News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Commencement marked the final chapter of high school life for 119 graduates Friday, June 6, at the Sisters High School gymnasium. The ceremony included many indicators of change, from the departure of pPrincipal Boyd Keyser to the fact that it would be the last graduation held in the current high school gym. In his address to the graduates, Keyser noted that he started with the class of 2003 when they arrived as freshmen, and that he would exit with them as well. "Four years ago, the class of 2003 and I walked into Sisters Hi... Full story
Officer Mitch Elliott in front of Dumpster #5, where a man nearly lost $50,000 in heirloom jewlery. Photo by Conrad Weiler Officer Mitch Elliott of the Black Butte Ranch Police was on duty when the phone call came in. It was about 9:40 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27, following Memorial Day weekend. Valuables had been lost at the Ranch garbage transfer station. A couple had left for Portland when they realized that a garbage bag, containing over $50,000 in jewelry, had been accidentally tossed in the dumpster at BBR along with two... Full story
The Sisters Rodeo will offer its usual drama and excitement June 13-15. Photo by Jeff Sperber Before the buckin' and ropin,' before the bulls and dogies, before the flags and banners, there's a whole passel of work to be done to get the Sisters Rodeo underway. The 63rd annual Sisters Rodeo will run this weekend, June 13-15. "We've got over 200 volunteers in our rodeo association who do all the work," said Bob "Bucky" Buckmann, head of grounds and maintenance. "We are probably the only rodeo in America that puts on a show... Full story
Last week's story on the effort to change the name of Squaw Creek noted that "According to most sources, the word 'squaw' -- in one Native American language -- is a vulgar anatomical reference and derogatory term for a native woman," ("New name coming for Squaw Creek," by Craig F. Eisenbeis, The Nugget, Wednesday, June 4). According to several prominent linguists, the etymology of "squaw" is "innocent" -- it was derived from an Eastern Algonquian word meaning simply "female" or "young woman." According to these sources, the w... Full story
Up to 4,167 by 2025? If recent studies prove true, the City of Sisters will quadruple in size over the next 20 years or so, from the current population of 1,080 to approximately 4,167 by 2025. The city's new update of a comprehensive plan to accommodate that growth will be unveiled for public scrutiny this month. The comprehensive plan update creates policy direction for the city in areas such as housing, economic development, urbanization and public facilities. Local economic... Full story
Smokejumper Sara Brown lands safely and right on target. Photo by Meredith McKittrick The twin-propeller driven airplane, with its red and white twin tail fins and matching body, circled 20 or 30 times. From a door two-thirds of the way back came two blue and white striped parachutes, dangling two neophyte smokejumpers practicing their craft last week near Glaze Meadow at Black Butte Ranch. The jumpers were part of six trainees from the Redmond firefighting school. Their target: a meadow about the size of a football field... Full story
Gregg Geser digs in on a climb. Photo by Anne Geser Gregg Geser secured his place in the elite world of ultra-cycling when he won the Race Across Oregon during the weekend of May 31-June 1. As he was the first winner on a new, 538.5 mile course, his time of 35 hours and 25 minutes will be the mark future racers strive to beat. The course is 11 miles longer and has many more feet of vertical climb than the previous one, yet Geser beat last year's winning time by nearly an hour. The race began in Portland and headed east,... Full story
Gordon Jones explains his plans for the historic Lake Creek Lodge. Photo by Conrad Weiler Lake Creek Lodge would grow substantially under a proposal by owner Gordon Jones. A large group of Camp Sherman residents turned out to hear the proposal at a three-hour Local Area Council (LAC) meeting at the Community Hall on Friday, June 6. Jones introduced his project proposal for historic Lake Creek Lodge that increases the number of cabins from 17 to 41, plus adding a meeting hall and new sewer system on the 41.9-acre site. Lake... Full story
Almost ready for move-in. Photo by Tom Chace Building a new high school is, of course, a huge project. So is getting moved in. "Actually, when you look at the overall project and everything that has to occur here, it can be viewed as a daunting task. But when you break it down into sections, and assigning those areas of work to responsible people, it becomes a manageable process." That, in any case, is the view of Bob Martin, the man in charge of moving furniture and equipment into two Sisters schools this summer. The new... Full story
Sisters District Ecologist, Deschutes National Forest Inmate workers sort through the wreckage of the old Black Butte Tower. Photo by Maret Pajutee It's been nearly 70 years since the sound of hammers on wood and the shouts of a large crew of men echoed on the top of Black Butte near Sisters. In 1934 the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) laboriously assembled a new fire lookout tower using a thousand loads of lumber carried up the mountain by pack horses. Last week the job was to take apart the tower ruins with a 20-man... Full story
Although the Forest Service's tree thinning program is primarily designed to help prevent wildfires and enhance forest health there are additional benefits, as well. One such beneficial side effect is an abundance of (almost) free firewood -- but the windfall has a catch. The problem comes when all that freshly downed firewood also becomes a feast for the pine engraver bark beetle. A normal population of the pest doesn't usually pose a threat to healthy trees, but a beetle population artificially boosted by a supply of downed... Full story
Sixty-one percent of this year's Sisters High School graduates earned a state Certificate of Initial Mastery (CIM) in addition to a diploma. That is undoubtedly the highest percentage in Central Oregon and one of the highest in the state. Last year, 42 percent of Sisters graduates received CIMs. The next highest proportion in Central Oregon was 30 percent at Crook County High. The statewide average was 27 percent. State figures for the current year are not yet available. The Certificate of Initial Mastery is an awkwardly... Full story
It's been a couple of years since a bear was caught marauding around Black Butte Ranch, but last Thursday, June 5, one was spotted running across the highway just outside the Ranch gate. Jean Miller, wife of the late Ralph Miller, 1980s-90s basketball coach at Oregon State University, had just turned onto Highway 20 toward Sisters from the Black Butte Ranch entrance when a "medium-sized black bear ran right out in front of my car," she said. "I had to jam on the brakes to keep from hitting it. I was so shook up that I pulled... Full story
Stone masons Mel Smith and Steve Oakley laid the last few pavers at Barclay Park. Photo by Tom Chace The new downtown Barclay Park is virtually finished and will be in use this weekend for the Rodeo crowd and especially for the Saturday Rodeo Parade. "We've still got a bit of sodding to do around back near the alleyways, but everything else is done and ready to go," said Gary Frazee, City of Sisters Public Works Director. The dedication will not be until "after the Quilt Show weekend," he said. "as there's just too much else... Full story
Because of budget constraints, Central Oregon Community College (COCC) closes its Sisters Center on June 12. The closure will last for the foreseeable future. The Sisters Center is one of four regional centers being closed, with programs consolidated into the Bend and Redmond campuses for financial reasons. "Community Education classes will still be offered in the Sisters area," said Celeste Douville, local administrator. "We just won't have the office open anymore." Indeed, there are 39 classes already on the Sisters... Full story
The Texaco Service Station on Hwy. 20, at the western end of Sisters, closed indefinitely last week. Photo by Tom Chace The Texaco service station, west of town on Highway 20, operated by Pam Neves and her husband Bill Westphal, has closed. The Westphals quit the lease. "A new operator will be found as soon as the legal work has been completed," said Dudley Wolford, owner of the choice piece of property. Speculation has been running rampant for several years about a fast-food restaurant going into that location. Neil... Full story
With last year's loss of two homes at Black Butte Ranch still fresh in everyone's mind, the Forest Service's wildfire prevention program is in full swing. "Our thinning program for Highway 20 and Black Butte Ranch is going real well this year," said Dave Moyer, Supervisory Forestry Technician for the Sisters Ranger District. Moyer specializes in what the Forest Service calls "Timber Stand Improvement." In an effort to reduce dangerous buildups of forest fuels, the Forest Service is continuing its aggressive program of fuels... Full story
The Booher Family will perform for a national radio audience. Photo provided Dolores Booher hung up the phone, jumped in the air and gasped with excitement. She'd just been informed her four youngest children were selected to perform live for millions of listeners on National Public Radio. Brendan, 22, fiddle; Meriwyn, 26, guitar; Gabe, 20, guitar; and Ben, 24, bass, will perform and sing three to four old-school, Western-style songs on Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" -- a 29-year-old, Minnesota-based, weekly... Full story
(Left-right): Coleen Reiss, Judy Mason, Connie Holly, Tedi Shawver, Carol Dixon and Steve Swisher were honored in retirement last week. Photo by Jim Cornelius Sisters High School students have graduated and are moving on. So are some of the folks who have served them through their school careers. School staff and friends gathered at Sisters High School on Thursday, June 5, to celebrate the retirement of Carol Dixon, Colleen Reiss, Connie Holly, Judy Mason, Steve Swisher and... Full story
Loren Cole, Troop 139, Sisters, Eagle Scout Sam Davis, and Corey Wall, also an Eagle Scout and Davis' brother-in-law. Photo by Jaki Roberson Eagle Scout Sam Davis was inducted into the Eagle Court of Honor on Sunday, June 8. The impressive ceremony was held at Sisters Community Church. Scout Master Jim Stewart of Boy Scout Troop 30 in Portland presented Davis the prestigious award and certificate. Assistant Scout Masters Robert Kleffner and Jack Stewart also presided in honoring Davis. The achievement will be recorded at the... Full story
Young Life participants scrubbed and buffed cars last weekend. Photo by Kathryn Godsiff Young Life, an inter-denominational, para-church youth organization, made its presence known in Sisters with a carwash on Sunday. A continual lineup of cars kept the teens hopping as they hosed, scrubbed and buffed. The day was a dedicated effort to raise funds for their upcoming trip to Young Life camp. Current sophomores, juniors and seniors will go to Wildhorse Canyon from June 21 to 27. The camp is located on the 64,000-acre Big Muddy... Full story
So long... and best of luck. Photo by Kristina Coulter "Entering Sisters, Population 1,080," the sign reads. But not for long. Some are leaving. The Baccalaureate Service at Sisters' Community Church on Thursday, June 5, prepared Sisters seniors for what was to come the following day -- high school graduation. There were songs of sincerity, words of wisdom and scenes of remembrance of the place these kids have called home. Senior Josh Rodriguez, strapped into his acoustic guitar, kicked off the service. He led the audience... Full story
Tanner Nielsen and his dad Paul admire a 30-inch, 12.5 pound lunker believed to be the biggest catch of the day. Photo provided Over 600 people enjoyed the sparkling "Kids' Day" weather at Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery last Saturday, June 7. Parents, grandparents, friends, volunteers and the hatchery staff all turned out for the annual event. Kids, age 10 and under, may catch one hatchery fish as their "catch-of-the-day" at this event. Many brought their own fishing poles, power bait, lures and boxes of equipment. The hatchery i... Full story
Oregon needs tax reform ... now Schools are closing early, bridges are crumbling and people are dying as medical services are cut. We can hide no longer from some ugly truths about Oregon's tax structure. There is hope. A plan is circulating in Salem that would decrease income taxes, increase jobs, reduce property taxes on our homes, and provide more stable funding for schools and roads. How? (Whisper it here: sales tax). The plan under review would be revenue neutral for taxpaying Oregonians. It would reduce property taxes o... 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. I have a suggestion for the new... Full story
