News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 21 of 21
The City of Sisters is in very solid financial shape. The City is now over halfway through its fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2021. According to the second quarter financial summary (through December 2020) prepared by Finance Director Joe O’Neill, the City is in good shape, with three revenue sources already exceeding the amount budgeted for the entire 2020/21 FY. On the expenditure side of the budget, three categories (capital outlay, 21 percent, materials and services, 4... Full story
The story goes that Sisters had a river once, then we lost it, but then we found it again. This is a tale distilled from science but fueled by community passion. It reminds us that we can overcome huge challenges with the work of a village of willing souls. As the Sisters Ranger District ecologist for 25 years, I had a front-row seat as the Forest Service began to look at landscapes in new and different ways. Beginning in the 1990s, this shift started moving our National... Full story
Sisters Folk Festival (SFF), through a partnership with the Tykeson Foundation, delivered a check for $5,000 to Family Access Network (FAN) to support art and music education for youth. The money is earmarked to provide opportunities outside of the school day for underserved populations. Since 2012, SFF has awarded more than $149,000 to FAN in support of need-based tuition assistance for dance, art, music, and creative activities.... Full story
Valentine’s Day has come and gone — yet, love lingers. Traditionally, Valentine’s Day is a time to send cards, give gifts of candy and flowers, and proclaim our love to those we care about. It’s a lovely day and too bad we have to wait a year for it to roll around again. Not that we have to be perpetually giving gifts — but wouldn’t it be nice to let those we love hear it proclaimed more often, especially by our kids? To hear the words, “I love you,” as often as possible, can make a profound difference... Full story
Sisters High School boys soccer team is getting fired up as they prepare for the upcoming season, which will be shortened to just nine games. Despite the loss of games, coaches and players are excited simply for the opportunity to compete. Their goals this year are to be competitive in all of their matches, improve with every practice, and establish a winning, positive culture within the program. Numerous players return to the squad, including seniors Simon Rhett, Connor Martin, Connor Linn, and Nathaniel Alvarez. Rhett... Full story
The Sisters High School volleyball squad is anxious to start their long-awaited season, which as of now will consist of 13 league games in a six-week period. State-tournament play is still undetermined. Coach Rory Rush would like to carry a roster of 10, but at this point, she’s definitely counting on her seven returning veteran players to be the core of the squad, and all are anxious and ready to hit the court. Four seniors will play in their final season including Ellie R... Full story
Quick action by a passer-by prevented a structure fire from becoming a serious blaze on Saturday night, February 13. Firefighters with the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District responded to a report of a structure fire at 152 N. Larch St. at 9:03 p.m. The home is owned by Ali Mayea of Sisters. The home was currently being remodeled, and nobody was living there at the time of the fire. Firefighters arrived five minutes after being notified of the fire. Upon arrival, firefighters... Full story
Renowned trail guide William Sullivan has partnered with trail writer Craig Romano and photographer Bart Smith on a spectacular coffee-table book that celebrates the trails of the Pacific Northwest with stunning photography, maps, rarely-seen archival photos, and information-packed text that brings the history of the trails to life. The authors will present the book in a virtual event through Paulina Springs Books in Sisters on Wednesday, February 24, at 6:30 p.m. Register... Full story
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” So said Virginia Woolf. These words could not be more valid than for birds. Our flighted friends are essentially Olympic athletes. Their foods should be of a quality to allow them to thrive, not just survive. So, let’s explore bird food! Sunflower seeds: At 50 percent fat and 24 percent protein, black oil sunflower seeds are greedily consumed. In fact, a sunflower seed beats a mealworm in protein conten... Full story
Four weeks ago, in this very paper, Ron Thorkildson was explaining — or lamenting — our dearth of snow. Saturday, if you popped into Bi-Mart, Hoyt’s, or Sisters Ace Hardware, there were lines of shoppers for snow shovels. The inevitable bragging could be heard about who got the most snow: Black Butte Ranch, Camp Sherman, or Sisters. All agreed that it was more than anybody cared to shovel. The number-one question on everybody’s mind: Is it time to trade the old... Full story
Adams Avenue is slated for a makeover to make it more attractive and pedestrian-friendly. City staff made recommendations to the Urban Renewal Agency (URA) Board for the two top priorities for use of URA funds in fiscal year 2021/22. Top priority was to complete the 100 percent design for the Adams Avenue streetscape project. The second priority is to determine a program to make the downtown core more fire resistant — both to wildfires and in-town fires. The Adams... Full story
• Construction has begun on the improvements to the foot bridge over Whychus Creek between Creekside Park and Creekside Campground. That path is closed to the public until construction is complete. When finished, the bridge will be completely ADA compliant and easier for people of all abilities to utilize. Cascade Civil Corp. of Redmond is doing the work and expects a 90-day build out. Ponderosa Forge and Ironworks of Sisters is fabricating the railing for the bridge... Full story
Oscar and Gabriela Pena decided to begin retirement in Sisters in 2017. But slowing down hasn’t been on their agenda. Their love of the outdoors, sports, and preparing great food has kept them busy and moving fast. Choosing Sisters as their forever home is a true testament to Central Oregon’s allure. They had the whole world to choose from and settled in Sisters Country. The Penas have lived around the world, starting with their homeland of Mexico. Oscar’s work as an elect... Full story
9th Grade 4.0 GPA: Alport, Cooper; Asson, Hailey; Bartlett, Ella; Call, Malena; Christian, Vincent; Dean, Austin; Draper, Daisy; Greaney, Molly; Harper, Brooke; Hepburn, Devan; Kizziar, Juhree; Leahey, Camille; Leaver, Bryant; Liddell, Charley; Lutz, Maggie; Myhre, Gracelyn; Reid, Ila; Robertson, Bailey; Schiller, Isabelle; Stolasz, Theodore; Taylor, Madison; Vohs, Gracie. 3.5 and above: Adelt, Presley; Bates, Elizabeth; Beutler, Jake; Blakelock, Brooke; Henderson, Scott; Martin, Evan; Monaghan, Mia; Parker, Blake; Riemer,... Full story
A six-week class during the presidential election, and the tumult and upheaval that followed, gave Sisters High School teacher Gail Greaney’s Advanced Placement Government Politics and Policy students a chance to study history in the making. A January 21 article published by the state’s largest paper, The Oregonian, featured her class and focused on the challenge and strategies of teaching a course of this nature during an eventful political period. The Nugget followed up with Greaney and two of her students to uncover mor... Full story
Sisters poet and singer-songwriter Beth Wood will celebrate the release of her latest poetry book, “Believe The Bird,” with a virtual reading hosted by Paulina Springs Books on Friday, February 19. Wood will be joined by Kim Stafford, Oregon’s poet laureate from 2018 to 2020, and author of a dozen books of poetry and prose. Wood and Stafford will share poems, conversation, and even a song or two. The event is free and open to all. Wood follows up her award-winning poetr... Full story
In 1945, General Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.” I don’t believe in conspiracies or their unsupported theories, but don’t get me wrong; they’re interesting to imagine and certainly not a small challenge to create. However, 95 percent of these fictitious revelations won’t or can’t work due to the lack of one essential ingredient: s... Full story
To the Editor: Ask yourself, is it smart to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs because it was a pet of Donald Trump? Decisions born out of anger and spite normally don’t turn out well for anyone. A lot of what his administration passed was designed to benefit everyone, not just a political party or small faction of our population. Putting his personality aside, which I agree was hard to swallow at times, doesn’t mean that we have to eliminate all his policies. That is, unless you can replace it with a better plan tha... Full story
Sisters High School football players, coaches and fans got a welcome message last Friday, when Governor Kate Brown announced that outdoor contact sports for the upcoming “fall” season will be allowed for many teams in Oregon, including Sisters. Not surprisingly, there are strings attached, including the need to offer on-site responsive testing for symptomatic individuals and close contacts, protocols in place for contact-tracing purposes, and written waivers identifying hea... Full story
Those venturing into the Sisters Country wilderness may need to secure a permit as a long-delayed program goes into effect this summer. The Deschutes and Willamette National Forests announced last week that the two forests will move forward with implementing the Central Cascades Wilderness Permit System this year. The initial implementation of the permit system was delayed last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning Friday, May 28 and ending on Friday, September 24, day-use permits will be required for 19 out of 79... Full story
Everyone has been impacted in some way over the past year as a result of COVID-19 and much has been written about the challenges in regard to emotional well-being among school aged-children, whose “normal” lives have been taken on a wild ride. From school closures to the shutdown of activities, from the shortage of social opportunities to being cooped up at home, young people have been asked to adapt in unprecedented ways. For some these difficulties have taken a significant toll leading to feelings of depression and iso... Full story
