News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 280
Ten years ago, McKenzie Cooper received her diploma from Sisters High School. As soon as she turned her tassel from right to left, she was focused on her dream to be a nurse. That dream was sparked by her former high school health teacher Heather Johnson, whose curriculum explored various health occupations. “Ms. Johnson was always encouraging, and such an amazing woman. She told us we could do whatever we wanted, and to go for it,” said Cooper from her home in Eugene. Coo... Full story
Paige Bruguier graduated from Sisters High School in 2011. In school, she excelled in the arts from music to ceramics and jewelry making. Bruguier was born on the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana. Her family moved to Sisters when she was starting the sixth grade. With creative and supportive parents, and great teachers like Mike Baynes at Sisters High School, her creativity unfurled in music and working with metal in a jewelry-making class. “Working with metal really clicked f... Full story
Julie Escobar and her husband, Gordon Robertson, are living their idyllic life. Their log home in Sisters Country is surrounded by juniper and ponderosa trees. Bounding through a plethora of sagebrush or nestling deep into a doggy bed, their snuggly, precocious pup, Lola, is always ready for the next excursion. Their home looks out on a vast horizon with Black Butte and the Three Sisters welcoming them each morning. Their days are filled with working corporate jobs from their... Full story
I’m opening drawers in the room where I let the words flow. They’ve been closed for so long. As papers came into the light, memories from a decade, sometimes more, began to speak — raining down images of sickness, old friends lost, families growing, and plans never honored. When I’m waiting for my computer to wake up or the laundry to dry, I take more out and divide what I find into recycling, garbage, those worth keeping, and what no one else should see. It was left there when I was too lazy, overwhelmed, or sick... Full story
Doug Williams has a perspective on Sisters only long-time locals know. He’s lived in town since 1963 and has watched it survive, grow, and change — from a mill town to the modern mix it is today. He moved with his family from Bend and started his freshman year in high school with about 150 students — with only 15 in his freshman class. For Williams, going to high school in Sisters was like being in the Old West. “Some kids were riding their horses to school and... Full story
In January, when students at Black Butte School in Camp Sherman were invited to write a letter to Deputy Dave Blann, some of them remembered his laugh and playful nature. Others were too new to Camp Sherman and never got to meet him before he passed away last year. For 24 years, “Deputy Dave,” as he was widely known, lived in the Camp Sherman community and was a friend and protector for his neighbors. By the time students finished their letters and illustrations, even tho... Full story
Oscar and Gabriela Pena decided to begin retirement in Sisters in 2017. But slowing down hasn’t been on their agenda. Their love of the outdoors, sports, and preparing great food has kept them busy and moving fast. Choosing Sisters as their forever home is a true testament to Central Oregon’s allure. They had the whole world to choose from and settled in Sisters Country. The Penas have lived around the world, starting with their homeland of Mexico. Oscar’s work as an elect... Full story
Pain happens. Sometimes it starts in the mind, sometimes from an injury. As we live with the discomfort, the true origins of that limp or lower back pain or headache or stiff knee are hard to pin down. We get used to it. We accommodate it; and quite often, our mood is affected by it. Stoicism, finances and, these days, fear of COVID-19 can stop us from seeking help. The mind-body connection can be described as a person’s feelings, thoughts, or behaviors and how they physically manifest in the body. Thoughts, feelings, b... Full story
Sisters may be a small town, but big ideas and innovative products are produced here. Some highly respected nutraceutical and supplement manufacturers have chosen Sisters as their home base. Long-time community partner and neighbor, Metabolic Maintenance (MM), has been manufacturing professional-grade supplements for over 35 years, and locally in Sisters for 28. According to Karla Cross-Green, MM’s director of marketing, what sets Metabolic Maintenance apart is its dedication to reliability, preservative- and e... Full story
Black Butte School students in Camp Sherman were finally back in the classroom with teachers and classmates on January 11. Their teacher, Delaney Sharp told them they were having a special visit from Bethanne Kronick Blann, who told them about the “Deputy Dave” Memorial Essay Contest. Accompanying Bethanne were Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Corporal Jason Pollock and Patrol Deputy Clark Linden. The officers were there to talk about the important role law enforcement office... Full story
7 was the year I got the news. ”You’ve got cancer,” are words no doctor wants to say and no patient wants to hear. My mind flooded with images of my father, grandparents, uncle, cousin and brother-in-law. They all died from the disease. I saw them go through treatment. I was terrified. Ready to do battle… not with the disease but the people in charge of healing me. I was more afraid of the treatments than cancer. Eventually, I came to terms with my fears. I acknowledged that the treatments family members endured had... Full story
The holidays are behind us. There’s fresh snow on Mt. Jefferson. A white beret rests on Black Butte’s peak. The American flag snaps towards the west. Another storm on its way. Clear skies, bluest overhead, fade into pale grays. Memories from the last two weeks blow in on the breeze… reminders of hard-won time spent with loved ones. We are a pod. We have been tested. We have been careful. But is it enough? A virus lives among us. It always has. It’s spread around. Hiding and waiting for an opportunity to strike. A rou... Full story
Rescuing an injured raptor is best left to the professionals. Large birds of prey like golden or bald eagles with wingspans sometimes close to eight feet, require expert handling and a licensed rehabilitator. In Sisters, for the past 20 years, Wild Wings Raptor Rehabilitation was the place to call when a raptor needed help. As of January of 2021, Gary Landers, a permitted raptor rehabilitator is retiring. He and his wife Kellie have dedicated countless hours rescuing injured... Full story
After witnessing the phone footage of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minnesota police officer in May, Riccardo Waites knew his days of being a couch-activist were over. Along with activism to bring attention to systemic racism, he’s bringing equity and equality to people of color by opening doors into businesses and work environments that often don’t include Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). A Central Oregon resident for the last 20 years, Waites is a sin... Full story
In the aftermath of the elections, there’s exhaustion, relief, anger and a determination to keep pushing agendas. Recently, my cousin, who lives in Southern Oregon, sent me a text suggesting I listen to a conservative political pundit and author, Ben Shapiro. She said she trusts him to provide her the facts she uses to formulate her opinions about what’s going on politically. I hadn’t heard of him so I followed her suggestion to check him out. As I read and listened, I could feel my stomach tighten. Suffice to say, he doesn... Full story
Blue Stone Retirement recently moved their offices from Bend to Sisters. They are offering retirement-planning services and support. President and Founder Nick Stahl says his Central Oregon clients are enjoying the beautiful views along the highway when they come to the new Sisters office on Hood Avenue. Over the years, Stahl has noticed a common denominator for the people who come into his office or attend one of his seminars: “They don’t know what their retirement plan loo... Full story
Paulina Springs Books’ owner Lane Jacobson is part of a David and Goliath story. Many bookstores are being crushed by the giant powerhouse, Amazon. The American Booksellers Association is banding businesses together to fight back. To improve his odds, Jacobson joined the ABA’s national campaign called “Boxed Out.” An October press release from the ABA encouraged booksellers to educate customers about the long-term ramifications of purchasing from Amazon instead of community-ba... Full story
Link Creek, which connects Suttle Lake with Blue Lake, needs restoration to repair damage from dams and logging. The waterway meanders through property purchased for the Caldera Arts Center, an environmental and arts education nonprofit serving children from Portland’s inner city and Central Oregon. Over the years Caldera Arts staff have been restoring Link Creek but knew they needed help from government and private agencies to get the job done right. That’s where local ret... Full story
Restoring Whychus Creek as a healthy waterway has taken many years, multiple funding sources, and teamwork. The removal of the last dam and fish passage barrier will help support reintroduction of Chinook and steelhead, which started in Whychus Creek in 2007. Efforts are helping transform the once-dammed and over-stressed water system into a life-giving, vital flow of clean, hospitable water able to support a diverse habitat. The final dam removal was planned for September.... Full story
Navigating life during a pandemic and social unrest is challenging but full of opportunities. Tumultuous times demand new thinking that breaks free from unjust institutions. Some traditions intentionally or inadvertently maintain old systems designed to divide and degrade segments of the population. As a white woman who has had a blessed life, I now see the many ways that system stepped on the backs of marginalized populations to maintain my comfort. From our country’s beginning, colonists lived on lands taken from Indigenous... Full story
When she was 30 years old, Kelly Rae Roberts discovered it’s never too late to start playing with paint. After an early career as a clinical medical social worker, she felt a calling to seek a more creative and joy-filled life. Her generous heart was brimming with possibilities. She wrote a book and produced compelling images and ideas that generated lucrative licensing deals. Her dream to share the joy she’d found was realized, and her artwork and insights were featured in... Full story
The Black Butte Ranch land is rich with human history. Writing the 50th anniversary book, “There is a Place,” was a lesson in pursuing a more complete understanding of the people who called the region home. While researching the book, I found human history for the Black Butte Ranch (BBR) area usually focused on stories about the Santiam Wagon road that passed over BBR land, the “discovery” of the area by the first white explorers and the many attempts by land specula... Full story
Sisters activists held a vigil at Village Green Park on Saturday, July 25, on the two-month anniversary of the killing of George Floyd. Floyd was a 46-year-old Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Memorial Day after being accused of using a fake $20 bill to buy cigarettes. A cellphone video showed an officer pinning Floyd to the ground with his knee on Floyd’s neck while he was handcuffed and repeatedly saying, “I can’t breathe.” Since then, offic... Full story
A hail and windstorm ravaged indiscriminately throughout Central Oregon recently. Gardens and farms tended with love, faith and fortitude were in shambles. Other people and places were untouched — maybe a little rain and whipping winds, but nothing that a hammer or a rake couldn’t fix. No trauma, just inconvenience. Why were some spared and other not? Was a score being kept, leaving swaths of punishment, hardship, and adversity? During these times, challenges and trials continue to mount. Is that by design? Or by v... Full story
The technique we call quilting crossed many borders and played a part in ancient history. From the beginning, quilts have told human stories, reflected religious and philosophical beliefs, and revealed what people wore, either out of necessity or as adornment. Stitched into layered linen with cotton stuffing inserted to raise sections of the design, faces of those who lived thousands of years ago look beyond the edges of quilts into a future they’d find hard to believe. R... Full story
