News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Articles from the January 3, 2024 edition


Sorted by date  Results 1 - 19 of 19

  • Old growth to get additional protection under updated plan

    Alex Baumhardt|Updated Jan 2, 2024

    America’s oldest trees, most of which are in the West, will get added protection from wildfire and climate change under updated forest plans from the U.S. Forest Service. In announcements over the past week, officials from the Forest Service said they would begin the process of amending forest management plans affecting all 128 of the agency’s forest and grasslands, including the Northwest Forest Plan governing federal forests in northern California, Oregon, and Washington. The amendments, both nationally and in the Nor... Full story

  • SHS graduate is Educator of the Year

    Katy Yoder|Updated Jan 2, 2024

    Kate Tibbitts comes to her North Star Elementary School kindergarten class every day excited about teaching her students. She's rewarded and challenged by her students' unique personalities, learning styles, and stories. Watching Tibbitts teach reveals her skills and approach, grounded in life experiences and an education focused on helping students understand themselves and how their minds work. In her 10 years of teaching, she hasn't focused on recognition or accolades, but... Full story

  • Stars over Sisters

    Molly Greaney and Samatha Reyes|Updated Jan 2, 2024

    Taurus, the brightest zodiac constellation of the winter season, rides high in the evening sky during January. The celestial Bull is one of only 12 elite constellations that lie along a strip of sky centered about the ecliptic. The sun, moon, and all the major planets are always found somewhere within this belt of the sky. The arrangement of stars in Taurus does, indeed, resemble the head of a bull. The V-shaped star cluster known as the Hyades depicts the beast's face. From... Full story

  • Sopko serves clients in Sisters

    Updated Jan 2, 2024

    Renee Sopko joined the Crux Wealth Advisors team in 2021 as a wealth advisor. According to Crux, Sopko has a critical role on the team and takes a comprehensive approach when working with her clients. “Renee’s friendly demeanor, attention to detail, and desire to see her clients’ goals achieved are apparent through the commitment and dedication she has for her clients and career,” Crux stated. “She has the distinct ability to take complex financial circumstances and break them into comprehendible, handcrafted investmen... Full story

  • When in doubt, go fishing

    Chester Allen|Updated Jan 2, 2024

    For the past 20 years or so, I've tried to go fishing on New Year's Day - even when the Ducks were playing in a bowl game on that day. Stringing up a fly rod and walking along a river just seems like the best possible way to start another year. The goal is always to catch a fish or two, but it's not a gotta-do-this deal. Some might say that starting the New Year and not catching a fish is a bad beginning. Those are the same people who think that fly-fishing is all about... Full story

  • A new year, a new spirit?

    Jean Russell Nave|Updated Jan 2, 2024

    Truly, Scotties and all dogs are the best friends we have. Yes, we have loyal families and spouses. But as some find out, even family members and spouses have been known to desert us. But a well-loved dog is devoted to its keeper for life. It may sound silly to some, but it seems that the many thousands of years that humans and dogs have spent together has made the once mighty wolf into a reflection of the very best that humans can be. Unless trained otherwise, a dog is... Full story

  • Outlaws basketball squad splits games

    Rongi Yost|Updated Jan 2, 2024

    The Outlaws boys hopsters came out on top 48-42 at home against the visiting Sweet Home Huskies on Tuesday, December 19, and a day later fell 45-58 on the road at Estacada. On Tuesday against the Huskies the score went back and forth during the first quarter, and was knotted up four times. Diego Silva, Brody Fischer, Landon Scott, and Kale Gardner all contributed points to make it a 10-8 Outlaw lead with 1:40 left in the quarter. The Huskies closed out the period on a 0-5 run, which included four points off of two Outlaw turn... Full story

  • Lady Outlaws post third straight win on hardwood

    Rongi Yost|Updated Jan 2, 2024

    The Lady Outlaws won both their games this past week to make it three wins in a row. Sisters defeated the visiting Sweet Home Huskies 35-26 on Tuesday, December 19, and a day later posted a 35-34 win on the road at Estacada. In Tuesday’s action the Outlaws got off to slow start. They struggled to find their shots against the Huskies’ extended zone and missed the shot attempts they did have. They finally scored midway through the quarter on a three-point shot from Nora Thorsett, which was their lone score of the quarter and... Full story

  • Aspen Lakes shines at Christmas

    Updated Jan 2, 2024

    The collective efforts of a very giving local neighborhood gleamed with a donation of $4,280 toward Sisters Camp-Sherman Rural Fire Protection District's sponsorship of "Spirit of Christmas Giving 2023." Providing Christmas gifts and financial assistance to Sisters Community families this holiday was the mission of the Aspen Lakes Estates Owners Association. Five years ago, the Aspen Lakes Social Committee chose to join the collective community efforts of our local fire... Full story

  • Heidi Jan Fernandez

    Updated Jan 2, 2024

    Heidi Jan Fernandez (Molenaar) died peacefully at her home in Camp Sherman on December 13, at the age of 66, surrounded by her five children, her loving husband, and two cats. Heidi was born in Redwing, Minnesota, in 1957 to parents Mary Gale and Dr. Robert Molenaar. A childhood in the rural Minnesota farm country of Cannon Falls influenced her love of animals and nature early on. At 5 years old she loved climbing onto the backs of her friend's dairy cows and riding them... Full story

  • Sisters gets new plant-based food option

    Katy Yoder|Updated Jan 2, 2024

    Sisters Country folks who love to eat fresh and plant-based have a new option in town. Lively Up Yourself, a vegan food cart in Bend, has opened a second location at Eurosports at 223 E. Hood Ave. Owners, Sarah McKay and Elliott Roloff were inspired to create vegan comfort food based on their Midwestern upbringing. Their Midtown Yacht Club location in Bend has grown a loyal following of both vegans and many who just love their flavors and healthy offerings. When their... Full story

  • A dialogue between past and present

    Jim Cornelius|Updated Jan 2, 2024

    A few days ago, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley stepped on one of the most explosive landmines in the field of American history. Asked at a New Hampshire town hall what was the cause the American Civil War, the former governor of South Carolina tried to sidestep. “I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run, the freedoms and what people could and couldn’t do,” Haley said. “I think it always comes down to the role of government... Full story

  • New law addresses insurance, wildfire

    Updated Jan 2, 2024

    With homeowners in Sisters Country — and across Oregon — concerned about keeping their homeowners insurance policies in the face of industry-wide wildfire risk concerns, when the clock strikes midnight on January 1, 2024 many new laws immediately take effect. The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (DFR) reports that Senate Bill (SB) 82 strengthens consumer protections for homeowners dealing with wildfire-related issues. It requires insurance companies to explain, using property-specific characteristics, why a policy mig... Full story

  • Open mic event welcomes musicians

    Updated Jan 2, 2024

    Sisters Depot is starting a monthly open mic night on January 20, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. For musicians, this is a new opportunity to share music at a prime time and in a wonderful venue. For music lovers, it's a chance to see a variety of local musical talent, in a fun atmosphere with food and drinks available. "Bob Dylan didn't become Bob Dylan by staying home," said Scott Crabtree, host of "Saturday Night Mic." "He really blossomed when he went to Greenwich Village and immersed... Full story

  • Emergency vehicles hit on icy road

    Updated Jan 2, 2024

    Winter may not have hit Sisters Country in earnest, but roads can still be icy, especially in the morning. An incident on Highway 20 near Suttle Lake demonstrates the importance of slowing down and adjusting for conditions. According to Black Butte Ranch Police, on Tuesday morning around 8:26 a.m., Black Butte Ranch Police responded to assist on a crash on Highway 20 near the entrance to Suttle Lake. A vehicle had slid off the road due to icy conditions. Black Butte Ranch Fire Department medics arrived on scene to assess the... Full story

  • Letters to the Editor 1/3/2024

    Updated Jan 2, 2024
    1

    Tree poaching To the Editor: I live in Crossroads. I wanted to correct the information in The Nugget, “Tree poachers strike in Sisters.” In this article it stated that Jeremy Fields and Therese Kollerer found the old-growth tree outside Crossroads on a survey of a volunteer clean-up. My husband, myself, and our neighbor were the ones involved in the clean-up of an abandoned homeless camp. However, it was my husband who discovered the tree on one of his daily runs. He reported the location (using Google coordinates) to the... Full story

  • Oregon wolves expected to spread

    Grant Stringer|Updated Jan 2, 2024

    State biologists say Oregon's gray wolf population may have reached its ecological limit in the eastern third of the state and that packs will probably spread out to the west and south in greater numbers. Those comments, made at a meeting of the state Fish and Wildlife Commission, came as Colorado released five wolves trapped from Oregon as part of a historic reintroduction program. Roblyn Brown, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's wolf coordinator, told ranchers and... Full story

  • Oregon health officials urge vaccination

    Updated Jan 2, 2024

    With the new year, Oregon health officials are asking people to resolve in 2024 to get vaccinated against respiratory viruses that are on the rise in the state. Dean Sidelinger, M.D., M.S.Ed., health officer, and state epidemiologist at OHA, says vaccination remains the best way for Oregonians to protect themselves against COVID-19, influenza (flu), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) — and it’s not too late to get any of the vaccines. “While some resolutions require making healthy changes for the rest of your life, we’re... Full story

  • Forecast: Looks like a mild winter

    Jim Cornelius|Updated Jan 2, 2024

    Much of Sisters Country woke up on December 25 to what might be characterized as a minimalist white Christmas. There was just the lightest skiff of snow on the ground, and that was it. Temperatures have been mild and precipitation minimal in Sisters — and it’s likely to stay more or less that way through March, according to the latest forecast from the Oregon Department of Agriculture. According to Oregon Department of Forestry lead meteorologist Pete Parsons, we should “expec... Full story