News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 156 - 180 of 276
Chris Bone was out in the garden of her home in Metolius Meadows in Camp Sherman when she saw the plane flying low overhead and heard the engine cutting out. Rad Dyer, who also lives in Camp Sherman, said, "I was at the end of my driveway when I heard an engine sputter. I looked up and saw the wheel of an airplane right over my head." The twin-engine Piper Apache PA-23 landed safely between homes on the 1,600-foot-long Metolius Meadow common area. As soon as it was on the ground, the pilot hit the brakes and dug a pair of... Full story
Aspen Lakes Develop-ment, L.L.C., filed a lawsuit against Milroy Golf Systems on June 26, 1997, for $130,000, alleging that Milroy failed to complete installation "as per the terms and conditions of the agreement or in failing to complete said work in a workmanlike" manner. A story published last week in The Nugget referred to only a companion lawsuit by Milroy against Aspen Lakes, alleging that the devloper owed $42,299.25 for work done. According to documents sent to The Nugget by Matt Cyrus, partner in the Aspen Lakes... Full story
The Arthur C. F. Pratt building is no more. Welcome the Monson Building. Merritt "Lefty" Monson and his wife Joanne purchased the commercial development from the estate of Joe Fought on July 7. The Monsons, who have a home in Lake Oswego, also just purchased a log home in Sage Meadow, according to Lefty Monson. "We just fell in love with Sisters," Monson said. "We were not trying to take advantage of an unfortunate situation We just felt the building had not gotten off to its potential. We wanted to be involved with Sisters... Full story
A tour of 24 Japanese students and two teachers from Josai High School in Tokyo, Japan arrived in Sisters on July 21. The students have been attending English classes at Sisters High School and enjoying Central Oregon. The students are living with families in Sisters and Redmond and take English lessons from Sisters High School teacher Diana Prichard and her son, Caleb, 21, who just graduated from the University of Oregon. Caleb previously tutored students for whom English is a second language. He will go to Japan in August t... Full story
A lightning strike at about 4 p.m. sparked the first major wilderness wildfire of the season on Monday, July 28. "Black Butte (lookout) picked it up right away. It was a hot strike that went right to a large column (of smoke), said Mark Rapp, who was incident commander Monday night. Rapp said there was no moisture associated with the thunder storm, which allowed the lightning to cause immediate ignition. The fire, clearly visible from Sisters, is on the north side of Black Crater, about one-half mile southeast of Windy Point... Full story
Former Police Chief David Haynes, fired by the City of Sisters on May 15, 1997, is suing the city and City Admin-istrator Barbara Warren for a total of $1.2 million. The lawsuit was filed in Federal Court in Eugene on Thursday, July 24 by Haynes' attorney, James M. Brown, of Salem. The city and Warren have not yet been officially served, although they received a courtesy copy of the lawsuit via fax the same day it was filed, according to Nikki Hendricks, an attorney working on Haynes' behalf. Haynes alleges that he was... Full story
Fund-raising for four new classrooms at the Sisters Elementary School is picking up--though much more is still needed--following a letter sent out last week to potential contributors. "Before Superintendent Steve Swisher left for vacation, $5,300 had just come in," said project manager Bill Willitts. Willitts said the most popular donation was $250 for a brick engraved with the name of the donor that will be "permanently affixed to the face of the school." Donation levels range from $1 to $10,000. Volunteers are trying to... Full story
Leigh Hoagland, a senior at Sisters High School, just returned from a two-week tour of Europe with some of the state's top student musicians. The tour actually began with a three-day camp at Lewis and Clark College from June 21-24, according to Hoagland. The ensemble embarked for Europe on June 24, and returned on July 9. "First we went to London, then Paris. Then we went to a little village in Switzerland, through Liechtenstein and to Austria. We had a day trip to Venice, then went to Germany," Hoagland said. "We were suppos... Full story
Sisters teachers and the school board are unable to agree on a contract until the Oregon Legislature decides how much money will be available for schools. "Negotiations about salaries are on hold until we know what the legislature is going to do. We are probably looking at late this month or next," for a contract settlement, said Schools Superintendent Steve Swisher. Swisher said "the school board position is that there is only a certain amount of dollars and they are not willing to cut programs to grant raises. Teachers... Full story
After voters defeated a tax levy increase, the City of Sisters will again have to tap its cash carry-forward "savings account" in the next fiscal year. Current general fund revenues are expected to be $568,605. The city has budgeted to spend about $603,072 from the general fund. As a result, the carry-forward will drop about $34,467, from $333,810 to $299,343, barring any unforeseen contingencies. "The decision by the budget committee (not to make further cuts) was based on the belief that even though the voters did not... Full story
An emergency cash shortfall has hit the Sisters School District, and all employees, from the superintendent on down, will take a five-day pay cut to help balance this year's budget. Some of those days may be made up in the next fiscal year, after July 1. According to schools Superintendent Steve Swisher, the district received notice last week from the State of Oregon that the final payment from the State School Support Fund would be less than anticipated. After an "intense review" of the numbers, Swisher said the district... Full story
Sisters is about to prove what a community working together can do. A meeting of those who can contribute to a "room raising" of four classrooms at the Sisters Elementary School has been set for Wednesday, May 14 at 11 a.m. in the administration office board room. This locally grown, grass roots, voluntary effort has blossomed since the Sisters School Board voted to create a middle school using existing facilities at the administration campus. The move of seventh and eighth graders from the Sisters/Middle High School was... Full story
Can a volunteer effort in Sisters build four classrooms at the elementary school, tentatively valued at between $350,000 and $400,000? The idea, which would be a spectacular follow-up to the Sisters Schools Foundation concert series, which raised more than $30,000 for school needs, is gathering momentum. But it's certainly not a done deal. "There are many details to be worked out, but there appears to be a lot of enthusiasm. I am as excited as can be," said Sisters School Board Chairman Bill Reed. "I plan to sit down with... Full story
The City of Sisters has put Police Chief David Haynes on paid suspension until May 15, at which time his employment will be terminated, Haynes told The Nugget on May 2. "I was given notice yesterday (May 1) at about 11 a.m. by the city administrator to meet with her and Gordon (Councilor Petrie) and Tim (Councilor Clasen)" Haynes said. "Apparently at 8 a.m. she called Lt. Shaver and asked him to come in at 9 a.m., which he did. At 9:15 a.m. I was asked by radio to come into the office, then they gave me the written notice of... Full story
The Sisters School Board has proposed no increase in the base salary schedule for teachers in the 1997-98 school year. Teachers have requested an increase of 4.8 percent. The school district and teachers are negotiating terms for the last year of a four-year contract that spans 1994-1998. The proposal offered by the school board to teachers on April 21 would also allow the board to determine who is rehired after layoffs based on "competence or merit," without regard to seniority. In the teacher's proposal, presented on April... Full story
Wrestling with budgets and lawsuits, handbooks and zoning, a city council decision about what to do about moving city hall has been sent to the sidelines. But not for long. "Steve (Mayor Steve Wilson) has said he would like to have some kind of decision by the first of July," on the city hall issue, said City Administrator Barbara Warren. Current facilities are still too cramped, according to Warren. "Planning, public works and the building department are just crammed. You cannot have any kind of private discussion," she... Full story
Controversy still seethes over a revised school calendar for Sisters students next year, and whether eighth graders will attend the middle/high school or return to the administration campus as part of a reconfigured 6-8 middl e school. Board members Connie Morris, Charles Warren and Bill Reed declined to vote on these questions on April 14 because the other two board members, Jan van den Berg and Harold Gott, were unable to attend that meeting (See The Nugget, April 16 issues). The board is considering a modified calendar... Full story
A claim against the City of Sisters was filed in U.S. District Court by members of the Sisters Police Department on Tuesday, April 15, 1997. The lawsuit alleges that the city and City Administrator Barbara Warren, individually, violated the Fair Labor Standards Act as well as the contract between the city and its employees, and also infringed on employees' First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The suit claims that police officers Allan R. Borland, Wayne A. Morgan, Donald K. Pray and Christopher Bangs, and police... Full story
Sisters teachers have proposed a 4.8 percent base salary increase for the 1997-98 school year, guarantees of seniority protection in the event of layoffs and modification of discipline procedures. In a negotiating session on April 2, teachers and the district began bargaining over the terms of employment for the last year of a four-year contract that spans 1994 to 1998. Despite the four-year nature of the contract, salary, fringe benefits and two non-economic issues (from each side) can be renegotiated each year. The April 2... Full story
A cold wind blew through the Pacific Northwest on Easter Sunday, cut power to homes in the Sisters area and brought a small plane to safe haven at Sisters airport. Warm, sunny weather changed suddenly and without notice into a cold, blustery s torm, with winds reaching their peak at about 2 p.m. According to a wind meter at Sisters Eagle Air, local gusts topped 50 miles per hour. A branch from a pine tree cut a power line along Camp Polk Road just beyond the city limits, and the downed wire started a small blaze in the... Full story
Carol Wulff, who has been finance assistant for the City of Sisters since November 26, resigned March 28 after only four months. Wulff claims she was treated unfairly by City Administrator Barbara Warren, a charge Warren denies. Mayor Steve Wilson is aware of the disagreement and believes Warren has acted appropriately. Wulff said at least one city employee, Finance Officer Laura Deddo, has been given a raise and overtime, while everyone else works under a wage freeze as the city attempts to balance its budget. "When we were... Full story
Mike Dombeck, the new chief of the Forest Service, toured fire and disease devastated areas of the Deschutes National Forest on March 13. Before testifying about forest health issues to Congress on March 18, Dombeck wanted to look at damaged forests and talk to Forest Service professionals, industry representatives and conservationists. Dombeck took over from retiring chief Jack Ward Thomas on January 6. Dombeck toured the budworm ravaged forests along the Santiam corridor as well as the site of last summer's Skeleton fire... Full story
Saying he has "heard the voters, loud and clear," Sheriff Greg Brown has trimmed more than 25 percent off the recently defeated sheriff's operating levy request. In May, voters will be asked to approve a one-year, $6.9 million levy. That's reduced from the $9.4 million per year, three- year levy defeated in the March 12 election. The reduced levy will not allow Deschutes County to open the new juvenile jail. The county will not add any more staff at the adult jail, and the inmate population will be "capped," with more... Full story
A. Wayne Scott was slapped with a stinging rebuke by Judge Stephen Tiktin on March 6. Tiktin ruled that Scott's lawsuit against Barclay Contractors of Sisters was "meritless." Scott had sued Barclay for $171,000 for alleged construction deficiencies at the Mt. Shadow RV Park in Sisters. But on February 5, a jury found that Scott still owed Barclay about $83,000 for work done. In this last ruling, Judge Tiktin said Scott's initial claims for $171,000 were "so grossly overstated as to be ludicrous." The evidence that Scott had... Full story
Without a new sheriff's levy, law enforcement could be drastically cut in Deschutes County, warns Sheriff Greg Brown. Registered voters should have received their mail-in ballots, which must be returned to the county clerk by March 11. More than half those ballots need to be returned, or the levy election will not be valid under provisions of Measure 47, passed last November. The sheriff is asking voters for $9.4 million per year for three years. Of that, $7.2 million is needed to maintain the existing services and personnel,... Full story
