News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
The Sisters City Council would prefer that the investigator's report into the conduct of now-former City Manager Andrew Gorayeb not be made public. The City contends that it is a private personnel record. Councilor David Asson has said that the report is comprised of "a short summary version that treated the matter adequately," and a "detailed version that contained contradictory and inconclusive assessments." He has also noted that the report contains some negative comments... Full story
The question of whether or not Andrew Gorayeb would be returning to his position as city manager was finally answered at last Thursday's Sisters City Council meeting. Council voted 5-0 to accept Gorayeb's resignation effective immediately. Gorayeb had been on paid administrative leave since February 25, after complaints were made by some City employees regarding conduct that was described only as not financial, physical, or sexual in nature. Gorayeb will be receiving a... Full story
Our roof has a leak, the deck needs refinishing, moles are tearing up the lawn, pine needles are everywhere, the car transmission is going "clunk"...I need to get away!! Music, theatre, events, museums, cultural sights, good food, mild weather, bagpipes and haggis, escape to Edinburgh, Scotland! Last year, 12 festivals ignited Edinburgh, over 2.5 million tickets were sold in August alone! Why go? How do you get there? What is there to do? Let's start with the "why go?"... Full story
If you talk to Greg and Kim Zadow of Sisters about coyotes and dogs, you'd best be sympathetic; the other day they and their dachshund/beagle mix, Rudi, had an incident with a coyote that they didn't expect - or need. The Zadow's home is up against the Deschutes Land Trust's Indian Ford Meadow Preserve, and when Kim went out to pull weeds, as usual her two canine pals Rudi and Pepper came out to help her. When Kim went to shut off the irrigation to stay dry in her... Full story
The first three of seven affordable homes are under construction in Skygate, located in northeast Sisters at the corner of Jantzen Lane and Heising Drive. The first three should be completed and ready for occupancy by September of this year and the other four in 2017. The homes, all of which will be three-bedroom, two- bath structures, will have a sales price of $180,000. Skygate is a ground-lease development, meaning the home-owner purchases the house through bank financing a... Full story
Seventh-and eighth-grade students at Sisters Middle School took a special lesson during their PE class the past few weeks: they learned the Western swing. "We've been teaching this unit for 12-13 years," said technology teacher Wes Estvold. "My wife and I took swing classes a number of years ago and it's been something I like to share with the students." Eighth-graders Brogan Petterson and Josh Liddell liked learning the dance moves. They said that, "It was fun doing... Full story
The weather is warming up in Central Oregon and you're anxious to get on the road again to visit friends up north in Washington or family in Idaho. And it wouldn't be the same without your furry friend in the car with you. Most dogs love a car ride. The feel of the wind through their fur, new smells blowing around the inside of the car, and the chance to bark at all the other dogs at the rest stops, are all part of the appeal. Keeping Rover entertained on a road trip isn't... Full story
Planting trees each Arbor Day is a Sisters tradition. This year, three classes of kindergarteners planted chokecherry trees in front of Sisters Elementary School (SES). The National Arbor Day Foundation awards and recognizes communities who work to improve urban forestry. "We got the Growth Award again from Tree City USA. They have pretty high standards that you have to meet," said public works project coordinator, Nichole Abbenhuis. "They look into a lot different things,... Full story
Sisters resident Mary Finnegan recently had two major life changes. She retired from 34 years' service as a librarian, and moved from Corvallis to Sisters with her husband, Stev Ominski, a professional artist. "We've always loved Central Oregon, and Debbie Dyer from Ponderosa Properties found us a home in Sisters and we are very happy," Finnegan says. "We used to camp near here." Originally from Ohio, Finnegan earned her master's degree in library science at Indiana... Full story
The boys lacrosse team lost 9-4 at Thurston on Tuesday, April 26, and two days later fell 16-2 at home against Mt. View. Although the young squad isn't getting many wins, they are improving on their fundamentals every week, and look for a bright future. In Tuesday's game against Thurston, the Outlaws were even at 1-1 at the close of the first quarter, due to an unassisted Keeton Green goal. Thurston scored five goals in the second quarter, and at the half held a 6-1 advantage... Full story
The Outlaws started their week with a devastating 10-9 loss at Sweet Home on Tuesday, April 26, but bounced back three days later to win 4-3 in a tight game at home against Elmira. On Saturday, they were shut out 10-0 at Burns in a non-league match-up. In Tuesday's action against the Huskies at Sweet Home, the Outlaws held a 9-4 lead after five and a half innings, but let the lead slip away. In the bottom of the sixth, the Huskies scored six runs and pulled to a 10-9 lead,... Full story
To the Editor: Recently, I was on my way to work when, out of nowhere, a deer on a suicide mission hit my car. The impact was so severe that my side airbags deployed and the safety mechanisms in my car brought me slowly to a halt and also phoned 911. I was not injured, but I was pretty shaken up. Three separate people stopped to see if I was OK, and one couple, whose name I did not get, stayed with me until I had made all the necessary phone calls and reached my husband to come rescue me. They were so sweet, kind and caring... Full story
On April 21, Property and Casualty Coverage for Education (PACE) awarded one of two Special Service Awards to Leland Bliss, Director of Operations for the Sisters School District. This is a new award that has been created by PACE this year. In September of 2015, when students from Eugene School District were involved in a tragic vehicle accident near Sisters, Leland arranged for a Sisters School District bus to pick up the Eugene students and provide assistance to the... Full story
The girls dominated and the boys won a squeaker at the seven-team Madras Invitational held Saturday, April 30, at Madras High School. With pleasant temperature, a blue sky and just a little wind the Outlaws ended April looking like they are coming into championship meet form, according to Coach Jeff Larson. "We had so many career and season bests, it was crazy," he said. Crazier still was the final score on the boys side. The Outlaws piled up 167.5 points, but tiny Hosanna... Full story
Patricia Ann Larson of Sisters died April 15 of natural causes. She was 81. A private family memorial will be held at a later date. Pat was born July 29, 1934 in Summerville, Oregon, the daughter of Chuck and Doris Meyers. Pat earned a degree in accounting in Portland, where she also met her husband, Robert Larson. They were married in Portland on November 6, 1954 and spent most of their lives together in Salt Lake City. Pat managed the accounting department for Norton... Full story
Spring is springing, the local birds are beginning to nest in the Trout Creek Study Area out behind the high school, and our biology teacher Rima Givot has her students out counting noses. Last Monday, in Givot's biology class, students were given the protocols of what their new bird exercise was all about. First on he agenda was bird diversity, which covered more scientific principles than most birders are prone to understand. Givot's goal is not only to further her... Full story
Two Sisters singers - one a veteran of the opera stage, the other a youth hitting the boards for the first time - have been cast in BendOpera's "Vía Láctea, A New Opera in English." The opera is based on Bend poet and writer Ellen Waterston's verse novel, "Via Lactea: A Woman of a Certain Age Walks the Camino," inspired by her own pilgrimage. Waterston converted the novel to a libretto, and composer Rebecca Oswald wrote the music. Nancy Engebretson, a... Full story
The canyon walls of Whychus Creek, as seen here from the Alder Springs crossing, reveal thousands of years of geologic history. People I see around town keep asking me when they will start seeing my hiking columns, so I guess I am a bit overdue. Today's selection is hardly unknown to Sisters hikers, but a lot has changed since I first wrote this one up in 2008. So it's a good time to remind folks about the excellent early-season hiking opportunity at Alder Springs. Alder... Full story
Kindergarten Roundup, an important event for the five-year-olds in Sisters, is set for Thursday, May 5, at 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. This is one of those milestones that marks the beginning of a special journey - the journey into the formal education of our youngest citizens. To register, parents need to call 541-549-8981. Of course, a lot of education has been happening during the years building up to this time, through family outings, preschool experiences, day- care and every relationship each child has known. Much of the su... Full story
