News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
Work has begun in earnest on the roundabout at the west end of Sisters. Access to Barclay Drive at Highway 20 will be closed for about a month while Knife River excavates, places base rock, installs curbs and sidewalks and paves the Barclay side of the roundabout. By constructing the roundabout in phases, closing first Barclay Drive and later McKinney Butte Drive (in April), it will be possible to maintain the Highway 20 traffic with no significant impact during daytime... Full story
Sisters' city government is moving toward clearing the way for the Uber ride-sharing service to operate in town. Action by Sisters would complete the triangle of Central Oregon cities. "I saw Bend and Redmond were doing it," said Interim City Manager Rick Allen. He met with Uber representatives, who are interested in being able to operate here. If Sisters doesn't opt in, Uber drivers could drive passengers to Sisters, but would not be able to pick up passengers here. "They can Uber up, but if we don't have an agreement, they... Full story
A program for young people in Sisters was named Oregon's Exceptional Program for 2017 at the February 16-17 Oregon Transition Conference in Portland. "The Sisters Transition Program is designed to prepare our students with special needs in the Sisters School District for adulthood," Sisters High School Principal Joe Hosang wrote in an email. "This includes job training, internships and employment, socialization activities, classes at COCC, exercise opportunities and much more." He noted the program, headed by Josh Nordell... Full story
Smoldering fireplace ashes were the culprit in a shed fire last Thursday that did an estimated $12,000 in damage. According to Deputy Fire Chief Tim Craig, a homeowner on Camp Polk Road cleaned out his fireplace at about 1 p.m., placing the ashes in a plastic container and leaving the container next to a yard shed. He believed the ashes were dead out. They weren't. The homeowner left the property for errands. At about 5:45 p.m., his daughter called 911 to report a fire. Heat... Full story
To the Editor: As an airport supporter I am also concerned about excessive noise from the airport and I don't think the principals have adequately addressed that in a cooperative manner yet. To that please let me introduce to the reader what the Aircraft and Pilots Association, a staunch supporter of General Aviation, has to say about that (paraphrased for space; Google, AOPA's Guide to Airport Noise and Compatible Land Use). Many of the problems at airports today are the direct result of poor planning for compatible land... Full story
I attended Senator Ron Wyden's town hall meeting February 20, in Sisters, Oregon, at the Sisters High School auditorium, and there was an episode there that needs to be broadcast. The auditorium was standing-room-only, probably 800 people attending. As one would expect, nearly all of the attendees were supporters of the Democrat senator, and the evening was dominated by the crowd clapping and cheering like it was a campaign rally (which these always are, as elected officials are ALWAYS campaigning). Each attendee had been pro... Full story
If everything goes according to plan, a new 48-unit affordable-housing apartment complex will be providing housing by spring 2018 for renters who earn no more than 60 percent of the median income for Deschutes County. At an open house last Thursday at Sisters City Hall, Sisters residents were able to view preliminary drawings and elevations for the units. Tom Kemper and Keith Wooden of HousingWorks were on hand to answer questions and provide information to interested... Full story
Music and art enthusiasts gathered at Sisters Gallery & Frame Shop for the official unveiling of Sisters Folk Festival's (SFF) poster Wednesday evening, featuring original artwork by Dennis McGregor. A little after 5 p.m. the 2017 SFF poster was revealed to overwhelming applause and cheers as folks gazed upon Lady Liberty holding a guitar in front of the world painted in warm hues of blue and yellow. "The Statue of Liberty stands in New York Harbor, but belongs to all... Full story
The Outlaws suffered a tough 34-21 loss to Cottage Grove at Sweet Home on Tuesday, February 21, in the seeding game for first place. With the loss, the Outlaws had to face Madras at home in a play-in game three days later. It was an intense game, and the Outlaws came from behind to win in a nail-biter. In Tuesday's action, the Outlaws had to battle through injuries and illness and showed some grit in their seeding game against Cottage Grove. The squad was not healthy, and key... Full story
It's a familiar story. Someone visits Sisters Country for recreation, the visits become more frequent, and before long they've found a way to move here. That was the scenario for Janis Quiros and her husband. They were living in Seattle and longing for a lifestyle that would allow them to ski and be involved in other outdoor activities when they realized Sisters was the answer. "This area was without a doubt the place to be," Quiros said. That was more than three decades ago.... Full story
Caitlin Schwab and Sam Thorsett represented the Sisters Outlaws Nordic ski program last weekend at the Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association (OISRA) State Championships held February 24-25 at Mt. Bachelor. The Outlaws were missing other members of the team due to illness. Teams from throughout Oregon came together for the two-day meet to determine the kings and queens of both freestyle and classic Nordic skiing. Summit continued its utter dominance of the event, sweeping the team titles once again while producing all... Full story
Senior Tyler Surface was the only Outlaw to compete in the 2017 Oregon Wrestling State Championship held at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland on Friday and Saturday, February 24-25. Surface started his tournament play against No. 3-seed Clay Pena from Banks. Tyler wrestled very tough and went all three rounds with Pena, and was able to score a reversal and a couple of escapes. Pena was not able to keep Surface on his back and only pulled off a win by points at the end. The loss sent Tyler into the consolation rounds where he... Full story
Last month, a snowboarder's death in Washington state once again focused attention on the backcountry danger posed by tree wells. It was reported that Nathan Redberg died after falling head-first into a tree well at the 49 Degrees North ski area north of Spokane. Redberg and his 9-year-old son were reportedly about 100 feet from a groomed ski run at the time of the incident. The son, who unsuccessfully attempted to extricate his father, sought ski patrol assistance; but, even... Full story
Sisters Middle School's record-setting monarch butterfly "Journey" is back in the news. Professor David James, of Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, who issued the numbered tag placed on the underside of the butterfly's hind wing, is keeping in touch with researchers in Carpinteria, California, who originally reported the butterfly's arrival. They went looking for Journey, and found him among the 30,000 other monarchs wintering there. There were no brass... Full story
Some of us have a fairytale image of a child and his dog. Think of Lassie and Timmy, Dorothy and Toto, or even Snoopy and Charlie Brown. You may have memories of your own cherished pet. But are children and dogs a perfect match? It depends. Dogs can be a source of unconditional love and a wonderful companion for your kids, and a dog can help teach responsibility, empathy, foster self-esteem and promote physical activity. As of 2010, over 45 percent of households in the United... Full story
As we move into the month of March there are new objects to focus on in the night sky. Out of the many constellations that can be seen, the one to look out for is Pyxis, the constellation referred to as the Mariner's Compass. It is surrounded by the constellations Puppis, Hydra, Vela, and Antlia, and is best seen in the evening at around nine o'clock in the southern sky. Pyxis is made up of three main stars; Alpha Pyxidis, Beta Pyxidis, and Gamma Pyxidis. The Alpha star is a... Full story
Neighbors of Sisters Eagle Airport made known their concerns over the airport's impact on their lives at a City Council meeting Thursday evening, which followed a joint workshop of the Deschutes County Commission and the Sisters City Council last week. Whether their concerns will have an impact on the ground or in the air remains an open question. Deschutes County senior planner Peter Russell noted that the Oregon Department of Aviation (ODA) record is closed to public input... Full story
Multiple news outlets have reported that President Donald Trump does not read books. If these reports can be believed, which is a large-style "if" these days, His Excellency eschews the written word altogether, preferring, one supposes, the background noise of flattering network coverage and the occasional furtive glance at his "so-elegant" self in a gilded mirror. True or not - and with a nod to the embarrassing lack of articulation demonstrated by Monsieur Trump thus far - I... Full story
The Deschutes Land Trust Campaign for Whychus Creek got a tremendous boost last week - a gift of $530,000 from Tom and Janet Montag of New York. The gift represents the largest individual gift of the campaign, with over $1.6 million raised from private individual contributions. A native Oregonian, Montag has long held a deep passion for salmon and steelhead, the Pacific Northwest's most iconic species. The Deschutes Land Trust's effort to protect salmon and steelhead habitat first caught Mr. Montag's attention in 2003, when... Full story
