The Nugget Vol. XLVII No. 1
POSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, January 3, 2024
Forecast: Looks like a mild winter
SHS graduate is Educator of the Year By Katy Yoder Correspondent
Kate Tibbitts comes to her North Star Elementary School kindergarten class every day excited about teaching her students. She’s rewarded and challenged by her students’ unique personalities, learning styles, and stories. Watching Tibbitts teach reveals her skills and approach, grounded in life experiences and an education focused on helping students understand themselves and how their minds work. In her 10 years of teaching, she hasn’t focused on recognition or accolades, but last October the BendLa Pine School District singled her out as a teacher worthy of the moniker “2023 Educator of the Year.” In November, North Star Principal Tim Burdsall and his staff planned a surprise announcement with students, Tibbitts’ family, and teaching peers all in attendance. The Excellence in Education awards honored education staff including custodians, bus drivers, and classroom
PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15
By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief
the community. Tibbitts was shocked when she learned she was
Much of Sisters Country woke up on December 25 to what might be characterized as a minimalist white Christmas. There was just the lightest skiff of snow on the ground, and that was it. Temperatures have been mild and precipitation minimal in Sisters — and it’s likely to stay more or less that way through March, according to the latest forecast from the Oregon Department of Agriculture. According to Oregon Department of Forestry lead meteorologist Pete Parsons, we should “expect a relatively mild winter with minimal or absent cold intrusions.” We’re looking at mild temperatures — likely a little above average — and near-average or a little below average precipitation
See EDUCATOR on page 14
See FORECAST on page 16
PHOTO BY KATY YODER
Kate Tibbitts at work in the classroom. The Sisters High School graduate has found her calling in education. teachers. Recognizing exemplary staff began in June when Bend-La Pine Schools honored 77 staff members in the District who
distinguished themselves through leadership, innovation, outstanding professional practice, and positive contributions at work and in
Oregon health officials urge vaccination
Oregon wolves expected to spread
With the new year, Oregon health officials are asking people to resolve in 2024 to get vaccinated against respiratory viruses that are on the rise in the state. Dean Sidelinger, M.D., M.S.Ed., health officer, and state epidemiologist at OHA, says vaccination remains the best way for Oregonians to protect themselves against COVID-19, influenza (flu), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) — and it’s not too late to get any of the vaccines. “While some resolutions require making healthy changes for the rest of your life, we’re asking you to resolve to make an appointment for a vaccination,” Sidelinger said. “We’re not asking you to change your behavior for the year. We’re asking you to change your
State biologists say Oregon’s gray wolf population may have reached its ecological limit in the eastern third of the state and that packs will probably spread out to the west and south in greater numbers. Those comments, made at a meeting of the state Fish and Wildlife Commission, came as Colorado released five wolves trapped from Oregon as part of a historic reintroduction program. Roblyn Brown, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s wolf coordinator, told ranchers and conservationists last week that about 200 gray wolves in nearly 25 packs call Oregon home. She said their numbers have leveled off in recent years because most wolves live in northeast Oregon, an area that’s becoming crowded for the species.
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risk of getting sick.” The renewed push for vaccinations comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published the latest edition of its Morbidity and Mortality Week Report (MMWR) on fall 2023 respiratory virus vaccination coverage among adults. The report includes national and jurisdictionspecific estimates for influenza, COVID-19, and RSV vaccination coverage among adults 18 and older from the National Immunization Survey-Adult COVID Module. According to the report, 25 percent of eligible Oregon adults have received the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine, 40.8 percent have received the influenza vaccine, and 20.3 percent have See VACCINE on page 16
By Grant Stringer Oregon Capital Chronicle
PHOTO BY OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
The breeding male of the Chesnimnus Pack in Wallowa County in December 2018. Wolves first recolonized their native habitat there in 2009 after hunting and harassment eradicated them from Oregon for 50 years. The wildlife agency counted 178 wolves in the state in 2022, up from 175 in 2021 and 173 in 2020, though officials say that’s an undercount. Their numbers have
plateaued in recent years after spiking for a decade. Wolf packs have taken root in central and southwestern Oregon, including a pack in Jackson County that has become notorious for preying on cattle. “We’re going to start See WOLVES on page 21
Letters/Weather ............... 2 Obituaries ........................ 5 Tight Lines....................... 11 Stars over Sisters ............13 Crossword .......................21 Meetings .......................... 3 Announcements...............10 Entertainment .................12 Fun & Games ................... 20 Classifieds................. 22-23