News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 27
Retirement is a big deal. Having recently left the workplace after 44 years, I can't tell you how much fun it is to be back out on the playground. "You must always remember to skip," my mom said. The energy, warmth, and even the peace that abounds out here is like no other. I highly recommend it ... when the time is just right, of course. Talk about timing, that's another thing that is great about being retired. I get to see so much more of this way cool way in which God shows his grace and mercy in my life. After retiring,... Full story
In an economy where stretching the dollar as far as it will go is a necessity, more and more local folks are turning to service agencies for help. One of the main sources of assistance in the Sisters area is the Kiwanis Food Bank. Sisters Kiwanis provides families with an emergency supply of three to four days of food on a once-a-month basis. According to Steve Murray, food bank coordinator at Central Oregon's NeighborImpact, the number of people coming to the Sisters Kiwanis for help has "...gone up over a year ago and over... Full story
An old Sisters house went up in flames on Saturday. Firefighter response was especially quick - since they started the blaze. The Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District in cooperation with the Black Butte Ranch fire department conducted a "Burn to Learn" exercise on an old house located adjacent to the Village Green Park in Sisters on March 29. The home was burned as an alternative to demolition in an exercise that provided quality training to local... Full story
To the Editor: My father-in-law is Bill Merrill, president of the Sisters City Council. I have read of the "flag controversy," and I am hopeful an amicable resolution soon can be reached. My letter is to address the criticisms of Bill. I have known him for 25 years, since he was active service military stationed at Ft. Irwin, California. I was the "liberal" Democrat daughter-in-law, surrounded by staunchly Republican Merrills. Over those 25 years I have grown not only to love but to admire and respect Bill. He and I do not... Full story
Family Access Network (FAN) of Deschutes County is losing about 60 percent of its funding. The loss amounts to approximately $650,000 and will impact the services that Sisters FAN advocates provide to the Sisters community. "FAN will be here next year, and what we are looking at now is what model we can continue to have within the Sisters community that is going to be successful for us over the longterm," said FAN's executive director Julie Lyche. The loss in revenue is the result of a new administrative ruling by the... Full story
The Black Butte Ranch (BBR) Association Board of Directors has voted unanimously to proceed with the construction of a new Welcome Center. The complex will be located near the current entrance to the resort property. Partly due to the controversy engendered over construction of the facility, the Welcome Center has received more scrutiny than any other new construction project in the history of the Ranch. The proposed solution is the result of significant homeowner input, multiple traffic studies, professional environmental... Full story
Rover's life is changed forever. The gentle, large black long hair with white markings was scheduled for euthanasia at the Redmond humane shelter. That was until Bonnie Baker of the Cat Rescue Adoption and Foster Team (CRAFT) rescued him about six weeks ago. Last Sunday, Rover was adopted in Sisters by a Bend resident Michele Hitson, especially for her three-year-old son. Rover left Sisters in a cardboard kennel destined for a happy home and full life. Baker is the founder of... Full story
While Sisters hunkered down under a replay of winter, the Outlaws baseball headed south for a spring break tournament in Boulder Creek, Arizona. The team played four games in sunny 85-degree weather and gained lots of experience against top-notch teams. The Outlaws first game of the tourney was on Monday, March 24, against a team from Ralston Valley, Colorado. Ralston Valley is a school of approximately 1,700 students, and the team is ranked No. 1 in their division with four of their players college bound with full baseball... Full story
The annual Sisters Rotary Track and Field meet is set for Saturday, April 5, at Reed Stadium. The meet promises to provide high quality running, jumping and throwing by athletes from throughout the Central Oregon region and the Willamette Valley. The 14-team meet includes squads from West Linn, Redmond, Crook County, Madras, Molalla, La Pine, Estacada, Cascade, Burns, Lakeview, Culver, Bonanza and Gilchrist. Head coach Bob Johnson sees the meet as a chance for Sisters area fans to come and see the Outlaws in action. "With a... Full story
Opponents of destination resort developments in the Metolius Basin launched a volley of appeals last week. Two groups filed appeals with the Oregon Court of Appeals, and a decision should be delivered in August. An appeal filed by LandWatch and Friends of the Metolius (FOM) argues that the approval of destination resort zones around the Metolius is improper. The argument suggests that the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) incorrectly excluded the aquifer waters of the headwaters of the Metolius and the Metolius River in... Full story
Spring started on March 20, but you wouldn't know it in Sisters. The swarm of storms that hit last week brought mixed emotions. "I see a lot of people while working at the Sisters Athletic Club," said Rebecca Womack. "Most comments were complaints about the storms but a few weren't. One lady told me that these storms are just our spring showers instead of getting rain. A man who had been at Hoodoo said it was the most snow he had seen up there in a long time. And a few have reported that the snow will certainly help our... Full story
•A woman reported a suspicious person lurking near her home in a vehicle. It turned out the woman in the car had pulled into a secluded spot where she could smoke without being caught in the act by her kids. •A bike stolen from the home of a boy fighting cancer has been found. •Deputies followed up on reports of three aggressive dogs at large in Sisters. •There were a few single-vehicle accidents on icy Sisters roads. •A man pulled into a gas station under the influence and was arrested. •A man... Full story
The Sisters High School softball team knew they would see some tough action in their own Spring Break Tournament, but they weren't expecting to lose all four games. The Lady Outlaws were forced to move their tournament to Bowlby Field in Redmond when three-straight days of snow made the Outlaw complex unplayable. Despite hosting each game, the locals lost 0-4 to Astoria, 2-5 to Cascade, 4-11 to 5A Madras and 7-8 to Astoria. Cascade and Madras were each 3-1 and Astoria was 2-2 in the four-team event. Two teams, defending 4A... Full story
This week's entries on The Nugget Newspaper Blog include an interesting take from a retired Special Forces soldier on flags and memorials; the paradox of growth in the Sisters Country; an epiphany reached in the midst of anger at littering and more. There is also a series of comments regarding the schools superintendent's remarks about the public's use of school board meetings. To access the blog, visit www.nuggetnews.com and click on the Nugget Blog button on the menu at the top of the home page.... Full story
Sisters Habitat for Humanity's ReStore has been in business a little over 11 months. During that period of time, the store has contributed over $40,000 to the Habitat for Humanity Building Fund and in the process has kept some 224,000 pounds or 112 tons of "stuff" out of local landfills. On Friday, April 11 the community is invited to help ReStore celebrate these accomplishments at its one-year anniversary celebration. The store's mascot Miss Jenni, who adopted the store... Full story
The Hispanic Coalition Group held its first meeting in Sisters earlier this month in an attempt to join area Latinos to the greater Sisters community. A considerable and growing number of Hispanics is making up the local population (See related story, page 30). They are opening businesses and working in the community, yet they tend to remain apart, according to Carlos Guzman, one of the coalition's organizers. In an effort to help integrate Hispanic folks into the community, Maret Pajutee, the district ecologist from the U.S.... Full story
•Sisters Log Furniture, located at 140 W. Cascade Ave. next to Sisters Market, just expanded its showroom. They are open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. •Alpacas of Idyllwild is hosting an open house at 67308 Trout Ln., Bend on Saturday, April 19. They are inviting the Sisters community to visit the alpacas and the ranch store. Call 330-8418 for information. •C & C Nursery and Landscape Maintenance is opening for the season, on April 7. They are taking pre-orders for flower baskets and booking for spring... Full story
Will the trails around Sisters ever be free of snow? On a training run this week in preparation for the Peterson Ridge Rumble (see below), I found myself struggling in four to five inches of snow above the Eagle Rock loop and wondered if it was Christmas break or spring break. I think we'll all be glad to exchange the white stuff for a little dust on the trail. Looking on the bright side, the untracked snow did make for a beautiful and tranquil morning run. Speaking of trail runs, there are two upcoming events that have... Full story
Sisters will keep its full-day kindergarten thanks to a vote by the Oregon Legislature. Public schools may continue to charge tuition through June of 2010 for the half-day portion of full-day kindergarten that is not supported by state school funding. The Oregon House gave final approval to Senate Bill 1068 on February 22. The new law overrules Oregon Assistant Attorney General Serena Hewitt's, November 30, 2007 opinion that school districts have no authority under state law to collect tuition. Hewitt's ruling came as an... Full story
Snowy days last week did not dampen the spirits of Sisters merchants. After all, it was the second week of Sisters month-long spring vacation tourist season, and the outlook for a bright and profitable high season is in the air. Chris Wilder, owner of Sisters Log Furniture, told The Nugget that 80 percent of his business is from tourists and individuals who have second homes at Black Butte Ranch, Aspen Lakes, Eagle Crest and even Sunriver. He sees this high percentage of touri... Full story
The Outlaws lost 11-7 in a hard fought game in very cold weather and pouring rain at Sprague, on Thursday, March 20. Last year Sisters lost to Sprague by just one goal and the Outlaws were confident that this year they would be competitive and come away with a victory. It was not to be. "We were up in the fourth quarter, but truly bizarre calls from new refs literally handed the game to Sprague and allowed them to score five goals in the fourth quarter," said Coach Bill Rexford. The contest did not start well for the... Full story
A silent auction will be the last effort in a year-long fund-raiser that has been raising money to pay for this year's graduation party for Sisters High School seniors. The event is slated for the FivePine Conference Center, on Thursday, April 17, from 5 to 7 p.m. "We are hoping to raise $4,500, which will put us in the good (meeting their goal of $16,000). We'll be really comfortable with that," said fund-raising committee publicity chairman Renee May. All, whether or not they are parents of 2008 graduating seniors, are... Full story
•The Rasmussen family, whose house in Crossroads burned earlier this month, wrote: "We would like to express our deep appreciation to the Sisters community and the businesses and individuals who have been so kind and generous to our family in our time of need. We are so very fortunate to live in such a close and caring community. "Special thanks to Sisters High School, Ponderosa Lodge, FivePine Lodge, Hair Caché, Bedouin, Navigator News, Lutton's Ace Hardware, Hoyt's, Your $12.99 Store, The Nugget, Radio Shack and... Full story
The My Own Two Hands Art Stroll set for Friday, April 11, will feature a new twist - an art treasure hunt. My Own Two Hands is a two-day fund-raising event that benefits the Sisters Folk Festival's Americana Project, the musical outreach program in Sisters schools. "We will be hiding two art pieces in two different (art stroll) locations," said festival events director Katy Yoder. "The first people who find them will get a prize." The stroller who finds the "Duck of... Full story
The Sisters Country is changing. Michael Gaston, the Director of the Deschutes County Public Library, described the region's shifting demographics at Sisters Movie House last week. The presentation was hosted by RE/MAX Town & Country Realty. The information presented was the foundation of a study that was conducted to prepare the library for its growth during the coming years. It included projections of growth and changing demographics. The fastest growing segment of the population in Deschutes County is the Hispanic segment,... Full story
