News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 3925
Knowing what to do in an emergency can be a matter of life or death. Yet most of us don't have the training to act swiftly and correctly in an emergency. Northwest Precision Emergency Medical Training is changing that, offering courses that range from basic babysitter safety protocols to cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to intensive wilderness first aid training. Sisters' first responders are highly competent, and their response times are very good - but this is still a... Full story
Darlene Zettergren recently relocated to Sisters to be closer to family - and she has brought Newport Aesthetics with her. Zettergren had a full practice in Newport, Rhode Island, where she lived and worked for many years, after transitioning from nursing into the field of aesthetics. "I was always a cardio-intensive nurse," she said with a smile. "It's nice because my clients talk to me now." Newport Aesthetics offers Botox and other treatments beneficial to both men and... Full story
A stolen purse may not constitute a major crime, but it’s a big deal to the person whose purse was stolen. Patricia Bricker had that experience back in March — and she was very grateful for the actions of Deschutes County Sheriff’s Deputy Jerad Bearson in recovering her property. “He’s an angel — well, in my book,” Bricker told The Nugget. “He went above and beyond what he had to do. He went out of his way to follow through.” Bricker said she had parked her car in the parkin... Full story
Housing is a real challenge for many folks in Sisters. There's not a lot available, especially for rent, and prices are very high for people who work for Central Oregon wages. Housing challenges are not unique to Sisters - it's a problem across the nation and particularly in the desirable towns of the American West. Sisters is seeking ways to address a challenge that for many rises to a crisis - and a full-house gathering at Sisters Fire District's Community Hall dug into the... Full story
Hank Moss grew up working cattle in the sagebrush of southern Utah and northern Arizona. There's a haze of romance around that life - and Hank will tell you it was a fine life for a youngster. "That was a pretty magical growing up. I was horseback all the time," he recalled. "It was super cool." That doesn't mean it was easy. Moss' family moved from San Antonio, Texas, to a spread under the rim of Bryce Canyon without much in the way of worldly goods. "We were in really rough...
Sisters City Councilor Jennifer Letz makes a stark — but hopeful — assessment of Sisters’ housing situation. “I perceive it as bad, but salvageable,” she told The Nugget. “We’re not too far gone yet. I think we have the ability as a community to take charge of the housing situation and improve it.” The community will get an opportunity to share a situation report on housing, and ideas on how to address the challenges of affordability, at a forum sponsored by Citizens4Commun... Full story
Marcus Boyd is a prodigious talent on a snowmobile - and he proved it last month in Wyoming. Boyd won the juniors World Championship Hill Climb at Jackson Hole March 21-24, and he won by four seconds, a very big margin in such races. The run is like an Olympic downhill in reverse, with the snowmobile climbing a steep slope. "It feels like it's straight up and down," Boyd said. Boyd didn't know he'd won, let alone by a wide margin, until he started heading back down the hill.... Full story
John Schweiter Jr. has created a business that plays to two of his passions in life: "I've always been a car guy - a racing family - so cars and driving are in my blood," he told The Nugget. "And I love to serve." Safe Chauffeur Executive Car Service serves people of high net worth across Central Oregon and the Sisters Country. Founded with his wife, executive chef Marie Schweiter, in 1997, Safe Chauffeur offers more than a standard car service. "Our business model is just... Full story
The discussion of development code changes that would allow for a boutique RV Park at the former site of the Conklin Guest House on the corner of Barclay Drive and Camp Polk Road/Locust Street will carry into next month. The Sisters Planning Commission continued their April 18 public hearing on the matter to May 16. The changes, which would allow an RV park as a use in the Sun Ranch Tourist Commercial zone, would have to be in place before a formal plan for the site can be... Full story
Tejanos curse in Spanish and a Cajun eyes the weather There’s black mud on the belly of the yellow colt I ride Never thought I’d catch myself so calm out in the open As a gulf storm deals in bucket loads and hits from every side — Turnpike Troubadours, “A Cat in the Rain” “We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality.” — Seneca, First Century Roman Stoic These are unsettling times, no doubt about it. Wars and rumors of war. A “b... Full story
Kevin Eckert speaks bluntly when it comes to “affordable housing” in Sisters: “The era of single-family homes being affordable is gone,” he says. Eckert is the principal of Build LLC, architects and designers of Sisters Woodlands, a housing development located on a portion of the former Sisters Ranger District property along Pine Street on the western edge of Sisters. He will be part of the panel sparking discussion of the housing situation in Sisters at a town hall sponsor... Full story
Dixie's in Sisters was packed on Saturday evening as the Sisters Rodeo community gathered to celebrate the unveiling of the 2024 event poster. The event, along with the annual kickoff party set for Saturday, April 20, at Sisters Saloon, marks the start of rodeo season in Sisters. Rodeo Queen Destiny Wecks and Rodeo board member Hank Moss pulled down the black shroud to reveal Dyrk Godby's 2024 image, which depicts a cowboy spurring out as the bronc he's forked bucks in front... Full story
There’s nothing like contemplating the end of the world to start off your weekend. I headed out at daybreak on Saturday to get in a good training session at Zimmerman Butte. Kettlebell complexes and shooting — a kind of biathlon. I like to listen to a podcast while I drive out there and set up, so I scrolled through the new stuff, and ran across a fresh one from Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History. He was interviewing Annie Jacobsen about her new book “Nuclear War: A Scenari... Full story
Every once in a while, Sisters kicks up a story that is tough to cover. When you live and work in a small town, there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to know the family involved in a car accident, or the people whose house burned down, or the victim or perpetrator of a crime. The recent issue involving Sisters High School choir and Americana Project teacher Rick Johnson, who was placed on leave after an obviously sketchy text exchange with a former student came to lig...
The Nugget believes in the power of Story. Since you are here backing us up with your support, it's pretty safe to assume you do, too. The work that keeps us going week in and week out is the effort to tell the stories of the people of our community, in all their wide diversity in age, background and experience. When I first started writing for The Nugget 30 years ago, I wasn't sure how deep the well of Story would be here. Turns out, it's bottomless. A couple of weeks back, I...
Julie Kehler is on a clock. What happens in the next few weeks will determine whether or not she can stay in Sisters. It all comes down to finding a place to live. Kehler has to be out of her current rental by the end of May, and she has not been able to find a new place that she can afford. "I've given myself till the end of this month to make a decision on what I need to do," she told The Nugget last week. Kehler is one of many working people in Sisters who struggle with... Full story
If you've hiked along Whychus Creek as it rushes down from the mountains in spring, or strolled through the tall grass of Glaze Meadow into swampy terrain, or stepped into the Metolius River to cast a fly line, you've encountered the work of Mike Riehle. The Sisters Ranger District fish biologist has worked for decades to restore natural habitat, and make the streams of Sisters Country hospitable to native fish populations. He'll quickly tell you that he was one among many... Full story
Sisters High School will continue its vocal music program, even as teacher Rick Johnson has been placed on leave while the Sisters School District looks into concerns about a potentially inappropriate text exchange with a former student. The student is believed to have been 17 at the time of the exchange. “That’s our next conversation,” Superintendent Curt Scholl told The Nugget. “Our intent is to still run the program. We want to, as much as possible, limit impact on any of our students. That’s our goal.” Johnson taught choi... Full story
Sisters' taste of warm temperatures and bright sunshine earlier this month heralded spring, and a hint of summer. It's a welcome tease - and also a reminder that we're headed into wildfire season. Local officials met informally with a group of Sisters area citizens on Wednesday, March 20, at Sisters Fire Hall, to talk about wildfire preparedness. According to Andrew Myhra of the Sisters Ranger District, it's a little early to predict what kind of wildfire season we're facing.... Full story
Helping people in need - that's the fundamental mission and purpose of the men and women who volunteer with the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District. There are many different ways to help fulfill that mission - and many paths to becoming a volunteer. "My journey with the fire service has been long," Firefighter Kevin Cramer told The Nugget last week. "It's got a lot of holes in it; it's not continuous." As a young man, he was on a path toward the fire service in southern... Full story
If you work for a paycheck in Sisters, it’s hard to find a place to live. Really hard. Home prices have soared out of reach for most working folks, and there aren’t a whole lot of rental options — and they’re often not all that affordable when you find one. That means hard-working people, often established for years in the community, are facing hard choices, wondering if they can stay in the community they call home. Business owners have a hard time finding staff, because... Full story
Sisters School District officials and other agencies will look into potentially inappropriate texts between a Sisters teacher and a former student believed to be 17. The texts came to light in social media posts on Sunday, March 25, involving choir and Americana Project teacher Rick Johnson. "We're aware of the issue," Sisters Schools Superintendent Curt Scholl told The Nugget Monday afternoon. "Can't comment on personnel issues, but we're working with all the agencies on the matter." As is standard practice for mandatory... Full story
Plans to turn the site of the former Conklin’s Guest House near the intersection of Camp Polk Road and Barclay Drive into a boutique RV park are wending their way through a multi-tiered planning process. Sisters planning commissioners met in a workshop on Thursday, March 21, to get up to speed on proposed changes to the City of Sisters Development Code that would have to be in place before a formal plan for the site can be filed. The code changes are being proposed by the a... Full story
Sister Middle School opened its doors to the community last Thursday, sparking creativity and fun in STEAM Expo 2024. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. Instead of tackling each as a separate field, STEAM education integrates all of these elements to engage students in inquiry, discussion, and creative problem-solving. The goal is to help students become good collaborators, thoughtful risk-takers, and problem solvers. Advocates of STEAM... Full story
With a few ceremonial shovelfuls of dirt turned over, the US20/Locust Roundabout construction project is under way. City and county elected officials, Oregon Department of Transportation representatives, along with construction personnel gathered on the south side of the Locust/Cascade intersection on Monday morning to officially inaugurate the project. Mayor Michael Preedin noted that the effort was six years in the making, starting with initial impetus from Sisters Public... Full story
