UT O - L PUL TION! SEC Partners in Construction 16 pages featuring the stories of the skilled craftsmen and industry experts who serve Central Oregon The Nugget Vol. XLII No. 17 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, April 24, 2019 PHOTO BY JAY MATHER The first full moon of April — called the “Pink Moon” — shone over the Three Sisters, beckoning to early-rising photographers. Public to weigh in on growth issues By Sue Stafford Correspondent With Sisters9 growth a common topic of conversa- tion around town, a public meeting on Thursday, May 2, 5:30 p.m., at City Hall will be of interest to everyone, whether a proponent or oppo- nent of growth. City staff will be on hand to provide information about the findings of the draft Housing and Residential Land Needs Assessment (HNA) and answer questions (see sidebar, page 17). The assessment compares the current inventory of available lands for residen- tial building to the projected housing needs by 2039, according to Portland State University population esti- mates of 2.6 percent growth each year. The estimated housing units are based on potential entitled units of remaining parcels. State law mandates that all cities have a 20-year supply of buildable lands. Sisters9 inventory of buildable lands is impacted by the number of acres of See GROWTH on page 16 Sisters man arrested for encouraging sex abuse By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief As Sisters Country enters the season of spring burning, the specter of the destruc- tion of the mountain town of Paradise, California, looms like a pall of wildfire smoke over the community. While Sisters is well- schooled in the terrible effects of massive wildfire, the Inside... A TON OF TRASH A 32-year-old Sisters man was arrested on Thursday, April 18, on charges includ- ing encouraging sexual abuse of a minor. Bend Police report that the department was provided information pertaining to Jon Beavert, who was allegedly seeking a sexual relationship with a juvenile who resides in Bend. See ABUSE on page 29 Sisters enters burning season community is better prepared than many to face the threat. That is, in large part, thanks to a long campaign of thin- ning and prescribed burning around vulnerable parts of Sisters Country to build resil- ience and to give firefighters a chance to make a stand. Prescribed burning mim- ics the historical role of fire in the ponderosa pine forests of Sisters Country, cleaning out Earth Day participants collected over underbrush and small growth that chokes overgrown for- ests, making them less healthy and fueling explosive wildfires.