News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 30
Random House, Inc. has purchased one of the nation's leading evangelical Christian book publishing houses - and one of Sisters' largest employers - Multnomah Publishers. "The acquisition significantly strengthens the company's presence in the burgeoning Christian book marketplace," a company representative stated in a prepared release. Multnomah publishes more than 100 new titles annually by such authors as Randy Alcorn, Shaunti Feldhahn, Robin Jones Gunn, and Andy Stanley. Its backlist of more than 600 works of fiction and... Full story
The Black Crater Fire was 95 percent contained as of Sunday, August 6, and full containment is expected by August 11. As firefighters are mopping up and reinforcing firelines, many in Sisters have begun asking why the fire wasn't stopped when it was 50 to 100 acres in size, before it became a threat to residential communities. The answer is simple, but it's not straightforward: There weren't enough resources available. Local firefighters went after the fire with what they had... Full story
A 54-year-old Maryland man was seriously injured when he lost control of his mountain bike and crashed in the woods south of Sisters. According to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports, Robert Chester Ashley of Brandywine, Maryland, was riding the Peterson Ridge Loop of the Sisters Mountain Bike Trail when he lost control on a downhill stretch and crashed. EMTs from Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District carried Ashley out of the woods to a nearby rural... Full story
To the Editor: Now that the Black Crater Fire is nearly contained, it is easy to second-guess the fire fighting strategies and tactics, to grouse about the diversion of aircraft in the early days to Elk Lake, to lament the initial shortage of resources, to doubt the commitment to fight it until it reached a certain size, to question the delay to start back-burning - in short, to complain. While retrospection can teach valuable lessons, complaining totally misses the point. Surely we are thankful and pleased that tremendous... Full story
The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration will hold its 11th annual Country Fair and Art Show on Saturday, August 12 from l0 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fair-goers will enjoy a day of old fashioned fun that includes face painting, a petting zoo, cake walk, and entertainment for the whole family. The tree-shaded church grounds will provide the setting for enjoying picnic treats prepared on the grill and topped off with famous marionberry cobbler. Preserves from the kitchen, such as corn... Full story
Kathleen Reynolds is the new, temporary Officer in Charge at the Camp Sherman Post Office. Karen Sheldahl is still Camp Sherman's Postmaster but has become OIC temporarily in Sisters. "Karen will be back here in Camp Sherman," said Reynolds. Reynolds has been working in the postal service part time for three years in the Camp Sherman, Redmond and Sisters areas. She lives in Metolius Meadows, a residential area of Camp Sherman. Sometimes her malamute, Chili, accompanies her to... Full story
As the Black Crater Fire grew into a major blaze, a small city blossomed at Sisters Middle School. The fire camp set up by the Northwest Interagency Incident Management Team would grow over a couple of days into the headquarters for more than 1,000 firefighters and support personnel. This remarkable feat of logistics is routine for emergency management teams. Fire camps across the West follow a common template so that a firefighter checking in will know just what to expect.... Full story
Stephany Autum Vipond and Jared Paul Hansen plan to marry August 27 at their family cabin on the Metolius River in Camp Sherman. The future bride is the daughter of Terry Vipond of Tucson, AZ. She finished high school in Boise, ID in 2000 and is an Irish dance instructor at the An Daire Academy of Irish Dance in Bend. The future groom is the son of Joe and Tammy Haynes of Sisters, and Steve Hansen of Wasilla, AK. He finished high school in Sisters in 1998 and works for Les... Full story
Two nationally-acclaimed Sisters artists highlighted the storytelling in their paintings with a rare dual exhibit last Saturday evening. Paul Alan Bennett and John Simpkins opened their exhibit with a crowded artists' reception at High Desert Gallery in downtown Sisters. The show was many months in the making. Gallery owners Todd and Myrna Dow had the idea to bring the two creative minds together in one exhibit. Both Sisters artists are represented by the gallery. "We wanted... Full story
Pie and "thank yous" were plentiful at Firefighter and Agencies Appreciation Night Monday, August 7. Hundreds of people gathered at Sisters Community Church to thank the men and women who have been fighting the Black Crater Fire. Hard-working firefighters enjoyed 100 pies and six barrels of ice cream. In addition to full stomachs, each left with new pairs of boot socks. "I'm still trying not to cry," said firefighter Kelly Retan who was overwhelmed by the gratitude from the co... Full story
Nickolas Cristiano, 53, of Sisters was injured last Friday in an accident in Bend. According to Bend Police, at about 4:23 p.m., August 4, officers responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash at the intersection of Regal and Hunnell roads. Police reported that their investigation determined that the driver of a 1994 Chevrolet pickup turned into the path of a 1999 Harley Davidson motorcycle operated by Cristiano. Cristiano was transported to St. Charles Medical Center by Bend Fire Ambulance. The operator of the 1994 Chevy... Full story
As residents of Crossroads and Edgington Road were returning home Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning last week, firefighters were launching one of the most logistically challenging and critical operations of the fire. Helicopter crews were airlifting supplies to a spike camp in the deep woods on the southwest side of the fire, where fire crews would camp close to fire lines. By camping in the woods instead of returning to base at Sisters Middle School, firefighters saved... Full story
• Residents are reporting a phone scam where the caller offers a federal government grant and requests banking information. Citizens should not provide any such information. • A 19-year-old man was arrested for drunk driving after he crashed into a telephone pole at Barclay Drive and Camp Polk Road. He was treated for lacerations. • A woman reported that her stereo and speakers were stolen. • A woman reported that someone sprayed her car with graffiti, let air out of tires and stuffed toothpicks into some... Full story
Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fire that burned a 12-by-6-foot portion of the dock attached to the former Boathouse Restaurant at Suttle Lake. The fire occured overnight on July 29-30. Oregon State Police have taken a portion of the dock to their crime lab for examination. According to Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District Fire Marshal Dave Wheeler, the fire was discovered on the morning of July 30 by maintenance staff. The fire "smoked up" the... Full story
Elise Herron, 11, is part of the Sisters Community Critters (SCC) 4-H club. It's a combined-species group led by Heather Wester which opens its doors to any child from fourth through 12th grade with any animal from fowl and rabbits to pigs, sheep, horses and cows. Heather Wester, SCC leader, started the club to create a group where a child can learn, and compete with any farm animal of their choice, rather than limiting the child to a specific breed or species. "When you have... Full story
Around 500 people dodged the smoke and worry of the Black Crater Fire on Wednesday, August 2, and headed out to Willows Ranch, home of the Knapp Friesians. Owners Judi and Jim Knapp hosted an open barn and free performance by trainers Clay Maier and Lea McFarland-Bushnell. "We really appreciate the interest in the community in our horses and what we do with them," said Judi Knapp. They were fortunate to have a perfect evening and though there were a few parking delays with... Full story
For 100 years Central Oregon has been supporting the efforts of its local 4-H and FFA groups through the annual Deschutes County Fair & Livestock auction. The auction began near the turn of the 20th century as a venue for young future ranchers and farmers to reap the rewards and to receive recognition for their year-long farming and ranching efforts and accomplishments. Today, farmers and ranchers are rapidly being crowded out by urban development and youngsters tend to... Full story
Sisters' Les Schwab-Taylor Tire Center is hosting the "Tools for School" school supplies drive now through August 27. Community members can drop off school supplies during regular business hours and help students in need begin the school year well equipped for a successful year. Items most needed are: composition writing notebooks, index cards (4 by 6 and 6 by 9), 1-1/2-inch three-ring binders (no Trapper Keeper-type binders), three-ring notebook dividers, calculators, Fiskar scissors, water color paints, rulers (wooden only)... Full story
Sisters School District Superintendent Ted Thonstad is currently reviewing the Sisters Charter Academy of Fine Arts' (SCAFA) application. A public hearing, tentatively scheduled for September 27, at 7 p.m. at Sisters City Hall, will serve as a forum for the public to express its recommendations about the application. Taking into consideration public input, the Sisters School District will, within a 30-day period, approve SCAFA's application as submitted or request modifications. Should modifications be requested,... Full story
Sisters area computer users got an advanced clinic in Internet use at the Oregon State University BIT Mobile last week. The BIT Mobile provides free computer classes in a mobile trailer that rolls into the different towns in Central Oregon on a regular basis. The sessions were conducted in the library parking lot. Instructor Todd Williver gave the class members a tutorial on search engines using story problems to teach them how to do everything from finding the writer of a... Full story
Although the Black Crater Fire created economic and safety concerns for Sisters-area residents, there was a silver lining to the natural disaster. Although the 9,400-acre fire triggered evacuations of about 1,500 people in the Tollgate, Edgington Road and Crossroads subdivisions, created havoc with tourist traffic in smoke that blanketed Sisters and has, so far, cost more than $7 million to fight, the consequences for the forest aren't too gloomy. "There's a lot of the fire, especially on the east side toward Edgington Road... Full story
Sisters' Pork Tenders livestock group won blue ribbons and the 2006 Swine Herdsmanship fair award at the Deschutes County Fair last week. The group grew out of the Outlawed Livestock Swine 4-H group formed by Karen Friend in Sisters several years ago. In 2005, when many of the kids in the group were graduating, Friend handed over the leadership of the club to Mike and Wendy Greene. They wanted to keep the group going since their younger children remained interested in... Full story
For years now, Sisters residents have been hearing fire officials hammer on about the principles of defensible space - creating a buffer zone around your home to enable firefighters to protect it in the face of a wildland fire. Over the past two weeks, homeowners have learned just how critical that defensible space can be. With the Black Crater Fire bearing down on isolated homes along Edgington Road and looming over Crossroads and Tollgate, only those who had done their... Full story
The Sisters Public Schools Administration building at the corner of Locust Street and Cascade Avenue is getting spruced up for its first full year of operations. Railings at the historic old schoolhouse got a fresh coat of paint and a work crew installed new steel-lettered signs. The school district paid only a third of what the signs might have cost, thanks to a generous discount by Jeff Wester of Ponderosa Forge, who cut the letters on a new plasma cutter. The district paid... Full story
Sisters Elementary School's playing field has undergone a major facelift. Some $30,000 in donated money was spent to spruce up the debilitated field that students use for playing on during recess and for commmunity soccer play. The playing field, which had a dated and inefficient sprinkler system, needed an entirely new irrigation system to keep the grass consistently healthy, Sisters School Board Director Rob Corrigan said. There were patches of grass and dirt and the field was never consistently well maintained, Corrigan... Full story
