The Nugget Vol. XLVII No. 11
POSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Leprechauns dash around town
Sisters names new fire chief
By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent
For 63-year-old Paul Reina of Bend, last weekend’s Lucky Leprechaun run marked his first-ever formal race. “I started running in November with my daughter, who is a cancer survivor, and figured that by signing up for events like this, I would stay motivated to keep running,” Reina said. “This was a lot of fun.” Reina was one of more than 200 runners and walkers, many clad in green, who took to the streets of Sisters for the Lucky Leprechaun 5k and 10k Saturday, March 9, as precursor to the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day. A short dash for kids got the running underway before the 160-plus 5k runners and walkers toed the line. Gregory Glesener of Sisters zipped through the course that wound its way through the ClearPine neighborhood and into town in 16:48, well ahead of the rest of the field. Ashley Coltrane of Redmond finished fourth overall and first among women in a fine time of 21:30. The 10k course included two loops of the same route and featured 60 finishers. Mason Lacy of Bend crossed
By Sue Stafford Correspondent
PHOTO BY CHARLIE KANZIG
Runners wore the green to get into the St. Paddy’s Day spirit for the annual Lucky Leprechaun run. the line first in a time of 38:29.7, while April Summer of Sisters placed first among women and fourth overall in a time of 42:42. Ashleigh Thomas, also of Sisters was next in 44:27. Following the race, prizes for the best costumes were bestowed upon some especially lucky winners. Members of the high school cross-country running
High Desert Heroine: Martha Cobb Hindman By Maret Pajutee Correspondent
Martha Alice Taylor didn’t have a long childhood. Born in Oregon in 1857 to parents who came across the Oregon Trail, she married her 24-year-old neighbor Alfred Cobb in California when she was just 13 years old. By the time she was 14 her first baby, Newt Cobb was born. She had two more sons by the time she was 17. When she was 18, her growing family headed north back to her home state of Oregon. Two more children joined the brood as another child died. By 1881, the Cobbs and their four children were the
Inside...
PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15
second family to homestead near Sisters. They lived for two years in a 12- by 16-foot cabin without windows, and a dirt floor covered by deer hides. In his 2006 history of Camp Polk, Martin Winch notes that the hides were plentiful because in their first winter the industrious Cobbs killed 125 deer, producing three tons of meat to smoke and cure for trade. They soon moved into a new two-story home, where the Lazy Z Ranch stands today, and opened the Cobb Roadhouse to provide a welcome stop for people on the long journey from See HINDMAN on page 20
team and some parents provided volunteer help for the event, and Race Director Kelly Bither of Run Sisters Run will make a donation to the program in thanks. In all, nearly half of the participants hailed from the immediate Sisters Country area and most of the rest came from the surrounding area. Visitors from the Willamette Valley comprised
the rest of the field. First-timer Reina finished in 54:50 and has plans to join his daughter in the future for a half-marathon in Disneyland. Stories like Reina’s are exactly what Bither envisioned when she started Run Sisters Run. “My goal has been to offer local, fun, themed races that are accessible for all ages,” she said.
Chief Tony Prior of Kenai, Alaska rose to the top of the candidate pool following interviews with the five semi-finalists to replace retiring fire chief Roger Johnson. Following background and reference checks, a medical physical, and successful contract negotiations, an official public announcement will be made by the SistersCamp Sherman Fire District board. In a phone conversation last week with Chief Prior, he told The Nugget, “My wife Diane and I were amazed at the process and welcoming spirit of the community. We’re extremely excited to get down there and get settled.” The month of June will be a transition period, with Prior shadowing Chief Johnson as he conducts his last month of official duties. Prior’s wife plans to come to Sisters in late April or early May to do some house-hunting. Prior shared his See FIRE CHIEF on page 19
Protecting the Sisters community By Sue Stafford Correspondent
A drug overdose. A suicide attempt. Patients in cardiac arrest and not breathing. Two calls in February 2023, only three days apart — and two lives saved through professional care, quick thinking, and intervention including advanced life support provided by paramedics of the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District. April 2023: Using CPR and rapid intubation, paramedics got a patient with a self-inflicted gunshot transferred to a waiting air ambulance, to be taken to the hospital. The patient fully recovered, and was discharged from the hospital. Sisters Fire Chief Johnson
PHOTO BY SUE STAFFORD
Bagpipers from the Bend Fire & Rescue Pipes and Drums Band kicked off the annual Sisters Fire District awards ceremony at FivePine. described the incident report for this call as “incredible.” A seizure and a fall in May 2023 left a Sisters patient
with significant head trauma, causing unconsciousness. See FIRE AWARDS on page 18
Letters/Weather ............... 2 Page by Paige.................... 6 Announcements...............10 Your story matters ........... 11 Crossword .......................21 Meetings .......................... 3 Sisters Country Birds ........ 6 Entertainment ................. 11 Obituaries .......................12 Classifieds................. 22-23