News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 21 of 21
Sisters School District is noted for its arts program. From elementary school through high school, students have exceptional opportunities to learn a variety of media and to express themselves through painting, sculpture, and more. That means that, by the time they reach Bethany Gunnarson’s art classes at Sisters High School (SHS), many students are ready to blossom as truly accomplished artists. Students were honored with 2022 Scholastic Art Awards last January. The event w... Full story
Amid continuing drought conditions in the region, the City of Sisters is encouraging community members to conserve water and reduce waste. Snowpack and reservoir levels are currently below average for this time of year, and above-average temperatures are predicted in the Cascades and Central Oregon. These drought conditions are affecting both our local community and natural resources. The City’s water supply comes from groundwater, and the City has been implementing efforts to ensure that we can continue to provide our c... Full story
Raucous, boisterous, annoying, disagreeable are just a few terms used to describe the Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri). Granted, much of their behavior can be described as loutish, and appreciating these forest birds can be challenging, however the mixed blues of their feathers are nothing but stunning and observing their creative ways is intriguing. The Steller’s Jay is a master mimic; crying babies, red-tailed hawks, cats, dogs, and other birds are just a few calls hea... Full story
- The Sisters City Council approved the awarding of a public improvement contract to Knife River Corporation -Northwest in an amount not to exceed $304,986.60 for the 2022 pavement maintenance project. Due to their level of pavement degradation and age, the following streets will receive a 1.5-inch overlay: West Main Avenue from North Locust Street to North Pine Street, Pine Meadow Street, South Rope Street, East Timber Pine Drive, West Jefferson Avenue, and South Birch... Full story
With over 60 people filling the Sisters Fire Hall community room, the U.S. Forest Service Sisters Ranger District Open House on Monday, April 11 was loaded with relevant information on all the Forest Service activities and projects already undertaken and those planned for the coming year. Sisters District Ranger Ian Reid said the purpose of the first in-person open house in two years was to inform the public about proposed projects and get feedback from the attendees. Reid... Full story
The boys tennis team has hit the midway mark through the season, and the four young players that have dedicated themselves to learning the sport are getting better with each match played. Sisters has played in seven matches, and the focus has been to get players as much experience as possible. Technically, they forfeit every match because they don’t have a full roster of 12 varsity players, but they aren’t concerned with the outcome of the matches. Players have been pla... Full story
The Lady Outlaws tennis team posted a 5-3 win over Madras at home on Thursday, April 14, and improved their conference record to 2-1, and are 5-4 overall. It was a cold day with intermittent snow flurries, which made for difficult play. The team stayed positive, cheered for their teammates, and walked away with a sweep in singles play, and also a win at No. 4 doubles. No. 1 singles player Juhree Kizziar continued her winning streak with a 6-2, 6-2 win over her opponent.... Full story
The Outlaws continued to dominate play this past week with a 12-3 win at home on Friday, April 15, over Corvallis. Earlier in the week the Outlaws had to cancel their game at Sprague in Salem due to snowy roads over the pass, and then Saturday’s game against West Salem in Sisters was cancelled due to snow on the field. Sisters jumped out quick and closed out the first quarter with a 7-0 lead. Gus Patton and Ricky Huffman both scored two goals, and Max Palanuk, Eli Johnson, and Wyatt Maffey added one goal each. The Outlaws c... Full story
The impacts of population growth on our economic and social fabric have been at the heart of the Oregon story for well over two centuries. Residents of Sisters Country can help influence the next 20 years of that story by participating in the May 12, Citizens 4 Community public forum about growth in our community. Few communities have been as profoundly affected by population growth and change as the tribal nations. White intruders disrupted traditional tribal cultures, economies, and governments and, with some exceptions, ap... Full story
It’s April in Sisters, and whether or not snow gives way to spring, it’s one of the most spectacular weeks to see local art and meet local artists. The Sisters Arts Association’s Fourth Friday Artwalk on April 22 will feature displays of the artwork donated to the My Own Two Hands (MOTH) Auction in galleries and businesses around town. This is in addition to the usual round of featured artists in the galleries of Sisters. Galleries and businesses displaying MOTH art include Bedouin, The Barn, Sisters Coffee Co., Hood Avenu... Full story
Weather played a significant role in the way the Outlaws track and field teams experienced a busy week that included competing in two high-quality invitationals in winter-like conditions. After being largely forced indoors for practice during last week’s snowfall, the team traveled over the snowy pass to the Philomath Invitational on Thursday, April 14, to go up against seven other teams, including some of the best in the 4A classification. According to coaches, many of the team fell short of their best efforts at the meet u... Full story
The annual My Own Two Hands (MOTH) Art Auction presented by the Sisters Folk Festival (SFF) opens this Friday, April 22, at the Fourth Friday Art Stroll.... Full story
Sisters School District honored eight students with the first annual Avanza Award for acquisition of English language at a ceremony held Wednesday, April 6, at Sisters Elementary School. Marleen and Bruce Rognlien wanted to partner with the school district and the Latinx community outreach group to establish the award to honor students who complete a state program in English speaking and writing. Bruce Rognlien said, “I was motivated to help set up and fund the award b... Full story
A friend of mine is downsizing. “This is a lesson in consumerism,” he said as he contemplated how to off-load years of accumulated possessions. We’ve all been there. Most all of us have a room somewhere that’s full of the stuff we haven’t used, the clothes we haven’t worn in years, the books we’ll never read again. We just can’t seem to bring ourselves to get rid of all that stuff, and stop buying more. Sometimes we have the impulse to haul in a 60-foot dumpster and ju... Full story
Local politics can be great To the Editor: So here I sit. In the audience at a political event. Pretty much the last place I ever thought I’d be. And yet, there is a something undeniable happening at our local events for the Sisters Republicans. Could it be that there is a level of civic engagement that could be both uplifting and participative? You bet there is. No prior experience necessary. In fact, that’s the best part. We’ve had two events already. The first drew around 70 people and six or so candidates if my memor... Full story
On September 8, 2020, arsonists set a fire near the dog park in the city of Ashland in Southern Oregon, leading to the destruction of over 3,000 structures. Surprisingly Ashland was spared, as the fire, fueled by once-in-a-lifetime winds, raced westward along the Bear Creek Greenway bike path and wiped out half of the towns of Talent and Phoenix. The fire was abetted by a second arson fire in Phoenix which merged with the Almeda (Ashland) fire. Three persons died in the... Full story
A major infusion of cash will bolster local efforts to face down the annual crisis of wildfire in the West. The Forest Service announced $131 million in funding last week to begin implementation of “Confronting the Wildfire Crisis: A Strategy for Protecting Communities and Improving Resilience in America’s Forests,” including $29.1 million in funds directed to increasing treatments on two landscapes in the Pacific Northwest — in central Washington and here in Central Oregon. According to an agency assessment, less... Full story
Brooke Blevins grew up around horses in Central Oregon. Being surrounded by horses at a young age, she always knew she wanted to pursue professional riding and rodeo. Her grandma got her on horseback when she was in diapers. She began riding around the house and trail riding and eventually ended up working on barrel racing and pole bending – both rodeo events. “As I got more confident in events on horseback, I decided I wanted to further build up my confidence and do mor... Full story
Sisters High School teacher Gail Greaney challenged 25 students to contact various individuals in the community that they believe impacted them/their community. Students interviewed 15 individuals and came up with perspectives from these people. They then presented their interpretations in front of an audience in Sisters High School’s auditorium Wednesday evening, in an event titled “A Story That Should Be Told.” The featured photo is of Mary Lapray with her prese... Full story
Central Oregon native Jacob Smith has assumed the duties of Code Compliance Officer (CCO) for the City of Sisters. This is a new staff position. Smith comes to his job in Sisters after working for the City of Redmond for 15 years, 13 of those as the code compliance officer, which was a new position in Redmond when he started. He built the program from the ground up, which is what he will be doing in Sisters. During his time in Redmond, Smith reported there were 15,000 code... Full story
Living in or near the forest, Sisters residents are (or should be) tuned into the possibility of fire. Now we have another natural phenomenon of which to be aware: drought. We are entering into our third summer of drought in Central Oregon with forecasts for this year to be worse than the two previous years. When there is only 50 percent of our normal snowpack in the mountains, 25-50 percent of normal precipitation so far this year, and plenty of dry fuels around the area, the... Full story
