News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 29
The design for a roundabout at the west end of Sisters passed a pair of live-fire tests by the trucking industry with flying colors. That moves the long-contemplated project a significant step closer to reality. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will meet within the next two weeks with freight industry representatives to seek formal concurrence with the design. That's a critical step in getting to what ODOT calls "Design Acceptance." At a workshop on Thursday,... Full story
The Forest Service is planning a significant restoration project along Indian Ford Creek, restoring wet meadows and aspen stands and improving fish passage and riparian habitat. The project would cover about 1,432 acres, with 454 seeing active management. A draft environmental analysis (EA) for the "Indian Ford Aquatic Restoration Project" has been released and is open for public comment. The EA includes three alternatives for action, including "no action." The second... Full story
Nineteen Sisters property owners will have to wait to hear whether they have been approved for grant funding to assist with exterior improvements to their commercial properties in downtown Sisters. The Sisters City Council on Thursday, with Mayor Chris Frye absent, tabled the grant applications that were before them after councilors David Asson and Nancy Connolly raised concerns about whether the grants were in the public interest and whether other uses for urban-renewal... Full story
The City of Sisters is moving closer to fixes for Creekside Park that will make it more functional for travelers in their RVs and less of a burden for neighbors who feel increasingly impacted by the presence of the park. City staff presented a phased proposal to the City's parks board on Wednesday afternoon. The proposed actions would eliminate four sites close to Locust Street, which are a problem for neighbors; eliminate one site along the Tyee Drive border of the park;... Full story
Some members of the Sisters City Council have picked an odd time to have second thoughts about the nature and purpose of the City's Urban Renewal District small projects grant program. Funds for the grants come from the tax dollars paid by property owners of the Urban Renewal District, which basically encompasses the downtown commercial district of Sisters. The City offered this second round of matching grants (up to 50 percent) to encourage property owners to invest in improving the façades of commercial... Full story
As Carin Baker noted in last week's Nugget, building the proposed "paved trail" (which sounds more like a road to me) would be a terribly unwise thing to do to the forest, and I concur. Also there is the concern that beginning the project with a wide paved surface is itself impractical and wasteful. My feeling is that if some people really want a trail there, then start small, like a three-foot-wide dirt track. I might support that. Then, if, after two years or so, the trail proves to be popular, then widen it to four or... Full story
To the Editor: For three years I've not named any individual in any letter, I've purposely kept personalities out of the discussion. However, it is now time for an exception. If you are curious why some of us can get pretty fired up over the paved-path issue, please read the following completely contradictory statements that have contributed greatly to feelings of bitterness among the interested parties. The following excerpt is from the STA's formal objection letter that was submitted to the Forest Service on August 11,... Full story
Seven community members have stepped up to seek seats on the Sisters School Board in the May 19 election. Lachlan Leaver and Greg Zadow will contest Position No. 2. Jeff Smith is running unopposed for Position No. 3. Three candidates will vie for Position No. 4: Stephen King, who currently holds the position by appointment; Karen Swaner, and Steve Mathews. Amanda Clark is running unopposed for Position No. 5. An unusual number of seats are up for election in May due to the resignations of Kay Grady and Justin Durham who both... Full story
Clearwater Gallery hosted the third annual Wild River Show during the Fourth Friday Art Stroll last week. The gallery featured the Deschutes River with interpretive works of over 20 Northwest artists. The Wild River Project was launched in February of 2013 by Clearwater Gallery featuring the magical Metolius River. Collaborating with "Friends of the Metolius," the nonprofit organization benefited from the sales generated by a community art show. This year's Wild River Project... Full story
The Outlaws took first place for the third straight year at the Chandler Prep Baseball Classic, which was held in Chandler, Arizona, Thursday through Saturday, March 26-28. Sisters was undefeated at the tourney. Sisters started with a five-inning, 15-6 victory over Valley Christian on Thursday. Cody Kreminski's grand-slam over the left-center field wall on a fastball in the second inning was the big highlight of the game. The ball landed in a swimming pool, and Kreminski drove around the neighborhood, and knocked on doors... Full story
Sometime last fall a three- to four-month-old black German shepherd mix dog was found roaming the streets of Yakima, Washington. He had no tags or microchip. Luckily for this homeless pup, someone picked him up and brought him to Wags to Riches Animal Rescue and Sanctuary near Yakima. Sisters City Council member Wendy Holzman and her husband, Alan, have faced the challenges of adopting a shelter dog more than once, and when they saw the sweet face of the black shepherd mix puppy on Petfinder they decided to meet him. "Our dau... Full story
The Sisters School District has hired an Oregon executive search firm to assist in its effort to hire a new superintendent. Jim Golden has taken the superintendent position in the Greater Albany School District. The school board seeks to have a new superintendent in the saddle starting July 1. The district is contracting with Window To Leadership (http://window2leadership.com), a government leadership training and executive search firm out of West Linn, for $7,500 plus expenses. "They've done a lot of this - including... Full story
Warm weather and clear skies have ushered in spring earlier than usual in the high desert, and to take advantage of this mild weather, Sisters Parks & Recreation District (SPRD) and Aspen Lakes have joined forces to bring golf instruction to the Sisters community. Get Golf Ready is a program designed for all ages, and its aim is to bring golf to the novice golfer. This introductory program starts with the basics of the game to orient the new golfer into this lifelong sport. Basic skills and strokes are covered along with the... Full story
Fire season will likely start early this year due to the lack of snow over the winter. Property owners in the areas surrounding Sisters should already be clearing the pine needles and trimming back the combustible vegetation surrounding their homes, barns, stables and other structures to create a defensible area. Meanwhile there are others getting ready to protect us from the flames if they come our way. Young people interested in training to become the firefighters who might... Full story
Like so many Oregonians, author Kris Lockard has fond memories of her father taking the family to hike, fish, and camp in the Metolius Basin. She loves the place - and she's got an interesting way of expressing it: "If I were to run away someplace, that's where I'd go." Since she's not a fugitive on the run from a killer, she is staying at her home in the Willamette Valley - but she sent the protagonist of her newly released novel "Green Ridge" here. "My heroine lives in... Full story
Recent DNA tests ordered by New York State's attorney general's office concluded four out of five herbal products selected for testing at stores such as Walgreens and Target contain none of the herbs listed on the jars. Instead they contained substances like powdered rice and house plants. Because these products are not tested regularly by the FDA, unethical companies have been getting away with this type of behavior. One course of action would be to avoid the industry entirely. That would be a shame, both for ethical... Full story
The warm sunny weekend made for perfect conditions for the second meet of the Central District Oregon High School Equestrian Teams (OHSET). The Sisters Outlaws were in fine form as they rode their trusty steeds for three days at the Redmond fairgrounds. On Friday, the English events are held first. Team co-captain Ellie Chandler started the meet off with a first-place in Equitation Over Fences. Chandler then followed it up with another first-place in Saddle Seat Equitation, wi... Full story
The Brothers Comatose will roll through Sisters on Thursday, April 9, on their The West Was Won Tour. The band, which debuted in Sisters at the Sisters Folk Festival, will play The Belfry, 302 E. Main Ave. at 8 p.m. Literal brothers, Alex (banjo and vocals) and Ben Morrison (guitar and vocals) of The Brothers Comatose grew up in a house that was known for its music parties. "The Morrison house was a gathering place for local musicians - everyone would bring an instrument,... Full story
We all hope to have bright kids, and starting them off right is a step in that direction. Now Sisters Country parents can take preschoolers to Bright Kids at 202 E. Fir St. for an early interactive and creative learning environment that will prepare them for kindergarten and beyond. Owner/teacher Alicia Chatila has nine years of teaching experience and is certified in phonics training. Previously she managed a learning center with 90 children, then opened her own center with... Full story
It is no secret that Sisters is a bit of a haven from the "real world" - safe and sheltered from the harsh realities many face in their daily lives. Many people move to Sisters for this very reason. But there are still plenty of opportunities to expand your horizons in Sisters, such as the outreach trip several students participated in recently. High school students Dyut Fetrow, Amanda Smith, Ashley Smith, Anna Bartlett, Serena Salisbury, Dustin Smith, Dani Rudinsky, Jordan Pollard, Cole Pade, Natalie Marshall, Danika Wagner... Full story
A passion for women's basketball followed Julianne Horner from Portland to Sisters and put her on the hardwood for five years as the Lady Outlaws head coach. Now Horner is stepping away from coaching for the first time in more than two decades to enjoy more time with her children. "This is my season in life to be a mom," she said. Horner was a veteran coach when then-principal Bob Macauley tapped her for the Outlaws slot. But Horner says she may have gotten more out of coachin... Full story
Everybody knows that nowadays it's really hard to get a loan, and you have to have 20 percent down to buy a house, right? Nope. There's a lot of mythology and misinformation out there about the lending climate for homebuyers. Cort Horner of Directors Mortgage in Sisters is down in the trenches of the mortgage lending world, and he knows the lay of the land. Certainly the pendulum has swung away from the extremes of pre-recession lending, when anyone with a pulse was... Full story
Folks looking for quality "experienced" furniture that's in excellent shape and a good value have a new resource in Sisters. So do folks who want to sell their used furniture without the hassles and risks of handling the transaction themselves and having someone come to their home to pick up a couch. DeJa Vu Interiors has opened in the Outlaw Station shopping plaza, just to the east of Ray's Food Place. DeJa Vu is a family business established in Bend a dozen years ago. The... Full story
Loy Helmly has returned to Sisters Country to help fulfill a vision. For many years, Helmly was general manager at Black Butte Ranch (BBR), before moving on to work at other resort properties and as a hospitality industry consultant. His old friend Mike Reed lured him back to Sisters, and now he is general manager at Sisters' Best Western Ponderosa Lodge, where he is working on projects that will enhance the landmark Sisters lodging establishment in a way that was envisioned years ago by the late Bill and Jan Reed. The work... Full story
Some people in Sisters claim we don't have a "homeless problem" here. Recently, there was a complaint about "aggressive panhandling" near Ray's. In several recent meetings I have heard reports of a couple of problems with homeless people in the public restrooms in Sisters. A few neighbors who live near Clemens Park are concerned that the proposed restrooms slated for the park will attract an "undesirable element." Many of us, including me, extoll the virtues of Sisters'... Full story
