News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 119
Sisters High School will host the first of several "summit" meetings of Sisters community agencies on January 29. The meetings will allow the agencies to exchange information and discuss projects and priorities of mutual interest. Although the public is invited to attend, only board members of the agencies involved will be allowed to participate. Participants in the summit include the Community Action Team of Sisters, the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, Sisters City Council, Sisters Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection Distri... Full story
A little piece of Sisters history. The owners of this shed are offering it to the City of Sisters. It was originally a logging camp cook shack used by Brooks-Scanlon Lumber Company. photo by Jim Mitchell Though he lives in Rome, New York, Orville Carroll owns a piece of Sisters history -- in fact, several pieces. Investigation of an offer to donate a "historic" shed to the City of Sisters turned up a wealth of Sisters history dating back to the 1930s. Recently, Carroll offered the City of Sisters the 13-by-16-foot "shed" loca... Full story
A 3-to-1 decision by the Sisters City Council has opened the door for a McDonald's in Sisters -- unless a legal challenge is filed with the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) within 21 days. The decision to approve the Site Design Review and Conditional Use permit request by Cache Mountain Development for a restaurant, convenience market and gas station came after an appeal of the planning commission's approval of the plan. City Planner Bill Adams briefly reviewed pertinent sections of the latest document in the... Full story
Lisa Clausen breaks ground on her movie house fourplex. photo by Jim Mitchell Lisa Clausen's "labor of love" took another step forward on Monday morning, January 17. Crews broke ground for Sisters' first theater, Sisters Movie House, in the FivePine development on the east edge of town. The theater will face Highway 20, just east of Sisters Athletic Club. Clausen's mission is to make the Sisters Movie House the cultural center of the community. To be completed next summer, the planned theater, according to Clausen, "will feat... Full story
The city of Sisters is backing several community projects -- in spirit, not financially. Despite a widespread community perception, the City of Sisters is not financing the new SOAR Phase II project and other programs. City Manager Eileen Stein emphasized that the city has endorsed and prioritized these projects, not financed them. The city's endorsement puts local organizations/projects in a more favorable position when applying for federal and state grant funding. The statewide Needs and Issues Inventory is a process develo... Full story
Attorney Steve Bryant swears in Judy Trego, Dave Elliott and Brad Boyd. photo by Jim Mitchell Brad Boyd was installed as the newest Sisters City Council member at the council meeting on January 13. His first official act was to abstain from voting on the McDonald's issue because he had not been involved in prior meetings and hearings on the issue. The new and re-elected council members, Boyd, Judy Trego, and Dave Elliott were sworn in by City Attorney Steve Bryant. Boyd unseated Councilor John Rahm in an election that saw a... Full story
Unsung and frequently unmentioned in the story of sled dog stage racing are the host families. There are 15 homes in Sisters that open to the racers for nourishment and rest after each day's competition. Ray and Katie Powers have hosted visiting sled dog racers for several years. This year they specifically invited Lloyd and Mary Gilbertson, from Chatham, Michigan for a return visit. They arrived Sunday evening with third- and seventh-place winners in the six-dog competition, Peter Dobbs (New Zealand), and Vanessa Quinche... Full story
John Wood of Willow, Alaska, mushes along a trail near Sisters. photo by Jim Mitchell Top international mushers shot out of the starting gate at Upper Three Creek Sno-Park on Monday, January 10, to lauch the first of two Sisters stages in this year's Atta Boy 300 Sled Dog Race. Melanie Shirilla of Lincoln, Montana, won the Monday stage with a time of 4:23:15. This year's event also comprises the IFSS World Sled Dog Mid-Distance Championships. The excitement started on Friday, January 7, with 11-year-old Canadian Duncan... Full story
The City of Sisters has formally declared support of a grant submitted by the Bend Community Action Team (BCAT) on behalf of the Central Oregon Microenterprise Progam. Sisters enterprenuers will be able to take advantage of the program. The microenterprisedevelopment industry has defined "microenterprise" as a business with five or fewer employees, which requires $35,000 or less in start up capital and which does not have access to the traditional commercial banking sector. Many micro businesses are home-based, some are part-... Full story
Kate Canja. photo provided Kate Canja is following a family tradition. The Sisters High School senior is pointed toward a career in the military, specifically the U.S. Navy via the U.S. Naval Academy. Recently, U.S. Representative Greg Walden nominated Kate as one of eight Central Oregon high school students for admission to the service academies. Walden's office had received over 70 requests for nomination to one of the service academies: U.S. Military Academy at West Point (USMA), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), U.S.... Full story
Volunteers worked efficiently to serve up a nice Christmas dinner for many Sisters families. photo by Jim Mitchell Each month, the Kiwanis Club of Sisters, through the Sisters Food Bank, serves up to 80 families. Those families who meet federal income guidelines are eligible for a donation of food monthly from the food bank. This December, with help from the Sisters/Camp Sherman Fire Department (providing toys and gifts), The Nugget (pet food), and other volunteers (labor), Sisters Kiwanis served an additional 129 families... Full story
What started out as an application to construct a new building containing a restaurant, a convenience market, and a gas station turned into a city-wide verbal battle over whether McDonald's should be allowed to do business in Sisters. The controversy packed City Hall on multiple occasions and prompted Councilor Sharlene Weed to comment, "I love having a room full of people who are passionate about something!" On Thursday, December 23, a crowd of 45 watched the city council debate and, ultimately, give the green light to the... Full story
This is a World Championship year for the Atta Boy 300 Oregon World Cup Sled Dog Race for Vision, more commonly known as simply the Atta Boy 300. The race, founded by Jerry Scdoris, a lifelong devotee of sled dog racing, began its run in 2001. The Atta Boy 300 begins Wednesday, January 5. Sisters will host two stages of the race, on January 10-11 at Hoodoo Mountain Resort and at Upper Three Creek Sno-Park. The Atta Boy 300 has drawn such notables as Doug Swingley, four-time winner of the Iditarod. Swingley was the 2002... Full story
City Attorney Steve Bryant tosses a tie-breaking coin to determine council terms. Brad Boyd won the toss. photo by Jim Mitchell Several important city issues were overshadowed by the McDonald's decision at the Sisters City Council meeting on Thursday, December 23. City Attorney Steve Bryant used a commemorative coin in a toss to decide the council terms of Dave Elliott and Brad Boyd. Under the Sisters City Charter, because the two tied in votes in the November election, a coin-flip decided who was to receive a four-year... Full story
This Chevy Blazer lived up to its name. It was consumed by flames on Thursday morning. photo by Jim Mitchell The Sisters/Camp Sherman fire department hit the road twice within three hours last Thursday morning, December 23. They didn't have to go far. Both destinations were within a few blocks of the fire station. At 5 a.m. a delivery driver reported smoke coming from Sisters Auto Supply. Upon arrival, the fire crew could find no active fire and suspected a faulty furnace may have been the cause of the smoke. At 7:30 a.m.,... Full story
Sisters students donated thousands of pounds of food for Kiwanis. photo by Jim Mitchell At this time of year, individuals, organizations, churches and businesses make an extra effort to buy and/or collect food and donate it to the Sisters Kiwanis Food Bank. This year, as in most recent years, Sisters High School has been the champion food collector. Each year the Sisters High School Leadership Class organizes and manages a food drive to collect food for the food bank. This year, inspired by competition between classes,... Full story
Angelina Bello-Tapia at La Posada. photo by Jim Mitchell On December 16 the Sisters Hispanic community celebrated a traditional Christmas-time La Posada. The date set for the monthly Hispanic community meeting at CATS coincided with the traditional date for the beginning of the nine-day celebration of the birth of Christ. "Posada" in Spanish simply means lodging or shelter. About 45 Sisters adults and children, mostly Hispanic, walked from the CATS office to two pre-arranged houses near the Village Green. Lighted candles... Full story
Heidi Schray distributes scrip money to children at Habitat for Humanity's Thrift Store in Sisters. photo by Jim Mitchell Habitat for Humanity was busy last week. The organization hosted two new home blessings and complimentary gift buying for 18 Head Start and 23 elementary school children -- all in one day. The day started with a blessing of the Harris and Shepardson homes, numbers 27 and 28 for Sisters Habitat (see related stories, pages 7 and 17). After snacks, prayers, and presentations, the Habitat focus moved to the... Full story
Sisters physical education teacher Kathy Kemper-Green is beaming. She recently received substantial donations to expand the equipment available for Physical Education classes and recesses at Sisters Elementary School. Charged with evaluating and upgrading the PE equipment, Kemper-Green reviewed the PE departments in the Bend schools. She said, "We were way behind the ball in both equipment and programs." She said a grant to the Bend schools had recently enhanced their PE offerings. Her annual budget of $200 just wasn't going... Full story
The McDonald's hearing drew a capacity crowd. photo by Jim Mitchell More than 70 citizens packed City Hall at last week's appeal hearing on a proposed McDonald's restaurant at the west end of Sisters. Cache Mountain Development proposes to build a 4,453-square-foot structure containing a McDonald's restaurant and a convenience market associated with a gas station just west of the Comfort Inn along Highway 20. Mark Peterson, representing Sisters Citizens for Responsible Land Use, filed the appeal after the planning commission... Full story
John Leese with his wife Lisa and son Jonathon. photo by Jim Mitchell Sisters High School graduate John Leese is back from the Iraqi desert with extra baggage -- the Bronze Star Medal awarded for heroism in combat. Last week family, friends, and dignitaries gathered to welcome Leese home and to celebrate his award. Leese, a 1994 Sisters High graduate, did contract wildfire fighting and worked as a logger. During much of that time he was a volunteer with the Sisters-Camp Sherman and Crooked River Ranch fire departments. Leese... Full story
Part of Tom Anderson's railroad collection on display now at Comfort Inn. photo by Jim Mitchell Tom and Mabel Anderson, managers of the Comfort Inn in Sisters, have been collecting for longer than they have been married -- over 35 years. Much of their collecting falls into the holiday mode and they would like to share with the public. Mabel started collecting teddy bears before she and Tom were married. She now has about 350 bears -- traditional teddies, wooden bears, and ceramics. Many of the bears line a three-walled shelf... Full story
Measure 37 passed handily (60 percent voter approval statewide) in the November election. Now that Measure 37 is law (as of December 2), state municipalities are scrambling to implement claim processing procedures. Measure 37 provides for compensation if a landowner's property value is reduced because of land use regulation changes. Governmental agencies must respond to a claim within 180 days of the filing date. There are exceptions and the full wording of the new law takes up a couple of pages. The Sisters City Council is e... Full story
A frequent image of Habitat for Humanity home owners is one of struggling on subsistence level incomes, i.e., minimum wage jobs. Four Sisters Habitat owners have made moves to change that image and have become business owners. Peggy Dorsett has worked in local video stores for 10 of the 16 years she has lived in Sisters. She is generally acknowledged as one of the most informed video retailers in town. When the owners of Sunbuster Video, Dorsett's employer, decided their plate was full and they needed to divest themselves of... Full story
Snow flurries changed to clear skies just in time for the Sisters Christmas Parade. Children of all ages (adults are included in this category for parades) waved and cheered friends in the parade. Thirty entrants, led by Honorary Marshal Cliff Clemens, followed the five blocks of Hood Avenue from Pine Street to Spruce Street. The parade officially crossed over to Washington Avenue and made its way back to the beginning. Most spectators stayed on Hood Avenue. An estimated... Full story
