News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 32
The newest member of Sisters' school board has strong local and educational ties, plus two more good reasons to see schools succeed: his son, a freshman, and daughter in kindergarten. Sisters is Erik Benton's hometown. His parents moved here in 1978, when he was 12 weeks old. "My dad started teaching at the elementary school and my mom was a high school nurse. I grew up through the school system," said Benton. "I was part of the educational community, so I've known a lot of... Full story
Sisters City Council approved entering into an agreement with Explore Sisters, a destination management organization (DMO) on September 14, 2022. Now that it's 2025, it appears to some that the group is three years old, and several merchants and curious citizens are questioning what exactly it is that the DMO is doing to promote Sisters. Scott Humpert, the DMO's executive director, explains that their work is not quite two years in the making. "We spent the first several... Full story
Have you checked the price of a small can of cat food lately? How about kibble for your active pup? Or special medications for your aging furry friend? More than three decades ago, Kiki Dolson recognized that low-income families, families experiencing financial hardship, and seniors on fixed incomes needed a little extra help to keep their beloved pets happy and healthy. What began as a yearly pet food drive in 1992, supported by the Sisters Kiwanis Club, the Sisters-Camp... Full story
The number of homes in Sisters Country that heat with wood is significant. Likewise, upwards of 50 houseless persons living in the forest use firewood to cook and heat. Roughly half of the houseless rely on propane. Quietly and without drawing any attention to themselves, a group of volunteers routinely provide free split wood to several dozen who otherwise would be without. About one in 22 Oregon homes use wood for heating. For several years, Jeff Konen who resides in Black... Full story
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The Outlaws delivered another impressive performance in a technically challenging slalom race at Hoodoo on Wednesday, January 22. Coach Natalie Grummer said, "In their first slalom race of the year, the Outlaws showcased a combination of veteran skill and emerging talent, highlighting the depth of the team." Ella Eby led the way on the girls side. She won both her runs and secured a first place finish with a combined time of 1:42.76. Payten Adelt took third with a combined... Full story
The Outlaws Nordic Ski team got to race close to home in a unique competition at Hoodoo dubbed the Sporthill Hoodoo Night Sprints on Monday, January 20. Rather than a traditional 5k course, teams competed on a short, one-kilometer course in different waves after each team “seeded” its skiers. In other words, the number-one skier from each team raced against the other number-one skiers from the other schools. The course circled the lift bases at the flat area at Hoodoo and then climbed part way up the Easy Rider hill bef... Full story
The Lady Outlaws bounced back from their heartbreaking overtime losses last week, and posted a narrow 43-42 win at home over Elmira on Tuesday, January 21. On Friday, they fell on the road to top-ranked Pleasant Hill (PH) in a final score of 40-46. On Tuesday, the Outlaws had a great first quarter against the Falcons and at the close of the period held a 19-13 lead. Shae Wyland got the scoring started with a layup and the rest of the points were spread out between Audrey Corcoran, Verbena Brent, and Paityn Cotner. Corcoran le... Full story
SistersGRO is an independent nonprofit organization that aims to support Sisters High School graduates in their journeys to higher education. The financial aid stems from local donors and organizations who provide an array of scholarships for SHS seniors to apply to. This year there are 65 available scholarships, each with the goal of supporting a certain type of student or students. The 2025 senior class is made up of 107 students, all who are encouraged to apply, even if they have a lower GPA or are applying to a trade or... Full story
The Belfry will welcome powerhouse acoustic duo Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley on Monday, February 24. Known for lighting-fast picking and rich vocals, the two offer a dynamic performance complete with original songs and recognizable numbers from the country and blues canon. A legendary dobro player, Rob Ickes has been steeped in the Nashville country and bluegrass scene for three decades. He boasts an impressive list of credits, including Vince Gill, Earl Scruggs, Merle Haggard,... Full story
Dale Raymond Waddell passed away at home, in Sisters, on November 17, 2024, with his wife Karen and loved ones by his side. Dale struggled with early-onset Alzheimer's for many years and finally succumbed to the disease at the age of 70. Dale is survived by Karen, his wife of 48 years; brother Greg Waddell; sister-in-law Ellen (Steve) Furbacher; sister Anne Rodman; niece Jackie; nephews Chris, Stephen, Jason, Andrew and Ryland; members of the Wolftree 'pack'; and friends and... Full story
Don Boyd passed away peacefully on Friday, January 17, at his home with his wife, Joyce, by his side. He was 80. Born on August 26, 1944, in Los Angeles, California, to Donald and Evelyn Boyd, he was the youngest of two siblings. He had fond memories of growing up in LA, from sneaking through the fence to play in the back lot of MGM Studios to crabbing in the Marina Del Rey area before there was a marina. He met the love of his life, Joyce Lopez, during a flag football game... Full story
Terry was born in Eugene to Stan and Carol (Smith) Jensen. She graduated from Coburg High School in 1962. She married her high school sweetheart, David (Dave) in 1961. After graduating high school, she moved to the Bay Area for a short time while Dave served in the Navy. The family moved to Central Oregon in 1974, settling in Tumalo. Not long after, Terry began her employment at Brooks Resources (formerly Brooks Scanlon) where she worked until her retirement in 2005. Terry... Full story
Local fans of the smash-hit "Empyrean" books celebrated the release of the third installment, "Onyx Storm," with a theme party in Sisters. The first two books in the series by Rebecca Yarros, "Fourth Wing" and "Iron Flame," each topped The New York Times Best Sellers list, where they have remained for more than a year. A local book club last Tuesday transformed Paulina Springs Books into Basgiath War College. "It's a dragon rider school where, when you're a teenager and you... Full story
It surprises me that after almost 10 years of Donald Trump’s political career, people, including our illustrious Editor in Chief, Jim Cornelius, still have not figured him out. Trump is not a classical conservative, or even a Republican, he is a populist. We would likely have seen more of his ideology in 2017 through 2020 but he was in a constant battle between members of his own party, the Democrats, and the media, so that much of the policy work he wished to accomplish was derailed. In 2025, Trump has apparently learned f... Full story
Opposed to rezoning To the Editor: There is an application filed with Deschutes County to rezone a 58 acre parcel from Forest to Urban Reserve, located north and east of Sisters High School. The city of Sisters is already invested in extensive studies with citizen input in planning a massive expansion of its UGB on the northeast side of Sisters. Rezoning this 58 acres on the other end is not only redundant and competes with the Sisters UGB work, but it also removes precious forest. In addition, it blocks the Tollgate... Full story
Letters to the Editor should be 300 words or less. The deadline for submission is Monday at 10 a.m. for publication in that week's Nugget. Please submit your letter by emailing to Jim Cornelius at [email protected] with "letter to the editor" in the subject line.... Full story
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Habitat Thrift Store Temporary Closure Sisters Habitat for Humanity will temporarily close the Thrift Store at 211 E. Cascade Ave. from Sunday, January 26 until Monday, February 10, to make store improvements. Storewide inventory-reduction sale is happening now. Donation intake is halted now until Tuesday, February 11. Sisters Habitat appreciates the community's support and regrets the interruption to the public. Hunter Education Class Starts February 11, 2025. Register... Full story
Even though it’s the heart of winter, wildfire risk is at top-of-mind in Sisters. Several readers have contacted The Nugget to express their frustration with the recently released wildfire hazard map produced by Oregon State University and Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF). “It makes no sense at all,” said Paula Berry. “Fires come from the west. I live on the east side of town and I’m in a higher risk category than Tollgate.” She knows this because she looked up her property... Full story
Current development projects are in progress or near completion in Sisters and are expected to move the needle somewhat on housing affordability - but deficits remain, especially in workforce housing. In the Sisters City Council's workshop meeting of January 22, Regional Economist Nicole Ramos, reporting on Sisters' demographics, suggested the lack of workforce housing is likely why two-thirds of Sisters' 1,945 workers commute. When developers assess affordable or low-income... Full story
An 18-year-old Sisters man was cited for failure to obey a traffic control device after he collided with two vehicles in an accident at Locust Street and East Cascade Avenue on the afternoon of Friday, January 24. The driver's Mercedes vehicle was headed eastbound out of the parking lot thru-way between Sisters City Hall and the Sisters School District offices when it collided with a vehicle headed north on Locust, then slid into a vehicle stopped at the stop sign on East... Full story
