The Nugget Vol. XLI No. 45 P OSTAL CUSTOMER News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon www.NuggetNews.com PRE-SORTED STANDARD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID Sisters, OR Permit No. 15 Wednesday, November 7, 2018 The Sisters don their season’s coat... PHOTO BY AL KRAUSE Autumn snowfall has returned the Cascades skyline to its snow-capped magnificence. While the mountains have received snow, Sisters Country awaits its first heavy precipitation. Sisters represented for Sisters cutting of national tree is back in burning season By Jodi Schneider Correspondent Every year a different National Forest is selected to provide a tree to appear on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol for the Christmas season. The 2018 United States Capitol Christmas Tree was harvested from the Willamette National Forest in Sweet Home last Friday, November 2. That perfect tree from Oregon was chosen in August from a handful of finalists by the architect for the Capitol. It’s the first time in the 47-year history of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Program that a noble fir has been selected and the second time the tree has come from Oregon. A 70-foot Douglas fir from Umpqua National Forest was chosen in 2002. Only 50 lucky people were able to watch the 2018 Capitol Christmas Tree cut- ting event up close from the Sweet Home Ranger District on Friday morning. Jeri Buckmann, Visitor Center manager and events direc- tor for Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce represented Sisters and was excited to witness the cutting of the beautiful 82-foot fir tree. “When the tree was cut, it was a sense of pride for Oregon. It made you Burn season opened at sunrise on November 1, for many of the local fire districts in Central Oregon. With the recent fall weather and pre- cipitation received in some areas, the fire chiefs of local fire departments, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and Oregon Department of Forestry have agreed that many areas are now safe to enter into burn season. Residents still need to use caution in burning — and See TREE CUTTING on page 20 See BURNING on page 23 Community to honor veterans Each November, the Sisters community — led by its youth — honor local veterans of the armed ser- vices. All local veterans, their families, and the public at large are invited to attend the observances. This year, on Friday, November 9, from 1:55 to 3 p.m., Sisters Middle School and Sisters High School will join in honoring veterans in an assembly at the Sisters High School auditorium. Afterwards, there will be a reception in the lecture drama room for conver- sation and photo shar- ing, accompanied by homemade goodies and coffee. See VETERANS on page 17 Police: Growers were exporting marijuana A multi-agency inves- tigation led to the arrest of two people in Sisters in con- nection with alleged illegal manufacturing and sale of marijuana. On the afternoon of Thursday, October 11, mem- bers of the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team served a search warrant at 17521 Forked Horn Dr. in Sisters. According to law Inside... enforcement, the action was part of an ongoing, long-term investigation. Members of the Central Oregon Emergency Response Team (CERT) assisted with the execution of the warrant. A law enforcement state- ment reported that, “A large, sophisticated indoor mari- juana grow was located on the property which was contained in both a large metal pole building as well as within the primary dwell- ing on the property. A large, sealed structure had been built within the large pole building and was complete with an air filtration system, a self-watering system and also climate control features.” Police seized 4,368 mari- juana plants in various stages See MARIJUANA on page 24 Local veterans raised the American flag on Sisters street corners last week in preparation for Veterans Day observances. PHOTO BY JEFF MACKEY Letters/Weather ................ 2 Sisters Salutes .................. 8 Announcements ................12 Obituaries ....................... 14 Classifieds ..................26-28 Meetings ........................... 3 Sisters Naturalist ..............11 Entertainment ..................13 Crossword ....................... 25 Real Estate .................28-32