The Nugget Vol. XLVII No. 2
POSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, January 10, 2024
Traffic stop leads to drug bust
Live-fire training...
PHOTO BY JAROD GATLEY
Sisters-area firefighters got two opportunities to train in live conditions over two weekends. See story, page 16.
Many in Sisters caught in ‘tripledemic’ By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
Almost everybody in town has or had or knows someone who has or had “the crud.” Workers are out — as are some masks. Stores are having a run on tissues and Tylenol. Home remedies and self-isolation may be keeping reported numbers low in spite of people hacking and
coughing their way through life in Sisters Country. St. Charles Health System spokesperson Alandra Johnson said, “We are starting to see an increase in COVID-19 statewide but that has not yet reached Central Oregon in terms of hospitalizations. We are keeping a close eye on COVID-19 as See TRIPLEDEMIC on page 12
Mechanized use damages Sisters trails By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) has alerted The Nugget of abuse to several trails within their system by one or more motor bikers. They provided photo evidence of the damage. There is no way of knowing
Inside...
if this was wanton disregard for the rules or carelessness. Either way the injury to the trailbed will require hours of volunteer work to repair. “Nearly two-hundred STA trail volunteers and trail adopters work tirelessly throughout the entire year See TRAILS page 21
Letters/Weather ............... 2 Meetings .......................... 3
PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15
A Prineville resident is facing charges related to the trafficking of controlled substances after the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team executed a roadside search warrant just outside Sisters last weekend. Law enforcement reports that on January 6, around 9 a.m., the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team concluded a long-term investigation and surveillance operation with the apprehension of Travis Ingram, 35, from Prineville. According to Sergeant Kent Vander Kamp, Ingram was identified by drug agents as a trafficker of fentanyl and methamphetamine in Central Oregon. Vander See BUST on page 9
Abandoned vehicles plague Sisters By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
Concerned citizens routinely notify the Sisters Ranger District of abandoned vehicles in the woods around town. Just as routinely, the Forest Service begins the somewhat arduous task of removing them. In 2023 there were 25 cases in all, including a trailer at the rodeo grounds, a Ford Ranger on Forest Road 15, a motorhome near the high school, three RV trailers at 970/4606, five vehicles in all at Eagle Rock Road, two burned out RVs on Road 100 (the spur road), and the list goes on. There was even a boat at Fourmile Butte. Local resident, Dave Skidmore told The Nugget, “The apparent acceptability of using our local National Forest as a vehicular disposal must have gotten out as there are three more that have rapidly appeared in the last few months. One closer to town on 1512, another just off of 15 and the last on the road approaching Fourmile Butte.” Roundabout Sisters .......... 4 Announcements...............10
PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT
An abandoned motorcycle is one of several vehicles left out in local forests, where Sisters Ranger District is left to deal with them. According to District Ranger Ian Reid the agency knows of five vehicles presently — four cars and one motorcycle — still to be removed. There are also dozens of occupied vehicles on the District’s land, many of which are not drivable nor easily moved. Reid acknowledges the public’s frustration and asks for understanding. He also
asks that Forest recreationalists continue to report any vehicles in apparent violation to the District. “Without making excuses, I will say that for every abandoned vehicle or trailer you see, several others have been removed from the Sisters Ranger District using creative methods from Jeremy [Fields, special forest
Entertainment .................12 Obituaries .......................19
Crossword .......................21 Classifieds................. 22-23
See VEHICLES on page 12