News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 22 of 22
According to a state report released near the end of 2019, homelessness among school-aged children affects families in every school district in Oregon, including Sisters. By federal law under the McKinney-Vento Act, homeless children and youth are “those who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.” Oregon has one of the highest rates in the nation for homelessness among students. Statewide, homelessness among school-aged children increased by 2 percent, while Sisters’ numbers dropped slightly. For the 2018-... Full story
As the City of Sisters works out how best to provide law-enforcement services as the community grows and changes, the idea of creating a municipal police force returns to the fore. Sisters has been there before. The city of Sisters was originally platted in 1901, but the citizens didn’t approve incorporation until 1946 (vote was 115 for, 61 against). According to the Deschutes Pioneer Gazette, quoting Alvin Cyrus, one of the early buildings in town was a one-person jail. L... Full story
The long-running Sisters Science Fair scheduled for March has been cancelled as the Sisters Science Club and the Sisters School District work on a plan to carry the event into the next decade. The Sisters Science Club has taken the lead on the event over the past eight years. As Sisters Science Fair Director Carol Packard noted last year, “Usually science fairs depend on teachers and invite the public. In Sisters, the public is inviting the teachers!” Cal Allen, one of the pio... Full story
To the Editor: Before Mr. Trump took office, Iran was abiding by agreements made about weapons of mass destruction. International inspectors certified that this was true. Our two countries were at peace, more or less. Three years into Trump’s administration, we are closer to war with Iran than we have ever been. Trump slowly but surely eroded our shaky peace with Iran first by upping his rhetoric, then by imposing sanctions, next by upping the rhetoric even more, and now by killing one of their leaders. Who can blame Iran for... Full story
As the Sisters Country Vision celebrates its first anniversary, those working hard to bring the Vision Action Plan to life celebrate some notable progress and look forward to another year of collaborative, community-led action. The Vision Implementation Team, led by Mayor Chuck Ryan and County Commissioner Patti Adair, has been meeting regularly to share progress updates on different strategies, identify priorities, and work together to find solutions to challenges. The team’s mission is to “implement the vision action pla... Full story
Ann Richardson of Sisters has joined the Deschutes Land Trust’s Board of Directors. She brings unique skills, expertise, and passion for conserving land in Central Oregon to the Land Trust. Richardson has lived in Sisters since 1999. She has been executive staff for two nonprofits, Sisters Folk Festival and Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. She is currently the board treasurer for Sisters Trails Alliance and has served as board president for the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce. Ann... Full story
Edie Jones became the newest member of the Sisters School Board following a unanimous vote at the monthly Board meeting held Wednesday, January 8. Jones got the nod over two other candidates who had applied for the position. She will take over the remainder of the term vacated by Amanda Clarke, which will run until June 30, 2021. Two other community members, Kirk Schlemlein and Jeff Stolasz, also applied to be considered for the position. Board Chairman Jay Wilkins said, “I am so grateful to all the talented and capable c... Full story
Timber and railroads were what built and supported Central Oregon in the early 20th century. Local historian Steve Lent, of the Bowman Museum in Prineville, will bring that time alive with his photographic presentation of “The Rise of the Timber Industry in Central Oregon” on Tuesday, January 21, 7 p.m., at the Three Sisters Historical Society Fireside Stories Evening at FivePine Conference Center. Lent, a Prineville native, is well-known in the area for his keen interest in... Full story
Sisters Folk Festival (SFF) has completed the purchase of the Sisters Art Works building and has begun renovations and upgrades in anticipation of the final stage of phase one of the Connected by Creativity Capital Campaign. “We basically have 99 percent of the $1.4 million goal secured,” said Steven Remington, development director and co-chair of the capital campaign that began in August 2017. “It’s been a great experience and simply astonishing how generous the community has been in helping us identify the resources to make... Full story
Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Henderson announced last week that he is seeking re-election as commissioner. Henderson filed his bid for re-election on December 19, 2019 at the Deschutes County Clerk’s Office. Commissioner Henderson is a 30-year resident of Deschutes County and has lived in southeast Bend for the past 22 years. He is completing his first term as commissioner. “As commissioner, my top priority has been helping guide the County with policies that serve all areas of the County and the needs of diverse Des... Full story
The Lady Outlaws dropped their final two games of the pre-season; a 51-66 loss at Klamath Union (KU) on Saturday, January 4, and a 26-59 loss at home to Madras three days later. Sisters battled hard in their contest against KU in Tuesday’s match-up, and the game marked the first time that the Lady Outlaws basketball team has scored 51 points since 2015 season. Three girls scored in double-digits including Emma Lutz, who led the team with 15 points, and Josie Patton and E... Full story
Chad Rush, recreation programs manager at Sisters Park and Recreation District for the past two years, has spent most of his adult life working with children and teens as a private school administrator, athletic director, and youth athletic coach. He spent 15 years at Portland Lutheran School, which was originally part of Concordia College until it was split off from the college in 1977 as a high school. In 1986, pre-K through eighth-grade classes were added. After leaving... Full story
Judge Wells Ashby told a packed and solemn courtroom on Tuesday, January 14, that no sentence can “properly honor Jenny Cashwell or square the ledger on her death.” Alan Peter Porciello, 37, shot and killed Cashwell after a date on January 12, 2019, in his apartment in Bend. Porciello pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in the killing, which occurred when, as he told police, he was “being facetious, acting like I was going to shoot her, and accidentally did.” On January 14, the judge sentenced Porciello to nine ye... Full story
The twenty-somethings and teenagers of Sisters are eligible to apply for the 2020-2021 Rural Organizing Fellowship. The fellowship supports Oregonians between the ages of 16 and 30 working toward positive change and justice in their small-town, rural, and frontier communities. Youth may apply for the fellowship, or others may nominate them. Applications are due January 31. The Rural Organizing Project (ROP) states that some of the most powerful work being done in rural and sma... Full story
The Waterston Desert Writing Prize 2020 is now open for submissions. Applicants must submit online through April 1. The prize, now in its sixth year, honors creative nonfiction that illustrates artistic excellence, sensitivity to place, and desert literacy, with the desert as both subject and setting. Inspired by author and poet Ellen Waterston’s love of the high desert of Central Oregon, a region that has been her muse for over 30 years, the Prize recognizes the vital role deserts play worldwide in the ecosystem and the h... Full story
A record-breaking performance by senior Lydia Bartlett highlighted results for the Sisters Outlaws in their first meet of 2020 held at the Madras Swim Center on Saturday, January 11. The Madras Invitational was missing some teams this year due to snowy weather, but seven squads, mostly from the 5A and 6A ranks, competed in the meet. Bartlett’s school record came in the 100-yard butterfly; she dominated the field, winning by over six seconds in 1:03.24. Bartlett holds school records in a number of other events, according to C... Full story
Sisters singer and songwriter Rhonda Funk has been signed to the Pure Music record label for a two-year deal effective January 1. Funk, who moved from Sisters to Nashville in 2018, has been awaiting a deal for many years during her musical journey. Pure Music’s managing partner, John L. Heithaus, met Funk at a singing-in-the-round event in Nashville. Earlier in the year, Funk had been touring around the South. During her travels she was involved in a car accident, putting a... Full story
The Outlaws wrapped up their pre-season with two losses: a 40-48 defeat at the hands of Klamath Union (KU) on Saturday, January 4, and a 58-64 overtime loss at home against Madras three days later. In Tuesday’s game the Pelicans jumped out with an early lead, but the Outlaws battled back to within one to close out the first quarter 11-12. The Outlaws took a five-point lead toward the close of the second period, but KU answered with a three-pointer to cut the lead to 22-20 a... Full story
Ray’s Food Place in Sisters fared poorly in routine state food inspections, according to a report released by The Oregonian/Oregon Live last weekend. The report listed the 21 stores that fared worst in state inspections, noting that the state does not proactively release that information, requiring a public records request to obtain reports. “The information blackout on inspection results ends now,” the newspaper stated. “The Oregonian/OregonLive is doing what the State of Ore... Full story
Hemp. It’s everywhere in Central Oregon. The crop that many Founding Fathers grew more than 200 years ago is suddenly a booming agricultural industry in Sisters Country. Greg Moring, a filmmaker who moved to Sisters about a year ago, is creating a film titled “Hemp Is Back: The Road To Riches?” which explores the hemp boom. He has launched a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign to raise $20,000 for the completion of the film. The film focuses on a cooperative consisting of a... Full story
“Sisters is a community that appreciates traditional folk arts,” said Maesie Speer, programs director of Caldera Arts Center near Suttle Lake. Locals will have a chance to immerse in the Japanese art of taiko drumming with the group Unit Souzou on January 19 at The Lodge in Sisters. The workshop, Taiko Empowerment: Telling Your Story Through The Drum With Unit Souzou, is presented by Caldera in partnership with Age Friendly Sisters, The Lodge in Sisters, and Citizens for Com... Full story
Sisters Middle School teacher Jeff Schiedler’s seventh- and eighth-grade technology class is one of two in Oregon to win the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest, resulting in a prize worth $15,000 in technology supplies and equipment. Clear Creek Middle School in Gresham was the other Oregon winner. According to a press release from the contest organizers, the nationwide competition challenges students in grades 6-12 to creatively use STEM (science, technology, engineering a... Full story
