News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 20 of 20
Hannah Hindley of Tucson, Arizona, is the winner of the 2020 Waterston Desert Writing Prize. Guest judge, noted author Robert Michael Pyle, and the Waterston Desert Writing Prize Board of Directors made the selection last month. Eli Beck, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Leath Tonino, Ferrisburgh,Vermont were Prize finalists. The winner of the Prize’s inaugural student desert writing contest is Al Lehto, a senior at Redmond Proficiency Academy. Winners and finalists will be honored and offer readings at the annual reception and a... Full story
Al Lehto is the recipient of the inaugural student writing prize from the Waterston Desert Writing Prize competition. The winning piece, titled “The Badlands,” reflects Lehto’s passion for storytelling and experiences in the high desert of Central Oregon. Lehto (preferred pronouns: they, their, them) is a graduating senior from Redmond Proficiency Academy and will be attending the University of Oregon in the fall to study early education. Lehto chose to study early educa... Full story
Elmer (Moe) L. Kleinke, Jr., age 90, passed peacefully in his home in Sisters, on April 12, with his family by his side. He was born in Portland on November 18, 1929 to Elmer and Inez (Price) Kleinke. Elmer grew up in Salem, graduating from Salem High School, Class of 1947. After a short time at Oregon State College, he entered the U.S. Navy, stationed at Sandia Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he married his high school sweetheart, Patricia Dell Carver, before serving... Full story
An exquisite, hand-crafted guitar made right here in Sisters is the perfect representation of the varied arts brought together by the Sisters Folk Festival’s My Own Two Hands arts fundraiser. This year, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual My Own Two Hands fundraiser is a completely online silent auction. Bidding for the virtual auction will open on Friday, May 8 and close on Saturday, May 16, with more than 75 different items available to bid on during that time. No ticket purchase is necessary to participate in the... Full story
The coronavirus and social distancing have affected us all. Unlike downtown city dwellers, however, we have a lot more freedom to move about, without risking that dreaded human contact. My hiking buddy and I resolved not to let the current situation completely freeze us out of one of our favorite activities. Still, virus cautions have disrupted our usual routine. For example, carpooling is now out; so, more distant destinations with two vehicles are less attractive since we... Full story
Phil Henderson will seek to keep his seat on the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners next November. Democratic party voters will choose who his rival will be for the seat in the May 19 primary. Phil Chang, Greg Bryant and Ron Boozell are vying for the nomination. Henderson, a Republican, has held the seat since his election in November 2016. He told The Nugget that, for the foreseeable future, the commissioners are going to be thoroughly absorbed in response to and... Full story
Freelance journalist and poet Tiffany Lee Brown received a grant of $1,000 from the PEN America Writers’ Emergency Fund this week. “As a community of literary professionals, PEN America is sympathetic to the struggle many face in making a living as a writer, and the added hardship resulting from the extraordinary ramifications of the COVID-19 epidemic,” the organization wrote in its granting letter. “With the help of generous supporters, we are glad to be able to offer assistance to a colleague during a difficult time.” Brown... Full story
Are you a writer? Casey Peabody had been working on her novel for six years. She’s mending her heart and piecing her life back together after her mother’s sudden death and the end of a love affair. While all of her friends have moved on with successful careers and family life, she’s living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, waiting tables in Harvard Square and writing in a tiny rented room. She’s emotional and stuck without a plan. When two very different lovers enter her life, is one a better fit than the other? Both are writers... Full story
While ODOT has finished its plowing operations on the east side of McKenzie Pass, the road is not open — to anyone — and won’t be until mid-June. The status of the roadway from the eastern snow gate to the summit has been a point of confusion and contention for several years. ODOT plows a single lane through the snow on the road during the spring, and then lets snowmelt do the rest. Once the snow is melted off, work crews sweep the roadway to clear debris, dirt a... Full story
I began writing Glimpses of Sisters when an out of town friend emailed and asked me, “So, how are things in Mayberry?” She was treated to the long answer. Today during this time fraught with angst, I want to write about optimism, which is sometimes difficult to foster, even during “normal” times. I have a “Business For Sale” sign planted in front of a business that is closed by executive order 20-12. I find that somewhat amusing and maybe a great sign of optimism — or that I am too busy painting my kitchen and doing y... Full story
The weekend of May 16-17 will be packed with online workouts, inspiring panels, happy hours, guided meditations, foam rolling clinics and more. Healthy at Home 2020 will be led by favorite fitness and wellness influencers in Sisters. Every month, Sweat PNW hosts a special event to raise funds for a community member or family who is in need of financial assistance. This month, Sweat PNW has joined forces with several other fitness professionals, physical therapists, psychiatrists, nutritionists and more in the community to... Full story
Sisters Country has come together to address those affected by the economic impact of the coronavirus. Tom Hespe, along with a team of dedicated volunteers, coordinates the Kiwanis Food Bank in Sisters. One of two local Food Banks, Kiwanis and Westside Church are both open and experiencing a major increase in demand. Fortunately, Hespe says they have also seen a boost in donations and new volunteers. “When I was working out in front of the food bank on April 2, people were driving up in their cars and waving a check out t... Full story
Beginning May 1 and continuing through May 31, the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests and the Crooked River National Grassland will offer free personal-use firewood cutting, without the normal requirement to obtain a permit from a Forest Service office or vendor. This interim change to the firewood permitting process is a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and an effort to maximize social distancing measures to the extent possible. After May 31, the Forest Service plans to return to the regular process of issuing firewood... Full story
One of Sisters’ iconic businesses has launched a crowd funding campaign to raise $75,000 in order to survive the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Paulina Springs Books was founded in 1992, and has established a national reputation as a fine independent bookstore and a cultural hub in Central Oregon. But, like most retail businesses in Sisters, it relies on a thriving summer season in order to sustain itself — and that’s not in the cards this year. “We basic... Full story
With cities and communities still under stay-at-home orders across Oregon and schools and offices closed for the foreseeable future, it’s not surprising that COVID-19 would impact Mother’s Day plans this year. It has been 106 years since President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. Mothers need to be celebrated, and on May 10, 2020 it is still all about cherishing the relationships with the moms in your life. Mother’s Day is a special day to... Full story
During these challenging times, one thing that cannot be overstressed is communication. In that regard, the City is determined to keep everyone as informed as possible as we progress through this pandemic. You can be assured that we are in sync with many decision-making bodies whose guidance and recommendations are being shared daily and the City is committed to present that data in an organized format every week in cooperation with The Nugget. While public safety has been the first priority, our businesses are clearly... Full story
Sisters’ city government will have a bigger and bigger role to play as Sisters moves from hunkering down and trying to weather the COVID-19 storm toward navigating the changed landscape the storm has left behind. The City used its very limited capabilities to respond to the rapidly-unfolding crisis in a timely and judicious manner, taking early precautions for the health and safety of staff and public; discouraging but not aggressively shutting down travel to Sisters; w... Full story
To the Editor: I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our teachers who provide such an excellent education to our children. As a grandparent raising three kids I have watched for eight years these dedicated professionals going above and beyond expectations to expand these young minds. In so many creative and innovated ways they create an atmosphere where children are eager to go to school and learn. These days, the schools are closed and we are all learning from a distance. I have heard stories from parents in... Full story
Being alive for 100 years is a milestone most people would like to experience, but probably won’t. Imagine the changes and lessons learned in that time. Dinzel Zemko doesn’t have to: she turned 100 on April 23. She’s seen her share of hardships and challenges, but she learned long ago to keep the faith, stay positive and let go of things you can’t change. Celebrating her 100th birthday didn’t go as planned. Her family made the painful decision to cancel her long-awai... Full story
Sisters’ civic leaders are looking toward the next phase in the community’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sisters City Council will meet in a workshop via Zoom on Wednesday, May 13 to discuss next steps and how the City will sync up with the state and county in a phased “reopening” of the local economy. Those interested in attending the meeting can request the Zoom link by emailing [email protected] starting May 8 up until 4 p.m. on May 13 and also through the Ci... Full story
