The Nugget Vol. XLVI No. 47
POSTAL CUSTOMER
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
www.NuggetNews.com
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Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Nothing dampens Sisters’ holiday spirit C4C
names executive director
By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent
Truly ugly weather didn’t dampen the spirits of the 250 runners and walkers who took part in the third annual Ugly Sweater Run and Walk, organized by Kelly Bither of RunSistersRun. Strong wind gusts combined with nearly constant rain made for some cold conditions — and soaked sweaters — but smiles remained on the faces of the festive participants. A very short dash for children started things off at 9:45 a.m. as members of the cross-country team led some youngsters on an out and back, preceding the main event at 10 a.m. With Santa Claus leading the way on his red Vespa, entrants headed north from the start at Fir Street Park and wound their way through the industrial park, and out a dogleg on Pine Street before looping back to the finish. The demographics of the race indicated that nearly half of the finishers came from Sisters proper, which pleased Bither, who wants to provide fun events for locals as well as visitors. Another 70 came from Bend and
By Sue Stafford Correspondent
PHOTO BY CHARLIE KANZIG
The weather was uglier than the sweaters, but the fun was beautiful in the annual Ugly Sweater Run. Redmond, underscoring the local nature of the race. “That is the goal of RunSistersRun,” she said. “We had a great turnout and it was so fun to see all the ugly sweaters and holiday outfits.” Two 5-year-olds finished the 5k and 11 were 70 or older, giving proof that the
Boyle takes plea in abuse case By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief
Michael Boyle of Sisters pleaded guilty via Alford plea to multiple criminal counts in Deschutes County Circuit Court on Monday, December 4. Boyle pleaded guilty to one count of attempted sex abuse in the first degree, two counts of third-degree sex abuse, and three counts of practicing massage without a license. An Alford plea is a guilty plea in which the defendant acknowledges that there is sufficient evidence that they could convicted at trial, and agrees to accept all the ramifications of a guilty verdict
Inside...
— but maintains innocence of the charges involved. By pleading guilty via Alford plea, Boyle avoids going to trial in a case that has been ongoing since an initial complaint was filed in July 2021. The incidents to which Boyle pleaded guilty took place at Hop in the Spa in Sisters when Boyle was proprietor. The building that housed Hop in the Spa was demolished and removed from the site on Cascade Avenue last spring. Judge Wells B. Ashby stated, “This court finds that there is sufficient factual basis… to accept these pleas, See BOYLE on page 22
event really is designed for all ages. As has been her practice since she began directing races in Sister, Bither contributes financially to local nonprofits and schools. This year a portion of the proceeds will go to the Pine Sisken School and the Sisters High School cross-country team,
which supplied many of the volunteers for Saturday’s race. Results can be found on the RunSisterRun website and at EclecticEdgeRacing. Next up on the RunSistersRun calendar is the Lucky Leprechaun, set for March 10 to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Kellen Klein was chosen as the new full-time executive director of Citizens4Community (C4C) as of mid-November. He has been serving as the interim director for the past fiveand-a-half months, and recently signed a two-year contract with the board. Klein said he is honored and thrilled with his new position. “I’ve been telling folks that it feels like I’m getting paid to do the community building I’d want to do anyway,” he said. “It perfectly aligns with my passion for tackling complex, systemic challenges through grassroots, place-based relational work. C4C is quite a unique organization – firmly dedicated to Sisters Country, but nimble enough to adapt to the current needs of our See KLEIN on page 21
Christmas tree hunt turns into rescue By Bill Bartlett Correspondent
Cutting trees in the forest turned out to be more of an adventure than four Sisters Country families imagined. A group of about 20 headed toward Round Lake last week in search of the perfect Christmas tree, an annual tradition. After completing the mission and bagging four handsome specimens, the families gathered around a bonfire. From out of the shadows, at first cowering, appeared a dog, not one of the five belonging to the tree hunters. The dog, a bit worse for wear, was coaxed to join the group. Within minutes he was snuggled in with the assembled. A few in the group thought the dog looked like one
PHOTO PROVIDED
A group of Christmas tree-hunting kids found a dog that had gone missing in the woods near Sisters. they’d seen only that morning on posters hung around town and Forest Service roads asking for help in finding two lost dogs. This fur boy had no name tag, but his
rabies tag included the name of the vet. The vet was called, who in turn called the owner, who See DOG RESCUE on page 22
Letters/Weather ............... 2 In the Pines....................... 4 Announcements...............10 Entertainment .................12 Crossword ...................... 29 Meetings .......................... 3 Obituaries ........................ 9 Roundabout Sisters ......... 11 Fun & Games ................... 28 Classifieds................. 30-31