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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 11, 2018)
Wednesday, April 11, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Snowfall deficit in Cascades As Oregon’s traditional snowmelt season begins, all regions of the state are reporting below-normal snowpack. As a result, offi- cials anticipate below-nor- mal streamflow across the state — a potential chal- lenge for water users and wildlife. This according to the April Water Supply Outlook Report released last week by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). “Snow and cooler weather in March was not enough to bring snowpack levels up to normal. Mountain snow- packs peaked well below normal this winter at most locations in Oregon,” said Scott Oviatt, snow survey supervisory hydrologist. Only the rivers clos- est to the Columbia River are expected to see near- normal spring and summer streamflows. Elsewhere in the state, streamflow is pro- jected to be well below nor- mal due to the lack of normal snowpack. Streamflow forecasts in western and northern basins call for 60-90 percent of normal streamflow. In south and southeastern basins, streamflow forecasts are as low as 30-60 percent of normal. “Based on reports from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center and the Drought Monitor, we anticipate drier than normal conditions for the next three months,” said Oviatt. “Our best hope is a cool spring that helps to pro- long the snow we have fur- ther into the season.” Most of Oregon’s major irrigation reservoirs east of the Cascades are storing near-average amounts of water for this time of year. For water users with access, these reservoirs may act as a buffer against low streamflow. Water users who are not able to take advan- tage of reservoir storage will likely experience signifi- cantly reduced water supplies this summer. Officers indicted after inmate dies MADRAS, Ore. (AP) — Three sheriff’s officers in Oregon have been indicted on charges of criminally neg- ligent homicide in connec- tion with an inmate’s death. The indictment was filed early Thursday against Michael Durkan, Cory Skidgel and Anthony Hansen — corrections officers with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in Central Oregon, according to court documents and a statement from the Jefferson County district attorney. They are accused in the death of James Wippel, 59, who died at the Jefferson County Jail last April. At the time, the sheriff’s office said Wippel suffered a serious medical issue a few days after landing in jail on drug charges. Paramedics arrived to take him to a hospital, but he died at the scene. John Wentworth, the dep- uty district attorney with the Clackamas County district attorney’s office who is han- dling the case, said authori- ties aren’t planning to arrest the three before their arraign- ment, which is scheduled for April 19. An attorney representing Skidgel, Jennifer Kimble, said Skidgel would be plead- ing not guilty. An attor- ney representing Anthony Hansen could not immedi- ately be reached Thursday, nor could an attorney for Durkan be identified. Jefferson County District Attorney Steven Leriche said his office handed off the case to the Clackamas prosecu- tor to avoid any conflict of interest. “Jefferson County is a small place,” Leriche said. “We all know these correc- tions deputies.” Leriche added that he hadn’t been close with any of the three. Neither Leriche nor Wentworth would comment on what led investigators to charge the three. Negligent homicide, the charge faced by each of the three, carries a maximum sentence of five years. Durkan and Skidgel are deputies; Hansen is a corpo- ral. Leriche confirmed the three had been removed from active duty. 15 Woman accused of attacking dad with car, pepper spray BEND (AP) — Deputies arrested a Bend woman accused of striking her father with a car. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office tells KTVZ that 28-year-old Emmy Gilbert called emergency dispatchers Sunday to report what happened. The father, Paul Gilbert, got on the phone a short time later and said he had moderate injuries. The sheriff’s office says the father was waiting for his daughter in a drive- way when she crashed into him. The force threw Paul Gilbert onto the car ’s hood and windshield, and the vehicle plowed into a fence. Paul Gilbert got off the vehicle and made it to the front porch, where his daughter sprayed him in the face with pepper spray. She then followed him into the house, spraying him again. Emmy Gilbert was booked into jail on charges of assault, unlawful use of pep- per spray and other crimes. Her father didn’t go to a hospital. Your Care can now do your FAA Physical! 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