News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 23 of 23
Some injured heroes took to the slopes at Hoodoo Mountain Resort on Saturday, through Oregon Adaptive Sports (OAS). This is the third year OAS has sponsored a special event for disabled veterans injured during or after their military service. The vets had everything from brain injuries to amputations, loss of eyes, paraplegia, and loss of limbs. Several were referred by the Portland VA Hospital. "There are so many people coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, let's give them a ski day," said Kevin McCormack, vice president... Full story
The Sisters School District has taken the first tentative steps along a path that could place Sisters at the forefront of alternative energy innovation in Oregon. The school board agreed unanimously Wednesday night to further explore a proposal to site a wood pellet-fueled boiler at Sisters High School. The use of the biomass boiler could significantly cut heating costs at the high school, according to proponents. The district currently budgets $90,000 for heating fuel at Sisters High School and spent $60,772 last year. The... Full story
Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) is being reorganized as part of an effort to stabilize and revitalize the financially strapped district. The SPRD board of directors adopted a reorganization plan at their meeting on February 3. According to the board, the plan balances staffing levels and costs with the current level of district activities, allows the district to operate within its current budget and provides for planning for a smooth transition in district leadership. Under the new plan, the executive director... Full story
If you have a library fine that's been giving you a bad case of guilty conscience, now is the time to do something about it. Over the next few weeks all library fines are being forgiven - if you get there before the "Fine Freedom Cards" run out. And while you're there, you can take the time get a new library card and review the library's new image, "Know More!" It's part of a rebranding effort largely conceived by Chantal Strobel. Strobel is Deschutes Public Library's... Full story
To the Editor: The letter to the editor from Ed Beacham in the February 3, issue of The Nugget was logically and factually incorrect. Mr. Beacham stated that "... we have just authorized the State of Oregon to collect a 1.5 percent sales tax." While he referred to both Proposition 66 and 67 in his opening statement, I believe he was alluding to the change in corporate tax rates which are only in Proposition 67. So the tax rate that I think he is referring to is actually an additional tax bracket added in Proposition 67 which... Full story
The Sisters Planning Commission will be conducting a public hearing on Thursday, February 11 at 5:30 p.m. at the Sisters Library to get public input on the proposed changes to the Sisters Development Code. I have found that many of the proposed changes to the development code for the light industrial park (LIP) are not in the best interests of property owners, the community at large, or the fragile economy we are trying to rebuild. The existing purpose statement for the LIP "encourages mixed-use development." The proposed... Full story
The City of Sisters will soon have $290,000 to spend on improving pedestrian and bicyclist safety enroute to Sisters schools, thanks to a grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation. The funds are part of the Safe Routes to School grant program. The money will be used to build a number of infrastructure improvements, including sidewalks and paths, school crossings, and bike racks at Sisters Elementary School and Sisters Middle School. These improvements will encourage students and parents to walk or bike to school,... Full story
The Family Access Network (FAN) is partnering with regional spas, including The Spa at Black Butte Ranch and Shibui Spa, on March 16, to help raise funds and awareness for FAN. The spas will host a "Do Good, Feel Good Spa Day." Throughout the day, 100 percent of the profits from services at the spas will be dedicated to FAN and its mission of helping children and families in Central Oregon. All funds raised during the March 16 event will help provide connections to essential services such as food, clothing, shelter, medical... Full story
Chinese New Year is almost here, and the Year of the Tiger is just around the corner. Black Butte Ranch is celebrating the Chinese New Year on February 20, with a fundraising event for Sisters Mandarin language students' trip to China this summer. There will be a dragon dance, music on an Erhu, a traditional Chinese three-stringed instrument, and dinner. New Year's festivities begin at the lodge at 6 p.m., followed by a three-course dinner at 7 p.m., served in The Lodge... Full story
A Sisters resident found a cougar kill near his home on Longhorn Drive on Friday, February 5. A Deschutes County Sheriff's Office deputy and a liaison for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife investigated the carcass of a partially eaten deer and confirmed that the deer had been killed by a cougar. During the investigation, the liaison saw a large male cougar in the area of the kill. The cougar ran off after being startled by human activity. The cougar was not located after he ran from the area. The Deschutes County... Full story
Nearly three years ago, Sisters graduate Monica Offield experienced unmitigated kindness that changed her life. Having dealt with the knowledge that her kidneys were shutting down, no matching donors in her family, and then becoming harnessed to the three-times-a-day grind of dialysis starting the day before her 18th birthday, something changed. Americana Project teacher, Brad Tisdel, put on a concert to raise money to cover where insurance would not. Offield, who was the SHS... Full story
All it takes is an airport and good Internet access - along with a lot of experience and expertise - for an innovative Sisters company to reach across the country for its work. ENERGYneering Solutions Inc. (ESI) of Sisters manages some $30 million in renewable energy power plants in places as far flung as Texas, Florida and California - all out of an office at the Sisters Airport. The firm provides engineering and design for landfill gas (LFG) collection, biogas pretreatment... Full story
I have discovered that putting my personal athletic goals for 2010 in the newspaper is one way to be held accountable. Ever since I wrote about my daughter giving me a running calendar for Christmas and my subsequent plan to actually use it, area people have been inquiring about my progress. I am happy to report that I ran 27 of the 31 days of January, and while the weight loss has not been particularly significant, I feel healthier than I have been in a few years. While a number of those runs have only been a couple of... Full story
Senior Gilbert Porraz' match was the highlight of the home match against Elmira on Thursday, February 4. Porraz (160 pounds) dominated the entire match and pinned Chris Engelmann in round three for the victory. "Gilbert started with a side throw and then pinned Engelmann at 5:22 with a front double arm bar," said Coach Gene O'Brien. "Gilbert took last year off but he's coming back strong and improving every match. He's our team captain, a great leader, and right now is very... Full story
"The most honest people I've ever met are convicts," says Jerry Price, local author, consultant and pastor. "Anyone can be honest without being open." Price is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and seminar leader on various topics associated with marriage, the family, and issues related to how unhealthy thinking can affect personal as well as organizational relationships. He recently returned from a trip to Prescott, Arizona, where he held motivational sessions for a group of Major League Baseball players. His 2003... Full story
Does your business have what it takes to measure up to the Wolftree Challenge? Five four-person teams from businesses in the Sisters community will find out on April 19, as they participate in a "science and nature race" in the Whychus/Metolius watersheds. Teams will meet at the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, where they will be given a provision pack which includes a Wolftree water bottle for each member, a field journal for recording progress, a map and various other items to support them during the challenge. Teams will... Full story
•A citizen reported hearing an alarm at a house as a truck and trailer was pulling away. He thought it was suspicious. A deputy stopped the truck and trailer and found that it was a contractor hired by a bank to clean up foreclosed properties. •A woman reported her ex trying to contact her outside her business. She wanted him arrested, but he wasn't actually trespassing. The man said he and his ex have substantial debt and she won't talk to him about resolving issues. A deputy talked to the man about the possible... Full story
The boys basketball team suffered a tough 57-52 road loss to Elmira on Tuesday, February 2, but three days later bounced back with a 54-42 victory at home over La Pine. In Friday's game the Outlaws matched up against a talented Hawks team. Sisters' goal was to play good team defense and offense and pull steadily away. Sisters jumped out early with threes from Rodney Warner, John Erickson and Eli Harrison and at the end of the first quarter held a 14-7 lead. It was a much tight... Full story
The girls basketball team recorded two wins to keep them in contention for a third-place finish in league standings. The Outlaws beat the Falcons 51-38 at Elmira on Tuesday, February 2, and three days later earned a big 40-30 victory at home over La Pine. After a tough loss to Marist a week earlier, the Outlaws knew they needed to win at Elmira on Tuesday. The Falcons needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, and weren't going to back down. It was a tight game, and at... Full story
Where can you go to enjoy a flyathalon, an axe-throwing contest, pro disc golf, have a painted face, wear silly costumes, and it's okay to fall down once in a while? Well, who do you see to ski? Harold the Hodag up at Hoodoo Mountain Resort, north of Sisters. Nolan Ferwalt, a student at Sisters Middle School, was at Hoodoo Saturday for their annual Winter Carnival, trying out the games. "I'm trying to get revenge on that styrofoam target," he said after some near-winning... Full story
Many of us may remember a claim from early last summer that the planet Mars and Earth would come within close proximity to each other by August. The story was sensationalized by suggesting that at closest approach Mars may appear as large as the moon. Shocking as it may seem (it was on the Internet; how could it not be true?), the event didn't happen! Not only did Mars not show prominently, it was completely absent from the evening sky, instead being very far from Earth and... Full story
Last Saturday, Redmond High School hosted the Chess for Success Regional Tournament. Sisters Middle School was one of many schools to participate in the tournament. They didn't disappoint: the team took the trophy for Best Team of Four or More in the middle school category. Jack Weeks led the 12 kids, ranging from fifth to eighth graders, though he took no credit for their success. When congratulated, Weeks said, "It's not me, it's all them. They put in all the hard work." Each member of the team was faced with five matches,... Full story
From Tom Tuck and Kim Royster: Imagine my amazement when I see Robin, a City of Sisters Public Works employee, digging around my yard, which is covered in about two feet of snow. "Looking for the water meter?" "Yes. Liz Majury, City of Sisters Administrative finance assistant, thinks you might have a leak; your water consumption is much higher than normal." "Are you kidding me? You are actually digging around in my yard because someone at the city noticed on my e-bill that my water consumption is higher than normal?" Yes, it... Full story
