News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 27
The Sisters School distrit can put one scandal to rest. The four Sisters School District teachers who allowed their students to use a math reference book while taking the Oregon Statewide Assessment (OSA) math test will not face any disciplinary action. The Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission, the watchdog agency that takes disciplinary actions when educators commit crimes or violate standards for competent and ethical performance, found "insufficient cause" to take any further action. There is no indication... Full story
Brad Boyd took up the gavel as Sisters' new mayor last Thursday with an agenda: he wants to involve Sisters area citizens more directly in government and for the council to think more strategically in its actions. "One of my goals is to have the council think of things... more strategically and more holistically," he said. "Instead of doing things piecemeal, which is how I think we've done things, let's do things differently." Specifically, Boyd said, that means looking at the... Full story
Many folks in Sisters proudly display yellow ribbons and magnetic car stickers reminding us to "Support Our Troops." Yet, once they have returned home from their service overseas, it becomes all too easy for all of us to take the ribbons down, the stickers off and go about life as usual. Central Oregon Veterans Outreach (COVO) is on a mission to change all that. The non-profit organization is the only one of its kind in Oregon. Founded and operated by veterans, many of them... Full story
To the Editor: Thank you for your recent article on destination resort development in Jefferson County ("Camp Sherman casts wary eye on comp plan," The Nugget, January 10, page 17). We would like to offer corrections to make the article accurate. The 640-acre parcel identified as owned by Shane Lundgren is actually a 627-acre parcel owned by Dutch Pacific Resources, LLC. Shane is a local, fourth generation Camp Shermanite as well as a minority investor and co-manager with Jim Kean (also a minority investor) of the property.... Full story
Two laws need to be recognized by the Oregon Legislature, and neither was passed in Salem. The first is the law of unintended consequences. The second is that, given a chance, most people will do the wrong thing for all the right reasons. These are immutable, and legislators will obey them, willingly or not. According to The Oregonian, the House and Senate will attempt to "clean up our act," in the words of the estimable Peter Courtney, after revelations that the Oregon Beer and Wine Distributors Association paid for... Full story
Can you guess how many kernels of popcorn make up $3,915 of the fluffy white stuff? Sisters Cub Scout Ross Grant is not sure, but he does know how much time and effort it takes to sell that many munchies - because he did it with a little help from his mom and some other family members and friends. Eight-year-old Ross is a member of Sisters Cub Scout Pack 139 and a third grader at Sisters Elementary School. Ross recently set a Scout's regional fund-raising record, selling more... Full story
Dozens of Sisters area residents and public officials from around the region celebrated the grand opening of Sisters' new City Hall on Thursday night, January 11. The completion of the $2.6 million City Hall project rounds out a community campus that includes Sisters Library and the administrative headquarters of the Sisters School District. The 9,000-square-foot City Hall is a vast change from the cramped old building that has served for decades as Sisters' City Hall. In fact... Full story
The Sisters School Board is choosing a screening committee to assist in their search for the district's new superintendent. Any district resident interested in serving as a committee member should submit a short note indicating his or her relationship to the school district and expressing his or her reasons for wanting to be a member of the committee. Submit notes to the attention of Mary Clark, Sisters School District #6, 525 E. Cascade Ave, Sisters, OR 97759; hand deliver them to the same address; or transmit them via... Full story
A community group has been studying the best uses of the U.S. Forest Service land sale and is making a presentation on its findings to the Sisters City Council Thursday morning, January 18. The Sisters Ranger District is planning to sell most of its 80 acres of land and build new offices and facilities on another site near Sisters. Its National Forest Land acreage is within Sisters' urban growth boundary and could be re-zoned for a variety of uses. "We'll present what we've learned so far. We've narrowed it down to three... Full story
The first road trip of the season was worth the travel as the Outlaws Nordic Ski squad swept the boys' and girls' team titles at Willamette Pass on Saturday, January 13. The meet featured teams from both the Northern and Southern League of the Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association, and team scores were separated by league. Sisters' boys had an easy time since the only other Northern League schools in attendance were St. Mary's of Portland, an all-girls' school, and... Full story
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission unanimously voted last week to deny three petitions to change elk ranching rules, delaying the process of rule-making until issues could be further explored by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) staff and other stakeholders. "We are fortunate in Oregon to have clean wild and farmed populations as far as elk are concerned," said Commissioner Zane Smith. "There are a number of issues that I feel need more consideration before we trigger rule making." The commission directed... Full story
To support their causes, non-profit organizations in Central Oregon need both money and volunteers. Sisters Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, through its Community Outreach program, is significantly helping on the money side of the equation. The church recently donated $15,600 to area non-profits with the hope that this monetary support will stimulate community residents to fill in the other side of the equation and volunteer. Outreach committee chairman Frank Guthrie told The Nugget, "All of these organizations apprec... Full story
David Allen and Leslie Satcher are in love with Sisters and its school system. In response to their affair with the community, they are volunteering to help the schools, which is not an unusual act. What makes their contribution exceptional is that they live in Nashville, Tennessee and pay their own way to come here to help in the school system. Not only have they come personally to help, they have enlisted friends and brought with them volunteers from Washington, D.C. to... Full story
The girls' basketball team lost 54-55 in overtime to the La Pine Hawks at home on Tuesday, January 9. At the half, Sisters trailed the Lady Hawks by seven at 20-27. Sisters had a 10-point run in the third quarter, and outscored the Hawks 15-11. Heading into the fourth quarter the Lady Outlaws trailed by nine, 29-38. Sisters held La Pine to just six points in the fourth quarter. With 53 seconds left on the clock, Cammy Jacobson made a short shot to put the Outlaws up for the... Full story
Leslie Satcher and her husband David Allen live in Nashville, Tennessee, but that has not stopped them from volunteering to work and contribute to the Sisters schools. This last week Allen worked with the high school radio station, and Satcher held songwriting workshops and lent a hand with the music students in all three Sisters schools. Although both are originally from Texas and carry a soft southern drawl, they now live in Nashville and are in the music business. Satcher... Full story
If you've lived long enough and you love books, you've probably got quite a collection going. For most people there comes a time when you look at all your over-packed shelves and stacks of boxes and wonder just what to do with the overflow. That's where Rod Bonacker of Black Butte Books comes in. An avid reader and book lover, Bonacker realized he could save money by buying used books instead of new. He began buying books from Powell's City of Books in Portland, read them and... Full story
What happens when Sisters High School standout Liz Dale misses a ski race due to a scheduling conflict? Someone has to step up and take her place. That is exactly what happened last Saturday on the slopes of Mt. Bachelor. Sisters sophomore Jenna Sneva turned in two blistering runs on the first Giant Slalom (GS) of the season, winning the girls race by almost six seconds. In fact, her time was so fast that only five of the 50 boys were able to best her performance. Sisters'... Full story
• Sara Marcus wrote: "A big thank you to Mary Zilk for bringing back a friend that I had lost over a year ago. Little did you know that when that shaggy, skinny cat showed up at your house a few months ago that you caring for it would bring so much happiness to my life. I was so heartbroken that she was gone. I put lost signs all over town, and after a few months of checking with the animal shelters and veterinarians I began to accept that she was gone. "Then, last Wednesday my mom got a call from Janice Deiner of... Full story
A blizzard of enthusiastic Sisters residents hits local gyms each January - only to see New Year's fitness resolutions melt away by March. It's a cycle that repeats as regularly as the turning of the seasons. But it doesn't have to be that way, according to Ross Kennedy of Sisters Athletic Club (SAC) and Sue Parker of Cascade Fitness. The two local trainers and fitness experts agree that there are a few common pitfalls to avoid - and a few simple steps to take - that can help... Full story
People visiting Camp Sherman's historic Community Hall will pass through new doors gracing the entryway. These new doors are dedicated in honor of long-time Camp Sherman resident Don Cool who died in 2005. They were provided by a donation by his widow Clara Cool. Don was a quiet man, born in Kansas, who spent his lifetime of 82 years enjoying fishing, hunting and downhill skiing. He also was a Pearl Harbor survivor, serving in the Marine Corps. "He liked the skiing because it... Full story
Some 60 Sisters High School juniors and seniors got a taste last week of what it takes to make things happen and bring change in government. Joe Lessen, a professional lobbyist in Washington, D.C., volunteered his time to share his expertise with students in Jon Renner's politics class. Lessen works for the federal affairs department of America's Health Insurance Plans, representing nearly 1,300 companies that provide health insurance to more than 200 million Americans.... Full story
Born Barbara Ellen Jackson February 6, 1932 in Arvin, California, to John W. Jackson and Mary Della (Knight) Jackson both of Tennessee, Barbara died January 8, 2007 after a long battle with cancer at the age of 74. Barbara's family moved to Sisters when she was a child where they lived on the Lazy Z ranch for some years. Soon after she graduated from eighth grade at Sisters Elementary School when it was a two-story white building, her family moved back to Caliente,... Full story
Glenn Carl Keeran passed away on January 8, at age 72, from mesothelioma. He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 50 years, Darleen, who passed away from cancer last May. He was a resident of San Diego for 57 years before retiring to Sisters, where he resided for nine years before returning to San Diego in July to be near his daughters. Glenn was loved by all for his generous nature, loyalty to family and friends, sense of humor and quirky stubbornness. He was an avid... Full story
Folks in Sisters can get a break from snow and frigid temperatures Friday night, January 19, with a trip to Oregon's wine country. Through the varied talents of Sisters artists and the literary talents of Oregon wine industry pioneer Susan Sokol-Blosser, Sisters residents will catch a glimpse of the lovely and colorful wine country and learn from a winery founder how the state's wine industry developed into a respected player in international commerce. And no one has to drive... Full story
An almost-complete girls and boys team competed January 11 against the Cascade Cougars and the Stayton Eagles at the Community Pool in Stayton. Several Sisters High School records fell, and the boys won the team competition with 108 points over Cascade (71) and Stayton (54). The girls came in second behind Cascade. Several girls and boys won events, and numerous personal records made this meet successful for most swimmers. The foursome of Britanny Baldessari (backstroke), Courtney Satko (breaststroke), Jessie Swaner... Full story
