News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 20 of 20
No on Measure 28 Oregon needs fundamental tax reform. Boosting income taxes to fill the state's deep budget hole won't fix what's wrong. In fact, there is a very real possibility that passing a tax increase to get us by for a few years will take the pressure off the legislature to enact real reform. And, sooner or later, we'll be back in the same dire straits. Reform of the tax system may not be on the front burner for a legislature preoccupied with fixing PERS and weathering this budget crisis. But action is needed for the... Full story
Golden sunshine and the dazzling sparkle of packed-powder snow greeted mushers at Hoodoo Ski Area on Tuesday, January 7, as they launched the 47-mile second stage of the AttaBoy 300 sled dog race. The 34 mushers and their teams had spent the night in Sisters the night before, attending a banquet held in their honor at Sisters High School. Sisters Rotary Club hosted the banquet, which was well-attended by local residents, many of whom were hosting mushers at their homes that... Full story
Terry Taylor of Sisters faces five to six years in prison as the result of a plea agreement reached in a sex abuse case on Thursday, January 2. Taylor entered an "Alford" plea on two counts of third degree sex abuse, one count of first degree attempted sex abuse, and two counts of second degree sex abuse. All counts involved incidents involving his stepdaughters occurring between 1999 and 2001. (See sidebar below) Under the "Alford" plea, Taylor does not admit to the allegations but agrees to accept the plea agreement... Full story
As the result of a 1999 congressional mandate, the Forest Service was granted a new tool in forest management -- common sense -- and it's being used in the Metolius region. Under a stewardship program called "multi-party monitoring," diverse interests are sitting down at the same table and walking the woods together in an effort to achieve the best possible results for forest management. In implementing this program for the Sisters area, the Forest Service has brought together a team with membership that ranges from Sierra... Full story
Deschutes County Sheriff's Deputies and Bend Police arrested Jimmy Kevin McClintick, 40, for first degree aggravated theft in the early hours of Thursday, January 9, after serving a search warrant at 285 E. Washington St. in Sisters. The search and arrest culminated an investigation into the theft of a trailer and espresso machine from where the trailer was parked at Sisters Car Wash on October 10. The equipment was to have been set up at a Bright Spot espresso stand at the Sisters Harvest Faire. Sheriff's deputies arrested D... Full story
Dave Elliott, right, has taken the helm at City Hall. Photo by Jim Cornelius Dave Elliott has picked up the gavel as Sisters' mayor -- for the second time. Elliott served briefly as mayor in the mid-1980s, during a long career of public service in Sisters. The council unanimously selected Elliott at its Thursday, January 9, meeting. His lengthy experience and background in Sisters made him an attractive choice for a relatively inexperienced council. "I've been involved in city... Full story
The fiscal sky over Sisters will not fall if Measure 28 fails. Nonetheless, the fate of the measure at the polls this month will make a difference to Sisters' public schools. It will have much less impact on the City of Sisters. Measure 28 was placed on the January 28 ballot by the Legislature, meeting in special session last September. It proposes a small, temporary (three-year) tax increase that would make up $310 million worth of cuts in the current state general fund budget. The cuts will take effect if voters say no to... Full story
The Waybacks had toes tapping at Sisters High School on Saturday, January 11. Photo by Jim Cornelius The Waybacks returned to Sisters on Saturday, January 11, bringing their eclectic mix of bluegrass, jazz and Celtic string band music to a packed house at Sisters High School auditorium. The concert was a benefit for the Americana Project, which is affiliated with the Sisters Folk Festival. Student musicians Ben Scharf, A.J. Tripp, Kerani Mitchell and Lauren Shultz and the band Not All Related opened the show with... Full story
The search for a new Sisters school superintendent has quietly entered its fifth week. School Board Chairman Jeff Smith thinks it's going well. But he and others involved know that finding the right person in today's political and fiscal environment will be more difficult than usual. The large and growing future deficit projection for PERS (the Public Employees Retirement System) is complicating the search. It is making some experienced candidates who ordinarily would consider trying for an attractive superintendency opt for... Full story
Soccer star Geovanni Ortega, a seventh grader at Sisters Middle School, has been chosen to play on the Oregon State Select Team, an Olympic development squad. Ortega is a forward on the F.C. Bend U13 team. Encouraged by his coach, Bob McCool, to try out for the Select Team, Ortega was successful at the December 9 tryouts. The Oregon State Select Team will play a game next weekend in Portland, but the big event the players are preparing for is a tournament in Las Vegas on January 24. Several more games will be played... Full story
When Ellen Bettker, who works for a Sisters dentist, and local resident Vickie Hornbeck, headed to Spain in mid-September to volunteer at the World Equestrian Games endurance competition, they were expecting drought conditions. After all, it hadn't rained for five months in Jerez de la Frontera, in southern Andalusia, where the games were held. The World Equestrian Games occur every four years, with the first event held in 1990 in Stockholm, Sweden. Seven equestrian disciplines comprise the games: eventing, showjumping,... Full story
Ivo Gervasi. Photo by Tessa Durdan-Shaw Foreign exchange student Ivo Gervasi notices one big difference between his home town of Butwill, Switzerland, and Sisters, Oregon. Gervasi finds that he can more easily speak his mind here in Sisters without having to worry about what people think. "Here it's more about the people you talk with, they don't get angry if I don't like what they are saying," he said. Gervasi is a 16-year-old Rotary exchange student who arrived in Sisters in August of 2002. Ivo will spend a total of 11... Full story
Jean Nave with her book on the Cache Mountain Fire. Photo by Conrad Weiler Author Jean Nave is exploring whether there is interest in forming a new historical society in the Sisters area. "We have such a rich historical background in our area that it would be nice to form a group and pull things together in the Sisters area,"said Nave, who presently heads the Black Butte Ranch (BBR) Historical Society. "Black Butte Ranch was originally a working ranch and, going way back, was a major trail for the Great Plains... Full story
The old guys showed they still have the right stuff on the court against their freshman sons. Photo by Shane Simonsen The freshman boys basketball team for Sisters High School lost to the tallest team they'll play all year last week. Made up of fathers, community members and coaches, the visiting team in the annual Father-Son Game was able to withstand the outside shooting prowess of the young Outlaws. Buoyed by fundamentals, slam-dunks and uncalled fouls, the Dads' team beat the freshman team by a score of 103-101. "They... Full story
The main feature of the weather in Central Oregon was the unbroken spell of dry weather that lasted from February 1 through November 2002. Even with near-average precipitation in January and December, the year 2002 was extremely dry. Here are the year 2002 totals (in inches) for selected weather stations: Bend's total of 6.14 inches for the year 2002 was the fourth driest on record. Only in 1949 (6.04 inches), 1959 (5.75 inches) and 1994 (5.40 inches) have there been drier years in Bend during the 100 year period 1902-2002.... Full story
Last month, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office seized 128 mistreated horses from a ranch near Brothers, and the story made the national news. "It was the worst case of animal abuse I've ever seen,"said Sheriff Les Stiles. What followed, however, was a dramatic rescue effort involving hundreds of people who donated their time, money and horse supplies to aid the stricken animals. The rescued animals were cared for at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds and local veterinary facilities. In spite of the poor condition of the... 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: During a special me... Full story
How much would Measure 28 on the January 28 ballot cost the taxpayer? The precise answer, of course, depends on each taxpayer's taxable income. In their joint statement in support of the measure in the Voters' Pamphlet Gov. John Kitzhaber and former Gov. Vic Atiyeh say: "On average, Measure 28 will cost Oregonians $9.50 per month. Sixty percent of taxpayers will pay less than that." In the same publication, the three-member Joint Legislative Committee presenting an argument on behalf of the legislative majority that placed... Full story
It's not often that a monumental blunder is actually a potential blessing in disguise; and, of course, it remains to be seen whether the opportunity will come to fruition. Regardless, we have a "Lott" to be thankful for. When former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott put his foot in his mouth by publicly pining for the days of racial segregation, he gave the Republican Party -- and the nation -- a chance to make some real progress in the awkward arena of race relations. Privately, a few walking anachronisms have clung to a... Full story
- A citizen raised concerns about possible drug trafficking at a Sisters residence after observing lots of comings and goings at odd hours. - Someone drove over some decorative rocks lining a Sisters driveway -- possibly in a drunken state. - Deputies stopped a Salem man for speeding at over 100 miles per hour and passing in no passing zones. The man was driving on a suspended license, so his car was impounded. - A resident reported that a sick deer gave up the ghost in her back yard. She told deputies she would contact... Full story
