The Nugget
Vol. XLIII No. 31
P OSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion
from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
What is the
future of
the East
Portal?
PRE-SORTED STANDARD
ECRWSS
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Sisters, OR
Permit No. 15
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Striving
toward a
plan for
fall school
sports
4-H livestock program adapts...
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
Mention the 80-acre Forest
Service property to a Sisters
resident and they will share
their idea of what would be
a good use of that property.
It has been a topic of con-
versation in town for years,
ever since the Forest Service
announced plans to sell it and
build a new headquarters.
At long last, and after a
number of changes in the
condition of sale, the prop-
erty was divided into three
parcels, two of which have
sold or are under contract.
The southern 14 acres, known
By Charlie Kanzig
Correspondent
PHOTO BY JODI SCHNEIDER
Jayden and Joel Vogt of Sisters worked with lambs in their first year of 4-H. The 4-H event was canceled
due to tightened COVID-19 restrictions. See story, page 9.
See EAST PORTAL on page 23
See SPORTS on page 12
Sisters vigil takes
on racial issues
By Katy Yoder
Correspondent
Sisters activists held
a vigil at Village Green
Park on Saturday, July 25,
on the two-month anni-
versary of the killing of
George Floyd. Floyd was a
46-year-old Black man who
died in police custody in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, on
Memorial Day after being
accused of using a fake
$20 bill to buy cigarettes.
A cellphone video showed
an officer pinning Floyd to
the ground with his knee on
Floyd9s neck while he was
handcuffed and repeatedly
saying, <I can9t breathe.=
Since then, officer Derek
Chauvin, who had his
knee on Floyd9s neck, was
charged with third-degree
murder and second-degree
manslaughter, and a sub-
sequent additional second-
degree murder charge was
added later.
Floyd9s death, and those
of other Black people killed
by police, reignited efforts to
Inside...
As the state of Oregon
continues to struggle with
how to safely open schools
in the fall in the midst of an
ongoing coronavirus pan-
demic, the Oregon Sports
and Activities Association
(OSAA) presented its first
round of recommendations
and guidelines for the high
school sports seasons for
2020-21.
In a hopeful move, the
OSAA9s initial guidelines say
address racial injustice and
the need for police reform in
the United States. Since the
Floyd killing, Sisters resi-
dents have peacefully dem-
onstrated along East Cascade
Avenue to show solidarity
with Black Lives Matter.
At the Saturday vigil,
organizers from Indivisible
Sisters held an event to
remember Floyd9s murder
and read the names of 97
other Black Americans killed
by police. Floyd9s name was
read last with a moment of
silence for eight minutes and
forty-six seconds, which was
how long Chauvin had his
knee on Floyd9s neck.
Sisters High School 2020
graduate Olivia Hougham
was invited to speak at the
vigil.
In an interview prior to
the event, Hougham said,
<So many people see Sisters
as this positive place with
everyone coming together as
a community. But that was
not my experience. I want
See VIGIL on page 8
Fire closed Hwy. 20 east of Sisters
An empty refrigerator
truck trailer caught fire on
Tuesday afternoon, July 21,
on Highway 20 just east of
Sisters.
The blaze, which spread
to surrounding trees and
brush, caused the highway
to be closed in both direc-
tions for over two hours
as Cloverdale Fire District
Firefighters, backed up by
Sisters-Camp Sherman fire-
fighters and personnel from
the Sisters Ranger District
doused the flames.
Cloverdale Fire Chief
Thad Olsen told The Nugget
that the fire was prob-
ably caused by a brake
problem.
<There9s skid marks you
can see for about 500-feet
before he pulls over,= Olsen
said.
That, the Chief said, indi-
cates that the brakes may
have locked up and over-
heated, causing the tires to
catch fire, in turn setting
the trailer on fire. The truck,
owned out of Minnesota, was
empty 4 except for 100 gal-
lons of diesel fuel used to run
the refrigerator unit.
Chief Olsen said that the
driver disconnected the truck
and tried to put the fire out
himself before calling 911.
He was not injured.
Cloverdale firefight-
ers doused the trailer fire
while a crew from the Forest
Service caught the blaze that
had spread into the roadside
brush.
<This time of year, that9s
our biggest concern,= Olsen
said.
See TRUCK FIRE on page 22
PHOTO COURTESY DESCHUTES COUNTY SHERIFF9S OFFICE
An empty refrigerator truck caught fire on Highway 20 east of Sisters last week. The incident blocked traffic for
about 2.5 hours.
Letters/Weather ............... 2 In the Pines........................7 Entertainment ................. 11 Obituaries .......................14 Classifieds ................. 20-22
Meetings .......................... 3 Announcements ...............10 Paw Prints .......................13 Crossword .......................19 Real Estate ................ 22-24