News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
A new system for permits limiting entry into parts of the Sisters backcountry has been pushed back till next year. The Forest Service announced on Thursday, May 7, that the Deschutes and Willamette National Forests will delay the implementation of the Central Cascades Wilderness limited entry permit system until May 2021. “Given many logistical constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are delaying our implementation until next year,” said Deschutes National Forest Supervisor Holly Jewkes. The Central Cascades Wil... Full story
Sisters businesses affected by COVID-19 may be eligible for grants of up to $2,000 from funds provided by the Oregon Community Foundation. The Sisters OCF COVID-19 Emergency Business Grant Task Force will release information about eligibility and application procedures on Wednesday, May 13. On that date, the task force will publish eligibility standards and application materials on many websites and directly to Sisters businesses. The Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) earmarked $25,000 for Sisters from money... Full story
Editor’s note: Former Sisters resident and Nugget correspondent Tia Duerrmeyer shares a COVID-19 update from her home in the Costa del Sol area of Spain. In her community private and public sectors are working together to fight the spread of the coronavirus by cleaning and disinfecting local streets, parking lots, and community areas. Tia submits the very simple, grassroots idea with the hope that it might spread beyond Spain’s borders. Atalaya Golf & Country Club is the first golf facility in Spain to offer its mac... Full story
Central Oregon Public Health Department are strongly encouraging all local food establishments to use cloth face coverings. Local health authorities note that, while masks are not required, there is strong evidence that face coverings can prevent the spread of COVD-19 from workers who do not show illness symptoms, yet still can spread the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, such as res... Full story
Some friends of mine are pissed off at the government, especially our state. One friend — let’s call her Lucy — complains that the State of Oregon is “incompetent.” It’s a reasonable accusation. I spent a couple hours on the State of Oregon’s webpage for pandemic unemployment assistance. Haven’t seen a dime yet. But I also spent hours on a simple matter with a local, private company. I wasn’t asking them to make millions of dollars appear, figure out which of the... Full story
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended our lives, bringing in its wake uncertainty about the future, financial hardship, social isolation, and it has frustrated our efforts to support vulnerable loved-ones. The pandemic has created the ultimate double-whammy: It poses both a physical threat to our survival and a psychological threat to our sense of well-being. The brain’s amygdala responds identically to physical and psychological threats, preparing our body to fight like a lion, flee like a gazelle, or freeze in place like a r... Full story
To say we’re all carrying a little more stress around would be an understatement. Whether it’s the anxiety at the grocery store when seeing a conga line of other carts coming toward us, fear of germs on the takeout box, or watching the nightly news with its infatuation with death and disease, it’s not an easy situation to handle. As many sit under the COVID-19 cloud low levels of stress are actually controlling thoughts, actions, and reactions. The body, mind, and soul all take stress in and process it in different ways.... Full story
The weather’s warming up, and now may be the perfect time to start a garden. Gardening is a relaxing recreational activity that can provide great personal rewards. During this time, when many people are working at home and students are learning at home, gardening can be a positive family activity to adopt. For beginners looking to start gardening with small patio spaces or a deck to grow on, container gardening is the way to go. All you need is the right size container, p... Full story
The Sisters Folk Festival’s annual My Own Two Hands art auction and party was an early victim of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. This major spring cultural event is a vital fundraiser for the year-round arts organization — and it became clear as soon as Governor Kate Brown issued her “Stay At Home, Save Lives” executive order banning gatherings that it could not proceed as planned. But the SFF staff wasn’t about to abandon the event. The organization had already collect... Full story
During these unprecedented times, it is natural to be concerned about suicide risk in our communities. Suicide is the most preventable form of death and something we can all do to help prevent suicide is to promote resources in our community. “Deschutes County has certainly been impacted by suicide death; and unfortunately, so far this year we have been seeing suicide deaths consistent with our average rate over the last few years,” said Whitney Schumacher, Deschutes County Suicide Prevention Coordinator. “We have not seen... Full story
After serving the Sisters community for over two decades, Sisters Christian Academy is closing its doors permanently. Robby Gilliam, Board Chair and Acting Principal of SCA made the announcement last week. Gilliam said that the decision was based largely on declining enrollment over the past two years. That was exacerbated by the forced closure of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gilliam said that parents surveyed in recent weeks had indicated that they had made other... Full story
Golfers are still hitting the links at Aspen Lakes Golf Course through the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. While dining facilities are closed, the greens remain open — and golfers have been helping the Sisters community as they play. Sisters Kiwanis reported last week that Aspen Lakes Golf course ran a special food raiser for the Kiwanis Food Bank during the off season. When a golfer brought in three cans of food or three non-perishable items, they could play 18 holes of... Full story
Heading into another week of the stay-at-home order, how are you adapting? It’s certainly not easy! Not the least of these adaptions is the homeschooling that has been thrust upon parents. For families with younger children the need to be creative is a challenge. Some fun examples: tape on a sidewalk in a stained-glass pattern to be colored in with chalk; an extra-large cardboard box becoming a playhouse; and surprising friends by hiding plastic eggs in the friends’ yard, leaving a note, ringing the doorbell and running awa... Full story
A tree service company out of Redmond felled a large ponderosa pine tree on Larch Street just south of Hood Avenue last week. According to the City of Sisters, the tree was in the right-of-way of the City of Sisters, and the tree service had no authorization to bring the tree down. Cascade Tree Works owner Aidan Grady told The Nugget that the adjacent property owner believed the tree was on his property. Grady said the tree had blue stain, evidence of beetle infestation.... Full story
Sisters may be able to begin “reopening” by degrees soon, as Deschutes County enters Phase I, according to the State of Oregon’s template. On May 6, the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners approved and submitted the County’s reopening plan to the Governor. On May 7, the State finalized guidance for specific sectors to reopen if their County has been approved to move into Phase I reopening. If approved, the County would be able to move into Phase I no earlier than May 15. After 21 days in Phase I, counties continu... Full story
The State of Oregon has received a Deschutes County plan for reopening of the regional economy and entering Phase One. As we head towards that date, perhaps as soon as Friday, May 15, pending State approval, the City of Sisters is brainstorming ways to continue to support our business community through these tough times. City Council members made phone calls to dozens of retail, restaurant, and personal service businesses to hear how they were holding up and gather information on how the City could help. The resolve and... Full story
Eight Sisters women ages 51 to 75 and Mabel, a black labrador, didn’t let a global pandemic stop them from a long-prepared-for running event. On May 3, with the support of Sisters Trails Alliance, they participated in a “Social Distancing Sisters 10K And A Half” race through open trails in the forest. The group had originally been training for the Avenue of the Giants Marathon, Half Marathon, & 10 K Run that was to be happening May 3, but the event was canceled due to COVID... Full story
Actress, blogger, food nerd, stand-up comic, entrepreneur. That’s what the past 18 years have entailed for 2002 Sisters High graduate Tara Redfield, who is “home” in Sisters for a bit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Redfield is a prime example of how one experience leads to another as well as proof that a person’s passions can often lead you to a pathway for expression. Chapman University in Orange, California, where she majored in theater and also studied journalism, provide... Full story
Despite beating the drum on a message of preparedness, Cloverdale Fire Chief Thad Olsen is still seeing homes in his district that can’t be defended from wildfire. He said it two years ago, in the wake of fires that took three homes in his district — and the message is the same today: “We aren’t going to commit firefighters to houses that are not defensible. Basically, what we’re asking is, give us a fighting chance.” Olsen told The Nugget last week that the two major... Full story
