News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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The Sisters Library re-opened last week after a month-long closure following extensive water damage from a broken pipe. The children’s area and the community meeting rooms remain out of commission as damage was more extensive than first assessed. It was originally thought that the building would be reopened in two weeks. “Fortunately no books were lost and the children’s area books were on rolling shelving so we were able to move them into the main section for the time being... Full story
Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent in much of the Christian world, fall on the same day this year. Valentine’s Day is always February 14 regardless of the day and Ash Wednesday, the official start of the Lenten season, is always on a Wednesday but the date is cyclical and can vary by as much as a month. Ash Wednesday is always immediately preceded by Shrove Tuesday. The name Shrove comes from the old middle English word ‘Shriven’ meaning to go to confess... Full story
Within weeks Tesla will have seven of its Superchargers operational at Three Wind Shopping Center on North Arrowleaf Trail at the north end of the parking lot. Incorporating its Magic Dock connectivity, drivers will be able to charge not only Teslas but any EV with a CCS plug (nearly all EVs made after 2019). Tesla already has two mapped chargers in Sisters, which are obscure from passing traffic. One is at FivePine Lodge, open for public use, and the second, according to its... Full story
It all began in 1911 as a schoolhouse followed by a stint as the Hitchcock family residence and later to be occupied by the Barclay family. The old white house just north of East Barclay Drive on the west side of Camp Polk Road has had a history of ups and downs. Its last life came to be in the 1980s when Frank and Marie Conklin turned it into a quaint bed-and-breakfast. It was described then in travel guides as "Country elegance in a serene pastoral setting. Perfect spot for... Full story
In testimony to Congress last week - described as chilling - FBI Director Christopher Wray said that China's hackers are targeting American critical infrastructure, including water treatment plants, pipelines and the power grid, to be able to "wreak havoc" in the U.S. if Beijing ever decides to do so. Testifying before the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Wray also warned that there has been too little public attention on the threat that he says China's... Full story
It's been a rough couple of weeks with the snow, rain on snow, and icing cycles that have befallen Sisters Country folk needing to get about. Getting to work, school, the grocery store, or gas station isn't an option for most. Nor is walking the dog. Lt. Chad Davis who heads the Sisters Sheriff's Office told The Nugget that he's been surprised by the few numbers of slip and fall accidents his team has encountered given the persistent conditions. But many have fallen without... Full story
While every drop off water and every inch of snow is critical for our summer needs, recent snows and rain have barely budged the critical SWE (snow water equivalent) readings at the Three Creeks Meadow station which Saturday stood at 46%. On Saturday, the readings were low. Sitting at 5,690 feet, the observed snowpack was 18 inches, down three inches in the preceding 24 hours, as unseasonably warm La Niña weather returned. Temperatures rose to the high 50s over the weekend.... Full story
Traffic-calming devices will be installed on West McKinney Butte Road between North Trinity Way and the new Sisters Elementary School. Cities employ a number of barriers to reduce speed: speed bumps; speed humps (a wider, smoother contour, lower-profile bump); and speed tables. Speed humps are parabolic vertical traffic calming devices intended to slow traffic speeds on low-volume, low-speed roads. Speed humps are three to four inches high and 12 to 14 feet wide, with a ramp... Full story
Drivers leaving and entering Sisters Friday afternoon at the east gateway were momentarily stunned to see some 200 feet of art removed from the fence at the Sisters Elementary School. The fence stands in the way of the new Locust Street roundabout scheduled to start construction this spring. There was no way the community was going to just allow the art to be dismantled with no future. Sisters Folk Festival (SFF) in keeping with their long standing commitment to Sisters... Full story
The snow that dumped on Sisters Country ranging from 18 to 30-plus inches was challenging enough, especially as it was accompanied by bitter cold and hazardous winds. When the snow subsided, weather related problems were not abated. In some cases they got worse. Most tragically two children, including an infant, were among the five people killed in a crash on Highway 97 near Crescent last Wednesday, January 17, after colliding with a semi-truck. Another child was injured. The... Full story
Now that the four new roundabouts on Highway 20 between Sisters and Bend have been completed and are in full use, numerous regular users tell of their frustration experienced when drivers enter and exit the dual lane circles. "Yee gads!," exclaims Todd Robbins who lives in Sisters and works in Bend, making the drive at least five times a week. "It's not that hard. These people need to stay off the road if they can't manage it." Les Collins from Sisters is a bit more forgiving... Full story
Following a lengthy search process, Reverend Liliana Stahlberg has been called to fill the position of Rector at the Episcopal Church of The Transfiguration in Sisters. She will begin her new ministry as pastor to the congregation on February 1. Transfiguration is a somewhat unique configuration of two separate worship styles under one authority. The 8:30 a.m. service is comprised of mainline Protestants who plan and lead the service. The 10:15 a.m. worshippers are... Full story
In April of 2022, the City of Sisters hired its first ever code compliance officer whose job is fairly straight forward - obtain compliance of the municipal and development codes. This includes complaints of properties with overgrown vegetation or having an accumulation of debris, garbage, and junk. Other areas of concentration include compliance with Dark Skies standards, noise, dust, dangerous trees, weeds and signage. Complaints of animal nuisances, noise, illegal parking,... Full story
A poop-filled diaper and nowhere to change it has led to an initiative to make bathrooms in Sisters businesses more family-friendly. For small business owners, installing a diaper changing table might not always be affordable or top-of-mind. A new program by Age Friendly Sisters Country (AFSC) has created an action team to make it easy to add changing tables. The action team's aim is to help them out by offering free sourcing and installation of changing tables and other kid-o... Full story
Winter came hard and fast this year. All over Sisters, folks bundled up and fired up their snow blowers - those who have them - while most of us relied on the centuries old method of shoveling by hand; a risk for many health experts warn Click here to see related story. Snow blower sales are expected to grow at an annual rate of 6.74 percent in the U.S. and Canada from $639 million in 2021 to $935 million in 2027. More than one million of the snow tamers are sold each year.... Full story
Old man winter came late this year, but when he arrived he packed a wallop on Sisters Country. At Black Butte Ranch, there was two feet on the ground by noon on Friday. Throughout the weekend temperatures plummeted and the white stuff kept piling up. For many, like skiers and snow boarders, the long wait for snow materialized and Ski Hoodoo opened last Wednesday to excited crowds. Although only two of four lifts operated as the job of grooming trails and readying all the... Full story
In the five years between 2017 and 2021, 721 elk and mule deer were killed in collisions with vehicles on the Highway 20 Bend to Suttle Lake corridor. The heaviest concentration was east of Sisters, and in the Black Butte Ranch stretch there were higher numbers. Numbers for 2022 and 2023 are not yet available. The removal of dead animals on state roadways is undertaken by Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). "ODOT is responsible for removing road hazards on state... Full story
It was 0 degrees Fahrenheit Friday night, -5 at 8 p.m. Saturday, and -3 Sunday morning before the skies cleared after the biggest snow storm to hit Sisters in several years. Concern started rising at the start of the week as City staff looked at the forecast, and worried that some families in Sisters could be at grave risk, especially the homeless living in the nearby woods. On Wednesday night, at its regularly scheduled meeting, the Sisters City Council approved a... Full story
The snow that fell in Sisters Country much of last week causing some havoc and disruption was not a record - not even close - but it was nonetheless the main topic of conversation. What made it the talk of the town were the winds and temperatures that tagged along. Sustained winds in the 20 mph range kept some folks up at night and consistent gusts in the 30s rattled windows and nerves. The wind brought down a 30-plus foot ponderosa pine Friday on Steve Allely's property in th... Full story
Drivers passing by the Sisters District Ranger Station on Saturday, December 30 felt a certain amount of anxiety as thick smoke and fire arose from one of the several buildings on the District's campus. The obsolete building, once used as a dormitory, was in the way of the new 14,000-square-foot headquarters building to be constructed this year. Rather than demolish it, the Forest Service donated it to Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District (SCSFD) for a live fire training... Full story
As the population grows in Sisters Country that question comes up more frequently I find. And with our older population – median age in Sisters is just under 50, whereas Oregon as a whole it is just under 40 – it seems to be a pertinent question. We have a cemetery, in fact. Two to be precise. One most everybody knows about - the Camp Polk Cemetery - is also known as Pioneer Cemetery and has been around since 1880. Turns out, nobody owns the place. At least no person or ent... Full story
Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) has alerted The Nugget of abuse to several trails within their system by one or more motor bikers. They provided photo evidence of the damage. There is no way of knowing if this was wanton disregard for the rules or carelessness. Either way the injury to the trailbed will require hours of volunteer work to repair. “Nearly two-hundred STA trail volunteers and trail adopters work tirelessly throughout the entire year to steward nearly 200 miles o... Full story
Concerned citizens routinely notify the Sisters Ranger District of abandoned vehicles in the woods around town. Just as routinely, the Forest Service begins the somewhat arduous task of removing them. In 2023 there were 25 cases in all, including a trailer at the rodeo grounds, a Ford Ranger on Forest Road 15, a motorhome near the high school, three RV trailers at 970/4606, five vehicles in all at Eagle Rock Road, two burned out RVs on Road 100 (the spur road), and the list go... Full story
Almost everybody in town has or had or knows someone who has or had “the crud.” Workers are out — as are some masks. Stores are having a run on tissues and Tylenol. Home remedies and self-isolation may be keeping reported numbers low in spite of people hacking and coughing their way through life in Sisters Country. St. Charles Health System spokesperson Alandra Johnson said, “We are starting to see an increase in COVID-19 statewide but that has not yet reached Central Oregon... Full story
Maybe you are one of the estimated 7.5 million air passengers traveling for the Christmas holidays. Or maybe you are expecting family traveling to you. Good luck. You will probably need it. In addition to the anticipated record number of travelers - up by 200,000 from the previous high in 2019 - you may encounter uncommon delays at RDM – Redmond airport - in the form of fog. A couple from Camp Sherman arose at 3 a.m. last week for a 6 a.m. am flight that would take them to S... Full story
