News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Former Sheriff and Sisters resident Greg Brown reported this week to Nellis Prison in North Las Vegas to start serving his 33-month sentence for embezzling $575,000 from the Deschutes County Sheriff's Department and from the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District. Brown made restitution of 98 percent of that sum before his sentencing 45 days ago. He turned himself in this weekend and spent time in a local Oregon jail before being transported to Nellis. The warden at the minimum security male prison facility is... Full story
The 'airpark' subdivision has become embroiled in a dispute. Photo by Jim Cornelius A lawsuit that played out over three days in Deschutes County Circuit Court last week pits two homeowners in Eagle Air Estates against the developer of the subdivision and the homeowners association. At stake, according to plaintiffs Michael and Janet Morgan and Cydnie Harp, is the possibility that they could lose access to the Sisters Airport runway if Sisters Eagle Air stops operating the run... Full story
Sisters area residents will be able to hear -- and question -- school board candidates at a forum Thursday night, May 1. Sponsored by the unions representing teachers and classified employees, the forum will begin at 6 p.m. in the lecture-drama room of Sisters High School. Each candidate will be asked to make a brief presentation, to be followed by several questions prepared by union representatives. The meeting will then be opened to questions from anyone in attendance. Three positions on the five-member board will be... Full story
A racially charged incident at a high school soccer game last fall has resulted in a $750 fine against Sisters High School. The fine was imposed by the executive board of the Oregon State Activities Association, which concluded that Sisters soccer coach Mark Keel "withdrew the team prior to the completion of the competition" in violation of OSAA rules. There was no question that Keel and his team left the field while a few minutes remained on the clock in a game at Molalla High School last September 16. But when the fine was... Full story
Anita Rand of Ukiah, California, is the proud new owner of "Prince," a Percheron. Photo by Kathryn Godsiff The annual Small Farmer's Journal auction and swap meet left both vendors and buyers happy for another year. Held at the Sisters Rodeo Grounds last weekend, the event was a time of reunion for some and new adventure for others. The rodeo grounds became like a scene from an old-time horse market. Long rows of horse-drawn equipment were laid out for careful inspection by purchasers before they passed through the auction... Full story
Parents who join the SOAR Cinco de Mayo Fiesta will have free child care available at SOAR from 6 to 11:30 p.m. on the night of the fund-raising event. SOAR management decided to open the SOAR clubhouse the night of May 3 when they learned that Sisters High School Prom will be held that same night. "Finding child sitters that evening could be difficult, so we felt that we at SOAR could help parents attend the event by covering this need," said Tom Coffield, SOAR Managing Director. "This is one of the reasons we exist, so chil... Full story
Sisters High School students are rallying to raise funds to help a four-year-old Bend girl who is suffering from a rare form of leukemia. At a school assembly last week, the students vowed to contribute community service in exchange for matching sponsorship money from Sisters real estate company Rhino Ranch & Realty. The funds will help the family of Hannah Piete cope with medical and logistical expenses as they fight to keep Hannah alive. According to Hannah's father,... Full story
Sisters-Camp Sherman firefighters and paramedics reviewed a busy, challenging year at the 66th Anniversary Awards Banquet held Saturday evening, April 26, at Sisters Community Church. Upon entering, firefighters, board members and their guests were welcomed with beautifully set tables of appetizers and punch. A slide presentation done on a large screen above the stage provided quick glimpses of heroic efforts, training -- and comic relief. Especially riveting were the photographs of the Black Butte Ranch blaze with amazing,... Full story
Petty Officer 1st Class Richard McDonald. Photo provided Petty Officer First Class Richard McDonald is in the Iraqi theater, but at sea rather than in the desert or cities. His ship, the USS Comstock, is a land deployment vessel, designed to get U.S. Marines onto the beach. They deployed the 1st Marine Battalion for the invasion of Iraq. McDonald is the son of Rod and Sandy McDonald of Sisters. He graduated from Redmond High School in 1990, two years before Sisters High... Full story
Laura Campbell shows her ceramic work. Photo by Torri Barco Eighth graders Katie Nordquist and Kelsey Newport could have been eating popcorn and watching a movie Friday night. Instead they participated in an auction targeted to help local families in need. Their inspiration: Natalie Lopez -- a Redmond baby in need of a liver transplant. A charitable program called Sparrow Club brought Natalie and her family to the middle school earlier this year to meet students who might want to help. They left an impression. With memories... Full story
Maret Pajutee, center, led a Stewardship Commitee field trip along Squaw Creek. Photo provided The Squaw Creek Stewardship Committee held its third meeting last week and looks to be gaining momentum in its bid to become a factor in the region's watershed planning process. The group is a subcommittee formed under the auspices of the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council and meets in Sisters on the fourth Wednesday of each month. According to Council Director Ryan Houston, its purpose is to "raise community interest in the... Full story
A new Sisters event for this year's Riverfest celebration is something called the "Secrets of Squaw Creek Charrette." Maret Pajutee and the U.S. Forest Service will host the event, unofficially billed as "Maret's Charrette," on Monday, May 5, at the Sisters Ranger District Conference Room. The open house will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. and feature free river walk maps, a photo display and snacks. Webster's unabridged dictionary defines charrette as "a final intensive effort to finish a project." In this case, the "project" has... Full story
They took away the "Sisters Mail Only" slot. An efficiency expert in the regional postal center at Eugene decided "it would work better if all our local mail went to Bend before being brought back to Sisters for local distribution," said temporary postmaster, Pat Green, who refers to herself as "the officer in charge." "And, it is possible they might be right," she said. "We'll have to wait and see." Many times, she said, there was "so much local mail and not enough hands to sort it" that it waited an extra day for delivery... Full story
Wayne Rowe celebrates retirement. Photo provided Wayne Rowe officially retired from his 32-year career in forestry and wildland firefighting in March. "Mr. Sisters retires," his long time friend and High School Coach Roy Runco announced at a celebration Saturday night, April 18, in front of over 100 community members, co-workers, friends and family at Sisters Middle School. Rowe has lived in Sisters since 1958. He spent five years in the Navy before attending Central Oregon Community College and working for the USDA Forest... Full story
Rudi Booher. Photo by Steve Gardner National fiddle champion Rudi Booher released three CDs this week, packed with skillfully-wrought, old-time favorites, Texas classics, and long-loved Christian Hymns. The CD graphics feature portraits of Booher's 31-year-old, gentle, cheerful face -- one no doubt familiar to neighbors who see Booher at Papandrea's Pizza and Espresso Junction, the local businesses he owns. Steve Gardner, a former Multnomah Publishers graphic artist, designed the graphics. His first recordings in six years,... Full story
Ric Nowack discusses antiques with a Lunch & Learn participant. Photo by Conrad Weiler Ric Nowak, Sisters Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, has a separate career as an antiques dealer. Nowak gave Sisters residents an overview of selling antiques on eBay via the Internet at Sisters Lunch and Learn COCC program last Wednesday, April 16. The lifelong antiques dealer became interested in Internet selling about four years ago and has since sold over 6,000 items on eBay. Tips from this successful seller covered most of the... Full story
A jazz ensemble will represent Sisters Middle School for the first time at the prestigious Reno Jazz Festival this weekend, where the students will join top groups from 320 colleges, high schools and middle schools across the country. The Sisters High School Jazz Band, a regular entrant at the Reno festival, will compete there this year as well. Band Director Jody Henderson directs both groups. The festival is sponsored by the University of Nevada. The enthusiasm of the middle school jazz quintet was matched by a packed... Full story
Watercolor artist Winnie Givot returned recently to Sisters after a sojourn to the majestic Yosemite National Park in California. She headed south on March 27 with the intention of painting in the park for a total of 10 days, but Mother Nature had different ideas. Givot began six different paintings in the first few days of her visit, but awoke on April 1 to find several inches of snow on the ground. The snow continued the following night and next morning, prompting her to pack up a little early and return to the relative com... Full story
"Go away and let me sleep," is what this bobcat in a tree near Sisters was probably thinking. Photo by Jim Anderson So what would you do if you came around the curve in your vehicle early in the morning and suddenly spotted a bobcat climbing a tree? Would you stop? I'll bet you would; and that's exactly what Doug Ritchie of Plainview did. "Honey..." he said quietly into his cell phone to his wife, Lauranna, "you've got to come and see this; it's a beautiful bobcat in a tree -- and be sure to bring the camera and video outfit... Full story
Craig and Peggy Benton in London. Photo provided Peggy Benton is home from the moors and it shows. Her English countryside, peaches and cream complexion is still glowing. Her son Craig and his wife Sally accompanied her to visit their daughter Megan, who is in her junior year at Goldsmith College at the University of London. Megan is studying photography and journalism. Their hotel was across from the Natural History Museum in Kensington. Sally's childhood friend Susan met them for lunch and arranged for an acquaintance,... Full story
Riverfest, Central Oregon's annual celebration of the Deschutes River Basin, is set to begin on Friday, May 2. Sponsored by the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council, Riverfest events are designed to heighten public interest and broaden understanding of Central Oregon's waterways. "We really want to highlight that it's a great opportunity for people to get to know their watershed," said Bea Armstrong, Riverfest Coordinator. "There are 22 events planned, with something for everyone -- for kids and for adults; and we definitely wan... Full story
The fifth annual Camp Sunrise will be held June 20-22 at the United Methodist Camp located at Suttle Lake. The three-day, two-night camp is under the direction of a professional staff and is an emotionally safe and supportive environment in which experiences and feelings can be shared. Structured games, music, art, stories and other therapies teach bereaved campers about grief and loss and how to understand their feelings. There are specially designed sessions for parents, which provide skills to strengthen their ability to... Full story
The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday. If it wasn't about oil why was the... Full story
