The Nugget Vol. XLVII No. 37
POSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Community reaches out to fire victim The fire that consumed an RV and truck belonging to a Sisters man on September 1 was caused accidentally. Clara Butler of the State Fire Marshal’s Office reported that the cause was determined to be improper disposal of burning materials. “It appears that smoking was a factor,” she said. The fire occurred in the forest north of Highway 20, directly across from the entrance to Tollgate. A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to aid the fire victim, Randall Hodges, who lost his dog Tyson in the blaze. The Support Now campaign can be accessed at https://www.supportnow.org/ randall. The organizers of the initiative wrote:
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Sheriff’s race roiled by accusations
Running for Kolby...
By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief
PHOTO BY JACK TURPEN
The Outlaws ran their first cross-country race of the season in tribute to Kolby McMahon, who died in a motorcycle accident last June. See story, page 9.
See RANDALL on page 12
Correspondent
While some store owners are reporting record August and year-to-date sales, others may be struggling. “We think as many as five or six stores will not make it past January,” said Shaunette White, owner of High Desert Chocolates on West Cascade Avenue. White is also president of the newly formed Sisters Business Association which have 39 members, about half of whom are retail shopkeepers. White thinks those in stress do not get enough local support. By contrast, Sisters Meat and Smokehouse had “their best August ever,” according to Manager Sue Priefert who recently expanded wine offerings and saw an 800 percent increase in wine sales comparing this August to last.
Inside...
The intensity level of the race for Deschutes County Sheriff ratcheted up last week, as candidate Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp filed a tort claim notice — notice of a potential lawsuit — against the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office administration, alleging ongoing targeting, harassment, and election interference. Sgt. Vander Kamp, who serves on the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team (CODE), is running against Captain William Bailey, the candidate endorsed by retiring Sheriff Shane Nelson. Bailey has served in a variety of capacities with DCSO, including acting as the interim leader of the Sisters See SHERIFF RACE on page 19
Sisters shopkeepers see mixed economy By Bill Bartlett
PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15
Businesses are reluctant to give out their sales numbers, so getting a quantitative measurement of success is very difficult. Because Oregon has no sales tax there is no definitive way to quantify retail activity. Sales tax receipts are the gold standard in gauging results. The closest hardline number available in Sisters measuring business activity is the 8.99 percent lodging tax collected by the City of Sisters. For the six months ended June 30, 2024, the city collected $498,693 as compared to $482,340 for the same period in 2023. On the surface that looks like a 3 percent gain but as room rates have increased by nearly 10 percent, it’s actually a decline. In a surprise report from Travel Oregon, Central Oregon was the only one of See RETAIL on page 23
Car flips on its side on Cascade A driver reaching for something in his vehicle hit a parked car on Cascade Avenue, which caused his vehicle to heel over on its side, blocking the westbound lane of travel on Tuesday afternoon, September 3. Deschutes County Sheriff’s deputies arriving at the scene found a black 2018 Honda Pilot resting on its driver’s side and facing west in the westbound lane. Cascade Avenue was shut down and traffic was rerouted around the scene. Medics from the SistersCamp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District arrived on scene and began evaluating the occupants of the Honda, who had extricated themselves from the vehicle. Medics determined the driver and two minor passengers were uninjured and were not transported by medics. Deputies determined the crash occurred when the driver of the Honda Pilot, Preston Langeliers, age 39,
PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT
A driver flipped his vehicle on its side on Cascade Avenue, when it collided with a parked car while the driver was reaching for something. of Wilsonville, was driving westbound on Cascade Avenue, and he left his lane of travel while reaching for an unknown object. Langeliers first struck the driver’s side mirror of a 2018 Subaru Forester, which was parked on the north side of Cascade Avenue.
Langeliers then continued westbound and struck the left rear corner of a parked 2023 Toyota Camry, which caused Langeliers’ vehicle to roll up onto its driver’s side. Langeliers’ vehicle came to rest in the westbound lane of See WRECK on page 16
Letters/Weather ............... 2 Announcements...............10 Consider This ...................13 Crossword ...................... 20 Classifieds..................21-22 Meetings .......................... 3 Entertainment .................12 Obituaries ....................... 17 Sudoku ............................21 Poetry Corner ................. 23