News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 26
Not long ago I was reading the late Christopher Hitchens book "Hitch-22," which was a fond look back at the life of a brilliant writer who was suffering from late-stage esophageal cancer. He frequently mentioned Paine. I had to admit that I was unfamiliar with who this guy was. Unsatisfied with this revelation, I did a little Google sleuthing and discovered who and what Thomas Paine was - only one of the most important figures in the history of our country. Paine wrote "Common Sense," or what he called, "the little... Full story
"Outdoor Science" is the theme for this year's Sisters Science Fair to be held at Sisters High School March 17 from noon until 4 p.m. Community involvement is the key, organizers say. A Chinese proverb says, "Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand." The goal of the Sisters Science Fair is to involve everyone in the area from grandparents, parents, children, and teachers to business owners. Learning about and taking care of our outdoor native... Full story
A fire destroyed a home near Sisters and displaced a family of four in winter conditions on Sunday night, February 25. The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports that deputies and firefighters from the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District were dispatched at about 11 p.m. to a report of a structure fire in the 69000 block of Hinkle Butte Dr. in the Sisters subdivision of Panoramic View Estates. The homeowners reportedly heard noises in the bedroom area of the home... Full story
Residents of the Crossroads subdivision west of Sisters should see evidence of forest thinning operations nearby in March. Over the next couple months, the Deschutes National Forest's Sisters Ranger District will be doing thinning operations near the Crossroads subdivision to create a more fire-resilient ecosystem adjacent to the neighborhood. Fires like the Milli Fire last summer, as well as the Black Crater Fire in 2006, were close calls for Crossroads homeowners. Forest Service officials say thinning of the area will creat... Full story
To the Editor: I have recently been the beneficiary of an outstanding program for the removal of barbed wire where the barbed-wire fencing is no longer in use. The program is a partnership between Wild Wings Raptor Rehabilitation of Sisters and the Deschutes County Juvenile Department. I was aware of the risks to deer, especially fawns, but didn't realize how many raptors are injured by the wire. A neighbor brought the removal program to my attention. I made contact with the program and the next weekend a crew of young... Full story
Sisters favorite Darlingside is set to return as the third installment of Sisters Folk Festival's Winter Concert Series. It will be their fourth time on the Sisters stage; they first came to the Sisters Folk Festival in 2014. "Sisters is a place we always look forward to going," Dave Senft told The Nugget. Darlingside is known around the nation for their unique folk/alternative sound. However, they don't like labels on their music because they incorporate many different genres... Full story
Jeff McDonald, the manager of Ray's Food Place in Sisters for the past 18 years, understands what it means to give back to his community. As a high school courtesy clerk (box boy) at the North Valley Sentry grocery store, he organized a car wash and car show to raise money for Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland. One of McDonald's sisters had undergone a number of surgeries there, and he was aware of how the hospital helped his parents with medical bills and a place... Full story
When Mary Gray first moved to Sisters nearly 30 years ago with her two boys, she lived off of Brooks Camp Road in the logging cabins owned by Brooks-Scanlon Lumber. Last week, she and her husband, Bear, returned to the Brooks Camp Road area to break ground at their future Sisters Habitat home site. This time, however, the home they will move into will be their own, which they will purchase through the Sisters Habitat homeownership program. The Grays are well-known in the... Full story
This year the flu has taken its toll and spread rapidly across the country, killing young and healthy people along the way. The flu is affecting pets, too. Dogs across the country are coming down with flu-like symptoms due to widespread canine influenza. The flu strain is different than the one affecting humans. But it's just as dangerous and even more contagious among dogs. And it can affect cats also. Dogs, like us, are social creatures; and all social dogs, especially... Full story
On March 9, Sisters Country will begin bringing to life an interactive piece of public art that will showcase the hopes of local residents-in their own words. The Community Values & Visioning signature quilt project invites residents to ink short- to medium-length values statements onto pre-made fabric squares. This spring, those squares will be assembled into a finished quilt, which will be unveiled during the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show (SOQS). Residents can sign the squares... Full story
Jess Draper starts every week at The Nugget with a blank slate. That's both the challenge and the pleasure of working as a production designer for a weekly newspaper. Draper, who started working at The Nugget in 2005, puts the whole thing together each week - the news stories, the ads, the photos - and presents a cohesive, attractive, useful package. "I collect the pieces and present it," she said. "I enjoy the challenge of making it all fit and bringing it in an attractive... Full story
Sisters' designation as a gateway between the high desert and the Cascade mountains stems from its earliest beginnings. Two wagon roads that crossed the Cascades in the 1870s intersected where the town of Sisters would eventually grow up. Early forays into the area were made by Captain John C. Fremont in 1843 and later in 1855 by Lt. Henry L Abbot as part of the Pacific Railroad Survey Party. In 1865 Captain Charles La Follette and 40 men from Company A left Fort Yamhill in... Full story
Once in a blue moon a woman of grace, elegance, wit and wisdom appears in our midst, and on the morning of the blue, blood moon, eclipse, at 12:21 a.m., January 31, Jan danced away. Janice Marie Lamb was born May 24, 1926, in Stockton, California to Gladys "Honey Lake" James and Warren Ray Lamb. She and her brother, Clayton, and sister, Barbara, had an idyllic childhood growing up in Stockton and later moving to Salinas where her father owned the local Coca Cola bottling compa... Full story
Doug was born in Palo Alto April 28, 1951, and died February 15 - at the age of 66 - from ALS at the Redmond Rehabilitation Center in Redmond. He moved to Sisters in May 2016 with his wife, Linda, and their pets. He is survived by his wife, Linda, his older sister, Suzanne Ewing; his nephew Jack Kuechler; his niece Mary Kuechler and husband Paul; and great-niece, Elizabeth. He is also survived by his younger sister Christine Black and husband Ian; his other niece Tiffany; and... Full story
It can be a challenge these days to find electricians with room in their schedules to get a new home wired. Darleene Snider, construction manager for Sisters Habitat for Humanity, was understandably delighted to take up an offer to have a home wired by apprentice and journeyman electricians. "This is a pilot project for us," she said. "But we're most definitely looking forward to doing this again in the future." The project was organized by Prineville electrician Brian Samp... Full story
When Liam Hughes announced that he was departing the Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) to take a position in Pendleton, the board of directors didn't have to look too far to find someone to fill his shoes. Kris Harwell has been finance director at SPRD for the past four-and-a-half years. "There were all these transitional items that I thought I should offer to help (with)," she told The Nugget. "I'd been here the longest, knew the operations of the district, the... Full story
The Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) announced that Jeff Kitchens, Deschutes field office manager for the Bureau of Land Management, Prineville District, will be the speaker for the March installment of the Bjarne Holm Speaker Series. His topic will be: "About the Lands No One Else Wanted - The Story of Our Public Lands." Over the last four years, STA has sponsored a series of public talks focused on local outdoor recreation and natural resource issues. The Bjarne Holm Speaker... Full story
In the entire US of A there is only one golden eagle nest being monitored by web cam at this time, and it's right here in Sisters Country. And thanks to the East Cascades Audubon Society (ECAS) - who is paying to have the images streamed around the world, land-owner Leslie Lawrence, who watches over the camera equipment, and Sisters Astronomy Club technician Jim Hammond, who keeps the equipment going, all you have to do is wiggle your mouse and go to: goldeneaglecam.com and... Full story
HarmonyHouse Concerts, a long-time host of traveling musicians, will host folk singer Johnsmith on March 10. "We are so happy to open up HarmonyHouse Concerts for this very special occasion and are looking forward to hosting Johnsmith once again!" host Doug Cavanaugh said. For the past 30-plus years, Johnsmith has been sharing his music all across America and abroad. He has become a favorite at festivals, clubs and house concerts alike. In addition to being a Kerrville New... Full story
The Outlaws had four players named to all-league teams this year; senior Ty Horner, and juniors Jack Berg, Noah Richards, and Zach Anderson. Horner was the lone Outlaw to earn first-team all-league honors. Ty was one of the squad's captains, and worked hard to fill a leadership role on the team. Horner got top recognition despite the fact he only played in five league games due to his injured hand. Ty averaged 12 points per game, shot 46 percent from the field, and 74 percent from the free-throw line. He also averaged six... Full story
The common denominator underlying school killings isn't what you think it is. It isn't guns, and it isn't mental illness. The only common denominator underlying mass school killings is long-term, dissociative exposure to violent media. Whether it's violence in films, violent lyrics, violent television shows, violent novels, violence depicted across social media, or the endless flood of violent imagery in first-person-shooter video games, those countless hours steeped in... Full story
Obesity has shown no signs of slowing, and people are suffering from many different repercussions of a growing waistline. Countries like Mexico and China, which now are exposed to American eats, are seeing a rise in obesity rates at a rapid rate. What is going to stop this? Should the government step in to protect its people? Clearly people cannot protect themselves in a sea of snacks, highly delicious fast foods, and sugary beverages. Everyone has an idea of what they ought to eat, however it's the application that's... Full story
Central Oregon Eagle Watch declared 12-year-old Emily Bourdage, a sixth-grade student at Black Butte School in Camp Sherman, first-place winner in her age group for an original watercolor of a peregrine falcon. Bourdage lives in Sisters and has been enthusiastic about art since she was 4 years old. She's also interested in music and is in the guitar class at Black Butte School. This year was the fourth annual Eagle Watch Celebration Art Contest open to all Deschutes,... Full story
It seems empathy is in high demand these days. Helping professionals, healers, or simply those with caring personalities may feel overwhelmed and even exhausted trying to meet this demand. Having a caring heart and a tendency to put others ahead of ourselves makes us especially vulnerable to "compassion fatigue." Compassion fatigue, a term coined by Dr. Charles Figley, is a "state of tension and preoccupation with the suffering of those being helped to the degree that it can create a secondary traumatic stress for the... Full story
The Sisters Westside Church welcomed renowned worship leader and globetrotting evangelist Rick Pino and his worship team for the weekend. After an extensive tour throughout Europe and the U.S., Pino and three of his fellow band members spent two days at Westside leading local church members and visitors in worship. Pino is a resident of Austin, Texas, where he lives with his wife and two children. He founded and operates the Heart of David Movement, which focuses on... Full story
