News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 20 of 20
One of our smaller and most tenacious owls, the Northern Pygmy Owl [Glaucidium Gnoma], hunts during the day. Large insects, rodents, and songbirds make up the majority of their diet. Pygmies are found in habitat ranging from deciduous woods to high-elevation fir and spruce forests. Nesting in tree cavities, the Northern Pygmy Owl will lay two to seven white eggs and wait until all eggs are laid before beginning incubation. After fledging, the adults will continue feeding... Full story
Brennan Layne has deep roots in Sisters. Soon, he and his wife, Megan, will be welcoming the fourth generation to their family. Layne graduated from Sisters High School in 2012. He appreciated his childhood experience so much that he moved his growing family back to Central Oregon, where he has taken up a practice as a loan officer with Guild Mortgage. “I’m a third-generation Sisters person who really understands the community, and the market. My great-grandfather bought the... Full story
The Barn was honored with a Building a Better Central Oregon (BBCO) award for Outstanding Community Enhancement by the Central Oregon Association of Realtors. The BBCO award recognizes those who have enhanced their community with outstanding new or renovated residential, commercial, or industrial buildings. Projects are judged on economic impact, neighborhood improvement, unique design or use of materials. Coldwell Banker Bain nominated the food cart court and tap house that... Full story
With prices rising for just about everything, when it comes to utility bills in homes and businesses, efficiency is more important than ever. Working in construction, GreenSavers owner and Sisters resident Robert Hamerly saw that need firsthand while installing cost-effective machinery and insulation in new builds. The benefits of construction standards and heat pump systems were undeniable and because of that, 15 years ago, Hamerly launched his company, GreenSavers, to... Full story
Debra Sue Van Cleave passed away after a long battle of dementia at the age of 71. Debra was born in Spokane, Washington to Gordon and Dorothy Holmdahl on September 26, 1951. The family moved to Flaxville, Montana then they moved to The Dalles, Oregon, and Portland, before settling in Salem-Keizer area. Debra graduated from McNary High School in 1969. Debra worked a few jobs before she started her career at ODOT; she worked 30 years, retiring in 2012. Debra met the love of... Full story
Robert “Bo” Neal passed away surrounded by family and close friends at St. Charles on Monday, November 7. Born May 8, 1951, in Silverton, Oregon, Bo was raised in the country around Stayton and Scio, part of a large extended family. He graduated from Regis High in Stayton and received a baseball scholarship to Treasure Valley Community College. Following that, he attended University of Oregon, again on a baseball scholarship, where he was a catcher. Graduating in 1973, he wen... Full story
The Outlaws soccer squad had four players who earned All-League honors, including Tate Kaczmarek, Gus Patton, and Vincent Christian, who were all First-Team picks. Kaczmarek, senior and co-captain, is a four-year starter and played at forward for the Outlaws. He was the leading goal scorer this year with 17 goals. He also tallied nine assists over the course of league play. “Tate has exceptional field vision, is a very versatile player, is attack-minded, and has an incredible work rate,” said Coach Jeff Husmann. Patton, sen... Full story
After being derailed by the pandemic, “Frontiers in Science,” the popular lecture series presented by the Sisters Science Club, will return to The Belfry next spring. Neuroscience and genetics will be the topics for the February and April events, featuring two accomplished researchers and teachers. On Tuesday, February 21, Dr. Mark Pitzer of the University of Portland will focus on how to help our brains learn and retain new knowledge. Dr. Pitzer’s lecture is the perfect preface to April’s presentation on the DNA mutatio... Full story
Peggy Tehan has lived in Sisters for over 38 years, and she raised her children here. Tehan is currently serving as the Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) board president. She has been serving on the board for over 12 years, taking over the director position from John Bushnell. She worked as board treasurer before serving as president this year. “I help out with the financial statement and auditing process and being available for staff questions regarding the board o... Full story
The Outlaws JV football squad finished their season with a 3-4 overall record. Twenty-three players were on the roster, and three, including Kayle Mock, Ethan Eby, and Kelvin Parker, saw significant minutes on the varsity squad. Mock (sophomore), and Eby and Parker (freshmen) were all instrumental players, and according to Defensive Coordinator Jim Gurney will be foundational for the varsity team next year. Mock played as running back, wide receiver, and at safety. He was... Full story
Erin had just moved to Santa Barbara and was looking for a personal trainer position when she met Doug, a local gym owner. They went their separate ways, but two years later their paths crossed again, and Erin started as a trainer at Doug’s gym. A great working relationship led to spending more time together even outside the gym. It was during an outing to a soccer game, enveloped in the roar of the cheering crowd, that they realized there was something there. They couldn’t deny the attraction they felt for each other and... Full story
Senior Josie Patton was a First-Team All-League pick and earned top recognition as Goalkeeper of the Year in the All-League voting. Patton has been a four-year starting goalie for the Outlaws, and last year was also named Goalie of the Year in 4A. Coach Brian Holden noted that Patton is a tall player with strong hands and a broad wingspan. She is a dedicated athlete, a positive team leader, and vocal from the back. Patton recorded 11 shutouts, and only had three goals scored a... Full story
The 2020 population census is still being tabulated almost two years later in some locales, but for Sisters the numbers are in. According to the United States Census Bureau, Sisters is home to 3,064 persons living in 1,661 dwelling units (1.84 per household). There were 1,172 families or other living arrangements recorded. The census, which is conducted every 10 years, also revealed that 49.7 percent are employed in Sisters, and 57.6 percent work in Oregon. The Sisters median... Full story
Sisters schools honored local veterans with their annual assemblies at all three schools. The Sisters High School assembly took place on Wednesday November 9 in the auditorium, with the entire student body and teachers present, as well as 15 local veterans from different branches of the military, who sat in the front to be recognized. The assembly, which is put on by the Associated Student Government (ASG) every year, included a video message from staff and students about what... Full story
Rampant development and land-use conflicts. Pandemic illness. Economic instability and anxiety. Gun control. We could be talking about issues affecting Oregonians in 2022 — or we could be talking about issues affecting Puritan colonists and the Wampanoag Confederacy in 1675 New England. One of the things that makes the study of history so compelling is the way the same kinds of trials and tribulations resonate across centuries. An old saying, usually attributed to Mark... Full story
Gender Identity To the Editor: Last week my husband, Kris Calvin, submitted an excellent letter to the editor referencing the controversy over nonbinary youth counselors at Camp Tamarack, and I’d like to chime in that I am also extremely proud of our daughter Amity Calvin (she/her pronouns, prefers term daughter). She came out as gay in college and a few years later, in medical school, shared with us her nonbinary gender identity. I’ll admit, when she told me she was having top surgery (bilateral mastectomy for the pur... Full story
The Lady Outlaws had a stellar league season and finished with a 11-1 record — all sweeps, except for two matches. Six Outlaw players stood out and earned All-League recognition — and Coach Rory Rush was named Coach of the Year. It came as no surprise that junior Gracie Vohs, Sisters’ outside hitter and team captain, was a First-Team pick and named Player of the Year. Vohs recorded 220 kills, 24 blocks, and 25 aces during league play. Coach Rory Rush said, “Gracie... Full story
The 2023 Sisters City Council will see only one newcomer, Susan Cobb, who will take the seat vacated by retiring Council President Nancy Connolly, who has served for eight years. Gary Ross and Michael Preedin were reelected to serve for four years, and Cobb will serve for two. They join continuing Council members Andrea Blum and Jennifer Letz. Ross, who garnered 28 percent of the vote with 1,179 votes, said, “I want to thank the voters of Sisters for trusting me with their v... Full story
Detectives from the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team (CODE Team) arrested a 46-year-old Sisters man on multiple drug charges on Friday, November 11. According to Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO), the CODE Team concluded a short-term investigation with the arrest of Paul Weston of Sisters. Sgt. Vander Kamp reported that after receiving several community complaints, CODE detectives identified Weston as a fentanyl trafficker in the Sisters area. The initial investigation alleges Weston i... Full story
Although Sisters Country will finish the year on the edge of a La Niña cycle (cooler and wetter), it is still impossible to predict with certainty how this will translate into snowfall — and, therefore, local driving conditions. It is best to be prepared for whatever nature brings. In a “typical” year a mile section of road could simultaneously be dry, wet, packed snow, ice, and slush. These driving conditions are brought on by Sisters transitional elevation. At 3... Full story
