Opinion / Commentary
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 99
How can women bridge the retirement gap?
Women still need to make up ground in a key area: retirement security. Women’s challenges in achieving a secure retirement are due to several factors, including: • Pay gap – It’s smaller than it once was, but a wage gap still exists be... — Updated 2/6/2024 Full story
By Leadership in law enforcement
This year’s election cycle sees Captain William Bailey and Sergeant Kent Vander Kamp vying for the only elected law enforcement leadership position in Deschutes County. I know both candidates and have privately expressed to both my r... — Updated 1/30/2024 Full story
Intelligent failures
Plunging into 2024 we are at a new beginning, one that takes place every year when the clock strikes midnight on January first. With it comes resolutions to do “better” — better at the goals we’ve put in front of us. Determined, this ye... — Updated 1/23/2024 Full story
My name is not homeless
About 10 years ago I was on an extended stay at a Eugene hotel. My mornings began with a walk to Starbucks. Along the way I passed a woman in her 60s bedding in a small alcove; we made eye contact and warmly greeted each other. On my second... — Updated 1/23/2024 Full story
Wolf hate on the rise
The wolf issue continues to heat up across the West, with states like Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and now Colorado, all getting a chance to show their preferred flavor of wolf management. Here in “progressive” Oregon, wolves are con... — Updated 1/16/2024 Full story
Walking on the edge of 'Constitutional Cliffhangers'
Suppose a twice-elected president sought to serve a third term despite text in the U.S. Constitution limiting presidents to two “elected” terms? Borrowing trouble? Sure, but could she succeed? Spoiler alert: Maybe so. Lawyers use fic... — Updated 1/9/2024 Full story
The real deal - an antidote to celebrity
My wife enjoys watching award shows. I’d rather have each of my fingernails removed by the pincers of a medieval torturer than to sit through the Golden Globes. Not a problem — I simply ret... — Updated 1/9/2024 Full story
A dialogue between past and present
A few days ago, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley stepped on one of the most explosive landmines in the field of American history. Asked at a New Hampshire town hall what was the... — Updated 1/2/2024 Full story
The great pathfinder
History is capricious. Who we remember and who we forget often has more to do with who had the better press agent than who was most accomplished. Most folks in Oregon have at least heard of... — Updated 12/19/2023 Full story
Christmas: Good news for a tired world
Merry Christmas to the people of our wonderful community here in Sisters Country. Just a few short weeks ago many of us gathered for the Christmas parade and the definitive marker that it is now officially Christmas in Sisters Country — t... — Updated 12/19/2023 Full story
Losing trees in Sisters Country
Sisters has lost two mighty ponderosa pines, one at Sisters Woodlands Development. And one by a tree poacher, in the Deschutes National Forest behind Crossroads. Click here to see related story. We know who is responsible for the first... — Updated 12/19/2023 Full story
Submit or triumph
I was a youngster in 1975-76, when the American Bicentennial celebrations were underway, and I was obsessed. I dove into the American Revolution with all the passion you might expect a... — Updated 12/12/2023 Full story
Call it for what it is
The BBC in London, often criticized for perceived pro-Hamas leanings, ran a story last week headlined: “Israel Gaza: Hamas raped and mutilated women on 7 October, BBC hears” The subhead ran... — Updated 12/12/2023 Full story
Making Sisters a truly walkable town
A few months ago, I addressed the issue of the increase in traffic at the west end roundabout and the surrounding area. Today, I am addressing pedestrian safety in this area, specifically McKinney Butte from McKinney Meadows to the... — Updated 12/12/2023 Full story
The joy of outdoor education
At Sisters Middle School we have an outstanding outdoor science program called ECoS (Earth, Community and Self). It is offered to eighth graders and consists of five overnight, unforgettable... — Updated 12/5/2023 Full story
Wolves: It's all in the family
The topic of wolves is extremely controversial, and they are often seen as either good or bad. But no species is good or bad, as it's only we humans who classify their behavior as acceptable... — Updated 12/5/2023 Full story
Settler-colonial blues
The weather in Sisters is doing what it always does to me at this time of year. My soul hears the ancient horn call of the mythic North. A couple of nights ago, I fired up the electronic camp... — Updated 12/5/2023 Full story
Hitting the sweet spot
During recent discussions about the potential expansion of Sisters’ urban growth boundary (UGB), Sisters City Councilor Andrea Blum noted that she hears from constituents who think Sisters h... — Updated 11/28/2023 Full story
The cost of a cedar Christmas wreath
In response to Bill Bartlett’s November 8 article about forest permits, I offer pertinent additional information and clarification not about bark stripping, but the stripping of nearly all the branches on multiple incense-cedar trees. T... — Updated 11/21/2023 Full story
The long echo of the guns
Last week, Sisters marked Veterans Day observances, Americans’ annual opportunity to honor those who have served the country in our armed forces. Sisters students met with veterans and c... — Updated 11/14/2023 Full story
You could have heard a pin drop
Timing is always tricky with a weekly publication. Take Halloween this year, on a Tuesday, literally the day when The Nugget is rolling off the press on its way to Sisters. So, no way to... — Updated 11/14/2023 Full story
Occupying the land
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations in various U.S. cities recently got my attention. Curious as to what the protestors were actually supporting, I read from various news sources. To my surprise some of the “journalistic” accounts made lit... — Updated 11/14/2023 Full story
Connecting neighbors
At The Nugget Newspaper, I have the privilege of manning the front desk and greeting community members as they walk in the door or call on the phone. This public contact is actually my favorite part of the job. Even after living in Sisters... — Updated 11/7/2023 Full story
A fine little fire
On a rainy Rogue River trip, Jim and I contemplated a fire. A fire would offer warmth even if drying out was not possible. My ammo can contained kindling, and I set about making a fire in our tiny Weber barbecue turned fire pan. I was about... — Updated 11/7/2023 Full story
Protecting Sisters' forests
It is now widely known in our community that the Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) has come out publicly against the Green Ridge logging project due to concerns over the cutting of large and mature trees in old-forest patches, and scientifically... — Updated 10/31/2023 Full story
