News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
Some people in Sisters are still asking city officials for a bypass, complaining they don't want highway traffic diverted to downtown's Hood and Main Avenues. They are afraid heavy truck traffic will ruin the downtown ambiance and deter pedestrian customers. But City Planner Neil Thompson says a bypass is not an option. The job of the Couplet Advisory Committee is to make the best of the options they have -- which has steered the city toward a couplet (see story, page 1). The 20-person committee meets monthly to design plans... Full story
Relieved and happy after long years of toil, city councilors clapped their hands on Thursday, February 26, after voting unanimously to adopt a thorough redrafting of the Sisters Urban Area Comprehensive Plan. City planners Neil Thompson and Brian Rankin breathed sighs of relief and exhilaration. Ten years of labor brought forth a thick document that outlines the city's goals for urban development, citizen involvement and public policies. The comprehensive plan was last updated in 1979. "I'm thrilled and want to congratulate... Full story
Bonnie Malone congratulates Peter Storton. photo by Jim Cornelius Peter Storton's leadership in creating Barclay Memorial Park earned him Citizen of the Year honors from the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce. The chamber held its annual awards dinner at Eagle Crest Resort on Thursday, February 26. Storton chaired the committee that raised funds and organized the construction of Barclay Park facilities, including long-awaited public restrooms. Last year's Citizen of the Year... Full story
Roads in the Metolius Basin that were burned over by the B&B Complex Fires will be opened as the Forest Service can remove hazard trees. Some of these roads access popular camps and recreation areas. Even then, the public will have to be aware that burned trees can fall and pose a hazard. According to Kris Martinson, Community Relations Team Leader with the U.S. Forest Service in Sisters, there are about 300 miles of roads in total that are affected. The agency is first focusing on about 120 miles of the most traveled roads.... Full story
When the school district hooked up a sewer line at the new middle school last summer, it allegedly didn't pay the required $115,000 of connection fees. It still hasn't, and the City of Sisters is not happy about it. "They hooked up without paying anything," said councilor Lon Kellstrom in a city council workshop on Thursday, February 26. "How did that happen? No one got away with that. The issue of them going ahead without approval -- that mystifies me how we didn't catch that. It is 115,000 bucks. I'm looking at us eating $1... Full story
A vote on a new sheriff's levy will determine whether deputies keep working. photo by Jim Cornelius Deschutes County Sheriff Les Stiles is pushing hard to pass a three-year levy which will increase taxes for city and rural residents. Sheriff Stiles is speaking to civic and neighborhood groups and plans to go door to door at the end of April. His message: If the levy is not passed, the department will lose $12 million and lay off at least 112 employees. Already, the staff has been reduced to 171 full-time employees from 199... Full story
Sisters School District's budget hole may turn out to be smaller than originally feared. Updated estimates issued by the Oregon Department of Education last Friday, February 27, indicate that the reduction in state school funds caused by last month's defeat of State Measure 30 will be greater than originally expected for next school year, 2004-05. But for Sisters, that loss will be substantially offset by an increase in state revenue for the current year, 2003-04. When Measure 30 was defeated, the Confederation of Oregon... Full story
Clair Kunkel (left) discusses cougars with Lee Farm. photo by Conrad Weiler Heightened local interest in cougars brought Clair Kunkel as guest speaker to the Saturday, February 28, Cabin Fever Potluck at Camp Sherman's community hall. Kunkel, who is a manager with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) stationed in Bend, reported two recent cougars trapped by officials in the Sisters country, plus a third killed by a hunter on Green Ridge. "You're living in a wildlife refuge," Kunkel told his audience, "and what... Full story
Several Sisters residents, churches and outlying commercial sites remain unconnected to the municipal sewer system. The Sisters City Council will meet in a workshop on Thursday, March 4, at 8 a.m. to discuss how to respond to property owners who have not connected to the sewer system. The property owners include several private residents, as well as Barclay Contractors, Sisters Mobile Home Park, Trinity Christian Center and Sisters Community Church. Some property owners, such as Trinity Christian Church, say the connection... Full story
More construction is underway at Pine Meadow Ranch. photo by Jim Cornelius The New Sisters Village (Pine Meadow Ranch) development is entering Phase III of the project. The newest of Sisters' roads in the PMR development will be paved sometime in April. The new sewer lines in Phase III are completed. The water lines are going in right now. Doug Sokol, a partner in the Pine Meadow Ranch Development Company, explained the process: "They can put in the sewer and water and utilities, but when it comes to grading and putting in th... Full story
A wrecking crew took down the gym. photo by Jim Cornelius A wrecking crew took down the old Sisters Middle School gym on Tuesday morning, March 2. The rest of the school was burned in a training exercise last month. The site is being cleared to make way for a new library and city hall.... Full story
Anna Weiss shares a homemade biscuits with one of the dogs waiting patiently for a new home. photo provided The animals at the Humane Society of Central Oregon in Bend received a visit from the "Furry Friends" group from Sisters Middle School on Friday, February 27. The three-day interim week elective class was led by Marion Harrison. The 13 Furry Friends visited the shelter to learn about the Humane Society of Central Oregon and what it does for the animals and people of the community. Eyes widened as students heard that... Full story
There is a general impression -- fortunately, accurate -- that Sisters students do well on state assessments, the annual tests administered by the Oregon Department of Education. Moreover, Karen Withrow, a high school science teacher who also serves as the district's assessment coordinator, says that the performance of local students is improving over time. Anyone who taps into the district's website (www.outlawnet.com) will find this summary of the latest results: "On the 2003 Oregon Statewide Assessments, Sisters school... Full story
March 4, 2004 -- Curtis Lee Ladd of Sisters has died after being hospitalized early this week, allegedly in the wake of a fight. According to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports, on Monday, March 1, a deputy responded to a Sisters home where Ladd was reported to be having medical problems. The deputy was told that Ladd had been in a fight three days before and had complained of head pain each day since. He was transported to St. Charles Medical Center, where he died a couple of days later. The fight reportedly occurred... Full story
Plans to build a Hood/Main Avenue couplet are on hold due to concerns from the Oregon Department of Transportation. The proposals for the couplet alignments do not meet highway standards, ODOT officials told the city. ODOT officials told city staff and members of the Couplet Advisory Committee that the proposed sharp right hand turn needed to get from the westbound Highway 20 to Main Avenue would not comply with state and federal regulations for a highway. The Couplet Advisory Committee has been meeting since October to... Full story
March 5, 2004 -- Sisters Rotary Club is determined to make sure every third grader in Sisters will be able to swim. The club unveiled a new swim education project in partnership with Sisters Elementary School and Sisters Athletic Club at a Rotary meeting on Tuesday, March 2. The effort is the local club's "Centennial Project" honoring the 100th anniversary of the founding of Rotary. The swim program will be launched this spring with the opening of Sisters Athletic Club's new... Full story
The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday. Editor's note: The 2004 election... Full story
- City Council Meeting 7 p.m., 2nd and 4th Thursday each month, Sisters City Hall. 549-6022. - School Board Meeting 7 p.m., 2nd Monday each month, middle school lecture/drama room. 549-8521. - Black Butte School District Board of Directors meets 2nd Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m., Black Butte School. 595-6203. - Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month, 8 to 9 a.m. at Sisters Fire Hall, 549-0251. - Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD meets for drill every Monday, 7 p.m. Sisters Fire Hall, 301 S. Elm St.... Full story
- Deputies, assisted by a canine unit, arrested a man on two counts of menacing after a domestic incident. The man appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. - A deputy tracked down a Sisters youth who had not come home from school as expected. He had, for some reason, left school, then gone back. - A woman reported a suspicious door-to-door salesman. Part of what made him suspicious was that her door is a long way from other doors. He also asked inappropriate questions, such as whether she was home alone and if she was m... Full story
