News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 31
Sisters residents woke Sunday morning to the unpleasant sight of graffiti scrawled on the walls of several businesses. Someone painted a swastika on the door of Soba Noodles & Rice and a large swastika with the slogan "White Power" was sprayed on the back wall of the Hitchin' Post General Store. The prominent graffiti was visible to any driver heading west up Cascade Avenue, but it didn't stay visible long. "When I saw the graffiti on the Hitchin' Post, I was just sickened,"... Full story
Sue Parker and Boyd Coxen of Sisters were married August 5 at Creekside Park in a ceremony with a Native American theme. The wedding took place under beautiful skies in front of family and friends.... Full story
A Sisters youth and a teen from Redmond were arrested on Monday in connection with a series of arson fires in the Cloverdale fire district. According to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports, deputies responded on Monday at about 9 a.m. to an assist call from the Cloverdale fire department in the area of Hinkle Butte Drive and Lake Drive in the Sisters area regarding a suspicious fire. When a sheriff's deputy arrived he located two additional fire starts in fairly close proximity to the originally reported fire. These... Full story
Two more Sisters city employees are leaving. Finance administrative assistant Linda Feist is retiring and former director of public works Gary Frazee has resigned. Frazee stepped down several months ago from his position heading the public works department and since that time has worked in public works operations. Sparks flew over the departures at last Thursday's city council meeting when Sisters contractor Curt Kallberg approached the podium. "I wasn't planning on coming here tonight. This is my poker night. It is an... Full story
To the Editor: I thought the era of hubris which allowed folks to build a tunnel through an old growth sequoia so motorists could drive through and pose beside the tree ended in the past century. But then came Fidelity National Financial. Fidelity proposes to build between 500-1,000 homes in a portion of Skyline Forest located in the middle of a national forest. They really should receive an Oscar for this sheer act of arrogance. Forest Road 4606 passes near the proposed development. During the winter, this road is closed to... Full story
When Cycle Oregon starts in Sisters on September 8, the event will be silent and fairly unobtrusive. It will be a "green" event in more than one way: Riders are to leave a lot of green behind to boost the Sisters economy. "Although we say there are 2,000 riders that will be coming to Sisters for Cycle Oregon, the actual number is closer to 2,500. By the time you add in the support crews and families that are tagging along, there will be well over 3,000 people that will be in Sisters for the start (on September 8) and finish... Full story
Local residents are being urged to contribute towards major medical costs and related expenses for an unborn child of a Central Oregon couple with strong ties to Sisters. Christian David Ruwaldt, the unborn son of Bryan and Nicole Ruwaldt of Bend, was recently diagnosed in utero with a congenital heart defect called Endocardial Fibroelastosis (EFE). His mother, Nicole, is a 2005 graduate of Sisters High School and the daughter of David and Denise Wheeler of Sisters. "The recommended procedure was to have heart surgery in San... Full story
Everyday approximately 77 Americans receive a lifesaving organ transplant - while 17 other individuals die waiting for one. The number of people needing organ transplants is growing faster than the number of individuals registering to donate organs. Sisters' own Chris Klug, a liver transplant recipient himself, hopes to narrow this gap by bringing public awareness to the need for people to register as organ donors (see related story, page 42). Klug, who took home the bronze... Full story
Sisters School District's new superintendent Elaine Drakulich has high expectations for all of the district's staff - administrators, secretaries, custodians, bus drives, paraprofessionals and teachers. Last Friday Drakulich outlined these expectations to the district's new hires during an orientation session at Sisters High School (see related story, page 18). In categorizing her expectations Drakulich told The Nugget: "Some of them are what I call no-brainers, and some of them might be somewhat surprising." Coming to work... Full story
The five finalists in the Sisters Folk Festival's Dave Carter Memorial Songwriting Contest have been announced. The five will vie for a $750 cash prize and a performance slot on the main stage at the festival, which runs September 7-9 in Sisters. The finalists are: Willie Carmichael, Bend; Melody Moore, Shreveport, Louisiana; Michael McGarrah, Maricopa, Arizona; Jud Caswell, Brunswick, Maine; and Datri Bean, Austin, Texas. "We received a record number of entries this year from all over the United States," said folk festival... Full story
When the lights came down at Bend's Les Schwab Amphitheater last Thursday night for the Blind Boys of Alabama concert, the Sisters High School Americana Project benefited in two ways: the event was a fund-raiser for the program; and Americana Project students got to present their music in opening the show. The event known as the Five for Five Benefit Concert Series was sponsored by the Pronghorn Foundation that partners with the Old Mill District to provide the venue. "The... Full story
Appraisers and surveyors are walking approximately 53 acres of the Forest Service land along Pine Street at the west end of town getting the parcel ready for the auction block. The sale of the land, which was expected to happen this fall, has been delayed by a couple of months, according to Rod Bonacker, who has been working on the sale for the Sisters Ranger District. "We still intend to get it on the market by the end of the year," he said. The Forest Service will use procee... Full story
Young Central Oregon equestrians interested in English riding disciplines will shortly have a new option to explore. The High Desert U.S. Pony Club is set to begin in Sisters on September 13 with an information and sign-up meeting. The get together is from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at O'Neal Farms, on Perit Huntington Road in Sisters. Potential members and their parents can meet each other and the club instructors at the meeting, and questions such as "Just what is Pony Club?" will get... Full story
Rob Jensen will take the reins as the boys varsity soccer coach this season. Jensen, 26, and his wife Stephanie moved to Sisters this summer when Jensen secured a job at Sisters Middle School as a sixth grade science teacher. Jensen was told about the opening at Sisters High School for the boys soccer coach, applied and got the job. Jensen made the move from Madras where he'd coached youth soccer for one year. Jensen brings years of player experience to the coaching position.... Full story
The girls soccer program brings back 10 varsity players to the squad this season and will add five more to the roster. Seven of the 10 returnees were all-league players and will bring leadership and experience to the team. Five of the seven are seniors: Tori Carlson; Lily Hicks; Katie Taylor; Nicole Veloso; and Mackenzie Williams. Hattie Tehan (junior) and Mindy Marr (sophomore) were also all-league players. Tori Carlson will start again at goal, and Coach Nik Goertzen is surprised by how well-rounded Carlson is in her... Full story
A car traveling down the McKenzie Highway on Tuesday, August 21, dropped hot parts from a broken catalytic converter on the roadway, causing seven small fires in roadside brush. Firefighters from Sisters, the Forest Service and Oregon Department of Forestry swiftly knocked the fires down. "It actually wasn't moving anywhere," said Sisters Assistant Chief Ryan Karjala. "It was in one of the prescribed burn areas that the Forest Service did." Recent rains kept heavier brush across the road from igniting. No one knows what... Full story
A gathering of Central Oregonian Francophiles met in Sisters over the weekend to speak French and catch up on the latest news. The French group is one of the oldest foreign language clubs in Central Oregon and was started in 1982 in Bend. Several members of the group reside in Sisters. The group meets monthly, usually at a restaurant in the Bend area, but twice a year they come to Sisters to visit the home of David and Mary Ann Smith. "We like having the group here during... Full story
Sisters Community Church is reaching out to a village in northeastern Uganda. The unique ministry is attempting to bring health to a devastated population. The target of the church's outreach is a Ugandan village composed of a tribe of farmers who have been displaced over the last 200 years by a very aggressive and warlike tribe that has been constantly expanding its territories. "We decided to partner with a church on the ground and offer an outreach to the people that way. We didn't want to look like a bunch of white... Full story
Walking and running teams with ties to the Sisters area held their own at last weekend's Hood to Coast and Portland to Coast relays. Among walking teams, "Sisters Seeking Sea Level" averaged 13:30 per mile for the 127-mile course en route to 37th place among 142 women's teams. Their overall time was 28 hours, 34 minutes and 15 seconds. "We had a whole lot of fun, and we finished an hour ahead of last year's time," said Captain Chris Davenport. "Nice Girls Finish Last,"... Full story
Jerry James McReal was born April 3, 1930, in Cheyenne, Wyoming to James McReal, who had emigrated from Northern Ireland, and Lucille Deveny. He died on August 19, while vacationing in Victoria, B.C. Jerry was well-known by curriculum personnel and school principals throughout the Northwest. He represented Laidlaw, McGraw Hill and Scholastic and received many awards for his textbook adoptions. In addition, he had his own educational publishing company for 17 years. Before entering the book business, Jerry was a teacher at... Full story
On any given Saturday in the summertime, the dirt racetrack at the Madras speedway is alive with mintrucks bumping, sliding and screaming toward the finish line. The drivers aren't highly-paid professionals soaking up endorsements and prize money. In fact, they're spending a lot of money for the main reward offered in such races: a whole lot of fun. Last Saturday, three teams of the 18 in the Madras racing field hauled their trucks out to Sisters to pay a visit to a sponsor -... Full story
Gretchen Peters never really intended to become a hit Nashville songwriter. She always saw herself as a folkie, a woman with a guitar and something worthwhile to say in song. She'll return to those roots next month as one of the featured performers at the Sisters Folk Festival, September 7-9. "The first music that I latched onto - partly because you could do it with just a guitar - was folk music," Peters said. Growing up in New York and then living in Colorado, she wrote and... Full story
•Sisters Harvest Basket is celebrating their Second Annual Labor Day Barbecue on Saturday, September 1, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Monday, September 3, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Oregon Trail Card will be accepted at Sisters Harvest Basket beginning this week. •Camp Sherman's General Store will host their Labor Day Barbecue at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 1. •The public is invited to attend Jennifer Lake Gallery's "100th Published Print Unveiling" at the Jennifer Lake Gallery on Saturday, September 1, at 1... Full story
When school starts next Tuesday morning, the Sisters School District will welcome 17 new full- or part-time teachers. Some are filling positions left open by teachers who are not returning to the district; others are taking on positions that are new to the district. In addition, several paraprofessionals and classified employees will join the district's educational force. Last Friday, August 24, all new hires gathered at Sisters High School for a New Hire Orientation. They spent the morning with the district's new... Full story
For at least the third time in the last 15 years, the Sisters City Council will attempt to find a solution to the traffic problem that has plagued the city for at least two decades. "I would say that the traffic problem was recognized about 20 years ago. Certainly for the 18 years that I have owned a business here, it has been a discussion that has come up repeatedly," said Sisters Mayor Brad Boyd. "About every five years or so ODOT (Oregon Department of Transportation) takes a run at putting something together that the... Full story
