News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 16 of 16
To the Editor: WOW, the school funding article by Matt Cyrus and Tim Larson was an eye opener. How does the nearly $82,000 per year teacher salary compare to other districts of similar size? To me this seems very high for teachers. Yes, educating our children is an important job, but just how much should it cost and how much is too much? Who on the school board negotiated the 17-percent salary increases to the teachers? I do not believe the CPI increased by 17 percent during that same period. The article suggested that the... Full story
If you are fortunate enough to meet up with Debra Fisher, the creator of the magnificent masks on display in the Sisters Library computer room, and ask her if she enjoys her work, stand back: Debra's enthusiasm is overwhelming. "I've been doing this since the beginning of time," she said, "ever since I got hooked on theater back in 1978 in Denver, Colorado." It was there she took on her first theater job - creating a witch's mask for a take-off on Shakespeare's "Macbeth." She... Full story
Mike Baynes, master art teacher, is retiring after 18 years teaching at Sisters High School. "As an instructor, leader, and mentor, he has the best disposition for allowing students to explore learning," said Bob Macauley, principal. "Mike's mastery of his craft is that of a master teacher. He excels in the relationship component, which allows even the least student to become the best student they can be." Elementary school teacher Kirk Albertson was on the panel that hired... Full story
The One Arm Bandit is returning as the specialty act at Sisters Rodeo for the third time. His performance is a herding spectacular. Whip in hand, he herds buffalo or longhorn cattle from horseback onto the back of a truck and even on the roof of a stock trailer. He is assisted by his exotic Florida Cur Head dogs. "He was invited to perform for the rodeo's 70th anniversary because his has been one of the top two favorite specialty acts ever presented at Sisters Rodeo," said... Full story
The all-volunteer crew that stages the Sisters Rodeo each year goes to great lengths to make sure that the arena looks its best when the second weekend in June rolls around. One of the major chores is painting. Each year, one of the color-coded sections of the Sisters Rodeo arena gets a fresh coat of paint in red, gold or blue. That means each section is painted every three years, so the colors never look faded or dingy. For the past few years, the most prolific paint-slinger... Full story
They've performed "The Nutcracker" in Alaska at Thanksgiving for four years running, have performed at the Kennedy Center, and are on their way to Seoul, Korea. But before they hit those shores, Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT) will present ensemble performances at Caldera, June 19-20, one performance, with open rehearsal on June 18. After the dancers' long rehearsal hours, we, the audience, get to view the nuances of movement that make up the dance. Four different works. Music by Russian artists. Locally choreographed. Caldera... Full story
The Sisters Folk Festival has announced its lineup for the 2010 festival. Held September 10-12 in downtown Sisters, this year's festival will celebrate 15 years of world-class music in Sisters Country. This year's performers bring a wide array of musical talent and diversity to the stage. Artists include legendary bluesman John Hammond, Texas troubadour Ray Wylie Hubbard, the bluegrass, Western swing, and ragtime sounds of Hot Club of Cowtown, dynamic bluesy soul of Geoff Muldaur & Jim Kweskin, Celtic sensation Solas,... Full story
With a hissing whoosh! and a cloud of black powder smoke, dozens of cardboard-and-balsawood rockets shot into the air above the Sisters Middle School soccer field on Monday, marking the traditional rite of passage for Sisters fifth graders. Each year, "Rocket Rod" Moorehead of Sisters helps fifth grade science students design and build rockets powered with black powder and an Estes motor. Then, just before the end of school, the class gathers to launch them. Monday's launch... Full story
It's not every day that we get a brand-new trail in the area; so, when I heard about the new Lake Creek Trail, a friend and I decided to try it out. Plus, this is in the snow-free zone, so it's a good early season hike that is easy and also suitable for trail bikes. We decided to take the downhill direction and started at the Suttle Lake trailhead, which starts at The Lodge at Suttle Lake. We parked at the public area just across the Lake Creek Bridge. Officially, the trail... Full story
Tammy and Marisa Haynes are all set for the trip of a lifetime. The mother and daughter leave Sisters next week for South Africa and the World Cup. It is difficult for Americans to fully appreciate the scope of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup, the month-long soccer extravaganza that occurs every four years. To think of it as the Super Bowl, the World Series and the Stanley Cup Finals all rolled into one massive event doesn't... Full story
Joan Marie Peterson peacefully passed away from Alzheimer's disease on April 14, 2010 in Harrisburg, Oregon. She was born March 1, 1930 in Ogden, Utah to Merle Wiley McMillan and Jessie Elizabeth Smith McMillan. She grew up on a ranch in Hotchkiss, Colorado, and moved to Longview, Washington, at the age of 14. Joan attended Washington State College, where she studied fine arts and home economics. She married her high school sweetheart, the love of her life, Lawrence Eugene... Full story
Aspen Lakes golf professional Derek Johnson has traded Central Oregon for Texas. He left his job at Aspen Lakes near the end of May and will be located in Dallas, Texas. Johnson will sell electricity for a company called Affordable Power. The company buys blocks of power and resells the energy to commercial accounts. He hopes to work in California at some point when energy is unregulated. The 40-year-old teaching pro has had a life-long love of golf, with a passion for... Full story
Renting a camp trailer is a reality in Central Oregon, thanks to Sisters couple Kevin and Karly Lusby. Their new business, based in Sisters, is called EZ Camp RV Trailer Rentals, Inc., and they have seven trailers available to rent for camping, to accommodate visitors or as hospitality units during large events. The trailers range in size from a compact tent trailer to a spacious 29-foot unit that sleeps eight. In the RV industry, this is known as a "cats and dogs fleet"... Full story
The Sisters School District lopped two days off the end of this school year, gaining a head start on deep budget cuts for next year. After making last-minute adjustments to allow for Governor Kulongoski's additional 9 percent budget cuts, interim Superintendent Dennis Dempsey presented his proposed budget to the board last Wednesday night. The main elements of the proposed budget cuts include: • No COLA (cost of living adjustment) and no increase on health insurance cap for staff (though the cost of health... Full story
Ruth Ingham, artist and Sisters resident for 29 years, was BBR Art Guild's final speaker of the season. Describing Ingham as an artist seems like a limited definition of her vast skills. Ingham has been a fashion designer, pattern maker, and quilter. Add to that, an artist on canvas utilizing mediums like oil pastels, oils, and acrylics. Ingham has a clothing design degree from Carnegie Mellon University and two degrees in fine arts from Marylhurst University in Oregon.... Full story
Kathy Kemper is a busy woman. She's a loan officer with the Arbor Mortgage Group, a member of the Network of Entrepreneurial Women, and mother to an active nine-year-old. Bubbling with energy and enthusiasm, Kemper made time a couple of years ago to get a frisbee golf course funded and erected near Sisters High School. Kathy is also passionate about helping the Sisters business community grow and thrive. About three years ago, having attended Business Network International (BNI) groups in Bend, Kemper decided to start a... Full story
