News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 276
Children in Sisters will be having their eyes checked on Wednesday, April 17, at the Sisters Elementary School. All second and fourth graders, as well as children referred by teachers or staff, will be checked, according to Julie Bibler, screening program coordinator of the National Children's Vision Foundation. "We test for distance and near acuity," said Bibler. These test vision at both a 20-foot distance, and 14 inches away. "Some children may be fine at distance, and still have a near acuity challenge. We also test for... Full story
The World Trade Center attack last September 11 sent shock waves through the local economy, including what had been a tremendous real estate market in Sisters. Sales virtually came to a grinding halt, according to some local real estate and title companies last fall. But business has picked up since Christmas, especially since spring vacation. "People jumped on the fence last fall, and now they are jumping off (and back into the market) because they have a better outlook on what the future is going to be," said Rad Dyer of Po... Full story
We are so used to thinking of ourselves as the good guys, it is hard to imagine why Americans are hated by millions of Muslims around the world. They have better targets of their rage closer to home, at least by our standards. Mercedes and Lamborghinis blast by dirty children through villages with dirt roads. Political power is given from father to son. Justice is dispensed by a preacher with the blade of a sword. Women can be stoned to death for adultery. Why hate us? It wasn't so long ago that the world was divided in two:... Full story
Whose water is it, really? Judge Stephen Tiktin has determined that Squaw Creek Irrigation District "converted" or took water from the Keith Cyrus family when SCID refused to deliver Cyrus water in a fee dispute in 1999. The ruling that there was "conversion" sets the stage for a trial on damages, which could allow Cyrus to be reimbursed for legal fees, which could range over $100,000. It is not known if that might be covered by SCID insurance. SCID refused to deliver Cyrus water from April 23-June 4, 1999, according to the... Full story
The Fryrear ditch will be piped next year. The Fryrear ditch, an irrigation canal serving 10 farms in the Cloverdale area, will be piped. Running the water in a pipe instead of an open canal will save approximately three cubic feet per second, or 1,347 gallons of water per minute, according to Marc Thalacker, manager of the Squaw Creek Irrigation District. Half of the saved water will be returned to Squaw Creek, Thalacker said. "We'll probably get pipe delivery in March or April, so won't be able to get started until this... Full story
Several property owners have petitioned the Squaw Creek Irrigation District to form a "subdistrict" for the purpose of piping the Fryrear irrigation ditch to prevent water loss. In a split decision, the three-member SCID board voted to approve formation of the subdistrict at its January 15 annual meeting. Lee Christensen and Glenn Cooper voted in favor. David Keith was opposed. Keith wanted to get water users who opposed piping the ditch "to the table to talk about it" before forming the district. Christensen and Cooper said... Full story
Squaw Creek Irrigation District will mine topsoil and sand as the new "Watson II" reservoir is built. SCID hopes to use a portion of the proceeds to pay off legal bills of $119,000 accrued fighting the Cyrus family over water rights. SCID received conditional approval from Deschutes County to build the new reservoir and sell the material, according to SCID General Manager Marc Thalacker. Thalacker was addressing membership at the SCID annual meeting on Tuesday, January 15, where he presented the 2002 SCID budgets. SCID... Full story
Deschutes County will decide in January whether to bring 98.2 acres into the City of Sisters urban growth boundary for a new high school. Even with county approval of a required zone change and comprehensive plan amendment, annexation will depend on a vote by citizens of the City of Sisters next March. The board of County Commissioners held a hearing on December 17 to review a decision by the county hearings officer that approved the proposed UGB and comprehensive plan amendments. Mel Bryan of Sisters spoke against the propos... Full story
Donations totaling $22,450 made by developers of McKinney Butte Ranch to upgrade the Sisters sewer line for Sisters High School never made it to the City of Sisters. The line upgrades were instead paid entirely from school district cash reserves. The donations, which were made to the Sisters School Foundation, were used for other purposes at the discretion of School District Superintendent Steve Swisher. Swisher said the donations were used for expenses that would have otherwise been paid from the school general fund,... Full story
After five-and-a-half years and lots of work, Ron and Shawn Leis' "five month" remodel project is done. Ron and Shawn Leis didn't expect to take five and a half years to finish their house, the one with a tower at 215 South Spruce Street. But it's finished, and they have invited the public to come see what they accomplished. They will hold an open house on Sunday, December 2, and another on Saturday, December 8 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to view the completed project. "We aren't going to have refreshments or anything, but people... Full story
A Deschutes County Sheriff's Deputy is filing a lawsuit against the owners of a black cow he struck at night while en route to an emergency in Sisters. Deputy Todd Williver was headed west on Highway 126 on November 7, 1999 when he struck the cow, owned by Kathleen and Charles Popish of Redmond. The cow was supposed to have been on the Popish's fenced property at the time of the accident, according to the lawsuit. The cow apparently moved from a pasture to the driveway and then onto the highway, where it was struck and... Full story
Fifty firefighers participated in a controlled "burn to learn" exercise in Sisters. Flames poured from the windows and smoke billowed into the sky as an old home burned in Sisters on Monday, November 19. The only thing missing was the sirens. That's because there was no emergency. According to Sisters/Camp Sherman Fire Chief Don Rowe, the fire on Adams Street was a "burn to learn," where firefighters got a chance to hone their skills. "This gives the firefighters, especially the new ones, the experience of fighting a fire in... Full story
Faith, Hope, Charity Since the terrorist attacks, we've had a shift in perspective. There has been a blurring of the line between who we are as individuals and what we are as a people. We are more certain, yet less confident. We have withdrawn, yet are reaching out. We've put down our microscope and picked up a telescope. And Ken Kesey has died. Planes full of innocents dissolve into skyscrapers. Great plumes of fire devour fathers. A mother's love evaporates as her desk collapses into rubble. My love was lost! The success of... Full story
Architects have reduced the cost of the new Sisters high School to $20,874,607, about $125,393 below the school board's target of $21,000,000. Most of the savings ($800,000) came from the elimination of about 8,000 square feet, achieved by reducing hallways and the size of the commons, according to a cost sheet from Steele Associates Architects dated November 11. The new proposal also reduces locker room sizes ($100,000), eliminates the football stadium ($270,000), four tennis courts with lights ($128,000), softball and baseb... Full story
Architects on the new Sisters High School expect to have new cost information before the November 2 school board meeting. Costs for a slightly modified design, pared from 162,500 square feet to 159,500 square feet, are being calculated. The school board is debating whether to spend part of the interest generated by reinvestment of the $20.5 million bond on the new school, or return it to voters. The interest is expected to be about $1.9 million. Board members Bill Reed and Glen Lasken are in favor of spending the interest... Full story
Mike J. Abegg, 46, formerly of Sisters, was arraigned October 19 in Deschutes County Circuit Court on eight counts related to sexual abuse. All eight counts are Class B felonies. The incidents allegedly occurred on or about August 31, 2000 and July 11, 2001, according to the Deschutes County District Attorney's office. The charges were filed on September 26, 2001. According to the indictment, there was one alleged victim, who is not a family member. Abegg was president of the Sisters Soccer Club for about a year and a half.... Full story
Coming soon... 33 housing units. A 33-unit affordable housing apartment complex will be built in Sisters. A tax credit grant was awarded October 11 by the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department. Funding of over $4 million will come from the OHCSD Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program and a private loan through the Bank of the Cascades. Rents at "Tamarack Village," located on a 2.1 acre site on Larch Street in Sisters, will range from $235 to $612 per month, based on income and family size. According to a market... Full story
Stronger than tyranny On the morning of the school board meeting that would be held later that night, my daughters and I were having breakfast before school. One leaned over to show me where she had scribbled out the face of Osama bin Laden in the newspaper. We hadn't talked much about the man, except to say he had hurt many people, and my twins don't watch TV much, but she knew his photo. The girls made shooting noises at the breakfast table. I am losing the ability to insulate them from the world. "Why did he do that?" one... Full story
Dangerous Afghanistan Entry into Afghanistan by American troops will be dangerous, bloody and hard. The Afghanistan I remember, before the Taliban, before the Soviet invasion, was a poor country of harsh, rocky soil and generous people. In April, 1974, we'd come to Herat on the western edge of the country. It was a city of small baked mud buildings, a grand Mosque, and stood at the crossroads between China and Europe, Persia and India. It had been there for more than a thousand years. But for the Mosque it felt like a town... Full story
The Keith Cyrus family may have lost an important battle in its war against the Squaw Creek Irrigation District. Then again, maybe not. In court again on Friday, September 7, the two sides argued over whether SCID had "converted" or taken Cyrus water when SCID shut off Cyrus irrigation in 1999. The issue is important because if SCID "converted" Cyrus water, Keith Cyrus would be entitled to recover his legal fees. Matt Cyrus estimated those at about $150,000. SCID has spent close to $125,000 on this case. The original dispute... Full story
Sisters is getting a new sewer system. For some home and business owners, it is just in time. Old installations were ...creative ... and a possible health hazard. Jim Mitchell of Three Sisters Plumbing noted that there was at least one installation where someone used perforated drain field pipe to hook a building to the septic tank. Raw sewage was free to percolate directly into the soil. There have also been cases where "Orangeburg" pipe, essentially a tar paper tube, was used. This pipe was banned in California but found... Full story
On the highway, sunlight bounced off the pavement. Rugged, massive mountains loomed not far away, draped with a delicate white shawl of cloud. It was a nearly perfect Central Oregon day, hot but not unpleasant, except for the police cars and ambulance, their lights flashing. Faces of people walking away from the accident warned that a tragedy had occurred. When no one is hurt you can see relief in the faces of men and women at the scene. There was no relief on these faces. On the pavement, under a soft, light blue sheet, lay... Full story
A homeless man in Sisters, possibly with mental illness, may be on a collision course with police. Less than two weeks ago, the indigent was given a citation for trespassing at a local business after being told several times not to loiter on the premises. He has had several confrontations with sheriff's deputies who have attempted to inform him of the law. If he continues to be the subject of complaints and receive citations, he is likely to end up in jail, at least for a short while. According to Mary Teixeira, case worker... Full story
State Representative Ben Westlund, R-Tumalo, will seek another term in the Oregon Legislature if the term limits law is overturned. The 1992 law mandating term limits was ruled unconstitutional by a Marion County judge on July 20; that ruling is currently under appeal. Westlund served as House co-chairman of the Joint Ways and Means Committee this year, he has been given much credit for helping keep the lid on partisan bickering in the last session, which ended in July. "I thought it was a great session... It was a very bipar... Full story
It's a free country First one won't hurt you, kid... At Sisters High School in the lunch room, there is a brilliant picture of a giant bottle of Coke nestled in a bed of ice against a warm red background, refreshingly dappled with condensation. Compressors buzz, chilling the caffeinated sugar stimulant. As if our teenagers needed stimulants. But even if the brew is habit-forming and causes chubbiness or hyperactivity, perhaps our children should be the ones to choose. After all, it's a free country. That giant bottle stands... Full story
