News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 16 of 16
While Central Oregon's non-winter is raising the specter of summer water shortages, Hoodoo Ski Area is suffering right now. The local ski area's tough year got a lot tougher when the resort was forced to shut down for two weeks due to a combination of warm weather and a lack of snow. Last weekend, however, things were looking up at Hoodoo, as a cold snap and a very modest amount of new snow allowed the resort to reopen amid some cautious fanfare. "I want to be up front in saying that our conditions are less than ideal," said... Full story
In the face of widespread criticism from citizens, the Sisters City Council and the Sisters Urban Area Planning Commission will meet Wednesday night, February 12, at 5:30 p.m. to consider changes in the city code. Citizens have rallied in recent weeks to protest against the partitioning of lots and construction of townhouses that they perceive as damaging the character of their neighborhoods. City Planner Neil Thompson has floated some ideas for the council and commissioners... Full story
A work crew got started on water lines at Ponderosa Lodge this week -- one of many projects in Sisters. Photo by Jim Cornelius Construction crews are laying water pipe and sewer lines around Sisters. Excavators are breaking ground on subdivisions. More work is on the way. "The dirt is going to fly in Sisters," said Public Works Director Gary Frazee. "A lot of dirt -- more than we've ever seen." The Ponderosa Lodge is putting down water pipe in preparation for an expansion,... Full story
Several Sisters students traveled to Portland on January 31 to tour Doernbecher Children's Hospital. Their bus encountered a couple of problems during that trip. "My driver was returning to pick up students from their tour of Doernbecher," said Angie Gardinier, transportation supervisor, "when she had to stop approximately eight feet back from the stop sign because a Tri-met bus was coming around the corner in her lane. "At that point both buses stopped and the Tri-met bus had traffic backed up behind it. My driver decided it... Full story
Sisters schools spent $7,553 per student on operating costs in 2000-2001, according to an audit by the Oregon Secretary of State's office. That was slightly above the statewide average. The audit entitled "Oregon Department of Education: Kindergarten Through 12th Grade Cost Survey" was released about six weeks ago. It was, in fact, a study of per-student operating expenditures in all 198 Oregon school districts, broken into several categories, for the year 2000-2001. In total spending per student the survey shows the... Full story
Jaki Roberson with her son and his family -- reunited after years of mystery. Photo provided Jacqueline Roberson of Sisters reunited with her son last month, after 23 years of darkness in which she did not know if he was still alive. Her son Jack was kidnapped from in front of his house in Hawaii at age four in August 1979 -- most likely by professionals operating a black market baby ring. Until December 5, 2002, Jack was gone without a trace. Raised under another name on the east coast, Jack, now 27, had memories of his... Full story
Travis Forbush, job superintendent at the new LDS Meetinghouse in Sisters, placing the new steeple. Photo provided There has been a great deal of construction activity at the end of Trinity Way in Sisters over the past 4-1/2 months. Crews from Jacobsen Construction out of Salt Lake City, Utah, are completing a new addition to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' Sisters Branch Meetinghouse. The new addition, scheduled to be complete in March, will provide more than 3,000 square feet of growing space for the congre... Full story
Students from Black Butte School in Camp Sherman will carry on their tradition of competing in Oregon's History Day competition. District Finals for the annual competition are scheduled for Saturday, March 1 at Jefferson County Middle School in Madras. Seventy students, representing four Central Oregon schools, will participate in this stage of the competition, with the district winners moving on to the state finals in Salem in April. Students will present papers, displays and presentations on this year's theme: "Rights and... Full story
Cisco Stables held the first of its Fat-n-Fuzzy Buckle Series horse shows on Saturday, February 8. The turnout surprised everyone, with between 30 and 50 entries in many of the classes. "Everybody seemed to show up at the same time, and most didn't pre-register, so we had a big jam-up at the registration table," said stable manager Amber Rogers. "We'll do that a bit differently next time, plus we'll make sure we have more restrooms available." Judge Sharon Takagi from Bend did a sterling job sorting through the competition... Full story
On June 19, 1903, Pope Leo the XIII issued a papal decree that continues to affect life in Oregon east of the Cascades. Prior to that time, there was only one Catholic diocese covering all of Oregon. Pope Leo's decree recognized the need for change, and the Diocese of Baker was born. The name came from Baker City, which was the principal Eastern Oregon population center of that era. In 1903, Sisters was a tiny rural community at the confluence of Cascade Mountain trails, and Bend was merely that -- a bend along the Deschutes... Full story
Travelers planning to explore exotic locales this spring and summer need to visit their doctor well in advance. Dr. May Fan of Bend Memorial Clinic in Sisters suggests an appointment at least six to eight weeks before departure. "This allows enough time for boosters in some cases, plus some vaccines are more effective after a few weeks," said Dr. Fan. Bringing a copy of the travel itinerary is helpful, too. There are required vaccinations for many countries and travel in rural areas is generally more risky than sticking with... Full story
Each year the Mr. SHS (Sisters High School) pageant raises money for Doernbecher Children's Hospital. To bring the impact of the work home, contestants visited the facility last week. "The purpose of the trip is to let the students see what they're actually raising money for," said Michelle Herron, SHS leadership advisor. "They're able to see what kinds of services Doernbecher provides for sick children and their families." The contestants have not always taken a tour of the hospital. In 1999, the first year the pageant was... Full story
Brian Rankin. Photo by Shane Simonsen Brian Rankin takes his position as Assistant Planner for the City of Sisters in the midst of high interest in growth and change in the city. Rankin has worked as a consultant in the planning field for eight years, doing work on site plans and facilitation for school districts. While maintaining some work as a consultant, Rankin now works 20 hours a week for the City of Sisters. "I've worked with the city for a couple of years now," said Rankin, who participated in such projects as the Tra... Full story
The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday. To The Editor: As a frequent... Full story
I am writing in response to Craig Eisenbeis' opinion piece, "Jobs vs. Environment?" published February 5, in The Nugget. While my name is not nearly as entertaining as the one he came up with to mock those who are concerned about our effects on the natural landscape, I do care deeply about the northwest, the State of Oregon, and the Sisters area in particular. I grew up in Sisters, my parents grew up in Redmond, my grandparents and great-grandparents grew up in Prineville. I don't mention this to brag of the fact that I am a... Full story
You don't have to be an old timer to know the causes of Oregon's fiscal plight. The chain of events began in 1990. That was the year Democrat Barbara Roberts was elected governor, succeeding Neil Goldschmidt, who chose not to seek a second term. But voters made a more fateful decision that same November day (this was before the infernal mailed ballots): A slight majority, centered in the Portland suburbs, approved Measure 5. In many ways, Measure 5 has been the governor of Oregon since. Those who voted for it did so because... Full story
