News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Every other Wednesday, I get together with a small group of men in what I guess you’d call a book club. We grapple with tough moral questions, and matters of purpose and meaning, conflict and division. Our current selection is Patrick Radden Keefe’s “Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland.” There is a current dramatic adaptation in the FX/Hulu limited series “Say Nothing.” The book pivots on the December 1972 abduction of Jean McConville,... Full story
As you likely know, we have phased in a subscription charge for mailbox delivery to cover the cost of postage. The response has been gratifying, with a steady stream of folks subscribing online and coming in to subscribe in person. It's been a heavy lift, shifting a four-decade-old model, and adopting new subscription management software. We offer a tip of the hat to Lisa May who has been on point for the transition. When we first contemplated making this change, I sat down...
Last week I had coffee with an old friend — the first person I knew in Sisters. We both moved here from the same area in the foothills at the northern rim of the Los Angeles basin more than 30 years ago. We both noted how hard it hits, watching the apocalyptic destruction wrought by the wildfires that have ripped across our old stompin’ grounds. We’ve both lived in Sisters longer than we lived in L.A. — but you never quite lose your sense of connection to the place where y... Full story
One of Sisters' largest employers, founded in 1984 in San Diego and operating locally since 1993 under the ownership of Ed Fitzjarrell, has been acquired by WM Partners, LP, of Aventura, Florida, a suburb of Miami Beach. Metabolic Maintenance produces pure, preservative-free nutraceuticals without added excipients, fillers, or binders. Their products, created, formulated, and packaged in Sisters, are sold nationwide. The company with sales of around $10 million, according to i... Full story
What started out as a convenient job turned into a 35-year career for Mary Lesowske. The lead secretary at Sisters Middle School is retiring this month after serving students and staff at two Sisters schools in a role that created many fond memories. "I loved it," she said. "I love everybody here." Her colleagues feel the same about her. "She is an amazing human, and we will miss her dedication and expertise," said Molly Pearring, who works with Lesowske at the middle school.... Full story
It did this old history nerd’s heart good to watch a classroom full of middle schoolers reenacting some of the high points of the American Revolution earlier this month. I was a Bicentennial child. The spark of my love for history was already burning in my 10-year-old soul by 1975-76, and the Bicentennial observances poured gasoline on the fire. My passion for history has enriched my life in ways I can’t even begin to enumerate. It’s touched everything I am and do. I hope... Full story
There is possibly nowhere south of the North Pole that has more Christmas spirit than the home of Richard and Sherry Flaherty. Each year in this season, the house at 15686 Trapper Point Rd. blossoms into a spectacular Christmas display - inside and out. Hundreds of decorations, from a train set to an elaborate Italian nativity diorama, to Santas of every size and description fill virtually every room of the house. Sherry Flaherty told The Nugget that they started decorating at... Full story
Sons of Liberty dumped tea into Boston Harbor; a mob of angry colonials pelted British Redcoats with rocks and snowballs; Thomas Jefferson and John Adams toiled over a draft of the Declaration of Independence - and it all occurred in a classroom at Sisters Middle School on December 4. Eighth grade students in Deb Riehle's U.S. History classes concluded weeks of study of colonial Boston and the American Revolution with a classroom presentation attended by family members. The... Full story
The staff here at The Nugget want to thank our readers and advertisers for working with us as we implement our new subscription program. The response has been gratifying, with so many people signing up to make sure they continue to get their weekly Nugget in their mailbox. As this program becomes fully implemented, we want to make sure we are communicating clearly about the various ways to support local journalism. Subscriptions The Nugget Newspaper will continue to be a... Full story
Despite repeatedly assuring Americans that he would not pardon his son Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden issued a sweeping reprieve for the troubled Biden scion on Sunday. President Biden granted “a full and unconditional pardon for those offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.” As Politico reporter Betsy Woodruff Swan notes, a blanket pardon that bro... Full story
For most of us, Thanksgiving is a time to gather with family and friends for feast and fellowship — maybe with some football thrown in. We’re all kind of vaguely aware of the historical context — Pilgrims and Indians got together to make the First Thanksgiving and all that. Pondering the history behind Thanksgiving isn’t necessary to the holiday — but it can deepen the experience. As Native American Heritage Month winds down, it’s an opportunity to try to see the holiday thr... Full story
Folks in Sisters turned out on a snowy evening on Sunday to take stock of the well-being of youth in the community. The broad conclusion of the Citizens4Community (C4C) forum “Are the Kids Alright?” held at Sisters Elementary School was that Sisters has a lot of assets that support youth well-being — but there are still challenges that the community should work to address. Panelists were Lindsey Overstreet of Mosaic Community Health’s school-based health clinic in Sisters... Full story
Jennifer Letz was re-elected to a seat on the Sisters City Council, to be joined by Sarah McDougall and Cheryl Pellerin. Letz and McDougall each won a four-year term, while Pellerin will serve a two-year term in the wake of the November 5 election. “It’s just an honor to serve this community in this important role,” Pellerin said. “I really appreciate the community support. My decision to run was driven by the desire to serve this special community.” Pellerin cited housing, livability, growth, and wildfire resilienc... Full story
After a bruising campaign, Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp decisively won election as Deschutes County Sheriff. Vander Kamp garnered 59.32 percent of the vote while his opponent Captain William Bailey recorded 40.06 percent. “It was a pretty loud message — enough is enough,” Vander Kamp told The Nugget. The Sheriff-elect told The Nugget that his immediate priorities revolve around community engagement, a comprehensive budget review, enhancing traffic safety initiatives, and build... Full story
When the community asks “Are the Kids Alright?” at a Citizens4Community (C4C) forum next Sunday, we might want to ask also whether their parents are alright. Long-time school counselor Charlie Kanzig, who will be one of the panelists at the forum set for Sunday, November 17, 4 p.m., at the new Sisters Elementary School, reports that he’s seeing a different kind of stress in parents than he did 10 years ago: economic stress; political stress; and “the feeling that they’ve got t... Full story
One of the guiding principles that I try to live by is that I want to be an asset when things go sideways - not the guy who's standing around waiting for someone else to take action. In that spirit, I signed up for a recent, two-day Wilderness First Aid course through Sisters-based Northwest Precision Medical Training. I've taken CPR and basic first aid classes, and read up on wilderness first aid - but I have never buckled down to a full-on, multi-hour course. Founder and... Full story
Jennifer Holland has been developing and delivering programs for Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) for the past five years. She's been working in the field since she was 15 years old, and had previously worked as a program manager with Willamalane Park and Recreation District in Springfield. Last summer, she determined that she needed to enhance her education in the strategic aspects of her work. "I felt I needed more education around the bigger picture of local... Full story
Growing up in Sisters has many benefits for youth. It's still a tight-knit community that looks out for its people; schools are strong and staff works hard to build beneficial relationships with students. Yet it's still challenging to be a 21st-century kid, no matter where you are. Lindsey Overstreet is a licensed clinical social worker working in pediatric behavioral health at Mosaic Community Health's school-based health clinic in Sisters. She works with youth who may be str... Full story
Over nearly three decades, George R.R. Martin's tales of political intrigue, feuds and magic set in the quasi-medieval world of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros have thrilled millions of readers. The book series spawned the massive cultural phenomenon that was HBO's "Game of Thrones." Now Martin's magnum opus, with the overall title of "A Song of Ice and Fire," is presented in a new boxed set, designed in our own fantastical land known as Sisters Country. Martin announced the Oc... Full story
Those who are looking forward to a “return to normal” post-election may be in for disappointment. If it ends up as close as the pollsters and prognosticators think it is, the presidential election may not be called for a few days after November 5. And our national political culture will likely be roiled for a long time after that. Anxiety is running high as voters are continually confronted with the assertion that this election is the most consequential of our lifetime. In... Full story
Brad Earl was in the midst of a successful 46-year career as an architect when his wife Dale McCullough encouraged him to take up painting. That was 26 years ago, when his daughter Sloane was young. Sloane had already shown a knack for the visual arts. "She's been a sketcher since she was two years old," Brad recalled. He told his daughter, "OK, I'll paint if you paint." Brad recalls that he has a photograph of himself painting his first piece - a portrait of a rower on Lake... Full story
Wrestling has been a central part of Jeff Smith's long and accomplished life. He's given a lot to the sport he loves - and now the wrestling world has given back to him. Earlier this month, at a gala in Tigard, Smith was inducted into the Oregon Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma, honoring a lifetime of contributions to the sport. Smith was drawn into the sport of wrestling in high school in Roseburg, Oregon, coached by a World War II... Full story
The two candidates for Deschutes County Sheriff have released documents clarifying information about their background in what has become a highly contentious race. After his education credentials were called into question, Captain William Bailey provided a memo from Oregon’s law enforcement certification agency demonstrating that he has more than the required number of college credits for the management and executive police certifications he holds. The memo was issued by t... Full story
More than 40 years ago, The Nugget Newspaper started putting a newspaper in every mail box in Sisters Country — for free — creating a universal community connection that everyone in Sisters had easy access to. A common source of celebrations, grieving, and being “in the know” of what’s happening in Sisters. The newspaper’s revenue came solely from advertising — a business model that has been successful over a couple of generations. But things are changing. For one, there ar... Full story
Jennifer Letz has thrown her hat in the ring for another term on the Sisters City Council. Letz, who is finishing up a four-year term, helped navigate Sisters through the challenges of hiring a new city manager, a contentious battle over a proposed emergency homeless shelter, and is currently embarked on the state-mandated project to expand the City's Urban Growth Boundary. Letz is one of five candidates running for three available seats on Sisters City Council in the... Full story
