News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 38
The hearts of two communities came together last summer on a small farm in Northern Uganda. Kelly Moen and Eli Pyke of Sisters will share video and stories of their African experience at 6:30 p.m. on Monday December 18, at Sisters Coffee Company. In the summer of 2006, the pair traveled to Uganda and Tanzania for locally sponsored mission work. After helping with medical and outreach ministry in the Kapchorwa region of eastern Uganda and Tanzania, they stayed on to visit... Full story
He may be a long way from home, but Sri Lankan reggae singer Rohantha has found himself welcome in Camp Sherman. Since arriving in late May, he has made many new friends, enjoyed the local music scene and has shared his own brand of reggae music with Central Oregon musicians. "This is something spiritual," he said. "I am here as a friend and as a musician." While on tour in Sri Lanka last year, Rohantha met Sisters High School graduate Karana Ellis. Ellis had traveled to Sri... Full story
A family feeling has welcomed world travelers into the fold at Lake Creek Lodge this summer. "The girls," as the travelers are referred to at the lodge, are four young women whose treks and nationalities span six continents. Students Viktorija Sciukina, age 22, of Lithuania and Milce da Silva, age 21, of Guinea-Bissau are new to Central Oregon. Their co-workers, Amber Householder, age 24, and Rachel Jins, age 22, who have traveled extensively with mission work, are return-empl... Full story
The students of Sisters came together to support the students of Uganda in a benefit concert Saturday, August 5, at Sisters Coffee Co. The concert was organized and performed by current and former Sisters High School students. "I think its the most successful concert we've had so far, in terms of how the audience reacted and how giving everyone was," said SHS Senior Travis Ehrenstrom who both performed in and organized the event. The evening raised $471 through admissions, CD... Full story
For fly fishermen, Camp Sherman’s annual fly fishing show just keeps getting bigger and better. The Fifth Annual Metolius River Fly Fishing and Bamboo Rod Fair proved to be the largest and arguably the best to date. New features included a public address system and a 7,200-square-foot tent which allowed for hourly video presentations and made room for 55 vendors, which was up from 38 last year. Camp Sherman Store owner Roger White, who heads the event, said they are working h... Full story
More than 80 Sisters residents, mostly youths, carrying sleeping bags, guitars and toiletries walked from Sisters High School to Sisters Elementary School Saturday night. They gathered at the elementary school to create art and write letters and poetry to people in positions of power and to the children of Uganda. Their effort was in accord with some 55,000 people throughout the world who signed up for the Invisible Children Global Night Commute. The goal of the evening was... Full story
City officials are trying to quell the public outcry over changes to neighborhoods allowed by the Sisters Development Code. In a workshop on Wednesday, February 12, City Planner Neil Thompson proposed changes to the development code, all addressing issues that residents have raised over density and the changing character of Sisters. "It went as well as I could have expected," said Thompson after the meeting, which was held at the Sisters Fire Hall. A public hearing on the proposed changes will be held at the city council... Full story
The City of Sisters hopes that residents and tourists will be flushing toilets downtown by Quilt Show Weekend. Although funds are still needed, planners of the Barclay Memorial Park recently set dates for its completion. The city will close Ash Street on Friday, March 7. A groundbreaking ceremony will happen that same day at 3 p.m. Street removal starts the following Monday. Located downtown between The Gallery Restaurant and The Jewel, the park will feature much-needed bathrooms, drinking fountains, street lamps and power... Full story
Brian Rankin. Photo by Shane Simonsen Brian Rankin takes his position as Assistant Planner for the City of Sisters in the midst of high interest in growth and change in the city. Rankin has worked as a consultant in the planning field for eight years, doing work on site plans and facilitation for school districts. While maintaining some work as a consultant, Rankin now works 20 hours a week for the City of Sisters. "I've worked with the city for a couple of years now," said Rankin, who participated in such projects as the Tra... Full story
Everyone in Sisters has noticed that we have seemingly jumped into spring -- at the beginning of February. Spring-like conditions in the high country are creating early runoff. Snowfall levels hovered around 7,500 to 8,000 feet last week. What could have been a nice winter snowstorm was instead a fairly heavy rain over much of the Sisters country. The runoff from the recent rainfall in the mountains caused the water level in Suttle Lake to rise within an inch of the floor level at Suttle Lake Resort's restaurant, submerging... Full story
Mel Bryan of Sisters complained about the appearance of homes in Sisters. Photo by Shane Simonsen Sisters residents demanded a change in the residential zoning of Sisters at a city council meeting Thursday night, January 23. The issue was not on the council's agenda, but citizens turned out to voice their outrage over the changing character of their neighborhoods anyway. "There's not much else we can do," said resident Merlin Monroe. "We'll just keep putting the pressure on." Council members appealed to the audience, stating... Full story
The old guys showed they still have the right stuff on the court against their freshman sons. Photo by Shane Simonsen The freshman boys basketball team for Sisters High School lost to the tallest team they'll play all year last week. Made up of fathers, community members and coaches, the visiting team in the annual Father-Son Game was able to withstand the outside shooting prowess of the young Outlaws. Buoyed by fundamentals, slam-dunks and uncalled fouls, the Dads' team beat the freshman team by a score of 103-101. "They... Full story
In a city where just five years ago a duplex was considered impractical and the minimum size for a buildable lot was 10,000 square feet, residents and city council members are facing the gremlins of a model code that was adopted less than two years ago. Former Sisters Mayor Steve Wilson and former Sisters City Council member Tim Clasen say they erred in their vote for the Model Code in Sisters, which was adopted in June of 2001. At the heart of their error, they say, is a change in the way Sisters' residential districts are... Full story
Many were forced to stand at a crowded city council meeting as residents spoke out against increased density in Sisters. The strong turnout was the result of two proposed lot partitions, each of which involves an existing lot being partitioned into three separate lots: a 12,945-square-foot lot on South Pine and St. Helens and a 16,770-square-foot Habitat for Humanity lot between Maple Lane and Tamarack Lane. The lot owned by Habitat for Humanity is eligible for a 25 percent density bonus, which under current zoning is availab... Full story
Soulful singing and lyrics came to the stage as Sisters Athletic Club hosted its first musical event Thursday evening. Brad Tisdel, Brent Alan and Emily Kurn culminated a week of a Camp Caldera artists' residency in a concert which took place in the athletic club's group exercise room, which doubles as a performance venue complete with artwork and hardwood floors. Bottled beer and wine were served, with cookies and brownies. Switching instruments and lead vocal duties, the three sang their own original songs as well as a... Full story
Emma Sivers has worked hard at developing a useful web site for the City of Sisters. Photo by Shane Simonsen The City of Sisters has a new address. It can be found on the information superhighway at www.ci.sisters.or.us. The developing web site is intended to be a tool for the City of Sisters to disseminate information to its citizenry. City contact information, codes, meeting agendas along with forms for building permits, site plans and signs can be found at the web site, which boasts a western motif. A full list of contact... Full story
Peter Friedman is a new member of the Sisters Planning Commission -- but he is not new to urban planning. Friedman worked for more than 20 years as a city planner for the communities of Mill Creek, Gig Harbor, Jefferson County and the Thurston region in his native Washington state before moving to Sisters in August of 2001. Friedman volunteered for planning commissions on Whidbey Island during this time, serving for seven years on the City of Langley Planning Commission and two years on the Island County Subarea Planning... Full story
Caterers Alan Maldonado (left), Linda Butler, Dustin Makowski, Mandi Maldonado, Phil Butler and Anthony Embesi live and work throughout the West. Gary and Ronda Sneva have been catering to firefighters across the West for years. Last week, they did their work close to home -- at the Cache Mountain fire camp at Sisters High School. The Snevas started Port-a-Pit Catering 13 years ago. The company, based out of Tucson, Arizona, travels with fire crews to serve them as they fight fires throughout the West. The company was... Full story
A BBR vacationer watches a helicopter dip water from the pond for a fire run. Two Weyerhauser helicopters have been flying in and out of Sisters Airport, fighting the Cache Mountain fire and assisting forces to save homes on Black Butte Ranch. The Weyerhauser team came to Sisters on Thursday from Eugene and Chehalis, Washington. Their primary purpose was to protect Weyerhauser land. However, property lines did not stop them from battling the fire as it approached Black Butte Ranch Sunday afternoon. "There is an agreement... Full story
The Cache Mountain fire has transformed Sisters High School into a fire command center. A sea of tents surrounds the high school where firefighters sleep when off shift. They can shower and grab a meal at the facility. Teams of men lie out in the shade of trees, resting on mattresses and blankets. In the art room labs, fire support personnel prepare reports and gather information. The cafetorium is used to give briefings. "This wasn't the first time we've played host," said Principal Boyd Keyser, "Every time we learn a... Full story
With the evacuation of Black Butte Ranch and closure of Highway 20 due to the Cache Mountain fire, Sisters' businesses saw a sharp decline in sales Monday. "Black Butte Ranch is the hub for the retail business in Sisters, that and Highway 20," said John Keenan, owner/manager of Bronco Billy's Ranch Grill. There were 60 percent fewer customers at Bronco Billy's Monday, forcing the restaurant to cut its wait staff in half Monday evening. Jeff Perin, owner/operator of The Fly Fisher's Place, confirmed the negative effect that th... Full story
A classy classic... A low rumble was heard west of Sisters this past weekend as the 13th annual High Desert Rod and Custom Car Classic returned to Sisters. Over 130 cars appeared at the Comfort Inn this year, which is down about 20 cars from last year. "I think people were worried about the fires," said club president Glenn Cummins. Randy Statton of Sisters brought his daughter Lauren to the show. "It gives me a really big wish list," said Statton, whose favorite car, along with his daughter, was a '41 Willys coupe, with a... Full story
Gil Zaccaro (right) has taken the reins as Police Chief at Black Butte Ranch after Hank Fegette's retirement. Gil Zaccaro has taken the reins as Police Chief at the Black Butte Ranch Police Department. Founding Chief of Police Hank Fegette retired this past month, to an outpouring of appreciation. As his successor, Zaccaro has 29 years of experience in police work. Zaccaro, who served for 14 years in North Bend, was picked from 33 candidates, who applied from as far away as Washington, D.C. and Tennessee. The selection... Full story
Central Oregon's own Bech's Big Bore Bad Boys, raced through the weekend at the Portland International Speedway. The race on Sunday was hard fought between Bill Cotter of Seattle and Art Brumton of Clovedale, British Columbia, each driving Corvettes with 427 cubic inch engines in a field of 26 race cars. Brumton held the lead at the first lap, but Cotter got by him going into the turn one, a tight right hand at the end of the main straight. The two exchanged the lead several times, but Brumton locked up his brakes going into... Full story
(Left-right): Eric Dolson, Dave Byrum, Kurt Kallberg, Jerry Taylor and Jim Santimaw named their group in honor of Dick Bech, who retired after 40 years of racing Corvettes. Bech's Big Bore Bad Boys of Central Oregon made quite a noise at the Pacific Northwest Historics Race at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington Fourth of July Weekend. Kurt Kallberg drew applause from the crowd in Saturday's warm-up as he emerged from a plume of dust, spinning his 1967 Corvette. Not many of his fellow Oregonians were convinced that it was... Full story
