News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 21 of 21
In a 1910 speech in Paris, former President Theodore Roosevelt delivered these lines, in a speech titled "Citizenship in a Republic": "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does... Full story
The City of Sisters will roll out for discussion its preliminary plans for an amphitheater in a public meeting on Wednesday, January 29, at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. The meeting will be an opportunity for the public to get a comprehensive look at what the amphitheater could look like and how it would function. "We'll have the conceptual drawings; we'll have the model," said Mayor Brad Boyd. City staff and council members will also be prepared to discuss fundraising plans and... Full story
The nationwide program to establish baseline standards for all public school students is coming to Oregon. Forty-eight of the fifty states have adopted the Common Core approach to both teaching and testing, including Oregon. Oregon's own standardized testing, the OAKS tests, have been in place since 2009, with some form of "high-stakes" testing in place for over 20 years. The standards have frequently been tightened, making year-to-year comparisons difficult, but overall, Oregon public school students have shown yearly... Full story
Catherine Childress would like to continue serving on the Sisters City Council. She and her husband, David, are moving from Sisters to a new home at Aspen Lakes. That's outside the city, and the city charter requires that councilors be residents of the city of Sisters. So, she must step down from her post after one year of service. "I would love to stay on the council," she told The Nugget. "I hate that we can't have representation outside the city, but that's the way the... Full story
The Nugget's story December 10, 2013 regarding the Wild Mountain food stand suing the City of Sisters, used the term "condition" colloquially in describing the Temporary Use Permit requirement for removal of a temporary structure: "One of the conditions of that permit was the requirement to remove his building when the permit expired." City code requires removal of temporary structures on expiration of a TUP. The Nugget has reported that the city's position has been that that code would be enforced. Owner Ky Karnecki has... Full story
Sisters Folk Festival continues its tradition of brightening up cold winter nights with an eclectic lineup of performers in its 2014 Winter Concert Series. In its first show of the series, Thursday, January 9, The California Honeydrops will return to Sisters after a rousing 2013 festival appearance. The Honeydrops' music speaks not just to the heart and soul, but also to the body - you have no choice but to dance. Drawing heavily on Southern soul and Bay Area R&B, with a... Full story
For the past six years, Doug and Katie Cavanaugh hosted a series of winter house concerts at their HarmonyHouse on Kent Road east of Sisters. On Saturday, January 11, they will close their run with a final concert featuring David Jacobs-Strain and special guest Bob Beach. "We want to thank all of our loyal patrons who shared with us in the magic of our venue - the talented artists, the extraordinary acoustics, our loyal and gracious volunteers, Doug's bonfire and the marvelous... Full story
Voting begins Wednesday for the People's Choice Awards in the Friends of the Sisters Library (FOSL) Ninth Annual Art Exhibit at the library. Ballots are available in the library's community room and votes may be cast for up to three works of art. The art is on display throughout the library, so be sure to browse all the rooms. Final opportunity for voting and announcement of the three winners will take place at the artists' reception on Friday, January 17, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.... Full story
Sisters swimmers competed at the Jay Rowan Invitational held in Redmond on Saturday, January 4. The event marked the 11th anniversary of the meet held in memory of Jay Rowan, who swam for Redmond and passed away in 2003. Rowan's sister spoke to the crowd just prior to the 21.4-second moment of silence - Rowan's 50-meter freestyle time. Teams from Redmond, Ridgeview, Summit, Mountain View, Henley, Mazama, Madras, Rainer and Sisters attended the big event. The majority of the... Full story
The Outlaw Nordic ski team came back from a three-week break to race at Mt. Bachelor last weekend. Over the past three weeks, the Outlaws were able to get on snow to spend some much-needed time on skis. Since no new snow has fallen, and with local ski parks remaining closed due to lack of snow, the Outlaws traveled up to Mt. Bachelor to train. The plethora of groomed trails available at Mt. Bachelor afforded the Outlaws a chance to experiment with their technique. Significant... Full story
'Tis the season for folks to focus on bettering themselves. Around the world, people are making their New Year's resolutions. When asked about their resolutions, some Sisters residents responded with humor, some with thoughtful consideration, while others admitted they make no formal resolutions at the beginning of the year, choosing instead to make efforts throughout the year or do nothing different. There were common reactions upon first hearing the inquiry: Nervous... Full story
Sisters has a lot of irons in the fire: A pending annexation of an airport; a major road construction project; construction of a new school-based health clinic; a new community park; a proposed amphitheater. City Manager Andrew Gorayeb and his staff shared a major project status report with county commissioners Tammy Baney, Tony DeBone, and Alan Unger during a city council workshop on Thursday. The city manager kicked off the discussion with an update on the airport annexation negotiations with the airport sponsor Benny... Full story
The new year began with a sparkling, cold and sunny day - a perfect time to invite friends and neighbors to the farm for a great potato giveaway. And that is exactly what Sarahlee Lawrence and her husband, Ashanti Samuels, owners of Rainshadow Organics of Terrebonne, decided to do. The gesture was one of necessity though, and a way to turn the farmers' disappointment over a ruined crop to happiness for members of the community. Earlier in the year Rainshadow Organics had... Full story
"Jim, there's something getting into my kitchen, and I can't figure out what, or who it is - and I can't catch it!" Brent McGregor exclaimed when he and Kara Mickaelson were over for Christmas Eve supper recently. Then he added, "Got any ideas...?" We went through the usual list of possibilities, naming the Number One suspect of the night, our resident bushy-tailed woodrat (AKA, packrat). But we both agreed that it should have been caught in one of the several traps Brent had set out - baited with delicious peanut butter. "I... Full story
The Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, along with several downtown merchants, invites businesses to be a part of the upcoming Stroll Sisters events. The next four events are scheduled on Fridays throughout the winter and into spring: January 17, February 28, March 21 and May 23, all from 4 to 7 p.m. The Stroll Sisters events are funded in part by a grant from The Roundhouse Foundation and are a part of the Cascade Avenue Street Improvement Project Marketing Program. This program has been designed to help encourage shopping... Full story
The city's RV park is slated for a significant upgrade between now and when it re-opens (late May or early June). The major upgrade of the existing facility and a new name, Creekside Campground, is the first phase of the program. If the upgrades are as well received as City Manager Andrew Gorayeb predicts, then Phase 2 of this project will include significant expansion. Using the existing property, with proper sound and sight screening, the park could accommodate upwards of... Full story
"This poor young deer is sick," Brent McGregor reported in November. "We have a neighbor that feeds deer and will not listen to people when they say feeding deer does more harm than good. I don't remember seeing scenes like this 25 years ago, before the neighborhood was settled with folks that feed (deer)." Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists have pleaded again and again: "Please, stop feeding deer!" But not enough people will do as the agency asks, or even take... Full story
Can cats and dogs get along? While there have been many movies that had fun with the idea that the animals are secretly fighting an all-out war, many real-life cats and dogs live in harmony together in the same household. It is important to understand how cats' and dogs' personalities vary. One of the biggest differences between canines and felines lies in their social patterns and interactions. Cats tend to be solitary animals, preferring to go where they want when they... Full story
The Lady Outlaws basketball team finished fifth at their home Holiday Tournament which was held Thursday through Saturday, January 2-4. Philomath took first place, Banks was runner-up, and Henley finished third. Sisters, in their first game of the tourney, defeated Creswell 36-35 in an exciting matchup that came down to the final seconds. The Outlaws were up 13-8 at the close of the first quarter but were held to just three points in the second. Cierra Mann grabbed an offensiv... Full story
The boys basketball team hosted their annual Holiday Tournament Thursday through Saturday, January 2-4. Four of the top teams in the state were present including Philomath, LaSalle, Henley and Creswell. Philomath defeated LaSalle in the championship game and Scapoose beat Henley for a third-place finish. Sisters suffered a 49-36 loss to Scappoose on Thursday in the first round of the tourney. Scapoose had two very good posts that were tough for the Outlaws to handle and at the... Full story
Last week my wife, Sue, and I conducted our segment of the annual Oregon Eagle Foundation's Mid-winter Eagle Count. The route begins in Sisters, goes out Wilt Road to Lake Billy Chinook, over to Culver and Redmond and back through Fryrear and home. It took Sue and I, running it in our old Toyota 4Runner, a total of 128 miles to cover it all. Aside from the three bald eagles (one juvenile and two adults) drooling over the geese at the Pine Meadow Ranch in Sisters, we almost... Full story
