News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 21 of 21
The impact of wildfire on forest communities has been on grim display in recent years. Last month, a fire almost entirely destroyed the city of Paradise, California. For the past year, a team of wildfire experts and planners has been working to develop strategies for Sisters to address the challenges of a community surrounded by forest and vulnerable to fire. On Wednesday, December 12, the Sisters City Council will hear the final recommendations from the Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire (CPAW) team. The team worked... Full story
Sisters Country Horizons has published the draft of its Vision Action Plan on the community initiative's website and is accepting public comments on the document through the end of December. The draft Vision Action Plan can be found at www.sistershorizons.org. The Horizons project's Vision Action Team - 32 citizens representing a broad cross section of Sisters Country - developed the community-based plan. It includes 20 strategies, along with numerous actions, all meant to help Sisters Country move in the direction of the... Full story
Twenty-two new two-bedroom, two-bath, market-rate apartments called Cowboy Court are under construction at 154 W. Adams Ave. in Sisters, in between the existing Mountain High Apartments and the Sisters Art Works building. Designed by Mayes Architecture and Planning, they are being built by Empire Construction and Development, a Bend company headed by Kevin Spencer. When completed, the one-acre parcel of land will hold two two-story buildings, one with 12 apartments and the oth... Full story
A 91-year-old driver mistook his accelerator for his brake while pulling into a parking space at Town Square in Sisters on Saturday. His car leaped into the entrance of Common Threads, doing extensive damage. There were, however, no injuries. Responding sheriff's deputies arrived on the scene to find a silver 2012 Subaru Outback driven by a 91-year-old Sisters man had driven over the parking lot curb and through the entrance of the store adjacent to Rainwater Café. The... Full story
To the Editor: As Chairman of the Sisters Kiwanis Food Share, I am writing to remind everyone involved, the day we are giving out the certificates for a Christmas Dinner, the Fire Department is handing out toys and Furry Friends are remembering pets is coming up soon: Saturday December 22 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Remember the date! If you haven't filled out an application you can still get one at the Food Bank, Wednesday, December 12 from noon to 1 p.m., Thursday during Food Bank hours, FAN office at the school until Friday... Full story
Tickets will go on sale for Starry Nights Presents "An Acoustic Evening with Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt" on Friday, December 14 at noon. The concert takes place on Tuesday, January 29 at Sisters High School and is a benefit for the Sisters Schools Foundation. Lovett and Hiatt are donating their time to support programs and activities for students in the Sisters School District. All seats are reserved, with tickets priced at $95 and $75. Tickets will be available for online purchase at www.sistersstarrynights.org. Doors open... Full story
Sisters Rhythm and Brews is serving up an evening of high-energy dancing and music all in the holiday spirit on Humanity Saturday, December 15 at The Belfry in Sisters. In collaboration with The Heart of Oregon Youthbuild and Habitat for Humanity, they are presenting the Winter Blues Ball, featuring this summer's blues festival favorite, Down North. The night kicks off with some tasty bites during cocktail hour. Doors open at 6 p.m. There is a good chance you will find the perfect gift for that special someone during the auct... Full story
When Bear and Mary Gray broke ground for their future Habitat home nearly a year ago, they had a good laugh because they had to shovel snow before finding the dirt. This past weekend, only a ribbon had to be cut and the front door opened for the Grays to enter into their new Habitat home. The Grays worked hard during the past year in order to get to the point of owning their own home. As part of the homeownership program, future homeowners earn sweat equity by volunteering at... Full story
The annual Christmas Season concert put on by the Sisters High Desert Chorale at the Sisters Community Church, Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, was quite a treat. Friday's performance began with the Sisters Bell Choir, under the direction of Lola Knox, playing such favorites as "Carol of the Bells" and "Sleigh Ride." Young Naomi Bennette sang a solo with the bell-ringers when they played "Once Upon a December," and chorale member Marilyn Anthony sang a stirring rendition of "O Holy Night" with them. This year marked the... Full story
The temperature outside my nice warm, wood-heated old double-wide shaky-shanty was very cool the other night: 18 degrees to be exact. Inside the temperature was lingering around 60. Imagine my pleasure and delight when my wife, Sue, shouted above the classical music coming from my radio, "Hey, Jim, take a look at this butterfly on the inside of the kitchen window." I thought, "A butterfly in the house in the start of winter? Awwww...come on!" But I went to take a look anyway... Full story
The Outlaws girls basketball squad played a tight game at Elmira on Tuesday, December 4, but just couldn't pull off the win, and had to record the 34-29 loss to the Falcons. Two days later, they suffered a 52-36 loss at home to La Pine. On Tuesday, Sisters got off to a great start and at the close of the first period held an 11-6 lead. The Falcons chipped away the Outlaws lead in the second quarter and took the lead, but Isabelle Spitler hit a critical three-pointer at the... Full story
The Outlaws participated in the two-day Culver Invitational on Friday and Saturday, December 7 and 8, and were able to enter nine wrestlers in the varsity tournament. After a grueling first day, only three wrestlers were still in the competition, Dylan King (145 pounds), Damian King (285 pounds), and Ethan Martin (195 pounds). Martin proved to be the Outlaws' standout wrestler for the tourney. Ethan won three straight matches to get to the first-place finals match on Saturday... Full story
It's easy to get swept up in the holiday season. By eating just 200 extra calories a day - a piece of pecan pie and a cup of eggnog here, a couple pumpkin pancakes and some butter cookies there - you could pack on a couple of pounds by the New Year. According to recent research published in the New England Journal of Medicine it takes an average of five months to lose that extra weight. It is possible to eat healthy during the holidays. A little planning can help you get... Full story
My detective brain tells me that President Donald Trump is lying, though it's unclear to me exactly what he's lying about. It also seems clear that fired FBI Director James Comey, too smug by a country mile, is lying also - either actively or by omission, and who knows which. But that's not unusual in any caper involving a cast of variously costumed crooks, particularly one with so much at stake, and it remains the purpose of independent investigations to sort it all out. And... Full story
The Sisters High School swimming team plunged into the season with back-to-back meets last weekend. Friday, December 7 at the Newport Quad meet, the Outlaws faced league rivals Newport and Sweet Home, along with 2A Kennedy High School. As the first competition of the season, the meet served as a conditioning check for the swimmers and gave Head Coach Bryn Singleton her first real look at how her veterans and newcomers look as a team. On the girls' side, Sweet Home flexed its muscles, winning all but one event for the day,... Full story
Winter weather has descended on Sisters Country, which can make outdoor running a challenge when things get icy and slick. Cold temperatures and long, dark nights can make staying in your cozy bed quite attractive - as opposed to putting on your winter running gear and heading out the door. A little extra motivation through some goal-setting and race planning always seems to help me through this season. I have decided to address this issue myself this winter by signing up for a race in February, which will give me that extra... Full story
The holiday season can be a mixed bag of emotions. In the best case, it is filled with joy and merriment; however, feelings of grief, stress, and loneliness are also common. In either case, what makes the season most meaningful for most of us is celebrating the connections we share with those we love. In these digitalized times, establishing and maintaining social connections that allow for face-to-face contact has become more challenging. It has become the norm - especially in our younger generations - that social... Full story
Chester (Chet) Kaczenski was born in Sweet Home to Mary Lillian and Henry Anthony Kaczenski. He grew up in Milwaukie and graduated from Clackamas High School. He attended art school and Clackamas Community College. Chet was a firefighter for Clackamas Fire District and then for Portland Fire Bureau, retiring from the Hayden Island station as a lieutenant. He was proud of his 28 years as a firefighter. He loved the camaraderie and brotherhood of firefighters where his sense of... Full story
Artist Kimry Jelen has a life-long love affair with horses. At the tender age of three, while attending a local fair, she slipped away from her parents, who found her at the pony rides. By the age of five, she was visiting Galaxy, a stallion that lived on an Arabian farm, next to her grandfather's home. She recalls the following: "Galaxy was my friend. He was a national show champion, and he and I would have conversations as I fed him grasses along his horse fence. One time,... Full story
On the morning of his 69th birthday last week, Paul Alan Bennett woke up and opened a Kickstarter campaign to finance publication of "Night Skies," a book that is his legacy. Night Skies includes 48 of Bennett's night sky paintings, accompanied by poetic text. "During a childhood camping trip, I held a flashlight up to the night sky. A fellow camper told me the light from my flashlight goes on forever, as long as it doesn't hit anything. It will just go on in space. So that li... Full story
Winter is here. Short days, and dark mornings mean less sunlight. Cold temps mean getting outdoors is a chore, requiring layers, coverage, trying to stay warm. Roads are littered with ice, cinders, and compromised shoulders. Rivers and lakes are not an option. Much of our beautiful hikes and treks are stifled in snow. In the winter it is not uncommon to feel down, to ruminate on the cold and dark, and to feel sad that most of our enjoyable activities need to wait until next year. One in 15 people suffer from the "winter blues... Full story
