News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 23 of 23
The Sisters School Board has reason to believe that the third time is a charm. On its third attempt, the board hired a superintendent for the coming year. The man selected as interim superintendent on a one-year contract last week is Lynn Baker, who has been the superintendent of Cashmere School District in Washington state for the past four years. About 10 miles west of Wenatchee in the heart of a fruit-growing valley, the Cashmere district is similar in size and character to Sisters. It has 1,400 students who attend three... Full story
Colleen Roba (left), and Olivia Wallulatum are at work on renaming Squaw Creek. Photo by Craig Eisenbeis Since Oregon Senate Bill 488 passed nearly two years ago, the name "Squaw Creek" has been living on borrowed time. The name-change bill was passed in recognition of a nationwide movement to end the use of place names bearing the word "squaw." According to most sources, the word "squaw" -- in one Native American language -- is a vulgar anatomical reference and derogatory term for a native woman. Although the word is... Full story
One more piece of McKinney Butte Road. Photo by Jim Cornelius One more piece of the road that will run from the Sisters Industrial park to the new Sisters High School has been completed. The section of Barclay Drive/McKinney Butte Road that runs past the Comfort Inn and Mountain Shadow RV Park was paved last month. The paving had been held up while the owner of the motel and the city discussed the property's sewer connection. Those issues -- whether the property should have... Full story
After deciding just last week that debris burning could continue a while longer, Central Oregon fire authorities reversed themselves and closed all burning last weekend. Interim Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Chief Ken Enoch said, "We had another brush fire during (last week's) rain, so it's definitely drying out." Enoch said he consulted with the Cloverdale and Black Butte fire chiefs and they all agreed that it was time to put a stop to debris burning. About that time, emails from other chiefs began circulating and the decision... Full story
Graduating seniors were in the spotlight the evening of May 27 at the annual Senior Awards and Scholarship program at the Sisters High School cafetorium. The graduating class includes 71 students in the class of 110 who have earned the Certificate of Initial Mastery. Sisters' rate of completion is well above the 25-30 percent state average, according to assessment coordinator Karen Withrow. Over $60,000 was awarded in scholarship money from the local area. A complete listing of awards is below SHS scholarships and awards... Full story
The barbecue shift at the Black Butte School celebration kept busy preparing dinner for the event, which marked the end of another school year at the one-room school house. The cooks (from left): Les Schull, Jarrett Miller, Gregory McLarren, Gary Lovegren. Photo by Conrad Weiler Parents, grandparents, friends and former students gathered at the Camp Sherman Community Hall Thursday evening, May 29, for an end-of-school celebration for Black Butte School (BBS). Barbecues were warmed up outside the hall and a long table of... Full story
This week's Preschool Parade program, "Counting Capers," is set for Thursday, June 5, at 10:30 a.m. Each Preschool Parade session features stories, finger rhymes, lap jogs, tickles and movement skills appropriate for children ages three through six years old. Parents or caregivers attending are encouraged to participate in all the activities. Starting June 19 at 1 p.m., readers ages six to 11 are encouraged to attend the weekly program, Thursday Thrills. Each 45-minute Thursday Thrills program features a variety of stories,... Full story
Construction crews at work on the kitchen. Photo by Craig Eisenbeis The much-anticipated new lodge at Suttle Lake Resort is one step closer to reality. "We hope to be clearing ground by the first part of July," said John Bingham, new Resort and Marina manager at Suttle Lake. "The infrastructure has to be installed before we go too far on the project," he said. Specifically, electrical lines, water and septic systems are next on the list. Richter Brothers Construction is the general contractor for the project and activity is... Full story
Ownership of water has always been a critical issue in Central Oregon, as evidenced by the recent House passage of House Bill 3298. The text of HB 3298 states that the person who has title to the property described by the water right owns that right. However, the overall water question in the Deschutes Basin is not simply a matter of who owns the water rights; it is compounded by issues not addressed in the bill. "The crux of the water problem in the greater Central Oregon area has to do with a minimum flow level of water int... Full story
Robin Thomas instructs students at Head Start. Photo by Torri Barco Enrollment has begun for next fall's Sisters COCAAN Head Start. Targeted to low-income and special-need families who want hands-on involvement with their pre-schoolers, the free, state-funded pre-school program will have two teachers and will accept 18 children. Classes will meet for four hours three days per week beginning in September. Parental involvement appears to be a hallmark of Head Start. "We try to help the child by helping the family," said Center... Full story
Gregg Geser sets a winning pace. Photo by Ann Geser Gregg Geser of Sisters won the Race Across Oregon (RAO) last weekend, May 31-June 1. The 49-year-old contractor finished the grueling 538-mile bicycle race in 35 hours and 25 minutes, 45 minutes ahead of second place finisher Enrico DeAngeli of Italy. The race began at the Portland Airport and described a giant loop through Tygh Valley to Fossil, to Long Creek to Prineville and finishing at Timberline Lodge. The description of the stage between Tygh Valley and Fossil on the... Full story
The tax bill for the new $21-million high school that will open in Sisters this fall has been lower than expected and is continuing to drop. In his budget message for 2003-04, Superintendent Steve Swisher noted that, "The bond rate for the new high school and middle school conversion was anticipated to be $1.62 per $1,000 (assessed valuation) during the initial campaign in 2001." Instead, the annual rate needed to make the bond payment started at $1.39 per $1,000 in 2001-02 and dropped to $1.30 during 2002-03, the fiscal year... Full story
The Sokol ranch in Sisters apparently had nothing to do with the drying out of a section of Squaw Creek last week ("Fish die as Squaw Creek runs dry," The Nugget, May 28). The episode led to the death of some 200 fish. "That was before we started irrigating," said Don Watson, husband of ranch owner Dorro Sokol. Deschutes County Watermaster Kyle Gorman acknowledged that, if the ranch wasn't diverting water, it didn't have anything to do with the dry-out. In any case, Gorman said, "it's not their responsibility to make sure... Full story
Baby Sahara, Mom Michelle Barnes, and maternal grandmother, Kay Barnes. Photo by Jaki Roberson Michelle Barnes of Sisters was three days away from her due date of May 11. She and husband Robert Lucas were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their second child. Everything was planned and the couple had decided to do a home birth, a water birth, in fact. Their son, two-year-old Hunter, had entered the world at a birth center in Anchorage, Michele's hometown. It had been a lovely experience -- scented candles, sterilized towels, and... Full story
The new bridge at Suttle Lake Resort has wooden facing. Photo by Craig Eisenbeis One of Central Oregon's more dangerous intersections has finally been eliminated. Just in time for the Memorial Day weekend, the partially blind entrance to Suttle Lake Resort and Cinder Beach was permanently closed. The closure was made possible by the completion of a new single-lane bridge across Lake Creek to link the resort area with the Forest Service Road that accesses the rest of the Suttle Lake area. "This was a really important safety... Full story
Ken Ehlers set up his laptop with a new wireless Internet connection at Sisters Library. Photo by Conrad Weiler Sisters Library now offers free wireless Internet service for users at the library. Patrons may now use their own computer rather than the desktop models available at the library. Bring a laptop with a wireless (wi-fi) card to the library, turn it on, and you have an Internet connection with your own machine. There is nothing to plug in, no wires to trip over, just a fast Internet connection. Users may sit on the... Full story
Got a question? Ask a librarian. Get an answer. That's a scenario Heather McNeill described to the Sisters Library Advisory Council last week. Deschutes Public Library System (DPLS) -- including the Sisters branch -- is one of 20 libraries in Oregon using the Oregon-based program "Answerland." Users are connected via the Internet with a librarian somewhere in the State of Oregon. This may be at an academic, law, medical, general or other library depending on the question. "Answerland" offers a one-on-one conversation.... Full story
Riders hit the trail at Crooked Horseshoe Stables near Sisters. The stable offers boarding and a series of clinics with renowned trainer Clint Surplus. Photo by Kathryn Godsiff Crooked Horseshoe Stables offers a casual, laid back host of activities. Owned and operated by Laura Shepard, the stable caters to trail and pleasure riders. "We really want to emphasize that this is a small, friendly barn with big barn amenities," Shepard said. These include a 60-by-120-foot covered arena, a round pen, six barn stalls with runs, six... Full story
Kevin McCormack picks up a load in Tollgate. Photo by Tom Chace Once a week, almost every business and resident in the Sisters area hauls trash carts to the curb or street edge to rid themselves of the accumulated waste and garbage. Soon, a truck with a long arm and pincers at the end comes along and dumps the stuff into its insides. With the exception of the area within the city limits of Sisters, trash collection in this area -- and for all of Deschutes County -- is handled by H.C.D., High Country Disposal, out of Redmond.... Full story
Len Knott instructs students in the proper way to fold the flag. Photo by Tim Comfort Sisters first graders learned about the history and etiquette surrounding the American flag in a Lion's club presentation on Thursday, May 29. Retired Coast Guard officer and Sisters resident Len Knott led the presentation. "He did an outstanding job," said teacher Kirk Albertson. "He is like a natural teacher." The students learned the meaning of the stars and stripes, how to treat a flag and each student received a small flag of his or... Full story
Amy Cretsinger won the triple jump and finished second in both the long jump and 300-meter hurdles to lead the Outlaw girls track team to fourth place at the OSAA 3A Track and Field Championships. Sisters scored 34 points behind The Dalles (65), Philomath (53), and Cascade (49). Cretsinger accounted for 27 of the Outlaws' points. It was the third consecutive year the girls have brought home a trophy. The team finished second last year and third in 2001. "It shows the high caliber of our program when people are disappointed... Full story
The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday. To the Editor: Once again Eric... Full story
- A woman reported that a three-legged pit bull wouldn't let her off the porch. A deputy contacted the dog's owner, who came and secured the dog. - A deputy arrested a Sisters man on a warrant. - A car rear-ended another at the intersection of Cascade and Pine. - A man flagged down a deputy to report that his wife had jumped out of their car and run away during an argument. The woman was located. She had called her mother to come and get her. - A Sisters man was arrested for drunk driving after a minor wreck in town. - A man... Full story
