News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 25
Enough voters in Sisters Country have returned ballots on Measure 9-88 to make the March 12 election valid. As of Tuesday, returns stood at 58.2 percent, pushing the measure over the "double majority" requirement. In some elections in Oregon, tax measures must not only win a majority of votes, but must pass a threshold of 50 percent of registered voters casting a ballot. The levy would provide the Sisters School District (SSD) with a continuation of the local option taxes at... Full story
At their Wednesday meeting, the Sisters School Board gave tacit approval to grant ODOT an easement at the southwest corner of the Sisters Elementary School property to allow for a full west-bound right-turn lane from Highway 20 onto Locust Street. The easement will bring the ODOT-repaired fence just to the edge of the elementary school tennis courts. The current property is all "trees and weeds" according to District Director of Operations Leland Bliss. There was discussion of "stopping" the sidewalk from the elementary... Full story
A detailed review of the consent agenda expense items continues to yield cost savings for the city. A recent review of the High Country Disposal contract billing revealed a billing error that had existed for some time. HCD corrected the error, saving the city more than $2,500 in annual billing. HCD also delivered checks totaling over $4,000 as a refund for corrected past billings. In last Thursday's workshop, Finance Director Lisa Young reported a cost savings of over $6,000 per year in reduced telecommunications costs that... Full story
Sisters firefighters and EMTs honored their own Saturday evening in the annual Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD awards dinner held at FivePine Conference Center. "This award banquet is when we celebrate the best of our ranks for the year," said fire district board chair Chuck Newport. He noted that the honors are not conferred by board or administrative staff, but by the firefighters and EMTs themselves. That peer recognition makes the awards all the more significant. "I think this... Full story
The Sisters-Camp Sherman fire department's annual awards dinner last weekend had a theme: Service. Keynote speaker Jeff Johnson told the assembled firefighters and EMTs that their business is helping people, period. That's about more than doing the work competently; it's about the human interaction, taking that extra step, engaging. That's a great ethic for any business, and especially for public service. The City of Sisters is taking encouraging steps to save taxpayers money and to make sure that the experience of working... Full story
The City of Sisters is close to a deal with Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) for the organization to help run local economic development efforts. Roger Lee, executive director of EDCO, attended the Thursday city council workshop to answer questions and work out the final details of the Memorandum of Understanding between EDCO and the City of Sisters that will allow EDCO to hire and manage an economic development manager for the city. The city will be providing $30,000 per year to fund this position. There... Full story
When good kids engage in risky behavior, and their friends keep it a secret, the consequences can be deadly. Just ask Sisters resident Penny Whipps. Four years ago, Penny received a phone call that altered her life forever: Her son Kyle was dead of an accidental heroin overdose. In the wake of an unimaginable nightmare, Penny felt she had two choices: go crazy, or go public. She chose to speak out, and founded the non-profit organization Just1x. In 2012, she delivered a... Full story
When John Templeton Craig set out from "Craig's Bridge" (now McKenzie Bridge) in December of 1877 to cross the Cascades, he had no idea that he was about to die or that, 135 years later, Nordic skiers would be massing at his grave to commemorate his ill-fated journey. Craig was an Oregon pioneer in the truest sense of the word. He came to Oregon in 1852 and was a part of the Scott expedition in 1862 that ushered in a new era of travel between the Willamette Valley and Central... Full story
When Jennifer and TR McCrystal chose Sisters as their home, a big part of their decision was the lifestyle that only a small town can bring. They opened their restaurant, Jen's Garden, and began building a business that helped put Sisters on the map as a culinary destination in Central Oregon. Last August, TR accepted a job offer working for Deschutes Brewery in Bend. Working at Deschutes Brewery was a positive experience. But when it came down to it, TR made the decision to... Full story
Sisters Folk Festival welcomes back legendary Americana artist and songwriter Tom Russell on Wednesday, March 20, for a show that caps the festival's Winter Concert Series. Tom Russell is a master storyteller. He recently released "Mesabi," his 26th album, a work that instantly grips the listener and holds on as vivid scenarios unfold from tune to tune. He is an American original, writing out of "the wounded heart of America." "It's rare indeed when a songwriter is so... Full story
The speaker at the upcoming Friends of the Sisters Library Diane Jacobsen Speaker Series to be held in the Sisters Library community room on March 17, 1:30 p.m. will be PGE fish biologist, Don Ratliff. Ratliff received his bachelor's degree in fisheries science from Oregon State University in 1970. Little did he know what was coming. Originally hired as a hatchery biologist and PGE coordinator for the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife-operated Round Butte Hatchery, his... Full story
The Outlaws girls tennis team returns eight veteran players to their squad this season and will add 13 additional players, several of whom have previous tennis experience. Two senior players, Shelbi Thompson and Paige Tosello, are co-team captains and will provide leadership and four years of varsity experience to the team. Thompson was a state finisher in doubles play with partner Paige Tosello last season. Tosello is out for the season due to injury and Thompson will most likely play at the No. 1 singles spot. Shelbi is an... Full story
The white stuff started falling in earnest on Christmas Day and, helped by lingering cold, created some of the best cross-county skiing and snowshoeing conditions Sisters Country has seen in some time. The snow stayed wonderfully light and fluffy for several weeks straight - ideal for all kinds of human-powered snow sports and pretty darned rare in Oregon. Hopefully we'll get some more before the season ends! As the inches began to accumulate in town, many of us started... Full story
The Outlaws boys tennis team, along with first-year coach Bim Gander, is enthusiastic and ready to hit the courts for another season. Eight veteran players return to the squad and will provide experience and leadership to the team. Returning players include Paul Fullhart, Evan Rickards, Devon Calvin, Nathan Kaping, Ethan Stengel, Shawn Horton, Tyrell Gilmore and Trevor Standen. Juniors Fullhart and Rickards were selected as co-captains and will play important roles on the squad. Fullhart returns as the Outlaws' No.1 singles... Full story
The Outlaws golf teams are ready to swing into action. Weather has not been an issue and players have been hard at work at the Aspen Lakes Golf Course hitting balls and working on their game. The boys squad returns three experienced players including seniors Nathan Pajutee and Tyler Berg, and junior Nolan Ferwalt. Jacob Hansen and Jacob Jeppsen, who played JV last year, will fill out the fourth and fifth spots on the team. Pajutee is an all-around solid player who drives the ball well and has a good touch around the green.... Full story
The Outlaws return as three-time defending league champions and hope to clinch the title again this year. Last season the Outlaws were undefeated in league and the previous year lost only one league game for a 29-1 record for the past two seasons. Sisters brings back seven experienced players: seniors Sam Calarco, Nicky Blumm, Ryan Pollard, Eli Boettner; juniors Joey Morgan and Jardon Weems; and sophomore Justin Harrer. Calarco is a power hitter and RBI producer and will play both at third base and catcher this season. Last... Full story
Singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier is returning to Sisters for a HarmonyHouse house concert on March 23. Hostess Katie Cavanaugh couldn't be more excited. "Doug and I sat in the audience at the Sisters Folk Festival this past season in a tent filled with a hushed audience, all leaning in to every word and to every note that poured all over us from the soul of an extraordinary artist - Mary Gauthier," Cavanaugh recalled. "Backstage I had a brief moment with Mary and I offered my i... Full story
Beverly Joyce Tosello Warf passed away February 21, 2013 in her foster-care home, Senior Leisure Club of Bend. She was 85. Beverly was born November 1, 1927, in San Jose, California, to Joseph and Pierina Tosello. She attended San Jose High School, where in 1943 she met the love of her life: Gene Warf. She sat in front of him in typing - it was love at first sight. An outstanding sorority sister of Adelphia Philon Society, and Kappa Rho Sigma, wearing Gene's Tri-Bar pin, she... Full story
As a skin-care professional I have spent considerable time looking at and studying the ingredients in cosmetics, deciphering product labels and trying to make healthy choices for myself, my family, and my clients. The EPA has identified 5,000 different chemicals in cosmetics, many of them toxic. Our skin acts as a giant sponge, absorbing up to 60 percent of products applied. Some preservatives in our cosmetics have been linked to the disruption of the endocrine system, to... Full story
High-intensity exercise has taken the fitness world by storm. Whether it's Crossfit or a variant, circuit training in the gym or interval training for runners and cyclists, the protocol of short, hard workouts using a variety of exercises is attracting athletes from elites to weekend warriors. Ryan Hudson of OlyFit in Sisters combines the original principles of Crossfit with Olympic lifting in a personalized one-on-one or very small group program. All movements are natural or... Full story
Getting hurt is an occupational hazard for athletes, especially those of us who are of the weekend warrior variety. There are two kinds of athletic injury: Acute (blown-out knee, tweaked back) and chronic overuse (bum knee, sore shoulder). Sisters Country physical therapy practices see about the same number of both. Spring is a dangerous time for recreational athletes, because it marks a time of transition of activities. Folks who spent the winter on skis are climbing back on... Full story
As we enter into the spring and summer, Sisters Country becomes alive with locals and visitors out and about on our many trails, Forest Service roads, and byways. We are lucky to have such great access to the outdoors, as well as great events and even the occasional visit from Olympic-level runners. Trails are soft but getting better. Sisters loves its running and biking trails but the snow and frost has now turned to muckiness once the temperature gets above freezing each day. However, most of the trail system is free of... Full story
Last Saturday night House on Metolius featured premier piano composer Michael Allen Harrison and the captivating vocals of Julianne Johnson. The Gorge Living Room, overlooking the Metolius River and the home of the Lundgren family's 1930s Steinway grand piano, was the perfect setting for Harrison and Johnson's well-honed blend of jazz classics, Harrison's original compositions, and a medley of old favorites. Harrison opened the evening with several of his own compositions and... Full story
Josh Nordell has taken over the track-and-field program at Sisters High School (SHS) and he and his posse of assistants are already off and running - and jumping, hurdling and throwing. Nordell, a special-education teacher at SHS, took over for Charlie Kanzig, who stepped in as an interim coach last season and decided not to continue due to work and family commitments. Since coming to Sisters, Nordell coached the middle school team for two years and assisted the high school program last year. Previously he coached at the... Full story
The campaign to renew a local option levy to support Sisters schools was headed for a resounding victory Tuesday night. Updated unofficial returns showed Measure 9-88 passing with 2,725 votes -a tremendous 79.19 percent majority. There were 716 votes cast against (20.81). The measure handily surpassed the 50 percent turnout threshold to make the election valid with a 63 percent turnout. The levy would provide the Sisters School District (SSD) with a continuation of the local option taxes at the rate of 75 cents per $1,000 of... Full story
