News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 26
The Sisters Starry Nights Concert Series worked its magic again last Saturday. Hundreds of people turned out - many coming from out of town - to see legendary songwriter Rodney Crowell and country songstress Chely Wright perform and to support Sisters schools. There were many magical moments during the artists' time in Sisters. Prime among them, as it so often is, was the performance of Sisters Elementary School students accompanying the headliner. Responding to a shouted... Full story
Family Access Network (FAN) of Deschutes County may not lose all of its federal funding this June. The non-profit has been bracing for a $650,000 loss in funding - 60 percent of its budget - as a result of changes in Medicaid rules instituted by the Bush administration. On Wednesday, April 23, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 349 to 62 to block the pending cuts. The administration's rule changes enacted last January would curtail school-based medical services, the category under which FAN's funding falls. FAN, which... Full story
Tollgate residents got a first look last Wednesday at the design for a new power substation that will take power from 69kv to 115kv under a Bonneville Power Administration mandate. Most of them didn't like what they saw. Central Electric Cooperative (CEC) is planning the installation of a substation that will cover a footprint of 155-by-240-feet near the west fire exit of the subdivision. The steel structure will stand 30 feet tall. Several residences look directly out onto th... Full story
Last week, the science education organization, Wolftree, broke new ground - both literally and figuratively. Already adept at working with older children, Wolftree expanded their target audience by introducing very young children to an ecosystem restoration project on the banks of Whychus Creek. "These days, kids aren't connected with the natural world as much. It's a virtual world," said Wolftree's education director, Jay Hopp. "Our role, along with our partners, is to get... Full story
To the Editor: Last week I wrote that I was somewhat disappointed with The Nugget for printing the opinion piece "Driving Green," written by Joseph Duerrmeyer. He contends that just because a car is a hybrid or uses less gas doesn't automatically make it a more environmentally friendly car. He has a good point and I think this is a healthy discussion about something that should matter to all of us: how to become more environmentally responsible. I want to thank Mr. Duerrmeyer for beginning this debate. In last week's letter... Full story
Knights, robbers and barbarians: One of the hottest crazes going around Sisters - and the world - right now is a board game called "Settlers of Catan." "Settlers of Catan" is a multiplayer board game designed by Klaus Teuber. It was published in 1995 under the name "Die Siedler von Catan" and was the first German-style board game ever to achieve popularity outside Europe. The game is an entertaining pastime, has risen rapidly in popularity and won numerous awards due to its re... Full story
Sisters Middle School Americana Project students got a first hand glimpse at what it takes to be a success in the music business last Friday from visiting Starry Nights performer Chely Wright. Wright, who has had a high degree of success in country music with hits such as "Shut Up and Drive" and "The Bumper of My SUV," told the class that she is working with legendary songwriter Rodney Crowell because she wants to continue growing as a musician and a writer. "I've been a... Full story
It's official. The Deschutes Basin Land Trust's "Basin" is down the drain, so to speak. After 13 years the Land Trust is updating its image with a new Web site, a new logo and - a new name. The changes were revealed this week in an interview exclusive to The Nugget. "It was just too much of a mouthful," said the Land Trust's executive director Brad Chalfant of their former name. "I was amazed at the number of folks out there who know us but still stumbled over the name. Even some of our regular supporters didn't always know... Full story
The Outlaws bounced back from a three-game losing streak with a big 12-3 win at Redmond on Tuesday, April 22. For the first time all season, Sisters faced an opponent that spent more minutes in the penalty box than they did. The Outlaws were in the penalty box only 3.5 minutes, whereas Redmond spent 21 minutes in the box. "We've been in Redmond's shoes, and whatever hopes they had to win were smothered in the penalty box," said Coach Bill Rexford. "We showed the strength of ou... Full story
Converting 33,000 acres of private forestland into a public forest is easier said than done, but the concept is still moving forward. "This is a complicated enough project that it's really hard for anyone to size up," said Brad Chalfant, executive director of the Deschutes Land Trust. "The landowner has been trying to figure out a way for people to wrap their minds around this. It's hard to do." The owner is Cascade Timberlands, a holding company set up to receive property of the defunct Crown Pacific Partners. Crown Pacific... Full story
Sisters Elementary School fourth graders have a chess champion. His name is Halston Sellentin, and he was awarded the honor at an all-school assembly last Friday. Halston's name is currently being engraved on the huge, traveling trophy that each year honors the school champion. "To my knowledge this (Sisters Elementary School) is the only school in the state of Oregon where every fourth grader knows how to play a full game of chess," said chess instructor Jack Weeks, who... Full story
The boys tennis team soundly defeated Crook County 7-1 on Thursday, April 24. The singles team swept their matches. Evan Sims (No.1) beat Zac Thompson in two sets, 6-0, 6-0. Charlie Phillips (No. 2) defeated Joe Oshlschlaeger 6-4, 7-6, (7-5 tie breaker). Will Newport (No. 3) earned a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Matt Harper, and Sean Tosello (No. 4) won by forfeit. The No. 2 doubles team of Sam and Ben Fullhart defeated Pierre Blaze and Alex Finnerin 6-3, 6-3. Tom Bennett and Matt Pilliod (No. 3) defeated Luke Garner and Jeff... Full story
Mimi Ausland, 11, has a heart for a cause and a head for entrepreneurial thinking. Her cause is feeding the dogs at the Humane Society of Central Oregon (HSOC) shelter. Her thought: creating a Web site where visitors answer a dog trivia question. Each time the question is answered, 10 pieces of dog kibble are redirected into those pooch's food bowls. At the end of each month, Mimi takes a tally and delivers the kibble to the shelter. As of April 20, over 115,000 pieces of kibble from www.freekibble.com had been earmarked.... Full story
Like a scene from the television series CSI, students taking anatomy and physiology at Sisters High School explored DNA with lab equipment brought in from Seattle earlier this month. It was serious business for the students as they brought theory to life in a special experiment made possible by a short-term loan of laboratory equipment brought in by a Sisters area resident. Barbara Shulz, a Black Butte Ranch resident and retired AP (Advance Placement) biology teacher, saw a... Full story
Daughters and their mothers from all around Central Oregon came to Sisters to sip tea and munch cookies earlier this month. More importantly, they took a break from normal doings to celebrate that special relationship that only a girl and her mother can experience. Well over 100 attended the fifth annual Girl Scouts Mother-Daughter Tea. Each year Sisters Girl Scouts invite other scouts and their moms from Redmond, Madras, Culver, Warm Springs and other Central Oregon small... Full story
For some time the Sisters School District has allowed non-resident students to attend Sisters schools. This year some 93 interdistrict transfers attend Sisters schools, adding $575,670 to the district's general fund. At the Tuesday, April 8, school board meeting, board members, without a formal vote, affirmed superintendent Elaine Drakulich's recommendation to again accept interdistrict transfers for the 2008-09 school year. Drakulich explained the impact disallowing transfer students would have on the school district.... Full story
Hattie Tehan knows what it's like to stand on a mountaintop, both literally and figuratively. The Sisters High School junior recently returned from the national competition of the United States Amateur Snowboarding Association (USASA) with a silver medal in boardercross. The competition was held early in April at Copper Mountain, Colorado, and it was Tehan's first appearance at nationals. She trains and competes during the season for the Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundatio... Full story
If you were a fifth-generation Oregonian whose great-great-grandfather landed at Lake Disappointment on the Oregon coast, you might feel compelled to walk in Lewis and Clark's footsteps and create a painted pictorial of the land they saw on their journey. That's the story of Katy Grant Hanson. She grew up in the Portland area, a perfect backdrop for the knowledge that fills her book, "A Painter's View - Lewis and Clark in Western Oregon and Washington." Of the 70 paintings in... Full story
Anyone who missed Cascades Theatrical Company's (CTC's) Sisters production of George M. Cohan's "The Tavern" missed a real treat. The theatrical company is celebrating its 29th year bringing year-round quality theater to Central Oregon. "Our company is entirely volunteer-based," said executive director W. Dee Torrey, noting that the 501c3 non-profit's only paid employees are himself, marketing manager Lana Shane and box office manager Jared Rasic. "All performers, crew and people who design the sets are volunteer help." The... Full story
Dave A. Gridley died at his home in Redmond after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 72. A Celebration of Life service will be held at the Redmond Grange on May 2, at noon, with a reception to follow. A graveside committal service is to be held at the Redmond Cemetery at 2 p.m. Mr. Gridley was born in Redmond, on November 4, 1935, to Roland and Thelma (Goodrich) Gridley. He grew up in Sisters and graduated from Sisters High School in 1954. He was a star athlete participating in baseball, basketball, football and track. He... Full story
Dance is communication, and never is that more evident than when watching the Salsa. Sisters folks will have the opportunity to participate in that conversation starting Thursday, May 1. Dance instructor Victoria Tolonen, who is also a Bend Realtor, is offering two classes at Three Sisters Dance Studio. A four-week session is planned with a beginning class scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and an intermediate class set for 7:45 p.m. Tolonen's classes are open to both couples and... Full story
Collecting a school record of 25 base hits, Sisters High School varsity softball team routed Elmira in a Sky-Em League softball game on April 25. With McKenzie Cooper going four-for-four and five teammates collecting three base hits apiece, the Lady Outlaws defeated the host Falcons, 15-6. In addition to three hits each by Jenna Sneva, Camille Pedersen, Hillary Renz, Ashley Huber and Jenny Kaiser, the Outlaws got two each from Cassie Hernandez and Sam Stoneback. Hernandez and Renz had the only extra base hits, each collecting... Full story
Sisters shut out Marist 8-0 at home on Thursday, April 24, to notch their sixth consecutive league victory for the season. That winning streak came to a quick halt with a 1-0 loss to Elmira the very next day. On Saturday, the Outlaws bounced back and earned a 4-3 win at home over Scio High School. In Tuesday's shutout over Marist, Max Stovall hit a RBI single in the first inning to get the Outlaws on the scoreboard, and at the close of the inning Sisters held a 2-0 lead.... Full story
When people think of doing business in Sisters, they think of downtown merchants and industrial park operations. But there is a lot of business going on out in the national forests that surround Sisters - resorts, campgrounds and lodges, dozens of outfitters, the Camp Sherman Store and more. According to Jeff Sims, who handles permitting for the Sister Ranger District, there are about 130 recreation special use permits on the district. As might be expected in dealing with a la... Full story
• Common Threads is offering a new "green" shoe line, El Natura Lista. The shoes come from Spain and combine function, fashion, and comfort, while being eco-friendly. They also carry jewelry, belts and purses using recycled and or repurposed materials. They are located in Town Square across from Bronco Billy's. • Wisteria Chic is celebrating it's two-year anniversary with a 20 percent off storewide sale May 1-4. Register for a drawing for a store gift certificate. They are located at 183 E. Hood Ave. •... Full story
