News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 30
Sisters resident Mike Morgan filed suit against the Sisters School District in Deschutes County Circuit Court on Thursday, May 29. Morgan wants to stop the district from making any further payments on $2.1 million in "Full Faith and Credit Obligations" the district issued last spring to fund replacement of the elementary school roof and other facilities needs. The suit argues that the Full Faith and Credit Obligations agreed to by the school board on March 12, 2007, are in fac... Full story
SOAR (Sisters Organization for Activities and Recreation) recently added a new member to its team. Anne Heath has assumed the position of Teen Program Coordinator, bringing a wealth of experience to a position that SOAR identified as very important to the teen population. "I have 10 years of program development experience in Springfield/Eugene, kindergarten through twelfth grade, with an emphasis on building leadership teams and leading kids through developing retreats,... Full story
All that rain in the last week of May probably won't lower the risk of forest fires this July and August. The U.S. Forest Service is predicting a "normal significant fire potential through August" in the Northwest, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center (www.nwccweb.us). According to Trevor Miller, Fuels Technician with the Forest Service in Sisters, before recent rains precipitation was actually below the 10-year average for April and May. The agency had even slowed their planned burning considerably,... Full story
To the Editor: In response to Terry Burke's letter about Barack Obama (The Nugget, "Letters to the Editor," May 28, page 2): I wonder if you talk to all of the people you don't agree with in the same tone as your letter? If so, it is no wonder we have such a divide in our community and country. To say that Democrats vote on emotion or are part of "hysteria" and they park their brains at the door is insulting and divisive. I am an undecided independent and am educating myself on ALL candidates. I was able to attend the... Full story
Over the past few weeks, cadets from the Oregon Youth Challenge Program have helped with fire suppression efforts near Camp Sherman. Youth Challenge is an accredited alternative high school operated under the auspices of the Oregon National Guard. Applicants are accepted from all 36 Oregon counties, and Bend-La Pine is the host school district for this statewide program. Last Saturday, about a dozen cadets labored side by side with U.S. and state forestry personnel to thin U.S... Full story
Outlaw Radio KZSO 106.5 FM now has the talents of Jim & Katie Williams, music lovers and new radio show hosts. The couple will host their own radio shows on KZSO starting in June. Jim is the acknowledged blues aficionado in the marriage, Katie the jazz lover. "The first blues album I ever bought was a Muddy Waters album. Pretty much hooked after that. I've been to many concerts too, artists like Buddy Guy, BB King, John Lee Hooker, Paul DeLay, Robert Cray, and The Fabulous... Full story
Outlaws lacrosse coach Bill Rexford will coach in the National Senior Showcase (NSS) this summer. The national all-star game of boys' high school lacrosse features top senior high school players representing the North, South, East and West regions. Rexford was chosen as the coach for the West team. Players from across the nation will gather at Benedictine University in Chicago, Illinois, from June 20-22 for three days of competition. Each region represented will have a roster... Full story
It's official. A $500,000 grant has been approved that will allow the Wolftree educational organization in Sisters to purchase 58 acres on Whychus Creek. Agreement in principle has been reached between Wolftree Central Oregon and owners Ron and Sandy Neal of Bend to purchase the property. Escrow is expected to close in mid-June, according to local board member Janet Zuelke. The grant will come from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB). Zuelke received a phone call with the good news last week. The property will be... Full story
The Outlaws baseball season may be over, but Aaron Fegenbush is not ready to hang up his spikes. The Outlaws junior is headed south to Texas this summer for a month-long baseball camp conducted by legendary former San Francisco Giants player Orlando Cepeda. Fegenbush will play on the Cepeda Giants travel team, which includes 16 players who hope to play baseball in college. Fegenbush plays first base, though he allows that he is "kind of a utility player." The Outlaws used a de... Full story
The roaring, pounding sound in the Sisters High School woodshop last Wednesday was not the sound of machinery at work on some massive project. It was the sound of a bevy of fourth- and fifth-graders from Sisters Christian Academy drumming on trash cans and tin cans and banging sticks together in a spirited cacophony. That's the way Mark Peterson started off each session with the students during a special project: making a pair of Adirondack chairs for Harold and Louise... Full story
Senior Michael Reeve, the Outlaws' No. 1 golfer for the past two seasons, will attend Western New Mexico University (WNMU) in Silver City on a progressive golf scholarship this fall. Reeve will receive a partial scholarship his first year. The scholarship can increase each year but will be based on Michael's golf performance each season. Reeve visited the WNMU campus over spring break, met with Mustang coach Kent Beatty and played a round of golf on the Silver City Golf Course with several of his future teammates. Outlaws... Full story
Ten players from the Outlaws lacrosse team earned all-league recognition this season - the entire starting line-up. Seniors Nate Emberton (attack), Dominic Nieri (midfield), Emery Meyer (defense) and Thad Anderson (goalie) were all first-team picks. Emberton was the team's go-to guy for scoring and was always an offensive threat when he was on the field. Coach Bill Rexford told The Nugget that Emberton's 62 goals this season will set the standard for many years to come. Emberton displayed outstanding stick skills and was a... Full story
Sisters' Cascade Avenue is sporting a new "open" sign: It's the "Soup Sisters Café," serving home-made soups, salads and sandwiches in a bright, comfortable atmosphere. Joanne James opened the doors of her new restaurant a little over three weeks ago, and it seems to be taking off. "It's growing every day," she says. "We get people coming in all the time saying they were referred by a friend." Located at 411 E. Cascade Ave. (in the Cascade Station Building), she's... Full story
It takes fuel to heat the schools, about 50,000 gallons per year. It takes money to buy the fuel. A lot more money this year than last, and costs continue to climb. "We heat with #2 diesel. The price varies. My target this year was anything under $2.75 per gallon. Next year we budgeted $3.80 per gallon," said Leland Bliss, Director of Operations for the Sisters School District. The elementary school used 8,500 gallons of diesel this last year, the middle school 8,200 gallons and the high school 30,000 gallons, Bliss said.... Full story
Nathan Eugene Curtis of Sisters died on Sunday, May, 25. He was 75. A celebration of his life is scheduled at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 15, at Sisters Church of the Nazarene with David Yost officiating. Mr. Curtis was born May 17, 1933, in Galveston, Texas, to Oscar and Ada Simonds Curtis. He married Oral Neil in 1998 in Sisters. He was a janitor in Sisters and worked for a lumber mill in Philomath for 10 years. He was a member of the Church of the Nazarene in Sisters. He enjoyed travel, caregiving and socializing. Survivors... Full story
The Sisters real estate market may be slow, but the Forest Service is optimistic that by mid-August their 62-acre headquarters site on the west side of North Pine Street will be sold to the highest bidder. Rod Bonacker, Special Projects Coordinator with the Sisters Ranger District, has been shepherding the process for a couple of years now. "The actual sale parcel is 62.46 gross acres, 50 net acres with right-of-ways, etc. There's been interest from folks ranging from a guy wanting to make it an in-town horse ranch to local a... Full story
The Garden at Richard's Produce opened recently with a variety of native and non-native plants on sale. The plant stand is located next to Richard's Produce just behind Space Age Gas. Janet Zuelke is the owner and operator and comes with 20 years of experience in the nursery business. The hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., seven days a week, although Janet adds with a smile that those hours are "usually." She sold a plant nursery in the Portland area and moved to Sisters in... Full story
• Hats off to the organizers of the Memorial Day Barbecue, which followed the ceremonies at the Village Green. Gary Frazee and Sno Cap Drive-In provided the food, with the Ski Inn donating food when the first lot ran out. Roger White from the Camp Sherman Store donated all the drinks. • Congratulations to the seniors receiving scholarships and awards at the annual awards celebration last week. The Sisters community stepped forward with some $145,000 in scholarships and awards for graduating seniors. Superintendent... Full story
One of the problems with living in an area so abundant in natural beauty is that it's sometimes hard to take it all in. Where to begin? Central Oregon has some great secret spots and some...not so secret. The birthplace of Jack Creek probably lies somewhere in between, yet I've talked to people who have never heard of the place. Although overshadowed by the larger and better-known Headwaters of the Metolius, Jack Creek's headwaters possess the same kind of mystique. At Jack... Full story
Sisters quilters are bringing their passion for stitching to bear in the fight against cancer. For the second year in a row, local quilters have created fabric postcards, which will be sold at silent auction during the week-long run-up to the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, starting at the Around the Block Fiber Arts Stroll on July 5. The proceeds will be donated to the Wendy's Wish Appeal of St. Charles Cancer Center. Last year's project pulled in $6,000, according to Quilt Show... Full story
The hungry crowds at Sisters Rodeo have a square dancing club to thank for the curly fries, hot dogs and hamburgers they have come to expect at the three-day event. For almost 20 years, the Swinging Mountaineers has volunteered to host two large concession booths so they can earn the funds needed to keep dancing. The Swinging Mountaineers' concession at Sisters Rodeo - set for June 13-15 - is the club's only fund-raiser, so members rely on it to afford callers for their dances throughout the year. Callers, who shout out... Full story
As Director of Operations for the Sisters School District, Leland Bliss supervises the facilities; maintenance, custodial operations, food service and risk management. Basically, he manages the grounds, the buildings - and the staff that takes care of them - so that principals can manage the education of students. A total of 20 "FTE" (full time equivalent) employees report to him, including eight custodians with 3.5 fte duties at the high school; 2.5 fte at the middle school; two at the elementary school; four maintenance... Full story
Bullfighter Rowdy Barry will ride into Sisters Rodeo a few days early this year to attend an artist reception of his paintings on Thursday, June 12. Barry was chosen to paint the annual Sisters Rodeo poster, which shows the view of a 2,000-pound bull Barry sees when he is protecting a thrown rider. "The poster has some action," said Barry. "Bulls are something I know very well and I get to see them up a little closer than a lot of people." At age 41, Barry has been fighting bulls more than half his life. However, his... Full story
Shattered glass and twisted metal littered the intersection of Barclay Drive and Highway 20 on Monday morning as firefighters and paramedics worked to extract injured parties from the wreckage of a passenger car and a pickup truck that collided just before 8 a.m. Five people were were hurt. Kelly Cole, 14, of Sisters, a rear passenger in the Toyota Camry sedan, was transported to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend via Air Life. Also transported by air was 57-year-old David... Full story
• Black Butte Ranch will host a "Deschutes Brewery Beer Dinner" on Father's Day eve, Saturday, June 14, featuring five courses paired with Deschutes Brewery beer. The reception begins at 6:30 p.m. with dinner served at 7 p.m. The cost is $48 per person. For reservations, call 595-1260. • DonTerra Artworks opened last November with 27 local artists and has already expanded their gallery 900 sq. ft. to accommodate more than 100 artists. The support the gallery has received has exceeded the owners' - Don & Dayne... Full story
