The Nugget Vol. XLVI No. 31
POSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, August 2, 2023
Sisters Woodlands partners with Habitat for Humanity
Tanker fire disrupts Sisters Right about midnight on Saturday, July 29, a vehicle northbound on Cloverdale Road came through the intersection and collided with a westbound gasoline tanker truck on Highway 126. The truck carried a 5,000-gallon tank, with another 6,000-gallon tank in tow on a trailer. “When the crew arrived, they found the (rear trailer) tires were on fire and impinging on the tank,” Cloverdale Fire District Chief Thad Olsen told The Nugget. Firefighters hoped to attack the fire before the tank went up. However,
By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
In what looks like a firstof-its-kind partnership, Sisters Woodlands, a 300-plus mixeduse community under construction in Sisters, is partnering with Sisters Habitat for Humanity to build affordable homes for lowincome dwellers. There is no affordable housing requirement in the City’s Development Code when permitting large-scale projects like Sisters Woodlands. Some projects, such as ClearPine, included
See FIRE on page 19 PHOTO BY KEN WILLETT
EDCO Pub Talk back in Sisters after four years By Ceili Gatley Correspondent
“It’s great to be doing this again in Sisters.” That was the widespread sentiment expressed as EDCO — Economic Development for Central Oregon — hosted one of its annual Pub Talk events in Sisters last week. The Pub Talks are open to the public and are an opportunity for community members, entrepreneurs, and business owners to connect, network, and hear from a select few speakers. The event was hosted at the Three Creeks Brewing Co. facility off Barclay Drive, providing an outdoor space with their signature beers on tap. Representatives of EDCO and title sponsors for the Pub Talk, as well as local business owners and community members,were in attendance. Working with business owners and communities across Central Oregon, EDCO assists in expansion or in helping a business move
Inside...
to the area. Eric Strobel, the new EDCO lead for Sisters, helped coordinate the event and was excited to hold a Pub Talk in Sisters. “This is the first Pub Talk hosted in Sisters since 2019, so it’s nice to have it back here again,” said Strobel. Strobel is new to his position but has already made connections with businesses in the area. “I have loved every minute of my year and a half of being the area director here, and assisting with a lot of the businesses expanding in Sisters,” said Strobel. The rest of the event focused on four main speakers: Josie’s Best CEO and founder Josette Johnson provided a company update on her flour mixes and how her business has grown in the last four years. According to the event biography on Johnson: “Johnson was diagnosed in her 20s with severe food allergies, and she set out to find a pancake mix that See PUB TALK on page 17
PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15
See WOODLANDS on page 16
Local 4-H club celebrates 75 years By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
4-H has been around for 121 years, and for 75 of those years 4-H has thrived in Sisters Country as Cloverdale Livestock Club. 4-H is the nation’s largest youth development organization, surpassing scouting. The 4-H idea is simple: Help young people and their families gain the skills needed to be proactive forces in their communities, and develop ideas for a more innovative economy. Today, 4-H serves youth in rural, urban, and suburban communities in all 50 states. 4-H-ers are tackling the nation’s top issues, from global food security, climate change and sustainable energy, to childhood obesity and food safety. 4-H out-of-school programming, in-school enrichment programs, clubs, and camps also offer a wide variety of STEM opportunities — from agricultural and animal sciences to rocketry, robotics, environmental protection, and computer science — to improve the nation’s ability to compete in
PHOTO BY GRACE PULVER
Cloverdale Livestock Club is set for the Deschutes County Fair. They’ve been in action for three-quarters of a century. key scientific fields and take on the leading challenges of the 21st century. Much has been written on these pages about the Cloverdale Livestock Club given how interwoven they are into the fabric of our rural life. In case you have forgotten, 4-H stands for head, heart, hands, and health. Deeply rooted in the 4-H culture is character, as defined by the six pillars of character – trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. As the Club prepares for the upcoming Deschutes
County Fair, The Nugget got a firsthand, up-close look at their preparation. Last week about 20 members and their animals gathered at the Moss/Walker Ranch east of town to put themselves and their animals through a competitive trial. In the past, the week before the Fair was a formal practice with no scoring, but this year leaders decided on a full dress rehearsal just as it will be in competition August 2-6. On the one hand the kids were See 4-H on page 15
Letters/Weather ............... 2 Trailgrams ........................ 4 Bunkhouse Chronicle .........7 Entertainment ................. 11 Crossword .......................19 Meetings .......................... 3 Sisters Country Birds ........ 5 Announcements...............10 Fun & Games ....................18 Classifieds..................21-23