News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 276
The Community Action Team Sisters (CATS) has been awarded 501c-3 status with the Internal Revenue Service, according to Executive Director Ted Viramonte. The federal designation as a non-profit is necessary to receive grants and loans from some charitable foundations, Viramonte said. Viramonte said that CATS currently has an application for a grant requesting operating funds from a local bank. "This designation takes away something they might question in the application process," said Viramonte. He mentioned both the Meyer... Full story
Staff from the elementary, middle and high schools gathered in the high school commons on Monday, August 23. They were preparing for the coming school year. Students will return to classes next week. One of the first items of business was to recog- nize past accomplishments. There were many. Nearly everyone focused on students; not necessarily the most gifted ones, but those who had made the greatest strides - those who may have been at risk but whose life was turned around. There was the boy who may have been headed nowhere... Full story
A grant of about $36,000 will be available in October for projects in Sisters that focus on youth, according to Ted Viramonte, executive director of the Community Action Team of Sisters. The money comes from a variety of sources, including federal and state programs. Proposals from community groups should be submitted to CATS by September 15. Projects must benefit children, prenatal to 18 years of age, and their families. The proposals will be reviewed and approved by a CATS subcommittee, the Think Education Assets and... Full story
Construction of a 40- to 50-bed assisted living center for seniors is tentatively scheduled to break ground in Sisters in November. Randy Scheel, who will own and operate the facility with his wife Vicki, hopes to have the doors open by next July. Randy Scheel said the center will occupy Lot 1 and Lot 2 in the New Sisters Village development, west of Pine Street and south of Cascade Avenue. Purchase of the lots was to have been completed on August 3. The two-story facility will occupy 32,000 square feet. Construction and... Full story
People who pick up fawns in the woods may be sentencing them to death. Tracy Leonhardy of Sisters takes care of orphaned fawns for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. So far this season, she has received nine animals. Seven have died. Four of the fawns were found by people walking in the woods. These well-meaning folks mistakenly thought the fawns were lost or had been abandoned. They took the babies home to raise them themselves. They did more harm than good. By the time they came to Leonhardy, the fawns were on the... Full story
The Sisters City Council recently approved a change in the speed limit for North Locust Street (also known as Camp Polk Road) from Highway 20/126. The speed limit will remain the posted 25 mph from the highway to Green Ridge Street. A 40 mph "transition zone" will be added from Green Ridge to about 0.2 miles north, just outside the Sisters City Limits. Frequent travelers of Locust Street/Camp Polk within the city limits know that the area has had a 25 mph limit for a long time. Apparently the City of Sisters posted the lower... Full story
The brightest future of the Sisters School District may be not having a "Sisters" school district. An idea is percolating among Central Oregon school superintendents that opening up enrollment among the Bend, Redmond and Sisters schools may improve education. According to Steve Swisher, superintendent of Sisters schools, a family might want certain programs that are only available in an adjacent district. Or it might be more convenient for a family to have a child in a school close to where the parent is employed. "If... Full story
Computer hackers attacked Outlawnet last week, bringing the local Internet service provider nearly to a standstill for several days. The FBI is conducting an investigation, according to Outlawnet administrator Jon Renner. Renner said hackers first entered the system at 7:16 a.m. on Monday June 7. "At that point they got into one of our servers using a password without authorization. They established a shell account of their own, allowing them to install a new user," said Renner. Renner said it appeared the hacker(s)... Full story
The lawsuit filed in state court by former police chief David Haynes against the City of Sisters has been dismissed. A similar case in Federal Court is on appeal after Haynes lost a ruling there. Haynes was fired by the city on May 15, 1997, following nearly a year of conflict, primarily with City Administrator Barbara Warren. In the lawsuit, Haynes accused the city of breach of contract, violating the "Whistle Blowers Statute" and he accused Warren of "interference with economic relationship." Haynes had dropped a claim for... Full story
Smoke poured into Camp Sherman from the Suttle Lake area as the Forest Service burned logging slash on Sunday. But the burning will stop on Wednesday so visitors to the area will have a nice Memorial Day weekend, according to Rock Gerke, fire management officer with the Sisters Ranger District. "We burned three-and-a-half units of the Santiam corridor units last night, Gerke said on Monday, May 24. That totaled approximately 83 acres. The fires were set on the slopes between the Santiam Highway and Suttle Lake to clear loggin... Full story
Gregory William Hook pleaded guilty to Robbery in the second degree before Judge Alta Brady on Thursday, May 13. Hook was an 18--year--old Sisters High School student when he robbed the Sisters Pumphouse at knifepoint on Saturday, January 16. He will be sentenced on June 15, probably to two years in prison, according to Assistant District Attorney Patrick Flaherty. According to sheriff's office reports, Hook entered the gas station and convenience store shortly after 9 p.m. He was wearing a ski mask and threatened employees... Full story
Larry Starling Dunn posted a $10,000 bond and was released from jail while he awaits trial for the alleged attempted murder of his wife. Dunn, formerly a Black Butte Ranch police officer, was arrested at Crooked River Ranch on Saturday, February 13, following an incident in which he allegedly fired seven rounds from a .45 caliber handgun. No one was injured. Dunn, 49, had been a officer at Black Butte Ranch since August 3, 1997. According to Chief Hank Fegette, Dunn has resigned his position. Dunn was indicted on February 18... Full story
Runny nose? Itchy eyes? Sneezing, coughing, feeling low? Join the crowd. Many folks are being smitten by the lowly juniper tree in one of the most severe allergy seasons on record. An extremely wet spring followed by warm bursts of sunshine has convinced trees and plants, especially juniper, that it is a good time to propagate. They have pumped their pollen factories into overdrive. Dr. Frank Trostel of the High Lakes Health Care Clinic in Sisters says he is seeing three to four times the number of sufferers complaining of... Full story
One young man was released while another remained in jail for allegedly violating the same judicial order. Nicca Levine was released from jail last week. Levine had been held for allegedly violating a court order that he have no contact with the informant who participated the arrest of Levine and Jeffrey Trainor last September for delivering marijuana in the Sisters City Park. At a hearing on March 3, Levine pleaded guilty to the drug delivery charge. Trainor pleaded no contest. The two were released before being sentenced. T... Full story
Neighbors have gone to court to stop a large, community drainfield from being built in the Barclay Meadows subdivision. The drainfield would serve 10 to 30 homes in the new Timber Creek development. The lots will have their own septic tanks but are too small for their own drainfields, so developer J. Bruce Forbes has proposed piping the liquids to two 10-acre parcels across the street from the development. Barclay Meadows neighbor Jo Thompson doesn't think that is a good idea. "Septic systems fail. And this one, for 10 to 30... Full story
Jodi Henderson is coming back to Sisters schools next year to teach instrumental music. Henderson left Sisters last year to teach at Mountain View High School in Bend. Henderson was extremely popular in Sisters. His return is being greeted with joy. "I am thrilled. Jodi breathes such life into our music program. He gets the ultimate out of the kids. They admire him, and he encourages them to do the best they can," said Patty Little, who has children ages 17, 15, and 8 years old in the Sisters schools. Henderson is returning... Full story
Former Police Chief David Haynes has filed a lawsuit in Deschutes County against the City of Sisters and City Administrator Barbara Warren. Haynes served as police chief from June 1, 1991 until he was fired on May 15, 1997. From January, 1996, until he was dismissed, Haynes and City Administrator Barbara Warren had a number of disagreements over the police department budget and her refusal to pay for overtime earned by individual officers. In April, 1997, police officers sued the city over the non-payment for accrued leave,... Full story
A recent grant from Bend Cable may help Sisters schools purchase 130 computers. But another $5,725 has to be raised locally - and soon. The computers are coming from Intel through Oregon Education Service Districts, and are being distributed to schools around the state. The computers are being sold to the schools for $165 each, although Sisters has a chance to get them for $44 each of "locally raised" money. "That's a pretty good deal," said Sisters Schools Superintendent Steve Swisher. The price may be rock-bottom, but... Full story
Boyd Keyser has accepted the job of principal at Sisters High School. Keyser is currently principal at Central High School, serving the towns of Independence and Monmouth. "Boyd was one of three very qualified final candidates," said Sisters Schools Superintendent Steve Swisher, who stressed that the Sisters School Board still has to ratify the selection. Keyser was one of 24 who expressed interest in the job. The district interviewed 7 candidates; three were finalists. Swisher said that as principal at Central, Keyser... Full story
Larry Starling Dunn was arrested at Crooked River Ranch on Saturday, February 13, and charged with the attempted murder of his wife. Dunn, 49, has been a police patrol officer at Black Butte Ranch since August 3, 1997. He was placed on administrative leave following the incident, according to Black Butte Police Chief Hank Fegette. According to a press release issued by the Jefferson County Sheriff's office, deputies from both Jefferson and Deschutes counties were called to a Crooked River Ranch residence shortly after... Full story
Fred Ast and his family returned to Sisters on Friday from celebrating Thanksgiving in Roseburg with Fred's parents. Of course, there were left-overs and they brought some turkey home. They left the back end of their Honda open. At about 1:30 a.m. their dog barked. Fred didn't think much of it. Their dog is always treeing raccoons. But at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Fred stepped out his front door and there, right off his porch, about 20 feet up a tree, was a reasonably large black bear. At least 200 lbs. of black bear. Fred called... Full story
Fred Ast and his family returned to Sisters on Friday from celebrating Thanksgiving in Roseburg with Fred's parents. Of course there were left-overs, and they brought some turkey home. They left the back end of their Honda open. At about 1:30 a.m. their dog barked. Fred didn't think much of it. Their dog is always treeing raccoons. But at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Fred stepped out his front door and there, right off his porch, about 20 feet up a tree, was a reasonably large black bear. At least 200 lb. of black bear. Fred called th... Full story
The lawsuit against the City of Sisters by former Police Chief Dave Haynes in U.S. District Court has been dismissed by Federal Magistrate Judge Thomas Coffin. "We are pleased with the judge's decision," said Sisters City Administrator Barbara Warren. However, Haynes' lawyer, Jim Brown of Eugene, said a lawsuit will now be filed in Deschutes County Circuit Court, probably before the end of November. Haynes served as police chief from June 1, 1991 until he was fired on May 15, 1997. From January, 1996, until he was dismissed,... Full story
The owner of the Mountain Shadow RV Park is considering a fast food restaurant, such as a McDonald's, for the site. Last week, the Sisters City Council refused to allow semi-permanent modular units, classified by the state as RVs but not really vehicles, to be placed on the property. According to Tom Anderson, general manager of the Comfort Inn and the RV Park, a restaurant is one of the outright permitted uses in the highway commercial zone. Anderson denied that RV park owner Wayne Scott was trying to tweak the city for its... Full story
A partnership of Arnie Swarens, Jack Rinn and Mark Higham has purchased 35 acres of unimproved land bordering the city limits of Sisters. The partners plan to develop a business park on the property. The parcel is immediately north of the Conklin Guest House, across Camp Polk Road from the Sisters Airport. The project will be named the Barclay Meadows Business Park, according to a press release from the partnership. On August 24, Swarens, who owns Arnie Swarens Town & Country Realty in Bend and a number of commercial properti... Full story
