News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 22 of 22
At about 2:20 p.m. on a blustery day in early December 2013, a powerful gust of wind uprooted a massive ponderosa pine on Cascade Avenue, sending the trunk crashing through the front of the Ski Inn restaurant. No one was hurt, but the venerable old Sisters institution was destroyed. Now, it’s being resurrected in a new form. If permits are issued by mid-summer, construction on the new Ski Inn hotel and tap room will begin soon after. According to the projected timeline, the S... Full story
With a vote of six ayes and Commissioner Jack Nagel the sole nay vote, the Sisters Planning Commission approved Hayden Homes’ Master Plan Development for McKenzie Meadows Village, the Comprehensive Plan Map and Zoning Map Amendment, a Tentative Subdivision, and Development Agreement, accepting all of the City staff recommendations, with one small change of wording. The commission’s recommendation for approval has been sent to the City Council. At their March 27 meeting at 6:3... Full story
More than a dozen local agencies along with Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., gathered for a Celebration of Collaboration last Tuesday, March 19. Recognizing joint efforts between irrigation districts, land trusts, and energy corporations more than a hundred people gathered to express their appreciation in the midst of one of the largest modernization projects. Held at the Three Sisters Irrigation District headquarters just east of Sisters, the event unveiled the new Watson... Full story
The planning commission meeting last week was very disappointing. Watching the planning commission working on the new Hayden development, McKenzie Meadows Village, was painful. I want to thank Jack Nagel for all his efforts to make the other commissioners understand the need for the gates. Jack understood the need for the safety and the fact that our streets are too small for a main thoroughfare. Unfortunately, his comments fell on deaf ears. The other commissioners all voted against the citizens of the Village at Cold... Full story
Book, charitable program, Amazon, fire... Full story
On April 1 registration will be open for The East Cascades Audubon Society’s (ECAS) premier birding event, which will be held in Sisters: the Dean Hale Woodpecker Festival. The event itself will be running from May 30 to June 2. People from all over the world take in this event because they’ll have the choice of 20 guided tours in four days. They’ll have the opportunity to see all 11 species of woodpeckers in the Sisters and Central Oregon region, and also potentially to ob... Full story
Music and art enthusiasts gathered at Sisters Gallery & Frame Shop last week for the official unveiling of the 2019 Sisters Folk Festival poster featuring the original artwork of Dennis McGregor, local artist, singer/songwriter, and author. This is the 19th year that McGregor has been commissioned to paint original artwork for the annual SFF poster that attracts thousands of people to the three-day event. Around 6 p.m. the poster was revealed, and folks couldn’t have been m... Full story
Sisters High School (SHS) was transformed into a unique collaboration of the arts Tuesday evening, March 19, as students, teachers, and guests gathered together for the annual art night event. ART-i-facts benefits the full spectrum of high school arts programs. The event is a way to bring the arts community together with education to showcase what students have been working on for the last year. Bethany Gunnarson, SHS art instructor, said, “It’s for all ages and we hope to pro... Full story
The boys tennis squad finished in a 4-4 tie with Mt. View on Wednesday, March 20, but Sisters prevailed and won the tiebreaker with a 9-8 advantage in sets. Last year the Cougars shut out the Outlaws 8-0. Jed Kizziar (No. 1) blanked Will Lane 6-0 in the first set and took the win with a 6-4 victory in the second set. “Jed just keeps being Jed; consistent, athletic, and a unique style of play that frustrates opponents,” said Coach Carl Click. Nate Weber (No. 2) won his first match of the season with his victory over Des... Full story
The girls tennis team tallied a 6-2 road win at Mt. View (6A) on March 19, which improved their team record to 2-0. The Outlaws won three out of the four singles matches. Ramsey Schar (No. 2) showed impressive consistency and fortitude to win in a 10-4 tiebreak after losing her first set 5-7. She won the second set 6-2. Kendra Sitz (No. 3) beat Nikole Hu in two straight sets, 6-2, 6-1. Kendra aggressively attacked the net and used well-placed topspin to win her match. Holly Wertz (No. 4) defeated Lilly Roach 6-4 in the first... Full story
The girls lacrosse team defeated Bend United 7-6 on Thursday, March 21 — the first win in over five years against the tough Bend squad. It was a battle the entire way, with the score going back and forth, tied for most of the contest. Skylar Wilkins got the Outlaws on the scoreboard first, when she wrapped the crease and scored off a shovel-shot, which is a low shot back into the net. She scored her second shot with a ball into the left side of the goal from four meters out. Ellie Cook scored mid-way through the first... Full story
Senator Merkley met last week with Heart of Oregon YouthBuild, witnessing first-hand the program’s work providing youth with opportunities to benefit their community while raising their own bar of expectations at the same time. During the visit, Heart of Oregon staff and corpsmembers shared the educational, personal, and professional development components that YouthBuild offers. They discussed the integral role the program plays in preparing youth who face multiple barriers and risk factors to become more engaged, s... Full story
March is Women’s History Month. It is a time to reflect on the many women and men who have carved pathways toward the sought-after hopes of equity, respect, and opportunity. It is a time to reflect on privilege and intersectionality where systems in our society continue to favor some while sizeable gaps remain for others. It is a time to remember the women in our own lives and take inventory of sacrifice, resilience, and compassion, but also acknowledge the dark spots. It is a time for inspiration and mobilization as we s... Full story
Six student members of the Sisters community RECON team recently returned from the 2019 network-wide conference held in Boulder City, Nevada, with renewed enthusiasm and dedication to carrying forward the goals of the program. Led by high school teacher Rima Givot, Joelle Asson, Amy Hills, Delsie McCrystal, Paola Mendoza, Ramsey Schar and Holly Werts learned about what sorts of changes are in store to help improve the overall success of the project. RECON is an acronym that... Full story
After three-plus weeks of training, largely indoors, one canceled meet, and other challenges, the Sisters High School track and field team got its first taste of competition at the Crook County Relays held in Prineville on Thursday, March 21. A total of nine teams competed, including La Grande, Mountain View, North Lake, Redmond, Ridgeview, Paisley, Madras, and Sisters, along with the host Cowboys. Relay meets are common at the start of the season as a way to give athletes more of a “soft” entry into the season as vir... Full story
“Getting the Most from Collaboration” is the topic for the April 19 quarterly workshop offered by Citizens4Community (C4C) from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Sisters Fire Hall Community Room. Steve Greenwood, the workshop instructor with 35 years of experience, is the faculty leader for Portland State University’s graduate certificate program in Collaborative Governance, as well as director of Training and Academic Services for the National Policy Consensus Center at PSU. He is... Full story
Paulina Springs Books is poised to become a hub for social events in Sisters. Beginning Monday, April 1, at 6 p.m., new owner Lane Jacobson will be hosting the first Open Mic Night. The public is invited to participate and/or watch as their friends and neighbors share their talents — storytelling, poetry reading, musical performance, magic tricks, whatever talent they want to share. The idea for the first Monday night of every month grew out of a conversation Jacobson... Full story
“The Far Green Country,” a documentary film created by Eli and Kelly Pyke of Sisters, has found distribution through a company called Indie Rights Movies. They are helping the filmmakers release their movie on digital platforms worldwide, beginning with Amazon Prime. The film is available for viewing on Amazon Prime as of March 22. The movie has been accepted into the Wasatch Mountain Film Festival in Salt Lake City. In “The Far Green Country,” a young family, struggl... Full story
Last week, I got a note from Sisters Middle School Teacher Susie Werts inviting me to a presentation by two biologists, one of whom worked in Yellowstone during the reintroduction of the wolves. Well, of course I went, and I’m glad I did. The biologists did a wonderful job of presenting what’s going on with wolves and the public since the Yellowstone reintroduction, focusing on herbivore overgrazing, balance-of-nature and habitat considerations, and citing the impact of the wolves of Isle Royal as an example. They also presen... Full story
Ponderosa Heights apartments, located on the corner of Brooks Camp and McKinney Butte Roads, is built out and fully occupied, with 30 percent of the 48 units awarded to Sisters residents. The City had a large stake in the apartments, having provided $300,000 toward the project. According to Mayor Chuck Ryan, “The City is very pleased to see the final completion and full occupancy of the new Ponderosa Heights affordable housing apartment complex in Sisters, in cooperation w... Full story
The homeowners in Village at Cold Spring have filed a lawsuit against First Story, alleging that the Covenant for Community Charitable Fee, which is attached to their homes’ titles, is illegal and should be rescinded. Their main objection is to the involuntary nature of the charitable contribution. First Story is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), founded in 1998 by Hayden Watson of Hayden Homes, headquartered in Redmond, Oregon. They began by giving direct donations to charitable c... Full story
At the end of 2018, two decades after it began, First Story has built 77 grant homes and provided $1.3 million in charitable donations. First Story is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), founded in 1998 by Hayden Watson of Hayden Homes, headquartered in Redmond, Oregon. They began by giving direct donations to charitable causes across the Pacific Northwest where Hayden builds homes. In 2002, First Story collaborated with Hayden Homes to build their first “grant house.” First Story pro... Full story
