The Nugget Vol. XLV No. 50
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News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
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Wednesday, December 14, 2022
A holiday celebration…
Exploring the forest by the numbers By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
PHOTO BY KELLI CARTER RISE GRAPHIC DESIGN
Anybody who has explored the forests of Sisters Country is familiar with the numbered forest road markers. What do the numbers actually mean? The only thing systematic about the Forest Service road numbering system is that there is nothing systematic, at least in the sense of consistency. Each National Forest is more or less free to employ their own numbering scheme. So if you
Sisters Dance Academy hosted their annual holiday recital themed “Winter Wonderland Ball,” treating audiences to delightful dances from all ages.
See FOREST on page 13
Schools launch mental A long walk through Sisters health partnership By Bill Bartlett
By Ceili Gatley Correspondent
The Sisters School District (SSD) has quite a few new programs and updates that were presented to the school board in last week’s meeting. Students from Rima Givot’s biology classes presented an update on the Trout Creek Conservation
Area (TCCA) trees that have been studied by students for many years. Students presented on the number of ponderosa pine, and western juniper trees in different oneacre plots throughout the area behind the high school. The TCCA is a 160-acre area owned and protected by the SSD. The purpose of their See SCHOOL on page 23
Planning Commission to rule on development By Sue Stafford Correspondent
The Sisters Planning Commission is tentatively scheduled to make a decision on the controversial proposed Sunset Meadows development along Highway 242 at their meeting on Thursday, January 19, 2023. At the conclusion of
Inside...
the December 8 Planning Commission meeting, the public hearing on Sunset Meadows was closed, and the written record left open for submittal of additional information. With the public hearing now closed, the Planning Commission will not receive any additional oral testimony See RULE on page 31
Correspondent
On June 6 (D-Day), Justin “JD” LeHew and Coleman “Rocky” Kinzer, both retired U.S. Marine Corps sergeants major, set off on a crosscountry American journey, from Boston, Massachusetts to Newport, Oregon. They walk in support of America’s missing and killed in action from all wars and conflicts, Gold Star families, and to highlight other charitable causes supporting veterans from all walks and challenges of life. On August 18, they were joined in Elgin, Illinois, by Marine veteran Staff Sergeant Raymond Shinohara, who served with both LeHew and Kinzer during their time in the Marines. Enroute to Sisters on December 5, they were met nine miles east of town by some three- to four-dozen veterans with full-size flags at the popular viewpoint that marks the highway as a Medal of Honor Highway. In an often tearful ceremony, the three spoke eloquently about their mission. The trio arrived later that
PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT
Coleman “Rocky” Kinzer (with beard) Justin “JD” LeHew, and Raymond Shinohara (orange jacket) spoke of their cross-country mission. afternoon in Sisters for a warm welcome sponsored by Sisters Band of Brothers. The trio overnighted in Sisters after meeting Mayor Michael Preedin at City Hall, where they were gifted small quilts by Quilt Show Executive Director Dawn Boyd. They had reached Bend on December 2, and were waiting for conditions to improve on the Santiam Pass. Accompanied by two Oregon State Police patrol officers, they made a
reconnaissance ride to the Pass, which is now filled with snow. OSP cautioned them to delay their walk a few days. The fear was that, on the downhill side, cars might lose control. They perceive their greatest danger to be Tombstone Pass, as Highway 20 rapidly descends. “ODOT plows have gone back and cut an extra 12 inches into the snow banks to See WALK on page 18
Letters/Weather ............... 2 Announcements...............10 Roundabout Sisters .........12 Fun & Games ................... 24 Classifieds................. 28-29 Meetings .......................... 3 Entertainment ................. 11 Obituaries .......................16 Crossword .......................27 Real Estate ................ 30-32