News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 24 of 24
Sisters schools just received a boost that will help them propel math, science, and engineering learning into real-world 21st-century applications. The school district last week was awarded a $196,500 Career and Technical Education (CTE) grant to enhance and create integrated science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs at Sisters High School and Sisters Middle School. The grant is one of eight awarded across Oregon by the Oregon Department of Education and the... Full story
The temporary traffic signal at Barclay Drive and Highway 20 is scheduled to be deactivated Monday as construction on Cascade Avenue wraps up. Some folks would like to see the signal stay, feeling that it makes the intersection safer (Click here for Letters to the Editor). But a permanent signal is not in the plans for that intersection. A roundabout is still the form of traffic control favored by the City of Sisters and the Oregon Department of Transportation. While many... Full story
More than 100 local folks showed up at city hall with their work clothes on to pitch in and give their community a spring cleaning. Crews were dispatched to Sisters Elementary School, where they cleaned up the landscaping and did some painting, and to Sisters High School and the SPRD headquarters, where they cleaned up the islands and bulb-outs in the parking lot. Meanwhile, Clay Warburton led a contingent of kids down Cascade Avenue, where they washed windows for businesses.... Full story
To the Editor: Kudos to Diane Goble for her letter in last week's Nugget. If you missed it, she was taking the Sisters City Council to task for their refusal to make digital recordings of City council meetings available online at the City's website. The City has claimed that recordings are already available for purchase at $10 each and that the $1,200 one-time cost of making them available electronically is prohibitive. Yet in the month of April alone the City paid $1,359 of taxpayer money to The Nugget to advertise... Full story
The City of Sisters should reconsider its decision regarding making recordings of its meetings available on its website. Any move to make local government more accessible to citizens is a worthy consideration, and taking advantage of technology to do so is a good idea. Not only will it make the actions of the city council more accessible and transparent, it will also make it more convenient for interested parties - including the councilors themselves - to refer back to the... Full story
In a 5-0 vote Thursday night, the Sisters City Council, acting as the Sisters Urban Renewal Agency, approved all 15 of the applications they received that met the published criteria for small project improvement grants. The improvement projects totaled just over $91,000 against a budgeted $100,000. This is the second round of funding for this project. These grants are targeted to help improve the appearance of the downtown businesses through façade rehabilitation and restoration that emphasizes uniqueness and historical... Full story
The Deschutes County Community Development Department is conducting community outreach to gather the public's opinion on agricultural lands (Exclusive Farm Use, EFU). The meeting is set in Sisters on Thursday, May 15, 6 to 8 p.m. at Sisters High School. Deschutes County is interested in understanding public, stakeholder, and landowner opinions about the opportunities and challenges with EFU zoning, and in determining if changes are needed. Differences of opinion exist today over which lands should be designated farm lands... Full story
"OK ladies, let's get ready to raise this wall," Sisters Habitat for Humanity construction manager Shawn O'Hern called out. Dozens of willing hands stepped forward, and up it went. That was the way things rolled at Sisters Habitat's two-day Women Build event last Thursday and Friday. More than 40 women in a series of shifts helped build homes with the Purkey and Sandecki families at the corner of Greenridge and Tamarack in recognition of National Women Build Week. Despite... Full story
Rain and cool temperatures had no adverse effects on at least two Outlaws track athletes as two more school records fell at the 14-team Wally Ciochetti Invitational, held at Cottage Grove High School Friday, May 9. Brandon Pollard, who broke the school record in the 1,500-meter race earlier this month, continued his assault on the Sisters High School middle-distance record-book with a wire-to-wire win in the 800, clocking a 4A best time this season in 1:55.92. His victory... Full story
When Joni Stengel, first-grade teacher at Sisters Elementary School (SES), asked her class who would like to be the next student to read a book to his or her peers on the radio, "almost all of them raised their hands." Their enthusiasm comes from their experiences last March when this enriching opportunity to encourage young readers was launched. Michael Richards, general manager of KZSO radio in Sisters, encouraged Stengel and her class to help him create Sisters Student... Full story
• Seasons Cafe & Wine Shop will be closed Saturday and Sunday, May 17 and 18, to complete their remodel. They will re-open on Monday and be open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. • The KZSO 94.9 FM Kelsey Collins Show airs live at 9 a.m., with a podcast available at www.kzso.org/kelsey-collins-podcasts-3. This month's topics are: - May 17: What's the most dangerous thing you've ever done? - May 24: How much does our mind play a part in our physical health? - May 31: Smile and laugh every day to help... Full story
Program staff from the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry traveled the tree-lined roads to Camp Sherman and the Black Butte School last Monday to present the school with the OMSI Award for Outstanding Science Program. This is a significant achievement for the 25-student school already boasting a long tradition of excellence in the humanities and environmental science. The award was earned earlier in the spring at the Intel NW Science Expo, Oregon's top science fair. In addi... Full story
There's a lot going on these days regarding food, nutrition, and how to stay healthy; with it comes a whole bunch of misinformation and gobbledygook. If you're asking yourself what's real and what's not in the world of human nutrition, come to The Belfry Thursday, May 15, and listen to Dr. Julie Hood Gonsalves, COCC associate professor of human biology. Doors open at 6 p.m.; program starts at 7 p.m. Her talk, "Nutrition Facts and Diet Fantasy," may be what you need to hear.... Full story
Those straight-shootin,' git-'er-done Sisters Rodeo Association ladies were right: "Wear painting clothes!" they warned, like women who knew exactly what they were talking about. Sure enough. By late morning, my hands were covered. It was under my nails and brushed along my jeans. Bright, American-flag-blue paint. Well, I had to laugh. Welcome to being a brand-new volunteer with the Sisters Rodeo Association. There's been an early spring kick in the air as folks show up at... Full story
The Lady Outlaws tennis team competed at the district championships held at Black Butte Ranch, Thursday-Saturday, May 8-10. Henley took first-place honors, and Marshfield was runner-up. Klamath Union took third, and North Bend and Sisters tied for fourth. Ten teams competed amidst consistent rain, high winds, and sporadic hail all weekend. Coach Courtney Collins told The Nugget that it was a miracle they were able to get all their matches in. Collins had a big shout-out to... Full story
For the third year in a row, the Sisters Science Club sponsored a group of 12 Sisters High School freshmen and sophomores on a working visit to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC) in Seattle. The students were selected from Rima Givot's biology classes on the basis of interest, and an essay they submitted indicating why they would like to participate in this field trip. Upon arriving at FHCRC, the students donned lab coats and were tasked with performing... Full story
Women in elegant attire and stylish hats mingled among family and friends on Saturday at St. Edward the Martyr Catholic Church while listening to beautiful music provided by Chris Patrick and Seylah Broderick. The church hosted its 14th annual Tea and Fashion Show in the parish hall. Each sizeable round table was uniquely decorated with colorful china sets donated for the event from the home of the many individual table-dressers. Mary Richards, longtime parishioner, provided... Full story
Outlaw Martial Arts taekwondo students Shawn Kelm and Tristan Kaczmarek recently completed a five-hour test and were awarded black belts. Kelm, age 9, is a student at Sisters Christian Academy and has been training at Outlaw Martial Arts for almost four years. "Most 9-year-olds don't have the attention span to accomplish this goal," said Master Marty Kaczmarek (Master K), founder of Outlaw Martial Arts. "Shawn has been really focused on earning his black belt." Tristan... Full story
• I recently read where one should be able to rise from a cross-legged sitting position, WITHOUT using your arms or knees. That ship has sailed for me. I use my arms and knees just to roll over so I CAN get up. • Much is being written of late about being a woman, a leader, and bossy. When my mom was "running" for the leadership position of her church's Altar Guild, some of what she said was, "If you like me I'm a leader, if you don't, I'm bossy." In my life, I, too, have found this to be true.... Full story
You've recently bonded with your rescue dog after working for weeks on training and socializing him. You've noticed that your allergies seem much worse and it's not even spring. Could it be your furry friend? One of the worst discoveries pet parents can make is that they are (or a family member is) allergic to a four-legged family member. Some people develop an immune reaction to a certain protein produced in the sebaceous glands of a dog or cat's skin. This allergen is found... Full story
The Outlaws started off with an 8-2 win at Elmira on Monday, May 5, and two days later shut out Junction City 10-0 at home in Sisters. Freshman Ryan Funk got the Outlaws rolling in Monday's match-up against the Falcons. Funk, with two outs, hit a single to score two runs for the Outlaws in the first inning. Sisters tacked on two runs in the second, and another in the third to take a 4-0 lead. Ben Larson picked up a two-out base-hit line drive to score Jardon Weems in the... Full story
The Sisters schools' Seed-To-Table program, begun by Audrey Tehan, Sisters Science Club, and Sisters School District is - in spite of the demise of the middle school greenhouse - alive and well. The plan got underway last January when SSD Operations Director Leland Bliss, Assistant Nutrition Services Director Terri Rood, volunteer Amber Dean and Seed-To-Table Director Audrey Tehan put a menu together to integrate more local, nutritious foods into school lunch menus, including... Full story
Representing the 10-member school budget committee, committee chair Jeff Smith made a final budget recommendation to the school board Wednesday night. The recommendation of a $15 million total budget was approved by the board on a 5-0 vote. The budget committee was thanked for their work and dissolved. As recommended, the budget represents a $500,000 cut from last year's budget. That represents less than the $800,000 shortfall than was projected in recent months. Business manager Sandy Tartaglia explained the difference to Th... Full story
Cascade Avenue will re-open to through traffic on Friday morning, May 16. "Traffic patterns are going to go back to the pre-construction state," said Oregon Department of Transportation Community Liaison Ann Fisher. "Or, for locals - normal." That includes removal of the temporary signal at Barclay Drive and Highway 20 on Monday, May 19. Public officials urge drivers to be alert to the new driving conditions. While the highway will be open to traffic - and parking will be allo... Full story
