News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 10 of 10
The City of Sisters fired Police Chief David Haynes on May 15. Haynes had been on suspension since Ma y 1. Neither Haynes nor city officials would comment on specific issues surrounding Haynes' termination. "But," said Sisters Mayor Steve Wilson, "to avoid unnecessary speculation by the residents of the community, I will say that this was a management issue, not an issue of David's integrity." Haynes resigned his post briefly on June 25, 1996, after a dispute with City... Full story
Volunteers are nailing down timetables and blueprinting the logistics to build four new classrooms at Sisters Elementary School. The people behind the effort met Wednesday, May 14, to form a leadership cadre and to assign roles in the project. Bill Willitts, the project manager, is driving the group to have building permits in place by June 15, break ground by June 30, and have the project wrapped up by September 6. Willitts will meet with potential donors, manage the project and work to find start-up money. School... Full story
An adult cougar, probably a male, left tracks when he wandered through Kim and Kelly Renwick's back yard near McKinney Butte last Tuesday, May 20. McKinney Butte is only a hop-skip-and-a-jump from Camp Polk for a cougar--where one killed a deer and stashed it away near a home last year. After observing the cougar's tracks, Kim Renwick's first thoughts were for the safety of her two small children, Kathleen 8, and Kristine 3. While one should not ignore the potential danger, there is no reason for alarm. This is the time of... Full story
Negotiators hammered out terms of a conservation easement and clinched a transfer of over 260 acres west of Sisters from Deschutes County to the Sisters School District on May 14. The district now can use the parcel west of the Sisters High School for a future school site and outdoor nature lab. Prior to signing the order officially transferring the land, the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners insisted that the specifics of the easement be spelled out. The commissioners wanted assurances that adequate effort would be... Full story
Wayne Scott, owner of the Mountain Shadows RV Park, has agreed to take down the sides of the large pavilion adjacent to Highway 20 just west of the Threewind shopping center. The building, which was supposed to have been a "temporary," open-sided picnic pavilion, drew the ire of the Sisters Planning Commission, which demanded in January that Scott either make the building comply with plans and permits or take it down. According to city planner Neil Thompson, Scott will submit... Full story
Sisters police investigated an apparent burglary at a residence on Washington Street Friday, May 16. The resident reportedly came home to find the house broken into at about 2:30 p.m. Police reported finding pry marks from a crowbar on the front door. Police found a small safe open in the house. Some knives and a Sega game, with a total value of approximately $235, were allegedly stolen. According to police reports, the rear door of the residence, which was fastened with a hasp and a padlock had been forced open from the... Full story
* * * To the Editor: Does Governor Kitzhaber really advocate the "dumbing down" of Oregon's school children? I had heard this expression as a predicted consequence of OBE (Outcome Based Education, or 21st Century reform), but as a school board member had not seen evidence of this as an intention. But now, the Governor, in a public statement broadcast on Z21 TV, in response to concerns about the consequences of funding equality, remarked (and I paraphrase from memory) that the real intention is the achievement of equality in... Full story
On Picnics I love picnics. As a serious picnicker, I keep an old wicker basket packed with plates and napkins, a rustic tablecloth and plastic stemware, ready for the moveable feast. I love the idea of carrying off to the wilds a few simple things, knowing that just leaving the wheel of day-to-day concerns, under the influence of the good fresh air, and in the pocket of a well chosen scene, they will transform into fine and worthy fare. A picnic is called into being for reasons of joy. It is a noble pursuit. It acknowledges... Full story
Periodically it seems that I have to be reminded just how small an insect trout can become focused on. When the hatching insects are really teeny-tiny, it seems that there isn't enough food value for a big hungry trout to become selective. Yet when there are enough insects emerging - when the pickings become just too easy to resist, trout will focus on the tiniest of all insects, the midges. Not long ago I ran on to one of these hatches down on the Deschutes. I was guiding a series of trips throu gh the same water in the... Full story
An emergency cash shortfall has hit the Sisters School District, and all employees, from the superintendent on down, will take a five-day pay cut to help balance this year's budget. Some of those days may be made up in the next fiscal year, after July 1. According to schools Superintendent Steve Swisher, the district received notice last week from the State of Oregon that the final payment from the State School Support Fund would be less than anticipated. After an "intense review" of the numbers, Swisher said the district... Full story
