News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 326 - 350 of 1025
The original city of Sisters was carved out of the homestead belonging to Alex Smith, who emigrated from New Brunswick, Canada, in 1886, first to Grass Valley, Oregon where he raised sheep, and then to Sisters. He purchased 160 acres from John Smith, no relation. In 1900, Alex sold half of his interest to his brother Robert. On July 10, 1901, the Smith brothers had the original townsite of Sisters platted, consisting of six city blocks. The plat was bounded on the south by... Full story
James W. “Bill” Oxford is on a mission to strengthen the American Legion. Oxford, national commander of The American Legion, was in town last week and attended a special Post 86 dinner in his honor at Brand 33 restaurant. While in Oregon, Oxford was scheduled to visit 12 posts besides Sisters including Redmond, Bend, La Pine, Grants Pass, Roseburg, and Cottage Grove. The national commander generally serves for one full year, but because of COVID-19 causing the can... Full story
Tanner Cromwell, hired six weeks ago as the new program director at Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD), brings to the position some valuable life experience that he isn’t hesitant to reveal. Cromwell, at 30 years old, has experienced more of life than a number of his peers. While enrolled in college, painkiller use derailed his plans and dropped him into the dark world of addiction. He finally reached out to his parents to let them know he was in trouble and needed h... Full story
Twenty months ago, I experienced a life-altering fall. At first, my only consequence of falling was a broken nose and two black eyes. But two months later, I began to experience troubling post-concussion symptoms. My encounter with the ground was a full-frontal crash on the asphalt as I was running with a friend’s dog. The sound of my head hitting the pavement is one I will never forget — like a ripe melon being dropped from the heights. Headaches, vertigo, brain fog, d... Full story
In just a few months’ time, the generous residents of Sisters Country not only met but exceeded the $100,000 challenge in support of the new Hospice House at Partners In Care in Bend. As of last week, $116,035 had been donated, fully funding the Three Sisters suite, with the remainder going toward the Black Butte suite. Partners In Care and the Sisters Challenge Team extended a very grateful thank-you to those Sisters Country residents who opened their hearts and their w... Full story
Summer is a great time to try out Cascades East Transit’s (CET) free, ADA-accessible shopper shuttle that connects residents living within the Sisters Dial-A-Ride service area (including Crossroads, Tollgate, and Sage Meadow neighborhoods, and more) to shopping destinations in Bend on Thursdays. The Sisters-to-Bend shuttle picks up passengers at their home or business in Sisters between 8:45 and 9:15 a.m. and makes stops at the Cascade Village Mall, Walmart, and Costco s... Full story
The Quilts in the Garden Home and Garden Tour organized and conducted by the Sisters Garden Club has been a highlight of Quilt Show Week for the past 20-plus years — that is, until the COVID-19 pandemic required cancellation of the tour in 2020 and 2021. The tour has offered a diversion from the week of quilt classes and an opportunity for all to experience the homes and gardens in the Sisters area. With no garden tour for two years, and the waiving of annual membership... Full story
Age Friendly Sisters Country wants ideas — but only ones that have real action tied to them. “We are not an idea orphanage. Don’t bring your idea [for a community program or service] to our door and leave it on the doorstep. Age Friendly Sisters Country (AFSC) is an incubator, where a shared idea is nurtured along,” said Chris Laing, AFSC president. Sisters Transportation and Ride Share (STARS) is an example of an idea that was nurtured as an action team by AFSC, which... Full story
Deschutes County is currently the scene of a citizen-driven effort to place an initiative on the ballot that, if approved, would make the office of Deschutes County Commissioner a nonpartisan position. Of the 36 Oregon counties, only 10 (including Deschutes County) have partisan county commissioners running as either Democrat or Republican. The initiative effort is being led by Susan Cobb, Democrat, of Sisters; Mimi Alkira, former Republican, now independent and vice... Full story
The three outdoor parks – bike, disc golf, and skate – located adjacent to the Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) Coffield Center, are proving extremely popular with the public — residents and tourists alike. According to SPRD Executive Director Jennifer Holland, “While this last year has been a rollercoaster, we have been thrilled with the increased use of our specialty parks… As assets of the park and recreation district, these parks belong t... Full story
After months of data-gathering, advisory committee meetings, and writing and re-writing drafts, the Comprehensive Plan update process is nearing completion — but it isn’t too late for city residents to share thoughts with the comp plan team. Between now and June 20, there are several opportunities for the public to make comments and suggestions regarding planning for the next 20 years in Sisters on: housing; transportation; economic development; parks, recreation, and op... Full story
Despite stiff winds last Saturday afternoon, there was an impressive turnout on South Fir Street for the dedication of the heritage mural painted on the side of the Habitat for Humanity Thrift Store in honor of Sisters’ 75th anniversary of incorporation. Representatives of the three organizations that collaborated to make the mural project a reality (Three Sisters Historical Society, Sisters Arts Association, and Habitat for Humanity) were in attendance as well as the a... Full story
“You need to back up now,” is what Alesha Goodman of Bend remembers hearing her father’s voice telling her as she headed toward the Bend Parkway after leaving work in 2019. His voice came to her as she approached the spot where her father had died suddenly seven years earlier. Without questioning the message, she backed up and parked her car seconds before experiencing a stroke in which her body went numb from the top of her head to her toes. When EMTs arrived, they asses... Full story
Three Sisters Historical Society and the Sisters History Museum currently find themselves on the horns of a dilemma. As pandemic restrictions are finally easing, and tourist season is heating up, the museum housed in the historic Wakefield bungalow on East Cascade has been told they must vacate the premises by June 15. For $3,000 rent (they now pay $1,000/month) they can stay until July 15. The owner of the building, Chris Boxwell, made extensive improvements prior to the... Full story
Oregon State Police are still investigating a case involving a young child who went missing in Sisters and was later recovered safe. Last Sunday morning, May 23, about 9:30 a.m., a message went out to the Sisters community from Deschutes County 9-1-1 alerts regarding a three-year-old boy who had been located near the Sisters Creekside Campground at about midnight. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office was attempting to locate the child’s family. Later Sunday afternoon ano... Full story
Keith Taylor just “felt off.” Taylor, then 47 and living in Newburg, was uncharacteristically tired and lethargic. He was making preparations for a work-related trip to Seattle the next day but decided to just lie down for a while. He was still in bed when his wife came home from work and stayed there until the next morning, when his wife left early for work. Taylor had grown his Salem-based large manufacturing firm to include three partners, with him acting as sales man... Full story
Current residents of the Village Meadows development wrote letters to the City of Sisters opposing Habitat for Humanity’s requested modification and replat of property in the subdivision, and testified at the hearing via Zoom. Neighbors’ concerns centered on insufficient parking space, which would become worse with four more lots, traffic and speeding impacts on public safety, snow storage in the winter, the role of the homeowners’ association and the CC&Rs given Habit... Full story
Sisters Habitat for Humanity has won approval to build at greater density in a neighborhood at the west end of town. The Sisters Planning Commission voted 4-2 to approve — with conditions — an application from Habitat for Humanity to make 10 lots from an existing six lots to accommodate attached or detached single-family houses in the Village Meadows subdivision. The vote came at the end of a 2-1/2-hour hearing covering a number of issues, not necessarily relevant... Full story
Sisters is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Sisters with a new historical mural on the South Fir Street side of the Habitat for Humanity Thrift Store. Sisters resident Melanie Nelson contacted Minnesota muralist Steve DeLaitsch and his assistant Scott Duffus for the project. Nelson formerly lived in Owatonna, Minnesota, and worked with them both on previous mural projects. Nelson has been coming to Black Butte Ranch over the last seven... Full story
• Public Works Director Paul Bertagna and Community Development Planning Technician Carol Jenkins both recently celebrated 20 years as City employees. • At the May 20, 5:30 p.m. Planning Commission public hearing, commissioners will conduct a Type III review of a Master Plan modification and replat to modify the Village Meadows Master Plan submitted by Habitat for Humanity, and replat six lots in the Village Meadows subdivision (Lots 3-8) into 10 lots to accommodate... Full story
When Jeri Buckmann closes the door of the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center building behind her the end of this month, she will be saying goodbye not only to her 21-year job as event coordinator, but also to a way of life. “I am retiring from a way of life that involved my family. Whatever I did was integrated into the Chamber,” she said. “Sara and Adam (her grown children) were always helping out during the events, taking posters around town and even worki... Full story
In celebration of Sisters’ 75th anniversary of incorporation as a city, Three Sisters Historical Society and the City collaborated to produce a map for a self-guided walking tour of historic landmarks and sites in Sisters. Maps are available at the Sisters History Museum at 410 E. Cascade Ave., on the front porch, at City Hall a block away at 520 E. Cascade Ave., or online at https://www.ci.sisters.or.us. With a map from The Nugget for inspiration, Emme Shoup, the City’s ass... Full story
Camp Sherman resident Gary Albertson is celebrating a big milestone this week. Twenty-five years ago, he received a kidney transplant from his older sister, Judy Zellers, at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) in Portland. The average lifespan for a transplanted kidney is 10-12 years and Albertson has defied that timeline. He credits all the similarities he shares with Judy for the near-perfect match. He said in a family of dark-haired, dark-eyed siblings and parents, he... Full story
Students from Camp Sherman’s Black Butte School enjoyed a history field trip last week to the Sisters History Museum and Camp Polk Cemetery. Museum volunteers, some dressed in period costumes, shared information and exhibits about area Native Americans, early explorers and settlers, and life at early Camp Polk and Sisters. The students experienced a pioneer relay game – carrying eggs on spoons. They also toured the original six blocks of downtown Sisters, visiting s... Full story
Following in the tradition of men in his family becoming attorneys, Brad Chalfant enrolled at Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College in Portland after graduating from the University of Kansas. “The first day of law school I knew I wasn’t interested,” Chalfant admitted. Tradition pushed him to stay the course, graduate, and go to work for a firm where he handled mostly bankruptcies. “I was miserable,” he said. Over a single-malt with his best friend, a decision was... Full story
