The Nugget
Vol. XLII No. 21
P OSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion
from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Sisters
man
arrested on
child porn
charges
Fire consumes yurt in Sisters yard
A blaze in a Sisters yard on
Wednesday, May 15 quickly
escalated to a grass fire that
destroyed a canvas yurt.
Units arriving at 273 E.
Black Crater Ave. witnessed
an explosion with a fireball
that extended 10-15 feet in
the air, and was visible over
the roof of the garage on
scene. Personnel on scene
located the origin of the fire,
an approximate 25-foot diam-
eter fire burning in debris on
the ground, and extending to
a wood fence at the lot line of
the property.
It was later determined
that the burning debris on
the ground were the rem-
nants of a 16-foot diameter
canvas yurt and the contents
inside. Firefighters believe
the explosion/fireball came
from an oil-filled heater that
over-pressurized due to direct
flame contact.
A nearby outdoor trampo-
line and two fence panels also
burned.
The owner of the yurt was
outside and reported seeing
the yurt on fire and called
911.
PHOTO PROVIDED
Firefighters battled a blaze on Wednesday, May 15, that consumed a canvas yurt.
The fire quickly engulfed
the yurt and began to spread.
Personnel on scene quickly
extinguished the fire,
removed fence panels, and
rails from the fence that had
been on fire. The fire was
Sisters to mark
solemn holiday
By Jim Cornelius
Editor in Chief
Memorial Day is often
seen as the kickoff to the
summer season 4 a three-
day weekend filled with bar-
becues and outdoor activities.
But its true meaning is
a solemn one: It is a day
of remembrance created to
honor those who have fallen
in the armed services defend-
ing the United States of
America.
Sisters veterans organi-
zations will mark the day in
honor and remembrance at 11
a.m. on Monday, May 27, at
the Village Green. American
Legion Commander Lance
Trowbridge will serve as
master of ceremonies. The
keynote address will be
given by SSAF Brig. General
Inside...
Jim Cunningham. The Sisters
Veteran served his country
for more than 40 years, as an
Air Force pilot and as com-
mander of the Air National
Guard. He has since served
his community on several
nonprofit boards, including
Sisters Habitat for Humanity
and Sisters Folk Festival.
Cunningham did two tours
of duty during the Vietnam
conflict in the air arm of a
special operations program.
He flew OV-10 Broncos in
Forward Air Control 4 a
singularly dangerous mission
that involved target acquisi-
tion and required flying <low
and slow= in enemy territory.
<FAC was the mission,
but I didn9t do it in Vietnam,=
Cunningham says. <I did it in
See MEMORIAL DAY on page 29
controlled within 10 minutes
of initial dispatch.
Sisters-Camp Sherman
Fire District responded with
six firefighters and four emer-
gency vehicles. An additional
unit from Cloverdale brought
PRE-SORTED STANDARD
ECRWSS
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Sisters, OR
Permit No. 15
one additional firefighter. The
fire safety manager for the
Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire
District performed an initial
investigation of the fire, and
stated that the cause is still
under investigation.
Acting on a tip from the
organization Internet Crimes
Against Children (ICAC),
Deschutes County Detectives
served a search warrant at the
residence of George C. Staab
on Cayuse Drive in Sisters
on Tuesday, May 14. Staab,
age 73, was suspected of pos-
sessing and distributing child
pornography.
DCSO reports that during
the search detectives located
a large amount of child por-
nography. Based on evidence
located at Staab9s residence
and statements allegedly made
by Staab during his inter-
view, he was lodged in the
Deschutes County Adult Jail
on charges of Encouraging
See STAAB on page 30
Circle of Friends builds relationships
By Helen Schmidling
Correspondent
Circle of Friends in Sisters
pairs adult mentors with
young people. Begun eight
years ago, the original intent
was a long-term relationship
between adult mentors and
children (mentees) from kin-
dergarten through grade 12.
Circle of Friends adapts,
as mentees9 siblings enter
the Circle, as kids and adults
move, as family situations
change, and as technology
broadens the scope of what
needs to be known. Through
growth, Circle of Friends has
become an inclusive solu-
tion for any young person
facing challenges in school
and in life. It9s a win-win for
the parents, the kids, and the
mentors in the program.
Two of the Circle of
PHOTO PROVIDED
See MENTORS on page 24
Mentor Terry Buckholz instructs Circle of Friends STEM group in building
a bottle rocket.
Letters/Weather ................ 2 Sisters Naturalist ............... 8 Announcements ................12 Kids in Print ................ 19-20 Classifieds ..................33-35
Meetings ........................... 3 Sisters Salutes .................11 Entertainment ..................13 Crossword ....................... 32 Real Estate .................35-40