News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 502
An ad hoc group called CATS (Citizens Action Team of Sisters) has formed, with the goal of helping to formulate policy for growth and development in the city. The group believes that Sisters is overwhelmed by the increase in population and building, and perhaps lacks competency to meet the growth. The new group, just getting itself organized, has no office nor governing authority nor official spokesperson. Mark Dickens is a lead organizer and speaks with conviction about the... Full story
If letters to the editor are any indication, longtime residents of Sisters are saying that the level of frustration and concern with growth in Sisters appears to be at a new high-water mark. One such letter was from Sharon Booth of Tollgate, the same Booth who on February 3 posted a one-paragraph comment on the social media app Nextdoor. That comment has so far garnered 98 responses plus 21 “reactions” — basically emojis in support of her position — which is one th... Full story
Merriam-Webster: mosey intransitive verb: to move in a leisurely or aimless manner. I’m not in agreement with the “aimless” part. Those of us who mosey regularly have a purpose. We just can’t tell you what it is at the moment we are moseying. Last month took us on a road trip to Montana. That routed us through Oregon towns like Madras, Shaniko, Wasco, Biggs Junction, Boardman, and Umatilla, all places where folks still mosey. Especially on Saturday mornings and after church... Full story
The last few weekends have been the scene of squeals of joy and broad smiles at Ski Hoodoo, where barely sufficient snow and enough staff have allowed the Autobahn tubing park to reopen. Having been closed nearly in its entirety since the COVID-19 pandemic, the popular family activity has resumed on Saturdays and Sundays. The Delgado and Estoban families from Bend and Redmond, 13 in number, typified the hundreds who took to the lanes Saturday. The entourage didn’t mind at a... Full story
At the same time that the bond ratings house Moody’s Investors Service changed its outlook for St. Charles Health System from “stable” to “negative,” the four-hospital system has announced plans for a $90 million Cancer Care Center in Redmond at the corner of Canal Boulevard and Kingwood Avenue. The goal is to break ground in 2023 and to open the facility in 2025. The expansion is being funded with bonds secured in 2020. Who will staff it? Patient care staff expressed... Full story
Job boards, those online recruiting engines, are chock-full of well-paying jobs in Sisters. Jobs like a bank branch manager with an annual salary as high as $82,000 DOE (depending on experience). The Sisters School District apparently needs an accounting specialist for $42,000 to $45,000 per annum or a data and student information specialist that pays $4,000 to $4,667 per month. The District is also looking for a permanent, full-time custodian with a pay scale of $31,000 to... Full story
Last October, The Nugget reported on the commercial construction boom in Sisters, with close to 100,000 square feet of new development rising out of the ground. Some of these projects have spring delivery dates. Might they soon stand empty, glass-and-steel white elephants? When Laird’s 50,000 square feet of empty mixed-use space is included in the mix, one could wonder just who will come to fill them with workers, goods, or services. Kevin Eckert knows something about developm... Full story
Sisters Woodlands has made its first three sales and construction is underway. The planned development in the rectangle of North Pine Street, West Barclay Drive, and Highway 20, features some 359 homes and 44,000 square feet of commercial and light industrial space. In its infancy, Sisters Woodlands was imagined and touted as a practical option for workforce housing. At the time, one of the project’s owners, Paul Hodge, was CEO of Laird Superfoods when Laird projected as m... Full story
Good fences make good neighbors — so the saying goes. The Nugget’s story last week about the Forest Service mowing the underbrush in the Sisters woods, and thereby making homeless camps more visible, caused some readers to make contact in hopes of adding context to the story. One was Ashley Okura, one of the family owners of Ponderosa Lodge, the landmark motel at the Barclay/Highway 20 roundabout. Okura explained the long history of the new 1,700-lineal-foot fence b... Full story
Looking around Sisters Country and seeing standing water in many places might lead one to conclude that we’re inundated with water. Not really. While recent rains and snows are a welcome sign, and indeed there is some slight improvement to our years-long drought, the numbers say we have a long road ahead. Sisters Country is still clocking in at D2 (Severe Drought) as compared to a year ago on this date when we were recording D3 (Extreme). Just a few miles away, Bend remains a... Full story
If you have driven on North Pine Street, or the adjacent FS 100 Road spur, or along Highway 20 just west of the city limits, and the forest looks like somebody came in and mowed it one day — they did. Not in one day of course, but over a period of weeks. Suddenly the forest appears wide open, manicured even. The trees seem taller, more stately. The intent is to reduce fuels — dense underbrush — and is part of an ongoing, multi-year, forest-wide strategy to... Full story
What’s with the price of eggs? That’s being asked across the country and especially in Sisters, where a dozen white Grade AA large eggs at Ray’s is $4.99, and at Oliver Lemon’s those same white eggs are sold only by the half dozen for $3.79. Bi-Mart sells a dozen for $2.99. Nationwide the average price of eggs has risen 59 percent from December of 2021 to December 2022. The median price of a dozen rose to $4.25 vs. $1.78 one year earlier according to the latest Consume... Full story
David Fox spends a considerable amount of time in the forests near Sisters, working with the people who dwell there. Fox is employed by Deschutes County and serves on the Homeless Outreach Team. The 32-year-old health professional was raised in Bend before moving to Kansas where, upon graduating from college, he was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine for two years. Following that he worked six years for the Social Security Administration as a case specialist. He sees his stren... Full story
Many a folk in Sisters Country check their phone, tablet, or computer in the morning for the temperature. Your phone’s telling you it’s 20 outside and you step out the door and know instantly that it’s nowhere near 20, more like 10 or 15. Then you get in your car or truck, let it warm up, and the outside temperature gauge is reading 6 or 8. You trust the car’s reading, as you should – they are highly accurate, experts say. Besides, it more closely aligns with what your b... Full story
A circuit court judge in Burns in Harney County has temporarily blocked the entirety of Ballot Measure 114, a controversial gun control law narrowly enacted by voters last November. Presiding Judge Robert Raschio of the 24th Judicial District ruled: “The court declines to remove the background check provisions from the [temporary restraining order] as the provisions are intertwined with the permit-to-purchase program and the court has made no final determination on c... Full story
Oregon has one of the most robust land use and planning protocols in the nation, and LUBA — the Land Use Board of Appeals — has been the center of disputes for decades between advocates and opponents of growth. The year 2023 will no doubt be a year of controversy in the long running debate about best stewardship practices when Deschutes County resumes consideration of updating its wildlife inventory. In the face of declining mule deer numbers, and greater concern... Full story
The fourth quarter of 2022 saw a significant cooling off of the residential real estate market when compared to the same quarter in 2021. For 2022 there were only 59 sales that closed, for a total value of $51.48 million, between October 1 and December 31. That compares to 84 homes sold in the same period in 2021 for an aggregate of $66.53 million. November of 2022 was particularly difficult for realtors, with only 17 sales. December rebounded a bit with 20 sales, three of $1... Full story
With such a large territory to cover, the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District may appear to employ a larger force than it actually does. There are a total of 15 paid staff, 13 full-time and two part-time. Nine are shift responders, plus the chief and deputy chief, each of whom are, of course, fully engaged in action as needed. Your first question may be the same as mine: How can only nine frontline workers cover an area from Camp Sherman to Sisters to Squaw Creek? And do it... Full story
The proposed sale of Aspen Lakes Golf Course east of Sisters has been postponed. The Wyant family of Salem formed a South Dakota corporation named Rhue Resorts, Inc. with the intent to purchase Aspen Lakes Golf Course and adjoining property in excess of 1,000 acres, to develop as a destination resort that includes wine tasting, a cigar lounge, a campground on a 12-acre lake with paddleboats and canoes, a petting zoo, miniature golf, outdoor concert venue, food trucks, and... Full story
Winter has arrived and that means dealing with slippery conditions around your home or business. For many property owners the quickest and cheapest solution is to grab a bag of “ice melt.” Ice melt on sidewalks and driveways might help melt some of that ice and snow this winter, but you’re apt to regret it down the road. It works quite well, especially when temperatures don’t dip too far below freezing. But unfortunately, using ice melt causes a tremendous amount of harm to... Full story
According to the National Safety Council (NSF), 25,000 slip, trip, and fall accidents occur daily in the United States. Nearly all injuries from slips and falls on snow and ice fall under the classification of “traumatic injuries.” These injuries range from minor bruises, cuts, and abrasions to serious bone fractures, spinal cord damage, and concussions, according to the NSF. Health care professionals warn that slipping and falling accounts for a large number of win... Full story
Oregonians along with the rest of the U.S. are seeing some relief from months of budget-killing fuel prices. As of December 19, the price per gallon of regular unleaded in Oregon hit $3.845, well below last month’s price of $4.693. Just last week, the price was still over $4. Sisters prices are right at that statewide average this week, while in Redmond the lowest price for regular is $3.57, according to Gas Buddy, a popular phone app that lets buyers find cheap gas by locatio... Full story
The flu outbreak in Central Oregon is taxing health care facilities as cases skyrocket and more patients flood emergency departments and urgent care. We are in Week 48 of the flu year, and it’s disrupting the system, according to Dr. Cynthia Maree, St. Charles Health System infectious disease medical director. “Influenza numbers are rising rapidly,” she said. “Our hospitals are already strained. We’re seeing the number of visits going up to the emergency department and urgent... Full story
On June 6 (D-Day), Justin “JD” LeHew and Coleman “Rocky” Kinzer, both retired U.S. Marine Corps sergeants major, set off on a cross-country American journey, from Boston, Massachusetts to Newport, Oregon. They walk in support of America’s missing and killed in action from all wars and conflicts, Gold Star families, and to highlight other charitable causes supporting veterans from all walks and challenges of life. On August 18, they were joined in Elgin, Illinois, by Marine ve... Full story
Steak for Christmas? Mike Stewart at Sisters Cattle Co. hopes so. As does Riley Avery at Pole Creek Ranch and a number of other cattlemen in Sisters Country who took a back seat to poultry for Thanksgiving. But now it’s time for steak at a good number of upcoming holiday tables — either at home or that special dining-out experience. The best cuts for Christmas dinner? “Prime rib, 100 percent,” Stewart says without a second’s hesitation. Tim and Kim Keeton in Cloverd... Full story
