News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
To judge by their public statements, the four candidates for two contested seats on the Sisters School Board have no major school-related disagreements. They believe the schools are doing a good job but face serious budget problems. Ballots were mailed to school district voters Friday, May 2, and must be returned to the county elections office by 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 20. Most Oregon school districts are filling one or more board seats in this annual exercise. Three of the five Sisters board positions are on the ballot. The... Full story
The highly sought-after Morel. Photo by Alan Heath Despite the downturn in Oregon's economy, one industry in the Sisters area is, well, mushrooming. According to Alan Heath, Special Forest Products Manager for the Sisters Ranger District, last year's forest wildfires are almost certain to produce a bumper crop of morel mushrooms this year. Although the scientific mechanism has not been established, Heath says it's commonly known that abundant quantities of mushrooms start popping in the wake of forest fires. The morel... Full story
Daryl Davis and Dave Moyer of the Forest Service survey the Glaze Meadow project area. Photo by Conrad Weiler Forest Service crews are clearing land of brush and small trees in Glaze Meadow in order to lower fire risk and maintain the meadow. The clearing area is adjacent to Black Butte Ranch (BBR) on the eastern boundry near the Sisters gate. The BBR area thinning project has been ongoing since 1995 and helps provide fire prevention and lines of defense for the local area. "We're thinning small trees, nine inches or less,"... Full story
Police apprehended a fugitive after a wild car chase. Photo by Jim Cornelius A 32-year-old Salem man led police on a wild chase near Sisters last week before he was finally nabbed while trying to steal a Sisters man's truck. Jack Addison was setting the valves on his 13-year-old Dodge pickup truck and had just gone into his house for a moment when the fugitive -- on foot after his car was disabled -- burst into Addison's garage and fired up the truck. The driver, Todd Michael Clark, backed swiftly out of the garage, swinging... Full story
Senoras, senoritas, y senors flowed into a little piece of Mexico Saturday evening, May 3, for a Cinco de Mayo fiesta fantastica. Sisters Organization for Activities and Recreation (SOAR) hosted the fundraising event held at the Sisters Rodeo grounds. Chef Hans Teufl, now retired from Black Butte Ranch, created a buffet magnifico, stunningly presented, while a five-piece Latin band entertained. The table linens were done in Mexican national colors. Sombreros, crepe flowers, and Maracas formed the centerpieces. There was a... Full story
Sisters School Superintendent Steve Swisher will trade the high desert for the beach next school year. He will become interim superintendent of the Brookings-Harbor School district on the southern Oregon coast. Brookings and Harbor are neighboring small towns at the mouth of the Chetco River, not far from the California border. "I got the call about a week ago," Swisher explained last week. The call was from the Oregon School Boards Association, which was helping Brookings find a new chief executive. The current... Full story
Superintendent Steve Swisher on Monday night, May 5, proposed a 2003-04 Sisters school budget that would keep the level of service about the same as the current year. If his scenario comes true, the schools will spend $8.4 million, 5.7 percent more than the $7.9 million being spent this year after cuts caused by state funding reductions. The increase would primarily go for negotiated salary and benefit increases for teachers and other staff members. At the first school budget committee of the year, Swisher said his... Full story
Elizabeth Renner is ready to roll... Photo by Jon Renner Elizabeth Renner has been thinking about biking across America for at least the last 15 years. She has decided that this is the year to do it. Renner will begin her trip from Los Angeles with a group of cyclists on Saturday, May 10. She and her fellow cyclists will start their adventure with the traditional ritual of dipping the rear wheel of their bike into the Pacific Ocean. Each cyclist will fill a little jar with sand from the Pacific and sprinkle a little sand on e... Full story
West Nile Virus is heading for Oregon this summer, borne on the wings of migrating birds coasting up the Pacific Flyway from Mexico. Deschutes County officials are keeping a wary eye out, but they are not planning any major action, at least not yet. West Nile Virus (WNV) is a from of encephalitis transmitted by mosquitoes that have fed on infected birds. It can cause serious illness or death in humans and it is particularly lethal to horses. "This is a disease that is... Full story
Bags of pine cones await pickup after recent harvest along local highways and byways. Photo by Tom Chace Ten to 12 semi-truck loads of local pinecones are shipped from here each year to wholesale warehouses for sorting and re-shipment to floral shops and other outlets throughout the United States. Now is the heart of the harvest season. "We get 25 cents a bushel for the cones, about 10 percent of the wholesale price" said Alan Heath, special forest products manager for the Sisters Ranger Station. "We usually figure that the... Full story
Naomi Teeny. Photo by Jim Cornelius Naomi Teeny's art would be remarkable under any circumstances. The 14-year-old Sisters Middle School student creates whimsical, colorful creatures from foam clay. Her hands move with swift, sure dexterity as they mold anything from a howling, black-and-yellow coyote to a pink-and-blue flop-earred dog. What makes her delightful work still more remarkable is that it originated as a form of therapy. Naomi is autistic. According to her father,... Full story
The Humane Society of Central Oregon and the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office rescued 53 cats from a single-wide mobile home in La Pine on Saturday evening April 26. The cats were found in deplorable conditions which required rescuers to wear masks and gloves to withstand the stench of ammonia and feces that covered the home, according to a Humane Society statement. The public can best assist the Humane Society with monetary donations for their care, which includes diagnostic tests, medications, veterinary care and special... Full story
Larry Harrelson. Photo provided Most people know Larry Harrelson as the guy in the white collar who serves as Rector of the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration. But until recently he was also a Colonel in the Army. For the past 36 years he served in the military, the last 22 years as a Chaplain. In his latest position he was the State Chaplain for the Idaho National Guard. He was responsible for 3,000 soldiers and acted as an advisor to the Commanding General; a big job for a man recuperating from heart bypass surgery.... Full story
One among a flock... Photo by Jaki Roberson John Leavitt is seeing pink flamingos -- on the front yard of his western wear store at the corner of Cascade Avenue and Elm Street. One was found bearing an "Ode To The Flamingos" that played upon Leavitt's Sisters rodeo affiliation: "Love your flowers in the Spring/ A flock of flamingos to you we bring/ A question we have for you to ponder/ How did those flamingos appear from yonder???? "So John, got a saddle that would fit those birds?/ How many flamingos does it take to make a... Full story
Chef Jerry Phaisavath in his kitchen at the Black Butte Ranch Lodge. Photo by Conrad Weiler Laotian-born Chef Silisak "Jerry" Phaisavath is the new Executive Chef at the Black Butte Ranch (BBR) Lodge restaurant. Phaisavath immigrated to California in 1972 and has an impressive list of work credits including Executive Chef positions in California at Diablo Private Golf Club, Marin Country Club and Le Boue French Restaurant. His food preparation training was at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco and he feels comfortable with... Full story
Holm and Susan Neumann. Photo provided Holm Neumann collects pieces of history like some folks collect spoons. Except Neumann gets to have more fun with his collection than most. He has gathered costumes from time periods long gone and wears them when he and his wife Susan ride their horses in local parades. The walls of the Neumann home are adorned with the accessories that go with the costumes. Many of the outfits date from medieval times, so there is an array of helmets and swords on display. Neumann's interest in costumin... 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: This month voters... Full story
- Deputies busted a Portland man for drunk driving with a blood-alcohol count of .20 percent. - A deputy, backed up by Black Butte Ranch Police responded to a report of a suicidal man at a residence near Sisters. The deputy confiscated a couple of firearms and transported the man to the hospital for evaluation. - A woman found human remains in the woods west of Sisters, in Jefferson County. The matter was handed over to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office for investigation. Black Butte Ranch Police: - A resident reported... Full story
Three Sisters youths have parlayed their idea for self-deploying studs on tires into a prestigious national prize. Jared Schneider, Trevor Jutte and Zachary Cummings are third graders at Sonrise Christian School. They developed a concept called STOP (Studded Tires -- Optimal Protection) for the national ExploraVision science competition. The competition is sponsored by the Toshiba Corporation and the National Science Teachers Association. After winning regional honors in... Full story
