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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 28, 2019)
Wednesday, August 28, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Oregon defends past jury verdicts to high court 11 Forest Service prepares for prescribed fires By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief As summer rolls to an end and fall chill creeps into the morning air, the Sisters Ranger District is preparing for another round of pre- scribed burning. The burning is designed to improve forest health conditions and to help protect Sisters and outlying forest communities from the threat of wildfire. Due to relatively mild con- ditions and periodic moisture through the summer, burning may commence a little earlier than it usually does in the fall. <It seems the way the weather is shaping up that we could be burning by mid- September instead of late September,= said Jinny Reed, Assistant Fire Management Officer with the Sisters Ranger District. Burning won9t occur dur- ing the period of high tem- peratures in the immediate forecast. The District has about 1,000 acres on the docket for fall burning from the Metolius Basin to south of town. However, the District is seldom able to treat all of the acres available during the fall season. By Andrew Selsky Associated Press SALEM (AP) _ Oregon9s criminal justice system would be <overwhelmed= if the U.S. Supreme Court rules in an upcoming case that nonunani- mous jury verdicts are uncon- stitutional, the state9s attorney general has told the court. Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said in an amicus brief on Friday that if the U.S. Supreme Court finds nonunanimous juries uncon- stitutional, it could invalidate hundreds or even thousands of convictions in Oregon. Oregon is the only state in America allowing 11-1 or 10-2 jury verdicts in criminal trials, except first-degree mur- der convictions. Critics say Rosenblum is defending a system that should be abandoned, as voters in Louisiana, the only other state that permitted nonunanimous verdicts, did in 2018. See VERDICTS on page 25 T h e Me to liu s Basin is a top pri- ority for fire man- agers, but location of burning will depend heavily on conditions. <It all depends on the weather and the direction the wind blows,= Reed said. <We like to keep our options open.= A 400-acre unit along Highway 20 identified on the accompanying map will not be treated until spring. As always, those concerned about smoke impacts can sign up for text alerts. Contact the Sisters Ranger District at 541-549-7700. Reed said that the potentially earlier fall burning actu- ally has a positive impact on smoke considerations. <The beauty of lighting this early in the year, we can have more daylight hours to lift smoke,= she said. Serving th e Sisters, Camp Sherman and Black Butte Ranch Areas Ponderosa Properties R E A L T O R S 541-549-2002 A N D P R O P E R T Y www. P onderosa P roperties.com 1-800-650-6766 L LLC M A N A G E M E N T 221 S. Ash St., Sisters The Locals’ Choice for Real Estate Sales Kevin R. Dyer 541-480-7552 Rad Dyer 541-480-8853 Carol Davis 541-410-1556 Catherine Black 541-588-9219 Shane Lundgren 541-588-9226 Debbie Dyer 541-480-1650 Greg Davidge 808-281-2676 Jackie Herring 541-480-3157 CRS, GRI, Principal Broker ABR, CCIM, CRB, CRS, GRI, Principal Broker ABR, GRI, Broker CRS, Broker, Realtor Emeritus 40+ Years Broker GRI, Broker Broker Broker