News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 226 - 250 of 518
The annual Sisters Eagle Airport Rumble on the Runway will take off Tuesday, July 4, starting with a pancake and sausage breakfast starting at 7 a.m. Rotary Club of Sisters will flap the jacks as vintage, experimental, and assorted aircraft land in the background. As diners chow down in the cool of a hangar, all manner of cars and trucks will inch into their stalls. Most are for show waxed and polished to a glaring sheen. They will be as old as 80 or 90 years in some cases - c... Full story
Olaf from Norway measures a full nine feet in height. He's now residing in Sisters. The Viking, found in 1888 and born circa 1335, is now on display at Sisters' newest destination attraction - The Fantastic Museum. The museum is located at 121 E. Cascade Ave. immediately next door to the Candy Corral. That's a fitting setting for the many children who are wondering and wandering into the exhibit to the sounds of "Wow!" "Cool!" "Awesome!" Olaf is the biggest draw but basketball... Full story
As the last acts cleared the stages Sunday night, fans lingered, basking in the glow of the Big Ponderoo. The three-day event that began Friday with musicians blending with gallery-goers can best be described in one word: mellow. That was the common utterance among the hundreds of attendees. Along with "sweet," "smooth," "full," and "rich." It was fueled by music, pure and simple. That, too, was the sentiment of the laid-back audiences. Ashley Henry of Portland said: "I was... Full story
Every July 4 Sisters Eagle Airport Rumble on the Runway is also the occasion to fundraise for the aviation program at Sisters High School. Interested students can get a head start on a piloting career. For many years the school’s aviation curriculum has included the opportunity for hands-on flying in partnership with Outlaw Aviation located at Eagle Airport. The outfit is owned by Sam Monte and Walt Lasecki, both veteran military pilots. Founded in 2013, Outlaw A... Full story
Traffic was thick in Sisters last weekend. Not only were there the usual suspects – tourists eastbound and westbound, a good number stopping in our patch to slake thirsts, fuel tummies, or otherwise sample the local charm - but hundreds joined locals for a festive weekend led by a first of its kind music fest – the Big Ponderoo. At the same time well over 100 cyclists assembled in Sisters for a four-day, four-stage, 350-mile epic gravel bike ride, part of the Oregon Trail Grav... Full story
"What a brilliant idea! That's taking art in Sisters to a new level." Those were the words of Naomi Lieberman of Portland describing the marriage last Friday night of the visual and performing arts in Sisters. Lieberman was talking about the inclusion of musicians into the monthly art walks put on every fourth Friday of the month by the Sisters Arts Association, a confederation of 10 galleries and 64 artists. When asked how it all came about, Helen Schmidling, owner of... Full story
If price is any indicator then the hay grown around Sisters is tops. Every week the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) puts out a market report for all commodities including hay. Last Friday's report confirmed what hay growers locally and equestrians throughout Oregon already know. Premium+ grade alfalfa was fetching $350 a ton. That compares to $220-$285 in Minnesota, $250 in Montana, and $220-$235 in neighboring Washington. Only Texas came close at $340 and that's due to... Full story
Dozens of Sisters Country folk were startled Friday when driving past Metabolic Maintenance at North Larch Street and East Barclay Drive. Fire crews from Redmond, Jefferson County, and Black Butte Ranch were assembled in the firm's parking lot. Not just any fire trucks. The big ones. The ones with aerial ladders. The ladders were extended, and towered over the structure. Firefighters were ascending the ladders, step by step, methodically and intently. No. smoke. No fire. What... Full story
Cormac McCarthy died last week. At 89. Peacefully, in his home in Santa Fe. He has been flogged and revered by critics over his long career. Many find his works to be disturbing, brutal. Indeed they are often blood-soaked and violent tellings of hard lives lived by hard men. “No Country for Old Men” is of prime example. That novel, one of 12 he authored, was somewhat poorly received, although the film version was wildly successful earning four Academy Awards including Bes... Full story
• Food flight Philadelphia Steaks & Hoagies has exited leased space at 273 E. Hood Ave. and moved catacorner to its newly constructed site giving them twice the seating capacity. There will be streetside patio dining as well as year-round inside seating. Taking their place at the original setting is Luckey's Woodsman Off-Grid Provisions, a food truck operator in Bend best known for their Camper Kits with menu items like Forager, Camp Mac, Sasquash, and Lumber Jack Bowls. Spo... Full story
Last week, George Ormsbee, Russ Bentley, Krista Garner, Mike Romine, and Colton Tennant of Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) "blew" Highway 242. Highway 242 is a state highway that runs from Belknap Springs through McKenzie Pass to Sisters. It is part of the McKenzie - Santiam Pass National Scenic Byway that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in February, 2011 and is on the bucket list of cyclists across the region, indeed the world. The highway is... Full story
Sisters Country is the scene of the first livestock loss to wolves in Deschutes County. ODFW (Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife) has for the first time confirmed wolf depredation in the county, as a rancher in the Lower Bridge area lost a steer to the wolves known as the Metolius pair. Two steers were lost, most likely to wolves, in late March, as reported by The Nugget on April 19, but that loss was not confirmed. Aaron Bott, ODFW wolf biologist for Central Oregon,... Full story
As spring arrives, more and more of us are putting away our skis and snowshoes and storing away our snowmobiles. Out come the hiking poles, kayaks, and backpacks. It’s time to head to the streams, woods, and parks whether to search for mushrooms or wildflowers or take on rapids. And out come grumblings about having to pay for the pleasure in the form of recreation passes. The two that get the brunt of criticism are the Northwest Forest Pass and the State Park Pass. There a... Full story
The amount of funding for combating homelessness in Central Oregon has grown to nearly $35 million with the recent addition of $13.9 million provided to Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties. The newest tranche of money comes from the $98 million pot enacted by Senate Bill 5019 that gives sole authority of the funds’ disbursement to Gov. Tina Kotek. It’s in response to what Kotek calls a “Homeless State of Emergency.” COIC (Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council) will ma... Full story
With military-like precision, between 35 and 40 various and sundry trucks snaked their way up Pole Creek Road on Saturday. The convoy doglegged to FS 1513 in a cloud of dust on the rutted gravel road. Led by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the force included other agencies, like Bureau of Land Management and Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF). They massed to set fire to 112 acres. The weather looked promising, with winds forecast to be mostly northerly at 8 mph that - if... Full story
Headlines are full recently of the fentanyl epidemic in the U.S. that took 70,601 American lives in 2021, the last full year for which statistics are available. That number is expected to exceed 80,000 for last year. In Oregon the number in 2021 grew to 745 from 280 in 2019. At least 29 people in Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties died from drug overdoses in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available, according to figures released by the Oregon Health Authori... Full story
Until last week the nationally ranked Fathom Realty was not a brand force in Sisters, or even Central Oregon. That all changed when Mark and Pam Ossinger hung out the Fathom shingle at 311 E. Cascade Ave. at the corner of Spruce in the former Antler Arts building. The building's design is distinctive with its log-style architecture, and is prominent when entering downtown from the east. The Fathom Realty logo is prominently displayed perpendicularly to the street, making the... Full story
Thursday, May 4, was Sharlene Weed’s last day as staff leader for Sisters Habitat for Humanity. Weed has been with the organization for 27 years and will be honored for her long service “not only to Habitat but for her time on City Council and her prominent role in Sisters Cold Weather Shelter,” said Joe Rambo, board president of the local affiliate of the nonprofit organization that helps families build and improve places to call home. Rambo informed the staff of Weed... Full story
Facing double-digit premium increases or the inability to get renewed, many property owners in Sisters Country are scrambling to lower their costs or obtain new coverage. Some report being cancelled as the risk of wildfire is causing insurance carriers to reassess their exposure. Janet Swarts in Sage Woods said, “Our former Insurance company, Travelers Insurance, cancelled our policies — home and auto — about six months ago due to fire-risk location. We had been with them... Full story
Old marketing guys like me have an enduring fascination with branding. For the untrained, a logo or slogan is not a brand. Nike is a brand. It's logo is the "swoosh." It's slogan is "Just Do It." Nike is also the name of the company. Not all business names are the brand of that business. Apple is a company and a brand. Apple's iPhone is also a brand. Google is a brand. Its owner - Alphabet, Inc. - is not. People can be a brand. Think Beyoncé or Tiger Woods. You may well have... Full story
Keith and Connie Cyrus of Cloverdale and Connie Hatfield of Sisters were made permanent members of the Diamond Pioneer Registry at Oregon State University. The College of Agricultural Sciences annually honors people whose lifetime contributions to agriculture, natural resources, and the people of Oregon and/or Oregon State University have been significant. The award publicly recognizes their accomplishments as individuals who have contributed to the well-being of their... Full story
The 2023 annual Point-in-Time Survey shows the number of persons living in non-traditional housing in Sisters increased from 55 to 64. In all of the tri-county region of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties the number increased more dramatically, from 785 to 1,012. The survey is conducted annually in January by the Homeless Leadership Coalition (HLC). Coalition membership includes nonprofit homeless assistance providers, victim service providers, faith-based... Full story
Calls to 911 reporting fires are up as more and more yard debris is being burned. Callers mistakenly think a structure or wildfire is happening, when it’s just neighbors burning off leaf and needle piles or trimmings and clippings. Knowing this possibility, if the report of fire does not confirm an actual structure or vehicle, Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District (SCSFD) may send out a scout car before dispatching firefighting engines. Every spring, like a well-oiled clock, s... Full story
As temperatures in Sisters Country rise, folks are trying to put snow in the rearview mirror. "I'm tired of it and the cold," said Miles Horton of Sisters, as he considered putting his snowblower away for the season. Horton is a newcomer from Sacramento. Old-timers tell The Nugget that this winter is still nothing like "the old days." No matter if you love or hate the snow, it's unavoidable, living as we do in the High Desert. The last three to four years have been harsh on... Full story
In what appears as a classic case of scientific quarrel, a new study is cited by local environmentalists arguing that certain studies funded by the Forest Service contain a pattern of “falsification.” That was a word used several times by one of the study’s authors, Chad T. Hanson, PhD, of Earth Island Institute in Berkeley, California, who spoke with The Nugget at length. The Nugget asked District Ranger Ian Reid to comment on the study titled “Countering Omitted Evidenc... Full story
