News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration was full of excitement this year to share the 25th Anniversary of the Country Fair and Art Show. With sadness, organizers announced that the celebration will be postponed until 2021. “As we discussed what our options might be, we were acutely aware of those in our community who have lovingly supported this event,” the organizers stated in a release. “The talented artists, the wonderful restaurants, the small businesses we all love, and the many individuals who gave time, talen... Full story
Books, movies and music are three of the best ways to relax, laugh and lose your worries for a while. Bill Bryson is an author who can start your adventure. “A Walk in the Woods” will take you along the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. You can travel by eBook, audiobook or video. “The Road to Little Dribbling” will give you a great tour of England and have you laughing most of the way. “A Short History of Nearly Everything” gives you just that — a little of everything. Jon Krakauer is an author who writes true... Full story
You’ve finally done it. After months of dreaming, you finally made the decision to take the plunge and bring home your own little bundle of furry joy. Now that it’s warming and heading towards summer you can’t wait to hit the trails with your new pup and introduce him to a life of adventure. However, since puppies don’t typically finish their initial series of inoculations at the veterinarian until they’re 16 weeks old, there’s time for your little pooch to learn basic train... Full story
Westside Sisters Church has adopted a new name. The former satellite church of Westside Bend is changing their official title to Wellhouse Church and has acquired the Sisters Christian Academy preschool into its structure with additional plans to expand in the near future. The title change came after long talks with board members and prophetic words about the direction of Westside Sisters Church. Visitors and members alike talked about the nature of worship and sermons,... Full story
The first time I heard the adage, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” it was the early 1980s during my third year of college. We were required to do a case study on a patient. That fall my clinical rotation was at a large VA hospital, rife with possibilities. Imagine my dismay when I was assigned to the mental ward, to a patient with bi-polar disorder, also referred to as manic depressive illness. I went to my nursing instructor and begged to be reassigned. The pat... Full story
With recent upheavals, a lot of folks are carrying around a constant buzz of worry. One way to put low-level anxiety to good use: by preparing for common, smaller-scale disasters. Wildfires, evacuations, and car breakdowns still happen, after all. Preparing for those can feel empowering and offer something concrete and useful to do on quiet days. A good first step: Improve fire safety around your home. The Nugget spoke with Ed Keith, Deschutes County Forester, who toured a... Full story
In our memorable virus-altered odyssey of Southeast Asia, Cambodia was a planned stop on the travel segment that preceded Holland America Cruise Line’s notorious cruise to nowhere aboard the cruise ship Westerdam. Since the cruise had been scheduled to conclude in Shanghai, China, we had no idea that, more than three weeks after arriving in Cambodia, we would gratefully return there as seagoing refugees, because it was the only country that would permit us to dock. For, as w... Full story
Students at Sisters High School won $500 for their first-place video titled “Canteen Catastrophe” in an annual safety video contest that promotes young worker safety and the importance of speaking up. The winning video, which is in a one-shot-style format, follows a worker — played by Shelby Larson — as she walks through a workplace kitchen noticing hazards, but not speaking up. The video rewinds to the beginning and the worker informs someone about each of the hazards so they can be fixed. The members of the winn... Full story
After a sudden and disorienting national shutdown, many of us are at home a lot more than we are used to. As the days pass, you might find yourself wanting to engage in more productive activities. Partners Julia de Castra and Michael Grant have taken the word “productive” to another level, diving headfirst into the world of design, building their own unique home stud by stud on the outskirts of Sisters. “In these challenging times with many stuck at home, Julia and I are s... Full story
The May 13 City Council meeting discussion ranged from the County reopening plan and State framework to all City operations and facilities that have been impacted by COVID-19. An overview of those discussions and decisions can be found in another section of this edition of The Nugget, as well as the packet materials and audio of the meeting on the City’s website. The Council made two key decisions: First, a resolution was adopted to extend the City’s Emergency Declaration through May 31; second, the Council decided to let... Full story
Earlier this year, 11-year-old Hailey Weston applied and was chosen to participate in Mustang Madness 2020. This event is organized by Mustang Yearlings/Washington Youth (MYWY), a nonprofit whose principal belief is that “Kids make better mustangs, and mustangs make better kids.” MYWY runs this well-respected program in partnership with the Oregon BLM Wild Horse Corrals in Burns. Each approved participant is paired with a yearling mustang to work with for a minimum of 90 days.... Full story
Deschutes Public Library has announced its reopening plan, which will begin the last week of May. The plan, approved by the Library director and board, lays out three chapters that move the library toward a return to a “new normal” for its operations. “The past two months have been unlike anything the country has ever experienced,” said library director Todd Dunkelberg. “In Deschutes County, and particularly here at Deschutes Public Library, our vibrant and welcoming culture was disrupted. We are used to putting books on... Full story
Sisters’ youth mentorship program Circle of Friends has a new pilot at the helm. Nicole Swisher Woodson will take on duties as executive director of the program starting June 1. Woodson brings to bear a deep professional background in providing care, special education and mentorship for youth. She has worked in Texas in the world of education, foster care and child protective services for the past 25 years. But working with children with needs is much more than a profession f... Full story
Sisters is “reopening” along with the rest of Deschutes County as restrictions imposed to slow the spread of COVID-19 are eased. We’re a long way from a return to “normal,” but it feels good to see some of the traditional vibrancy of the community return. It’s been a long, sad couple of months, as local residents confront the lingering fear of disease, the loss of livelihoods, the cancellation of cherished events and activities. At the same time, it’s been a time of innov... Full story
To the Editor: Save Sisters’ trees! It was shocking to learn that what I thought was simply the limbing up of a monumental ponderosa pine by the City or C.E.C., was actually a majestic ponderosa pine being felled by a Redmond company, with no City permit to do so, hired by a property owner who wrongly believed the tree was his. On the morning the magnitude of this majestic tree claimed its final resting place along Larch Street, our entire house and those of my neighbors reverberated from its now dead weight. I cried. This c... Full story
Faced with a radically altered programming landscape and a significant revenue squeeze thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) is restructuring and streamlining. SPRD approved a $1.567 million budget for the 2020/21 fiscal year on May 12. According to Executive Director Jennifer Holland, that budget reflects reductions in overhead and anticipates a drop in program revenue and collected property taxes. “A conservative approach is how the d... Full story
A team of dedicated educators and parents have saved the day and created a plan for the Sisters High School class of 2020 to have a commencement ceremony after all, despite the limitations imposed by COVID-19. The one-of-a-kind ceremony will take place at the Sisters Rodeo grounds at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 12. Due to health restrictions, the event will not be open to the general public and will be a drive-in style event. Graduates will have two parking places allotted for themselves and guests in specific locations in front... Full story
Just a few weeks ago, the Sisters Folk Festival was faced with the possibility of losing its My Own Two Hands fundraiser to the coronavirus pandemic. The annual event is critical to supporting the Festival’s music education and outreach programming, so the staff came up with a way to move the auction online. And the response exceeded all expectations. “We blew away our goal, so I’d have to say it was a resounding success,” said SFF Executive Director Crista Munro. The organiz... Full story
Sisters is cautiously emerging from the COVID-19 shutdown after Governor Kate Brown last week gave Deschutes County the green light to enter Phase I of the state’s “reopening” protocol as of May 15. Matters were thrown into confusion on Monday afternoon when a Baker County Circuit Court Judge invalidated all of Brown’s restrictions on businesses and social gatherings along with other executive orders around the coronavirus outbreak dating back to March 12. On Monday night,... Full story
