News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 502
Mushrooms - fungi to the enthusiast - are all around us. Aficionados of all ages delight in hunting the sometimes otherworldly looking organisms, many of which are edible for humans (some are deadly). A few are prized delicacies served in the world's finest eateries. A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. Toadstools are generally poisonous to humans. In Central Oregon,...
"No kid sleeps on the floor in our town!" That's the slogan for Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP), a 10-year-old 501(c)(3) nonprofit with 330 chapters in 45 states including one in Bend, helping children in need sleep better. SHP is a Platinum-Level GuideStar charity. They believe that a bed is a basic need for the proper physical, emotional, and mental support that a child needs. All children deserve a safe, comfortable place to lay their heads, SHP says. Across the U.S. too many...
Hank Minor is a master falconer. While he understands the mythical lore and occasional romanticism of falconry, he is very clear what the sport is all about - capturing and training a bird to hunt and kill other animals. Falconry has been practiced for 3-4,000 years - maybe longer - and was, and is, often the sport of nobility especially in the Middle East. Originally, a falconer only flew a falcon, primarily the peregrine falcon, and those flying hawks were "hawking" or...
It’s flu season and Oregonians, healthier on average than the U.S. as a whole, usually shrug it off as a fact of life. However the season is more complicated when factoring in RSV and COVID, which often look and act like flu. The flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are all highly contagious respiratory infections caused by viruses: The flu by influenza virus, COVID-19 by SARS-CoV-2 virus, and RSV by respiratory syncytial virus. It is possible for a person t... Full story
"Mom, come look at this," said Tess Sidwell, age 9, from Bend. "No, mom, come over here," pleaded her brother Evan, 7. Moms and dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, along with best friends, daters, dancers, buskers, and curiosity seekers of all stripes packed East Main Avenue between Elm and Larch streets Saturday and Sunday. Tess and Evan were captivated by animal wood carvings at one of 150-plus tents that lined the avenue for the annual Harvest Faire, always the... Full story
Signs of autumn are everywhere - cooler days, turning leaves, seasonal rain, and thankfully, snow returning to our mountains. And there are hunters, archery and rifle, taking to the woods in search of game. Central Oregon has a rich and deep hunting tradition, often running multiple generations. As more hunters are visible from late September into November, so too are those charged with keeping them safe and in compliance. That duty falls upon the Oregon State Police. Oregon... Full story
It's hard to miss the large, colorful banner adorning St. Charles Family Care Clinic on N. Arrowleaf Trail in the Outlaw Station shopping center. Neon-yellow all-capital letters on a fluorescent-red background say "now open." The clinic has been open for years of course. The reference is to the outpatient laboratory that until September 1 had been irregularly staffed. No longer. You can get lab work Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. by order of your health provider.... Full story
The 2023 Sisters Folk Festival - the 26th - opened Friday under Portland-like weather, with a steady mist under overcast skies, the temperature just barely reaching 50. Appearing on seven stages scattered around town, artists did their best to boost the mood and stay warm. Attendees warmed to their sounds and musicianship. Beer sales dipped and coffee and cocoa sales soared. Folks huddled under well-placed, patio-style propane heaters, but none were complaining. Being serious... Full story
On any given summer Saturday or Sunday some 500 to 1,000 tourists make their way to Sisters. Last weekend that number swelled to 2,000-3,000 as visitors feasted on four events. Precise estimates are not available but even an untrained observer could see packed streets, galleries, studios, and tents. Saturday began with the Giddy Up 5k/5Miler Ranch Run through picturesque Pole Creek Ranch. About 150 ran or walked, with another hundred or so cheering them on. The event included... Full story
They roared into town last Saturday, engines reverberating, some from over 100 miles away. Volunteers methodically marshaled the pristine cars and trucks, several dating over 80 years, into position as they lined the three blocks of Main closed to regular traffic from Elm to Larch for the Glory Daze Car Show. Many came in groups - car clubs or just garage buddies. One hundred and two registered out of 110 openings. The event, sponsored by SPRD (Sisters Park & Recreation... Full story
The 2023 Artist Studio Tour sponsored by the Sisters Arts Association left many wanting more. "We just don't get anything like this in Bandon, where we have many fewer galleries and artists of this level," Beth Urban told The Nugget during a visit with some of the 34 artists in 19 studios within 15 minutes of Sisters. Urban was at Kimry Jelen's in Cloverdale. Jelen, an equestrian, is an acrylic painter known for her textured, highly colorful style that flows freely from... Full story
The 12th annual Sisters Fresh Hop Festival opened its doors at noon Saturday, by which time more than 100 were waiting in line. By the time the last beer was poured and the music came to a close at 6 p.m., as many as 1,000 had taken part in the merriment. While most were serious beer aficionados, it was a family affair. Kids were treated to a giant inflatable slide and kid-friendly food and beverages. Spun cotton candy was a favorite. Kids in fact were the beneficiaries of... Full story
The Sisters Library will close temporarily September 24 in order to transition from its temporary quarters to its fully remodeled facility. The transition will take until mid-October, with no date certain, as construction and technology crews are at work completing the final steps of the upgrade and modernization. In an announcement to the public, Library managers ask that patrons please hold returns while the library is closed during the transition period. No late fees will... Full story
A 21-year-old woman named Gin Szagola is riding her horse, Finley, from New Jersey to the Oregon shore. That's a 3,450-mile trek across 10 states. More amazing is that this is her third cross country-adventure; the first was on foot and the second on a bicycle. In 2019, she became the youngest woman to have walked across the U.S. solo. None of this comes across when you meet her, as The Nugget did Friday when she came through Sisters, hours behind schedule. But "schedule"... Full story
Work began in 2022 on several large-scale commercial buildings in Sisters. Expectations were high that as Bend might be reaching saturation with fewer options for light manufacturers and service sector industries, businesses would be drawn to Sisters. Now as these projects have completed they stand mostly empty of tenants, with a few exceptions. Sisters does not mirror the national commercial real estate market where remote workers have decimated much of the office building se... Full story
Notwithstanding the tragedy of Maui, as the peak wildfire season draws to a close, national woodland firefighters and foresters are breathing a cautious sigh of relief. As of last Saturday, a total of 2.1 million acres have been lost to wildfire as compared to 7.58 million acres in all of 2022. Mother Nature still has about six weeks to change the outcome, but for now things are looking good. In Sisters there have been about a dozen days where smoke put the air quality index... Full story
According to the Transportation Research Board, more than 100 children are killed every year while walking to and from school. About 25,000 are injured. With school back in session, local citizens have expressed concern about driving they have witnessed in school areas, particularly on Locust Street near Sisters Elementary School during the afternoon. Causes of pedestrian accidents in school zones vary widely. It's important to remember that the word "pedestrian" includes... Full story
This is a new, regular feature The Nugget will run periodically. If you have a favorite hike or trail, send it along in about 500 words to editor@nuggetnews.com using the following format, including a photo. Hawk's Flight-Eagle Rock Loop is a fun and easy loop trail within five miles of town that offers superb views with diverse scenery. It's part of the wondrous Peterson Ridge section of the impressive Sisters Trails Alliance system. Why go? For one thing it's only a... Full story
High Desert Chorale conductor Connie Gunterman has retired and moved to Portland for reasons of family health. Gunterman took the reins of the Sisters singing group in 2016. Gunterman's first directing experience began early. As a junior in high school she was student conductor for both the school chorus and pep band. She sang in the Kentucky All-State Chorus during her junior and senior years and fell in love with big chorus sound. After high school, she attended the... Full story
Local realtors say the market for single family homes in Sisters has cooled dramatically but a look at the numbers tells a slightly different story. On August 15, a 14,666-square-foot, eight-bedroom, nine-bath home on Jordan Road sold for $15 million. Stripping that one-of- kind sale from the totals, August 2023 showed signs of resiliency compared to August of 2022. Last year in August saw 35 single- family homes sell in Sisters Country for $31.7 million. This August saw a... Full story
Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) is the recipient of a $45,000 grant from The Oregon Trails Fund (OTF), a Travel Oregon program, developed and funded in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, that aims to bolster Oregon's competitive advantage as a world-class outdoor recreation destination and provide exceptional trail experiences. In 2023, Travel Oregon awarded $438,977 in Oregon Trails Funds to increase capacity of Oregon trail organizations to support stewardship projects... Full story
Explore Sisters is tasked with promoting tourism that fits in well with the community values of Sisters. The work of the organization, which is one year old, has not been very visible to the public. The organization is funded through a lodging tax of 8.99 percent on room rates for overnight lodging of less than 30 days. Transient Lodging (Room) Tax (TRT or TLT) is the City's second largest general fund income source. Despite the volatile economic environment for the last... Full story
The average schoolteacher in the U.S. can only afford to buy 12 percent of the homes for sale within a 20-minute drive of their school, down from 17 percent last year, according to a report from real estate broker Redfin. That's less than half of the pre-pandemic levels, when 30 percent of homes near their workplace were affordable to teachers. Likewise, just 27 percent of the available rental properties near their school are affordable. "The shortage of affordable homes is... Full story
The pair of wolves known as the Metolius pair are presumed - but not confirmed - to be a male and female. On April 19, 2022 a new AKWA (Area of Known Wolf Activity) was designated in the Metolius wildlife management unit. Since August of 2021, there have been public reports of two wolves. Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) documented that the wolf activity appeared to be resident, prompting the AKWA designation. These two wolves were counted for the 2021 annual... Full story
Friday night at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Sisters was the scene of smooth jazz and over 300 silent auction items along with a wine and hot and cold appetizer spread that feted attendees. The night was filled with bargain hunters and curiosity seekers who sorted through a cornucopia of vintage and mercantile items in over 25 categories. There was something for everyone - campers, toy and art collectors, fly fishers, home furnishers, gourmands, and fashionis... Full story
