News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
Last week, Three Sisters Irrigation District began pouring concrete for the new fish screen that will play a key role role in salmon and steelhead restoration on upper Whychus Creek. Marc Thalacker, TSID Manager, said that the pouring of the 140-foot slab is complete, and construction of the vertical walls should be finished this week. "A company called Specialty Metal Fabricators will be coming from Portland the first week in March to start installing the metal screen," said... Full story
As the summer of 2010 was winding down and transitioning into fall, all the usual indicators seemed to be pointing in the same direction: a potent La Niña winter was on the way. Weather prognosticators quickly spread the news. Ski resort operators throughout the region brimmed with optimism at the prospect of plenty of mountain snow. And the spring and summer runoff from a large snowpack would provide ample capacity for generating hydroelectric power and keep irrigation... Full story
Tightwad Tuesdays at Hoodoo Mountain Resort are intended to give skiers a little more fun for less money once each week. Last week, however, about a dozen tightwad skiers got a lot more excitement for their money when they were evacuated from the chairlift using an emergency rope system. "It's something we train for but hope to never do," said Hoodoo General Manager Matthew McFarland. "It doesn't happen more than about once every five years." Last week's heavy snowstorm brought two and a half feet of snow to Hoodoo in just a... Full story
To the Editor: First I want to thank Thomas Womack for his great letter last week in regard to Gutenberg College and its great opportunities for Sisters. I know several of the councilors want to concentrate mainly on the empty storefronts in the city's core. I'd like to consider the benefit of the college moving here from that point of view. This college is an opportunity to help because, before the college even opens, there will be some internal changes necessary to the building requiring the expertise and labor of many of... Full story
In The Nugget's February 9, issue, I wrote a letter decrying Republicans' efforts to repeal President Obama's Affordable Care Act. The new law is gradually beginning to unwind some of the insurance industry's worst abuses. In the February 16, issue of The Nugget, Rob Malone wrote a guest column controverting my views. His analysis was rife with uninformed opinions and mischaracterizations. For the record, I am an independent voter unaffiliated with any political party. Mr. Malone challenged my illation that soaring growth in... Full story
Moira Smiley & VOCO will close the Sisters Folk Festival Winter Concert Series on Friday, February 25, with a visionary blend of voices that redefine harmony singing with the power and physicality of folksong, avant-garde fearlessness, and delicious, vaudevillian accompaniment of cello, banjo, accordion and body percussion. Moira Smiley leads an ensemble of extraordinary musicians who share a passion for powerful, emotional music with lush four-part vocal harmony. Named No. 1... Full story
The jury's in: The Outlaw Players have scored another win - this time mastering the sophisticated courtroom drama "Twelve Angry Jurors," which closed Friday night at Sisters High School. Staging "in the round" allowed audience members to sense that they, too, were cloistered in a humid jury room, amid the flaring tempers and exposed prejudices of 12 jurors arguing the fate of a young Hispanic murder suspect. Anchoring the strong cast was senior Bryant Lasken as the lone... Full story
"A river channel is not large enough to contain all the water produced by a drainage basin in times of heavy precipitation. To flood - that is, to discharge in excess of channel capacity - is a natural characteristic of rivers. Thus, the flood-plain is an active part of the river during times of exceptional discharge." So stated Luna Leopold, one of the leading hydrologists of the 20th century. Most of the time, Whychus Creek gently caresses the landscape and whispers to... Full story
"What kind of birds do you think we can find around Sisters in winter?" Rima Givot, Sisters High School biology teacher, asked her students. To help answer that question, Givot invited Angela Sitz, outreach coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) office in Bend, to come out and talk to her students about local birds. Sitz - who lives in the Sisters area and has two young children going to Sisters Elementary School - has worked for the agency for nine... Full story
The 2011 Sisters Rodeo poster was painted by Dan Rickards, an artist known for his stunningly realistic landscapes. Rickards and his wife, Julia, are the owners of Clearwater Gallery and Framing in Sisters. A bull rider on a high-kicking Brahma bull is the central focus of the painting, fronting a rich pine forest with light cast from the sunset of the day. The Three Sisters stand in brilliant clarity of detail against a muted yellow-gold sky. There is a luminescence that... Full story
A proposed water rate increase in Sisters hinges upon proposals for capital improvements to the city's water system. In recent weeks, City Manager Eileen Stein sought to get staff and city council agreement on what, if any, capital expenditures are absolutely necessary in the next several years. (Capital expenditures are costs related to making changes to improve capital assets, increase their useful life, or add to the value of those assets.) With this set of capital projects in place, the city staff was to present the city... Full story
Albert (Al) Vargo died peacefully in his sleep on Monday, February 14, at the home of his daughter and son-in-law in Lakebay, Washington. He was 93. Al was raised in Youngstown, Ohio, and joined the Navy after graduating high school. He was stationed in the South Pacific during World War II as a Chief Petty Officer. In 1944, he married Evonne Westerman. The couple had one daughter, Becky. Following his retirement from the Navy in 1946, Vargo worked for Boeing in Seattle,... Full story
Hardly a week goes by without someone asking me what I'm doing for hiking now that it's winter. There certainly are plenty of winter hiking opportunities in and around Sisters, but, frankly, my heart isn't in it. This is supposed to be the time for winter sports. Besides, I prefer the high mountain trails, and those are definitely snowed in. Knowing that I'm an avid alpine skier, my hiking buddy asked if I was also a cross country skier. I tentatively replied that I was, and... Full story
The girls basketball team tallied a 62-53 win at home against Elmira on Wednesday, February 16, but two days later suffered a heartbreaking loss at La Pine. The contest went into overtime and the Outlaws lost by just one point, 48-47. Sisters sported pink-and-white uniforms in their game against Elmira on Wednesday, in an effort to raise cancer awareness at Sisters High School. Coach Julianne Horner heard that Coach Mark Elmblade from Harrisburg High School had bought... Full story
Deschutes County Sheriff's deputies are looking for information that might lead them to the perpetrator of an attack on a cat in Sisters. According to the sheriff's office, last Friday, Dawn Cooper noticed her cat, described as a black and white tabby named "Shine," was bleeding from its face and had obvious injuries. She transported the cat to the Sisters Veterinary Clinic for treatment and learned the cat had suffered a broken jaw associated with blunt force trauma as well as a BB gun wound. X-rays found the BB lodged in... Full story
The boys basketball team notched their fourth straight win as they closed out the regular season with a 59-33 victory at La Pine on Friday, February 18. Two days earlier the Outlaws defeated Elmira at home in a final score of 51-33. In Wednesday's matchup, Sisters trailed Elmira for most of the first period, but buckets from Sebastian Boehm and Jalen Miller at the end of the quarter pulled Sisters to a 9-9 tie. A huge three-point shot from Jordan Hodges early in the... Full story
Rumors have been flying across the Sisters Country over the past couple of weeks that Fidelity National Financial, owner of Skyline Forest, is seeking new legislation that would allow much more intensive development of the property. Last year, legislation was agreed that would allow Fidelity to develop 282 residential units on a portion of the property. Deschutes Land Trust (DLT) would be able to acquire the balance of the 33,000 acre forest south and east of Sisters.... Full story
The Sisters Outlaws hosted the annual Hoodoo Night Race Thursday, February 17, as the finale for the regular Oregon High School Nordic season. Nordic skiing is a challenging sport even on a good day, so racing at night under the glow of distant light and a few lanterns adds an extra sense of adventure and risk. "This event has become a favorite for the OHSNO teams and provided the best overall competition of the season thus far," said Coach Tom Blust. The four-kilometer... Full story
Sisters Coffee Company is extending its frontier this spring with the addition of a new enterprise in Portland's Pearl District. The latest endeavor will be called Sisters Coffee Company - The Pearl, and occupies an 1,800-square-foot corner building at N.W. 13th and Marshall, directly across from Bridgeport Brewery Company. Owners Winfield and Joy Durham report that final construction by R & H Construction is in full swing and should be finished the end of March, in time for... Full story
