News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 28
Nora Ellison walked white-faced and trembling into the Glaze Meadow recreation center at Black Butte Ranch a year ago. It was time for her first swimming lesson. The smiling face of instructor Marti Dale did little to ease her anxiety, but she was determined to learn. A year later, 83-year-old Ellison swims laps and does core strengthening and stretching exercises twice a week at the pool, with five other women who have dubbed themselves the Silver Fins. The women range in... Full story
The Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce is working on a marketing plan to help keep Sisters businesses vital through the disruptions of the Cascade Avenue rehabilitation project, which is now underway. According to Chamber Executive Director Erin Borla the Chamber will continue its regional marketing to the I-5 corridor, adding marketing to Bend and Redmond to encourage Central Oregonians to visit Sisters. A lot of regional marketing will be done on the radio. "We've focused a lot on 'Rediscover Sisters,' and I think we'll stay... Full story
A 23-year-old Sisters woman was cited for driving while intoxicated and reckless driving after a head-on crash at the eastern edge of Sisters early Sunday morning. The woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries. According to the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, deputies were dispatched at 5:30 a.m. to a two-vehicle traffic crash on Highway 20 West at Buckaroo Trail at the east end of the Sisters city limits, near the FivePine development. The posted speed for this area is 35 mph. The investigation revealed the woman was... Full story
To the Editor: Until I read this week's Nugget article on the Cyrus development fiasco, I hadn't paid a lot of attention to it, but now I am disturbed! It is like a small-town version of the Washington mess - some local politicos (and so-called "facilitators") are determined to have their way regardless of what the public wants. I look at the TDOs as a blank check for politicians - if they don't need it here, move it there! It is like passing a law in New York State but letting Los Angeles use it. Then as to Rep. Huffman of T... Full story
The Brain Injury Alliance of Oregon (BIAOR) and The Lodge at Suttle Lake are hosting a dinner and dance fundraiser on November 2 to support efforts for prevention, advocacy, education and research in concussions, traumatic brain injuries and strokes. BIAOR is also celebrating the successful passage of Senate Bill 721, "Jenna's Law," which protects young Oregon athletes who have suffered possible brain injuries or concussions in non-school sports. The law will become active in January 2014. Master of Ceremonies for the... Full story
Once upon a midnight dreary, and just in time for Halloween, celebrated actor Alastair Morley Jaques brings his renowned one-man show, "An Evening With Edgar Allan Poe," to The Belfry in Sisters on Friday, October 25, at 8 p.m. Jaques has performed this macabre, tour-de-force act in Bend at the Tower Theatre, the Old Stone Church and all over the Pacific Northwest, resurrecting the master of horror with detail and emotion. For two hours, the morose genius of Baltimore's... Full story
Andy Duran has seen plenty of change in the nearly 22 years he has been working in the City of Sisters Public Works Department. The biggest change came in 2008 when the city turned its garbage collection over to High Country Disposal in a franchise agreement. At the time, public-works employees spent at least a part of each day on garbage collection. "I think the biggest effect it had for me was taking the other guys and cross-training them," Duran said. The maintenance... Full story
Anyone with the least bit of a sweet tooth owes themselves a visit to Tumbleweed Nut & Candy Wonderland, newly open at 123 E. Hood Ave. in Sisters. Kathy Nichols is the sixth generation of a Norwegian/German candy-making family. Her candies are homemade right in the shop. The goal is to bring back something that has been lost in a mass-production society. "I do everything from scratch," Nichols said. "Old-fashioned candies you used to find in stores." That's moose tracks,... Full story
The boys soccer team has been a force to be reckoned with all season long. Sisters dominated play against league foes and for the fourth straight year are the Sky-Em league champions. Sisters posted two more wins this past week. The Outlaws defeated Junction City 3-1 at home on Tuesday, October 15, and on Thursday earned a 2-0 victory on the road against Cottage Grove. Junction City jumped out quick and scored at the five-minute mark to take a 1-0 lead over the Outlaws.... Full story
It's that time again: The time of the year when Healthy Beginnings brings their crew of volunteers to Sisters to provide free screenings for any child from birth through 5 years old, not yet enrolled in kindergarten. The screening is set for November 8 at the Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) office at the west end of the Sisters High School parking lot. Call 541-383-6357 to make an appointment. What a grand opportunity for parents to learn how their child is doing in all their areas of growth. There are 12 different... Full story
Sisters battled hard against a very big and strong Cottage Grove squad at home on Friday, October 18, but fell 61-14. The Lions entered the contest undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the state, and proved to be more than the Outlaws could handle. Cottage Grove scored twice in the first quarter to take an early 13-0 lead and then steamrolled over the Outlaws in the second quarter. The Lions scored five more touchdowns and took a commanding 45-0 lead before the Outlaws even got on... Full story
The girls volleyball team clinched the league title with home sweeps over both Elmira and La Pine last week. Sisters defeated Elmira 25-10, 25-18, 25-17 on Tuesday, October 15, and on Thursday the Outlaws took down La Pine with scores of 25-12, 25-11 and 25-5. Sisters' serving took Elmira out of their game on Tuesday. Nila Lukens had a string of seven straight service points in the first set, which helped the Outlaws get off to a great start. The second and third... Full story
I ask you, Dear Reader, have you ever given a thought to what it would be like to save a baby bat's life? I mean a real baby, eyes still closed and wet with placental fluids. What to feed it - or how to feed it? Yeah, me too. I'd have thrown in the towel. But not Jane Stevens. I can see her that day back in the '80s when she was given that challenge. She just smiled, scratched her head, smiled again and said, "I'll have to think about this for a bit." Now, these was the days... Full story
The girls soccer team still has two games remaining in league play, but after two wins this past week - and an 8-0 league record - they have the league crown in the bag. Sisters posted a 2-0 win over the Tigers at Junction City (JC) on Tuesday, October 15, and at home two days later beat the Cottage Grove (CG) Lions 5-1. Sisters managed to record a win in Tuesday's match-up against the Tigers, but it was one of their lowest scoring games of the season. JC played relentless... Full story
The harbingers of fall, and of the approaching winter, are many and varied. Jack Frost's paintbrush artfully colors the countryside with flares of red and splashes of yellow, reminding us of the glory of nature before the descent of leaves and winter hibernation. Weekends are filled with high school and college football games, pitting gridiron warriors against one another as crowded grandstands erupt in loyal support. The local deer forage on anything left in my already... Full story
After four years of successive deep budget cuts completely eliminated all special education support in the district office, there is once again someone to oversee all the complicated requirements of the system. Becky Stoughton has taken the job as Director of Special Projects for the Sisters School District. A 15-year veteran of the Redmond School District, Stoughton brings a wide variety of experience to the special projects office. Based at Sisters Middle School, Stoughton... Full story
Dale Arden Larsen, 74, a longtime resident of Sisters, and recently of Portland, died October 12, 2013 at his home in Portland surrounded by his family. Memorial services will be held on October 26, 2013 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Aspen Lakes Lodge, 16900 Aspen Lakes Dr. in Sisters. Dale was born on April 23, 1939 in Kalispell, Montana. He was the younger of two sons of the late Ralph and Agnes (Hruby) Larsen. At the age of 5, Dale and his family moved to Oregon and settled in the As... Full story
Roberta Mae Helmick, 90, a resident of the Forest Grove community, went to be with our Lord on Friday, October 18, 2013 at her home. Funeral and Graveside services will be held Sunday, October 27, 2013 at 2 p.m. at Tualatin Plains Presbyterian Church (Old Scotch Church). 30685 N.W. Scotch Church Rd., Hillsboro, OR 97124. Roberta was born on January 12, 1923 in Negros Oriental, Philippines Islands. She was the youngest of four children born to Rev. William and Grace (Withee)... Full story
Recent legislative efforts to allow for development of land owned by the Cyrus family east of Sisters have seeded the growth of a grassroots organization known as OLAWA - Oregon Land and Water Alliance. OLAWA bills itself as "a non-partisan organization united around a shared belief that our laws should apply to all Oregonians equally. We are organizing to inform community members of the on-going efforts of one Central Oregon developer to supersite a controversial resort near Sisters. We oppose this proposal, in part... Full story
A smile is one of the strongest impressions a person can make. Eugene-based Simply White recently opened a practice in Sisters to make sure that that smile is bright. Sherree Colindres opened Simply White in a small space on Elm Street behind The Palace and next to Elements salon. "We decided to bring a little brighter smiles to Sisters," she said. Simply White offers the traditional hydrogen peroxide treatment most commonly used in the United States, but there are also... Full story
When Samantha Fairfield and her husband, Jeff, saw an ad in the paper looking for a horse trainer to live and work on a 25-acre equestrian facility located on Cloverdale Road in early 2012, they jumped on it. Fairfield and her husband accomplished their desire of turning a vacant equestrian center into a workable horse and arena facility - after loads of cleaning and building extra paddocks. Fairfield named the center SGF Sporthorses. The letters are the initials of her full... Full story
In the final race before this week's District Championships, the Outlaws cross-country teams showed why they are the heavy favorites to defend their Sky-Em titles and return to the state meet. The boys and girls teams beat all but one of the 4A teams present at the Elmira Country Fair Classic, held Wednesday, October 16. Celebrating the return to action of senior Brandon Pollard, the boys' team took sixth place overall among 29 teams from all classifications. Marshfield of Coos Bay, which just dropped down from 5A this... Full story
A couple of weeks ago, people were asking me what I was doing now that the hiking season was over. My stock answer was that I wasn't giving up just yet. Granted, winter conditions exist at the highest elevations, but the warm, sunny fall days have reopened hiking opportunities to, in some cases, well above 6,000 feet. There is still some snow even down to 5,500 feet, but it's very patchy. We walked over some snow accumulations of several inches on the way up to 6,000 feet. At... Full story
Master Marty Kaczmarek built a thriving Taekwondo program under the umbrella of Sisters Park & Recreation District. Now the program is out on its own in a new location at 352 E. Hood Ave. SPRD kind of felt like we were monopolizing the room - and we wanted more time," said Master Marty Kaczmarek, better-known as Master K. The move has enabled flexibility in scheduling classes for some 75 students and has allowed Master K to add or expand programs. The new site includes a... Full story
Rick Steber will tell one of the West's great true stories at Paulina Springs Books in Sisters on Saturday, November 2. Steber's newly released "Red White Black" tells the true story of the 1911 Pendleton Round-Up. Three men of different skin colors - Jackson Sundown, John Spain, and George Fletcher - are brought together during the finals of the Northwest Saddle Bronc Championship. What happened that September day, the judges' decision, and the reaction of the crowd in the... Full story
