G/S U M SPRIN
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The Nugget
IDE S N I E GUID LL OUT P U AV E &S
POSTAL CUSTOMER PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Vol. XLVII No. 12
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Bringing sunshine...
Sisters grad works on data centers By Lisa May Correspondent
Twenty years ago, your living room shelves and closets may have been filled with VHS tapes and DVDs of favorite movies. Finding enough room to store the growing collection was problematic. Perhaps a few readers still insist on storing some of these old favorites today, even without the devices needed to play them back. But now that we are more than two decades into the 21st century, most of us watch digital movies by streaming them from Netflix, Amazon Prime, or another videostreaming service. Have you
Zinnia Crabtree, a Sisters fifth-grader distributed St. Patrick’s Day cards at The Lodge — much to the delight of resident Erica. See related story on page 14. PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT
Fatal wreck in Sisters Sisters resident Kevin Blake Gast, 65, lost his life in a single-vehicle accident north of town on Tuesday, March 12. According to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, deputies with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported single vehicle rollover accident near the intersection of Wilt Road and Hinkle Butte Road at approximately 8:26 p.m. Deputies were advised a Dodge Ram
pickup was resting on its side on the shoulder of the road. Upon arrival deputies determined no other vehicles were involved. The driver of the crashed pickup was dead at the scene. The cause of the accident remains under investigation as of press time. Officers with the Black Butte Police Department and Sisters Fire personnel also responded to the scene. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office thanked them for their assistance.
High Desert Heroines: Maida Bailey By Maret Pajutee Correspondent
In her later years, Maida Bailey liked to cruise in her 1958 green and white Chevy Coupe. She drove around her ranch to check the irrigation, to visit friends in Camp Sherman or Bend, or just around town in Sisters,
Inside...
handing out friendly waves and smiles although she was almost hidden behind the steering wheel. She was famous for easily making friends with every kind of person, from university presidents, to teachers, ranchers, homemakers, store See BAILEY on page 13
Letters/Weather ............... 2 Meetings .......................... 3
See TECH on page 12
Highway 242 work gets underway By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
In a sure sign of spring, “Construction Ahead” signs are popping up around Sisters Country. One that is likely pleasing to area residents is the improvement project to the popular and historic Highway 242, where thousands of tourists in vehicles and on bicycles wind their way every summer. A favorite highway of motorcyclists and touring cars, Highway 242 is still in the middle of its annual winter closure from about 12 miles west of Sisters to a few miles east of Highway 126 near Belknap Springs. The seasonally closed section typically opens in late May or early June depending on snowfall. There is enough snow on the ground now to suggest a June opening, but weather will be the determining factor, not any arbitrary decision by ODOT (Oregon Department of Transportation). Snow will not factor much into the project, Announcements...............10 Entertainment ................. 11
PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS
Road work on Highway 242 west of Sisters begun — with initial effort focused on other side of the mountains. as work on both sides of the summit — far from the deepest snow — has begun. According to ODOT, the project will improve access to federal recreation areas in the Deschutes and Willamette National Forests. It will improve conditions for motorists and cyclists by resurfacing the roadway between Dee Wright Observatory and Highway 20 at Sisters, rebuilding
shoulders and bike lanes where they are degraded or substandard, removing safety hazards adjacent to travel lanes, updating ADA curb ramps as necessary, and replacing or repairing signs and warning systems throughout the corridor. The project also includes the installation of accessible bathrooms at Cold
Business at a Glance ........16 Obituaries ....................... 17
Crossword ....................... 17 Classifieds.................. 18-19
See HWY. 242 on page 15