News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 21 of 21
The Sisters School District is asking local voters to approve $10.7 million in bond funding in the May 17 election. "What we're trying to do is protect the investment in the school district, in the community, that we already have by doing needed maintenance," school board chair Don Hedrick told The Nugget. The bond will fund safety and security upgrades; athletic facilities repairs and improvements; heating and air conditioning plant; site improvements, including high school... Full story
Educators across the country are seeking to operate off a curriculum platform known by the acronym STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics. The concept is that integrating these elements helps prepare students for jobs in the 21st-century economy. Governor Kate Brown saw STEAM-powered education in action at Sisters High School last Friday - delivered by a unique set of community partnerships. Governor Brown visited the luthier (guitar-building) program... Full story
It will be at least another week before the City of Sisters is able to determine a course of action in handling workplace issues raised by some employees regarding City Manager Andrew Gorayeb. Mayor Chris Frye told The Nugget he expects to receive the report this week from an independent investigation into the employee complaints. The council will likely review the report in executive session some time next week. The review timeline is complicated by the fact that Councilor... Full story
Brett Miller of Sisters, founder of the highly successful nonprofit Warfighter Outfitters, recently led a group of wounded veterans on a four-day "engagement mission" to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The veterans, who assembled in Ajo, Arizona - from Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Oregon, and California - were partnered with agents from the U.S. Border Patrol, the National Park Service, and full-time Park Service volunteers, to dismantle smuggling sites, to improve and... Full story
The idea that we can hold two disparate ideas in our heads at the same time and agree with them both - the phenomenon of cognitive dissonance - has rarely been so starkly illustrated for me as it was after a week on the U.S. southern border, with Sisters-based Warfighter Outfitters. We did good work down there. And work of all kinds. There was physical labor, brush-clearing, trash-collecting, well-digging. There was psychological work. Brotherhood, friendships formed,... Full story
To the Editor: Re: "SDC waivers approved for housing," The Nugget, March 16, pg. 3). That is affordable housing? So you get to buy a house that sits on land you don't own and have to stay poor for 50 years or lose your home? Who is this helping? Thanks, but no thanks. Bobby Christensen •••• To the Editor: The liberal, socialistic democrats infesting the current Oregon legislature have once again slapped the voters of Oregon in the face. They have declared the recently passed minimum-wage increase as an "em... Full story
At Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) we have long had the philosophy that nobody should be denied access to community programs because of an inability to pay. In recent years we have awarded up to $39,000 per year in financial assistance though our scholarship program to allow children from low-income families to participate in programs including preschool, high school sports, youth sports and after-school programs. The great challenge is always finding the money to do this. Many people assume we simply waive fees... Full story
A full house was on hand Saturday, March 19, at FivePine Lodge & Conference Center to enjoy and celebrate the annual Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District awards. Nearly 100 honored guests, family, and friends enjoyed a roast beef or salmon dinner, and a motivating keynote talk from guest speaker Paul LeSage. LeSage, a retired assistant chief from Tualatin Valley, Oregon, spoke to the assembled crowd about leadership and teamwork, critical elements of the fire service, and remind... Full story
Eleven students from Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas, spent their spring break in Sisters last week, helping build two homes for Sisters Habitat for Humanity. They left 70-degree weather and flew to Portland. While driving past Government Camp they were greeted by a snowstorm and didn't arrive in Sisters until after midnight. Yet they were up the next morning, ready to start work on the homes at 412 and 402 N. Desert Rose Lp. "They are one of the most eager and... Full story
Students at Sisters Elementary School have been learning about river ecology through unique hands-on opportunities these past few months. Last Thursday steelhead fry, which were grown and hatched from eggs in the kindergarten classrooms and Ms. Few's second-grade class, were released by young students into Whychus Creek just blocks from the school. Working with the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the kindergarten team... Full story
The boys lacrosse team returns five players to their squad this season, including David Keeton, Ethan Morgan, Samson Magnus, Casey Warburton and Damien Wills. Keeton is the lone senior that returns to the team, and is an outstanding defensive player. Coach Eric Wentzel said, "David has a passion to see those around him succeed. He is a natural leader on the team, and the younger players look up to him. He is one of the players that connects the lacrosse legacy back to Bill Rexford." Morgan, Magnus, Warburton and Wills are... Full story
The Outlaws had five players selected to all-league teams, and Keegan Greaney was at the top of the heap as a first-team all-league pick. Greaney averaged 10 points and three rebounds per game for Sisters, and played a huge role in the Outlaws' success on both the offense and defensive end. "Keegan was a key offensively and defensively all season long," said Coach Rand Runco. Steen Johnson earned second-team all-league honors. Johnson averaged close to nine points and four rebounds per game. "Steen was excellent on both... Full story
Randy Boehmer has been on the road these past eight years, in a wagon that serves as both transportation and home, drawn by a team of mules. He's wandered across 26 states, "just wherever the Good Lord leads." His mission, he says, is simply "to win souls for God." His manner of doing so requires no aggressive proselytising. His covered wagon is emblazoned with the words of Acts 18:31: " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." That - and curio... Full story
The boys golf team participated in the district preview held at Tokatee on Thursday, March 17. All the teams in the district were in attendance and got a quick look into their competition for the season. Sisters finished seventh with a team score of 449. Sutherlin took first with a score of 378 and beat runner-up North Marion by 24 strokes. Cottage Grove took third (410), Cascade was fourth (414), and Junction City finished fifth (434). Remaining scores were: Stayton (435), Sweet Home (472), and Newport (476). Austin Lake... Full story
The students at Sisters Elementary School were mesmerized by the talents of rock-concert violinist Aaron Meyer at a special assembly held on Tuesday, March 15. The assembly was made possible due to Sisters Folk Festival (SFF). Sisters Folk Festival is partnered with the Music Education Workshop out of Portland, and they work with the Oregon Music Hall of Fame, who connected Brad Tisdel, creative director of the SFF, with Meyer. Meyer is working in a statewide program that... Full story
The boys lacrosse team held on to earn a 10-9 victory over Nadzitsaga from Burns, in a game that was tight and filled with excitement to the very end. The game was held at Reed Stadium on Thursday, March 17. Samson Magnus scored an unassisted goal just 22 seconds into the game to give the Outlaws a quick lead, thanks to an excellent faceoff by Chase Lawrence, followed by Ethan Morgan and Trey Stadeli, who each added an unassisted goal of their own. Nadzitsaga stayed with them, and at the end of the first period the score was... Full story
• Hats off the to the community volunteers who make the Pursue Your Passion entrepreneurship class at Sisters High School possible: Bill Willitts; Ann Richardson; Julie Benson; Gary Wehrle; John Griffith; Melvin Herberger; and Ted Johnson. These community volunteers devote many hours to mentoring young entrepreneurs, sharing the benefit of their experience and example to fire young people's passions and dreams. • Greg Werts wrote: I would like to give a... Full story
There comes a time in some children's lives when they really need the comfort of a warm, colorful quilt. Perhaps they've been in an accident or a house-fire, or experienced some other trauma. Those quilts are on hand for local law enforcement agencies and fire departments to distribute at need, thanks to the efforts of the ladies' sewing group at St. Edward the Martyr Roman Catholic Church in Sisters. "Twice a year we do a week of sewing and we give the quilts to the sheriff... Full story
Home-selling is a competitive sport. Just as on the court or in the field, if you take some time and put a little extra work in to prepare, you can give yourself a competitive edge. "Staging" your home can make a substantial difference in time on the market and your final selling price. "It helps people who are interested in buying homes to visualize themselves in your home," Ali Mayea of Ponderosa Properties, explained. Jodi Satko, of Keller Williams Realty Oregon Lifestyle... Full story
The average sale price on a home in Sisters Country jumped approximately 18 percent over the past 12 months. "Looking at the sales for the last 12 months, average sale price was $413,000," said Gary Yoder, of Howells Realty Group. "The previous 12 months was $349,000." Part of the jump in average price is due to supply and demand. Sisters is short on inventory. Yoder said there are 124 homes listed currently in Sisters Country, down from 251 in July. "Twenty-five percent of... Full story
The northern pintail is a relatively common dabbler duck feeding on grains, seeds, crustaceans and aquatic insects. It gets its name from the long tail feathers ending in a distinctive narrow sharp tip. They begin nesting in very early spring, laying 6-12 pale olive eggs which hatch in 21-25 days. Ducklings leave the nest immediately and are capable of flying in 38-45 days. Pintails once were one of the most abundant ducks in North America but have suffered a disturbing... Full story
