News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 23 of 23
A chimney fire that spread to a shake roof was swiftly extinguished thanks to a neighbor's quick call to 911, and an immediate response by Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District on Tuesday, April 10. Renters and pets evacuated the home at 468 S. Cedar St. and got water on the fire, which had spread to the shake roof. The first firefighting units on the scene found a fire on the roof near the chimney. The blaze, approximately 20 by 30 feet in area, was quickly extinguished with no damage to the living area of the home. Damage is... Full story
Sisters Habitat for Humanity and Lowe's are calling on women across Sisters Country to get involved in their community during National Women Build Week 2018. More than 18,000 women construction volunteers unite nationwide to build up their communities with Habitat homeowners. National Women Build Week runs May 5-13. In preparation for the project, Sisters Habitat is asking women to sign up to volunteer May 8-12. "We're excited to partner with Lowe's to educate, inspire and... Full story
More is changing at Sisters Park & Recreation District than the arrival of a new executive director. Adult/Senior Program Coordinator Shannon Rackowski has tendered her resignation effective in May. According to SPRD Board Chair Bob Keefer, "Shannon has submitted her resignation of her current position effective in May. It was her decision to leave." When contacted by The Nugget, Keefer said he had not seen the resignation letter. Rackowski provided her resignation letter and a statement to The Nugget: "I would like to thank... Full story
Hikers are reporting an inordinate number of ticks on the loose as the spring hiking season begins to take shape. Since ticks can carry a number of diseases, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease, it makes sense to learn how to avoid these obnoxious little critters. The former disease is more common east of the Rockies but is not unknown in Oregon. Lyme disease, however, is a malady that can pose a greater danger in our area. Even so, the disease is both... Full story
In a national climate that is ever more divided and divisive, where more and more people feel completely disconnected from the institutions that purport to serve them, it's nice to be able to make a decision that makes sense regardless of where you stand along the cultural/political divide, a decision whose positive results can be seen every day in classrooms right here in Sisters. Sisters voters should vote "yes" on measure 9-121 to renew Sisters School District's five-year local option levy. The key word there is "renew";... Full story
To the Editor: These past few months we've had information provided to us from the Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire and most recently Paul Hessburg on living with wildfire. Both of these have a common thread, which is to be responsible to protect our homes and community by creating a safe environment around us from wildfire. I've been on a mission to do just that since late last fall. Our development and one other on Wilt Road backs to some private property that has had hundreds of trees that were cut down by a... Full story
Since the Florida high school shooting, there have been many gun-control proposals and even state legislation passed, at least in Florida. I am truly encouraged by the actions of so many high school students across this country and their growing influence. The thing that concerns me about proposals to ban or restrict so called "assault weapons" and "high-capacity magazines" is that these terms are not explicitly defined. I am concerned that gun legislation, by using these terms, is risking the exclusion of many equally... Full story
The top law-enforcement officers in the counties comprising Sisters Country have issued statements affirming civilian gun rights and opposing Oregon Initiative Petition 43. Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson posted a statement last week on the sheriff's office Facebook page stating that "I support and defend the Second Amendment and oppose IP 43." Nelson affirmed the importance of citizens having the means to defend themselves, noting that "Deputies of the Deschutes County... Full story
Sherri Hermens could barely contain her glee. Her students have been invited to attend the Northwest Taekwondo Championships at Mt. Hood Community College on April 28. For Hermens, who is a paraprofessional in the life skills program at Sisters High School, this trip is the culmination of three years of committed effort to get her students to the point where they are ready to show-off their "chops" in front of other high school taekwondo practitioners from all over the... Full story
More than half the world's population - three billion people - cook their meals over open fires on makeshift stoves that smolder all day. The result? Debilitating lung diseases, disfiguring and disabling burns, time and energy lost to the constant demands of wood-gathering, and a billion tons of greenhouse gases released into the Earth's atmosphere every year. StoveTeam International is tackling this complicated issue with a straightforward strategy: Replace open fires with... Full story
Sisters Rodeo proudly presents Tomas Garcilazo, a Mexican charro, as the 2018 Sisters Rodeo Specialty Act. The three-time PRCA Specialty Act of the Year performs "La Charreria," a skilled routine of Mexican tradition in horsemanship and roping skills. The Mexico City native was raised to be a charro in Mexico's national sport. He is a third-generation rider and trainer in a family that spends a lifetime in training, performing and competing in a spectacular demonstration that... Full story
The Senior Alliance of Sisters is convening a facilitated Community Conversation, including a free light supper, on April 25 at the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire District Community Hall at 301 S. Elm St. The community will have an opportunity to learn about and weigh in on issues around the effort to make Sisters an age-friendly community (AFC). The dinner, sponsored by Ray's Food Place and Sisters Coffee Co., will be served from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., followed by group discussi... Full story
Last week, the Outlaws track and field teams began ramping up into competition following a two-week spring break. Sisters hosted a three-way Sky-Em League meet on Thursday, April 12, against Sweet Home and Cottage Grove and a handful of runners traveled to Willamette University in Salem for the 1A/2A/3A/4A Meet of Champions on Saturday, April 14. Intermittent snow flurries and cool temperatures did not thwart competitors at Thursday's meet as a few real bright spots emerged... Full story
The Outlaws started off their week with a 3-2 road win at Junction City on Tuesday, April 10, and three days later split games in the double-header at Cottage Grove (CG). In Tuesday's action, the Outlaws came from behind to top Junction City. Pherry Luz hit a single in the top of the second to get on base, and Austin Lake drew a walk to score Sisters' first run of the contest. Junction City scored one run in the fifth, and another in the sixth to go up 2-1. Sisters was down... Full story
Without much fanfare, and over a period of a decade-and-a-half, LakeView Millworks has quietly and steadily evolved into one of Sisters' keystone businesses. The business occupies the entire upstairs space on the west side of Town Square - which is an easy fact to miss unless you look up and see the variety of business signs that denote LakeView Millworks' multitude of products and services. And then there's a 2,500-square-foot shop in the Sisters Industrial Park. "We're a... Full story
Two Sisters High School athletes have qualified for the state OHSET (Oregon High School Equestrian Team) meet. Rebecca Rubbert, a Sisters High School senior, qualified for state in two equestrian performance events: Western Trail and In Hand Trail. Rubbert has competed in OHSET since she was a freshman. These events are highly technical and require precision. The athletes earned their state berth in district competition on April 15. Hailee Kennedy, SHS freshman, qualified for... Full story
Mike Bush didn't want to be a retiree with too much time on his hands. So he thought about things he always wanted to do but never had. He remembered being intrigued by the old guys in Western movies sitting on a front porch whittling. It looked like fun! It wasn't as easy as he thought. He burned up several Dremel tools that couldn't handle hard woods. Finally a friend steered him to the right equipment and he became a carver. He bought a book and began replicating what he... Full story
Concerning the article on April 11 titled "Wildhaven Preserve may become public land," (The Nugget, page 1): As the caretaker of Wildhaven Preserve I would like to add some insight into this continuing saga. In the article, Derek Johnson states that The Nature Conservancy (TNC) talked to Gil Staender in 2014 (he died in 2016) and that Staender was aware of the possibility that TNC would donate the land to the Forest Service. This statement is just NOT TRUE! TNC never specified the USFS as a possible steward. This was conjured... Full story
Sue Stafford has always had a deep and abiding love for Sisters - and for the written word. She combines them as a freelance reporter for The Nugget. "I've been a writer since I was able to hold a pencil," she said. "It's the way I process stuff." Stafford got her start as a Nugget freelancer in 2013. She had been involved in establishing senior programing at Sisters Park & Recreation District and approached The Nugget about writing an occasional column geared toward senior... Full story
The Lady Outlaws tennis squad marked a 5-3 victory over North Marion on Friday, April 13 to nab their first win of the season. Sisters' top three doubles teams and top two singles teams recorded victories to give the Outlaws their first win of the season in their match against North Marion. Coach Crystal Tosello said, "It was great to play a school that's closer to our size. It felt great to get a win, and I can't wait to ride that excitement into our packed schedule for next... Full story
With Sara Hartford collecting five hits, Keely Malloy three and Cassidy Ling-Scott hitting a double and a triple, Sisters High School's varsity softball team snapped its 10-game losing streak with a thrilling 24-23 win over visiting Cottage Grove at Volunteer Field last Friday. The one-run victory improved the Outlaws' season mark to 2-10 and was their first Sky-Em Conference win of the season. The celebration didn't last long, as Cottage Grove rebounded for an 18-4 run-rule w... Full story
Sadly, that sort of generosity is lost on a growing segment of our culture who believe - even to the point of personal attacks meant to intimidate the opposition into silence - that theirs is the only view that matters. This column warned against the absurdity of "rules of discourse" because it amounts to nothing more than an attempt to deprive the opposition of their point of view by controlling their language, presentation, and legitimate dissent whenever it runs contrary to the listener's preferred narrative. Which people... Full story
A delivery truck emblazoned with the NeighborImpact logo comes to Sisters once a month loaded with food for those in need. Westside Church in Sisters relies on volunteers to help maintain this effort monthly during the year as the distribution center for Sisters. At Westside, Lois Kaping, co-coordinator of the program, along with Paula Lovegren, has been able to rely on some youthful energy on distribution days from athletic teams from Sisters High School, creating a win-win... Full story
