News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 15 of 15
Long time Sisters resident Kim Lawrence Haines was found dead in his home on Saturday, January 8, according to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports. The sheriff's office reported the death as an apparent suicide. Haines, 57, was a real estate agent in Sisters. He had worked for Coldwell Banker/Reed Bros. Realty starting in 1993. Bill Reed issued a statement on behalf of the company: "The entire office is devastated and grieving the loss of a friend," he said. A memorial service to celebrate the life of Kim Haines will... Full story
Three people were hurt in this wreck. photo by Jim Cornelius Driving conditions grew dangerous last week as winter weather descended over the Sisters area. A man was seriously injured in a single-vehicle accident on Saturday, January 8, on Highway 20 1.5 miles east of Black Butte Ranch. Scott Hevera of Redmond was transported by Air Life to St. Charles Medical Center. Driver Haley Hevera and passenger Blake Mills were transported via ground ambulance. According to Oregon State Police reports, speed and icy conditions were... Full story
Nearly four years after the 2001 Oregon State Legislature passed two bills to eliminate the name "squaw" from geographic names in Oregon, Squaw Creek still doesn't have a new name. A process may soon be developed in Central Oregon to bring together all concerned parties to develop a recommendation for "squaw" place names in the local area. "We have yet to all sit down together and we are now in the early stages of working on a process," said Sisters District Ranger Bill Anthony. Many of the local "squaw" names are located on... Full story
The staff and children of Samaritan Children's Home before the deluge. photo provided Funds have begun coming in to the Samaritan Home Relief Fund set up at Bank of the Cascades in Sisters. So far, Sisters has raised $3,580. Samaritan Home Relief, Inc. has obtained 501(c)(3) nonprofit status; contributions to the fund are tax-deductible. The organization now has a website at www.samaritanchildrenshome.org. The Gazette in Montgomery County, Maryland reports that: "As of Monday, Diyana Sanders and her husband, sister, and... Full story
Fire Marshal Dave Wheeler reviews construction plans for new buildings, making recommendations for fire prevention and public safety. photo by Jim Fisher After more than six months of wearing two hats as both a shift captain and fire marshal for the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District (RFPD), Dave Wheeler is now the full-time fire marshal for the district. The appointment became official at a special evening ceremony for fire district employees and their families held January 3 at the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire... Full story
A Swiss Mountain Log Homes crew sets the crosspiece in a new football field gate. photo by Jim Cornelius The Sisters Outlaws have an imposing new entry archway for the football stadium behind Sisters Middle School. A crew from Swiss Mountain Log Homes installed the log frame on Friday, January 7. According to Swiss Mountain Log Homes owner-operator Phil Rerat, the project was the fruition of his involvement with the volunteer "Field of Dreams" program founded several years ago to organize funding and labor to develop... Full story
Unsung and frequently unmentioned in the story of sled dog stage racing are the host families. There are 15 homes in Sisters that open to the racers for nourishment and rest after each day's competition. Ray and Katie Powers have hosted visiting sled dog racers for several years. This year they specifically invited Lloyd and Mary Gilbertson, from Chatham, Michigan for a return visit. They arrived Sunday evening with third- and seventh-place winners in the six-dog competition, Peter Dobbs (New Zealand), and Vanessa Quinche... Full story
The touchy issue of the name of Squaw Creek first came up locally about 11 years ago when the Sisters Ranger District was working on a watershed analysis for Squaw Creek. According to Maret Pajutee, district ecologist, in visiting with members of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, the Forest Service learned that the term was offensive to many Native Americans. Curious as to where the name had come from, Pajutee did some research and found a personal history of William Newton Cobb, who first came to the Sisters area... Full story
A working smoke alarm most likely saved the life of a Sisters resident during an early Monday morning house fire, according to Dave Wheeler, fire marshal for the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District. George Hargraves was awakened by a smoke alarm about 1 a.m. at his residence at 415 East Washington St. in Sisters. He immediately left the house and called 911 on his cell phone. Firefighters responded from the Sisters Fire Hall just three blocks away. Quick detection and a fast response resulted in only interior... Full story
Gov. Ted Kulongoski wants to merge several education service districts (ESDs), reducing the number from the current 20 to no more than 12 -- and perhaps as few as nine. Dennis Dempsey, superintendent of the High Desert ESD (Crook and Deschutes counties), supports that idea. Dempsey, who was the principal of Sisters High School from 1992 to 1999, has been the local ESD superintendent since then. He still lives in Sisters, but his office is in Redmond, near the airport. "Our board and I are supportive of it (the merger... Full story
There are 20 Education Service Districts (ESDs) in Oregon. They serve the 199 regular districts that operate the public schools, kindergarten through grade 12. ESDs remain one of the most obscure entities involved in public education. Obscure to the general public, but not insignificant. The ESD that encompasses Sisters and the other three school districts in Deschutes County (Bend-La Pine, Redmond, and Brothers) plus Crook County School District used to go by the name Crook-Deschutes. Last year it changed its name to the Hig... Full story
Snowshoers rest during a weekend excursion. photo by Conrad Weiler Recent snows have encouraged more snowshoers to get out to local parks. Last week a group of 10 toured the new snowshoe trails at Virginia Meissner Sno Park in Bend, located off Century Drive. Led by Mark Murzin, the snowshoers trekked 5.5 miles in four plus hours, stopping at the Meissner shelter for lunch. Weather was overcast with sun breaking through in the afternoon. One of the highlights of the trip was Kim Boddie, former Forest Service worker, locating... Full story
The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday. To the Editor: After the recent... Full story
- City Council Meeting 7 p.m., 2nd and 4th Thursday each month, Sisters City Hall. 549-6022. - School Board Meeting 7 p.m., 2nd Monday each month, middle school lecture/drama room. 549-8521. - Black Butte School District Board of Directors meets 2nd Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m., Black Butte School. 595-6203. - Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD meets for drill every Monday, 7 p.m. Sisters Fire Hall, 301 S. Elm St. 549-0771. - Sisters Kiwanis Club meets every Thursday, 7:30 a.m., Sisters Fire Hall. 549-1223. - Sisters Habitat for... Full story
John Wood of Willow, Alaska, mushes along a trail near Sisters. photo by Jim Mitchell Top international mushers shot out of the starting gate at Upper Three Creek Sno-Park on Monday, January 10, to lauch the first of two Sisters stages in this year's Atta Boy 300 Sled Dog Race. Melanie Shirilla of Lincoln, Montana, won the Monday stage with a time of 4:23:15. This year's event also comprises the IFSS World Sled Dog Mid-Distance Championships. The excitement started on Friday, January 7, with 11-year-old Canadian Duncan... Full story
