News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 27
Capping a three-month search that generated interest from 175 applicants, Scott Huntsman has been named the new President and CEO of Black Butte Ranch Corporation and General Manager (GM) of the Association. Huntsman will assume GM responsibilities on March 16. BBR made the announcement in a press release on Tuesday morning. Born and raised in the Seattle area, Huntsman is a 1990 graduate of Whitworth College where he earned a B.A. degree in International Relations. He brings diverse management experience from properties... Full story
Nearly 300 people crowded the commons at Sisters High School last Wednesday night for a public hearing on a proposal that would effectively ban destination resorts in the Metolius Basin. The sentiment of the crowd was overwhelmingly in favor of keeping resorts out of the basin, but there were strong voices raised in favor of letting the land-use process move forward. The state Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) called the hearing before a subcommittee of... Full story
Winter weather returned to the Sisters Country last week after a dry and sometimes balmy interlude. Many areas around Sisters received three to four inches of snow, while the mountains received close to a foot of new snow over several days. Hoodoo Mountain Resort reports excellent powder skiing conditions. But the snow that brings joy to skiers makes road travel treacherous. Sisters roads iced up and there were multiple incidents of vehicles sliding off the roadways. Icy... Full story
The Sisters City Council is contemplating joining Redmond's enterprise zone as a way to attract new businesses, new business investment, and encourage job creation within the city of Sisters. The council discussed the possibility in its February 12 workshop. The Redmond enterprise zone was established in 1988. Through 2008, 115 businesses have participated, creating 1,722 new employees and over $124 million in new business investment. This is not the first time the council has considered such a joint venture. Back in 2005... Full story
The economy is in recession and many of us are finding it more difficult to make ends meet. We're all thinking hard about where to cut back, and which investments to continue. For some, education is not a top priority. Others believe strongly that continuing to pay a small price to preserve a strong school system is in Sisters' best interest. Most voters are currently paying less than a dollar a day to support Sisters schools through the local option levy. This will not change if you vote Yes. Voting no will buy you a cup of... Full story
To the Editor: The Sisters School Board and proponents of the local option for the school district are living in a fantasy world far removed from reality. Now is the absolute wrong time to ask for more money for the school district. Our country is entering a second Great Depression. Oregon ranks among the very worst states in terms of unemployment, with Central Oregon's unemployment figures soaring well into the double digits. President Obama soberly warned us in his first press conference that the unemployment trend is... Full story
A transition program began last year at Sisters High School when the school district identified a need among students who were prepared to leave high school but were not prepared to live independently. "Our goal was to provide students with the necessary skills they need to live independently or with minimal assistance," said high school special education teacher Michele Hammer. Classes were first offered in the afternoon during the winter trimester of 2008 and were held at the Flex building, which houses the alternative educ... Full story
The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration Choir is set to depart next week on a European tour that will include multiple venues in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. The centerpiece of the trip will be the choir's performance at the International Handel Choral Festival in Halle, Germany. "We are so excited about the opportunity to sing a work like Handel's Messiah with singers from all over the world," said choir director Stephanie King. "The tour has been planned... Full story
Legendary singer Michael McDonald has been entertaining audiences with his own brand of "blue-eyed soul" for over three decades. The five-time Grammy winner will bring his soulful baritone and extensive catalog of hits to the Sisters High School stage when he kicks off the 12th season of the Sisters Starry Nights Benefit Concert Series on Saturday, February 21. Tickets for the Michael McDonald concert are sold out, while concert organizers note that tickets are still available for Hal Ketchum's Starry Nights show on April... Full story
The annual eighth-grade winter retreat, a tradition started more than 10 years ago at Sisters Middle School, took place at Hoodoo Mountain Resort on Thursday, February 5. Originally designed to focus mainly on leadership skills, the retreats have become a key element in the transition from middle school to high school, according to Brad Tisdel, who helps coordinate the event along with middle school staff. "The eighth-grade retreat actually began as a three-day retreat in the... Full story
Theatergoers will time-travel to 1952 on Thursday and Friday, February 26-27 in a dinner theater production of the comedy "Red Herring" at FivePine Conference Center. The Cascades Theatrical Company (CTC) production of the Michael Hollander play centers around a murder mystery and political intrigue in the run-up to the 1952 presidential election. "This was decided on as a really great vehicle for dinner theater," said director Lilli Ann Linford-Foreman. "It's a little bit... Full story
Wolves, birds, a giraffe and more fantastical creatures stalked the commons of Sisters High School on Saturday as 60 artists of all ages created masks for the Sisters Folk Festival's My Own Two Hands (MOTH) art project and fund-raiser. The masks will be worn in a parade during the MOTH Art Stroll on Friday, April 17. The art stroll is followed on Saturday, April 18, by the annual MOTH art party and auction, which is the major fund-raiser for the festival's educational outreach... Full story
•GreenRidge Physical Therapy is hosting a weekly Yin Yoga class instructed by Jane Burkholder. Yin Yoga is a quiet, stress relieving practice. Classes are Wednesday evenings. Cost is $10 per class. All levels welcome. Call 549-3534. •Out West Designs is offering a free class in basic stringing and design on Thursday, February 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. and a wire wrap jewelry class on Saturday, February 21, 9 to 11 a.m. Call 549-1140 to register. •Brand 33 at Aspen Lakes is celebrating Fat Tuesday on February 24.... Full story
A select few high school students from across the nation qualify as National Merit Scholar semifinalists, and Hayden Stein is one of them. That makes him one of the highest scoring students in the state on his PSAT. For Stein, this is but one of many accolades to add to a long list of academic accomplishments. In 2007-08 he was named an Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus Outstanding Student as well as a U.S. History Outstanding Student. Armed with his GPA of 4.115 and his high P... Full story
The Outlaws suffered a 42-14 loss to a tough Pleasant Hill team on the wrestling mats at home on Thursday, February 12. Sisters gave up fewer forfeits than usual because the Billies had no wrestlers in the first three weight classes. Senior Thomas Schantz' match was the highlight of the evening. Schantz earned a 9-4 win over Tyler Spooner. Thomas quickly earned a reversal, but Spooner escaped and took a 3-2 lead after the first period. Schantz scored an escape and takedown in round two to lead 5-3. In the third period... Full story
Two traveling singer-songwriters performed in a house concert sponsored by Harmony House in Sisters last Friday. Beth Wood, a past winner of the Sisters Folk Festival's Dave Carter Memorial Songwriting Contest, headlined the show, which was opened by Kristy Kruger. Wood, who lives in Lyons, Colorado, also performed at the Sisters Folk Festival and has an appreciative local fan base. The show was held in a temporary new location, the shop of Mike Scherrer, because the Harmony... Full story
Betty was born in Port Angeles, Washington, to Kenneth and Canary Mullins. She attended Tillamook Catholic High School for three years, then their family moved to Bend where she graduated from Bend High School in 1956. On October 5, 1958, she married Ralph Neale Callison. Last year they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. In 1974 Betty and Ralph moved to Sisters. Betty enjoying being a waitress most of her working career and retired from The Gallery Restaurant in 1989.... Full story
Nick Drakulich had been undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, and on Tuesday night, April 20, he lost his battle to cancer. He died suddenly, but peacefully, in his own bed. Nick was the son of Ella and Nick, brother of Steve and Kay, husband of Elaine, and father of Nick, Scott and Corrie. He loved, and was loved by, countless others and will forever be remembered for his wit, his wisdom, his heartwarming smile, and his huge bear hugs. Nick was born in Portland on April 20,... Full story
•A 57-year-old woman was cited for shoplifting at a Sisters convenience store. •A woman was reported hitting a dog and yelling at it in her vehicle. She also poured water over the dog's head - and yelled at the reporting party when she asked if she could take the dog. •A deputy showed up and convinced a man to leave a bar where he had made himself unwanted. •There were several single-vehicle wrecks on Sisters roads, including one where a driver hit a tree. In another, a 24-year-old driver was cited. &... Full story
Felicia Pledger and Courteney Satko were the most successful individual finishers at the recent District 3 Swimming Championships in Albany on February 13-14. Both girls were also instrumental in the first-place finish of the 200-yard freestyle relay and the second place in the 200-yard medley relay with Tia Berg, Hillary Johnson, and Michelle Young. All five Outlaw girls, with Zoey Wavrin as alternate, advance to State Championships at Mt. Hood Community College on February 19-20. District 3 included teams from Marist,... Full story
Students at Sisters Christian Academy recently presented Mike Parker of All Nations Ministries with a check for $3,500 for aide to orphans in Liberia. On February 9, a team with members from Sisters, Powell Butte, Corvallis and Minneapolis departed for Liberia. Their mission is to bring their unique talents to a city to help the local community and church move forward. As part of that mission, they will provide medical exams and care for about 200 orphan children - includ... Full story
The Sisters City Council unanimously voted to endorse the Sisters School District local option tax levy, due to go to voters on March 10. In a resolution read before the council, Mayor Lon Kellstrom stated that the city council values the Sisters schools and the achievements of the students. The resolution also acknowledged that the local option had been in place since 2001 and provides valuable operating funds financing both academic and co-curricular programs. Councilor Sharlene Weed pointed out as examples other... Full story
When four couples in Sisters came together in October of 2001 to form a supper club, they cooked up an idea of five-star quality. Jim and Rennie Morrell, John and Sande Burgess, Gary and Diane Rodgers, and Ernest and Alinda Dunn come from a wide variety of backgrounds and they each share a love of good food and entertaining. The guests of their once-a-month dinners have truly benefited from friends who cook, laugh and find comfort in one another's homes. For years their guests... Full story
For the past 15 years, folks in Sisters have been feasting on Dungeness crab to support the Sisters Outlaws Alpine Ski Team. This year, the team's annual crab feed fund-raiser will be held at Brand 33 restaurant at Aspen Lakes on Saturday, February 28. According to Coach Todd Williver, there are limited tickets for the fund-raiser in order to keep the attendance - which has been huge in recent years - to manageable proportions. The event will also include a live auction featuring items such as vacation packages and ski... Full story
Some 100 theater-goers were treated to a viewing of the new animated film "Coraline" along with seeing real puppets used in the film and an extended Q&A session with set construction crew member Lars C. Larsen. Larsen stepped in for assistant art director Morgan Hay who was originally scheduled to speak but had to cancel due to a family emergency. Sisters Movie House owner Lisa Clausen said, "I knew the community would help in any way they could and it all came together! Lars... Full story
