD No. 1, 21971 N. Highway 101 in Potlatch, and follow the map.

[VIDEO] Thursday, the Shelton Mason County Chamber of Commerce, the North Mason Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Council of Mason County wrapped up its State of the Community series. The final presentations were on the Squaxin Island Tribe and the Skokomish Tribe.

David Owens, CEO of Skokomish Tribal Enterprises talked about how the tribe is handling COVID-19, what is open, when their properties will be opening, and the services coming such as take out. The Squaxin Island Tribe’s Ray Peters had a similar presentation but also touched upon the complete reworking of the casino floor, being a smoke free casino and plans to develop property north of the casino.

During the week of September 13 through September 19, there were 19,574 initial regular unemployment claims (up 6.4 percent from the prior week) and 540,153 total claims for all unemployment benefit categories (down 4.6 percent from the prior week) filed by Washingtonians, according to the Employment Security Department (ESD).  

• Initial regular claims applications remain at elevated levels and are at 271 percent above last year’s weekly new claims applications.
• Initial claims applications for regular Unemployment Insurance increased over the week while continued claims for regular Unemployment Insurance, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) initial claims all decreased over the week.

ESD paid out over $154.5 million for 337,390 individual claims – a decrease of $2.8 million and 2,963 less individuals compared to the prior week.

Mason County property owners will find their annual Notice of Value in the mail this week. According to the Mason County Assessor’s website, the annual notices were mailed Wednesday, September 23, 2020.

The Assessor’s announcement of the mailing is below:

[VIDEO] During Tuesday’s Mason County Board of Health meeting, David Windom, Director of Mason County Department of Community Services (which includes Mason County Public Health), provided an update on the County’s response to COVID-19.

As of September 23, 2020, there have been 407 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Mason County with four deaths attributed to the virus. The number of active cases in the County was 21 with four people hospitalized (one in Mason County, the other three outside the County). Mason County Public Health updates case numbers at 4 PM each weekday.

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The North Mason School District is seeking applicants to fill an open seat on the North Mason School Board. In August, Craig Patti resigned from his Director, District 5 Seat.

The North Mason School District Board of Directors accepted that resignation last week and invites all qualified residents to apply for appointment to the open position. The selected individual will serve the remainder of a four year term, ending Winter of 2021. Qualifications include residing within the boundaries of District 5 and registered to vote in North Mason School District.

On Wednesday, September 23, 2020, Mason County Public Health reported the County’s fourth death from COVID-19. Specific information on the latest person to succumb to the virus has not been released but the report indicates the person was in the 80+ age range. The Health Department also reported another three new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. The number of active cases in Mason County has dropped to 21 while the number of people hospitalized remained at four.

The September 23rd, 2020 – 4:00 p.m. news release says: “Since the last release (9/22/20), Mason County Public Health was notified of Three (3) additional Mason County resident that tested positive for COVID-19. This brings the total to Four Hundred and Seven (407) positive cases in Mason County. Mason County staff are performing case investigations and tracing close contacts to reduce spread of COVID-19 in our community. It is with great sadness we announce One (1) additional COVID-19 related death of a Mason County resident.”