News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Sisters’ soggy spring may be getting tiresome for some local folks, but it’s good news for farmers who are facing a low-water year. It’s also good for Squaw Creek, which has better flows south of town than it would if the rain hadn’t fallen so steadily. “Things have definitely improved,” said deputy Deschutes County Watermaster Jeremy Giffin. “What this has done more than anything is reduce irrigation demand.” With water falling from the skies, farmers have little need to... Full story
It’s a simple and apparently obvious fact “Fire is hot!” But that exclamation, coming from a Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District rookie as he wrapped up his his first live fire exercise, took on a whole new meaning. Until a firefighter experiences a fire under real-world conditions, he can’t really grasp the power and fury of the enemy he confronts. That’s the purpose of “Burn to Learn” exercises like the one conducted by the fire district last weekend. Thanks to the... Full story
Jefferson County Commissioners Bill Bellamy and Walt Ponsford and a full contingent of county staff visited Camp Sherman last week for a discussion of local issues and to receive public input. Jefferson County will decide on May 17 whether to raise the transient occupancy tax (TOT) and add a new tax levy for the county jail. The TOT proposal, if passed, would raise the current room tax rate for motel, cabin, and other rentals from 6 percent rate to 9 percent. Cold Spring... Full story
It takes know-how, perseverance, optimism, a good staff and faithful customers to succeed over 20 years in retail in Sisters. Rosie Horton, who managed (and now owns) Common Threads for most of those 20 years, has all those elements working for her. Horton and her staff are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the opening of the clothing store all this summer with sales and special events to mark the milestone. Cathi Howell opened Common Threads in the location it still... Full story
• Ali Mayea has been granted the professional GRI designation by the Oregon Association of Realtors through the Graduate Realtor Institute. She completed a three-week-long course and passed an exam at the end of each session; her curriculum included real estate finance, law, the Realtor code of ethics, taxation and communication skills. • Eurosports now has the new Speedo swimsuit line. • Angeline’s Bakery is now offering new breakfast items that work well on the go and are healthy, too. • Siesta Suntan is now carrying the Si... Full story
Lacrosse appears to be a wildly contagious passion and it’s infected Sisters High School athletes thanks to Coach Bill Rexford. Dozens of players from across the state were here last weekend to play in a tournament hosted by Sisters’ fledgling club. The players charged up and down the field with their sticks with a netting basket at the top, passing a hard rubber ball back and forth and maneuvering for shots on their opponent’s goal. It’s not a sight Sisters is accusto... Full story
When most teens are hanging out with friends, doing homework, or watching TV, Lindsey Berger leaves school for five more hours of hard work. The Sisters eighth-grader is serious about gymnastics. “She spends more than half of her life upside down,” said her mom, Laura Berger. From vault to uneven bars, floor exercise and balance beam, Lindsey pushes her body to be stronger, more precise and perfectly timed. She enjoys the long hours in the “hot chalky gym.” Since she began g... Full story
Sisters crushed the Molalla Indians 12-2 Thursday, May 4, to break a losing streak and earn their first league road win of the season. The Outlaws scored single runs in the first three innings and in the fourth Molalla scored two to close Sisters’ lead to 3-2. Sisters blew the game wide open in the fifth and scored seven more runs to extend their lead to 10-2. Coach Kevin Bigby said, “The runs came from a combination of walks and singles from Andy Burke, Blake Poynor and Hayden Mayea.” A near flawless defense backed up Jeff... Full story
The Lady Outlaws’ score of 375 earned them a first-place finish at the seven-team Capital Conference golf tournament held at Glaze Meadow at Black Butte Ranch on Tuesday, May 3. Sisters’ score was a season best by one stroke. The Outlaws beat runner-up Molalla by a whopping 33 strokes. Kayla Miller carded an 85 and earned medalist honors. Krystal Fitter scored an 87, MacKinzie McClain a 95 and Brittany Reed a 108. Alexis Wainwright rounded out the scoring at 113. Both Fitter and McClain finished the tournament with car... Full story
Jazz bands from Sisters High School and Sisters Middle School won first place honors at the 27th annual Northwest Jazz Festival held May 7 at Mt. Hood Community College. The event included more than 80 school bands from Oregon and Washington, including many Portland and Seattle bands. There were three bands from Sisters: the Varsity and Junior Varsity Jazz Bands from the high school and a Sisters Middle School Duo. Each of the three groups performed to a panel of adjudicators pleased to hear the Sisters students performing... Full story
Six Black Butte School students won top honors in National History Day competition in Salem last month. First and second place winners from the Camp Sherman school qualify to move on to national competition at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland held June 13-17. Cassy Stephens took first place in Junior Individual Exhibits with “Braille: A Bridge to Communication and Understanding.” “Yellow Journalism: All the News That’s Fit to Print” took second place in the Junior Group Exhibits category for Rachel Lo... Full story
When the recess bell rings at Sisters Elementary School, students run to the greenhouse for gardening class. Three years ago, a dedicated group of parents repaired an old greenhouse, built raised beds and began teaching gardening to eager kindergarten through fifth graders. “When they get to see what they’ve grown, they really get jazzed,” said parent volunteer Vonda Soliz. Now the Sisters Elementary School Garden Club is ready to expand and buy a bigger greenhouse. At this... Full story
Parents know the cliché is true — time goes by so fast. But parents at The Little Cloverdale Preschool were still surprised to realize their co-op had hit its 10th anniversary. “It doesn’t seem like 10 years ago!” said Kelly Cyrus. This mother has served on the parent-run board of directors and has appreciated seeing the quality of the program rise through the years. “Things just keep improving,” said Cyrus, noting the teacher is “awesome” and the outside of the historic building along Highway 126 has been given some major... Full story
A team of eight AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (AmeriCorps NCCC) Members is working with Camp Caldera near Sisters to help prepare the land, facility and surrounding areas for the summer season and youth retreats. Corps Members also assist in the Caldera classroom at Sisters Middle School. While at Camp Caldera, AmeriCorps NCCC members are setting up 19 Sioux teepees and inventorying the camp supplies. Corps members are also assisting in the repair of the horse corral, staining decks and bridges, and remodeling... Full story
Local residents in need of comforting have received the warmth — both literal and symbolic — of a gift from a new knitting ministry group that meets monthly at Sisters Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration. “So far we’ve given over 30 shawls to various people who have been sick, need comforting, or to celebrate life’s achievements,” said Mimi Miller, leader of the local group. More than 10 women have met monthly since December to work together producing the finished sh... Full story
Dozens of Sisters area residents dressed to the nines and headed over to St. Edward the Martyr Catholic Church on Saturday, May 7, for the annual Tea & Fashion Show. The event featured the clothing of Crescent Moon Ranch-Alpacas — Fibre to Fabrics. The owners are Joe and Diane Nelson of Sisters along with Diane’s Son, Scott Miller and his wife, Debbie, of Terrebonne. The event also featured the knitting work of Julianne Schrick of Novato, California. Nine jackets were mod... Full story
“There’s a battle outside and it is ragin’. It’ll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls…” These lines, written by Bob Dylan more than 40 years ago, very much describe the current events in Sisters. The battle in this case is the future of our community. The planning commission for the City of Sisters has been working to propose a new ordinance, with a recommendation to the city council that it be adopted into the Comprehensive Plan. The primary purpose of this ordinance is to control and limit the future development... Full story
To the Editor: In some of the letters written supporting SOAR, the inference left by the writer is that SOAR will cease to exist if the tax increase is not voted in the positive. I’m sure that would not happen and to imply it would is propaganda. In fact the voter’s pamphlet says the increase in taxes will go to funding new programs and new facilities as well as the current programs. I question the need to expand programs with a new tax increase when gasoline costs are increasing, Medicare costs are rising, and according to... Full story
What do Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Fonda, and Julia Roberts have in common? 1. They all are beautiful. Taylor (born 1932) at the peak of her career was a stacked (36C-21-36) five-foot-four, violet-eyed stunner with “the perfect boneless body,” according to somebody. Fonda (born 1937) is 5-feet-8-inches and lean (32B-24-31 — in 1980). Once a fashion model, she supposedly was bulimic from age 13 to 37. Later, she became an exercise guru. Roberts (born 1967) is 5-feet-9-inches and downright lanky (and it’s no longer cool to give wo... Full story
• A deputy responded to a vehicle accident at Fryrear Road and Highway 20 — a common spot for such things. • Lightning and crashing thunder scared a boy who was home alone while his mom went grocery shopping. A deputy responded and made sure the kid was okay. • A woman called the sheriff’s office because she didn’t want her husband in the house after he’d been out all night partying. The man decided to sleep on the porch. Black Butte Ranch Police • A man returned to his rental cabin from a round of golf — and found the cou... Full story
Just before the start of Saturday’s annual Kevin Johnson Memorial Run and Walk, Sisters High School activities director Michelle Herron took a few moments to talk about Kevin Johnson and the impact he had during his time as a Sisters High School student. He came to Sisters from Bend lacking some of the credits he needed to graduate, but shortly after his arrival he really turned things around and became one of the most well-liked, spirited members of the student body, she said. He eventually served as senior class p... Full story
Sisters High School students are no longer the only “Outlaws” in the territory. They are being joined by their peers at Enterprise High School, in the far northeast corner of Oregon. Last week, Enterprise, a town of about 2,000, ended eight years of debate over whether to retain “Savages” as the school mascot. The name, which dated back some 80 years, was accompanied by a caricature of an Indian brave. Some townspeople argued that in modern times this was culturally offensive. The school board waffled and voted to keep th... Full story
Seven teens with ties to Camp Sherman successfully completed the state’s Search and Rescue (SAR) course to qualify as members of the Camp Sherman Hasty Team, a branch of Jefferson County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue. Kelsey White, Nolan Titchener, Annie Hancock, Liz Dale, Jarett Hancock, Chad Horning and Crystal Leis committed 60 hours to learning the fundamentals of SAR. The training encompassed instruction in the Incident Command System, land navigation, the art of tracking a... Full story
The boys’ golf team scored a team total of 337 in the third and final leg of the Central Oregon Classic, which was held at Aspen Lakes Golf Course on Friday, May 6. After three rounds Sisters finished fourth with a team total of 981. Bend took first-place honors at 915. Redmond took second (937) and Summit third (940). Fifth place went to Mt. View (995), sixth Madras (1068) and LaPine finished with 1077. Scott Barton was the overall medalist with a three-day total of 223. Barton birdied the 18-hole to finish with an i... Full story
Only one of the four candidates for the Sisters School Board in the current election has filed a “contributions and expenditures” (C&E) report with the Deschutes County Clerk. This indicates that none of the others expects to reach the $300 spending level that makes such a report mandatory under state election law. Ballots were mailed out during the last week of April and must be returned by election day — next Tuesday, May 17. The sole C&E filer is Rob Corrigan, who as of May 2 had spent $2,245 on his campaign for Posit... Full story
