News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 27
The Sisters environmental education organization Wolftree is defying the theory that too many cooks spoil the broth. Wolftree has hammered together a wide-ranging alliance to restore three miles of riparian area on Whychus Creek over the next year. Last week a team composed of members from Wolftree, the Healthy Waters Institute, the U.S. Forest Service, Three Sisters Irrigation District and Sisters High School descended on a part of the McKenzie Canyon canal that is due to be... Full story
A head-on collision on Highway 20 west of the Santiam Pass on Thursday sent three people to the hospital. According to Oregon State Police, the driver of an eastbound pickup truck lost control on the wet road and slid into a westbound pickup truck. The passenger in the eastbound truck was ejected and critically injured. Another car came upon the scene minutes later and failed to stop in time to avoid colliding with the other vehicles. That driver, Brittany Bradley of Sisters, was unhurt. Gary Sneva, who has lived in Sisters,... Full story
Six candidates are competing for three seats on the Sisters School Board in the May 22 election. Mike Morgan opposes Tom Dumolt for Position 2, a two-year term. Morgan has a degree in Industrial Engineering and spent 20 years in the Silicon Valley working for various high tech companies as a corporate officer and director. In those positions he gained extensive start-up and turn-around experience. Later, he developed his own manufacturing company which sold products and... Full story
To the Editor: Activists out of control? Last week I read in The Nugget that four conservation organizations filed two separate appeals seeking the withdrawal of the Black Crater timber sale project by the Forest Service. There was 9,000 acres that were covered by the fire. This plan applies to only 190 acres. A very small portion of the fire. It would help restore the forest land by re-planting and allow us to harvest the fire-killed timber so it does not go to waste. After a catastrophic fire, clean up and re-planting the... Full story
The City of Sisters is backing away from its decision to repaint City Hall. According to City Manager Eileen Stein and Mayor Brad Boyd, it is not clear that the city council ever formally approved a color sample board with a darker sage green as they believed last week. The architect insists that the building was painted according to colors approved by the city. In a letter to the city, architect Scott Steele wrote, "The design process we conducted with Eileen and other... Full story
Speaking to 200,000 people a year is a rigorous schedule for anyone. Cycling 100 miles a day is almost inconceivable to most of us. Imagine doing these things with no legs and only one arm. Meet Bill Mortimer. This is exactly what he does. On Friday, April 20, through the sponsorship of the Sisters Rotary Club, Mortimer told his story to Sisters middle and high school students. He challenged them to be their best in whatever they do. To a transfixed audience Mortimer spoke of... Full story
Those who attended Friday night's Family Access Network (FAN) fund-raiser went home with empty bowls to remind them that every night people everywhere go to sleep with empty tummies. More than 150 supporters gathered in the Sisters High School commons to break bread, share good conversation and fill the coffers of FAN's Emergency Access fund. FAN advocate Shawna Bell explained the event's "Empty Bowls" theme. "The idea is eating soup out of your bowls and then the kids will... Full story
A decade ago, with Sisters schools bleeding from a thousand cuts of the budget knife, Jeri Fouts and a group of volunteers staged an innovative fund-raiser - a concert series dedicated to raising money to preserve threatened programs. Fouts used past fund-raising connections with musicians like songwriter Kim Carnes to convince artists to donate their time to stage concerts that would not only raise money but engage students, rally the community - and provide a great show. The series has generated some $600,000 for the... Full story
The boys lacrosse team traveled to Liberty on Friday, April 20. Although the Outlaws lost the match 2-7, Coach Bill Rexford thinks it was the best game his boys have played all season. He said that Liberty was definitely the best team they've played all season. At the half Liberty held a 5-0 lead over the Outlaws. "Their goals were made on our mental errors," said Rexford, "not because they were better than us. They just have more lacrosse experience. Their shots were very hard and picked at the corners. On the other hand, we... Full story
From the abounding smiles and the large crowd in attendance, it seems that Family Dance Night at Sisters Elementary School is a highlight of the year. The free event sponsored by the school's Sisters Parent Teacher Community (SPTC) is a thank-you and a fund-raiser. "Only last year it started becoming a fund-raiser. What it really is is a thank-you to the families and students for supporting us," said Daiya Dillman-Owen, SPTC secretary. "A year ago we made it into a... Full story
Sisters High School equestrian team once again rode away with district honors at the final district meet held April 19-21 at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds. Sisters competes as a large school, comprised of teams of 16 or more members. This year, 25 riders carried the Sisters colors around the arena, over jumps, through obstacles and behind steers. Twenty of them will continue to the state meet, held on May 18-20 at the fairgrounds. Senior Jennifer Friend successfully... Full story
The boys and girls golf teams played in the rain, the hail and the wind - and sometimes all three at the same time - last week. The girls golf team took first place at the Elmira Golf Tournament held at Diamond Woods Golf Course on Tuesday, April 17. The Lady Outlaws finished with a team score of 409. Cottage Grove took second (455), and La Pine placed third (504). Alexis Wainwright carded an 89 for Sisters to lead the Outlaws to their first-place finish. Lindsay Reeve was four strokes back with 93. Claire Mutchler scored a... Full story
Sisters residents can fly their American flag proudly and with proper ceremony on six holidays thanks to Boy Scout Troop 188 of Sisters. For a $60 annual fee Troop 188 will put up a flag in your yard on President's Day in February; Memorial Day; Flag Day on June 14; Independence Day; Labor Day; and Veterans Day. At the end of each holiday, the troop will pick up the flag and store it until the next holiday. The service runs from July 4, 2007 to July 1, 2008. The fee helps... Full story
Sam Stoneback pitched a one-hitter and recorded her first career shutout in the Lady Outlaws 9-0 win over La Pine on Monday, April 16. Stoneback struck out 11 batters and walked only one. This marked the fifth time this season Stoneback has struck out more than 10 batters in a game. The game marked the second shutout of the season for the Outlaws and the second one-hitter. Sophomore Hillary Renz pitched a one-hitter against Astoria over spring break. Sisters scored four runs... Full story
Attired in bright native dress, Sisters resident Ardie Winters enchanted her Lunch & Learn audience last week describing a recent visit to Ghana. She was part of an 11-person group volunteering to work in the small village of Afadjato to help assist with school, medical and building projects. Using pictures she had taken on her trip, the former public health nurse presented life in rural Ghana and the people she met. "The people were friendly and shared their life and... Full story
"Fracture" shows that Hollywood can still produce a film with a plot. It is a convoluted story about a young and arrogant district attorney traveling in the fast lane who is trying his final case before moving on to a lucrative corporate law career. The case involves a man who attempted to murder his wife after discovering that she was having an affair with a police hostage negotiator. There are several themes that are woven through "Fracture," many of which are driving forces in our modern society. There is the lure of the... Full story
After two weeks and six cancelled matches, the boys tennis team finally got back on the courts. The long stretch without competitive play didn't seem to hinder the Outlaws as they defeated Cascade 7-0 in a non-league match. Sisters' singles players all defeated their opponents in straight sets. Johannes Traut continued his dominance as the No. 1 singles player. Traut defeated Ole Anders 6-1, 6-1. Evan Sims (No. 2) defeated Diego Gomez 6-4, 6-4. Jordan Wellman (No. 3) defeated Josh Thomson 6-2, 6-2, and Jake Thomas (No. 4)... Full story
The Sisters commmunity shared sketches of the life of legendary University of Oregon track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Bill Bowerman, in two events last week. As an expansion of the Deschutes County Library Foundation's fourth annual countywide program "A Novel Idea...Read Together," Sisters Movie House hosted the film "One Day in September" and Sisters Athletic Club offered a presentation by the "Three Amigos" who told the Nike story. Last Thursday night's film screening brought community members to the movie... Full story
Sisters Coffee Company was the latest venue for folk artist Nathan McEuen. The singer/songwriter gave a solo performance in the coffee house great room on Sunday afternoon, April 22 - every song followed with strong applause. The McEuen name is well-known in music circles, and Nathan McEuen is continuing to build the reputation for the clan. McEuen grew up in and around the Rocky Mountains, surrounded by incredible music and talented musicians. "I have played music all my life. It is my life," said McEuen. As the son of John... Full story
Sisters is not immune to homelessness. Fifty-three adults and 19 children under the age of 18 were counted as homeless on January 25. The one-day homeless count spearheaded by NeighborImpact was conducted throughout Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook counties and identified 2,010 individuals as homeless. Results of the survey published by the Homeless Leadership Council (HLC) found that of the Central Oregon households surveyed, 56 percent reported they were homeless because they cannot afford rent. Seventy-nine percent of the... Full story
In the second and final home meet of the season on April 19, the Outlaws track teams vanquished their Sky-Em foes in cool but windless conditions which contributed to some impressive marks including one school record. Senior Tara Hermens, who has been flirting with the school record in the girls' javelin all year, popped a throw of 109 feet 6 inches to put her name on the books and win the event. She also placed fourth in the discus with a toss of 84 feet. Kelsey Neilson... Full story
The Small Farmer's Journal Horsedrawn Auction and Swap Meet, held April 20-22 at the rodeo grounds, fits right in with the rest of Sisters signature events.It puts its own quirky twist on the elements of those events. It can't exactly be called artsy, but there is plenty of art to be seen and purchased. The paintings tend to have work horses and mules as their subjects, but the appeal is obvious. Yard art abounds at many of the swap meet vendor booths. Many of the carriages an... Full story
Four Sisters TaeKwonDo students are hoping to soon take a step up the black belt ladder. Grand master David Chaanine will be conducting a belt testing on May 4-5. All are invited to gather at Sisters Organization for Activities and Recreation (SOAR) to cheer the students along. Victoria Graves, SOAR's TaeKwonDo instructor, is testing to be promoted to her third dan, the Korean word for degree. High school junior Josh Marr, last year high school graduate James (Jet) Cowan and... Full story
The newest addition to the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show was launched Monday evening. It was a class to construct fabric postcards that will be auctioned off during the quilt show as a fund-raiser. "This is a free class with materials and instruction. To help people learn how to do fabric postcards to donate to our Wish Upon a Card project," said Ann Richardson, executive director of the Sisters Quilt Show. Some of the cards will be made during the class and it is hoped that... Full story
Cynthia Hydes, a Sisters Realtor at RE/MAX Town & Country Realty, has been awarded the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Designation by the Council of Residential Specialists, the largest not-for-profit affiliate of the National Association of Realtors. CRS Designees subscribe to the strict Realtor code of ethics, have access to the latest technology and are specialists in helping clients maximize profits and minimize costs when buying or selling a home. ... Full story