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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (March 18, 2020)
2 Wednesday, March 18, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon O P I N I O Editorial… A time to pull together Just as a wildfire can create its own wind, whipping up a firestorm of destruction, the public health crisis surrounding the COVID-19 virus has the potential to have far-reaching and long-lasting effects on the Sisters community. And just as Sisters has weathered the impacts of wildfire, we will weather this cri- sis, too. Hopefully, the aggressive measures being taken now will mean the crisis will fade and Sisters, the nation and the world can return to our normal lives. But it will require pulling together to get there. It9s natural in the face of fear and uncer- tainty to withdraw into the safety of hearth and home; in fact, it9s a prudent safety precaution. But there are things we can 4 and should 4 do to support our local community even while we9re protecting ourselves. Local businesses are going to be hit hard by a severe contraction in economic activity. Every little bit of support will help them. If a lot of us do a little, we can together weather this crisis. Quarantining yourself? Stock up on a bunch of good books (the bookstore will deliver). Don9t want to go out to a restaurant? Order a meal or two a week to go from a local restaurant (some offer curbside pickup). Call a local shop and buy a gift card to use after the crisis has passed. Local families with children are going to be under duress due to the three-week closure of Sisters9 schools. Perhaps, if your circum- stances allow, you can reach out and help them with childcare 4 or maybe just keep an eye on your neighbor9s kids while they stay at home. This crisis is also likely to increase the need at the Sisters Kiwanis Food Bank; donations, especially of cash, are welcome there. Sisters prides itself on being a tight-knit, resilient community. There is no time like the present to demonstrate that to the world. Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief Letters to the Editor… The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer9s name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is 10 a.m. Monday. To the Editor: Indivisible Sisters had our first Get to Know the Candidate meeting of 2020 at Sisters Public Library the evening of March 4. About a dozen Sisters citizens met Carina Miller, who hails from Warm Springs, graduated from the University of Oregon, and is running for Oregon9s District 30 Senate seat. That is the seat that Senator Cliff Bonham vacated to run for Representative Greg Walden9s seat in U.S. House for District 2. It is currently occupied by Lynn Findley. Carina (or any candidate, for that matter) has courage because campaigning for a pub- lic seat in this political world is very diffi- cult to say the least. Just ponder running for office yourself and what that would put you and your loved ones through. On the campaign trail, some people can be very uncivil; it is no longer uncommon. Yet, there she was in her first <get to know= meeting, sharing her expe- riences, motivations, fielding questions and building a following. Carina is an impressive individual. There is little room in a Letter to the Editor to share her many specific qualifications, sub- stantial experience, or the brilliance of what she9s already accomplished. I do encourage you to take the time to read through her web- site, www.carinamiller.com. My impression, after our two hours together, is she will work to address concerns of all Oregonians for the greater good, will hit the floor running, educate herself in any areas she does not already have knowledge or exper- tise, will work in a multi-partisan way, will be dedicated to her job and will NEVER walk out because things did not go her way. Susan Cobb See LETTERS on page 10 Sisters Weather Forecast Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Partly Cloudy Mostly Sunny Partly Cloudy Mostly Sunny Partly Cloudy Showers 46/25 52/29 52/29 55/30 56/31 53/30 The Nugget Newspaper, LLC Website: www.nuggetnews.com 442 E. Main Ave., P.O. Box 698, Sisters, Oregon 97759 Tel: 541-549-9941 | Email: editor@nuggetnews.com Postmaster: Send address changes to The Nugget Newspaper, P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759. Third Class Postage Paid at Sisters, Oregon. Editor in Chief: Jim Cornelius Production Manager: Leith Easterling Graphic Design: Jess Draper & Lisa May Community Marketing Partners: Vicki Curlett & Patti Jo Beal Classifieds & Circulation: Kema Clark Proofreader: Pete Rathbun Owner: J. Louis Mullen The Nugget is mailed to residents within the Sisters School District; subscriptions are available outside delivery area. Third-class postage: one year, $55; six months (or less), $30. First-class postage: one year, $95; six months, $65. Published Weekly. ©2020 The Nugget Newspaper, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. All advertising which appears in The Nugget is the property of The Nugget and may not be used without explicit permission. The Nugget Newspaper, Inc. assumes no liability or responsibility for information contained in advertisements, articles, stories, lists, calendar etc. within this publication. All submissions to The Nugget Newspaper will be treated as uncondition- ally assigned for publication and copyrighting purposes and subject to The Nugget Newspaper9s unrestricted right to edit and comment editorially, that all rights are currently available, and that the material in no way infringes upon the rights of any person. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return or safety of artwork, photos, or manuscripts. N Age Friendly Sisters Country brings vision to life By Janel Ruehl Guest Columnist Before becoming a non- profit organization, the founding members of Age Friendly Sisters Country (AFSC) listened to local seniors, heard their con- cerns, and compiled data about their needs. What they learned in those early days was that the same issues facing aging adults affected people of all ages. Thus, AFSC was born with the guiding principle: <good for everyone, 8-80!= When the 2018 Sisters Country Vision surfaced many of the same issues and needs, AFSC realized there was real synergy between their mission and the vision goals. Since securing non- profit status in 2018, AFSC has taken a lead on several vision strategies. With the support of the City, they helped Sisters officially join the worldwide network of Age-Friendly Communities, a project of the World Health Organization (WHO) and AARP. This month, they are launching a new, free local transportation initiative, dubbed Sisters Transportation and Ride Share, or STARS. STARS was designed to meet the needs of local com- munity members who are struggling to access medical services because they don9t drive. <We realized that many folks in our community were simply not availing themselves of medical ser- vices and becoming increas- ingly isolated,= shares AFSC Board President Toni Landis. Before STARS, getting to the dentist in Sisters, or to Bend for a test, was a daunting task. Working with Landis under the AFSC umbrella, a team of volun- teers created a FREE ride- sharing program grounded in person-to-person con- nection. On the surface, STARS looks similar to Lyft or Uber: users schedule a ride aided by software. But in practice, every contact point connects human to human and relies on an all- volunteer team. Passengers schedule a ride by calling a volunteer dispatcher. After the dispatcher enters their information into the soft- ware program, an email is sent to a pool of volunteer drivers. The available driver then calls the passenger to make a one-on-one connec- tion ahead of their ride. For now, the free service is only focused on medical rides, but AFSC hopes to see it expand over time, to help community members par- ticipate in local events, shop for groceries, or meet other needs as they arise. STARS officially launched on March 1, and they currently have 20 trained volunteers. Landis estimates they will need a pool of at least 25 drivers and 7-10 dispatchers to be able to provide consistent service. Looking ahead, AFSC would like to expand their outreach to be more diverse and inclusive, with a focus on collaboration with younger community mem- bers and business owners. <What9s good for a senior crossing the road also works for a young mom with a stroller!= says Landis, emphasizing AFSC9s com- mitment to finding solutions that make Sisters Country more livable for all ages. AFSC9s seven board mem- bers each share this com- mitment but have different passions and areas of focus. Defined under the 8 domains of the Age Friendly frame- work, these include outdoor spaces and buildings, social participation, respect and social inclusion, work and civic engagement, com- munication and informa- tion, community and health services, and housing 4 in addition to transportation. < We 9 r e w o r k i n g t o expand our outreach via social media, and would love to have help with how to do this better. We would also like to hear from the community: How are we doing? Do you see a need that needs to be met?= asks Landis. AFSC is also working collaboratively with other local organizations on addi- tional vision strategies. Landis says they are espe- cially excited about partici- pating in the development of a multi-purpose community center where all ages can gather together. <Turns out, our mis- sion fits really well with the vision!= says Landis, <If you give people an opportu- nity to help, they will find a way.= If you9d like to help AFSC or STARS, check out the AFSC facebook page or email agefriendlysis- ters@gmail.com for more information. To learn more about Sisters Country Vision, visit sistersvision.org Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.