News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 21 of 21
July 2017 is a very special month for Sisters' new city manager, Brant Kucera. Kucera is expected to take over the reins from interim City Manager Rick Allen sometime in July. Even more memorable will be his marriage on July 1 to his fiancé, Sandy Jacobs. Kucera and Jacobs met last July when they both happened to be at the same beach, and a year later they are getting married. Kucera and Jacobs were in town last Saturday to begin house-hunting. Everything is moving very... Full story
The roundabout at the west end of Sisters at Highway 20 and Barclay Drive is open and operating. Landscape work and an art installation will be forthcoming in coming months. The Sisters community, in a detailed public process, chose back in 2011 to pursue a roundabout as the preferred traffic-control measure at the Barclay/Highway 20 intersection. Since then, ODOT has been pursuing that route. A key element of determining the viability of a roundabout at that location was buy-... Full story
It's a long-standing Sisters tradition: Each Memorial Day, the community gathers at the Village Green for a solemn remembrance of those who have fallen in America's wars. The observance is organized by Sisters' active veterans organizations and brings together a Redmond Junior Marine ROTC color guard, an honor guard of Sisters veterans, and distinguished guests. Retired Air Force Brigadier General Martha Meeker was this year's keynote speaker. General Meeker recounted... Full story
After 12 years and some $600,000 in legal bills, the owners of the McKenzie Meadow Village (MMV) property, the Willitts, Kallberg, and Reed families, won agreement from the Sisters City Council to an amendment to their original annexation agreement at the May 24 Council meeting. One of the major prescriptive requirements of the original agreement called for construction and occupancy of an assisted-living facility in MMV before any other development could occur. The property owners completed a contract for the required... Full story
To the Editor: Roundabouts are easy. When you come to a roundabout entrance portal, look to your left. If there is a vehicle coming with clear intent to go through your entrance portal, THAT VEHICLE has the right-of-way. Not you. And not you EVEN IF you are on Highway 20 East and they are traversing the roundabout from West Barclay to McKinney Butte. Highway 20 DOES NOT HAVE any sort of "priority" in the roundabout. I've already witnessed people who don't seem to know this almost cause accidents. If there is not a vehicle... Full story
Several weeks ago I wrote a letter to the editor about the need to provide a way to coordinate services to senior citizens in Sisters. There were no responding letters about what I wrote. However, many seniors have been responding to me with much agreement about what was proposed. The letter might have been ignored by some, but not by seniors. My opinion is that the entire community owes its interest to the large numbers of senior citizens that support this community with their finances, expertise, and wonderful abilities. Ev... Full story
There is no organization more cautious and critical when it comes to animal welfare than the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. The PRCA has set the standard of livestock care since 1949. Many fans and non-fans of the sport of rodeo are concerned about the possibility of injury to livestock that is used in rodeo without having the knowledge of the actual life of a rodeo animal. These animals are athletes, bred and groomed for their careers in rodeo. They are of enormous financial value to the stock contractors who own... Full story
Heart of Oregon Youth Build students, volunteers and staff joined representatives from local veterans organizations in a cemetery cleanup and flag placement ceremony at Camp Polk Cemetery on Wednesday, May 24, in honor of Memorial Day. Students arrived on site and ready to get to work at 9 a.m. Split into teams, each student set out to find one of the 39 veterans' gravesites located at the historic cemetery. Their mission was to weed, rake, and do general cleanup on their... Full story
It was a very tough winter all across Sisters Country. Heavy snowfall and intense cold combined in a perfect storm to cause extensive property damage as ice dams caused roof leakage and snow collapsed outbuildings and fences. As local homeowners welcome warm weather and sunshine, many are still trying to recover from the damage winter left behind. Residents of the townhomes at Village at Cold Springs at the west end of Sisters have been particularly hard hit - and they are gro... Full story
Boutique beer brewing has come home - literally. Many people are crafting their own, and Sisters will celebrate the results in the Sisters Homebrew Festival at Creekside Park on Saturday, June 3, from 1 to 6 p.m. The Sisters Homebrew Festival is like many brew fests, with one distinct twist: It's all homebrew. Organized as a fundraiser for the Sisters Park & Recreation District and the Kiwanis Club of Sisters, the event is sponsored by local businesses. The event will feature live music by bands including Dry... Full story
What do you do as an encore when you are considered the world's greatest athlete and own two Olympic gold medals, a world record, and numerous other titles? For Ashton Eaton, sharing with young people what he has learned through his athletic career is part of his "second act." Eaton dropped by Sisters High School on Friday, May 26, for an informal talk with about 40 students about striving for improvement through working toward a goal or idea. "You don't have to achieve the... Full story
"Dusty, dusty, dusty!" That's how Dyut Fetrow described conditions on the Peterson Ridge Trail as riders headed out to race in the annual Sisters Stampede. Fetrow was working at the Blazin Saddles tent near the starting line, making last-minute adjustments on mountain bikes as they prepared to hit the course. Casey Meudt, proprietor of Blazin Saddles, concurred with Fetrow's assessment. He noted that the track had been nicely packed and firm after the long and wet winter and s... Full story
On Monday, June 5, 5:30 p.m., at the Sisters Fire Hall Community Room, there will be a potluck and town hall to hear from the Homeless Leadership Coalition (HLC) what their Point-in-Time count on January 25 in Sisters indicates regarding homelessness in this community. The coalition is holding community town halls across Central Oregon to present local census results and facilitate discussions on the local implications of the data. There will also be consideration of possible... Full story
In 2008, Samra Spear, an English teacher at Sisters High School, started a literary magazine. The literary magazine is called Verbatim (student-titled in its first year). The last published issue was in 2011 and one hadn't been created due to lack of student interest. This year, senior Johanna Geisen decided to take on the task of reviving the publication. "I needed a first period and had already taken creative writing once so I decided [on] advanced creative writing as an... Full story
David Miller of Sisters, a cyclist who loves sharing the roadway with friends, hit the road for an adventure of a lifetime on April 1. Along with three other cyclists, he would trek across America. Three years ago, the 66-year-old RE/MAX Broker and a friend cycled down the Oregon Coast from Astoria 363 miles south to Brookings. The cross-country ride covered nearly 3,000 miles over 40 days. The three other cyclists, Marlin Ard of Sisters, Rich Lehman of Albany, and Brent... Full story
Keegan Greaney has committed to play basketball and run track for Macalester College, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Greaney has been a stand-out athlete in both basketball and track for Sisters High School the past four years, and will bring his abilities and love of those sports with him as a Scot. Keegan played full-time on the Sisters High School (SHS) varsity basketball team for three years, and was selected first team all conference all three years. He averaged nine points,... Full story
The Audubon Society of Portland, U.S. Fish & Wildlife, Friends of Cape Falcon, and others interested in the welfare of birds will begin another season of monitoring seabird nesting colonies adjacent to the Cape Perpetua and Cape Falcon marine reserves. In order to better understand seabird productivity at these sites, Audubon and their partners are looking for volunteers to help count noses - and that could be you! All you have to do is make contact with Portland Audubon and... Full story
The Flight Science program has added another student to its list of solo pilots. Andrew Mayes, a senior at Sisters High School, accomplished the milestone of his first solo last weekend in Outlaw Aviation's Cessna 172 trainer plane. "My goal is to earn my private pilot certificate before I leave for college in fall," said Mayes. To achieve this, Mayes will need to pass a written exam, an oral exam, and an in-flight check-ride with an FAA Designated Examiner. "I will be busy fl... Full story
Sisters didn't get the results they were hoping for in their home game against Philomath in the 4A quarterfinals on Friday, May 26. The Outlaws rallied in the fifth to go up 5-4, but the Warriors battled back and scored the game-winning run on a walk in the eighth inning. The loss knocked the Outlaws out of the playoffs. Philomath jumped out quick and scored three runs in the first, and tacked on another run in the second to take an early lead. The Warriors held the Outlaws... Full story
As the roundabout project comes closer to completion I wanted to say a few words on the project. My motivation stems from an enthusiasm for the project which I have found to be unmatched and also as your resident naturopath, a few words on a public health concern. First, my enthusiasm, which stems in part from me residing "left" of many of the local shops in town. This left is often executed in the summer as a right turn, then a left, left, left and finally a right again before I can get out of town. The idea that I can now t... Full story
The world has known some famous horses. Alexander's horse Bucephalus, for instance, who had one blue eye, a star on his forehead, and died after the battle of Hyaspes in 326 BC. He was celebrity enough to be buried with honors, to have his tale told down through history, and to this day has a province in Punjab named after him. Comanche is another famous horse. He was ridden by Captain Myles Keough at the Little Bighorn and found two days after the battle, badly wounded. Capta... Full story
