News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 9 of 9
The City of Sisters is asking voters to stem the tide of a serious budget shortfall. Mail-in ballots for the May 20 election list five measures that would raise some $115,996 in r evenue for next year. Ballot measure 9-45 proposes a three-year serial levy of $67,519 per year. Property owners would pay approximately $.81 per $1,000 of property value to fund the levy. Measures 9-46 and 47 charge the city's water and garbage funds a 5 percent franchise fee which would cover the... Full story
Can a volunteer effort in Sisters build four classrooms at the elementary school, tentatively valued at between $350,000 and $400,000? The idea, which would be a spectacular follow-up to the Sisters Schools Foundation concert series, which raised more than $30,000 for school needs, is gathering momentum. But it's certainly not a done deal. "There are many details to be worked out, but there appears to be a lot of enthusiasm. I am as excited as can be," said Sisters School Board Chairman Bill Reed. "I plan to sit down with... Full story
After years of study and debate, the Sisters School Board has decided Tuesday, April 29, to put kindergarten through eighth grades on an alternative calendar for the 1997-1998 academic year. The high school will remain on a traditional calendar. The alternative calendar shortens the summer break to eight weeks from 12, but students will attend school the same number of total days as they did under the traditional school calendar. In addition to summer vacation, there will be longer, more frequent breaks. Winter break will be... Full story
Sisters' sixth, seventh and eighth graders will have a new home this fall. The school board decided Tuesday, April 29, to move the seventh and eighth graders from their present location at the middle/high school to the downtown administration campus across the street from the elementary facility. According to board chair Bill Reed, creating a middle school is "the best way to meet the emotional, social and academic needs of seventh and eighth grade students." He believes that while connected to the high school, "they have... Full story
The fate of the Deschutes County Sheriff's Department is in the hands of the voters -- and if fewer than 50 percent mail in the ballots, the vote won't count. Measure 9-50 on the mail-in ballots for the May 20 election proposes a one-year $6.9 million levy that would fund existing sheriff's services. The proposed levy would follow a $4.85 million per year three-year levy passed in 1994. According to Brown, the increased amount of the levy largely reflects the expansion of... Full story
OutlawNet, the local Internet service provider based at Sisters Middle/High School, may invest in new hardware which would enable the company to expand to include a substantial number of new customers. Leslie Bushnell, who administers OutlawNet, said the expansion would occur only if the company can c ontinue to provide the same level of service. She said that OutlawNet's below-10-to-1 customer-modem ratio is the best in Central Oregon, and the company enjoys a high level of customer satisfaction. OutlawNet began operating in... Full story
* * * From the editor: It really could happen It is hard to believe, but there are rumors that local builders are getting together to build four classrooms at the Sisters Elementary School. The odds are long, but it could happen. Volunteers in Sisters have done some remarkable things. The Sisters Branch of the Deschutes County P ublic Library was built against all odds with funds generated by local volunteers and without much help from Deschutes County. The Starry Nights Concert Series raised $30,000 and literally saved some... Full story
On the Measure of Good Fortune The sky is mild and grey, smooth, going into layers in the East like a chalky emulsion of pastels. Our gentle grey cat, the eldest of our identical trio, consents to perch at my shoulder under the lamp and bathe and polish her hind foot with great seriousness, lending purposefulness to the atmosphere. The only present sounds are the intermittent, hushed, hollow, oceanic noises of various self-governing household appliances, the faint, chewing voice of the fire, plus a busy, birdy monologue... Full story
The City of Sisters has put Police Chief David Haynes on paid suspension until May 15, at which time his employment will be terminated, Haynes told The Nugget on May 2. "I was given notice yesterday (May 1) at about 11 a.m. by the city administrator to meet with her and Gordon (Councilor Petrie) and Tim (Councilor Clasen)" Haynes said. "Apparently at 8 a.m. she called Lt. Shaver and asked him to come in at 9 a.m., which he did. At 9:15 a.m. I was asked by radio to come into the office, then they gave me the written notice of... Full story
