News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 18 of 18
A small herd of cattle was driven down Camp Polk Road on Saturday afternoon, August 25. The herd was heading south from a pasture near Indian Ford Creek to another just on the edge of Sisters. The cattle tried once to take a flight out at Sisters' airport, but were turned back onto the roadway for their "trail drive" toward town. Cars were lined up on the shoulders of both sides of Camp Polk waiting for the herd to pass. The cattle crossing created a small traffic jam, but the novelty salved annoyance. The 50 or so head had... Full story
Sisters students are getting set to head back to school in a couple of weeks -- and they have some solid test scores to brag about as they start the new year. Sisters 10th graders turned in an exceptional performance on last spring's Oregon Statewide Assessments. In mathematics, they out-performed the state average with 35 percent exceeding the standard (compared to 17 percent statewide) and 39 percent meeting the standard (25 percent statewide). Twenty-six percent failed to... Full story
Don Zettel at Camp Sherman dig. Native-Americans have a history in the Sisters area lasting nearly 10,000 years. They came here for many of the same reasons Sherman County wheat farmers vacationed in Camp Sherman early in the last century and summer visitors flock to the forest campgrounds and resorts today. Camp Sherman and the Metolius Basin make excellent study areas for archeology and artifact discoveries of the past visitors and their lifestyles. A study group of Passport in Time (PIT) volunteers spent last week... Full story
Construction crews are hooking up houses to the sewer system. Residents in Sisters will hook up to the city's sewer system over the next six months as construction crews complete the third phase of the $13 million project. Two contractors will be at work on opposite sides of Cascade Avenue. Richard Bartels, Inc. bid $259,910.16 to lay in 159 laterals to houses on the north side of Cascade Avenue. Scenic Builders, Inc. will work to the south, hooking up 231 laterals for $572,... Full story
A Deschutes County Sheriff's Deputy cited Michael Merrell of Bend for reckless driving after an investigation into an August 20 wreck near Sisters on Highway 20. Kelly Clyde Johnson, 16, of Sisters, escaped serious injury in the accident. According to sheriff's office reports, Johnson lost control of his Volkswagen Jetta when he attempted to pass two cars in front of him, headed eastbound on Highway 20. Merrell, 16, was driving one of those cars. He allegedly sped up and would not let Johnson past. Johnson reportedly saw... Full story
The Sisters High School Booster Club is kicking off the new school year with the Black and White Barbecue on Thursday night, August 30. Fall sports will be introduced with athletes from football, soccer, volleyball, cross country and the cheerleaders. Traditionally, this marks the beginning of the Booster Club membership drive and is one of two fund-raisers during the year. The Black and White Barbecue begins at 5:30 p.m. and everyone is welcome. The Sisters High School Varsity Football team is hosting a Football Jamboree on... Full story
The Sisters Folk Festival draws some of the finest songwriters, musicians and performers from all across North America. The festival also shines its spotlight on some of Sisters' best homegrown talent. Local favorites The Blue D'Arts and The Haymakers will both take the stage at the main tent on Sunday, September 9. The D'Arts -- composed of John E. Smorgasbord, Dennis McGregor, and Scott Hersh --serve up a swinging mix of originals and quirky covers that tap the roots of American music, give them a spin and send them... Full story
An antique hunter looks over the wares... The Sisters Antique Faire brought hundreds of antique hounds to the Village Green last weekend. Visitors -- estimated at 8,000 strong -- hunted through 115 booths on the packed green, exploring collections of furniture, clothing, glassware, Americana and more. The show was in its second year under the sponsorship of the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce. Dealers came from throughout the Pacific Northwest and California. Many antique hunters scouted the grounds on Saturday, identifying... Full story
Tom Brokaw with the catch of the day. Camp Sherman resident John Judy hosted a pair of luminaries on the Deschutes River earlier this month. Judy floated with best selling author Tom McGuane and NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw on the lower Deschutes. They were fly fishing for steelhead using Spey casting techniques. Spey is an ancient Scottish fishing method which is currently enjoying a revival nationwide. It is one of Judy's specialties. Brokaw and McGuane are old fishing buddies. They were brought to Oregon by Guido Rahr, Execu... Full story
The magnificent Friesian.... Folks in Sisters got a look at the performance characteristics of the magnificent Friesian horse at an open house hosted by Judi and Jim Knapp at their ranch near Sisters on Saturday, August 25. According to Judi Knapp, the event allowed their younger horses to gain experience performing in front of a crowd, while locals got a rare chance to watch the professional equine performers at work. The Knapp Friesians perform regularly -- but seldom in... Full story
Jason Lake loves college -- and his Camp Sherman home. Jason Lake, a Sisters High School 2000 graduate, left his Camp Sherman home for Northwestern University last year armed with scholarships from the Pine Needlers quilting group, the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Department and the State of Oregon. He also received $15,000 awarded by Northwestern University. These awards, after a distinguished student career at Sisters High School, launched Jason's college career. Lake has done well at Northwestern as an astrophysics major. He... Full story
Bill Mintiens has made a remarkable recovery from a serious horse accident. Bill Mintiens, who was seriously injured in a horse accident on June 17, is well on the road to recovery. "I got a face-lift for Father's Day," said Mintiens, referring to the nine-hour long surgery he underwent after being kicked in the face by his horse. Mintiens received his injuries while trying to restrain his horse, Tonto. Six-year-old Mackenzie Ehr was sitting in the saddle when the animal bolted, and Mintiens instinctively held tight to the... Full story
Retirement fund rip-off On Tuesday morning, daily newspapers shouted that the U.S. government will tap your Social Security funds to pay for other programs. This is not new. Before recent surpluses, Social Security frequently served as a slush fund to cover Congress' lack of fiscal responsibility. It was one of those dirty little secrets of government accounting that citizens could never hope to get away with (try to tap your IRA to buy a new car). The surging economy of the 1990s showered government with our tax dollars,... Full story
An apartment house is adding 19 living units to the city inventory. In spite of a weakening economy and in the face of a drop in rural county building applications, residential building is still setting a blistering pace in Sisters. Permits for 74 residential units have been processed by city planner Neil Thompson since August 2000, up from 38 in 1999-2000 (August through July). That includes 19 living units going up on Adams Street in an apartment complex being built by Hap... Full story
Sue Tank hands off to teammate Kim Addison. A passel of Sisters athletes walked and ran for miles, did without sleep, dodged cars and worked till their feet were sore -- all for fun at the Hood-to-Coast relay last weekend. Rod Moorehead, Tom Haynes, Jack Walsh and Mike Obymako of Sisters ran in the 197-mile event as part of a 12-man team. Haynes was the team captain. Each runner turns in three legs during the race, some at unreasonable hours such as 4 a.m. Those early legs... Full story
Sisters High School runners trekked from Portland to the Coast. The Sisters High School cross country team got a jump start on the upcoming season as 24 members of the squad participated in the 126 mile Portland to Coast High School Challenge relay held August 24 and 25. The race is held in conjunction to the popular Hood to Coast Relay. Sisters' two co-ed teams joined 42 other high school groups from Oregon and Washington near downtown Portland for the 6 p.m. start. Over the next 14 to 20 hours the teams leap-frogged their... Full story
Sisters is getting a new sewer system. For some home and business owners, it is just in time. Old installations were ...creative ... and a possible health hazard. Jim Mitchell of Three Sisters Plumbing noted that there was at least one installation where someone used perforated drain field pipe to hook a building to the septic tank. Raw sewage was free to percolate directly into the soil. There have also been cases where "Orangeburg" pipe, essentially a tar paper tube, was used. This pipe was banned in California but found... Full story
- A man was stopped for a missing headlight. He ended up being arrested for felony driving while suspended. - A woman reported that someone broke into her car and stole her purse. - A man reported that his teenage daughter slipped out of her house without permission late at night, presumably to rendezvous with her boyfriend. Deputies had no luck locating either Juliet or Romeo. - Someone attempted to break into a storage shed at a Sisters business. - Someone kicked in a back door at a Sisters business and made off with the... Full story
