The Nugget
P OSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion
from Sisters, Oregon
Vol. XLI No. 24
Wednesday
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
McKenzie
Highway
to open
June 18
2018 Sisters Rodeo
a record-breaker
By Cody Rheault
Correspondent
The 78th annual Sisters
Rodeo saw more than just
bulls, beer, and balaclavas
this year. Under chilly skies
— and surprising record-
breaking crowds — the rodeo
weekend saw fur fly and his-
torical moments made.
Spectators and competitors
alike traveled from around
the country and worldwide
to participate in and watch
the historical event unfold in
Sisters. From regions as far as
Louisiana, Texas, and Canada,
cowboys and cowgirls com-
peted for bragging rights and
a lot of cash. The rodeo also
reached a number of specta-
tors from as far as Australia,
Scotland, Ireland, and Finland
who to came to take in “The
Biggest Little Show in the
World.”
Leading into the week-
end were some weather con-
cerns. Predicted forecasts
By Jim Cornelius
Editor in Chief
showed rain and low tem-
peratures throughout, with
thunderstorms on Saturday.
Temperatures remained cold,
Watchdog group seeks
answers on tree-killing
By Jim Cornelius
Editor in Chief
Central Oregon Land
Watch is seeking some
answers regarding the death
of a thousand or more pon-
derosa pine trees along
Highway 20 west of Sisters.
Paul Dewey, the executive
director of the land-use advo-
cacy group told The Nugget
that “we’ve done FOIA
(Freedom of Information
Act) and public records
requests to try to track down
who is responsible and who
was making decisions.”
The problem began devel-
oping from 2013 to 2015
when an herbicide named
Perspective was used along
the highway corridor, within
the Oregon Department of
Transportation’s right of way,
to remove brush.
/nside...
PRE-SORTED STANDARD
ECRWSS
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Sisters, OR
Permit No. 15
The herbicide harmed
ponderosa pines and other
trees in the area where it was
applied.
As the trees began show-
ing distress and started dying
in 2014, the Forest Service
and Oregon Department
of Transportation (ODOT)
conducted a joint analysis
to determine the cause. The
analysis indicated that the
manufacturer of the herbi-
cide Perspective originally
stated it may harm suscep-
tible trees, but the label did
not say it specifically would
harm ponderosa pine trees.
However, in 2012, additional
language on the manufactur-
er’s label was added specifi-
cally stating it would damage
ponderosa pine trees. ODOT
has discontinued use of
See TREES on page 22
The McKenzie Highway
— Highway 242 — is
scheduled to open on
Monday, June 18. The
historic route across the
Cascades is closed each
winter due to snow.
The winding, climb-
ing road west of Sisters
attracts numerous cyclists
seeking to ride it before
The weather was chilly but the
it’s open to motor vehi-
cle traffic. However,
rodeo action was hot last weekend.
Oregon Department of
Record crowds and record rides marked the
Transportation spokesman
Peter Murphy clarified last
annual “Biggest Little Show in the World.”
week that the route is not
actually opened to cyclists
PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK
before it’s open to cars.
That’s a point of sig-
with some gusty winds, but the Sisters Rodeo witnessed
to everyone’s relief, the rain record-breaking attendance nificant confusion, Murphy
never fell.
See RODEO on page 18
See HWY 242 on page 20
Despite cold temperatures
Class of 2018 springs to
By Charlie Kanzig
Correspondent
The gathering of 101
seniors at Sisters High
School’s 70th commencement
ceremony Thursday, June 7,
included music, memories —
and one last academic, and
inspirational, lesson.
Just after 6 p.m. in a gym-
nasium packed with friends
and family of seniors, the
school band, under the direc-
tion of Tyler Cranor, struck up
the processional “Fanfare and
Flourishes” prompting the
high school staff, led by Rand
Runco and Samra Spear, to
file in ahead of the students.
The traditional “Pomp and
Circumstance” set the tone for
the celebration as the seniors,
in groups of twos and threes,
made their way to the seats at
the base of the stage.
Principal Joe Hosang then
the future
“Surround
yourself with
people who
make you
better.”
— Valedictorian
Cassidy Ling-Scott
See GRADUATION on page 24
PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK
Letters/Weather ................ 2 Father’s Day Finds ............ 10 Entertainment ..................13 Obituaries ....................... 25 Classifieds .................. 27-29
Meetings ........................... 3 Announcements ................12 Fit for Sisters ................... 23 Crossword ....................... 26 Real Estate .................29-32
