News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
Lynn Baker. Photo by Jim Cornelius Lynn Baker, the soon-to-be Sisters school superintendent, is getting a rapid introduction to the schools and the general area. The 53-year-old educator signed a contract as interim superintendent for 2003-04 at the end of May. A few days later he and his wife visited for a weekend and rented a condominium in Pine Meadow Village. On Monday and Tuesday of last week he was back in town for an intensive round of meetings with everyone from Steve Swisher, the man he will succeed, to the... Full story
Sisters paramedics quickly extracted a woman from the wreckage of her car. She is recovering well. Photo by Jim Cornelius A collision near the junction of Highways 20 and 126 on Friday afternoon, June 13, sent a woman to the hospital with facial lacerations and possible head injuries. According to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports, Sisters area resident Ann Bridgeford was heading westbound into Sisters on Highway 20 when her red Jeep Grand Cherokee drifted across the center line. The Cherokee struck an eastbound... Full story
Opponents of Forest Service trail fees are citing a General Accounting Office (GAO) report that they say proves the agency is padding the numbers in an effort to make its fee program look like a success. In a recently released joint statement, Oregon-based Wild Wilderness and the Colorado-based Western Slope No-fee Coalition reported: "The U.S. Forest Service has been secretly subsidizing the management of its Fee Demo program with (in 2001) $10 million of appropriated tax dollars." According to Scott Silver, Bend resident... Full story
Gordon Jones defends his Lake Creek Lodge proposal before the Jefferson County Planning Commission. Photo by Conrad Weiler After receiving a flurry of letters and email comments on the proposed expansion of Lake Creek Lodge at Camp Sherman, the six Jefferson County planning commissioners postponed a decision on the project proposal until their July 10 meeting. The project proposed by Gordon and Jeff Jones increases the number of cabins at the historic site from 17 to 41 and adds a meeting hall and a new sewage treatment... Full story
Karen Allen leads hikers through the Metolius Preserve. Photo by Conrad Weiler Most folks in the Sisters country have heard about the Metolius Preserve project of the Deschutes Basin Land Trust (DBLT). The Trust has secured an option to purchase 1,240 acres of forestland in Jefferson County between Suttle Lake and Camp Sherman from Weyerhaeuser and manage it as a nature preserve. Fewer people have actually walked in this wild forestland. On a clear, sunny morning last week, a group of 20 people had the opportunity to visit... Full story
It wasn't televised, but it sure was dramatic... Photo by Jeff Sperber As always, the Sisters Rodeo was a big success, and big cowboy names made the annual pilgrimage to town. However, one of the rodeo's more recent claims to fame disappeared almost as quickly as it came. Two years ago, the Sisters Rodeo was picked as part of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) tour. With that, came the spotlight of ESPN television coverage and a legitimate claim to the big time. All that's gone now. The big ESPN van, with its... Full story
Sisters High School students' hearts were touched when they learned of little Hannah Piete and their efforts to help her went beyond expectations. A little over a month ago Karen Francis, Regional Program Director for Sparrow Clubs, approached students to help with an emergency. A dire situation had arisen with a family that had been denied insurance and benefits for their daughter, Hannah, who had been diagnosed with leukemia. Francis found Rhino Ranch & Realty willing to become Hannah's club sponsor. The students "adopted"... Full story
Kaila Mussell. Photo by Craig Eisenbeis Rodeo fans are used to seeing lots of pretty girls at the rodeo. They're the rodeo queens, the barrel racers, the flag girls. What people don't expect, however, is to see the girls riding the rough stock. But that's because they haven't met Kaila Mussell. The saddle bronc rider from Chilliwack, British Columbia, was in Sisters last week and had a successful ride in the Saturday night performance. Mussell, who started riding junior steers at the age of 10, comes from a rodeo family. Her... Full story
Troy Lerwill and Rebecca Rigal. Photo by Craig Eisenbeis Faster than a wild bronc, more powerful than his sleek Dodge truck, able to leap a tall Sundowner trailer in a single bound. Superman? Nope, even better. It's The Wild Child, also known as Troy Lerwill. As the featured entertainment act for this year's Sisters Rodeo, Lerwill brought something a little out of the ordinary to the rodeo arena. Although raised in a rodeo family, Lerwill favored motorcycle racing and was a Utah State motocross champion at the age of 16.... Full story
It will cost a little more for Sisters residents to get rid of the garbage next month. On June 12, the Sisters City Council adopted new rates for several city services, licenses and permits. New garbage collection rates will be effective July 25. The new rates will offset higher dump fees and cardboard recycling costs. A 32-gallon garbage can will increase from $10 per month to $11 for residential use and $12 to $13 for commercial use. The 64-gallon residential cans will bump up $1.50 from $12.50 to $14 a month and... Full story
(L-R): Earl Richards, Caroline Weir, Antonietta Del Guidice and Tom Harpham rehearse. Photo by Jaki Roberson Sisters Community Theatre's production of Sisters resident Gilbert Martin's "The Last Rehearsal" opens Friday, June 20, at Sisters Elementary School. Curtain is at 7 p.m. Diana Kelleher directs the comedy drama of five characters set in New York City. Cast members Earl Richards, Carolyn Weir, Antonietta Del Guidice and Tom Harpham have been honing their thespian skills and are eager to hear "Places!" "It's a play... Full story
Nettie Phipp's, left, greets new owners Ralph and Linda Hamond. Photo by Jaki Roberson Linda and Ralph Hamond are still scratching their heads. Sheer serendipity has made them the new owners of Nettie's Gifts and Flowers. Next to their wedding four years ago, it is the biggest meant-to-be in their life together. It was not that long ago when Ralph, a year from retirement after 30 years at I.B.M. in San Jose, California, and Linda, deep in her career in sales and marketing, began to consider what's next. There were a few ideas... Full story
Kelly Thomas and Barry Brunette lay a cobble stone walk as part of the finishing touch to the entrance of the new Community Hall at Sisters Episcopal Church. Photo by Tom Chace The laying of a walkway put the final touch to the entrance of the new Community Hall at Sisters Episcopal Church last week. Dedication of the new building, located on Brooks Camp Road off the McKenzie highway west of Sisters, will take place on Monday, June 30 with the Bishop of Eastern Oregon, William Gregg, and other local dignitaries in... Full story
Say hello to Dino SOAR. Photo by Jim Cornelius A tall, colorful dinosaur loomed over the Sisters Rodeo Parade on Saturday, June 14. It was the first public appearance of the new SOAR mascot named, inevitably, Dino SOAR. Sisters puppeteer Shirley McBride crafted the giant orange and green creature, which will be used by the Sisters Organization for Activities and Recreation to promote safety and education for younger SOAR participants. Renee and Craig May donated the use of their truck and drove the SOAR float through the... Full story
Sisters Ranger District Inmates, like most folks who see the Cascades from atop Black Butte, found the sight soul stirring. Photo by Maret Pajutee Mountain tops have always been places for reflection and soul searching. Inmates contracted to dismantle an old lookout tower on Black Butte earlier this month marveled at the beauty and spoke of their lives, their mistakes, and their hopes for the future. Keith Gleave of Portland sees a change in his future and credits the unique program forged between the Department of... Full story
Students study in an outdoor lab -- the banks of the Deschutes River. Photo by Samra Spear For the third consecutive year Sisters High School's Interdisciplinary Environmental Expedition (IEE) class capped months of study with a raft trip down the Deschutes River. Over Memorial Day weekend two groups of 25 students enjoyed the three-day adventure. Over the course of the year students study the Deschutes Basin, starting with Upper Squaw Creek in Sisters and follow its path to the Columbia River. From start to finish students... 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: I read with... Full story
copy... Full story
A sea of cowboy hats, traffic at a standstill on Highway 20, and funny brown stuff on your boots. It must be rodeo weekend in Sisters! The 63rd annual Sisters Rodeo drew big crowds and some top-drawer performances -- including a phenomenal 90-point bull ride on Sunday. Clint Cassell of Texas topped Porkchop for the second-highest score ever in the Sisters arena. Despite early predictions of possible rain over the weekend, sunscreen was more in order. Formal festivities opened on Friday night, but cowboys and spectators... Full story
