News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
When Jason Winebarger began telling his story to an audience of about 80 last Monday night, the lecture room at Sisters High School fell silent and remained so for the duration of his 26-minute talk, which chronicled the events surrounding his son Jacob's suicide two years ago at age 12, in Bend. Winebarger's main message to the parents in attendance: Talk to your kids directly about how they are doing. Ask them if they ever feel depressed. Ask them if they have ever thought... Full story
In an effort to more clearly understand the many facets of the burgeoning marijuana industry, representatives of Sisters City government spent Monday, February 5, touring three facilities in Bend engaged in some phase of the business. City Councilors Chuck Ryan and Andrea Blum, City Manager Brant Kucera, and Community Development Director Patrick Davenport toured a production-licensed facility (cannabis farming), a laboratory-licensed business (cannabis testing), and a... Full story
Local citizens and businesses regularly step up in extraordinary ways to enhance the quality of life in Sisters. And each year, the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce brings community members together to honor those contributors. The Chamber hosted its annual awards banquet at FivePine Lodge & Conference Center on Thursday, February 8. President Chris Wilder honored Heartwarmers with the President's Award. The organization, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, creates fleece... Full story
Faring thee well now Let your life proceed by its own design Nothing to tell now Let the words be yours, I'm done with mine* The world lost a couple of unsung giants last week - men who were outside the spotlight but who contributed mightily to the rich tapestry of American music. John Perry Barlow was a cattle rancher and a "cyberlibertarian" activist - but most of all, a visionary and a poet; one of the two lyricists for the Grateful Dead. He died on February 7, at the age of 70 after a long illness. Tom Wheeler was a... Full story
To the Editor: The 2017 wildfire season across the West was unprecedented in terms of dollars spent, acres burned, and the increased duration of wildfires. Even now, months later, we're still feeling the impacts from these fires, on our landscapes and our funding. As wildfires across the nation grow more severe - and costly - the USDA Forest Service is challenged to adequately fund other important work that will benefit our forests and communities because of increasing firefighting costs. In Central Oregon, the Deschutes... Full story
Members of Sisters Habitat for Humanity ventured to Salem on Thursday, February 8, to advocate with their state representatives for resources to be allocated for affordable homeownership. Executive Director Sharlene Weed and Board President Roger Fairfield attended the advocacy day and were able to meet with State representatives Daniel Bonham and Gene Whisnant as well as senators Cliff Bentz and Tim Knopp. "It was an exciting and energizing day," Fairfield said. "We went to... Full story
My wife and I were talking some time ago about technology and our reliance on it. I remember several years ago, many websites closed down in protest of an impending bill in congress called the Stop Online Privacy Act, or SOPA. I remember reading an article on the economic impact of such closures on commerce and basically how addicted we are to the technology we use. And there have been threats of many other closures and actual closures over the years since. Being a "junkie" myself when it comes to today's wealth of gadgets... Full story
Exploring the world of regional creative residencies, courtesy of The Roundhouse Foundation, recent works by six Sisters artists are now on exhibit at Sisters Art Works. Last Thursday evening, these six artists reported on their experiences while studying and making art at residencies all around the country. Then, artist and businesswoman Suzanne Redfield described a mission to Europe's Nordic region that she shared with Kathy Deggendorfer last year, to discover what it takes to create an alliance between art and community.... Full story
Seventeen Outlaws participated in the OSAA 4A Special District #2 Regional Tournament held at Sweet Home High School on Friday and Saturday, February 9 and 10. Three senior wrestlers, Damien Wills (145 pounds), Dustin Smith (152 pounds), and Casey Warburton (285 pounds), all qualified for the State Championships, which will be held next weekend. This marks the biggest contingent of wrestlers to attend the big dance since Coach John Downs took over the program six years ago. Wi... Full story
No. But let's get our priorities straight. I have lived most of my life "by the book." I think I tried marijuana once...OK maybe twice. Curiosity, I suppose, mixed with a bit of peer pressure back in my younger years. Despite my anticipation of some wild trip, I think I just ended up eating more potato chips and falling asleep on the couch. Underwhelming, you could say. Years later, I am now a psychiatric nurse-practitioner. Having worked throughout the Northwest, you would have to be living under a rock to avoid the chatter... Full story
In order for a student to go out into the world thinking big, he or she sometimes finds it necessary to take a really good look at the tiny things in life. One of the best methods for doing that is to use a microscope, and last week the Sisters High School students in Rima Givot's science class were at it up to their ears - a few of them even pulling their hair(s) out. The students had water from a pond, old pieces of newspaper tissue, roots of plants, blood slides and other s... Full story
Clear, cold weather created ideal race conditions on Mt. Bachelor's Cliffhanger run on Saturday, February 10, for the OSAA giant slalom race. Warmer temperatures earlier in the week added moisture to the snow, and colder temperatures on Saturday froze the moisture, which created a nice hard crust for the race course. Coach Gabe Chladek said, "The perfect conditions led to a fast surface and little rutting." This was the first giant slalom the Outlaws raced in two weeks, and the team did a good job of adjusting to the faster... Full story
The Sisters High School girls swim team will be sending a solid contingent to the OSAA State Swimming Championships this weekend after finishing third at the District meet, which served as the qualifier for state. The meet was held February 9 and 10 at the Albany Swim Center. Event winners qualify automatically for the State Championships at District, but the remaining qualifiers are determined by top performances from all the special 4A/3A/2A/1A District meets from around... Full story
The Lady Outlaws snapped their four-game losing streak with a 46-30 win over the Huskies at Sweet Home on Tuesday, February 6, and are now 2-5 in conference play. The winning didn't last, though, as the Outlaws were defeated 62-26 by the Tigers at Junction City on Friday. In Tuesday's game against the Huskies, the Outlaws played excellent defense, and did a great job pressing. The team got great looks at the basket, but only scored seven points in the first quarter; but it was enough to keep them on top (7-4) as they closed... Full story
The Outlaws posted two wins on the road this past week to push their league record to 7-1, which kept them tied with Sutherlin for first place in conference play. Sisters defeated the Huskies 43-36 at Sweet Home on Tuesday, February 6, and three days later they tallied a 64-48 road win at Junction City (JC). Tuesday's contest against the Huskies was a hard-fought, physical battle. The Outlaws led for most of the contest, but in the middle of the fourth period the Huskies were able to tie it up. With approximately two minutes... Full story
It's been another great week in the world of hyperbole. I'd been hoping for an outburst from Comrade Bob, former Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe, who once famously declared "Britain is a very cold, uninhabitable country with small houses." But now that he has been whisked away by security forces we are down at least one reliably great moonshot a week. Nevertheless, the world is large, contains multitudes, and the week in exuberance started off with a bang when the DPRK News Service - that's the mouthpiece of a nematode Kore... Full story
It's the global day of love: Valentine's Day. Visions of Cupid with his arrow; heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and bouquets of flowers sent special-delivery. And folks everywhere are pulling out all the stops to plan the perfect day for their Valentine. It's a joyous day to celebrate the love between two people. For others, it is a sad or wistful day, spent wishing for what they once had or for what they have yet to find. For those with pets, Valentine's Day offers the ideal... Full story
When Leith Easterling started with The Nugget in 1991, the newspaper industry was on the cusp of revolutionary change. As the third member of a tiny, three-person staff, along with then-owners Kiki and Erik Dolson, Easterling wore a variety of hats: She sold ads, designed and produced the ads, and pasted the paper up - with actual wax on paper. It was labor-intensive work. "We had some really long hours, late hours," she recalled. When paste-up was completed, the paper had to... Full story
The public is invited to a kickoff presentation on Tuesday, February 20 at 9:30 a.m. at the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Hall to learn how Sisters is working to address local wildfire challenges in the city. Sisters is one of eight communities recently selected through a nationwide competitive process to participate in the 2017-18 Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire (CPAW) program. "Our CPAW team was highly impressed with your application, and we believe the opportunity... Full story
