News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Survival skills educator and television show contestant Joel van der Loon moved to Sisters Country with his family a couple years back. Access to the outdoors combined with a sense of community drew them here to raise their son, Talon, now three years old. Though Sisters School District offers little outdoor or nature-based education for younger children, the van der Loons found area schools “very attractive, especially with their outdoor programs,” such as the high sch... Full story
In keeping with our current emphasis on shorter, close-to-home hikes, my hiking buddy suggested that we visit the trails along the eastern edge of Glaze Meadow. I checked my files to see when I last wrote about this trail and was surprised to discover that I never have. So, here’s an easy walk in the woods that you may not be familiar with. Historic Glaze Meadow and the adjacent, more recently dubbed Glaze Forest, have been the subjects of various Forest Service land swaps a... Full story
Parents attempt to provide every one of their children with equal portions of love, affection, kindness, and support. Logically, children growing up in the same family, treated the same way, should be quite similar in their ability to experience positive emotions, such as joy, interest, energized, alert, enthusiastic, contentment, pride, cheerfulness, optimism, and happiness. However research tells us that children inherit very different built-in limits to their capacity to experience positive emotions —determined by th... Full story
When Pat Thompson and his partners purchased Sisters Rental in 2007, they also purchased a lot along Barclay Drive at the corner of Pine Street in the Sisters Industrial Park. The plan was to build a purposefully designed new shop and showroom to replace the small facility the business had operated out of since the early 1990s. The economic downturn that struck hard shortly thereafter put those plans on hold for more than a decade — but now they’ve come to fruition. S... Full story
What does it take to change your life and improve your health? Classmates in Sisters are finding answers as they seek ways to avoid Type 2 diabetes. Most of the adult students either have pre-diabetes or are teetering on the edge of a diagnosis. It’s Kylie Loving’s job to guide students who either have pre-diabetes or are concerned about getting the potentially debilitating disease. A collaboration with Prevent Diabetes Central Oregon, the Sisters program began in January with a dozen participants. Together they’re navig... Full story
PORTLAND (AP) — Oregon hasn’t seen a coronavirus resurgence in the weeks since most counties began to slowly reopen businesses, the state’s top health official said Wednesday, June 3. Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen spoke of declining hospitalizations and infection rates as evidence that the spread of COVID-19 remains mild, even as new reported cases increased slightly in recent days, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. He credited Oregonians for taking steps to reduce their risk of infection, such as wea... Full story
We once again interrupt our regularly scheduled Dear Property Guy fun to take some time to assess what’s going on in the real estate world. Last time we looked at how the economic shutdown is affecting members of our community as both renters and property owners. Since then we’ve added riots to the mix as well. So let’s take some time to address the questions blowing up my inbox: “What’s going on?” and “When will this madness be over?” To those questions, I have no answers, but let’s talk about some definite real est... Full story
Many camps are canceled across the region, some are moving to a virtual-only format, and others are opening with limited capacity and guidelines for the prevention of COVID-19 spread. Outdoor arts and crafts, washing hands and social distancing — Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) summer camps must adjust for coronavirus. Executive Director Jennifer Holland told The Nugget, “We are looking forward to offering both our very own day camps as well as specialty camps... Full story
Sisters Habitat for Humanity says thank-you Washington Federal (WaFd) Bank for the $2,000 grant that will help them finish the Neal family’s home within the next couple of months. It’s partners like WaFd Bank who make it possible for Sisters Habitat to build homes, community, and hope. Many thanks!... Full story
The City of Fairview spent $2.4 million turning 13 acres of land into a Water Quality Facility. The plan was to create a simple and elegant system to filter and clean stormwater for 965 acres of industrial neighborhood, and what they pulled off was a wonderfully complex system of narrow, winding canals that looped back and forth and drained slowly through tiny barriers into one another, cleverly mimicking natural filtration systems found in wetlands. The city was thrilled.... Full story
Working in functional medicine, a form of medicine that examines root causes and dedicated to a holistic vision of wellness, it is not enough to talk about nutrition, exercise, meditation, and gut health. I would be negligent as a practitioner to dismiss the broader forces inequity, discrimination, and socioeconomic status have upon the wellness of individuals and communities. Mainstream medicine continues to be driven by insurance and pharmaceutical companies forging a narrow path by which “healthcare” must take place. Thi... Full story
On our coronavirus-truncated Asian cruise tour, the final stop in Vietnam was at Halong Bay, gateway to Hanoi and home to the giant, picturesque, monolithic rocks frequently seen in travel photos and more recently made famous in the filming of the movie “Kong: Skull Island.” I never imagined myself visiting Hanoi, much less on a tourist bus; but there I was, bound for Hanoi on a six-lane freeway. As we passed through the busy port of Haiphong, I clearly remembered the U.S... Full story
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted nearly all of our life routines and the weekly rhythms of the church have not been exempted. Leaders at every church location have been forced to make decisions about how to continue worship, teaching, and fellowship in light of concerns over spreading the virus. Here in Sisters we have seen YouTube services, Zoom meetings, Facebook livestreams, church at the rodeo grounds, parking lot services, and backyard church gatherings. Because we... Full story
When I rolled into Bend on my Harley in 1951 I didn’t know a Pandora moth from a monarch butterfly. It wasn’t until 1986 that they both entered my life, but the first to arrive was the moth; the monarchs came later when my wife, Sue, started monitoring the butterflies at Lava Beds National Monument south of Klamath Falls. During the summer of that year the state highway department had to begin sanding Highway 97 south of Bend because of motor vehicles smashing big, fat Pandora... Full story
Riccardo Waites was moved to act by the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minnesota at the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin. The incident, which was captured on phone footage by bystanders, sparked protests across the nation and now across the globe. Some of those protests were marred by rioting and looting. Waites is seeking constructive action for constructive change through the founding of the Central Oregon Black Leadership Assembly. The Assembly has figured... Full story
Last Saturday, June 6, Deschutes County was approved by the state to move into Phase 2 of re-opening and will be in this phase for a minimum of 21 days. Some key changes include an increase to gathering limits of 50 people indoors 100 people outdoors, up to 250 people in venues with six-feet of physical distance and other measures in place, restaurant and bar curfews extended to midnight, and increased travel will be allowed throughout Oregon although staying local is still recommended. Current state information on... Full story
In last week’s episode, I shared the story of one Friday in May several years back. My husband headed off on his bicycle to work; our 19-month-old son and I embarked on our weekly routine of taking the city bus to a certain diner. Along the way, we encountered an aggressive, aggravated guy who willfully chucked a big ol’ plank of wood on the sidewalk as we walked by, nearly hitting us. Instead of confronting Plank Dude, I decided to mentally give him an “Aggro Pass.” Normall... Full story
The dance goes on. Sisters Dance Academy has been adapting while being closed since March 21 because of COVID-19 precautions. How do you teach a live performance art when you can’t gather to practice live performance? Lonnie Liddell, owner of Sisters Dance Academy, and the other teachers quickly got to work creating class and choreography videos for their students to follow from home. “We knew we needed to be able to somehow keep offering classes — not only to keep the... Full story
Joel van der Loon of Sisters Country has faced survival challenges before: in Africa, in the Americas, and at sea. He recently documented his struggles and triumphs in the Canadian Arctic for show “Alone.” It premieres Thursday, June 11 on the History Channel. The premise: Ten participants are challenged to spend up to 100 days in the Arctic, all by themselves, selecting just 10 items of survival gear to bring along. Winners receive a cool one million dollars. “Over six seaso... Full story
“I made extra spaghetti sauce, so here is a jar for you,” says my friend Melinda. “With COVID-19 I am spending more time at home and cooking as if I am Julia Child!” “I brought you Kung Pao chicken,” says another friend, Paula, when she arrives at my house for our noon day walk. “If you put it in the micro, it will kill any COVID germs.” She hands it to me with gloved hands. This sharing of food did not happen before COVID. According to an NIH study of 2009, “…acts of kindness flood the brain with dopamine, a chemical... Full story
More than 50 people gathered on the corner of Locust and Highway 20 last Saturday in a demonstration advocating for racial justice. In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a police officer in Minnesota, hundreds of protests and demonstrations have been happening across the world. In Sisters, a group of locals decided it was time to show their support in their town. Katie (who requested that her last name not be published due to professional security c... Full story
Sisters could see 250 to 300 new homes in the next couple of years as plans get underway for the development of 31 acres of land along Pine Street and Highway 20. Kevin Eckert of Build LLC is designing the project for Paul Hodge and Paul and Carla Schneider of Sisters, who purchased the property that was formerly part of the U.S. Forest Service administrative site because, as Eckert says, “they just saw an opportunity for positive growth.” Hodge, who is CEO of Laird Sup... Full story
