News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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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
Eli Madrone is an active man. He's the owner of a small business - Madrone Communications - chair of the City Parks Board, father of an elementary school-aged child, a youth soccer coach, and a volunteer with Sisters Folk Festival. Now he's thrown his hat into the ring to serve on the Sisters City Council. Five candidates are vying for three available seats on the Council in the November 5 election. "I was encouraged by a couple of Council members," Madrone said. He believes... Full story
Cheryl Pellerin got interested in participating in city government when Sisters faced a controversy over the citing of a shelter in town last year. "I was pretty interested in how the City was going to handle this," she recalled. She started learning about the processes of local government - and found herself hooked. Soon, she was serving on the City of Sisters Budget Committee, and the Urban Forestry Board. She participated in the City's inaugural Civic Leadership Academy, wh... Full story
The music of renowned classical pianist concert pianist Jim-Isaac Chua will fill the auditorium at Sisters High School on Friday, October 25, starting at 7 p.m. Peter Hoover, Executive Director of Sisters Habitat for Humanity, described the event as "an event for the community, to say thank you to the community for their support over three decades." The performance is "an opportunity for those who enjoy classical music to come together and enjoy each other's company and enjoy... Full story
Well, now we know — at least in general — the nature of Deschutes County Sheriff’s candidate Kent Vander Kamp’s transgressions in La Mesa, California, nearly three decades ago. On Friday, Vander Kamp announced that he had obtained confidential personnel documents from La Mesa that he’d never seen before. Vander Kamp served as an unpaid reserve cadet in a program that grew out of a Boy Scouts Explorer program. “After high school, the explorer program pointed me toward coll... Full story
When it comes to law enforcement priorities and policies, there is not a lot that separates the two candidates for Deschutes County Sheriff. But Captain William Bailey and Sergeant Kent Vander Kamp are sharply divided over culture and morale within the agency. The candidates participated in a League of Women Voters-sponsored forum in Bend on Monday, September 23, where they fielded questions submitted earlier by the public on issues ranging from homelessness to guns to the con... Full story
The world of the 21st century is driven by high technology. It pervades almost every aspect of our lives, from shopping and banking, to communication, to operating our cars and appliances. From cell phones and social media apps to work computers, we spend an increasingly large part of each day interacting with a screen. Sometimes it feels like technology runs us, instead of us running technology. And that leaves many people craving simpler, more grounded life-ways. Those...
When Captain William Bailey and Sergeant Kent Vander Kamp squared off to run for Deschutes County Sheriff after Shane Nelson announced his retirement, my initial reaction was that voters would have a choice between two capable men with different but impressive backgrounds and skillsets, either of whom are well-positioned to lead their agency into a demanding future. Vander Kamp has done stellar work as the leader of field operations for the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement... Full story
Rosie Horton remembers being "petrified" on her first day working at Common Threads back in 1988. She realized that working in the clothing store founded by Cathi Howells in 1985 was going to be a lot more than simply showing up and acting as a retail clerk. It was a professional job, with high expectations for product knowledge and customer service. But Horton rose to the occasion - so completely that she would become the manager of the store, then its owner, and guide it... Full story
Cathy Covell has always had the urge to travel. Covell is a physical therapist who specializes in myofascial release. She travels the country with her horses and her dogs, filling in at clinics that need an extra pair of hands or some vacation relief. This summer, she landed for a while in Sisters, at Green Ridge Physical Therapy. A native of Indiana, Covell first encountered Sisters while working a stint at a practice in Eugene. She headed over the mountains and set herself... Full story
As we mark the 23rd anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, a new congressional report on the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan strikes an especially ominous note. The 9/11 attacks by al Qaeda had their origin in the safe-haven of a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Twenty-plus years on, after a vast expenditure of blood and treasure, the Taliban controls Afghanistan again, and that troubled land once again offers safe haven to... Full story
The intensity level of the race for Deschutes County Sheriff ratcheted up last week, as candidate Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp filed a tort claim notice — notice of a potential lawsuit — against the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office administration, alleging ongoing targeting, harassment, and election interference. Sgt. Vander Kamp, who serves on the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team (CODE), is running against Captain William Bailey, the candidate endorsed by retiring Sheri... Full story
