The Nugget Vol. XLVII No. 40
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News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Festival immerses Sisters in good vibes Sheriff
candidates clash on culture By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief
compelling gift. You never know how the music you offer and share will touch someone, but you keep putting it out there. I can’t help but feel that the ripples of this weekend are far-reaching
When it comes to law enforcement priorities and policies, there is not a lot that separates the two candidates for Deschutes County Sheriff. But Captain William Bailey and Sergeant Kent Vander Kamp are sharply divided over culture and morale within the agency. The candidates participated in a League of Women Voters-sponsored forum in Bend on Monday, September 23, where they fielded questions submitted earlier by the public on issues ranging from homelessness to guns to the constitutional role of sheriffs. The two men, both currently serving with DCSO, offered similar answers, showing little daylight between their views. But when it came to the internal culture within DCSO, the differences were stark.
See MUSIC on page 17
See CANDIDATES on page 11
PHOTO BY JACK TURPEN
Fantastic Cat got the Sisters Folk Festival crowd revved up in multiple sets across town last weekend. By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
Reporting on the success of Sisters Folk Festival is a familiar tune. There are barely enough superlatives to describe the sold-out threeday event just concluded.
SFF Presents Board Chair Leanne Summers summarized it this way: “We’ve got something special in this community. The 2024 Sisters Folk Festival exemplifies that extraordinary, hard-to-define gift. In a time when it is easy to dwell on differences,
Sisters Folk Festival artists, audiences, and volunteers reminded me over and over again that, no matter our origins or vocations, music and community are powerful agents. “To echo Renee Coughlin of The Pairs, music is a
Fire extinguisher helped quell blaze
Abandoned RVs demolished in forest
A local forest dweller wielded fire extinguishers provided through a fire protection program to attack a small fire in the woods near Sisters the evening of September 24. According to the SistersCamp Sherman Fire District, a nearby forest resident reported a small fire on National Forest land approximately one-half mile north of the Best Western Ponderosa Lodge in Sisters. After reporting the fire, the neighboring forest dweller attempted to extinguish the fire using two small fire extinguishers that were provided to him previously by the SistersCamp Sherman Fire District under a dispersed camping fire prevention effort. Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District crews arrived at midnight to find an area of forest approximately 50 feet in diameter on fire, including
It’s an ongoing blight, and it’s a challenge to forest managers to remove abandoned vehicles in the national forest. There are no reliable numbers of discarded vehicles, but estimates continuously place the total in the many thousands. In the Sisters Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest the number runs between 30 and 40 per year, mostly RVs, the kinds towed by a car or truck and ranging in size from 15 to 35 feet in length. However, cars and motorcycles also litter the landscape. It’s presumed that more are at the bottom of remote ravines or other
a dispersed campsite. The fire was contained at 50 feet in diameter. Deputy Fire Chief Tim Craig told The Nugget that 50 fire extinguishers have been distributed in camps through the program, and RV fire personnel ensured that RVs parked in the forest have working alarms. Other responding agencies included the Black Butte Ranch Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Forest Service. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the U.S. Forest Service. The Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District encourages all residents and visitors in Sisters Country to have working fire extinguishers in their homes, autos, and recreational vehicles.
By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT
Gary Tewalt surgically demolished abandoned RVs in the forest. obscure spots. The majority are close to town and usually highly visible to passing hikers, cyclists, and motorists using forest roads.
Several have caught fire, usually from careless occupants. While quickly See ABANDONED on page 16
........... 2 Entertainment .............14 Classifieds............. 22-23 Inside... Letters/Weather Meetings ...................... 3 Obituaries ..............20-21 Sudoku ....................... 22 Announcements...........10 Crossword ...................21 Portraits of Sisters ..... 24