News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 12 of 12
A rescue helicopter heads for Brent McGregor's position on Mount Jefferson. McGregor broke his leg while descending the peak and spent a cold night on the slopes. photo provided Life on the edge is not without its risks. Those risks hit home for Sisters mountain climber Brent McGregor on Sunday, April 25. The 51-year-old adventurer broke his leg 7,900 feet up Mount Jefferson in freezing weather. McGregor, with the help of his climbing partner, Tom Herron, 41, summited the second highest mountain in Oregon (10,495 feet) and... Full story
Steven Withrow of Sisters was arraigned on Tuesday, April 27, on charges of murder, assault, robbery and manslaughter in connection with the death of Curtis Dean Kizer in Bend's Drake Park on the evening of April 16. Bend Police detectives arrested Withrow at Sisters High School the following Monday morning. The 17-year-old Sisters High School senior is accused of an apparently unprovoked attack on the 42-year-old, which led to the man's death hours later from internal injuries. Search warrant affidavits returned to the Desch... Full story
Marc Thalacker, left, explains piping project. photo by Jim Cornelius Little by little, Squaw Creek's permanent water flow is increasing as water rights are donated back into the stream and irrigation piping allows more water to stay in the creek. An irrigation piping project is on the drawing board at Squaw Creek Irrigation District (SCID) that would add another six cubic feet per second (CFC) to the creek. However, as with almost anything involving water in the West, the piping proposal is not without controversy. SCID... Full story
The debate continues about how many homes should fit on an acre in Sisters. Meanwhile, new construction continues. photo by Jim Cornelius After months of debate, members of the Sisters City Council signaled at a Thursday, April 29, workshop that they will finally pass a controversial ordinance which will shape residential density in Sisters. The councilors signaled their intention to pass Ordinance 348, which amends the development code to require developers to build four to eight units per gross acre in new residential... Full story
Sisters Elementary School students were excited to hunt for new books among the thousands brought to school in the annual Book Exchange. photo by Jim Cornelius It felt like Christmas at the Sisters Elementary School Library on Thursday, April 29. Excited students rummaged through piles of books stacked on the floor and on tables around the library, exclaiming over uncovered treasures and gathering up tomes by the armful. The books were theirs to keep -- all part of the annual Book Exchange, where students bring in their old... Full story
And 4,688 by 2025? photo by Jim Cornelius If it's wrong, prove it. That's the defense the City of Sisters is mounting against a challenge of its most recent population forecast. City officials will present that defense to the Deschutes County Commissioners at a public hearing on May 13. The forecast, which was configured by city planners, is their "best educated guess," said Brian Rankin, city planner. But that guess was configured meticulously, thoroughly, and over a painfully long three years, Rankin said. The city... Full story
After months of brainstorming, it's not getting easier for citizens and city officials to design a couplet alternative that will not close off access to Cascade Avenue -- and will still win state approval. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) challenged plans from the city's consultant, CTS Engineers, and the citizen's Couplet Advisory Committee (CAC), in February. The plans were to relieve traffic congestion from Cascade Avenue by building a westbound Hood Avenue and an eastbound Main Avenue and making them the... Full story
The search is on to find a new school superintendent for Sisters -- and the Sisters School Board is taking a new approach. "We decided to use a professional consulting firm this time," board chair Glen Lasken told The Nugget. Cascade Consulting Group, a specialist executive search service, will conduct the search instead of the board handling that duty as it has in the past with assistance from the Oregon School Boards Association. The board has had a streak of bad luck in filling the superintendent's post after the... Full story
Jim Mitchell, Kiwanis Club of Sisters and Pat Cohen, COBRA. photo provided The Kiwanis Club of Sisters recently donated close to 200 out-of-service cell phones to COBRA (Central Oregon Battering and Rape Alliance). Pat Cohen, COBRA's Development Director, said some of the phones will be distributed to clients to be used to call 911 in an emergency. The remainder will be sold to refurbishers to raise funds for COBRA's programs. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requirements state that all cell phones shall be able to dia... 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. To the Editor: The new sheriff's... Full story
- City Council Meeting 7 p.m., 2nd and 4th Thursday each month, Sisters City Hall. 549-6022. - School Board Meeting 7 p.m., 2nd Monday each month, middle school lecture/drama room. 549-8521. - Black Butte School District Board of Directors meets 2nd Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m., Black Butte School. 595-6203. - Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD meets for drill every Monday, 7 p.m. Sisters Fire Hall, 301 S. Elm St. 549-0771. - Sisters Kiwanis Club meets every Thursday, 7:30 a.m., Sisters Fire Hall. 549-1223. - Sisters Habitat for... Full story
How we vote Deschutes County Commissioner Position 2: No endorsement. Ballot Measure 9-25 -- Sheriff Three Year Split-Rate Operating Levy: Yes. We are encouraged to hear that Commissioner Dennis Luke is committed to finding a means of permanently funding the sheriff's office. There has to be a better way of funding sheriff's services in Deschutes County -- permanently and with the burden shared fairly between rural and urban residents. In the meantime, county residents should support the three- year split-rate levy. The... Full story
