Morgan pitches Outlaws to shut-out over Sutherlin page 8 STA hosts ‘Walk and Talk’ session page 9 Wheels up on Bike Park 242 page 10 The Nugget Vol. XLI No. 18 P OSTAL CUSTOMER News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon www.NuggetNews.com Wednesday, May 2, 2018 A personal best... Sisters students took safety concerns to Washington F.S. plans to cut down trees along Highway 20 By Sue Stafford Correspondent When word of the mass shooting of students in Parkland, Florida hit the news, Lisa Clausen expe- rienced the all-too-familiar anger and frustration aroused by earlier shootings. “It is unimaginable to me that we can have 5- and 6-year-old first-graders slaughtered in their classroom and do nothing about it… This time feels different, primarily because there are some very strong and articulate students PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK Ryliereece Morgan won the triple jump with a personal best leap of 34 feet 7-1/4 inches at the annual Sisters Rotary Track Meet held last weekend at Sisters High School. See STUDENTS on page 14 Editor in Chief The Republican primary field is crowded in the race to claim two open positions on the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners. Incumbents Tony DeBone is challenged by restaurateur Ed Barbeau for Position 1 and Tammy Baney is facing off against Sisters resident Patti Adair for the nomination for Position 3. The Democrat Party has fielded one candidate for each position in the primary — Amy Lowes seeking Position 1 and James Cook aiming for Position 3. Adair, a former CPA, says she is concerned about county Inside... Anyone who has driven between Sisters and Black Butte Ranch knows that the trees along Highway 20 are in trouble. Some of these dam- aged and potentially dying trees have been recognized as a public safety hazard and must be removed. The Sisters Ranger District is interested in hearing from the public regarding a pro- posed project to remove dead and dying danger trees along Highway 20 just outside of Sisters. The project would remove trees that pose a haz- ard to public safety because of their potential to fall across the highway. Only the dead and dying trees would be See DYING TREES on page 37 Crowded primary field in county race By Jim Cornelius PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15 finances and the property tax burden borne by local residents. “A lot of people are pay- ing more for their property taxes than they are for their mortgage,” she said. “They’re getting hammered. I just am hearing from too many people who are struggling to stay here.” Baney notes that the county has reduced property taxes twice and asserts that she is a “proven fiscal conservative.” Both Adair and Barbeau criticized the incumbent com- missioners for raising the pay of county staff based on com- parisons with districts that have a higher median income. Garden nurtures sense of community Eileen M. Chambers Correspondent “It is awfully hard to grow a tomato in Central Oregon,” Bob Lawton, Sisters Community Garden manager and treasurer, said with a knowing smile. Bob’s fellow gardeners at Saturday’s season-opener work party laughed — as in “been there, tried that.” They know from experience that you had better have a bit of a Viking spirit to garden outdoors in Central Oregon where snow, frost, hail and high winds (not to mention deer, moles, and guinea hens) often stand between you and that ripe beefsteak tomato. Yet, for many, like Kathy Hall, who has been with PHOTO BY EILEEN CHAMBERS See ELECTION on page 30 See GARDEN on page 38 Tending the rhubarb at the Sisters Community Garden. Letters/Weather ................ 2 Obituaries ...................... 6-7 Entertainment ..................13 Mother’s Day ...............28-29 Classifieds ..................34-36 Meetings ........................... 3 Announcements ................12 Focus on Health .......... 16-24 Crossword ....................... 33 Real Estate ................. 37-40