News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 10 of 10
More sheriff's deputies will be on patrol near Sisters by the end of the summer after voters approved a one-year, $6.9 million operating levy for the Deschutes County Sheriff's Department May 20. In recent months, two of the deputies assigned to the Sisters area have spent much of their time answering calls n ear Redmond, where the department is short two deputies, Sheriff Greg Brown said. The levy's passage means the department can fill those vacancies. Brown said Sisters... Full story
The Sisters City Council grudgingly granted a reprieve to a 50-foot aspen tree at their meeting on May 29. The tree's execution was imminent, as it stands in the center of a new sidewalk ready to be poured in front of Northern Lights Bakery and Habitat for Humanity. Mayor Steve Wilson said, "As much as I love trees, it is the wrong place for a tree -- smack in the middle o f the sidewalk." City Administrator Barbara Warren said, "It's a scrubby little tree." Nonetheless, many in the community have banded together in an... Full story
The Sisters City Council has unanimously voted to grant a three-year renewal of a vehicle forfeiture policy related to drunk driving convictions. The ordinance allows police officers to seize cars of drivers with a history of driving-related convictions, such as drivers who have been previously convicted of drunk driving (or who have gone through a diversion program in lieu of a conviction). The ordinance also applies to drivers whose license has been suspended for misdemeanor or felony crimes, as well as a host of... Full story
Sisters voters tapped businesses and the tourist trade, but overwhelmingly nixed a request to dip into their own pockets to replenish city coffers. In the May 20 election voters turned down a three-year $67,519 operating levy, by a margin of 166 no votes to 92 in favor, and rejected a 5 percent franchise fee for the water and garbage funds with close to 60 percent voting no. However, a hike in the business license fee from $43 to $100 passed by a margin of 156 to 89, and 76.4... Full story
More than 120 people attended a moving Memorial Day ceremony held at the Camp Polk Cemetery on Monday, May 26. A musical prelude by students from Sisters High School was followed by the Call to Colors and opening praye r by Lt. Col. Larry Henderson, pastor of the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Sisters and senior chaplain of the Idaho Army National Guard. Phil Chlopek, Commander of American Legion Post #86 and Sr.-Vice Commander of Sisters VFW Post 8138 gave the greeting, directed presentation of the colors and... Full story
On May 27, Deschutes National Forest Supervisor Sally Collins signed a management plan for the Metolius Wild and Scenic River. In preparing the plan, boating was the issue that generated more comments than all other issues combined. A n impasse with the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs over boating may ultimately lead to litigation to determine who owns the Metolius River. Currently, the Tribes, which claim the Metolius as its own by virtue of an 1855 treaty with the federal government, ban boating. The Forest Service... Full story
Retired police administrator Wayne Inman calls himself a "champion" of community policing. Inman, who now lives in the Sisters area, is the former assistant Chief of the Portland Police Bureau and retired as chief of police in Billings, Montana. In those cities, he saw community policing pay big dividends both for police and for citizens. On Monday, May 19, Inman shared his vision of community policing with officers from the Sisters Police Department and other local agencies... Full story
* * * To the Editor: Although it surely is heartening to hear that local builders are willing to subsidize the Sisters School District by constructing four new middle school classrooms, this noble effort may produce an unintended false sense that the school district's fiscal problems have been solved. In truth, the schools need a new operating levy to ensure that Sisters schools are capable of preparing students for the demands of the 21st century. A quality middle school experience, often the determinative years of a... Full story
On Barbecues It is important to watch the sunset on occasion. It illuminates the mundane and renews the mind with wonder. Grasses, ordinary and green all day, turn gold and mauve and silver in the late slanting light. Glaciers warm to pink; jet streams go iridescent; faces light up to a pearly rose; curly hair becomes a halo. Cobwebs, insect wings, long clusters of pine needles fill with a lively, comforting light. Lingering over an outdoor meal, bound together in the sun's afterglow, we have freely what restaurants,... Full story
The Salmonfly hatch leads to some of the very best fishing the Lower Deschutes has to offer. Anglers come from all over the world to fish this event. The hatch is just now getting under way - the activity will continue in full force through late June. Sadly, despite the awesome potential of this hatch, every year there are dozens of anglers who fish it and come away frustrated. As I float by I see folks fishing nymphs right in the middle of the best dry fly fishing of the year. They have obviously given up. There are many... Full story
