News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 276 - 300 of 1025
The Sisters Kiwanis Food Bank finds itself in an enviable position thanks to the generosity of Sisters community organizations, businesses, and individuals who have provided them financial support in the past. Theirs is a success story of having been in need several years ago, alerting the community, and receiving tremendous support. Les Schwab Sisters Taylor Tire Center provided $5,400; OnPoint Community Credit Union, $10,000; Sinclair Oil Corporation, $10,000; plus others;... Full story
A 20-year collaboration involving federal, state, and local agencies and organizations, as well as local farmers and the Tribes, has brought about the restoration of a once neglected Whychus Creek. Prior to the arrival of American settlers in the Upper Deschutes Basin in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Whychus Creek was a source of fish and water for the native tribes who lived and traveled through the region. Then came settlement of the western United States, encouraged by... Full story
There is a new void in my front yard created when my next-door neighbors and I had to remove three old ponderosa pine trees, two due to disease and beetle infestation, and one in the middle of my front yard due to an increasingly precarious lean. Nate Goodwin and his crew from Timber Stand Improvement did a first-class job utilizing a large crane, a voracious chipper, five men on the ground, and the feller up in the trees performing astonishing feats of agility, chain sawing... Full story
•?The Sisters Woodlands development will be the subject of a public hearing before the Sisters Planning Commission on Wednesday, November 10, at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will be held over Zoom and will include a public hearing on the Sisters Woodlands project, proposed for the middle section of the former U.S. Forest Service property. The development is slated to contain 370 residential units, 100 of which will be cottages and the remainder either townhomes or apartments... Full story
Visitors enjoy Sisters, but several key areas — traffic, and the availability of dining options and overnight accommodations — could be improved. Those are conclusions drawn from a series of surveys conducted in order to create data for the destination tourism management work going on in the City of Sisters (see related story on page 15). ECONorthwest of Bend conducted surveys for Sisters from August 12 to September 8, via emails and social media, to people who... Full story
From a tourist stop for gas and food until the 1970s, Sisters has evolved to become a tourist destination (see related story, page 1). Sisters is no longer just a stop along the way to somewhere else. Leisure and hospitality-related jobs accounted for 31 percent of the local workforce in 2019. Black Butte Ranch is by far the biggest employer in the area. Tourists swell the population of Sisters on holiday weekends and all summer long, creating concern from local residents,... Full story
“For Sale” signs are abundant throughout the McKenzie River Valley town of Blue River, in the wake of the devastating Holiday Farm Fire that tore through the valley on Labor Day 2020, burning 144,000 acres. The steep hills on either side of Blue River, once covered in timber, now host blackened tree skeletons, devoid of any life. Miraculously, thanks to the amazing work of firefighters, McKenzie High School was spared. Residents who were unable to evacuate were instructed to... Full story
Traffic volume and speed are increasing all over town, especially in the downtown core. In an attempt to bypass that bottleneck, residents and tourists alike are using neighborhood streets as alternative routes, especially on Jefferson, Washington, and Creekside Drive. Instead of traveling at the posted speed of 25 mph, drivers often far exceed that limit. The residents in the Timber Creek and Creekside neighborhoods will tell you that, now that the bridge on Creekside Drive... Full story
One thing everyone could agree on at last week’s joint Sisters City Council/Deschutes County Board of Commissioners meeting, is that houselessness in Deschutes County is increasing. One of the major factors in that rise is the increasingly high cost of housing. Colleen Thomas of Deschutes County Health Services, the County’s Houselessness Coordinator, presented to the joint meeting what she and Katy DeVito are doing to meet the houseless population where they are, whether tha... Full story
The rooms at Sisters Park and Recreation District (SPRD) preschool are cheerfully bright, with mini tables and chairs for the pint-sized students. Everywhere is evidence of the fun, yet important, learning and creating that takes place in these rooms every weekday. The only thing missing? Two and a half more teachers. Valerie Selig and Carissa Gascon, both well-qualified, experienced, and dedicated teachers who love their jobs, are each responsible for up to 15-18 little... Full story
Located on the outskirts of Sisters, out Three Creek Road, is a hidden gem: a working ranch with just about the best view of the Cascades you could wish for. This parcel of ground has a storied history reaching back into the 1800s when some of the first farming in the area was done right there. Today, this 260-acre working ranch serves as a place of beauty, historical significance, and creativity. In 2017, the ranch was purchased by the Roundhouse Foundation as its new... Full story
“One of Mom’s famous ‘Gertisms’ was, ‘It is better to give with a warm hand than a cold one,’” Kathy Deggendorfer, founder of the Roundhouse Foundation, remembers. In that spirit, Gert Boyle, the “one tough mother” of Columbia Sportswear fame, funded the Roundhouse Foundation in 2002. According to the Foundation website, “Gert was no stranger to challenges as she immigrated from Nazi Germany in 1937, took over Columbia Hat Company with her husband, Neal, and then quickly ha... Full story
Sisters is home to a unique private family foundation that began in 2002 with a focus on supporting a creative economy in Sisters. Today, almost 20 years later, that same Roundhouse Foundation has grown — in assets, in programs and partners, in staff, and in geographic reach.... Full story
Bill Sullivan, a well-known Oregon author of outdoor guidebooks, is the featured speaker at the Three Sisters Historical Society’s first Fireside Story Evening of the 2021-22 season on Tuesday, November 16, 7 p.m., at the FivePine Conference Center, 1021 E. Desperado Trail. Sullivan will be sharing a visual presentation from his book, “Hiking Oregon’s History,” an armchair hiker’s tour of Oregon’s most historic sites. He describes the evening as “a glimpse into Oregon’s larg... Full story
Circle of Friends began in Sisters 10 years ago after Duncan and Cindy Campbell of Portland purchased a house here. Thirty years ago, they had established the Friends of the Children organization in Portland to create a system of support for the most at-risk children in North Portland, where Duncan had grown up. Today, Cindy still serves on the Portland board of directors and helps organize their annual fundraiser. The impetus behind that effort came from Duncan’s own c... Full story
The Circle of Friends board of directors sat — appropriately — in a circle last week out in the yard of their clubhouse, called Campbell House, located at 164 N. Elm St. They gathered to officially dedicate their new facility and thank Duncan and Cindy Campbell for making the purchase of the former church, Chamber of Commerce office, and yoga studio possible. The name Campbell House was chosen to honor the Campbells and their years of dedication and support for... Full story
•?The ADA-update work on the bridge between Creekside Park and Creekside Campground is complete, although the decorative ends of the railings are not yet complete. They are in line for production at Ponderosa Forge. When they are complete, they will need to be welded on-site, and therefore it is necessary to have had sufficient rainfall to avoid any danger of fire in the dry surroundings. The bridge is open for use. •?City Recorder Kerry Prosser announced that the... Full story
The Central Oregon Early Childcare Business Start Accelerator program, which is a collaboration of NeighborImpact and the Small Business Development Center at Central Oregon Community College (COCC), is designed to launch 30 home-based childcare businesses. Students will receive coursework on running a small business and working with State childcare regulations. At the end of the program, if students get certified by the State, they are eligible for a $5,000 grant to start... Full story
Big changes are coming to Adams Avenue. The street is zoned downtown commercial according to different standards within the District, so there can be a mix of single-family residential, apartments, and businesses along Adams. Zoning dictates higher density be focused west of Fir Street. Currently, the east end of Adams is primarily residential, and the west end is more commercial. Although residential and commercial are allowed in both areas, multi-family residential is only... Full story
Former Green Beret Magnus Johnson, who founded Mission 22 in 2013, has a theory about factors likely contributing to the high rate of suicide among veterans: “When the demand to serve is removed, we must reevaluate who and what we were and are. When meaningful, mutually appreciated service is lost from our lives, our sense of personal worth is, too… The actual cause of suicide is not participating in combat alone. It is its lack of meaning to our civilian c... Full story
When Sara Johnson, CEO, talks about the Mission 22 program that grew out of the suicide of a Green Beret who served with her husband, Magnus, her whole face glows with passion, dedication, and love for the program and all those it serves. Magnus served as a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier (Green Beret) for eight years, including the invasion of Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan. His job involved the disposal of explosive ordnance, for which he was awarded a Bronze Star Medal... Full story
Caprielle Lewis, who has served as the Sisters area director for economic development for Central Oregon (EDCO) for the past eight years, has accepted a new position with Business Oregon. As of October 18, Lewis will be the Central Oregon Regional Development Officer (RDO), replacing Carolyn Meece who recently retired. In her new position, Lewis will work in close partnership with EDCO. She and Regional Finance Officer Thomas Schnell will regularly attend EDCO meetings as... Full story
The plan that will guide Sisters over the next two decades is moving forward. Following a public hearing on the plan, Council voted unanimously September 8 to approve the Comprehensive Plan Amendment, with changes, to replace the 2005 Sisters Comprehensive Plan with the 2021 update which contains plans for the next 20 years. Staff was directed to make designated changes and bring back the ordinance to Council. Community Development Director Scott Woodford, Principal Planner... Full story
The Sisters Cold Weather Shelter has asked the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners for $1 million dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funds to enable their purchase of a former adult foster home on Tall Fir Court. They have requested a letter of support for that money ask from the Sisters City Council. Council members have indicated they don’t have enough information on the details of the proposed facility to write a letter of support. Councilor Gary Ross said, “I wou... Full story
Members of the public voiced their support for the proposed permanent Cold Weather Shelter during visitor communication at last week’s City Council meeting — as well as concerns about the shelter’s location. The adjacent property owner to the proposed shelter runs an adult foster care home in a matching building next door. She voiced concerns that the proposed shelter property has no yard, no driveway, and is connected to her building with a paver pathway. She is con... Full story
