News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Coldwell Banker Bain is changing its presence in Sisters. The real estate office at the corner of Cascade Avenue and Oak Street will close in February — but its brokers will continue to serve clients in the community. They will be based out of Coldwell Banker Bain’s office in Bend. Broker Jennifer McCrystal expressed some wistfulness that the real estate office that has had such a big presence in Sisters for decades will no longer be there, but impact on the business will be minimal. “There’s not a lot that will change... Full story
With the local scholarship season about to open for the class of 2024, the Sisters Graduate Resource Organization (GRO), which manages the program, has announced a new executive director, Regan Roberts, who started in mid-August. Roberts is taking over the duties left by the previous director Laura Kloss who served for the previous two years. A Sisters resident since 2005, Roberts is ecstatic about the chance to fill the role for GRO, which is part-time. "The GRO position... Full story
Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District has received the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its budget. The award represents a significant achievement by the District. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. To receive the budget award, the fire district had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how... Full story
Fifth Grade 4.0 Bilderback, Weston; Crabtree, Zinnia; Davis, Riley; Durham, Noelle; Eigner, Caleb; Freeman, Madison; Miller, Ezekiel; Padilla, Phoenix; Planty, Bodhi; Rea, Wilson; Seaney, Reese; Velikonia, Evangeline; Waitley, Damon. 3.5 and above Morrow, Xavier; Bulloch William; Dickman, Gavin; Faldmo, Elin; Griffin, Ellis; Hay, Dawson; Horton, Luella; Johnson, Hudson; Kemp, Blake; Knutzen, Emerson; Moffat, Bailey; Orange, Avery; Poulos, Brecken; Rude, Hudson; Scott, Louella; White, Layla; Morzov, Kaia; Georger, Luke; Hansen... Full story
Travel is a luxury that not all can afford. Education Tours is an organization that aids in the funding and organization of student travel programs worldwide. At Sisters High School, these tours used to be a tradition, but when COVID-19 shut down travel, the school had to put their plans on hold. This coming spring of 2024, introduces the first official EF Educational Tours trip Sisters High School students have been involved in since 2020. This tight-knit group of eight are... Full story
The Oregon Classic, held January 12-13, attracted more than 50 teams from all Oregon classifications as one of the largest gatherings of wrestlers annually in the state. The tournament is unique in that teams pair up with other squads for a series of head to head duals, and final team results are based on which team ultimately comes out on top in the classification. Sisters, wrestling in the 3A ranks, had mixed results at the tournament, largely due to having gaps in weight classes, resulting in forfeits. “It’s tough to win... Full story
A poop-filled diaper and nowhere to change it has led to an initiative to make bathrooms in Sisters businesses more family-friendly. For small business owners, installing a diaper changing table might not always be affordable or top-of-mind. A new program by Age Friendly Sisters Country (AFSC) has created an action team to make it easy to add changing tables. The action team's aim is to help them out by offering free sourcing and installation of changing tables and other kid-o... Full story
The Outlaws boys basketball squad defeated the visiting Elmira Falcons 55-53 on Monday, January 8, with a layup from Landon Scott at the buzzer. In the first quarter, the score went back-and-forth in the first quarter with several lead changes. With 1:30 left Austin Dean made a driving layup to tie it up 13-13. On the next possession, Dean stole the ball, and dished it off to Oliver Bernhardt who scored the layup. Bernhardt was fouled on the shot, made the free throw, and took the Outlaws to a 16-13 lead. Elmira hit one of... Full story
Our beloved husband, dad, uncle and grandfather Werner left us suddenly on December 15, 2023. He had recently celebrated his 93rd birthday - quite a milestone! Werner Sebastian Heinrich Storch was born November 24, 1930, in Tiefenort, Germany. The oldest of four children, he was quickly followed by Hannelore, Heinz and Anneliese. The family ran a butcher shop - a business that Werner was expected to overtake. In October 1948, however, at age 17, Werner had an argument with... Full story
Lucille 'Lu' Trowbridge passed away December 21, 2023, at her home in Medford, Oregon. She was born February 9, 1927, in Detroit, Michigan, and married the love of her life, Ira Trowbridge in 1946. Ira joined the Air Force and Lu and Ira raised their four children while moving all over the country from Base to Base. After Ira retired from the Air Force in 1966, the family moved to Oregon. Lu worked for the Army Corps of Engineers in Alaska and the U.S. Forest Service in Bend a... Full story
Winter came hard and fast this year. All over Sisters, folks bundled up and fired up their snow blowers - those who have them - while most of us relied on the centuries old method of shoveling by hand; a risk for many health experts warn Click here to see related story. Snow blower sales are expected to grow at an annual rate of 6.74 percent in the U.S. and Canada from $639 million in 2021 to $935 million in 2027. More than one million of the snow tamers are sold each year.... Full story
Old man winter came late this year, but when he arrived he packed a wallop on Sisters Country. At Black Butte Ranch, there was two feet on the ground by noon on Friday. Throughout the weekend temperatures plummeted and the white stuff kept piling up. For many, like skiers and snow boarders, the long wait for snow materialized and Ski Hoodoo opened last Wednesday to excited crowds. Although only two of four lifts operated as the job of grooming trails and readying all the... Full story
Sisters is a town that means different things to different people: the (slightly larger) small town they grew up in, an opportunity to live where one plays, maybe a place to spend California retirement bucks, for many it’s where they do business, and for others it is a vacation destination. Smashing all these different visions, wants, hopes, and dreams into one community is bound to create spots of friction. Short-Term Rentals (STRs) are one of these spots. Many Sisters residents are happily tripping through life not k... Full story
Like it or not, clearing your sidewalks of snow is the law. It’s probably better to think of it as common courtesy. The City puts it this way: “Many of our neighbors rely on a clear sidewalk to get to and from work or school, or to access the school bus. When a sidewalk has not been cleared of snow and/or ice, pedestrians may be forced to walk in the road, causing a dangerous situation for both the pedestrian and the driver of a vehicle.” City code requires every property owner or occupant to maintain the adjacent sidew... Full story
The City of Sisters has established an affordable housing program to offer eligible agencies and private developers grant and/or loan funds for purposes of constructing and offering affordable housing to low-and moderate-income persons in the City. The applicant must be a housing authority, a qualified nonprofit organization that constructs affordable housing, or a for-profit developer of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households. The applicant must demonstrate compliance with all eligibility requirements... Full story
In 2015, when my nephew Eli was about 9 years old, I explained “Dungeons & Dragons” to him while my daughter Alyx was present. I left the room after delivering a long-winded monologue where I told him that I’d started playing D&D when I was his age and that it had inspired me to write stories and helped me make new friends. He seemed to be chewing thoughtfully on my revelations. Later, Alyx informed me: “Dad, after you left, he said to me, ‘You know, your dad is kind of an old dork… no offense.’” In late 1993, when we l... Full story
In the five years between 2017 and 2021, 721 elk and mule deer were killed in collisions with vehicles on the Highway 20 Bend to Suttle Lake corridor. The heaviest concentration was east of Sisters, and in the Black Butte Ranch stretch there were higher numbers. Numbers for 2022 and 2023 are not yet available. The removal of dead animals on state roadways is undertaken by Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). "ODOT is responsible for removing road hazards on state... Full story
The Sisters School District will be appointing three community members to fill vacancies on the Budget Committee. The people appointed will serve on the committee for three budget terms: 2023-2024, 2024-2025, and 2025-2026. The term will expire June 30, 2026. To be eligible, a candidate must live in the school district, not be an officer or employee of the district, and be a qualified voter in the district. Candidates should participate in school activities, be a positive problem solver and commit time to review materials... Full story
"Everyone has been or will be a caregiver at some point in their lives, and everyone will be a care recipient at some point in their lives." Dr. Richard Schulz knows this: He has devoted his career to studying the effects of disabling late-life illnesses on patients and their families and to exploring strategies for mitigating the adverse health effects of caregiving. He will share his insights on Tuesday, January 23, at 7 p.m. at the next lecture in the Frontiers in Science... Full story
The wolf issue continues to heat up across the West, with states like Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and now Colorado, all getting a chance to show their preferred flavor of wolf management. Here in “progressive” Oregon, wolves are continuously being slaughtered by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, often with the help of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services. This state-sponsored killing (plus private poaching) has resulted in suppressed wolf numbers and a hampered recovery effort. Oregon finished 2022 wit... Full story
It takes a village To the Editor: Sisters’ average minimum income (AMI) was $81,016 in 2021, up from $75,662 in 2020 (per Data USA). A 7 percent increase. Point2Homes.com agrees with that 2020 AMI and adds that Sisters’ 2020 average income was $99,679. Another source, Census Bureau Data reported an AMI of $84,088 for Sisters in 2020. Using a 5 percent yearly increase in AMI (rather than 7 percent), considering both 2020 AMI sources as a base, and knowing there’s far more than a percentage that can impact AMI, here is a novic... Full story
It was 0 degrees Fahrenheit Friday night, -5 at 8 p.m. Saturday, and -3 Sunday morning before the skies cleared after the biggest snow storm to hit Sisters in several years. Concern started rising at the start of the week as City staff looked at the forecast, and worried that some families in Sisters could be at grave risk, especially the homeless living in the nearby woods. On Wednesday night, at its regularly scheduled meeting, the Sisters City Council approved a... Full story
Multiple women made statements at the sentencing hearing for Michael Boyle on Tuesday, January 9, recounting the lasting impact on their lives of the acts to which he pleaded guilty via Alford plea last month. One victim testified in person, while the others had their statements read into the record by a Deputy District Attorney. “Mike Boyle is a predator and must be held accountable,” one of the victims stated, while another characterized him as “an opportunist and an extre... Full story
Sisters residents and visitors alike value the ability to enjoy the night sky — and the City of Sisters has passed new dark skies code language to promote that ability. Sisters City Council chambers burst into spontaneous applause as Council voted unanimously to approve amendments to the Sisters Development Code that have long been in the works. City planning staff noted that City code around dark skies was adopted in 2010. “Since the adoption, there have been many cha... Full story
The snow that fell in Sisters Country much of last week causing some havoc and disruption was not a record - not even close - but it was nonetheless the main topic of conversation. What made it the talk of the town were the winds and temperatures that tagged along. Sustained winds in the 20 mph range kept some folks up at night and consistent gusts in the 30s rattled windows and nerves. The wind brought down a 30-plus foot ponderosa pine Friday on Steve Allely's property in th... Full story
