News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 25
With only four weeks to go before a critical May 7 budget meeting, the Sisters School District appears no closer to a definitive total solution to their $800,000 shortfall. School board members, staff and citizens are working on a variety of ideas, but as of yet there is no clear course of action to overcome the deficit. That's because there are no straightforward solutions - at least none that come without serious pain. With a four-day school week on hold for now, there are still several potentially large reservoirs of... Full story
Sisters artist Dyrk Godby laid the groundwork for the 13th annual Sisters Folk Festival fundraiser, My Own Two Hands, by creating a stunning representation of Native Americans watching a wagon train traveling on the Oregon Trail burned on cowhide for this year's theme "From Where I Stand." It was chosen as the image for this year's MOTH poster. The My Own Two Hands community celebration of the arts kicked off on Friday afternoon with bells, chimes and drumming heard from the... Full story
Four backcountry skiers were found safe after getting lost in the Three Sisters Wilderness last week. On the afternoon of April 10, at 3:11 p.m., Deschutes County 911 received a call from a group of four skiers who had been part of a larger group skiing the Hayden Glacier, on the northeastern flank of Middle Sister. The skiers got separated from the main group on their way back down to Pole Creek Trailhead, where their car was parked. The members of the group were not familiar with the area and were asking for help. GPS... Full story
Search-and-rescue personnel rescued two horses trapped in a mud bog on Saturday. Sisters horsewoman Bonnie Malone reported she'd been riding with two horses in the Windigo Horse Trail area off F.S. Road 1514 when both horses got stuck in a mud bog up to their chest. Malone is an experienced rider and familiar with the area, but was caught in an area were high levels of snowmelt had saturated the ground with water and created the mud bog. "The bog went on in all directions, "... Full story
To the Editor: In the March 26 issue of The Nugget, Rep. Walden put forth a bill, H.R. 4272, to change the way travel in the national forest can be done. What irritates me is this is another political statement from Walden which he knows will never take place. According to Google's first page, one can find that bill has very little chance of getting out of committee and its chance of passing if it ever does is five percent. In addition, Walden didn't write the bill; a Union County commissioner and a motorized recreation... Full story
The Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) is expanding its role in the community by sponsoring a series of speakers who will address local recreation opportunities and related issues. STA's inaugural program will take place next week on Thursday, April 24, and will feature Bjarne Holm, whose talk is titled "Changing Climate with Impact on Recreational Opportunities in Central Oregon." Holm's talk will focus on an historical look at climate change from a geological perspective, with a... Full story
At a City of Sisters town hall meeting Tuesday, a small group of local citizens reinforced their view that they would like to see "formula food" establishments restricted in both the highway commercial and downtown commercial areas. Current restrictions apply only to the highway commercial zones at either end of town. The citizens that spoke were also unanimous in their support of a moratorium on new business permits for formula food restaurants until new code wording can be implemented. The code adoption process can take... Full story
Free walks and hikes, led by knowledgeable trained volunteers, are offered from April to November of each year by the Deschutes Land Trust (DLT). The variety of outdoor walks and hikes offered provides a range of experiences from art in the field, to bike rides, birding, butterfly walks, tree yoga, fall color, geology, a kayak paddle, history, longer exploratory hikes, night adventures with the stars and full moon, and wildflowers. There are special hands-on activities and kid-length hikes for children accompanied by a grownu... Full story
When he speaks, he holds the audience in his hands, spellbound by his stories, his knowledge and his passion for his native culture. A descendant of the 1850s' Chief Paulina, Wilson Wewa, a Northern Paiute/Palouse, is well known throughout the Northwest and the Great Basin as a spiritual leader and keeper of traditional culture. Wewa will share his well-loved stores with Sisters Country high school students and the general public at a presentation Wednesday, April 23, from... Full story
The girls tennis team started their week with a 5-3 win over Klamath Union on Tuesday, April 8. On Friday and Saturday the Lady Outlaws participated in the Bend Invitational. In Tuesday's action the doubles teams swept their matches, and the No. 1 duo of Savannah Spear and Haley Carlson led the charge. Savannah and Haley dominated play on the court and didn't drop a game in their 6-0, 6-0 victory over Gracie Morgan and Tisha Bray. Coach Courtney Collins said that the combo... Full story
No one stands higher in the pantheon of artists who have portrayed the American West than Charles M. Russell. As Ian Tyson wrote in his song "The Gift," - "God put the magic in young Charlie's hand..." That magic has compelled collectors to lay down significant money to own his original work, ever since his heyday in the teens and '20s. The fervor of collectors remains undiminished to this day. Sisters author Larry Len Peterson has added something unique to the collection of... Full story
My best friend just had her second mastectomy last week. In the last two years, she's had her gall bladder removed, a lumpectomy, a mastectomy and now this one. She says the good news is that she's lost 20 pounds and can see her toes again! She has several messages on her cell phone asking her to call another oncologist for follow-up. She's procrastinating. "It's not in my lymph nodes so I'm not going for radiation or chemo," she says. "I'm done with the medical stuff." She insists she's going to eat better, exercise more,... Full story
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) has cleared Sisters' Creekside Park for continued operation. The status of the park had been in limbo due to questions surrounding restrictions placed on the property by a 1983 deed that granted the property to the city with a series of conditions. City Manager Andrew Gorayeb told the city council in a workshop last Thursday, "We had a meeting Tuesday with Oregon Park and Recreation. They have been very kind and generous in one, allowing us to maintain the campground and two, to... Full story
The United States' top fire officials met in Sisters last Thursday and Friday for the Western Fire Chiefs Presidents Forum. More than 60 attendees packed the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District Community Hall for two days of meetings and training. United States Fire Administrator Ernie Mitchell attended the meetings and enjoyed three days in Sisters Country. Other attendees included the president and executive director of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Fire chiefs and executives representing the 10 western... Full story
The boys tennis team dominated play in their 6-2 win over Klamath Union (KU) on Tuesday, April 8. The home match under clear skies and a perfect 68-degree temperature opened the Outlaws' campaign against their district opponents. Sisters' doubles players were at the top of their game and swept KU in all four doubles matches. Evan Rickards and Devon Calvin (No. 1 doubles) owned the court and easily defeated Thomas Luna and Tristan Phelps in two quick sets with scores of 6-0,... Full story
The boys lacrosse team demolished Mt. View 18-5 on Wednesday, April 9, and three days later beat West Salem on the road in a final score of 11-6. In Tuesday's action the Outlaws' impressive defense was key to their 18-5 victory over the Cougars. Scott Nelson had an outstanding day, leading the Outlaws with five goals and five assists. Nelson said, "We had a lot of good ball movement. Everybody made the right cuts and so we were able to get good shots and score goals." Zach... Full story
Living up to the name of the meet, Aria Blumm ran the finest race of her career on her way to becoming the champion of the 3,000 meters at Saturday's Meet of Champions (MOC) held April 12 at Willamette University in Salem. The MOC features top track and field athletes from 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A classifications, which typically results in strong fields and top marks. Blumm's victory, in 10:52.22, brings her within five seconds of the Sisters High School record, established by... Full story
Wednesday, March, 19, 2014: That was the day that the turkey vultures, aka buzzards or TVs, appeared over the horizon, winging their way north from their long (and very wise) winter stay in the southern climes. The official birding world acronym is TUVU. TUVUs, like many Sisters Country birds (and retired homo sapiens, known as snow birds) must obey the sun. The length of day, the position of the sun in relation to the horizon are two components of daylight that trigger the... Full story
The best weather in the 12 years since its inception may have explained why the Peterson Ridge Rumble also had a historic number of finishers for the annual 20- and 40-mile trail run held Sunday, April 13. A cool morning at starting time gave way to pleasant temperatures and a light wind, much to the pleasure of the ultra runners according to race director Sean Meissner, who returned to Sisters from his new home in Flagstaff, Arizona for the event. "The snow-capped Three Sisters shining in all their glory combined with the... Full story
After losing two rounds before the Sisters Planning Commission, developer Peter Hall, aided by Realtor Peter Storton, got some encouragement from the Sisters City Council in Thursday's council workshop session. Two councilors expressed their preliminary support for the conversion of the Three Sisters Business Park from light-industrial zoning to residential. There will be a council hearing on this issue on Thursday, April 24. In February, Hall made his proposal to the planning commission to change the zoning of his 16-acre... Full story
The Outlaws kicked off league play with a bang: Victories over Cottage Grove (CG), Sweet Home (SH) and Elmira. Sisters opened league with a 10-3 victory at home over the Lions on Monday, April 7, and two days later beat the Huskies 6-5 at home in Sisters. On Friday, the Outlaws blanked the Falcons 4-0 at Elmira. Jonathan Luz hit a two-RBI single in the second inning to tie the game 2-2 in the Outlaws' match-up against the Lions on Monday. CG added a run in the top of the... Full story
Bronco Billy's, in the historic Hotel Sisters building, has new owners. Bill and Tammy Falconer, owners of Pilot Butte Drive In and Pilot Butte Drive In West Side, both in Bend, purchased the business April 1 from long-time owners John Keenan and John Tehan. Ownership of the building remains with the Reed family. "Purchasing this business seemed like a good decision since we were already in the restaurant business," Bill Falconer said. "We are very fond of the Sisters communit... Full story
A little girl's dream of owning a restaurant has become a woman's reality for Jennifer Knowles-Seher, the new owner of Cork Cellars wine bar and store. As a child she played pretend restaurant by baking banana bread in her grandmother's kitchen. On the door she posted a sign reading Dinky's Diner. Jennifer's mother always told her if she had the money she would buy Jennifer a restaurant. When her mother passed away in December 2012, two weeks after being diagnosed with... Full story
Most teenagers regard their vacation days as precious and all too fleeting. But a group of Sisters High School students exchanged the last days of spring break for something they believe holds enduring value. They spent four days in Portland serving the homeless. Pastor Jared Vogt of Vast Church led six students on the "Project Portland" mission trip, aided by six adult volunteers and in partnership with two Portland ministries, the Union Gospel Mission (UGM) and BridgeTown... Full story
For Jessica Slaughter, returning to run the Boston Marathon this year is much more than a personal athletic achievement: It is an act of defiance. Slaughter had crossed the finish line and was headed into the subway in Boston last spring when a bomb went off near the finish at the iconic marathon, killing three and severely wounding scores of people. She's returning this year in solidarity with her fellow athletes and the city of Boston. The 40-year-old nurse- anaesthetist was... Full story
