News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 21 of 21
Charles Hellman. Photo by Jim Cornelius Charles Hellman and the Sisters School Board have failed to agree on a contract that would make Hellman the next superintendent of Sisters schools. Hellman, 59, is the superintendent of Rogue River schools in southern Oregon. He was chosen to be the new Sisters superintendent on April 18. Since then, he and the Sisters board have been engaged in negotiations. For some time there have been hints that the talks were not going well. Hellman confirmed Tuesday morning that he had faxed a bri... Full story
Flags will soon adorn light poles all around Sisters. Photo by Jim Cornelius Sisters streets will soon be lined with snapping, red-white-and-blue flags. Bob and Jeri Buckmann launched the Sisters Adopt-A-Flag Program as a way for the community to show patriotism and support for American troops overseas. The Sisters City Council unanimously approved the program, which makes city light poles available to fly the flags. According to Jeri Buckmann, 30 flags have already been... Full story
Ken Enoch is serving as interim fire chief for the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District. The district board of directors named Enoch to the post in a special meeting on Thursday, May 8, after accepting the resignation and retirement of Chief Don Rowe. Rowe's resignation takes effect as of June 1, but Enoch will step into his boots immediately as Rowe is out on sick leave. Enoch has been with the fire district for 14 years and has been a career (paid) staff... Full story
The Sisters School District pumped over two million gallons of water into a holding pond at the site of the new high school while testing its irrigation well last weekend. The Deschutes County Watermaster's Office told the district to shut down the test on Monday, May 12. School construction projects manager Bob Martin said he started pumping water at the direction of the school board. "I was authorized by the school board to set the pump, fill the pond and test the system," M... Full story
John Sheldahl. Photo by Conrad Weiler The 224 registered voters in Camp Sherman will have opportunity to vote on four issues in the May 20 elections. First, are two Director positions for Black Butte School (BBS) District Board. Eight-year veteran, Marti Dale, is running unopposed for Position 3. Challenger Doug Curtis is running against 12-year veteran Jon Sheldahl for Position 4. "I feel that my understanding of this school district, coupled with my desire for scholastic excellence, I can be an excellent addition to the... Full story
Young models displayed fashions at St. Edward's annual Mother's Day Tea. Photo by John Hartsfield Last Saturday, St. Edward the Martyr Catholic Church hosted its third annual Mother's Day weekend tea and fashion show for more than 100 participants. Proceeds went to benefit St. Winefride's Guild, which is associated with the St. Winefride's Garden recently established at the church. The highlight of the tea was a fashion show coordinated by Marcia Rietmann, Tara O'Keefe Broadbent and Nancy Uppendahl. With a theme of "current t... Full story
State Representative Ben Westlund will undergo surgery on Wednesday, May 14, to remove a tumor from a lung. He is expected to be out of action for several weeks. Doctors do not know whether the tumor is malignant or benign. "The first thing is, I'm determined to get well," Westlund said. "My job is to fight and to be strong. After that, it's up to the man upstairs." Westlund had been suffering from wracking coughing fits for several weeks. "I've been coughing really hard and I've been running literally at half speed for... Full story
Tickets are now available for the 12th annual Sisters Jazz Festival. Ten bands presenting a variety of jazz styles will be showcased in the four main venues of the Sisters Jazz Festival when the event returns September 12-14. Headliners include several bands familiar to followers of the festival. Those groups are The Titan Hot Seven, featuring clarinetist Bob Draga; Chicago Six; Blue Street Jazz Band; Gator Beat, and the Oregon Coast Lab Band. Coming to the Sisters stages for the first time will be Cornet Chop Suey, from St.... Full story
The Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District will host a safety fair on Saturday, May 24, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Village Green. The fair marks the climax of National EMS Week. National EMS Week honors emergency medical services personnel. There will be a vehicle extraction demonstration exercise in which local residents can watch the "jaws of life" in action on a car donated by Davis Towing. Local agencies including The Black Butte Ranch Fire Department, Cloverdale Fire Department, Oregon Department of... Full story
Residents of the Buck Run III subdivision are still not on the city sewer system -- and they're looking for some action from the Sisters City Council to resolve the situation. "If the sewer does not get in place, I'm unable to sell my house," said Mike Robillard, a resident of the Buck Run III neighborhood. Quay Richerson, a homeowner in the same area, is in the same boat. A buyer purchased his house and at the last minute ducked out because of the sewer situation. Part of Buck Run III was connected when the sewer system was... Full story
Suzi Sheward restored the historic Cascade House. Photo by Jaki Roberson There is a charmingly quaint little house on East Cascade Avenue with a huge history. Now known as the Cascade House, it is available to guests. Located in the heart of Sisters, it is within walking distance of downtown's restaurants, galleries, shops, and parks. In 1914 Tillie Davidson came to Sisters to become the town's first schoolteacher. Tillie was born in 1893 and her parents were pioneers in Dufur in Wasco County. Tillie married George Wilson of... Full story
Annie Painter. Photo provided Sisters artist and educator Annie Painter will receive the 2003 Sunburst Award for her "exemplary commitment to young people, the arts, and education." The award is sponsored by Young Audiences, a national organization that works to provide access to art for young people throughout the country. The announcement was made by Sarah Avery Johnson, Executive Director of Young Audiences of Oregon. In making the announcement, Johnson praised Painter's "expertise as an artist and an educator, and (her)... Full story
John Holmes, right, points out old ranch locations to Fred Fost. Photo by Conrad Weiler There are still a few cattle to be found in the Sisters area, but not so very long ago this was real cattle country. John Holmes presented an overview of the last 100 years of ranching and livestock drives in the local area to a large group attending the Friends of Black Butte Ranch (BBR) meeting last Thursday, May 8. Using maps, old photos and other items, the grandson of rancher A.S. Holmes related the heyday of the Black Butte Land and... Full story
Two of the country's top rodeo bullfighters, an award-winning clown and two popular rodeo announcers will be participating in the 63rd annual Sisters PRCA Rodeo on June 13-15, according to Cathy Williams of the Sisters Rodeo Association. Rob Smets and Rowdy Barry will once again fight the bulls during four rodeo performances with help from rodeo clown and specialty act Troy Lerwill. Curt Robinson returns as announcer for the rodeo and Boyd Polhamus will join him, making his first appearance at the Sisters Rodeo. Smets,... Full story
Jeni Foster. Photo provided Jeni Foster will present a program of traditional Irish music and historical commentary entitled "My Grandfather's Immigrant Eyes, Songs and History of the Irish Emigration to America," at the Sisters Library. Foster has had a lifetime of interest in folk music. Growing up in rural Montana she sang to the cows. "Singing and reading were my favorite pastimes," she said. She sang at weddings and funerals and entertained at family gatherings. More recently she has performed at libraries and Celtic... Full story
The Sisters School Jazz Band program has again been recognized at the largest jazz festival in the Western states. The SHS Varsity Jazz Band and the SMS Jazz Quintet both performed well at the 41st annual Reno Jazz Festival. Over 320 bands participate each year representing middle school through university levels. The real value of the festival experience is educational. Each performing band receives live adjudication, a process in which three judges separately record voice-over comments while each band performs. This way... Full story
The 53 cats rescued from a La Pine trailer home are on their way to new lives filled with love and responsible care, according to the Humane Society of Central Oregon. Due to a cooperative effort among animal welfare agencies, 52 of the 53 cats are on their way to a new life. One cat died due to health complications on Wednesday, May 7. Earlier in the week, Humane Society of Central Oregon staff transported seven cats to Greenhill Humane Society in Eugene, five to The Humane Society of the Ochocos and two to the Humane... Full story
Scholars compete to answer questions. Photo by Kristina Coulter How do you spell 'conscientious?' What type of triangle has 60-degree angles? What famous book begins with: "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times"? Most adults would struggle a bit to come up with answers to these questions. But not the youth in Sisters. Thirteen- and 14-year-old students scrambled to hit their buzzer first to answer a question and earn a point for their team in the Sonrise Christian School Scholars Bowl at Sisters Community Church... Full story
Eloise Mynatt (second from right) and friends on the Ghan Train. Photo provided Eloise Mynatt is at home following a 27-day trip to New Guinea and Australia. She and her party of eight arrived in Port Moresby, Papua, New Guinea. From there they flew to Tarus on a little four-seater prop plane, where they were royally welcomed with greetings from the local people, festooned for the occasion with painted faces, feathered headdresses and their best warrior spears. Their accommodations were superb at the luxurious Ambua Lodge,... Full story
A long and expensive legal wrangle between the Keith Cyrus family of Sisters and the Squaw Creek Irrigation District (SCID) ended last week after a marathon, 16-1/2-hour mediation session. The conflict was sparked when SCID refused to deliver Cyrus irrigation water during a fee dispute in 1999. SCID refused to deliver Cyrus water for a little over one month, from April 23, 1999 until June 4, 1999, according to court documents. An ensuing lawsuit kicked up a controversy over... 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: Pride and joy in... Full story
