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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 18, 2019)
14 Wednesday, September 18, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon LETTERS Continued from page 2 important than climate change, and the solu- tions are simple and obvious in many cases. Let9s all work together and make this a way for us to rise above small-minded political- centric thinking. Jean Nave s s s To the Editor: Welcome back! This is one of my favorite times of year as our students return to fill our classrooms. School is back in session and we are off to a great start. The mission of Sisters School District is community-connected edu- cation that creates belonging, prepares and inspires. We are excited to start the school year as we strive to execute this mission. Our beginning enrollment is the highest it has been as I start my fifth year as superinten- dent. We have seen strong growth in our ele- mentary and middle schools which is a posi- tive sign for future enrollment as a district. Our buildings are in great shape thanks to the support and execution of our bond. Prior to our start, we installed high-efficiency lights in the middle school commons and gym and in both gyms at the high school. We anticipate breaking ground on our transportation build- ing soon as we finish out this bond initiative. Nicki Merritt, executive director of Circle of Friends, informed us about their program- ing and the positive impact the adult mentors have on our students. Currently, they have six students on the waiting list for mentors. If you would like to be a mentor, please contact Ms. Merritt at Circle of Friends, 541-588-6445. Additionally, Circle of Friends is open- ing up their Wednesday Homework Club to all students fifth-grade and above from 4 to 5:30 p.m. starting Wednesday, September 18. The focus will be on math and language arts as well as helping the kids with basic orga- nizational skills. If you are interested please RSVP Circle of Friends Youth Program Coordinator at kellie@circleoffriendsoregon. org, by the Monday prior to the Wednesday9s homework time. I want to say welcome to all of our new families and once again, welcome back to our returning Outlaws! Curt Scholl SSD Superintendent. s s s To the Editor: Indivisible Sisters presented another Debate Night Watch Party at the Sisters Library. Lots of tidbits to eat including Sisters Movie House popcorn. Although there were three hours of debate, the time went by sur- prisingly fast. We hope you will mark your calendars to join us for the fourth Democrat9s Primary Debate Night occurring in Ohio on November 15. The time, exact location and channel for viewing are not yet determined. Senator Warren remains a solid star in yet another debate, having a viable plan for every issue. Senator Sanders badly needed cough medicine and remains true to doing all he can for the people. Senator Castro was demeaned by his own cruel and not accurate attacks on previous VP Biden. Past VP Biden came off defiant, gave convoluted answers and appeared flustered. Beto O9Rouke was mea- sured and calmed down other candidates until on the topic of gun control. At which point, Beto got heated and understandably so, given the recent mass shootings in Texas. Senator Harris improved from the last debate by not being agitated & showing a few smiles. She looked at the camera and confronted President Trump a few times. Representative Cory Booker remained a gentleman with his consistent message that every program he promotes will look to pro- tecting the environment and mitigating global warming. Hope others follow that lead. Mr. Yang was all about buying votes and selling his business acumen. Mayor Pete Buttigiege continues to be well spoken and somewhat conservative on all issues. Senator Klobuchar did all but specifically say she represents the center. All in all there was little about which they disagreed except on how each would fund their various plans. They feel healthcare, education and a living wage are rights, that past-President Obama did well for the people of the US of A and that global warming is, indeed, a crisis. Susan Cobb s s s To the Editor: The standards and sensibilities that have made our town a place that people think they want to move to should be maintained above the tyranny of proposed development. To those who think that Sisters needs a Dollar General, let me point out that we DID have one here for a while. It recently went out of business, (by recently I mean in the last few years). Before the dollar store was here, we had another discount shop called <Sisters Outpost= located in the same area. It also went out of business. As a past local business-owner, and local long-term retail worker, mother of three who raised her kids here over the last 20-plus years, I feel confident to guess that the peo- ple of Sisters value their more traditional local businesses over common franchises. Where they know the business owners and their lives, and vice versa. Sharing the ups and downs of doing business in a small town, there comes a sense of camaraderie between neighboring business-owners and customers alike. Friendships and understandings have been built over the course of years. Yes, at times it is expensive to live here 4 but it is the same all over the Pacific Northwest. We all struggle to make ends meet. It has been part of our Sisters history that we support each other, taking turns shop- ping between Ray9s and Bi-Mart, and the local hardware stores etc., so that everyone gets a share, and for the most part, the dollars stay right here in town. I think the idea of a Dollar General store comes from people who have not lived here for very long. Also, most merchandise in a dollar store comes from China 4 the ingredients of which are usually questionable at best. (There is a very real reason why it only costs $1). Here, we live in a wonderful place with high- quality goods readily available, maybe for a few dollars more, but well worth the invest- ment for our community and the health of our families. And we know that Dollar General money does not come into our community, but goes back to Dollar General corporate 4 whereever they may be located. We are a quirky little town. We have facades and walls up. I know more about my neighbor than I want, and they know more than they want about me. But when things go wrong, the facades and the walls come down, and people jump in to help each other until the trauma passes. Such <small town values= are the reason people are moving here now. If we start bring- ing these sorts of businesses in, we begin the slow journey toward destroying what made our town good to begin with. Michelle P. Ehr s s s Editor9s note: Dollar General is a chain of variety merchandise stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. They are a discount retailer, but not a <dollar store,= per se. Bull by Bull By Judy Bull Columnist " The sheriff paid me a visit one evening a while back 4 long, bizarre story. When he knocked on the door I jumped up, threw the latch, and hollered, <I just locked the door. Are you legit?= Even before he could answer I espied his cruiser and instantly knew he was the real deal. " I9m getting ready to ride again 4 on the same horse I stopped riding years ago. Having ridden for over 60 years, riding is my go-to place in life, and recently spending time with best friends and great horses in California helped me to remember I gotta ride. " One of my favorite meals standing at the kitchen sink is taking a big swig of ice-cold milk out of the milk jug. Talking jugs, the way I know I9ve had enough wine in the evening is I put the OJ jug in front of the bottle of chardonnay. Along these same lines 4 knowing thy- self 4 I9ve started applying the saying <if it ain9t broke, don9t fix it= to any long day of feeling blue, knowing I ain9t broke, and nothin9 needs fixing 4 for now. " Even harder than mix- ing a jar of U-stir peanut but- ter is getting those sticky fly catcher ribbons to work. The directions aren9t at all help- ful and I never did succeed in removing it properly from its tube. I finally resorted to pulling it out with a pair of needle-nose pliers, which I ended up having to soak in nail polish remover in order to get the sticky stuff off 4 ditto my fingers. " Not having any kids, I never saw Mr. Rogers9 Neighborhood. This sum- mer, though, OPB aired the movie, <Won9t You Be My Neighbor?= I am now a true believer in all things Mr. Rogers. " I opened a new box of cards last Saturday night. They were so stiff that not only could I not shuffle them, I couldn9t win with them either. When Ethel died at age 102 her deck of cards was her most cov- eted treasure the kin all wanted. Most of her cards barely had a trace of any- thing left on them and they were as soft as a favorite pet9s ear. " I wish I9d thought to write these words myself, but they were the message on the front of a Leanin9 Tree cowgirl-birthday-card from someone who knows me well, <I9ve been giving it a lot of thought & I just don9t think being an adult is gonna work for me.= MEAT S, GAME ALASKAN SEAFOOD CHEESES SANDWICHES BEER, WINE, CIDER 110 S. SPRUCE ST. | 541-719-1186 Frontiers in Science May PRESENTED BY THE SISTERS SCIENCE CLUB How Oceanography Will Save The World — With Dr. Rick Spinrad — Twelve men have walked the face of the moon — but only four have been to the deepest part of the ocean, where up to one million species are yet to be discovered. The potential of ocean studies to improve the lives of those of us on land is enormous, as evidenced by cancer cures and pain treatments developed from sponges, lampreys, and marine bacteria. A Professor of Oceanography at Oregon State University, Dr. Spinrad recently retired as Chief Scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Join us to learn how and why oceanography is critical to understanding climate, national defense, and food security as well. For more insight and context: www.sistersscienceclub.org. Tuesday, S September 24 The Belfry, 302 E. Main Ave., Sisters Doors open at 6 p.m. for community hour, food & drink! Admission: $5; Teachers and Students - FREE Save the Date: Tuesday, October 22 Dr. Jerry Freilich “Biodiversity Begins with a Bee” BRING YOUR CURIOSITY AND AN APPETITE FOR KNOWLEDGE!