The Nugget
Vol. XL!II No. 2
P OSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion
from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Sisters
woman’s
killer to be
sentenced
The man who shot and killed
Jenny Cashwell of Sisters a year
ago will be sentenced on January
14, after pleading guilty to sec-
ond-degree manslaughter last
month.
Alan Peter Porciello was
indicted in January 2019 on
charges of first-degree man-
slaughter and unlawful use of a
weapon after he shot Cashwell in
the chest with a 9mm pistol at the
Cedar West Apartments in Bend
on January 12. The two had met
on an online dating site and were
on a first date.
Court documents filed by
prosecutors report that Porciello
called 911 on his phone and
admitted shooting Cashwell in
the chest, stating that he was
“being facetious, acting like
I was going to shoot her, and
accidentally did.” According
to prosecutors, Porciello “was
arrested at the scene, and told
law enforcement, »I can9t believe
PRE-SORTED STANDARD
ECRWSS
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Sisters, OR
Permit No. 15
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Oregon
introduces
six new
permits, fee
increases
to hike, fish
Searchin’ For A Rainbow
Sisters rang in the New Year with a bit of wind, a bit of rain — and a rainbow.
SALEM (AP) — Oregon pub-
lic land officials have announced
visiting and recreational activity
costs are expected to increase
while new permit systems
limit access to large regions of
backcountry.
The new fees and permits to
hike, boat, fish and visit lands
target low-paying groups to
combat overcrowding amid a
statewide population increase,
The Statesman Journal reported
Tuesday.
Anyone operating a non-
motorized boat over 10 feet long
in any boatable waterway must
purchase a waterway access per-
mit or be fined about $115 after
a short grace period, officials
said. The permit is available for
$5 weekly, $17 annually or $30
See SENTENCING on page 23
See FEE INCREASES on page 17
PHOTO BY CAT CONNOR
Sisters negotiating law- Sisters hit by heavy winds
enforcement contract
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
The City of Sisters and the
Deschutes County Sheriff9s
Office are in the midst of
negotiating a new contract for
law enforcement.
With the steady growth
of Sisters9 population over
the last decade, combined
with ever-increasing tour-
ism, crime can be expected
to increase proportionately.
According to DCSO, total
cases handled each year fluc-
tuate. That number can be
easily impacted depending on
several factors.
As an example, if there
are 10 car break-ins in one
or two evenings, probably
done by the same perpetrator,
Inside...
each one of those break-ins is
written up as a separate case,
so it can look like there is a
spike in crime when in fact,
one individual in a few days
can skew the total, particu-
larly given the small number
of overall cases in a town the
size of Sisters.
Beginning in August 2018,
City Manager Cory Misley
and his staff undertook study-
ing the contract arrangement
between the DCSO and the
City for law-enforcement ser-
vices. Misley said they have
done a lot of research and
methodically studied differ-
ent options. Sisters contacted
similar small cities through-
out Oregon for information
See POLICE on page 6
The year 2020 blew into
Sisters like a freight train. A
heavy windstorm broke trees,
tore up roofs, knocked over
signs and buffeted houses
throughout the afternoon on
January 1.
Sisters Eagle Airport
recorded sustained winds
at 31 mph at 1:55 p.m. with
gusts hitting 59 mph. Winds
were sustained at 35 mph
with a gust at 60 mph at 3:55
p.m.
Winds were sustained in
the high 20 mph range with
gusts to just under 40 mph
for about three-and-a-half
hours from 1 to 4:30 p.m.
The windstorm followed
moderate rain on New Year9s
Eve.
According to prelimi-
nary data from NOAA9s
National Weather Service in
Pendleton, temperatures at
PHOTO BY MARVIN INMAN
A stiff windstorm hit Sisters on January 1, with gusts hitting 60 miles per
hour. The wind caused a bit of a ruckus.
Sisters averaged near nor-
mal during the month of
December.
The average temperature
was 29.7 degrees, which was
0.4 degrees below normal.
High temperatures averaged
39.4 degrees, which was 0.5
degrees above normal. The
highest was 56 degrees on
December 23. Low tempera-
tures averaged 19.9 degrees,
which was 1.3 degrees below
normal. The lowest was -7
degrees, on December 2.
There were 29 days with
See HEAVY WINDS on page 14
Letters/Weather ................ 2 In the Pines........................ 7 Entertainment ..................13 Running Commentary ...... 16 Classifieds .................. 19-20
Meetings ........................... 3 Announcements ................12 Sisters Naturalist ..............15 Crossword ....................... 18 Real Estate ..................21-24