News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 26
The Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce has a new executive director. Cherie Ferguson, formerly director of the Women's Resource Center of Central Oregon, was the last candidate standing after an arduous and painstaking selection process that saw the chamber board take almost four months to winnow through a field of more than 30 candidates. "This board took this incredibly seriously," said former president Tate Metcalf. "We were blown away by the candidates." The board is... Full story
Dusty Macauley, 26, is the Outlaws' new Interim Head Football Coach. He replaces his father, Bob Macauley, who has established the Outlaws as a football powerhouse in the state. In addition to a fine mind for the game, Dusty brings with him three years as quarterback for the Outlaws and a formidable record under the tutelage of coaching great Frosty Westering at Pacific Lutheran University. The long-term fate of Sisters High School's football program has been in limbo since... Full story
Sisters has received the dubious honor of having its name appear on the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department's (OECDD) list of distressed communities. The city is labeled "severely distressed," beaten out only by La Pine for the title of the most distressed community in Central Oregon. The silver lining to the economic storm clouds is that the "severely distressed" designation has positive implications for economic development projects, loans and grants. "There is an elephant in the room, and no one seems to h... Full story
The Nugget has launched a new blog. You can access it at www.nuggetnews.com. Just click the "Nugget Blog" button on the menu at the top of the page. The Nugget Newspaper Blog is a little different from our Letters to the Editor column or the article comments on the Web site. It's a little more freewheeling, maybe a little more rambunctious. Here's how it works: Just about every day, the editor will put up something that grapples with the issues of the day. News, views, quirky happenings. Stuff that makes the news and stuff... Full story
To the Editor: Our development, The Rim at Aspen Lakes, adjoins the land that would become a huge housing complex if the Cyrus family is successful in converting Golf Course Estates to a destination resort. Back in 1989 when the Cyrus family claim that they discussed such a future conversion with "county staff" (see "Aspen Lakes plan destination resort," The Nugget, March 12, page 1), they were given permission by the county to develop two adjoining clustered subdivisions. These were The Rim and Golf Course Estates. The... Full story
Two of Sisters elder military veterans celebrated a joint birthday party at Sisters Coffee Company last Saturday afternoon. Leland Chase and Bob Taggart, both World War II veterans, took advantage of the close proximity of their birthdays - which fall only a couple of weeks apart - to celebrate with local folks. A constant stream of guests came to enjoy the special time with the aging soldiers. Chase was the youngster at the day's event, only managing to account for... Full story
Life is filled with transition. Whether it be changing jobs, moving to a new area, experiencing marriage or divorce, having a baby, adjusting to the loss of a loved one or family pet, encountering retirement or dealing with the reality of turning 40 or 50 or 60, the event can be challenging and stressful. Helping women in any stage of transition is one of the goals of the Women's Resource Center of Central Oregon (WRCCO), a 501c3 non-profit organization that "provides services to enhance personal and professional development... Full story
Putting your life in the hands of an inexperienced driver isn't for the faint of heart. "I've had a few close calls. It's just part of the job" said High Desert Educational Service District driving instructor Nik Goertzen. It's Goertzen's job to get Sisters youth ready to put rubber on the road - safely in all the conditions local roads can bring. Goertzen brings a sense of new beginnings and adventure to what can be a "boring" class to emerging high school drivers. New... Full story
A never-before-seen - a shockingly impossible event - occurred at Sisters Christian Academy last week. Joan of Arc, Madame Curie, Chiang Kai-shek, Mozart, Winston Churchill and even Linda McCartney were all under the same roof at the same time. For nearly a decade the school has been delighting Sisters folks by bringing history alive during its annual Living History Museum. The project is a big one for the academy's seventh and eighth graders who each choose a historical... Full story
The Sisters School District will report about 30 child abuse concerns this school year. These are 30 separate instances of reporting, Sisters School District superintendent Elaine Drakulich told The Nugget, not 30 separate cases of abuse. "It could be the same student. It could be the same person reporting new information," she said. Many of such reporting instances result in investigations by the Children's Services Division and/or the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office. "I don't believe they (these investigations) have... Full story
The Lady Outlaw golf team defeated Madras and Stayton in their first tournament of the season on Thursday, March 20. Central Oregon threw every kind of weather at the golfers: sun; rain; snow; sleet; and hail, but the wild weather didn't daunt the Outlaws. Sisters finished with a score of 346, 205 strokes ahead of Madras. Stayton played with an incomplete team. Lindsay Reeve finished two over par at 74 to earn medalist honors. Reeves scored a 36 on the front nine and 38 on the back, highlighted by an eagle on the 14th hole.... Full story
The Outlaws baseball team scored a total of 22 runs in their last two games, but it wasn't enough to notch a victory in either contest. Sisters lost 13-12 at Mountain View on Wednesday, March 19. The Cougars came from behind in the bottom of the seventh to earn the win. Just one day later Sisters fell 10-9 in eight innings at home against Summit. In Wednesday's contest against Mt. View, Sisters had a huge fourth inning that resulted in five runs. Taylor Davenport highlighted... Full story
The sounds of beating drums reverberated across Sisters and around the world in the Ceremony of 8,000 Sacred Drums, Friday, March 21, at 10 a.m. local time. It was noon in Mexico. The International Indigenous University, a university with no walls headquartered in Toluca, Mexico, hosted the ceremony on site at Otomi Ceremonial Center in Temoaya, Mexico and worldwide through a global campaign that asked drummers to participate. It did not matter whether an individual was alone... Full story
The boys golf team earned a second-place finish in its first tournament of the season at Crooked River Ranch on Thursday, March 20. The squad endured a wide array of weather, including sun, rain and snow and finished with a score of 311. Summit earned the first-place spot with a score of 300. Stayton finished third at 334, Madras at 363 and La Pine at 404. Michael Reeve turned in a score of 71 to earn medalist honors. "Michael was five under par but ran into trouble on the... Full story
Sisters Elementary School staged its second book fair of the year earlier this month. The week-long event was especially attractive as everything was offered on a "buy one, get one free" basis. According to elementary school librarian Marie Phillips, the school organizes the March book fair as a means of saying thank-you to parents and community members for all of their support and help with the "for profit" sale the school holds in the fall of every year. Like the "for profit" sale in the fall, the March book fair helps... Full story
"In Bruges" could easily be compared to a "Pulp Fiction" that plays out in Europe. The film is a dark and violent tale of two Irish hit men who, after a botched job, are sent to Bruges in Belgium to lay low and keep out of trouble for a couple of weeks while awaiting further instructions. The film is filled with dark humor and visceral action and will leave you guessing up through the end. Surrounded by Gothic architecture, canals and cobbled streets, the two hit men try to fill their days living the lives of tourists. Ray... Full story
Just how does a lumberyard owner come to be the proprietor of an art gallery? "Well, it just sort of fell together," said proprietor Kevin Langdon. "Dave Elpi of Sisters Forest Products is someone I've known and worked with for years. He came to me one day and said: 'Hey, I know this guy who carves totem poles and stuff. Maybe you could stick some out here and sell them.'" The "guy" Elpi was referring to was Sisters sculptor, Dayton Lanphear - and that's how Dry Canyon Lumber... Full story
To herald the coming of spring, Sisters High School band and choir students showed off their talents to a most attentive and appreciative audience at the high school auditorium last Wednesday evening. In keeping with school tradition, this year's Spring Concert showcased the most difficult body of music that students master all year and presented students in the most prepared state that they reach all year, band director Jody Henderson told The Nugget. "We take the music that... Full story
Earning a trip to the Federal Courthouse in Portland for the 2008 Oregon High School Mock Trial competition for the first time was a feat to be proud of for the Sisters High School team. While the team wasn't among the top placers, finishing 15th among 20 teams from throughout Oregon, they were very competitive and much-improved from the regional competition just two weeks earlier, according to coach Mary Thomas. The case this year was "State vs. Campbell" in which a student, Casey Campbell, is accused of planting an... Full story
Nye "Junior" Stanley Skaggs, of Redmond, died March 6. He was 74. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday at Redmond Assembly of God. Mr. Skaggs was born Jan. 23, 1934, in Preacher Creek, the son of Walter and Jessie Skaggs. Mr. Skaggs served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was a logger, and after retiring he worked as a caretaker in Sisters and Redmond. He was affiliated with the bird sanctuary in Sisters and Redmond Assembly of God. He also helped set up the Friday Night Hang Out in Bend. He lived in... Full story
The Emerald Ranch riding school has a new proprietor. Lisa Murphy, of LT Equine, is taking over training and lessons at the ranch and will be running the school. Murphy may be a relative newcomer to Central Oregon but she has a wealth of experience in training both horse and rider. Emerald Ranch owner Don Chelew is delighted to have his goals for the ranch intersect with those of Murphy. "We have the same point of view that safety is paramount," he said. "We've adhered to that for years and have a reputation built on it."... Full story
In medieval times troubadours would travel from castle to castle to keep singing tales of love, the doomed and destined, in exchange for shelter and sustenance. Times have changed some - but the gig still works. Jonathan Byrd, who dazzled the audience at the Sisters Folk Festival last fall, stopped in Sisters and sang for his supper - to the spin class at Sisters Athletic Club. The exercisers got a unique bit of entertainment to keep their minds off their heaving lungs and... Full story
The Outlaws track teams aren't letting cold early season weather keep them from showing their talents. Back-to-back meets last week produced a pair of school records and a number of personal bests. On Tuesday March 18, the Outlaws traveled to Mountain View for the annual non-scored Icebreaker meet. By most accounts the meet could have been called the "Windbreaker," as athletes faced an unrelenting, steady breeze all afternoon. Nonetheless, Sisters athletes competed strongly... Full story
Sisters Christians gathered under one roof for the annual Community Good Friday Service. Seven local clergy members officiated at Three Sisters Fellowship last Friday, March 21. The service is held at noon to make it possible for all to attend during the lunch hour. The Easter story is recounted, with each participating minister offering thoughts and reflection about a different chapter of the story. The special time of worship is organized and sponsored by the Sisters... Full story
The Sisters Outlaws varsity softball team will carry a four-game winning streak into their own tournament Friday when they open play at 10 a.m. against Astoria at Sisters High School. After losing to visiting Summit 12-0 on March 18, the local squad swept Bend 6-4 and 10-1 and then recorded a pair of 10-run wins over La Pine, 18-2 and 12-2. The four-straight victories improved the 4A Outlaws to 5-2 on the season, with three wins over upper division schools. The start is the best in school history. In the 12-0 loss to Summit,... Full story
