News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
The City of Sisters has engaged Senior Judge Paul Lipscomb to work with the Sisters City Council and City Manager Eileen Stein to resolve issues that gave rise to the city council's recent consideration of a motion to terminate the city manager's employment. In a surprise move at the close of the city council's workshop on the Cascade Avenue project last Thursday, the retired judge, a Sisters Country resident for 15 months, stepped forward and offered his services at no charge to help mediate and facilitate the highly... Full story
Winter finally arrived in Central Oregon at the beginning of last week, with the first real snowfall since the middle of November. The weather kept Sisters' public works crews busy, as the initial snowfall quickly turned to rain. The rain-on-snow event caused localized flooding in downtown Sisters. "We started out plowing Tuesday night, plowed through the night," said Sisters Public Works Director Paul Bertagna. "We got our (vacuum) truck - our 'sucker truck' - running... Full story
A major renovation project on Cascade Avenue in downtown Sisters is now expected to break ground in 2013, with bids going out in February, 2013. Mike Darling, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) project manager for the Cascade Avenue improvement project, brought his team to City Hall Thursday morning for a two-hour presentation and discussion of the next steps for the project. After reviewing timelines, plans, drawings and budgets for the various construction project staging options, the council reached consensus on... Full story
Enthusiastic applause and shouts of "Wow!" could be heard from family, friends and fellow students during the Central Oregon honor band concert Friday night at Bend High School. Eleven students from Sisters middle and high schools participated in the annual event. "It was a lifetime opportunity. I've never gotten to play in a big band before, so it was neat and exciting," said eighth- grader Hunter Blakelock. The 96-person middle school band included Blakelock on trumpet,... Full story
To the Editor: Much has been made about our dysfunctional city council. Sisters Country people finally seem to be waking up. Reality: five councilors are elected to represent approximately 2,055 people who live within the city's urban growth boundary. But there are approximately 10,000 people living in Sisters Country (outside the city's boundaries.) Isn't it time for the 10,000, who care as much about Sisters Country as the "city residents" do, to have a voice about who represents the community? It's time for the 10,000 to... Full story
The profound power of the written word was on full display Friday night during a birthday celebration for Oregon's Poet Laureate and grand gentleman of letters, the late William Stafford. A standing-room-only cr owd of friends, fellow writers and former students filled Paulina Springs Books to share poems and remembrances of Stafford and his elegant works with readings, anecdotes - and birthday cake. Stafford passed away in 1993 in Lake Oswego after a brilliant career as... Full story
Sisters Trails Alliance has been hard at work behind the scenes over the last couple of years since the completion of the Peterson Ridge Trail expansion, and is poised to make another leap forward. Last week, the trails alliance wrote a check to the Forest Service for $24,000, funding an environmental assessment that would clear the way for projects including a paved trail from Crossroads to Sisters High School; paving the Tollgate-High School trail; a paved path from Sisters to Black Butte and eventually beyond; another... Full story
Darlene Johnston, Patty Swarens and Carol Statton dreamed up a project just over a year ago over margaritas at Bronco Billy's Ranch Grill and Saloon: A calendar featuring horsewomen of the area dressed in 19th-century clothing, with proceeds from sales going toward community animal rescue efforts. "After the margaritas cleared the next day, it still seemed like a good idea," said Johnston. And last Saturday, January 19, they presented the last of three checks, and several... Full story
Josh O'Brien had a stellar performance at the La Pine Frostbite Invitational Tournament at La Pine on Saturday, January 21, and walked away with a first-place finish. O'Brien (138 pounds) came into the tourney seeded No. 1 and proved to his competitors and the crowd just how good he really is. Seeding has its advantages and O'Brien witnessed it firsthand with his first match of the tournament against Dalton Alexander, of Lakeview, in the semi-finals. Josh was up 15-0 in round two and won by a tech fall. He advanced to the... Full story
The Sisters City Council reviewed the wording of a code change that would allow a 90-day extension to 180-day temporary operating permits. The council agreed in a Thursday-morning workshop to the wording proposed by City Manager Eileen Stein. It is anticipated that the council will approve the code change at their January 26 council meeting, and then approve Ky Karnecki's request for a 90-day extension. This should allow Karnecki to re-open his shuttered Wild Mountain mushroom and jerky stand immediately, operating the stand... Full story
The acrylic paintings of Central Oregon artist Susan Luckey-Higdon were featured at Black Butte Ranch last Thursday evening, and will be on display through February. "Interpreting nature's beauty with color and pattern in both soft pastel and acrylic is my passion," said Higdon. "Fish flashing underwater and blackbirds, geese, herons and other birds also catch my eye. They are mysterious and fascinating, and live in a world we can't enter." Specializing in landscapes of the... Full story
June was born to Ethel and Charles N. Jensen in Yakima, Washington. She grew up with older sisters, Audrey and Orpha, in Bickleton, Washington, often riding her beloved horse from home to the small school in town. She loved her youth on the ranch, preferring the wheat fields with her dad to time in the kitchen. She graduated from Sunnyside High School in 1945 and attended Oregon State University, where she met Robert P. Newton. They were married August 24, 1947 in a... Full story
Excellent defense helped the Outlaws boys basketball team tally two wins this past week. Sisters racked up a 63-26 road win over Junction City (JC) on Thursday, January 19, and a day later they pounced on the Lions with a 69-47 win at home. Sisters jumped to an early 19-7 lead against JC in Thursday's match-up and never looked back. The Outlaws executed well against the 2-3 zone that they faced for most of the game. Eli Harrison scored 21 points for the Outlaws, and John... Full story
• A number of volunteers from the Sisters Trails Alliance went out last Friday and picked up dumped items out in the woods. A large trash pile that was the subject of a story in The Nugget last month was cleaned up by recently retired Bill Anthony and his wife Tracy a day before they left for their retirement trip. • Diane Prescott wrote: I'd like to thank two Good Samaritans, Scott Foster and Ian Jones, who did something amazingly "above and beyond"... Full story
Fortified with chicken gumbo and iced tea provided by The Depot Café, prospective students of all ages crowded the Sisters High School Commons area Monday night for a free zydeco dance workshop from soulful singer and bayou accordionist Jeffery Broussard. His raw and rowdy Louisiana band, Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys, was in town playing a special evening performance as part of this year's Sisters Folk Festival Winter Concert Series. Prior to the show,... Full story
Cassie Hernandez, the leading run producer in Sisters High School (SHS) softball history, has signed with Blue Mountain Community College (BMCC) in Pendleton. Hernandez, a 2011 SHS graduate and daughter of Tim and Violet Hernandez, was signed by former Outlaws coach Tom Mauldin, head coach at BMCC. She joins the team for winter term. Hernandez, who spent most of her innings as an Outlaw at third base, outfield and behind the plate, drove in 77 runs during her four seasons. She... Full story
Most days of the week, giant boxes loaded with life-saving equipment - ropes, harnesses, headlamps and carabiners - depart from Sisters, en route to rescue organizations worldwide. Now Lance and Monica Piatt, owners of Rescue Response Gear, are expanding their scope of operations in Sisters to include a state-of-the-art training facility and filming studio. The couple recently moved their growing company to larger digs in the former Weitech Building, across from the post... Full story
The Lady Outlaws' basketball team had a rough week, suffering a 36-29 loss to the Tigers at Junction City (JC) on Thursday, January 19, and a day later falling at home to Cottage Grove (CG) 59-53. Thursday's matchup started with a hard-fought first quarter, and at the close of the period Sisters held a slim 13-11 lead. The Outlaws got into foul trouble in the second quarter and sent the Tigers to the line 10 times. On the upside for Sisters, the Tigers only made four of their... Full story
The Sisters High School Nordic ski team raced in an Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association meet held at Hoodoo on Saturday, January 21, and gave the OISRA teams a real run for their money. The meet, hosted by Mountain View and sponsored by Oxford Suites, featured teams from Ashland, South Eugene, Corvallis, Sheldon, and Creswell. Sisters is a member of the Oregon High School Nordic Organization (OHSNO), but arranged to join the OISRA meet to get another competition in b... Full story
