News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 25
One of the contractors that put in main sewer lines in Sisters last year is suing the city for some $689,278 for alleged breach of contract. Commercial Redi-Mix of Salem, Oregon, claims that the city owes compensation for extra work required to remove volcanic rock on part of the project; for extra trench excavation; for deflecting lines to meet stubs that were off line; relocating manholes and for delays that increased the company's overhead. The City of Sisters does not... Full story
The first bid for work on the new Sisters High School came in $111,658 below the contractor's estimate. Elting, Inc. of Gladstone, Oregon, bid $367,900 for mass excavation and grading at the school site. The contractor's estimate for that work was $479,558. The low bid amount is good news to the school district, because the school board had to cut $500,000 worth of features from the school plan to keep within its $21 million budget. Savings from low bids could allow the board... Full story
Bob Grooney and Lorri Craig discuss the future at a CATS meeting. A new affordable housing project and a community network of trails are on the horizon for Sisters. Those projects were highlighted in the annual meeting of the Community Action Team of Sisters (CATS), held Wednesday, May 8, at the Sisters Comfort Inn. Bill Willitts, board member in charge of the affordable housing committee, described the 33 new rental-housing units under construction on Larch Avenue at Tamarack Village. "These will be two- and three-bedroom... Full story
David Herman's plans to build a guest ranch on 155 acres he purchased along Indian Ford Road is being opposed by neighbors. A public hearing on the request concluded May 7 before county hearings officer Lori Kliewer. The proposal includes 10 proposed cabins from 800 to 1,000 square feet, a lodge/kitchen building, an ice rink, tennis courts and swimming pool, according to county staff. Neighbors claim that commercial use will "ruin the neighborhood," which is currently made up of expensive homes and hobby ranches. Last year... Full story
Bigg Eddy entertained party-goers at SOAR's fund-raising Cinco de Mayo fiesta. A Mexican-themed fiesta on Saturday, May 4, netted $16,000 for SOAR (Sisters Organization for Activities and Recreation). The money will go toward youth scholarships and activities. One hundred seventy guests filled the Sisters Rodeo clubhouse, where they dined on a fine south-of-the-border meal and danced to the music of a traditional Mexican band. A meal of carne asada, chicken enchiladas, Spanish rice and salad was catered by Ronda Sneva, event... Full story
Sisters Elementary School will hold its annual kindergarten screening/pre-registration on Friday, May 24, in the elementary school gym. The screening is scheduled by appointment only. Call 549-8981. Parents of children who will be five years old on or before September 1, 2002, are eligible to enroll for the 2002-2003 school year. This screening will include some information concerning the first year in school. Registration, immunization and curriculum information will be shared and the necessary forms handed out. Proof of... Full story
The Sisters Jazz Festival has booked a variety of bands playing in different styles for this year's event. The festival, which runs September 13-15, is making a comeback in 2002 following a year off to restructure the popular fall event. The festival is part of "September in Sisters," a month-long celebration of American arts, music and culture. The Sisters Jazz Festival Board of Directors has made a concerted effort to make major changes in the festival bands line-up, venues and performance schedule in order to attract a... Full story
Sarah Dempsey, (far back) American Sign Language (ASL) teacher at Sisters High School returned recently from Malawi, Africa. Sarah Dempsey, American Sign Language (ASL) teacher at Sisters High School returned recently from Malawi, Africa. The main purpose of her trip was to visit her friend Heidi Corce, who teaches at Montford College in Limbe, Malawi. Montford College has a hearing impaired program, where Heidi's job is to instruct teachers how to teach deaf students. The college is located next to the School for the Deaf,... Full story
Christa Hamilton displays a "green" bag. Shoppers in Sisters can cut down on waste while supporting Sisters Elementary School students. Harvest Basket and Ray's Food Place in Sisters are carrying custom-crafted canvas shopping bags featuring silk-screened art from Sisters students. Shoppers can purchase the bags and eliminate the need for paper or plastic grocery bags. "We wanted to do something people in the community could use," said parent volunteer Joyce Burk Brown. Elementary school teacher Kelly Powell launched the... Full story
The Sisters High School Concert Band took fifth place at the 2002 Oregon School Activities Association State Music Championships on Thursday, May 9. The event was held at the Oregon State University LaSalle Stewart Center. Thirteen bands from 3A high schools around the state were eligible to perform at the state festival. The Sisters band achieved eligibility for the third straight year through its performance at the Capital Conference Band Festival, where it was awarded first place and received superior ratings. "Getting inv... Full story
Carole (Campbell) Crail shared memories of her early life at Black Butte Ranch with the ranch Historical Society and Friends of Black Butte Ranch at the BBR fire hall last week. Crail described childhood activities on a working ranch circa 1940-1957. Her parents, Carl and Virginia Campbell, managed the property for Mr. and Mrs. Stewart Lowery of San Francisco. "We thought we owned it," said Crail. "The Lowerys would come for summer vacations but we had the place for nine months of the year. We got to milk the cows, ride horse... Full story
Sisters Elementary School will conduct the annual "Sisters Trash Clean-Up" on Friday, May 24, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Each class will be assigned an area to clean. The older classes walk the farthest. According to organizer Kelly Powell, safety issues will be discussed and parent volunteers will assist. "I believe this is our 11th year of trash clean up, even though last year we were temporarily snowed out," Powell noted. "This event is a community service project. We ask for and make no money. We just want to make Sisters look... Full story
Phil Chlopek, a long-time Sisters resident and veterans' affairs activist, died Thursday, May 9, of an apparent heart attack. He was 74. Chlopek was well-known in the Sisters community for his efforts to recognize armed services veterans. He was active in the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, combining their organizational efforts into the Sisters Veterans' Group. "He really kept the local Legion and VFW organizations together," said friend and fellow veteran Jack Berry. Chlopek launched and managed the Sisters... Full story
The 2002 Sisters Starry Nights Concert Series raised a record $92,375 in net proceeds for the Sisters Schools Foundation. The series, which completed its sixth year last month, has netted close to $330,000 since its inception in 1997. "We are very pleased to announce that this year's event has surpassed our fund-raising goals," said series co-chair and Sisters Schools Foundation Vice-Chair Susan Arends. She attributed the increase to a number of factors, including artists offering to donate all the proceeds from their CD sale... Full story
For the first time in this stellar season, the Sisters boys varsity baseball team knows the taste of defeat at the hands of a league foe. On Tuesday, May 7, the Outlaws went to Stayton and lost a heartbreaker by a 4-3 score. Coach Ray Garrettson was philosophical. "They're a scrappy team," he said. "We only beat them 3-2 in our yard. "This was the first time that we got off the bus flat, and not ready to play," he noted. "Normally, when we visit a league team, we jump right on them in the first inning." Starter Mike Greene... Full story
Great golfers: Jeremey DeBoard, Justin Little, the Green brothers -- David, Jonathan and Christian -- and Adam Perry. The Sisters boys varsity golf team took on the rest of the Capital Conference on Monday and Tuesday, May 6-7 at the Aspen Lakes Golf Course. When the two-day district tournament was over, the Outlaws had destroyed the competition, winning by a whopping 118 strokes. "We pretty much had our way with the field," said coach Jeff Barton. "We are playing really, really well -- as well as we have played all year."... Full story
Lori and Mark Francis. This summer, Sisters dentist Dr. Mark Francis will forsake the comforts of home and brave the wilds of the Amazon region. His two-week long trip will not be some exotic vacation, but rather a labor of love. Francis will be providing dental care -- mostly in the form of extractions -- to native people living along the vast river. "I heard about this opportunity about six months ago," said Francis. "There is a church in Montana that has been sponsoring medical/dental missions trips for a project called... Full story
A newly-cut road brings Jordan Road into Highway 20 at 90 degrees. Road crews have begun preparing for the realignment of Jordan Road where it connects to Highway 20 across property owned by the Lazy Z ranch just east of Sisters. The intersection is being converted to meet the highway at a 90 degree angle to improve safety, according to county and state road officials. Jordan Road is a county road, but the Oregon Department of Transportation regulates intersections with the... Full story
Fred McCaulou, Christine Cole and dogs Bob and Shandie. Competing with chain-store retailers is never an easy task for a local operator, but Sisters Feed and Supply is doing it well. This was confirmed by the recent move into larger premises just a few doors down Main Avenue. Sisters pet owners have long had access to a local feed store. When Fred and Jeanee McCaulou bought the business in 1997 it was an existing pet store. Prior to that there had been a feed and garden store on the old site. From day one, it was a squeeze... Full story
Foresters will set to work soon to undo a century of man-made changes to Trout Creek Swamp 10 miles west of Sisters. Back in the early 1900s, cattle ranchers in the Sisters country worked hard to turn Trout Creek Swamp into good grazing land for their cattle. "They dug ditches through the swamp to channel the multiple meandering streams into a few deep, narrow ditches so that the water table would be lowered and there would be more dry areas for cattle to graze," according to a restoration project outline provided by the... Full story
Volunteers with Sisters Habitat for Humanity are pretty good at building a nice house from scratch. However, for the next few homes, they won't have to; they're getting them trucked in from Tumalo. The local chapter is receiving three homes donated by the owners of Deschutes River Ranch. Other homes have been donated to chapters throughout Central Oregon. The homes will be trucked into Sisters by High Desert Property Management around the first week of June, according to Siste... 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: While not an employ... Full story
A Ford V-8 van driven by a 67-year-old Sisters woman crashed into the lobby of U.S. Bank on Monday morning, May 13. The woman told police that she was pulling into a parking space on the east side of the bank when she was overcome with dizziness. The woman said that the next thing she was aware of was that she had hit the wall. Deputies at the scene estimated that she was traveling at about eight to 10 miles per hour at impact. The van burst into the small lobby alcove at the entrance to the bank. It fit neatly between two... Full story
We have a host of people with environmental interests telling us what is green. When one of my four children was a toddler and learning his colors, he tried to do the same thing. "Green!" he'd proclaim, when asked about a color. Any color. I guess he figured that if he stuck with that answer, eventually, he'd get it right. With many of today's "environmentalists," we're seeing about the same level of scientific understanding. The term "environmentalist" has come to have a special connotation. Sort of like the word "gay," it... Full story
- A driver rear-ended another driver waiting to turn left at Highway 20 and Cloverdale Road on Sunday, May 12. The impact pushed the car into another vehicle. The occupants of the car that was rear-ended were treated at the scene and released. - A Sisters Middle School student was taken into custody for reckless endangering after he allegedly lit fumes from an aerosol can. Information in "Sisters sheriff's calls" is taken from log entries and reports of the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office.... Full story
