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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 2020)
Wednesday, September 16, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon MISINFORMATION: Rumors can spread like wildfire Continued from page 6 jurisdiction,= the agency wrote Thursday night on Facebook. While some arson arrests have been made, it9s not yet clear how all the scores of fires in Washington state and Oregon started. Officials say high winds and dry condi- tions have made them worse in a region with a cool, wet climate that9s historically protected it from intense fire activity. Both Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee have called the wildfires <unprecedented.= The false claims come as left- and right-wing groups have clashed during protests in the Pacific Northwest, par- ticularly in Portland where a caravan of President Donald Trump9s supporters drove pickup trucks through the lib- eral city last month. An antifa supporter shot and killed a member of a right-wing group and was fatally shot by Washington state authorities a week later. The FBI said it worked with local authorities to inves- tigate claims that extremists set wildfires and found them to be false. <Conspiracy theories and misinformation take valuable resources away from local fire and police agencies work- ing around the clock to bring these fires under control,< an FBI statement said. <Please help our entire community by only sharing validated infor- mation from official sources.= Officials in Oregon also debunked claims last week of widespread arrests affiliated with the Proud Boys or antifa. <Remember when we said to follow official sources only,= the Douglas County Sheriff 9s Office posted Thursday. <Remember when we said rumors make this already difficult incident even harder? Rumors spread just like wildfire and now our 9-1-1 dispatchers and profes- sional staff are being overrun with requests for information and inquiries on an untrue rumor that six antifa members have been arrested for set- ting fires in Douglas County, Oregon.= Medford police knocked down a fake graphic spread- ing online that used the department9s logo and a photo from an unrelated 2018 arrest to falsely claim five Proud Boys had been arrested for arson. A social media post shared widely on Thursday featured a picture of a woman along with claims that she tried to start a fire near a high school in Springfield. Springfield police told The Associated Press that they spoke to the woman Wednesday and that wasn9t true. Another post claimed a landowner called police after arsonists threw Molotov cock- tails on his land in Clackamas County and they got into a shootout. The Clackamas County Sheriff9s Office told the AP that no such reports existed. Freelance journalist Justin Yau tweeted Thursday that he was told to leave Molalla by an <armed group= that feared outsiders after seeing rumors of arson nearby. Thousands of Twitter and Facebook users shared posts trying to link the fires to antifa activists, including from Paul Romero, a former Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Oregon. Reached by phone, Romero blamed the surge in fires statewide on a coordi- nated <army of arsonists= but It is hot, dry, and fire spreads quickly in those conditions. There is nothing to show its antifa or Proud Boys setting fires. Wait for information. — Firefighter Matt Lowery offered no evidence to support that claim. The posts also are being shared by social media accounts associated with QAnon, a conspiracy theory centered on the baseless belief that Trump is waging a secret campaign against enemies in the so-called deep state and a child-sex-trafficking ring. Police are investigating a fire that originated in Ashland as a potential arson after find- ing human remains, Jackson County Sheriff Nathan Sickler told reporters Wednesday. However, Ashland Deputy Police Chief Art LeCours confirmed to the AP that the case has <no connection what- soever to antifa.= The Jackson County Sheriff9s Office hasn9t made any arrests and its investiga- tion shows no evidence at this point of a coordinated effort, spokesman Mike Moran said. <These investigations take time,= he said. <They9re intense. They9re fast moving. And so people ought to con- sider: 8Does this even make sense?9 They should question anything they see in a social media setting.= Seed to Table offers free fall field trips Seed to Table Farm will host free fall field trips in the afternoons for youth in sec- ond through fifth grades. S t a r t i n g T u e s d a y, September 22, people can sign up for free field trips from 1 to 4 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday. Seed to Table is committed to ensuring students get their hands in the dirt and have opportunities for experiential learning during these diffi- cult times. The fall field trips offer exploration opportunities with the safety of the com- munity as a top priority. <We are excited to host small groups (no more than seven) of students for expe- riential field trips this fall, free of charge!= said Seed To Table Director Audrey Tehan. Seed to Table Farm is a place students can play and let their imagination go wild. Exploration and learning on Seed to Table farm allows students to con- nect with nutrition, science, and art through farm-based 16 WED OPEN FOR BREAKFAST 9 a.m. HAPPY HOUR 3 to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday Open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. 175 N. Larch St. 541-549-6114 4 hardtailsoregon.com Facebook darcymacey THANK YOU FIRE- FIGHTERS! OUR SUPERHEROES www.blackbutte chiropractic.com 541-389-9183 392 E. Main Ave., Sisters SEPT 17 THUR Bl m Studio SPECIALIZING IN: Cut • Color Highlights Hair Extensions Soccer & Flag Football Begins mid-October, sign up today. INSTRUCTORS STILL NEEDED! SistersRecreation.com Casey Gardner • 110 S. Elm St. 541-549-2091 • 1750 W. McKinney Butte Rd., Sisters Paulina Springs Books Virtual Event Books In Common Regional Literary Event Series with Jason Diamond & Andi Zeisler 6:30 p.m. For more information call 541- 549-0866 or go to BooksinCommonNW.com. Food Cart Garden at Eurosports Friday Car Show 5-6:30 p.m. Bring your cool or vintage car for the free Friday car show. For more information call Eurosports at 541-549-2471. SEPT Fir Street Park Sisters Farmers Market 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Every Sunday: fresh local produce and more. Pre-order and details at sistersfarmersmarket.com. 20 SUN 24 THUR OUTLAW SPORTS TRAINING Edward Jones Virtual Event Future Trends & Strategies Webinar 5:30 p.m. 25-minute free Zoom class to discuss how to see beyond today’s headlines. Pre-register by calling Karen Kassy at 541-549-1866. SEPT 18 FRI SEPT NOW OPEN! activities. <Seed to Table educators are here to keep kids safe, help kids create positive rela- tions with nutritious foods, and to foster experiential education. Our field trips are filled with nature explo- ration, creative play, and a whole lot of fun! Come learn about our native pollina- tors, plant life cycles, dig for worms, munch on a delicious garden snack, and so much more,= Tehan said. <A lot of hard work and brainstorming has gone into this program, with the safety of students at the center of the discussions. After watching great exam- ples of other organizations carrying out successful and safe field trips in our area, we know we can help keep kids9 hands in the earth, getting experiential education while also keeping social distance.= Register online: https:// www.seedtotableoregon.org/ field-trip-signup. If families do not have access to the internet they can call to register over the phone at 541-203-0152. Entertainment & Events SEPT Formerly F Form orm erly l y Bigfoot Big Bi g foot f t Wellness W l lness Well Wel lnes s 11 SEPT 26 SAT SEPT 27 SUN Paulina Springs Books Virtual Event Books In Common Regional Literary Event Series with Ginger Gaffney & Pam Houston 6:30 p.m. For more information call 541-549- 0866 or go to BooksinCommonNW.com. Sisters Area Sisters Arts Association Artist Studio Tour 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free self-guided tour of 26 private artist studios. Go to www.sistersartsassociation.org/ sistersstudiotour for more information. Paulina Springs Books Virtual Event Books In Common Regional Literary Event Series with Craig Johnson Noon. For more information call 541-549-0866 or go to BooksinCommonNW.com. Sisters Area Sisters Arts Association Artist Studio Tour 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free self-guided tour of 26 private artist studios. Go to www.sistersartsassociation.org/ sistersstudiotour for more information. Fir Street Park Sisters Farmers Market 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Every Sunday: fresh local produce and more. Pre-order and details at sistersfarmersmarket.com. Events Calendar listings are free to advertisers. Submit items by 5 p.m. Fridays to lisa@nuggetnews.com