Veterans Day HONORING ALL WHO SERVED
The Nugget
Vol. XLIII No. 46
P OSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion
from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
An autumn visit to the cousins..
Reckless
drivers
become a
community
concern
PRE-SORTED STANDARD
ECRWSS
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Sisters, OR
Permit No. 15
Protecting
the health
of those
who protect
Sisters
By Charlie Kanzig
By Ceili Cornelius
Correspondent
Correspondent
For the past seven
months, complaints of roar-
ing engines, squealing tires,
and speeding on Highway
242, Edgington Road,
McKinney Butte Road and
in the Sisters High School
parking lot, mainly by young
drivers, have poured in to the
Deschutes County Sheriff9s
dispatch center.
Along Highway 242,
Firefighter and emer-
gency responders see a lot of
trauma 4 devastating fires,
accidents, illness, injury and
death. It takes a toll.
Over the past 25 years,
there has been a shift in focus
on firefighter and emergency
responders9 mental health as
a more strongly emphasized
part of training curriculum.
<There has really been an
See RECKLESS on page 31
PHOTO BY AL KRAUSE
A half-dozen swans visited Aspen Lakes’ resident trumpeter swans Eloise and Pete last
week. Photographer Al Krause reported that the swans were cautious but friendly in their
interaction before the visitors took off again across the lake. Photos of the visitor swans were
forwarded to Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife biologists and their impression was the
visitors were tundra swans.
Sheriff’s office
adjusts personnel
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
<The only constant in life
is change.=
4 Heraculitus
That ancient adage is as
true today as when it was
first uttered. Here in Sisters,
after three Deschutes County
Sheriff 9s Office (DCSO)
deputies were introduced to
the public in the October 7
issue of The Nugget, there
are already several tempo-
rary alterations in staffing
and two new faces at the
Sisters substation.
According to Lt. Chad
Davis, the officer in charge
of the Sisters unit, Dep.
Allie DeMars went on light
duty on October 9, which
means she will not be patrol-
ling in the city but working
in the office. Her light duty
is expected to last about a
year. Covering her patrol
duties for now is Dep.
Donny Patterson, who began
Inside...
his assignment in Sisters on
October 16. His SUV is eas-
ily spotted because it says
K-9 unit on it.
His partner, the other new
face, is Copper the blood-
hound, who likes meeting
people.
Dep. Mike Hudson, who
normally drives the black-
and-white DCSO pickup,
is a member of the Oregon
Air National Guard and will
be deployed for training
beginning in late November
through mid-March 2021.
While he is gone, Dep. Josh
Westfall will fill Hudson9s
position. Due to staffing
issues, Westfall will not
begin his Sisters assignment
until the first of the year.
After Dep. Hudson returns
in March, Dep. Westfall will
likely stay in Sisters and fill
Dep. DeMars patrol posi-
tion, freeing Dep. Patterson
and Copper to return to their
regular patrol team.
See PERSONNEL on page 18
See MENTAL HEALTH on page 24
Voters elect three councilors
By Sue Stafford
Correspondent
Although the results of
the race for Sisters City
Council won9t be certified
until the end of November,
the three highest vote-getters
appear to be duly elected,
with the following vote
counts: Andrea Blum 1,087;
Jennifer Letz 1,077; and
Gary Ross 981.
Susan Cobb and Elizabeth
Fisher, although not elected,
both garnered significant
numbers with votes at 701
and 647, respectively. The
two highest vote counts will
serve four-year terms, and
the third serves two years.
Andrea Blum, the only
incumbent running, <was
overjoyed to win the elec-
tion and appreciated getting
the votes I did, because it
confirmed that the hard work
the Council has been put-
ting in is appreciated by the
community.=
Fairly new to Sisters,
Jennifer Letz is <excited
and humbled to have been
elected.= She offered her
PHOTO COURTESY HARMONY THOMAS
A group of women gathered in Sisters on Election Day, November 3, to
mark 100 years of voting rights for women.
<thanks to everyone that
took the time to vote and I9m
looking forward to serving
my community.=
Two-year councilor Gary
Ross is <humbled by the
trust this community has
placed in me by my election
to the Council. You had four
other excellent candidates
to choose from. I will work
hard for you and our com-
munity and will always be
open to your comments and
concerns.=
Cobb and Fisher were
both supportive of the vot-
ers9 choices.
<&I am happy with who
they picked. I think they
See ELECTION on page 30
Weather ............................ 2 Opinion / Letters .............. 4 Announcements ...............12 Crossword ...................... 26 In the Pines..................... 29
Meetings .......................... 3 Fit for Sisters .................... 8 Events .............................13 Classifieds ..................27-29 Real Estate ................ 29-32