News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 24 of 24
Sisters residents are used to visits from wildlife. Deer are like lawn ornaments in some Sisters neighborhoods and all sorts of birds and squirrels are residents. But Sisters residents don’t often get a visit from a black bear. Last week, Sisters resident Rick Geraths was driving along Camp Polk road near Sage Meadow when he stopped to pick up a big cardboard box that had fallen in the roadway. He got back in the truck. “I started going and I saw something moving (in an adj... Full story
Kathryn Miner will be the next principal of Sisters Middle School. For the past three years she has been the principal of Edmund Brown High School, a Redmond alternative school. She will succeed Lora Nordquist, who in July will take a newly created administrative job in Crook County School District after six years as principal of Sisters Middle School and eight years before that as a Sisters High School English teacher. “I’m very excited to be coming to such an out... Full story
Sisters’ new Cascade Avenue crosswalks are hard to miss. In fact, driving into town from the west a driver can see every one of them. Visibility is the purpose behind the new “European block style” crosswalks installed last week. According to Sisters Public Works director Gary Frazee, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) asked the city to participate as a test site for the new style of crosswalk. Durability is another feature. According to Frazee, the cross... Full story
A gentle breeze stirred the American flag and a host of service banners and bright sun winked off the shiny brass accouterments of the Crook County Naval Junior ROTC Drill Team as Sisters honored fallen soldiers in the traditional Memorial Day service at the Village Green on Monday, May 29. The event began with an invocation by Sisters pastor Ed Beacham and greetings and introductions by event organizer John Turner but it was dominated by an impassioned and sometimes... Full story
The voters spoke. They want stable funding for the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office. But they aren’t going to get it because their votes were invalidated by Oregon’s “double-majority” rule, which requires that any money measure such as the creation of a new tax district draw a greater than 50 percent voter turnout. The sheriff got the votes but didn’t get the turnout. The double-majority law is a travesty and it’s time to scrap it. The rule was created as part of the Measur... Full story
To the Editor: Several well-meaning local citizens have expressed opposition to ODOT’s proposed improvement of Hwy. 20 between Indian Ford and Sisters. As much as I agree that this is a beautiful stretch of Highway, I must express whole-hearted support for ODOT’s plans. Simple logic tells us that we cannot put a moratorium on road construction and no moratorium on the rapid residential growth in our area. The effects of rapid development with far too little highway expansion is not only unsafe, but crippling Central Ore... Full story
Bill Willitts is hard at work creating the FivePine development at the east end of Sisters. The development around Sisters Athletic Club and his wife Zoe’s business, Shibui Spa, will eventually include a conference center and restaurant and other amenities in a tree-studded setting. That’s plenty to work on for now, but Willitts is looking toward the long-term future. He now owns a 20-acre parcel that used to be part of the Lazy Z ranch adjacent to FivePine and he is a par... Full story
Jenny Boswell capped a stellar high school athletic career by defending both of her hurdles titles at the state meet Saturday, May 27, at Hayward Field in Eugene. Wet, cool conditions kept times in most events a bit slow, but Boswell had no trouble with the rain as she blasted to a clear win in the 100-meter hurdles in 15.29 seconds. Three hours later she was back in the driver’s seat for the 300-meter hurdles and was never challenged, winning by more than a second in 45.47 seconds. In winning both events, Boswell remained un... Full story
The threat of fire and the impact of potential land use changes dominated discussions at the annual Friends of the Metolius (FOM meeting) at the Camp Sherman Community Hall on Saturday, May 27. A small gathering heard Sisters District Ranger Bill Anthony describe recent projects to reduce wildfire danger in the local area. The B&B Fire costs were something in excess of $40 million, Anthony reported. “This was one of the largest fires in Central Oregon history covering 91,000 acres and lasted from August 19 until November (... Full story
The boys lacrosse team solidified its status as league leader when it crushed Summit 8-4 on Wednesday, May 24, in Sisters. The Outlaws lost to Bend in their previous outing and were determined to end the season on a high note. Sisters scored quickly off a rocket shot by Doug Emberton. Sisters controlled the ball for most of the first half but was only up by two at the half, 4-2. “Summit has a couple of kids that can really shoot, but we were dominating the game but just couldn’t finish our opportunities,” said Coach Bill... Full story
Some major changes and happenings will bring a new look to the 66th Sisters Rodeo. “One big change is the placement of an instant replay screen that will allow spectators to review action from the arena,” said Glenn Miller, president of the Sisters Rodeo Association. “This is being sponsored by Sisters Oil and The Hitchin’ Post and should be a real attraction for our rodeo fans.” Another improvement is the removal of the 30-year-old bleachers behind the bucking chutes near the announcers’ stand, said rodeo board member Bonnie... Full story
The culinary team planning to open an 85-seat restaurant in the former Conklin’s Bed & Breakfast backed out of their deal this month. Juli and Ramsey Hamdan, who started the Jackalope restaurant in Bend, were planning to serve contemporary Western cuisine starting this summer but changed their minds for economic reasons. Developer Shane Lundgren calls it “unfortunate” but said he has four other groups interested in creating a restaurant at the historic site. “The level o... Full story
Emerald Ranch, on Cloverdale Road, is poised to become an all-around Western riding establishment with the addition of trainer Geraldo Morales. Morales, 23, is an accomplished Western pleasure and gaming trainer and instructor and has competed at the national level in Western pleasure and barrel racing. Emerald Ranch owner, Don Chelew, is pleased to have finally found Morales. He’d been searching for a while for just the right person to bring another dimension to the s... Full story
The girls golf team tied for 13th place at the state tournament, which was held at the Eagle Ridge Golf Course on Monday and Tuesday, May 15-16. Senior Maureen Broadbent led the Outlaws in individual scoring with 101/100 (201). Alexis Wainwright was just one stroke back at 109/93 (202). Shelby Ross posted scores of 111/105 (216) and Meghan Crowder 109/128 (237). Claire Mutchler carded a 116 on the first day of the tournament and Jessica Little shot a 128 for the Outlaws on the second day. Coach Mary Flande had words of... Full story
• There were numerous sightings of a black bear in Sisters. Deputies, Oregon Fish and Wildlife and OSP game control officers are pondering how to handle the critter. • A man reported an aggressive dog killing his cats. • A student allegedly assaulted another in the lunch room at Sisters Middle School. • A Sisters man crashed through a fence avoiding a deer on the road. • Someone graffittied the Village Green bathroom. Black Butte Ranch Police • A burglar appeared to have entered a home while the residents were gone and ma... Full story
Bill and Kathy Spezza, partners in business and marriage, were not looking for a buyer for Ponderosa Heating and Cooling, the Sisters company they started in 1988. Kory MacGregor, president of Roth Heating, Canby, Oregon, wasn’t actively seeking expansion into Central Oregon. But conversations that started casually between the Spezzas and MacGregor became serious last September when MacGregor recognized the need for greater presence in the area. As of May 1, Ponderosa b... Full story
Camp Sherman hosted a fun filled holiday weekend — starting Thursday evening with a potluck dinner and National History Day participants from Black Butte School performing at Camp Sherman Community Hall. Five local students will be headed east next month for National History Day events in Maryland (see related story, page 24). The crowd of parents, grandparents and friends witnessed student presentations after dinner. Rachel Lovegren and her sister Danielle performed old s... Full story
Dozens of Sisters High School’s graduating seniors won scholarships and awards presented on Tuesday, May 23. Many of the scholarships are sponsored by local individuals and businesses. Scholarship honnors went to: Bend Memorial Clinic — Ashley Ladd — $1,000. Black Butte Ranch Arts Guild — $1,500 Amalie Lantz. Black Butte Ranch Cookbook — $2,000 Tiffany Martin. Camp Sherman Pineneedlers — Jarett Hancock; Chad Horning — $1,000 each. Frank Dale Memorial Scholarship — $500 Kyle Benhower. High Country Disposal — $1,000 Jason Knif... Full story
The Sisters Elementary School fourth grade class celebrated the end of the school year with a field trip that included a stop at the Oregon State Capitol building. The stop was part of the “End of the Oregon Trail” annual field trip. The trip started at Fort Vancouver with stops at Laurel Hill Government Camp and Madras on the way. After an overnight stay in the Kraxberger Middle School gym in Gladstone, the group moved on to Oregon City and the Willamette Falls. Fur trader John McLoughlin’s house was the next stop befor... Full story
As soon as this cold and wet spell comes to an end there will be a mad rush to get out in the garden and return to the soil, back to our “roots,” so to speak. One thing is for sure, when you do have the opportunity to get back on your knees and play with your flowers you will meet up with — perhaps face-to-face — one of the most beautiful and efficient killers in your flower patch: the crab spider. Please don’t panic! Even if they bit you — and they will not — they couldn’t hurt you. When B. J. Kaston, a major U.S. Arac... Full story
As has become a long-standing Black Butte School tradition, several students are set to head east to present their history projects in competition. Events for National History Day are held at College Park, Maryland, on the University of Maryland campus June 11-15. The awards ceremony will be webcast on June 15, 5:30 and 8:30 a.m. Pacific time at www.NationalHistoryDay.org. Kelsey White, grade 10, wrote a paper on the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee during the violently changing political climate of the 1960s.... Full story
If fish-eating birds are capable of communicating with each other, they had best spread the word to keep away from the area near Goodrich Road and Aspen Lakes Golf Course. An osprey was shot near there last week. Earlier, a great blue heron suffered the same fate. Both the osprey and heron victims came to the attention of Gary and Kellie Landers, who operate a raptor rehabilitation facility near Sisters. Kate Kenny of Sisters View Drive discovered the severely wounded osprey... Full story
Kenny and Jessica Crain are happy to announce the birth of their son, Michael James, on May 17 at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend. Weighing 6 lbs. 9 oz. and 19-1/2", he joins his 16-month-old sister Alexis Rose. Proud grandparents are James and Karole Toney and Martha and Jim Hall; great grandparents are Betty and Neale Callison, all of Sisters. CONGRATULATIONS!... Full story
The Sisters Rotary Club celebrated its new Veterans Memorial Park in a big way last Friday, May 26. More than 100 Sisters community members gathered at the park ate the west end of Sisters near Space Age Gas, along with decorated military men, Sisters dignitaries and a perfectly-timed fly over by a U.S Coast Guard airplane. The sun even made an appearance over the crowd gathered near Highway 20 at the west end of town. The dedication included a speech by a highly decorated Wor... Full story
