The Nugget Newspaper // Vol. XLVII No. 20 // 2024-05-15

The Nugget

Roundabout takes shape...

Construction crews are making swift progress on the Highway 20/Locust Street Roundabout.

RV park zone change back before planners

Proposed code changes to facilitate a boutique RV park at the former site of the Conklin Guest House on the corner of Barclay Drive and Camp Polk Road/Locust Street are back before the Sisters Planning Commission on Thursday, May 16.

The Planning Commission will carry on with a continued public hearing, starting at 5:30 p.m. at Sisters

City Hall, 520 E. Cascade Ave.

The changes, which would allow an RV park as a use in the Sun Ranch Tourist Commercial zone, would have to be in place before a formal plan for the site can be filed. The property developers propose a “boutique, higher-end RV Park that

See RV PARK on page 20

Girls track and field district champs

By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent

A well-balanced day on the track, coupled with bright spots in the field, earned the Outlaw girls’ team its second consecutive 3A Special District 4 title after two days of action at Reed Stadium May 9-10.

Sisters amassed 148 points to easily outdistance second place Siuslaw (109) in the team race. La Pine finished third (97), followed by Creswell (90), Elmira (66), Glide (56), Pleasant Hill (55), and Sutherlin (29).

See CHAMPS on page 6

Where and how will Sisters grow?

The City of Sisters has kicked off a public process to help determine where the city will grow in the next 20 years.

City of Sisters staff is working up a Sisters Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) Amendment proposal. A UGB is a line drawn on landuse planning maps to designate the area within which a city expects to grow over a 20-year period. The purpose of UGBs in Oregon is to protect the state’s farm and forest lands from the pressures of urbanization and sprawl — the UGB is where the city ends and the farms and forests begin. Within a city’s UGB, growth can occur in the form of new houses, industrial

See GROW on page 21

High Desert Heroines: Toni Foster

By Maret Pajutee Correspondent

The words people use to describe Toni Berke Foster paint a picture of a formidable woman: words like tough, skillful, committed, honest, focused, relentless, taskmaster, and “passionate maniac.”

Foster was a teacher at tiny Black Butte School in Camp Sherman for 28 years serving as educator, bus driver, custodian, and superintendent. Her other identities included being a deeply committed defender of the Metolius Basin. She drove the Forest Service to unprecedented levels of partnership and collaboration with her focus on the Metolius Wild and Scenic River, and was the force behind creating the Metolius Conservation Area. In her spare time, she worked as a local volunteer firefighter, EMT, and on the Jefferson County Planning Commission.

If there was something going on in the Metolius Basin, she was in the middle of it. Her friend Kent Gill

said “She was the identity of the community for many years, everybody knew her.”

A native Oregonian, born and raised in Lake Oswego, Toni was from an old Oregon family. Her love for rivers came from growing up along the Willamette and she excelled in sports including being a water-skiing champion. Educated as a teacher, she moved to Camp Sherman to teach in 1978 and married

Mark Foster in 1987. Toni ruled over the tworoom school house. Her students uniformly describe her as the hardest teacher they ever had. She did not coddle students. Her tough-love mentality motivated kids to find their potential, understanding they were directly responsible for their own lives and never a victim.

See FOSTER on page 4

The late Toni Foster with students at Black Butte School. Foster was a passionate teacher of generations of students.

PHOTO

PHOTO BY CODY RHEAULT

Letters to the Editor…

The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer’s name, address, and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond, or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is 10 a.m. Monday.

Walk the talk

To the Editor:

I just read the guest editorial by Diane L. Hodgson in the May 1, edition of The Nugget Ms. Hodgson was apparently triggered by a person she encountered while having a latte at Sisters Coffee whom she described as “quite intelligent” and “charming,” but made the apparent mistake of saying that he thought Trump was a “good president.”

Based on her statements in her guest editorial, Ms. Hodgson did not ask the person why he thought Trump was a good president or why, in light of recent reports in the legacy and other media of civil and criminal charges brought against Trump and his involvement in various trials, he would continue to believe that Trump was a good president. Instead, Ms. Hodgson apparently used this encounter to

fuel the vituperative rant against Trump that comprised the bulk of her guest editorial.

Ironically, Ms. Hodgson concluded her comments by admonishing the rest of us to be “kind,” “open,” “and try to understand the concerns of others in a respectful, civil voice.” These comments might make some sense if Ms. Hodgson had described the Trump supporter as unkind, not open, or disrespectful, as opposed to “quite intelligent” and “charming.”

I would kindly suggest that in this election season we seek to learn why others who apparently do not share our political opinions and beliefs have them. This requires asking questions of the other as to why he or she may hold a particular opinion or like a particular candidate. It requires engaging with the other

See LETTERS on page 11

Sisters Weather Forecast

The Nugget Newspaper, LLC

Website: www.nuggetnews.com 442 E. Main Ave., P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759 Tel: 541-549-9941 | Email: editor@nuggetnews.com

Editor in Chief & Co-owner: Jim Cornelius

Production Manager: Leith Easterling

Creative Director: Jess Draper

Community Marketing Partner: Vicki Curlett

Classifieds & Circulation: Lisa May

Proofreader: Kema Clark

Co-owner: J. Louis Mullen

Postmaster: Send address changes to The Nugget Newspaper, P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759. Third Class Postage Paid at Sisters, Oregon. The Nugget is mailed to residents within the Sisters School District; subscriptions are available outside delivery area. Third-class postage: one year, $70; six months (or less), $45.

of The Nugget and may not be used without explicit permission. The Nugget Newspaper, LLC. assumes no liability or responsibility for information contained in advertisements, articles, stories, lists, calendar etc. within this publication. All submissions to The Nugget Newspaper will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyrighting

Rethink wolf reintroduction

By Steve Allely Guest Columnist

Let me start off by stating I’m not anti-wolf, nor am I a “wolf hater.”

There are issues that need addressing in regards to Ander Rhoades’ article “Recreating with wolves in Central Oregon’s forests,” from April 24, as the article was naive and unrealistic, especially with “what to do” if you see a wolf, and its author has probably had little if any real life experiences with close predator encounters. I also question the info he was given by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW).

Here’s some little known wolf facts: Wolves were not shot out in Oregon by the mid-1940’s as stated. I once thought that too, but an old timer in the Sisters area told me over 35 years ago that there was still a small remnant of the original Oregon wolves present in the Three Sisters wilderness and adjacent areas. Don’t believe it?

I know two folks who saw our native wolves well over 25 years ago before the current wolf replanting began, one of whom was my own father who saw one at close range near a wilderness area and as he put it, “it was no coyote!” The other person who saw one in the Three Sisters Wilderness area years ago reported it to ODFW, but, sadly, they discounted it as a “dog sighting.”

But the real tragedy is that we have probably long lost our original strain of Oregon wild wolf DNA with the introduction of the bigger Canadian wolves who will either kill or breed out the original gene pool. I’ve seen several wolf-killed coyotes ripped to shreds, which is what wolves do to coyotes or any other lesser canine they see as competition, and our original wolves may have suffered that same fate by now.

Given what we used to have here, these new larger Canadian wolves now spreading in Oregon are more of an invasive species, and I can tell you for a fact the deer and elk populations are being severely impacted — and yet the ODFW continues to over-sell tags. Hunting in some regions should be closed until game populations rebound.

One rancher northeast of Sisters spotted several wolves a couple winters back early one morning, running out of his field where they had just killed, and mostly eaten, four mule deer does, one of which was still steaming in the winter cold. That wasn’t done by a pair of wolves; it was a pack of wolves. Do the math; how long will it take to wipe out our local deer herds which are already in trouble?

Someone in Harney County observed a large, transplanted female wolf kill a pregnant cow elk, pull its unborn calf out of it and trot it off to her den to feed her pups. I found a wolf-killed elk 16 miles north of Sisters about a year ago, and while the carcass was dismembered and scattered, you could still see the massive wolf tracks present.

I’ve been informed by knowledgeable folk that our native wolf males could get up to 90 pounds in size. However, the bigger wolves brought down from Canada, and introduced into Yellowstone, that are now spreading here, are much bigger, as a large male can get up to 200 pounds. Those big Canadian wolves can run caribou herds for miles across tundra, bring down a moose, and are much larger and much more aggressive than our native ones were.

I’ve had some dispute that, saying “wolf DNA is all the same,” but there are lots of variations in sizes and sub-species of various animals; for example the smallsized black “lava bears” we once had in Central Oregon that are, sadly, now extinct.

Is this what we really want here? Its tragic that the ODFW couldn’t have protected our original wolves and managed them better while we still had them. ODFW needs to seriously rethink the wolf reintroduction program, and get back to better wildlife management as these larger Canadian wolf transplants simply do not belong here, are essentially an invasive species, and are very detrimental to our currently strained wildlife eco system.

is progressing rapidly on a project to make the view from the Whychus Overlook accessible to people in wheelchairs. The top rail was removed, and two viewing portals with security cables are being created.

a great photo of life in Sisters Country?

PHOTO BY KRIS CALVIN

Marking a century at The Lodge

By Sue Stafford Correspondent

Margaret Helen Fine, tagged “June Bug” at an early age by her father because she never lit for very long, has been known for all her adult life as June Phillips, after marrying her husband Bill in 1944.

On May 15, June will be celebrating her 100th birthday at The Lodge in Sisters, where she has resided for the past year-and-a-half. She was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 15, 1924, to Goldie and Luther Fine, who ran a grocery store six days a week where June worked in her youth. She had two brothers, Alvis and Harold. She graduated from Carson High School in Tulsa, where she was called Margaret.

June was working as a switchboard operator in Tulsa for the Texas Oil Company when she met Bill, who was an Army engineer during World War II, building bridges. After they were married and Bill was away at war, June lived with his parents in Tillamook, walking to work in the coastal rain, a far cry from Oklahoma.

After the war, the young couple moved to Coos Bay in 1947, one of many Oregon cities they called home while raising their family — Scott, twins Larry and Sharon, and the youngest

Tom. Their four offspring have provided June with 10 grandchildren and 16 greatgrandchildren, to whom she is Grandma June. Sharon and her husband, Mike Gurry, live at Black Butte Ranch. The Gurry’s daughter Elizabeth (Liddy) lives in Sisters. She is mother to two of June’s great-grandsons, Jack and Charlie, who bring her flowers in exchange for sweets from her ever-full candy dish.

Bill worked for Champion Paper as a logging manager, and he and June enjoyed attending the annual logging conference for 20 years.

Eugene/Springfield was home for the longest time, arriving the first time in

1952. From there the family vacationed in tents and trailers in the Cascades at Willamette Pass and Crescent Lake, with a trip to Alaska in their camper. Every two years they would return to Oklahoma for a visit with June’s family. After their family was grown, June and Bill enjoyed spending from October to May in Yuma, Arizona, first in their motor home and then in their house. They developed many good friendships during those years. After Bill passed away in 2002, June continued to spend the winter in Yuma where she loved the sunny desert and the citrus trees.

Students receive flight scholarships

Sisters residents Katie Ryan and Keegan Kroytz received unique full-scholarship opportunities for flight training in the amount of $11,000, thanks to EAA Chapter 1345 of Bend and the Ray Aviation Scholarship program administered by the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Ryan received a Ray Scholarship from the Ray Foundation and Kroytz received a Jack Watson Service Scholarship made possible by the local EAA Bend Chapter. The EAA seeks to improve the flight training success rate from the current industry standards of 20 percent to 80 percent for

program participants. Local EAA chapters are responsible for identifying youth for the scholarships and qualifying them for the program.

Ryan will be training at Leading Edge Aviation and Kroytz is training at Bend Aircraft, both based at the Bend Airport. The scholarships are designed to support a flight student through both written and practical segments of flight training that are part of successful FAA pilot certification.

EAA chapters play a critical role in the success of the Aviation Scholarship programs. Chapters interested in participating are prequalified

Pops Concert will support Sisters music

The town of Sisters has often been described as “artsy and vibrant.” From the Sisters Quilt Show, to SFF Presents, to Sisters Arts Association events, the activities held in this small town embody these descriptions. The Sisters School District music program aims to expose students to the arts. The band program at Sisters High School showcases this priority. The SHS Jazz

SISTERS AREA MEETING CALENDAR

BOARDS, GROUPS, CLUBS

Al -Anon

Mon., noon, Shepherd of t he Hills Lutheran Church. 5 41-610 -7383.

Alcoholics A nonymou s

Monday, 5 p.m., Shepherd of t he Hills

Lutheran Church • Tuesday, noon, Big Book study, Shepherd of t he Hills Lutheran Church • Wednesday, 7 a.m.,G entlemen’s meeting, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church • Thursday, noon, Sober Sisters Women’s meeting, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church

Thursday, 7 p.m., Episc opal Church of the Transf iguration • Fr iday, noon, Step & Tradition meeting, Shepherd of t he Hills Lutheran Church. 5 41-5 48 -0 440. Saturday, 8 a.m., Episc opal Church of the Transf iguration

Central Oregon F ly Tye rs G uild

For Saturday meeting dates and location, email: steelef ly@msn.c om Central Oregon Trail A lliance (COTA) Sisters Chapter meets 4th Thur sday 6 p.m. at Blazin Saddles Bike S hop sistersrep@c ot amtb.c om

Ci tizens4Communit y C ommunity Builders meeting, 3rd Wednesday of ever y mont h, 10 to 11:30 a.m. V isit citizens 4c ommunity.c om for loc ation.

Council on Aging of Cent ral O rego n Senior Lunch In- person community dining, Tues. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Grab -and -go lunch Tues., Wed., Thurs 12:3 0 to 1 p.m. Sisters C ommunity Church. 5 41-4 8 0-18 43 East of the Cascades Quilt Guild 4th Wed. (September- June), Stitchin’ Post . A ll are welcome. 5 41-5 49 -6 061.

G o Fish Fishing G roup 3rd Monday 7 p.m., Siste rs C ommunity Church. 541-771-2211

Hear twarmers (f leec e blanketmaker s) 2nd Tuesday, 1 p.m., Siste rs Communit y Church. M ater ials provided. 541- 408 -8 505.

Hero Q uilters of Sisters Thursday, 1 to 4 p.m. 5 41-6 68 -1755

Living Well W it h D ementia Sisters Care Par tner suppor t group. 2nd & 4th

Thurs., 1:3 0- 3 p.m. Siste rs C ommunity Church, Room 4. 5 41-6 47-0 052.

Milita ry Parent s of Sisters M eetings are held quarter ly; please c all for details. 5 41-388 -9 013.

Oregon Band of Brothers Sisters Chapter meets Wednesda ys, 11:3 0 a.m., Takoda’s Rest aurant. 541- 549- 64 69

Sisters Aglow Lighthouse 4th Saturday, 10 a.m., meeting by Zoom. 503- 93 0- 6158

Sisters Area Photography Club 2nd Wednesday, 3:3 0 p.m., at Sisters Communit y Church. 5 41-5 49 -6157.

Sisters Area Woodworke rs First Tuesday, 7 to 9 p.m. 5 41-231-18 97

Sisters Astronomy Club 3rd Tuesday 7 p.m., SPR D. 5 41-5 49 -8 8 46

Sisters Bridge Club Thursdays, 12:30 p.m. at Sisters C ommunity Church. Email sister sbridge2021@gmail.com.

Sisters Caregi ver Sup por t G roup 3rd Tues., 10:30 a.m., Siste rs Episcopal Church. 5 41-719 -0 031.

Sisters Cribbage C lub M eets 11 a.m. ever y Wed. at S PR D. 5 09 -9 47-574 4.

Sisters Garden C lub For monthly meetings visit: SistersGardenClub.com.

Sisters Habitat for Humanit y Board of D irectors 4th Tuesday, 4:3 0 p.m.

Location infor mation: 5 41-5 49 -1193.

Sisters Kiwanis Thursdays, 7 to 8:3 0 a.m., at Aspen Lakes Golf Cours e. 541- 632- 3663

Sisters Parent Teacher Communit y 2nd Tuesday, 6 p.m. at Sisters Elementary School Commons. 917-219-8298

Sisters Red Hat s 1st Friday. For location infor mation, please c all: 541- 8 48 -1970.

Sisters Rotary 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, Noon, Aspen Lakes. 5 41-760 -5 64 5.

Sisters Veterans Thursdays, noon, Takoda’s Rest aurant. 541- 903-1123

Sisters Trails A lliance Board Meetings take plac e ever y other month, 5 p.m. In- person or zoom. Contact: info@sisterstrails.org

Three Sister s Irrigation Distric t Board of Direc tors M eets 1st Tuesday, 10 a.m., TSI D Of fice. 5 41-5 49 -8 815

Three Sister s Lions Club 2nd Thursday, 6:3 0 p.m., Spoons Rest aurant. 5 41-419 -1279. VF W Po st 813 8 and A merican Legion Post 8 6 1st Wednesday of the month, 6:3 0 p.m., M ain Church Building

Sisters Communit y Church 541- 549-14 62 (John).

SCHOOLS

Black Bu tt e School Board of Direc tors 2nd Tuesday, 3:45 p.m., Black But te School. 541- 59 5- 6203

Band has an admirable track record, winning the State Jazz Band Championships in 2022, attaining second place in 2023, and attending later this month in 2024.

However, recent conversations have been held concerning the additional support that the band program needs in order to keep functioning.

The band program only receives $1,000 per year — split between two bands,

Sisters School District Board of Directors O ne Wednesday m onthly Sisters School District Administr ation Building. See schedule online at www ssd6.org. 5 41-5 49 -8 521 x5 002. CIT Y & PARKS

Sisters Ci ty Council 2nd & 4t h Wednesday, 6:3 0 p.m., Siste rs City Hall. 5 41-5 49 -6 022.

Sisters Park & Recreation District Board of Dire ctor s 2nd

PHOTO BY SUE STAFFORD

Margaret Helen Fine celebrating a century at The Lodge in Sisters.

See FLIGHT on page 20

See CONCERT on page 8

By Olivia Nieto Correspondent

Student Elizabeth Dale said she taught her “Nothing is holding you back from doing what you want to do.”

Her student Sara Haines said “She was a pusher. She pushed everyone to do better. She knew exactly how well you could do and she expected 10 percent better. She made you expect it of yourself in the end.”

Since the small school was close to Hoodoo Ski Area, Toni believed that her students should learn to ski. However, they had to have their work done and complete 52 flashcards in less than a minute to earn the privilege. There are always one or two that didn’t measure up and spent the day in the Hoodoo cafeteria, doing their homework. School came first in Foster’s book.

She was famous for being able to teach anything. That ranged from teaching students to do the Charleston as part of a national history competition, to Spanish, Latin, botany, or entomology. She was a willing partner in getting kids outside to study natural history with the Sisters Ranger District. The partners experimented with creating “biodiversity technicians” out of middle schoolers. Kids collected insects from pitfall traps in old growth forests and sorted them to be sent off to

rare Peck’s penstemons and helped with the first federal surveys for rare mushrooms.

Her husband, Mark Foster recounted, “The system was very upset with her. She was teaching fourth and fifth graders high school Spanish, and other schools hated that. Then they got these kids and didn’t know what to do with them.” Toni was instrumental at a time when small schools were being merged in Oregon to save money. She found other small schools and they banded together to work with the lawmakers to protect schools for kids who would have been bussed long distances. The presence of her entire class sitting politely at the Oregon Legislature might have helped.

Her conservation efforts were focused on Camp Sherman, and she helped organize the “Save the Metolius” campaign, which later became the Friends of the Metolius organization, still strong today. Ranger Bill Anthony said the language she guided in the Deschutes Forest Plan is still very con-

Basin. It promoted partnership and collaboration at a time when these concepts were not well accepted by the Forest Service, creating a new landmark in direction. Anthony said she needed to push through changes that had been anchored in tradition for a long time and “This might’ve left some wounded people along the way.” In hindsight, her vision has helped keep the Metolius Basin a national treasure.

Many people describe the phenomenon of “Two Tonis.”

Her husband, Mark, said, “There was the very responsible adult that took care of things... then there was what I called the 12-year-old and you never knew which mode she would be in.” Her student CJ Adams said one Toni had a strong jaw and a frightening look, and then “there was the other Toni that was an absolute goofball... doing the crazy dance out of the blue like one of the kids.”

Her passion was focused and relentless, like a pitbull at times, refusing to let go. People knew she was not bluffing, but 100 percent tenacious, especially in her defense of kids. If she was fighting for a child, she would take on the world.

Student Sara Haines said, “Maybe she gave people the idea you can make a difference.”

Her supportive husband was the man behind the woman, but he knew exactly where he stood. Mark said “Kids were everything to Toni. The kids were always number one. I had to be willing to take the second spot because there was no

question about who was number one in her mind. So I just tried to come alongside her, help her fight her battles, pick up the pieces, and send her back in the ring. Go get’em, kid!”

Toni Foster passed away

from cancer in 2006 at the age of 59. She left a tremendous hole in the community and the school, but we still speak her name and remember her ferocious passion for kids, the Metolius Basin, and her community.

The Black Butte School teacher thought all her students should learn to ski — and she took them to Hoodoo to get it done.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Kids came first for Toni Foster. PHOTO

Helping youth deal with grief

By Sue Stafford Correspondent

The loss of a loved one is never easy, but for a child the trauma can create feelings of confusion, overwhelming sadness, loss of control, anger, guilt, and abandonment. Most children, especially the younger ones, lack the vocabulary to express what they are feeling.

Since 1999, Camp Sunrise — a place for grieving children — has held a weekend camp that provides a safe, nurturing place for children ages 7-14 to gather with others who have lost a loved one and explore their grief and loss and begin the healing process. This year there will be two sections of campers — a full weekend residential camp for age 7-12/13 and 12 hours on Saturday for 12/13-17-year-olds.

This year the camp will take place beginning Friday evening, June 14, through midday Sunday, June 16. The teens will attend all day Saturday. Camp is held at Suttle Lake Camp which has a main lodge, cabins for campers, large fields, and a space for campfires.

The program includes multiple expressive arts activities, including the creation of power sticks from

tree branches and memory boats. The boats are constructed using large pieces of ponderosa bark that will float. Using all natural materials like pinecones, sticks, flowers, bird seed, and paper, each camper makes a boat in memory of their loved one.

On Sunday morning, a procession of campers and counselors wend their way down to the shore of Lake Creek where each camper individually releases their memory boat to be carried down the creek to the river and on to the ocean, representing the circle and seasons of life.

Music is a large part of the weekend. It helps accomplish the transitions between the playful fun times and the deep moments of contemplation. The music ties the whole camp experience together. Campers learn the Camp Sunrise song, “Keep Me in Your Heart for a While,” which opens and closes the camp as the camp flag is raised and lowered.

Each year the camp is an amazing roller coaster ride of emotions, activities, fun and laughter, contemplation, new friendships, and tears. Campers discover they are not alone in their grief. There are others experiencing similar feelings of loss

and sadness.

Camp Sunrise was begun 25 years ago by Hospice of Redmond social worker Janet Whitney. In the early years, the camp was a collaboration of Redmond, Hospice of Bend (now Partners in Care), and Pioneer Memorial Hospice in Prineville, but is now solely a program of Hospice of Redmond.

Camp Director is Kat Rachman, who is the bereavement coordinator for Hospice of Redmond. Shawn Diez, a school counselor at Redmond Proficiency Academy, has served as the camp facilitator for almost a decade, overseeing the daily camp activities. Shae Gascon will serve as the music director for a second year.

The camp could not happen if not for a large group of volunteers. If interested in volunteering to help with setup and cleanup, organizing art supplies, and spending time with campers, go to www.hospiceofredmond. org/camp-sunrise/ where there are forms. A few more counselors are also needed. To register a camper please call Kat Rachman, MondayThursday, at Hospice of

Redmond, 541-548-7483.

Camp Sunrise is offered at no cost to campers, made possible by donations,

and

grants,

the sale of the Camp Sunrise tree at the Festival of Trees held every December.

Power sticks created by the campers. PHOTO PROVIDED

Camper and counselor sharing a moment.

PHOTO PROVIDED

The top two finishers in each event at District meets qualify for the OSAA State Championships, which is scheduled for May 16-17 at Hayward Field in Eugene. In addition, athletes are able to punch a ticket to state by meeting automatic qualifying standards if they don’t place in the top two. One additional state meet slot is filled in each event through a “wildcard” system that honors athletes with the “next best” mark after other qualifiers are determined.

The Outlaws had a banner day with seven first-place finishes, and four seconds, among the 17 events.

Freshman Audrey Corcoran proved she can compete with the best among 3A sprinters and jumpers as she claimed individual titles in the 200 meters (26.07) and the long jump (16 feet 2.25 inches), placed second in the 100 (12.80), and ran the third leg on the victorious 4x400 meter relay that was a state best time of 4:06.6. Sisters won the 4x400 state title in 2023 with a time of 4:10.82.

Corcoran was named “Outstanding Track Athlete of the Meet” as voted by the coaches.

“Her award was well deserved,” said head coach Jonathan Kelly. “She scored 28 points on her own and helped us get 10 more in the relay.”

Gracie Vohs, the reigning state champion in the 400, took top honors in her specialty (1:00.03) and won the high jump as well (5-feet1-inch). She placed third in a very fast 200 (26.75) and anchored the winning 4x400 relay.

“Gracie was also in the running as the athlete of the meet after scoring 26 points on her own, along with the relay,” Kelly added.

Two other seniors picked up wins, including Ella Bartlett in the 3,000 (11:17.86) and Katie Buller, who pulled off an upset in the pole vault at 9-feet-9-inches.

Bartlett also qualified for state in the 1,500 after placing second in 5:12.94.

“Katie’s win in the pole vault was a nice surprise,” said Kelly. “And Ella Bartlett ran well in her distance events and has been a wonderful leader all season, especially as a mentor for the younger girls.”

Althea Crabtree, another freshman, will be competing at state in the high jump (4 feet 11.75 inches) and the 100 hurdles (16.77) where she placed second. She also earned a wildcard bid in the pole vault with a height of 8

feet 4 inches. She also placed fourth in the 300 hurdles (49.21).

Crabtree’s classmate Josie Ryan took charge in the 800-meter race and held on for a second place finish in 2:27.53, which was a 10 second personal best.

The team of Ryan, Brooke Duey, Corcoran, and Vohs put together a very fast 4x400 relay that pulled both Creswell and Pleasant Hill well under the automatic qualifying standard as well.

“The 4x400 at state is going to be amazingly competitive,” said assistant coach Dennis Dempsey. “Along with the three teams from our district, Banks, Westside Christian, and Horizon Christian have run at or below 4:11.”

Other girls adding to the point total for the Outlaws included Shanitah Few, who placed fifth in the 100 (13.57) and fourth in the high jump (4-feet-8.75-inches). Kolby McMahon placed fifth in the 1,500 (5:41.82) and eighth in the 800 (2:49.57). Mae Roth took sixth in the 100 hurdles (18.46), and Norah Thorsett picked up eighth place in the javelin (78 feet 8 inches).

The 4x100 relay team of Duey, Kate Singleton, Devon Stevens, and Few got fifth place in 56.23.

Kelly acknowledged the spirit that senior Lilly Sundstrom contributed to the team even after a season-ending injury that kept her from returning to state after competing in both hurdles races and the long relay last year.

“I couldn’t be more proud of her for the composure she showed after not being able to compete following the 100 hurdles prelim,” he said. “She stuck around and continued to support her teammates.”

The 3A State Meet runs May 16-17 along with the 1A and 2A classifications. The 4A, 5A, and 6A teams compete on May 17-18, giving all six levels the opportunity to compete at Oregon’s Hayward Field, considered to be one of the finest track and field stadiums in the world.

Tickets can be purchased on the osaa.org website, which features the complete schedule for the event along with other spectator information.

The lady Outlaws continue to be a powerhouse in track and field. They took the District Championships for the second year in a row last week.

PHOTO BY JACK TURPIN

Physical therapist helps people get back to active life

By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief

Joe Uhan’s physical therapy practice is about much more than alleviating pain and discomfort. It’s about restoring people to the active life they love.

“People come to me not just because they have pain, but because they want to do stuff,” he told The Nugget. “And that stuff can be running a marathon, or it can be playing with your grandkids.”

Chronic pain and debility due to injury or wear and tear can be discouraging, and Uhan thrives on helping people overcome what seems like a daunting or permanent condition.

“I have garnered a following of people who come to see me when conventional treatments have failed to help them,” he said. Uhan wants clients to have hope that the thing that hasn’t been done yet will help’…. “The clientele who come to me are people who haven’t given up. That’s the people I want.”

Uhan launched Uhan Performance Physiotherapy in Eugene over a decade ago and has diligently refined his clinical practice with continual education and training. He is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Specialist and a Certified Functional Manual Therapist.

“I’m also fellowshiptrained and that’s a huge difference-maker,” he said.

Training took him to Colorado, and when it came time to return to Oregon, he chose Sisters.

“Sisters has always been on my radar,” he said. “Being able to see the Sisters when

I come around the corner to work each day is amazing.”

Uhan also serves as an assistant coach for the Outlaws’ outstanding track program. Running got Uhan into physical therapy to begin with, and running-specific coaching is part of his practice. He does running stride analysis that can help clients prevent injury.

“It’s a huge and wonderful overlap,” Uhan said.

Both coaching and PT work require “figuring out where someone is at and where they want to be,” Uhan said. In both disciplines, there is great satisfaction to be found in seeing those he works with become “stronger, fitter, more confident. It’s helping people and just seeing their potential be realized.”

While “performance” is a key part of Uhan’s mission as a physical therapist, the definition is not confined to the playing field or the track.

“Performance is a broader form of talking about function,” he said.

That function may relate to athletic endeavors — or it may be about working in the garden and taking walks in Sisters’ abundant natural beauty. Uhan serves a wide range of clients. He said his youngest have been eight to 10 years old, and his oldest was probably about 85. He said his favorite clients are

50-plus years old, still active and goal-oriented — and complicated.

Uhan has developed his practice to become what he describes as a “complex pain specialist,” and he thrives on that complexity, working to sort out the connectedness and origins of pain and debility. For example, he notes, 25 percent of foot pain can be traced to nerve pain starting in the back.

Oregon law allows clients to go directly to a physical therapist. Uhan accepts direct payment and does not contract with insurance companies. He likes the ability to work without restrictions on the scope of treatment.

He spends time with his clients, delving way back into their history of injury.

“ Everything counts,” he said.

With thorough assessment and deep experience in working through complex problems, Joe Uhan offers clients reassurance that their issues can be addressed, that “it’s not a terminal dead end.” With skill and diligent work, we can keep the active lifestyle that living in Sisters encourages and promotes.

Uhan Performance is located at 581 N. Larch St. in Sisters. To book an appointment, visit https:// uhanperformance.janeapp. com/.

Joe Uhan helps people stay active in the things they love through his physical therapy practice in Sisters.

Learning to stay safe and healthy

By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief

Knowing what to do in an emergency can be a matter of life or death. Yet most of us don’t have the training to act swiftly and correctly in an emergency.

Northwest Precision Emergency Medical Training is changing that, offering courses that range from basic babysitter safety protocols to cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to intensive wilderness first aid training.

Sisters’ first responders are highly competent, and their response times are very good — but this is still a rural area with extensive backcountry, and there is often a gap of time in which fate can turn on the ability of a civilian to act. Just knowing when to call 9-1-1 can be a critical skill. Knowing CPR can save a life, and having a skill set in wilderness first aid can make all the difference if someone takes a fall or has a medical emergency far from help.

“There’re so many things a civilian can do to help, and these things can make a difference between your loved one surviving or not,” said Tracy Trotter, principal of Northwest Precision Emergency Medical Training.

Northwest Precision Emergency Medical Training is a mobile training service that can bring its training to local folks — from church groups to civic organizations to businesses to private groups. They also offer open enrollment classes, which can be accessed at https:// northwestprecisionmedical. com/courses.

There are four instructors, two of them doctors, all with deep background in medicine and the outdoors.

“They’re the best in the field at what they’re doing,” Trotter said. “We also have a medical director over the program.”

Trotter said it is important to him that everything Northwest Precision Emergency Medical Training offers is science-based.

Trotter himself has deep background as a 21-year firefighter/paramedic. He spent five years in Norway, working in one of the most demanding ski patrol and mountain rescue environments in the world. He has been a field training officer for the Mayo Clinic. He launched Northwest Precision Emergency Medical Training in the EugeneSpringfield area, where he has provided medical support for veterans’ Honor Flights to Washington, DC.

He and his wife and three children moved to Sisters about a year ago, when his

wife took a position with St. Charles Family Clinic in Sisters. Being here is a fulfillment of a dream for Trotter.

“I never thought we’d be able to live in Sisters — and here we are!” he said.

From the very beginning of his career, Trotter has been drawn to imparting knowledge through training.

“As soon as I learned something, and I thought it would be useful to other people, I wanted to teach it to other people,” he said. “I like to think of myself as a teacher more than anything. That’s been my passion.” Classes range in length and intensity level. Child & Babysitter Safety offers basic fundamentals of safety practices and guidelines. It’s a two-hour class.

The Comprehensive CPR, First Aid, and AED Training course is a half-day course designed to equip participants with the essential skills required to provide immediate assistance and support to individuals experiencing medical emergencies. It’s geared toward anyone, from a concerned citizen, a healthcare professional, a teacher, a coach, or anyone who wants to be prepared to respond in critical situations. There is a more advanced option for health care providers.

The Wilderness First Aid course is a 16-hour/two-day course that levels deeply into response to emergencies that may occur when professional help is hours away.

In all cases, students gain skills — and the ability to recognize when a situation is dire. Trotter notes that outside-the-hospital cardiac survival rates can be correlated to the population of citizens trained in CPR.

“Knowing what to do can make the difference between a simple ER visit and planning a funeral,” he said.

Classes are tailored to students requirements — the instructors are not just walking through a video presentation.

The website notes that, “We are also one of the few training centers that will come to you and not charge a destination fee.”

“The mobile portion of that has been really key,” Trotter said.

Trotter’s mission with Northwest Precision Emergency Medical Training is to help each citizen to “learn to be a lifesaver.”

For more information visit https://northwestprec isionmedical.com/contact or Call/ Text: 541-735-5434; e-mail: info@nwmedical training.com.

CONCERT: Music has shaped many students’ lives in Sisters

Continued from page 3

that equals $500 for each. Expenses for the band program, including each festival (competition), costs $300, plus an average expenditure of $1,500 for new music.

“One thousand dollars is a great start but we need more to be successful. We’re a worthwhile investment, the money the community invests is actionable and will be put to good use,” said SHS Band Director Kayla Golka.

Community members can support the band program through attending any concerts, including the upcoming Pops Concert on Wednesday, May 22. This event will showcase Sisters High School and Sisters Middle School bands, the SMS Fiddle Club, and soloists.

“An integral part of being a musician is having an audience,” said Golka. “Art is meant to be shared, the energy you can feel on stage when you have a large audience is so empowering… Sisters is a musical community, so we would like to invite them to attend more of our musical concerts.”

The concert will include five different basket raffles, with pre-purchasable tickets. The winners of the raffle will be awarded during the show. These baskets include

everything from Sunday tickets to Big Ponderoo and Big Ponderoo swag donated by SFF Presents to a Haircare Basket plus three haircuts with Deri Frazee including 10-plus bottles of professional haircare products. All money raised will go towards the SHS Band Program.

“Band helped me find what music education and therapy is, it aided me in getting a scholarship to go to school…I’m also grateful for the family community that’s built in and outside of the classroom,” said senior Kendall Guiney.

Guiney is planning to go on to pursue music therapy at Pacific University.

“Music opportunities in the Sisters schools have provided a space for my son to connect creatively with his peers in a challenging and supportive environment… I think we should be proud of these students competing on a state level and support them with both our financial resources as well as showing up and giving them an audience,” said Meghan Flaherty — mother to Micah Dachtler, a junior at SHS who’s deeply involved in the band program, and plans to go to college to pursue music further.

Sign up for the raffle at https://tinyurl.com/shsbandraffle and attend the Pop’s Concert at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22. This concert is free to attend, but attendees are encouraged to bring money for the raffle.

Tracy Trotter has a passion for teaching citizens first aid and CPR.

PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS

Outlaws looking ahead to playoff action

By Matt Van Slyke Correspondent

Senior Night ended on a high note for the Outlaws. The Sisters Varsity Baseball team blanked Harrisburg last week for a League record of 15-3. A shutout win capped off a four-game week: Sisters beat Harrisburg 7-2 on Tuesday, May 7, defeated Taft 19-3 on Wednesday, then took down Harrisburg twice on Friday, 8-4 and 10-0.

Between Friday’s games, the team celebrated its seniors Austin Dean, Justin deSmet, Brody Fischer, and Tristen Madron.

From the mound, Fischer gave up three hits, struck out eight, and walked one over six innings. He, deSmet, and Madron each scored in the third, as did sophomores Sebastian Storch and Jace Owens.

Dean scored and drove in runs on Tuesday. Fischer drove in five runs on three hits Wednesday, and recorded three more the next game.

“He’s been having a lot of fun this year. Winning helps,” said Fischer’s dad, Kyle. “There have been a lot of past seniors that were good leaders, so I think coming into the year, he kind of knew what it meant to be a senior. There’s a good group of juniors, as well, behind us. We’re excited. I think this whole season has

been focused on, ‘Let’s get through the league and get ready for the playoffs,’ and I think they’re in a good spot to do that. It’s been a good season.”

Kyle Fischer credits a deep pitching staff for keeping the team in contention.

“At this level, pitching is everything. We’ve had some ups and downs with trying to score runs game to game but pitching’s been pretty steady, for the most part,” he said.

Storch, for example, threw 11 strikeouts on May 7. Diego Silva, a junior, recorded zero earned runs vs. Taft, as did Fischer vs. Harrisburg in the League finale.

“Oh gosh, it’s a great group of boys. It’s been a really fun season,” said Dean’s mom, Amber. “He’s been playing baseball with some of these kids since they were 4 and 5 years old. A lot of us have grown up here. It’s really fun to watch these boys be able to do that whole journey, all together.”

That journey includes a spot in the 20-team OSAA playoffs bracket.

“We’re a Top-10 team, and we’re in it. We came to win, and made sure to take (Senior Night) seriously but also have fun and come out here with energy,” said Fischer. “I feel really good. I feel like we’re evolving as a team and getting better, so I’m happy and excited for the playoffs.

Each team will get a bye week in League. Sisters’ bye is in the last week of League. There is also a week-long break between League and playoffs, so the Outlaws have two weeks off with only one game scheduled, a non-league game Thursday at Blanchet Catholic. They may be classified as

a 2A team to Sisters’ 3A but “they’re the best 2A team,” noted deSmet. “They’ve been blowing out all their competition.”

The Outlaws will also be watching on Wednesday how the La Pine at Pleasant Hill doubleheader shakes out, as it, too, may affect Sisters’ ranking.

Building & Renovating with Innovative Design and Energy-Saving Ideas!

“The best case scenario for us is being in the Top 4. You get at least two home games, assuming you win the first one, and then quarterfinals,” Fischer explained. “If we beat Blanchet, we’ll have a pretty good chance of being in the Top 4. We’ve really got to lock in on that game.”

Our team believes quality, creativity, and sustainability matter We want your home to be a work of art worthy of containing your life — Mike & JillDyer, Owners 541-420-8448 dyerconstructionrenovation.com

Brody Fischer was among the seniors recognized last week as the Outlaws look ahead to playoff competition.

PHOTO BY MATT VAN SLYKE

Go Fish Meeting

Go Fish Group will meet on Monday, May 20 , at Sisters Communit y Church at 7 p.m. e program will be presented by Phil Fisher of Sunriver and will be on “Solving Puz zles” on fly fishing. For more information cont act Gar y 541-771-2211.

Sisters Beekeepers Mee t

Calling all Sisters Country beekeepers and those intrigued by beekeeping . Gather to swap tales , share tips , troubleshoot woes , and toast successes ursday, May 23 , at 5 p.m. at e Barn in Sisters . Call Tracy at 970 -481-4 477 for more information or see you there!

STAR S Seek s Volunteers to Transpor t Patients

Help Sisters Countr y residents get to nonemergenc y medical appointments in Sisters , Redmond , and Bend . Attend a free t wo-hour training. Emails from STAR S dispatchers allow you to accept dates and times that work for your schedule, and a mileage reimbursement is included . Learn more at www starsride.org. STAR S is an AFSC Action Team.

Weekly Food Pantry

e Wellhouse Church hosts a weekly food pantr y ursdays at 3 p.m. at 222 N . Trinit y Way Both drive-through pick-up and shopping-st yle distribution are available. Info: 541-549-4184.

Free Weekly Meal Service

Family Kitchen hosts weekly togo hot meals on Tuesdays , 4:30 to 6 p.m. Sisters Community Church, 130 0 McKenzie Hwy Visit www.FamilyKitchen .org

SISTERS LIBRARY COMING EVENTS

“Shark Heart ” in Real Life: e Science of Studying Sharks Learn about sharks from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29, in the Sisters Librar y Community Room. Considered dangerous by popular media and threatened by human activity worldwide, sharks have f aced global population declines . Dr. Alexandra McInturf has been studying shark species worldwide for the last decade. As an animal behaviorist, she researches some of the most understudied components of these org anisms , including their social behavior. In this presentation, she will introduce some of the key characteristics of sharks (what makes a shark, a shark), talk about shark diversity, and finally discuss some of the projects she and other researchers are undertaking on di erent species (including white sharks) in the Big Fish Lab at Oregon State University. Find more info at www.deschuteslibrar y. org/calendar/adult

A NNOUNCEMENT S

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

Saturday, May 18

Cloverdale 4-H Pie Social Sisters Middle School

Sunday, May 19

Submariners Meeting VFW Post 4108 in Redmond

Sunday, May 19

The Art of Falconry Sisters Firehouse Community Hall

Monday, May 20

Go Fish Meeting Sisters Community Church

Calling All Submariners

e next quarterly meeting of Central Oregon Submarine

Base will be on Sunday, May 19, at 130 0 hours and will be held at the VFW Post 410 8 in Redmond on Veterans Way, east of Highway 97. Updates on the plans for a Memorial project will be discussed, as well as invitations to participate in the Lions Club Memorial service at Crooked River Ranch and Crooked River Ranch’s 4th of July parade. Spouses and friends are welcome to attend. For more information call Bill Trumble 603-953-3483 or Fran Davis 541-527-5484

Historic Guided Walking Tours in Sisters

Join ree Sisters Historical Societ y for a docent-guided tour of downtown Sisters landmarks on May 15, 26, and 29, or the Camp Polk Pioneer Cemetery on May 20 , June 12 or July 10. Take this f ree oppor tunity to learn more about who and what has helped “make Sisters , Sisters” ! All tours begin at 10 a.m., cover about one mile, and take around an hour and a half. Families are welcome. Reservations are necessary Stop in at the Sisters Museum on Fri. or Sat. (10 -4), call 541549-14 03 or email museum@ threesistershistoricalsociet y.org with your contact info and the number in your party

Furr y Friends

Volunteers Needed

Furr y Friends needs volunteers to help with their bottle and can f undraiser drive on Fridays , Saturdays , & Mondays . Sign up to take one of the days weekly. It takes 30 to 45 minutes to put donated bottles and cans in the blue fundraiser bags . e bags are processed at the donation drop-o spot on e Nug get porch, and then taken to the bottle drop at Ray ’s . Call or text Kiki at 541-797-4 023.

Free Lunches for Seniors

For those 60+, the Council on Aging of Central Oregon o ers a f un, no-cost social lunch every Tuesday, 11 a .m. to 1 p.m. at Sisters Community Church , 130 0 McKenzie Hwy. No reser vations needed. No-cost Grab-N- Go lunches take place weekly on Wed . and urs ., f rom 12:30 to 1 p.m. Call 541-797-9367.

e Ar t of Falconr y

Join local Sisters f alconer Hank Minor, as he presents an engaging and informative look at the art and practice of f alconr y on Sunday, May 19, f rom 3 to 4 p.m. at Sisters Firehouse Community Hall, 301 S . Elm St. After a brief history of the sport and the types of raptors , quarry, equipment , and facilities employed, Hank will bring out the star of the show, his female Harris’s Hawk and hunting partner, Molly. Time will be allowed for questions from the audience and photos are encouraged! All ages are welcome.

Cloverdale Livestock 4-H Pie Social

e Cloverdale Livestock 4-H Club, celebrating 76 years , welcomes you to join their annual Pie Social and Dessert Auction on Saturday, May 18, at 6 p.m. in the Sisters Middle School Commons . is is a fun evening of entertainment, friendship, tradition, and of course pie! Proceeds support club activities and community service project s . For more info, call Pam at 541-771-4979.

Sisters Habitat Volunteers Needed Are you looking for something fun to do with your free time? Volunteer with Sisters Habit at for Humanity! Call 541-549-1193 to get connected Snow flake Boutique Craf t Show

Qualit y craf t-consignors wanted for the 48th Snowflake Boutique, November 1 & 2, 2024. e first jur y will be Saturday, May 18 , beginning at noon at the Redmond Chamber of Commerce. Additional juries will be held through October More info at http://www snow flakeboutique.org or call Pat 541-383-1821 or Kim 541640-2536

Sisters Careg iver Support

A f acilitated support group for caregivers of those with chronic or life-shor tening diseases meet s 10 to 11:30 a .m. on the third Tuesday of ever y month at Sisters Episcopal Church of e Transfiguration, 121 Brook s Camp Rd . For more information, please contact Kay at 541-719- 0031

Living Well With Dementia Sisters Care Par tner Group Caring for someone who has been diagnosed with any form of dementia can be di cult. Join this facilitator-led group meeting on the 2nd and 4th ursday of the month f rom 1:30-3 p.m. at Sisters Communit y Church in Classroom 4. 130 0 McKenzie Hw y. Info: 541-6 47-0 052.

Sunday School for Children Church of the Transfiguration o ers Sunday School for children, ages 5 to 12, regardless of church a liation, during both Sunday worship ser vices. Protestant/ecumenical ser vice is at 8:30 a .m. and Episcopal service begins at 10:15 a .m. e church address is 121 Brook s Camp Rd . Sisters . For more information call Margaret Doke at 541-588-2784.

STAR S Seeks Dispatch Volunteers While working from home, help STAR S transport Sisters Country resident s to nonemergenc y medical appointments . Needed: A computer, the abilit y to use online apps, and a telephone. Call 541-9 04-5545 . STAR S is an AFSC Action Team.

Cele ation of Life

Kim Marie McCar thy

Saturday, May 18 • 1-4 p.m. Sisters Fire Hall Light appetizer potluck: Please bring your favorite football snack.

Announce Your Celebrations! Sisters community birth engagement, wedding , anniversar y notices may run at no charge Email lisa@ nug getnews .com Deadline is 5 p.m . on Fridays

CASH

is handsome 10-yearold hound dog would fit perfectly with an adopter that has previous experience with hounds . Cash is f riendly, house-trained, and could adventure out side for hours! Patience and time will help Cash show up as the amazingly a ectionate and loving dog he is.

SISTER S- ARE A C HURCH ES

Baha’i Faith

For information, devotions, study groups , etc., contac t Shauna Rocha 541-6 47-9826 • www.bahai.org www.bahai.us • www.bahaiteachings .org

Calvar y Church

484 W. Washington St. , Ste. C & D • 541-588-6288 10 a .m. Sunday Worship • www.ccsisters.org

Chapel in the Pines Camp Sherman • 541-815-9153

10 a .m. Sunday Worship

e Church of Jesus Christ of L at ter-Day Saint s 452 Trinit y Way • Branch President, 5 41-420 -5670; 10 a .m. Sunday Sac rament Meeting

e Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration 121 N Brook s Camp Rd. • 541-549-7087 www.transfiguration-sisters.org

8:30 a .m. Ecumenical Sunday Worship

10 :15 a .m. Episcopal Sunday Worship

e Resting Place meeting at Sisters Communit y Church, 130 0 W. McKenzie Hwy www.restingplace.us • hello@restingplace.us 5 p.m. Sunday Worship

POLIC

Seventh-Day Adventist Church

541-815-9848

11 a .m. S aturday Worship

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church (ELCA) 386 N . Fir Street • 541-549-5831 www.shepherdof thehillsluther anchurch.com 10 a .m. Sunday Worship

Sisters Church of the N az arene 67130 Har rington Loop Rd. • 541-389-8960 www.sistersnaz .org • info@sistersnaz .org 10 a .m. Sunday Worship

Sisters Communit y Church (Nondenominational) 130 0 W. McKenzie Hwy. • 541-549-1201 www.sisterschurch.com • info@sisterschurch.com

9:30 a .m. Sunday Worship

St . Edward the Mar tyr Roman Catholic Churc h 123 Trinit y Way • 541-549-9391

5:3 0 p.m. Saturday Vigil Mass • 9 a .m. Sunday Mass 12 p.m. Monday Mass • 8 a .m. Tuesday-Friday Mass Wellhouse Churc h 442 Trinit y Way • 541-549-4184 ht tps://wellhousechurch.churchcenter.com

10 a .m. Sunday Worship

Continued from page 2

in a kind, open and respectful manner and voice, and not assuming that one knows the basis for a particular political belief or opinion based on incomplete information.

I note that in the guest editorial Ms. Hodgson states that the person who triggered her was happily married, had two children, was driven in his job and very religious. These attributes cannot alone account for why someone likes or dislikes Trump, Biden, RFK, Jr., Jill Stein, Cornell West, Nikki Haley, Dean Phillips, or many others who seek or sought to be president. If one seeks open and civil discourse one needs to walk the talk.

Ralph Wiser

To the Editor:

s s s

Full-time job

Deschutes County deserves a full-time county commissioner. We need a commissioner that is committed to work a full work week for the citizens of Deschutes County. County Commissioner candidate Rob Imhoff stated in a townhall that he would like to keep his job as a blind installer, work two days a week as a Deschutes County Commissioner, and hire an assistant. A county commissioner must be available to respond to county crises, citizen concerns, and issues as they present themselves.

Laurie Kimmell MSgt, USAF (Ret.)

s s s

Country deserves Trump policies

To the Editor:

Look at the decisions of the past threeand-a-half years that have manifested in our country today and ask yourself the obvious question: “Am I better off today than I was in the previous administration?”

We currently have a mass migration problem in the U.S.; Biden reversed Trump’s brilliant “Remain in Mexico Policy” and cancelled the continuation of the wall. We were on our way to the lowest number of illegal invasions in our history until Biden reversed it. Now this administration wants to again put forth “one of the best immigration bills put forward in decades,” or in other words restore Trump’s immigration policies.

During Trump’s presidency we had no wars, and I believe we would not be involved in any of the current foreign wars. Also, we are spending billions of dollars to try and control other countries’ borders while leaving our borders wide open. Trump was respected and feared by world leaders. They knew he followed through with his “Peace Through Strength” policies. You strengthen the good actors and punish the bad actors.

Under Trump we did not have men competing in women’s sports and this exaggerated radical gender ideology. Does this current administration not know the difference between men and women? Did they never take an eighth-grade biology class? That’s real science! I grew up as a woman athlete, and would never have been as successful had I been made to compete with men. It’s biological, not ideological.

Currently we talk about disinformation, misinformation, and censoring information. Doesn’t that cancel free speech, our First Amendment right, and what our country stands for? We are being schooled at what to think and not how to think. We need to return to critical thinking, peaceful protesting, and accountability. Why don’t the elite college administrators at least arrest and require the not so peaceful protestors to clean and repair the damage they caused on our campuses? Higher education is unworthy of our support if they can’t control their campuses. Now they

are cancelling graduations for fear of protestors. I bet parents are happy about their wellspent money!

And lastly, I’m curious why no former president or candidate has ever been involved in so many criminal cases which Trump calls a “witch hunt.” Perhaps if he wasn’t so popular, leading in the polls and running for president, would there be no criminal investigations? Hmm… where are the formal investigations of the knowingly false testimonies and trickery collusion conspiracy between the DOJ and Trump prosecutors who tampered with evidence in 2019? What ever happened to the entire false impeachment proceedings of Trump? Where is the investigation of the now-proven false Russia collusion story funded by Hillary Clinton? Why is there not one indictment of insurrection toward Trump or his followers (who are still sitting in jail awaiting trial)? What about the censorship of Hunter Biden’s laptop and the firing of the Ukraine prosecutor? Enough! “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”. (John 8:7) It’s up to us to consider who best can run this country!

Trump deserves a second term to restore what used to be the most envied country in the world!

In regard to Trump selling a “poorly made Bible which includes the Bill of Rights and the Constitution: The quote “In God We Trust” is more concerned with what’s on the inside of a man than his exterior. Open that “poorly” made Bible and read the words in red. It just might put a skip in your step and give us all a brighter hope!

Jan Pray

s s s

Supporting McLeod-Skinner

To the Editor:

In deciding whether to vote for Jamie McLeod-Skinner or Janelle Bynum for CD5, please note what I heard on OPB last week. Bynum talked over Jamie’s response to the moderator, who had to ask her to refrain until her turn. She then laughed derisively and loudly, as Jamie detailed Bynum’s voting record. Bynum laughed again when Jamie stumbled over a word and said, “See, she can’t even talk!” When asked of differences between them, Bynum played the “Mommy” and “race“ cards, saying Jamie knows nothing of discrimination or being Black, and that motherhood has made her better (this one mentioned four times).

Jamie is stepmom to four and mentioned that she has been “outed” as lesbian her whole adult life, implying but not using her understanding of discrimination and parenthood.

Bynum’s “small business” is owning four McDonald’s franchises, and she said her main focus is economics. Jamie’s focus was everything to improve the working/middle class; education, child care, housing, rights. Know also that Bynum voted against extending the statute of limitations for rape victims, and against increasing penalties for teachers who sexually abuse students. She also claimed to have written the CHPS Bill, increasing funding for more semi conductor production. However, AFTER the federal government granted billions, a GROUP of Oregon legislators passed a funding bill in Oregon. She did not act alone.

Please vote your choice, but know why. Jamie knows our side of the state, as well as having worked successfully in city management, state boards, and local and foreign foreign recovery sites. She has far more positive accolades in her work than those few negatives, and she has persevered to work for people without the benefit of a group of elected Democrats surrounding her, or PAC money. She is honest and sincere, and treats her opponents with courtesy, unlike Bynum. Which kind of person will reflect who we are, and hear our voices?

Wendie Vermillion

Sisters-Area Events & Enter tainment

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15

Paulina Springs Books Book Talk Shauna C. Murphy presents "Animalia" (Young Adult Fantasy) 6:30 p.m. More information at www.paulinaspringsbooks.com.

THURSDAY • MAY 16

The Belfr y Live Music: Chatham Rabbits & Stillhouse Junkies 7 p.m., doors open at 6. All-ages show. Tickets $27.50/adult, $15/youth at SFFPresents.org/Concerts. Suttle Lodge Fireside Concert Series: Nick Delffs 6 to 8 p.m. Doors at 5:30 Tickets, $10, at www.bendticket.com.

FRIDAY • MAY 17

Frankie’s Upstairs Comedy: Aging with Laughter! 7 p.m. 21+ show. Stand up comedy hosted by Elizabeth Ueland. Advance tickets $20 at sistersdepot.com/our-events, $25 at the door 250 W. Cascade Ave.

Hardtails Bar & Grill Karaoke with Gaby & Annie 8 p.m. to midnight. Information call 541-549-6114.

Eurosports Food Cart Garden Car Show 5-7 p.m. Free Family- and dog-friendly Bring your cool or vintage car for the car show — or come to see them! For more info call 541-549-2471

Paulina Springs Books Magic: The Gathering nights 5 to 7 p.m. Booster Draft at 5 p.m. $15 More information at www.paulinaspringsbooks.com.

SATURDAY • MAY 18

Hardtails Bar & Grill Karaoke with Gaby & Annie 8 p.m. to midnight. Information call 541-549-6114.

Sisters Depot Live Music: Evan Mullins Solo 6 to 8 p.m. Lifelong musician, pianist, vocalist, and audio engineer Tickets $20 at sistersdepot.com/our-events.

SUNDAY • MAY 19

Paulina Springs Books Sunday Scrabble 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Come to play Scrabble, socialize, and drink coffee. Open to all. Info: paulinaspringsbooks.com.

TUESDAY, MAY 21

Ski Inn Taphouse Hotel Live Music: Evan Mullins 6-8 p.m. Free entry Info: www.sisterstaphousehotel.com.

Sisters High School MS/HS Choral Pops Concert

7 p.m. Sisters middle and high school choirs will perform in the high school auditorium. Free Info: julie cash@ssd6.org

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22

Sisters High School MS/HS Instrumental Pops Concert

7 p.m. Sisters middle and high school jazz and concert bands perform in the SHS auditorium. Free Info: kayla.golka@ssd6.org

Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Cornhole Tournament Sign up at 5:30 Free For info call Eurosports at 541-549-2471

THURSDAY • MAY 23

Sisters Depot Courtyard Live Music: Open Mic Music lovers can enjoy a variety of local talent in a lively atmosphere. 6 to 8 p.m. Info: sistersdepot.com/our-events.

Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Trivia Night Sign up at 5:30 Starts promptly at 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. Dog-and familyfriendly Free For info call Eurosports at 541-549-2471

FRIDAY • MAY 24

Sisters Depot Live Music: Dust Devils Trio 6 to 8 p.m. in the courtyard Tickets $10 at sistersdepot.com/our-events.

Paulina Springs Books Magic: The Gathering nights 5 to 7 p.m. Booster Draft at 5 p.m. $15 More information at www.paulinaspringsbooks.com.

Hardtails Bar & Grill Karaoke with Gaby & Annie 8 p.m. to midnight. Information call 541-549-6114. Eurosports Food Cart Garden Car Show 5-7 p.m. Free Family- and dog-friendly Bring your cool or vintage car for the car show — or come to see them! For more info call 541-549-2471

SATURDAY • MAY 25

Hardtails Bar & Grill Karaoke with Gaby & Annie 8 p.m. to midnight. Information call 541-549-6114.

Sisters Depot Live Music: Bob Baker & Brian Odell 6 to 8 p.m. in the courtyard Bob Baker, a talented violin player, and rock guitarist Brian Odell artfully combine acoustic guitar violin, and more. Tickets $5 at sistersdepot.com/our-events.

SUNDAY • MAY 26

Paulina Springs Books Sunday Scrabble 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Come to play Scrabble, socialize, and drink coffee. Open to all. Info: paulinaspringsbooks.com.

TUESDAY • MAY 28

Ski Inn Taphouse Hotel Live Music: Gabriel Sweyn 6-8 p.m. Free entry Info: www.sisterstaphousehotel.com.

WEDNESDAY • MAY 29

Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Cornhole Tournament Sign up at 5:30 Free For info call Eurosports at 541-549-2471

Outlaws softball squad honors senior in final game

By Matt Van Slyke Correspondent

Cooper Alport’s final atbat lasted longer than any other last Friday at Reed Stadium.

Adding foul tip after foul tip to a full count, Cooper stayed alive for 14 pitches. She’s a fighter, but it was almost as if she didn’t want to leave — the moment, the season, her team; her community.

Cooper went 2-for-4 in the season finale, hitting a double and reaching second base a second time for her second hit, on an error by opponent Harrisburg. Both times, she came around to score, notching most of her team’s three runs.

Although her final swing connected for a groundout, Cooper’s season batting average is high enough for All-League honors, Coach Gary Barr said during a postgame ceremony celebrating Sisters Varsity Softball’s one and only senior player.

Her teammates gifted her flowers, a necklace made from her favorite snacks, and a big balloon in the shape of her number, 7. Coach Barr quoted Fred Rogers of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood:

“I picked this quote because I thought it was especially appropriate for Cooper: ‘As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has –or ever will have; something inside that is unique to all time. It’s our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression.’ So with that in mind, I proudly introduce one of Sisters High School’s very unique and wonderful students.”

Cooper’s mom, Becky Boots, dad, Desmond Boots, sophomore brother, Ivan, and

little sister, Zoe, joined her out on the field as her softball family showed support from the stands.

Barr read Cooper’s words, written for the occasion:

“First, I want to say how thankful I am to finish out my season with the most loving and outgoing group of girls. I have been the only kid in my grade to play softball through all four years of high school, which in some ways has been tough but has also brought me closer to every one of my teammates. That’s the way it is. I will be graduating with an honors diploma at the end of the school year and heading to Boise State next fall to major in business marketing. I want to thank my coaches for always pushing me to do my best, and especially my teammates for keeping this season fun and full of jokes. To me, they all feel like my little sisters, and I’m so glad I got to share my last year playing softball with them.”

Alport hasn’t just played four years of softball. Asked what age she started in sports, Desmond said, ‘Oh, probably 3, with soccer. She was skateboarding, too, probably around 5. She started softball at 6, in Bend. We moved to Sisters when she was 7 or 8, then she started playing Minors here at Little League, then Majors, and then all of school. I started coaching her here when she started in Minors at 8 years old. I coached her for a few years in softball.”

Alport’s sister, Zoe, now

plays in the Minors. She and her Sisters Little League Softball teammates were among the first to embrace a teary-eyed Cooper after the game.

“Zoe looks up to Cooper, big time. She sees what her and her brother do; they’re more mature, and she kind of follows suit. It’s a big difference than when I saw Coop and Ivan grow up,” Desmond said.

He thinks the girls can thank Mom for their natural athletic ability.

“Don’t let her be modest here. She was a massive athlete,” Desmond said. “Pretty competitive in ski racing and playing soccer in Hood River. She was pretty much First-Team, All-State, AllLeague for all the sports that she played in high school.”

Becky said Cooper’s high GPA helped her earn a WUE scholarship, enabling her to pay in-state tuition for her out-of-state university. She earns money and stays busy working as a server at Takoda’s Restaurant & Lounge, and spends her free time with her boyfriend, Patrick Silva.

“They went out on a dirt bike ride the other day,” said Becky.

“We like to eat, drive, shoot sometimes — just outdoor stuff. Anything she wants,” Silva added.

Cooper said playing softball as the only senior this year brought her much closer to the rest of her teammates, and helped her build relationships with every one of them.

“Senior Night was hard

to take in, as it would be my last time playing on the field with my girls and laughing with them in the dugout,” said Cooper. “Having prom the day after Senior Night was definitely a highlight. I got to get ready with my closest friends, make flower bouquets, and take our last few pictures together before we head off to college.”

She moves in on August 15.

“Having these two events this weekend made me realize how quickly time flies in high school, and to cherish every moment with your team and your friends before it’s over.”

“We have enjoyed being a small part of your life,” Coach Barr said. “Cooper, you’ll be greatly missed by the coaches and the team.”

Cooper Alport and family celebrated senior night as the Outlaws closed out their softball season.

PHOTO BY MATT VAN SLYKE

Breaking ground for expansion…

PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS

Personalized Nutrients has been in Sisters for 12 years — and the business located on North Pine Street is growing. Staff and CS Construction gathered on Thursday, May 9, to break ground on an expansion located next to their current facility. The new building is expected to be online in a year.

Outlaws boys place fourth in District

By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent

The Outlaws boys’ track and field team matched its fourth place District finish from 2023 behind two state qualifiers and a slew of personal records among the team members. The District meet covered two days at Reed Stadium, May 9-10.

John Berg earned a wild card berth to state competition by placing third in the 400 meters with a personal record of 52.39.

“I am so happy for John this season after him being hurt last year,” said coach Jonathan Kelly. “He has flourished this year.

Reid Woodson also earned a wildcard spot, in the triple jump, where he placed third with a leap of 40 feet 1.25 inches.

Woodson finished fourth in the long jump with a personal best of 19 feet 8.25 inches. Fellow sophomore Teegan Schwartz also hit a personal record of 18-feet-10.5-inches to place fifth in the long jump and came through the next day with a fourth place finish in the triple jump at 38 feet 6.75 inches, another personal best.

Other top scorers for the team included freshman Spencer Davis, who made the final in the 100 meters where he placed fifth (11.84). He and Berg placed seventh and eighth in the 200 meter final with times of 24.17 and 24.35 respectively.

Juniors Spencer Tisdel (2:12.11) and Finn Clark (2:18.45), placed fourth and seventh in the 800, while classmate George Roberts took fourth in the 1,500 (4:32.84) and fifth in the 3,000 (10:18.42).

Endowed by our Creator

By Ryan Moffat Guest Columnist

The world as we know it is becoming slowly less and less stable. A simple observation when we look at the condition of the world clearly demonstrates the fragile moment we are all living through. Anecdotally I hear more and more cynicism, doubt, and despair about the future. Birth rates are dropping, marriage and nuclear families continue to implode, the economy is hanging by a thread and it’s beginning to psychologically effect our corporate psyches. These are actual statements I’ve heard from people in our town the last few months:

“I’ll never be able to own a home here in Sisters, might as well leave now.”

“Why would anyone want to bring children into this world?”

“What’s the purpose of all of this (life) anyway?”

In the 4x400 relay, the Outlaws team of Berg, Davis, Tisdel, and Charlie Moen narrowly missed a state berth, finishing third in 3:36.13.

In the field, Logan Ryba capped his career by taking sixth place in the discus with a personal record of 103 feet 7 inches and Moen snagged sixth place in the javelin (134 feet 11 inches).

Siuslaw overwhelmingly won the team race with 225 points, followed by Elmira (128), Pleasant Hill (83), Sisters (72), Sutherlin (63), La Pine (37), Glide (24), and Creswell (24).

So, what do you do when life feels fragile and the future seems pessimistic? The 2024 elections are coming and no doubt we’re all bracing for impact. Many people are haunted by nostalgia for the good ole days when life was simple and gas was 50 cents a gallon. What’s the best way forward when life feels directionless?

Might I suggest in these tumultuous times that the way forward is by looking backward? When things feel wobbly the place to run is to the foundations. This is why we have founding documents. The Declaration of

Independence is an incredible piece of literature that could potentially unify and motivate all of us toward a brighter future together. Listen to Jefferson as he pointedly and vividly paints a picture of a preferred future together as Americans:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Aren’t those wonderfully glorious and liberating truths? Our culture today sees social inequality and we long for something better. We espouse the correct rhetoric and wax eloquently around the ideals of freedom and the opportunity to build a meaningful and reasonably happy life. These are dreams embedded into our founding documents but more than that they’re dreams hard-wired into every human heart. We intuitively, and rightly, resonate with these ideals. No one reads Jefferson’s vision of the good life and says; “Meh, not for me, I want to be a miserable slave.”

So why does this dream seem so elusive? I believe we’ve lost a very important part of the dream embedded in the founding vision. It’s the part that has been all but cut out of our modern secular life today but it’s absence leaves our culture and nation horribly vulnerable. It’s that sneaky little phrase, “endowed by their Creator.”

This explains the social

and theological whiplash we live in today. We want the rights, we expect life, liberty, and now even demand personal happiness but we’re not so interested in the “creator/created” part of the recipe.

Jefferson’s dream was for a flourishing nation, not a bunch of individuals selfishly jockeying for their own version of the good life. The cultural narcissism and radical individualism are actively working against the vision of our founders.

We stand at a critical moment in our town, region, nation, and world. Will we just demand our rights, our life and our happiness as defined by ourselves or will we enjoy the freedom, the joy and the security that comes when we rightly see our lives (and our rights) as gifts endowed to us by our benevolent Creator?

The same Creator God who gave you those rights, those correct impulses of life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and the right to pursue them, entered the chaos and He gave up His rights. And in giving up His rights He redeems anyone who calls upon His name. My hope and prayer is that we would experience massive social renewal, greater communal joy, more unity and oneness as we move from the selfdeception of independence and restore our God-given rightful place as creatures made in His image. After all, we’ve been endowed by Him the gifts of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

By T. Lee Brown

It was a fine week for music and Shakespeare. Or maybe I should say music and wildly silly theater that riffs on Shakespeare?

Music first. My teenaged son joined me for a spirited show at The Belfry, headlined by Anna Moss, also known for her duo Handmade Moments (find my interview with her on the fabulous Interwebs at nuggetnews.com). I asked for his opinion.

“I liked the opener, Ian George, with his sentimental folk-rock songwriting style,” he said. “I thought that he had a really great personality. He wrote a beautiful song about a horse, from the point of view of the horse. It’s such an interesting way to write a song, and it was really powerful.”

Personally, I was sold on George’s groovy vibes and far-out banter between songs. Couldn’t understand the lyrics too well — maybe that electric guitarist could turn down a notch? Must all amps go to 11? — but I’ll

trust my son’s opinion on the songwriting.

On to the main event. Again, let’s ask the teenaged son: “Anna Moss and the Nightshades were super incredible. The drummer was superb, the keyboardist was goofy and talented. Laurie Shook, who was featured on backup vocals, had an incredible voice. And then, of course, Anna Moss herself has a powerful voice, distinctive songwriting style, and a great stage presence.”

Sounds accurate to me! I would double down on the talent of percussionist Fernando Lima, originally from Brazil. And I’d add that Moss is hilarious, a droll storyteller.

The New Orleansbased musician grew up in Arkansas, where, she said, “There wasn’t much to do besides religion or meth.” (Wait a beat.) “So I did both.”

Moss claimed she was jealous of Oregonians. “I love Oregon. You’ve got clean rivers, legal weed. I see you ladies out there with your reproductive rights! We don’t have that in the South.”

Standing in an old church converted to a music venue, Moss retold the story of Genesis, explaining how the tale of Adam and Eve affected her eleven-year-old self. Spoiler: the Garden of Eden story is not kind to women, who are told they’re made from a guy’s rib and that they’re responsible for the fall of humanity.

“This next song is my rebuttal to Genesis,” she announced. “It’s called ‘Penis Envy.’” (Moss added that Freud was “a weirdo” but she enjoyed studying

him.) Smooth and sultry, her voice cajoled and caressed the refrain “I’ve tasted evil” over and over, with keyboards grooving behind. Eartha Kitt would approve.

The encore got people dancing and hollering. Moss’ hip-hop parody about ladies heading outdoors included the memorable chorus, “Guess who’s goin’ campin’? Me and my b*tches!” She even managed a rhyme about cans of smoked trout from everybody’s favorite OG (Original Grocer), Trader Joe. Respect.

“Shakespeare (abridged) [REVISED] (again)”

In fair Bendora, where we lay our scene, a trio of not-so-star-crossed comedic actors perform a compressed smashup of all of Shakespeare’s plays, in approximately 97 minutes.

The setting is irresistible: a plant shop in an oddball neighborhood just off Third Street—a plant shop that happens to house a beautiful, intimate little blackbox theatre. It’s called the Greenhouse Cabaret, and it’s probably worth the price of admission just to admire the blacklight artwork painted on the bathroom walls.

The show itself features loads of over-the-top comedy, running the gamut from groan-worthy silliness to that perennial physical-comedy favorite, vomiting. Love, suicide, and gender identity shenanigans? Rape, revenge, ghost stuffies, and murthur?

“Shakespeare (abridged) [REVISED] (again)” has it all. Just like the

complete works of William Shakespeare. Deft and entertaining, Central Oregon actors Grey Conant, Kisky Holwerda, and the very funny Victoria Schaad dove into the Bard’s comedies, histories, and tragedies—and into dozens of zany costumes, props, and wigs. The gags occasionally missed their marks or found the actors working too hard, too big, pushing an already howlingly ludicrous script past its comfort zone. Mostly, the jokes landed and the audience laughed.

As for the audience: it’s helpful if you know your Horatio from your Polonius (hint: they are not internal organs), but not required. If you like slapstick or Britishish comedy, if you’re a Shakespeare fan or a theatre nerd like your devoted

columnist, this is the show for you! If not? Well, as my not-so-nerdy friend remarked afterward, “That was fun.”

The script was developed by the wacky ‘n’ witty Reduced Shakespeare Company, whose side-splitting earlier versions of this play I saw at several outdoor fairs lo, these many years yonder. Directed by Richard Choate, the Greenhouse Cabaret’s “Shakespeare (abridged) [REVISED] (again)” has been updated with mentions of local geography and assorted metawoke references.

Enjoy the romp through May 25. Tickets and information are available at thegreenhousecabaret.com; note that productions at the Greenhouse can sell out quickly.

Laurie Shook (left) of the Shook Twins sang backup for Anna Moss at The Belfry on Friday.

PHOTO BY T LEE BROWN

Tony Gonzalez

Tony Gonzalez has natural leader qualities. He’s always one to step help others On the football field, he tored younger players in what he characterizes as an ef fort “to be teammate.” Of f the field, he seeks his friends “get to where they want in life.”

Gonzalez grew up in the martial which instills those kinds of va participants.

“It brings a lot of leadership out and a lot of hard work mentalit y,” he said Gonzalez is quick to acknowledge “my freshman/sophomore year, I love high school too much.” He changed his outlook, recognizing that he had portunities in Sisters and that he wa to make the most of them. Academic he appreciates the choice of classes had in the past two years, and is currently particularly enjoying his forensics class

Gonzalez is in the midst of his firs son in track, and is a competitive lifter. He is very interested in anatom pertains to spor ts He has an oppo to play football at Thiel College in sylvania and thinks he will pursue ph education studies there, with an ward spor ts medicine or physical therap as a potential future path

“That would be a joy to me,” he said

“Congratulations, Tony! Over the past years, Tony has grown a lot as a student athlete. While I haven’t had the pleasur teaching him since ninth grade during

“You

creativity.

have.” — Maya Angelou 541-595-3838 blackbutterealtygroup.com

Outlaws golfers close out season

The Outlaws travelled to Florence, Oregon, on May 5-6-7 to compete in the 3A-2A-1A District Golf event, which is the way teams qualify for the Oregon State Golf Championships. Outlaws Golf is part of Special District 2 (SD2) which consists of 16 teams.

“Sisters plays mostly in Central Oregon, but this was a fun trip to the coast, and we were able to play a very nice layout, formerly known as Sandpines, now called Florence Golf Links,” said Coach Bill Mitchell.

The team played a practice round on Sunday, May 5, and then 36 holes of tournament play on Monday-Tuesday.

Outlaws results:

• Trent Gordon 86-82 — 168; 9th place.

• Devin Coverdale 86-86 — 172; 11th place.

• Carson Bell 85-92 — 177; 15th place.

• Dillon Luddy 108-112 — 220; 53rd place.

• Cooper Pronold 117-103 — 220; 53rd place. The team scores for the 2 days were 365-372 for a total of 737, which was good

for sixth place. These werethe best team scores of the season, Coach Mitchell noted.

Trent Gordon, who is playing both baseball and golf this spring, was low for the Outlaws. Cooper Pronold was playing in his first tournament, a tough situation, especially being a District event, but did very well posting a 103 the second day, which was used for team scoring.

The top three teams and five individuals advance to the state event, so the short spring golf season is over for the Outlaws.

100: Centenarian has lived at The Lodge in Sisters for a year

Continued from page 3

She would have liked to stay in Arizona and, she said, “it was hard to give up” — but her support system was in Oregon.

Throughout her life, June has enjoyed sewing, crocheting, and tole painting. When Sharon was a child, June made all her dresses. Her tole painting shows a real artistic flair. Granddaughter Liddy had some of the paintings printed on towels for family members so they can all enjoy June’s talent.

Bill and June enjoyed a fun partnership that benefitted friends and family. Bill built wooden birdhouses and other small structures to resemble churches, houses, and a covered bridge. June would decoratively paint them. She still has several of them as well as a recipe box full of her recipes.

Much of June’s time in Eugene/Springfield was spent volunteering at Trinity Baptist church in Springfield where she taught Bible school and Bible study. She showed this reporter her Bible that was given to her in 1942 in which she had tucked special momentos, including her pay stub from Southwest Bell Telephone for 80 hours

of work which earned her $82.30 in the early 1940s.

June has never been a big participant in sports (she never learned to swim), but she is an avid Duck and Beaver fan.

At age 92, June moved from her Eugene house into a senior apartment complex, which was difficult for her to do. With Scott in Bend, Sharon at Black Butte Ranch, and Liddy in Sisters, The Lodge seemed like a logical new home. June enjoys the small size of Sisters, with no malls and having family and her doctors and dentist close by.

Despite falling and breaking her femur right after her 99th birthday, Sharon said that June was determined to reach her 100th birthday and thanked The Lodge for the excellent care they provided June after her surgery and hospital stay.

The family celebrated June’s 100th on Saturday, May 11, with a gathering at Sharon and Mike’s Black Butte Ranch home. She was all ready for that party with her new pants hemmed and an appointment to get her hair done before the party. The Lodge will celebrate with June on May 15 with a lunch for Lodge residents.

June expressed gratitude for “my health and for my family that has put up with me. They step up and help.”

SUPPORT OUR LOCAL ECONOMY

Carson Bell, Devin Coverdale, Trent Gordon, Cooper Pronold, Dillon Luddy at Driftwood Shores.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Robert Kruger Columnist

Since the article came out where I introduced game theory in terms of rockpaper-scissors at Sisters Athletic Club, Wade has become more smug when he throws rock to my scissors. Between games, mutual acquaintances question him about my article, and he talks smack about me. And during a match, we goad each other with the specter of public humiliation.

The article changed our metagame, and the metagame is really 99 percent of what rock-paperscissors has going for it.

At Wizards of the Coast in the early 1990s, Richard Garfield and his fellow designers explained the metagame concept to me as the activity surrounding a game, and I’ll expand upon it in future articles. The Wizards team elaborated the concept from various academic game-theory papers published in the middle of the Cold War, and they incorporated metagame support into every aspect of “Magic: The Gathering,” a card game now regularly played at Paulina Springs bookstore.

In the game’s storylevel rationale, or conceit, “Magic” players are dueling wizards who draw on the specialized powers of five basic land types to cast spells. Forests represent

fecundity and rejuvenation; plains, healing and purity; swamps, the restless dead and blight; islands, illusions and mind-control; and mountains, fiery artillery and explosive effects. Land cards produce the currency of the game, called mana, used to play spell cards specific to the types of land. It’s important to include just the right amount and variety of land in your deck so that you generate no more and no less mana each turn than you need. Land types balance each other much like rock beats scissors, scissors beat paper, and paper beats rock in rock-paper-scissors. Some cards summon creatures that become units in an army; others affect the state of play with short- and longterm effects.

In addition to reprints of a few hundred base cards, known as the “core” set, Wizards continually releases all-new sets of cards with a special theme and new mechanics. Though many of the sets follow original storylines, Wizards has produced tie-in Magic sets for popular media properties like “The Lord of the Rings,” “Doctor Who,” and the post-apocalyptic video game “Fallout.” These new card sets are released in limited runs, with some individual cards being printed more than others, according to Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Mythic Rare scarcity. Given the rarity of certain cards and that some combine well with others for popular strategies, Magic has a strong collector’s metagame. Many cards fetch hundreds or thousands of dollars apiece, and

a few much more. A single mint copy of the originalset Black Lotus sold for over half a million dollars at auction in 2021, while in 2023 the unique One Ring card, from “The Lord of the Rings” set, went for over $2 million!

“Magic”’s story conceit supports the game both during play and between games. Each card has art and descriptive text that gives it flavor, and helps players understand the card’s function. Being able to imagine an unfolding narrative facilitates strategy and tactics. Magic is a strategy game, not a roleplaying game. In a roleplaying game, like “Dungeons & Dragons,” the rules support the story. In Magic, the story supports the rules. Between games, players can share anecdotes of a Magic “match, or “duel,” as a stand-in for the game’s mechanics: for example, the statement “I hit all his goblins with a Fiery Confluence spell, and then attacked him with my giant spiders,” may just seem like narrative from a fantasy adventure, but it actually communicates a very mathematical situation, where instead of choosing to directly score a couple of points against an opponent, the player eliminated multiple blocking pieces. Unlike, say, chess, the battle metaphor is consistent and concrete, and allows players to master not just half a dozen different game pieces, but hundreds to thousands.

While players can buy preconstructed decks to use right out of the box, the core appeal of “Magic” lies in the metagame of choosing cards and building custom decks.

In a draft tournament, this metagame becomes a formal extension of the game itself, as players choose cards for their decks, much like owners and coaches in a sports league choose players for their team. They then have a limited time to build their decks before play, which is like choosing which players to field. Unlike in sports, fielding all your players at once — that is, putting all your cards in your deck — is usually allowed, but it’s a very poor strategy.

Paulina Springs Books hosts “Magic” draft tournaments every Friday. Each player buys three five-dollar draft packs for a total of fifteen dollars, and in each of three draft rounds, players form a circle, open a pack, choose a card from it, and then pass the pack to the person next to them, repeating selection until the cards are gone. Drafting well requires skill, because players must seek a balance of card types and generally a deck theme of only one to three colors — not because the rules say so, but because their deck will not be playable otherwise.

After playing a mysterythemed set called “Murders at Karlov Manor”, I asked three players — Coale Wilde, Caleb Eigner, and Ethan Schneider — what strategies they brought to the draft. Coale said that the first card he chose, Warleader’s Call, determined all his subsequent draft picks, because it combines well with cheap creatures, especially the socalled “token,” or non-card, creatures generated by card effects. Caleb said that he had no preconceptions going

into the draft, but he too picked a creature that influenced his subsequent picks: Kylox, Visionary Inventor, which allows a player to sacrifice other creatures on the board to cast cards out of the deck for free. He tried to use it with cards that sacrificed magical mechanical items, called artifacts, but ultimately didn’t get the combos to work during play.

Ethan came with a general strategy based on prior knowledge of the set, and that got him to the finals. He looked for spells that removed other cards from the board until he could cast high-value late-game cards. There was one card that influenced his draft picks a bit, Lamplight Phoenix. It returns after being killed if the player has enough cards already in their discard pile, or “graveyard.” To support the phoenix’s special ability, he needed to make sure he would be discarding early in the game, so he needed to draft one-shot spells and disposable creatures.

However, his deck ultimately lost to one that prevented his creatures from attacking while his opponent built up a flying army.

The owner of that deck decided ahead of time to pick white and blue, because players don’t draft those colors as much. Metaphorically, he bet they’d draft rock, so he threw paper, and it paid off: he got an uncontested pick of cards.

The winner, whom I won’t name, admits he’s probably a weaker drafter, deck-builder, and player than Ethan. He leaned hard on the metagame.

Girls tennis sends six to next round

By Rongi Yost Correspondent

The girls tennis squad competed in the first round of districts held at the Columbia Basin Racquet Club in Richland, Washington, on Friday and Saturday, May 10-11. The team played well, and will send four singles players and one doubles team to the quarterfinals, which will be held at Crook County High School on Friday and Saturday, May 17-18.

Juhree Kizziar (No. 1 singles) blanked her two opponents, D. Patricio from Irrigon and Rodriquez from Umatilla, 6-0, 6-0.

“Juhree was the leader of the team and moved swiftly through the draw without dropping a game and only a few points,” said Coach Bruce Fenn.

Katie Ryan (No. 2 singles) was very consistent and stayed focused throughout the day. She blanked Gomorrah from Irrigon 6-0,6-0, and then beat Cordero of Crook

County 6-2, 6-0.

Shay Wyland, at No. 3 singles, tallied a 6-3, 6-0, win over Valencia of Irrigon and then recorded a 6-1, 6-0, victory over Diaz. Wyland was also consistent and focused throughout both matches.

Rylie Bick (No. 4 singles) rounded out the singles victories. Bick recorded a 6-0, 6-1, win over Rodriquez of Irrigon, and then won 3-6, 6-3, 10-3, in a big upset over No. 4 seed Torre of Irrigon.

Fenn said, “Rylie defeating Torre was the story of this first round. Rylie was the underdog, but fought back after losing the first set. She was exhausted, but determined. The new tactic was to get Torre moving more than Rylie. That worked, and Rylie stormed back to win the second set, and then cruised to a win in the sudden death tiebreaker.”

In doubles play, the duo of Leah O’Hern and Sophie Rush blanked Bish and Riggs 6-0, 6-0, and then notched a

6-3, 7-5, win over Ollivaries and DeloReyes of Madras. The Outlaw pair stayed positive in their second match. After easily winning the first set, they faced a possible tiebreaker, but were able to close it out 7-5.

Sisters No. 3 doubles (Stahn and Carter) and No. 4 doubles (Sullivan and Panozzo) are all freshmen players.

“These freshman girls all played well and the experience they gained is invaluable,” said Fenn. “They are an inspiration on our team.”

Fenn added, “It’s exciting to watch our team pull together. We will rest up Monday and then hit the hard courts for practice. This year has been a roller coaster of bad weather which prevented outside practices, but the kind invitation from Eagle Crest moms and dads to have our team as guests helped greatly and gave our team a chance to practice. We are on a mission to defend our title from last year.”

Fentanyl awareness on agenda

By Ben Botkin Oregon Captital Chronicle

A national nonprofit organization released a new program on Tuesday, May 7, to help families navigate the hazards of fentanyl and prevent deaths of young people as Oregon continues to battle the lethal drug epidemic.

Song for Charlie, a nonprofit focused on raising awareness about fake fentanyl pills, launched The New Drug Talk Oregon, an educational web-based platform with free information about the risks of fentanyl and the dangers of self-medication and experimentation. The program also gives families guidance on how to

discuss the drug, which is highly lethal and commonly found in counterfeit prescription drugs and sold illegally.

The campaign was one of several in Oregon to start on Tuesday and coincides with National Fentanyl Awareness Day. The Oregon Health Authority launched a five-week campaign to educate Oregonians about fentanyl risks, harm reduction strategies like fentanyl test strips, and how to respond to an overdose. The state’s campaign will unfold on the health authority’s English and Spanish-language Facebook accounts.

More than 300 young Oregonians 15 to 24 years old have died of drug overdoses

in the last five years, many of them from fentanyl, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. The rate of teen drug-related deaths has increased in the state nearly sixfold.

Meanwhile, a survey of Oregon parents and youth commissioned by Song for Charlie found persistent gaps in how families are responding to the crisis. Nearly three-quarters of Oregon parents said they talked to their children about the dangers of prescription pills laced with fentanyl. But only about 40 percent of young people said they remember having this conversation.

Republished under Creative Commons.

Boys tennis competes at district tournament

By Rongi Yost Correspondent

The boys tennis squad took six players to the first round of districts which was held Friday and Saturday, May 10 and 11, at the Cascade Racquet Club in Richland, Washington.

Dominic Pulver (No.1 singles) and Jack Murray (No. 3 singles) had great performances, beat both their opponents, and will advance to the second round of district play which will be held at Crook County High School Friday and Saturday, May 17 and 18.

“These two have worked hard all year to improve their skills, and strategically this tournament they both played smart games that paid off with wins,” said Coach Vince Grace. “These guys are best

friends that support each other every day, and as a team we are all very excited to see them continue on.”

Jude Parzybok (No.2 singles), Westin Dean (No. 4 singles), and the doubles team of Finn Stancliff and Joseph Derksen also competed at the event.

“At the end of the day I was really impressed by how hard the team fought,” said Coach Grace. “We won all of our matches, and it was the most successful day of the season.

“My favorite win of the day was from Westin Dean, who played in his first singles games of the season,” added Grace. “He has acquired a taste for the love of the game; his positive attitude is contagious, and he has come a long ways from the start of the season.”

Just Like Us: MIRIAM

By Lisa May

In a previous column, I adopted a view of literature as a time machine that enables us to view people and places from the past. That distant culture might look a little different from ours but, at a heart level, those people aren’t all that different from us.

This time we are going to crank the controls on the time machine back about 3,500 years ago. Through the pages of the Bible, we will take a look at a woman named Miriam.

Miriam’s people, the Hebrews, have been living in slavery in Egypt for hundreds of years. The Egyptian ruler has a concern that these Hebrew people are a threat. As their numbers grow, so does their ability to turn against Egypt. The ruler has an idea to preserve his people and his power. He gives the order that every Hebrew

baby boy born will be killed by being thrown into the river.

About this time, Miriam’s mother discovers that she is expecting. A fine baby boy is born and the family manages to safely hide him for a few months. Eventually the family makes a plan to save the baby from being thrown in the river by setting him afloat in a little basket in the river. Big sister Miriam is stationed at a distance to keep watch over her baby brother. The daughter of the Egyptian ruler discovers the basket and claims the baby boy for her own. But someone has to nurse that baby, and our heroine, Miriam, is clever and courageous enough to step up to the Egyptian princess and offer to find a Hebrew woman to take care of this baby. Ironically, Miriam’s mother gets paid by the daughter of the Egyptian ruler to raise her own son.

If you haven’t already figured it out, Miriam’s baby brother is none other than Moses—the man of parting seas and stone tablets written with commandments. God Himself appears to Moses in a flaming bush to tell him that he will lead the Hebrews—the nation of Israel—out of Egypt. Moses resists the whole idea and doesn’t think he is worthy, but he finds it hard to argue with the voice of God

thundering from a flaming bush, so he agrees.

The next time we meet Miriam is after Moses and his brother Aaron—backed by the miraculous work of God—have secured the release of the people of Israel from Egypt. Moses raises his staff, the Lord divides the sea, and Israel crosses on dry ground. The soldiers of Egypt are destroyed when the Lord collapses the waters of the sea on them. And there is Miriam, on the far shore of the sea with the people of Israel, playing a tambourine and acting as a worship leader as the people sing praise to God.

I don’t know about you, but so far I’m not sure I can relate to Miriam. I have never been the hero that saved my brother’s life. I have never led a nation in worship. But the next story about Miriam is one that I can very much relate to.

After the miracle at the sea, the people of Israel continue their trek into the wilderness for over a year before we meet Miriam again. This time she is not the hero. The problem we humans have is that success tends to lead us to this thing called pride. The people have begun to grumble against their leader and Miriam and Aaron jump on the grumbling bandwagon. Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses, questioning his leadership, and the Lord,

who had affirmed Moses through some pretty spectacular miracles, is angry. Miriam is struck with a skin disease.

Thankfully, Miriam’s brothers rally to help her recover from both her pride and her disease. Aaron admits they have acted foolishly and Moses asks the Lord to heal her. Miriam is healed, but she must remain outside the camp for seven days and the people have to stay put and wait for her. Imagine her shame when the woman who had led the nation in worship must now face the reality that the nation knows of her discipline for rebellion. After elevating her own honor and opinions against God’s appointed leader and mediator, she now faces the humiliating consequences for her pride.

Along with the rest of her generation, Miriam dies in the wilderness before reaching the land the Lord had promised His people. But she gets one more mention.

Micah, a minor prophet living centuries after Miriam, speaks for the Lord, “For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.” In the end, the Bible affirms Miriam as a leader of Israel. Miriam was humbled, but she was also restored. Is there a lesson for modern readers in this? I know I find one for myself. I have some pretty strong opinions about life in general. Sometimes pride can rise up like a monster and I act out of an attitude roughly equal to, “Has not the Lord spoken through me also?” Sometimes I have to take a time out for a while and reverse that pride. How about you? Have you wrestled with the beast called pride? What will it take for you to be humbled?

Lisa May is an author of blogs, books, and Bible studies available at www. logbridgebooks.com

Sculptor featured at Sisters gallery

Toriizaka Art will host an exhibition of celebrated artist Chas Martin.

Martin, who lives in Portland, is a visual artist who communicates his philosophy and musings in his work. His sculptures, masks, and paintings are inspired by dreams and imagination – often speaking through symbols using a petroglyphlike style to explore universal characters and situations. The resulting images are thoughtprovoking and stretch our imaginations. The Exhibition, titled “Abstract Illusions: Faces in Art” will showcase Martin’s innovative sculptures and masks.

Before becoming a fulltime artist, Martin studied at the acclaimed Pratt Institute in New York City and worked as a successful artistic and creative director in ad agencies both in Boston and San Francisco. In 1981 he moved to Oregon and worked in communications design and consulting while concurrently experimenting with different two- and three-dimensional art forms.

RV PARK: Hearing on code changes was continued

Continued from page 1

caters to the growing sector of the tourism industry that travels in RVs” to be sited on the property.

The code changes are suggested by the applicant.

The public hearing was continued from an April 18 session. Commissioners deferred full deliberations, which are expected to take place during the May

FLIGHT: Students will learn to fly with EAA support

Continued from page 3

by EAA through an application process.

If selected, they mentor and support the scholarship recipient throughout their flight training journey. Once selected as a scholarship participant, candidates also commit to volunteer service with the local EAA chapter.

EAA Chapter 1345 is one of 900 local chapters of the Experimental Aircraft Association, the world’s largest organization for recreational flying.

It meets at the Bend Builder’s Assist hanger on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m.

In 2006, he turned to art fulltime and now works daily from his Multnomah Village studio where he creates, mentors artists, and offers classes.

Martin is an avid traveler and has found inspiration in his journeys. One fateful day in 2015 near Sedona, Arizona, he experienced what he describes as a transformative moment that forever changed his approach to art. “What if? What else? Why not?” became the three questions that began to guide his artistic journey, elevating each of his sculptures beyond mere physical forms.

With a keen desire to push boundaries, Martin strives to make each piece significantly different from its predecessor. He lives by the mantra “If you’re not creating problems to solve, you’re not being very creative.” This unique approach blends playfulness with seriousness and results in a body of work that blurs the boundaries between reality and imagination.

Chas Martin said “This exhibition represents a synthesis of my experiences and

16 session. Several Commissioners expressed some reservations about the suggested code changes at the April 18 hearing. The Commissioners can accept the code changes as proposed, reject them entirely, or suggest modifications.

Several citizens testified on April 18 with concerns about the potential impacts of an RV Park at the site.

Commission chair Jeff Seymour expressed concern that the lines were getting blurred between the development code changes — the focus of the hearing — and potential

emotions. I am pleased to share these transformative masks and sculptures and I invite viewers to explore the depths of their own subconscious through these pieces.”

Toriizaka Art’s Karen Thomas, shared, “Chas Martin is a thoughtful and creative artist and we are privileged to host his work. His ability to fuse surrealism with raw emotion is compelling and we believe this exhibition will resonate with art lovers seeking a transformative experience.” Visitors will enjoy the intricate symbolism in each piece, Martin’s masterful use of color, and the artist’s ability to evoke emotional depth, humor, reflection, and sometimes, all three.

The “Abstract Illusions: Faces in Art” exhibition opened to the public on May 14 at Toriizaka Art in Sisters. The artist will be present during the Fourth Friday, Sisters Artwalk (May 24, 4 to 7 p.m.) and will be giving a talk about his work at the gallery on Saturday, May 25, at 4 p.m.

plans for the development. As far as the formal planning process goes, specific development issues such as traffic impact are outside the scope of the code changes the planning commission is currently addressing. If the planning commission approves the code changes, the next steps for the developer would be to craft a detailed development plan for the property. It is at that point in the process that issues such as traffic and the specific proposed uses of the property would be up for discussion and debate.

SUDOKU Level: Moderate Answer: Page 23

Nugget Poetry Corner

Chew and Slurp

ByAlissaCowan

Sitting at the br eakfast table, and One gets his food

Chomping and chewing his cer eal, how rude!

He slops and he slur ps his milk with such fo rce

Dripping c hin, he sounds like a hor se

We wait ir ritably as we watc h what happen s

Gobbling in rhythm now – “Someone get this guy a napkin! ”

Now it’s time for lunc h to come ar ound

Looking acr oss the table, anticipating the dr eaded sound

He smiles and cr unc hes w hen he gets ser ved fir st

Gulping and gur gling – that sound is the wor st!

When dinner is ser ved, we all w ait for a plate

As mom gets the for ks fr om the dr awer at fast rate

To gether – we start eating with a chomp, chew, slur p, gulp

Talking and eating until we ar e full

I look acr oss the table to see that little gu y

And suddenly I r ealized the entir e meal had passed by

Without a burp or a slur p, a gobble cr unc h or chew

I didn’t hear him once, not even a few

Because w hen we’ re ALL eating, no one hear s just the one

We all make chewing noises, making mealtime fun

The Northern Lights made an exceptional appearance in the Sisters skies on Friday night.

PHOTO BY KELLEN KLINE

developments, businesses, or public facilities such as parks and utilities.

The City’s UGB Amendment process is in response to State-mandated planning studies each city is required to conduct periodically. Recently, the City has updated its Comprehensive Plan, Housing and Economic Needs analyses (based on the 2043 population projections), and Buildable Lands Inventory to determine how much buildable land remains within the existing boundary.

According to City planning staff, those studies have concluded that the current Sisters UGB — which is the same area as the existing City boundary — will not be able to accommodate the expected growth and that several hundred additional acres are necessary.

“The State requires cities in Oregon to plan to accommodate a 20-year supply of growth within its UGB, and also plan for the transportation, utilities, and parks to serve it. Cities cannot just say ‘no’ to development in Oregon — we must plan for it,” said Community Development Director Scott Woodford. “Therefore, cities can accommodate it through increased infill development within its existing boundary or expand its UGB outwards. The Sisters City Council has determined that the best path for the future is a combination of ‘going up’ (through infill development) and ‘out’ through an expanded UGB to properly balance future growth.”

As part of this process — approximately 18 months in duration — the City will analyze the suitability of all

lands within a half mile of the existing City boundary to be eligible for inclusion in the expanded UGB, followed by evaluating different UGB expansion area alternatives, and culminating in a preferred UGB expansion alternative that will be the subject of a formal land-use review process.

While State statute dictates a prescribed, technical process for UGB expansions, public input is both welcome and necessary throughout this process in order to ensure all perspectives are heard and support is built for the process and ultimate boundary amendment, Woodford noted.

There are multiple ways to stay up to speed and be engaged during the process: consult the project website at: https://www.ci.sisters.or.us/ community-development/ page/2024-urban-growthboundary-amendment, which includes frequently asked questions, story maps that help explain this process, project updates and instructions on how to sign up for automatic email updates.

“Also keep an eye out for open houses, surveys, community conversations, flyers, Nugget articles, social media posts, and Planning Commission and City Council meetings related to the topic,” Woodford stated.

“Finally, we are also looking for community volunteers to be on the UGB process Steering Committee, which will review draft materials, assist with the public engagement, and make key recommendations to City Council throughout the process. Along with elected and appointed officials, city staff, and farm and forest interests, the City is looking for six citizens to participate on the Steering Committee.”

More information and applications are available on the project website now through May 24.

Art for the hungry…

Sisters artists Steve Mathews and Brad Earl donated the proceeds of a recent sale of some of their work to the Sisters Kiwanis Food Bank. They hope to make contributions from the art community a regular thing.

PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS

Week’s Crossword Sponsors

ALL advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination call HUD toll-free at 1-800-669-9777. The toll-free telephone number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-927-9275.

CLASSIFIED RATES

COST:

$3.50 per line for first insertion, $2.50 per line for each additional insertion to 9th week, $1.50 per line 10th week and beyond (identical ad/consecutive weeks). Also included in The Nugget online classifieds at no additional charge. There is a minimum $5 charge for any classified. First line = approx. 20-25 characters, each additional line = approx. 25-30 characters. Letters, spaces, numbers and punctuation = 1 character. Any ad copy changes will be charged at the first-time insertion rate of $3.50 per line. Standard abbreviations allowed with the approval of The Nugget classified department. NOTE: Legal notices placed in the Public Notice section are charged at the display advertising rate.

DEADLINE: MONDAY, noon preceding WED. publication. PLACEMENT & PAYMENT: Office, 442 E. Main Ave. Phone, 541-549-9941 or place online at NuggetNews.com. Payment is due upon placement. VISA & MasterCard accepted. Billing available for continuously run classified ads, after prepayment of first four (4) weeks and upon approval of account application.

CATEGORIES:

102 Commercial Rentals

STORAGE WITH BENEFITS

8 x 20 dry box

Fenced yard, RV & trailers

In-town, gated, 24-7

EWDevcoLLC@gmail.com

OFFICE/RETAIL

SPACE FOR RENT

Great location across from Ace Hardware. Several space types available. Call owner Jim Peterson/RE Broker. 503-238-1478

MINI STORAGE

Sisters Rental

331 W. Barclay Drive 541-549-9631

Sizes 5x5 to 15x30 and outdoor

RV parking. 7-day access.

Computerized security gate. Moving boxes & supplies. 103 Residential Rentals

CASCADE HOME & PROPERTY RENTALS

Monthly Rentals throughout Sisters Country. 541-549-0792

Property management for second homes. CascadeHomeRentals.com

PONDEROSA PROPERTIES –

Monthly Rentals Available–Call Debbie at 541-549-2002

Full details, 24 hrs./day, go to: PonderosaProperties.com

Printed list at 178 S. Elm, Sisters Ponderosa Properties LLC

104 Vacation Rentals

~ Sisters Vacation Rentals ~ Private Central OR vac. rentals, Property Management Services 541-977-9898

www.SistersVacation.com

Downtown Vacation Rentals

Popular 1 and 2 Bedroom SistersVacationRentals.net Great pricing. 503-730-0150

201 For Sale

Golf practice net with driving range grass mat. $10. 541-549-4070

Rehoming Player Piano Beautiful condition, Hazelton Bros Deluxe. Nice sound, 30 scrolls. 503-931-8817 for info/photos.

202 Firewood

Oak and plum firewood logs approximately 2.5 cords per load. Delivered, $500 per load. Custom rough-sawn saw-milling available. Live edge, coffee tables, custom dimensions. Please call or text 936-600-2132. Sunnyblueskys94@gmail.com

• SPRING SPECIAL • SISTERS FOREST PRODUCTS

DAVE ELPI – FIREWOOD

• SINCE 1976 • KINDLING

Doug Fir – Lodgepole –Hardwood – Juniper – Fir

DRIVE-IN WOOD SALES

– 18155 Hwy. 126 East –SistersForestProducts.com

Order Online! 541-410-4509 T H

205 Garage & Estate Sales

Multi-Family Yard Sale in CROSSROADS. Friday & Saturday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Furniture/household, craft/quilting supplies, toys, kid/baby items, clothing, tools, pet items, tack, bikes, sporting/camping gear, garden equipment, jewelry, books, knickknacks, and MUCH MORE! 14597 Bluegrass Loop.

HERITAGE USA

Open daily 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. 253 E. Hood Ave., Sisters. Happy Trails Estate Sales and online auctions!

Selling, Downsizing, or Deaths? Locally owned & operated by... Daiya 541-480-2806

Sharie 541-771-1150

TOLLGATE

ANNUAL COMMUNITY

GARAGE SALE

Fri. & Sat., May 31 - June 1, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Located just 1.5 miles west of the roundabout on Hwy. 20. A map of participating homes will be available at tollgatepropertyowners.com.

301 Vehicles

We Buy, Sell, Consign Quality Cars, Trucks, SUVs & RVs ~ Call Jeff at 541-815-7397 Sisters Car Connection da#3919 SistersCarConnection.com

S!! They're on the Web at www.nuggetnews.com Uploaded every Tuesday afternoon at no extra charge! Call 541-549-9941

Deadline for classified is Monday by noon

401 Horses

ORCHARD GRASS HAY

New crop. No rain. Barn stored. 3-tie bales. $300-$360/ton. Hwy. 126 & Cline Falls. 541-280-1895

403 Pets

I’ve got your cats covered! Sisters-Tumalo-PetSitting.com 541-306-7551 • Julie

Uno is a 2-month-old kitten with a lot of spunk. He would be a good addition to any family. Apply to adopt him or his siblings at: sisterswhiskers.org

Brando's Natural Dog Biscuits brandosbyjulie.etsy.com

500 Services

• DERI’s HAIR SALON • Call 541-419-1279

GEORGE’S SEPTIC TANK SERVICE “A Well Maintained Septic System Protects the Environment” 541-549-2871

Junk removal, new home, garage & storage clean-out, construction, yard debris. You Call – We Haul! 541-719-8475

SMALL Engine REPAIR

Lawn Mowers, Chainsaws & Trimmers Sisters Rental 331 W. Barclay Drive 541-549-9631

Authorized service center for Stihl, Honda, Ariens/Gravely, Cub Cadet, Briggs & Stratton, Kohler, Kawasaki Engines

501 Computers & Communications

Technology Problems?

I can fix them for you.

Solving for Business & Home Computers, Tablets, Networking Internet (Starlink), and more!

Jason Williams Sisters local • 25 yrs. experience 541-719-8329

Oregontechpro.com

3 Sisters TeleNetworks, LLC

Cable jobs, security cameras, WAPs. CCB #191099 541-318-7000 • 541-306-0729

Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning

GORDON’S LAST TOUCH

Cleaning Specialists for CARPETS, WINDOWS & UPHOLSTERY

Member Better Business Bureau • Bonded & Insured • Serving Central Oregon Since 1980 Call 541-549-3008

M & J CARPET CLEANING Area rugs, upholstery, tile & dryer-vent cleaning. Established & family-owned since 1986. 541-549-9090

Handyman

UPGRADES LLC Home Repairs & Remodeling Drywall, Decks, Pole Barns, Fences, Sheds & more. Mike Jones, 503-428-1281 Local resident • CCB #201650

4 Brothers Tree Service Sisters' Premier Tree Experts! – TREE REMOVAL & CLEANUP –Native / Non-Native Tree Assessments, Pruning,

Custom Homes • Additions

Residential Building Projects

Serving Sisters area since 1976

Strictly Quality

CCB #16891 • CCB #159020 541-280-9764

John Pierce jpierce@bendbroadband.com

Lara’s Construction LLC.

CCB#223701

Offering masonry work, fireplaces, interior & exterior stone/brick-work, build barbecues, and all types of masonry. Give us a call for a free estimate 541-350-3218

Uncompromising quality. Local and personal. You can trust me. All projects: From new construction to those little projects you don't seem to get to. My team of local subcontractors and I will get it done right, fair, and pain-free so you can make your spouse happy. Call Jared 503-949-9719

Earthwood Timberframes

• Design & shop fabrication

• Recycled fir and pine beams

• Mantels and accent timbers

• Sawmill/woodshop services EWDevCoLLC@gmail.com

Pat Burke LOCALLY OWNED

CRAFTSMAN BUILT

CCB: 228388 • 541-588-2062 www.sistersfencecompany.com

602 Plumbing & Electric

Ridgeline Electric, LLC

Serving all of Central Oregon

• Commercial

• Residential

• Industrial • Service

541-588-3088 • CCB #234821 SWEENEY

PLUMBING, INC.

“Quality and Reliability” Repairs • Remodeling

• New Construction

• Water Heaters 541-549-4349

Residential and Commercial

Licensed

• Bonded • Insured CCB #87587

SUDOKU

for puzzle on page 20

603 Excavation & Trucking

Full Service Excavation

Free On-site Visit & Estimate

Tewaltandsonsexcavation@gmail .com

541-549-1472 • CCB #76888

Drainfield

• Minor & Major Septic Repair

• All Septic Needs/Design & Install

General Excavation

• Site Preparation

• Rock & Stump Removal

• Pond & Driveway Construction Preparation

• Building Demolition Trucking

• Deliver Top Soil, Sand, Gravel, Boulders, Water

• Dump Trucks, Transfer Trucks, Belly

• The Whole 9 Yards or 24

Whatever You Want!

ROBINSON & OWEN

Heavy Construction, Inc.

All your excavation needs

*General excavation

*Site Preparation

*Sub-Divisions

*Road Building

*Sewer and Water Systems

*Underground Utilities

*Grading

*Sand-Gravel-Rock

Licensed • Bonded • Insured

CCB #124327

541-549-1848

BANR Enterprises, LLC

Earthwork, Utilities, Grading, Hardscape, Rock Walls

Residential & Commercial

CCB #165122 • 541-549-6977 www.BANR.net

604 Heating & Cooling

ACTION AIR

Heating & Cooling, LLC

Retrofit • New Const • Remodel Consulting, Service & Installs actionairheatingandcooling.com

CCB #195556 541-549-6464

605 Painting

~ FRONTIER PAINTING ~

Quality Painting, Ext. & Int. Refurbishing Decks

CCB #131560 • 541-771-5620 www.frontier-painting.com

EMPIRE PAINTING

Interior and Exterior Painting and Staining

CCB#180042 541-613-1530 • Geoff Houk

METOLIUS PAINTING LLC

Meticulous, Affordable

Interior & Exterior 541-280-7040 • CCB# 238067

SEEKING EMPLOYMENT?

Check out the Help Wanted ads NEED ASSISTANCE?

Advertise in the Classifieds Call 541-549-9941

Complete landscape construction, fencing, irrigation installation & design, pavers/outdoor kitchens, debris cleanups, fertility & water conservation management, excavation.

CCB #188594 • LCB #9264 www.vohslandscaping.com 541-515-8462

All Landscaping Services Mowing, Thatching, Hauling Call Abel Ortega, 541-815-6740

Alpine Landscape Maintenance

An All-Electric Landscape Company.

Text/Call Paul 541.485.2837 alpine.landscapes@icloud.com

Keeping Sisters Country Beautiful Since 2006 candcnursery@gmail.com 541-549-2345

– All You Need Maintenance –Pine needle removal, hauling, mowing, moss removal, edging, raking, weeding, pruning, roofs, gutters, pressure washing. Lic/Bonded/Ins. CCB# 218169 Austin • 541-419-5122

701 Domestic Services

I & I Crystal Cleaning, LLC Specializing in Commercial, Residential & Vacation Rentals. Licensed, Bonded & Insured. 541-977-1051

BLAKE & SON – Commercial, Home & Rentals Cleaning WINDOW CLEANING! Lic. & Bonded • 541-549-0897 THE NUGGET NEWSPAPER

802 Help Wanted

Part-Time Sales Associate

We are looking for a friendly, outgoing, and reliable Retail Sales Associate. Workdays would be Thursday, Friday, Saturday and fill in. Email application to: amber@ villageinteriorsdesign.com Work outside as a ranch hand/general helper in Sisters. $25/hour. Position can be FT/PT, depending on availability. 559-906-8791

Local Sisters company looking for Executive Assistant 20-30 hrs./week, including driving to Portland and other locations in Oregon. Prior experience required, wage DOE. Email resumes or questions to KAnderson@mtngroup.net.

999 Public Notice SPECIAL EDUCATION RECORD RETENTION ANNOUNCEMENT

This notification is to inform parents/guardians and former students of Sisters School District's policy of destroying special education records upon the expiration of six years from the date that services end. These records will be destroyed in accordance with state and federal laws unless the parent/guardian or adult student notifies the Sisters School District. Otherwise, the Sisters School District will be destroying any unclaimed Special Education records for students who exited Special Education services in the district in the year prior to and including 2016-2017. If you have records that would be available for claiming, please contact our Special Services Record Secretary at 541-549-4045 x5777 before June 14, 2024.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO CONSIDER ADOPTION OF AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF BLACK BUTTE RANCH RURAL FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Directors of Black Butte Ranch Rural Fire Protection District will hold a SECOND public hearing on May 23, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. The meeting will be held at the Black Butte Ranch RFPD Fire Station located at 13511 Hawks Beard, Black Butte Ranch, Oregon. To attend the hearing virtually or for questions, contact Jamie Vohs at (541) 595-2288 or jvohs@blackbutteranchfire.com. The public hearing will be held for the purpose of considering adopting the proposed ordinance below and to receive comment from the public on the ordinance. 24-0523 Emergency and Non-Emergency Fees Comments, both written and phone in, will be subject to a three-minute limit per community member. To schedule public comment, please provide your name, phone number, and address with the district at (541) 595-2288, or email to jvohs@blackbutteranchfire.com.

Public comment must be scheduled no later than 9 a.m. on May 22, 2024. Any person may provide comments at the meeting.

NOTICE OF BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING

A public meeting of the Budget Committee of the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District, Deschutes and Jefferson Counties, State of Oregon, to discuss the budget for the Fiscal year July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, will be held at 301 South Elm Street in Sisters. The meeting will also be broadcast via Zoom.

The meeting will take place on May 28, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. A second meeting, if needed, is scheduled for May 29, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to receive the budget message and to receive comments from the public on the budget.

Public comment will be taken in written and phone-in format. Written comments received by 9 a.m. on May 20, 2024, will be read during the public comment section of the meeting on May 28, 2024. Comments by phone/Zoom will be taken on a scheduled basis during the public comment section of the meeting on May 28, 2024. Comments, both written and phone-in, will be subject to a three-minute limit per community member. To schedule public comment, please provide your name, phone number, and address to the district at (541) 549-0771, or email to spor@sistersfire.com. Public comment must be scheduled no later than 9 a.m. on May 20, 2024. A copy of the budget document may be inspected online at www.sistersfire.com or obtained by mail on or after May 10, 2024, via email request to spor@sistersfire.com or phone request to (541) 549-0771. This is a public meeting where deliberation of the Budget Committee will take place. Call-in/Zoom instructions are as follows:

Topic: Budget Committee Meeting

Time: May 28, 2024, 03:00 PM

Pacific Time (U.S. and Canada) https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86852 990749?pwd=btpA1PzE1oU0pxa eEbpJxb0UIDUXac.1

Meeting ID: 868 5299 0749Passcode: 796280

Dial by your location - +1 719 359 4580 U.S. - Meeting ID: 868 5299 0749 - Passcode: 796280 *Second meeting if needed: Topic: 2nd Budget Committee Meeting (if needed)

Time: May 29, 2024 03:00 PM

J&E Landscaping Maintenance

LLC Clean-ups, raking, hauling debris, thatching, aerating, irrigation, mowing. Edgar Cortez 541-610-8982 jandelspcing15@gmail.com

Part-Time Sales Associate

We are looking for a person who is friendly, outgoing and reliable; someone who enjoys working with the public in a team environment. Workdays are Friday, Saturday, and Monday. Applications available at the Stitchin' Post, 311 West Cascade in Sisters or by email diane.j@stitchinpost.com. Questions? Contact diane.j@stitchinpost.com

A copy of the proposed ordinance may be obtained upon request at the Fire Station located at 13511 Hawks Beard, Black Butte Ranch, Oregon 97759 or by email request to jvohs@blackbutteranchfire.com or phone request to (541) 595-2288. The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. Requests for other accommodations should be made to Black Butte Ranch RFPD at (541) 595-2288 at least 48 hours before the meeting.

– Advertise with The Nugget –541-549-9941

Pacific Time (U.S. and Canada) https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85450 730921?pwd=Imb7ibK8LVSaZS aSYqLDHLm4bXzPVb.1

Meeting ID: 854 5073 0921Passcode: 309778

Dial by your location - +1 253 215 8782 U.S. (Tacoma)Meeting ID: 854 5073 0921Passcode: 309778 – C L A S S I F I E D S –It pays to advertise in The Nugget, your local "Yellow Pages" for Sisters! Deadline to place your ad is Monday before noon... Call 541-549-9941