The Nugget
Vol. XLII No. 11
P OSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion
from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Neighbors
concerned
about
traffic
PRE-SORTED STANDARD
ECRWSS
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Sisters, OR
Permit No. 15
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Former
Outlaws
coach files
federal
lawsuit
Battle of the
Books...
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
There was a steady drum-
beat at City Hall at last
week9s Planning Commission
hearing regarding the Hayden
Homes McKenzie Meadow
Village (MMV). That drum-
beat was traffic and safety
concerns from adjoining
Village at Cold Springs
neighbors, another Hayden
development.
Hayden is seeking
approval of their Master Plan
Development (Type III),
Comprehensive Plan Map
and Zoning Map Amendment
(Type III/IV), Tentative
Subdivision (Type III), and
By Jim Cornelius
Editor in Chief
PHOTO BY BECKY AYLOR
The Sisters Middle School 6th-grade regional team of Layla Hicks, Zoey Haney, Violette Kennedy, Kiara
Martin and Madison Haney made the semifinals in Battle of the Books held last weekend. See story, page 4.
See TRAFFIC on page 10
Former Sisters Outlaws
girls soccer coach Nik
Goertzen has filed a fed-
eral lawsuit against a judge
involved in a series of legal
actions against several par-
ents whom Goertzen believes
improperly influenced Sisters
High School Principal Joe
Hosang9s decision to end
Goertzen9s tenure as a soccer
coach in 2012.
Goertzen was not actually
terminated from his position;
his contract was not renewed.
Coaches are “at-will”
See GOERTZEN on page 22
Skier dies after
backcountry ordeal
Outlaws kicker overcomes adversity
A Nordic skier who was
rescued by searchers aided
by the work of the Sisters
Sno Gophers Snowmobile
Club, has died, succumb-
ing to the effects of endur-
ing severe cold conditions
sheltering in a tree well in
the backcountry southeast of
Sisters last week.
On Wednesday, March 6,
at about 5:24 p.m., Deschutes
County Dispatch received
a broken 911 call from a
man who advised he was
cross-country skiing on the
Metolius-Windigo Trail after
beginning at Mt. Bachelor.
DCSO reports that the call
was dropped when the man
said something about broken
equipment.
Dispatch was able to
provide coordinates for the
phone location with an accu-
racy of 121 meters.
The call was made from
a cell phone that did not
have cellular service, and
Wyatt Hernandez, a senior
at Sisters High School, has
signed with Willamette
University in Salem to be the
placekicker for their football
team.
Hernandez overcame sig-
nificant adversity to stay
in a game he loves. He was
injured during a football prac-
tice his freshman year of high
school. He suffered a severe
concussion, which resulted
in loss of memory, a severe
speech impediment, and
inability to read. Hernandez
worked with speech thera-
pists and with his teachers
and family to return to nor-
malcy and succeed in high
school. He was told he was
unable to play for the football
team the rest of the seasons
because of the severity of his
injuries.
However, he worked
toward being able to play his
senior year.
“I love the game and my
Inside...
was able to call 911, but not
able to receive calls or texts.
Dispatch was not able to
obtain the name of the caller
and other pertinent informa-
tion. The coordinates placed
the location of the call in the
Happy Valley area about 3.75
miles northwest of Tumalo
Falls.
Two DCSO deputies and
three DCSO Search and
Rescue volunteers immedi-
ately began planning best
access routes to the skier9s
location. Additional DCSO
SAR volunteers were called
out to begin their response
for the rescue mission. At
about 8:09 p.m., six DCSO
SAR volunteers deployed
from Dutchman Snow Park
on six snowmobiles to the
area of the coordinates,
which were about 300 yards
south of Happy Hut shelter
managed by Three Sisters
See RESCUE on page 23
By Ceili Cornelius
Correspondent
PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK
Wyatt Hernandez signed with Willamette University as a prospective
kicker. He came a long way to overcome a concussion that affected his
memory, speech and ability to read.
coach, and I wanted to play
this season for my coaches
and for my friends, so I
worked at it to be able to do
so,” said Hernandez.
Hernandez looked for any
small way he could play the
game and continue with the
team.
“I researched the kick-
ing position and the ins and
outs of it. I read articles
See HERNANDEZ on page 22
Letters/Weather ................ 2 Obituaries ......................... 7 Sisters Salutes .................. 8 Entertainment ..................13 Classifieds .................. 19-20
Meetings ........................... 3 Sisters Naturalist ............... 8 Announcements ................12 Crossword ....................... 18 Real Estate ..................21-24