News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 22 of 22
A $750,000 upgrade to Sisters Eagle Airport is now underway. Airport owners Benny and Julie Benson, airport manager Hobbs Magaret, Sisters City Councilor Wendy Holzman and Deschutes County Commissioner Alan Unger gathered at the edge of the runway on Friday, March 15, to break ground on the project, funded 80 percent through the Oregon Department of Transportation's ConnectOregon IV grant and 20 percent through private funding. The project will expand the runway to an... Full story
The Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District responded to the first brush fire of the year on Thursday, March 14. A field fire grew out of control in the 18000 block of Highway 126. Although attended, the reported 10-mph winds in the afternoon quickly blew the fire out of control. The temperature was 62 degrees at the time. Smoke temporarily obscured traffic on Highway 126 as firefighters quickly controlled the blaze. Cloverdale firefighters responded with two brush trucks,... Full story
The city's bid review committee made their final recommendation Thursday on the competitive bid for the $250,000 Hood Avenue/Fir Street water-line project. The winning bid came from Robinson & Owen Heavy Construction of Sisters at $253,702. The lowest bid was from Bartels Construction of Powell Butte at $229,732, roughly $24,000 lower. The city has a point system for bidding that includes other criteria than bid price, which can mean that a higher bid can win a contract. Last year the city council adopted Ordinance 405,... Full story
Sisters voters approved five more years of local option taxes by an overwhelming 79 percent majority last week. The five-year levy that passed on Tuesday continues the 75-cents-per-$1,000 of assessed value funding that the voters first approved in the year 2000. The owner of a home assessed at $172,024 (the average assessed value of residential property in the district) will continue to pay $129.02 per year. This year, the local option provided the district with $991,351.35 to supplement its $10,501,384.00 budget, or 9.4... Full story
To the Editor: To all of the team members with the Keeping Sisters Strong PAC... As co-chairs of this amazing group, Kay and I would like to extend our deepest gratitude for the countless hours you spent on getting the message of the local option out to the voters of the Sisters School District. You all displayed a high level of professionalism, optimism, and deep dedication to our final goal, which is rarely seen in a volunteer setting. From the early, cold November days when we slogged through strategy group sessions to... Full story
The Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed John Rivera this week as the organization's new part-time events coordinator. First working seasonally in Central Oregon from 2001-2005, Rivera moved to Sisters Country full-time in 2005, where he worked as guest services director for Big Lake Youth Camp, located near Hoodoo Ski Area, until 2010. Rivera comes to the chamber with over a decade of experience in event planning and hospitality. "I saw it as a fun opportunity to be... Full story
Children from infant to 11 years of age are invited to participate in the annual Easter Egg Hunt co-sponsored by the Sisters-Camp Sherman and Cloverdale fire departments. The event will take place on Easter Sunday, March 31, at 1 p.m. at the adjoining Sisters Creekside and Three Sisters Overnight parks, regardless of weather. The Easter Bunny will be present to greet all. Parking is limited, so plan to arrive early. Children wishing to participate are asked to be at the parks at 12:40 p.m. so they can be divided into the... Full story
The Starry Nights Benefit Concert Series returns for its 15th season with a solo acoustic performance by Keb' Mo' when he appears at the Sisters High School Auditorium on Saturday, May 18, at 7 p.m. The concert series is a benefit for the Sisters Schools Foundation, and has raised more than $1 million for Sisters schools since its inception in 1997 - a milestone which will be celebrated at the Keb' Mo' concert. "Keb' Mo' last performed at Starry Nights in 2008, and his show... Full story
The Outlaws kicked off their season with an 8-2 victory at home against Madras on Tuesday, March 12, and three days later tallied a 14-7 victory at home against Summit. In Tuesday's action, Joey Morgan hit a single in the first inning to push across Sisters' first run of the contest. Justin Harrer also scored, and at the end of the first the Outlaws were up 2-0. At the close of the fourth inning Sisters was still on top 3-1. Singles by Morgan, Harrer, Jarden Weems, and freshme... Full story
The Black Butte School District might be one of the most far-flung of Jefferson County, but the students there are getting in on the act of the county library district's Community Read. For the past 10 years, the library district chooses a book for county residents to read and hosts a number of related activities. This year features two books by Oregon author William Sullivan. "Searching for Coyote" recounts his journey backpacking across Oregon. "Cabin Fever" is a memoir of... Full story
Temperatures in the mid-60s welcomed the Outlaw track and field team to the annual Mountain View Icebreaker and made the meet more of a sweat-maker than an icebreaker. There were some impressive early season performances at the meet held in Bend on Wednesday, March 13. Teams from Ridgeview, La Pine, Gilchrist, and the Cougars competed in the non-scoring meet. It was the first meet as head coach for Josh Nordell, who felt pleased by the competitiveness of his relatively young... Full story
The Outlaws boys tennis team lost 6-2 at home against Redmond on Monday, March 11, in their first match of the season, but three days later swept the Crook County Cowboys at Black Butte Ranch. Although the Outlaws lost their match to Redmond, half of the matches went to a tiebreak. Sisters tallied tie-break victories in No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. Redmond recorded tie-break wins in No. 1 singles and No. 4 doubles. Paul Fullhart, Sisters No. 1 singles player, battled Zach Powell for almost two hours before Powell finally... Full story
The boys golf team opened conference play at the Tokatee Golf Course on Friday, March 15, under perfect weather conditions; sunshine, no wind and temperatures in the mid-60s. Sisters took first place with a team score of 376. Sweet Home was runner-up at 380 with Cottage Grove just one stroke back at 381. Stayton was fourth at 429 and Creswell and Junction City tied for fifth with a team score of 433. Outlaw Nathan Pajutte tallied a 79 to earn medalist honors for the tourney. Pajutte was the only player in the entire field to... Full story
The boys lacrosse team started their season strong with a 6-5 win at Sheldon on Monday, March 11. Sheldon (6A) is traditionally a tough opponent, and that proved out in Monday's matchup. The Fighting Irish jumped out to a three-goal lead in the first quarter. At the half the Outlaws were down 3-1, with a lone goal from Scott Nelson. Sisters tightened their defense in the second half and limited Sheldon's good looks at the box. The Outlaws took advantage of their offensive opportunities and tied the game up 3-3 with goals from... Full story
The band Fishtank Ensemble will play The Belfry on Friday, March 22. Fishtank Ensemble was born in Oakland, CA, in 2005 when violinist Fabrice Martinez was visiting opera singer and fellow violin player Ursula Knudson after 10 years of living in a mule-drawn caravan collecting and learning various musics of Eastern Europe. The band first really clicked at the home of guitarist Doug "El Douje" Smolens. Doug's interest in Fabrice's many styles of European music was second only... Full story
People may be adjusting to back-in parking on Main Avenue, but the innovation remains controversial. Former city council member Pat Thompson spoke during the council visitor communications Thursday in support of two women that work on Main Avenue and park there daily. The women received parking tickets even though they backed in as required - because their tires were on the line. Thompson said, "When we passed the ordinance (for back-in parking) there were a lot of good attributes for it, and a lot of questions about it. Now... Full story
Jenna Sneva comes home from classes at Oregon State University (OSU) to begin "repetition and redundancy" on that day's classes, two or more hours a day, before she is able to start homework assignments. This is the price she pays from experiencing traumatic brain injury. Three years ago, Sneva's life was predictable: Olympic Ski Cross Team, a college degree and then focus on a future of work, family and plans. That came to a halt when she was diagnosed with years of... Full story
Diabetes is an American scourge. 25 million Americans have diabetes and the proportion is growing swiftly. "The projection is that half of Americans will be diabetic or pre-diabetic by 2020," says Lisa Duncan, of Diabetes Wellness Solutions in Sisters. Oregon may have lower incidence than, say, Mississippi, and Sisters Country may be more healthful than most places in Oregon, but we are by no means exempt. "The community of Sisters may be a little better than average," says... Full story
You wouldn't be reading this if your eyes weren't healthy enough to see the print. Obvious, right? But most of us take our vision for granted. We put a lot of effort and energy into keeping our bodies fit and healthy, but we scarcely think at all about our eyes. That can be a problem, especially for folks who are active in the Sisters Country outdoors. We're exposed to a lot of ultraviolet light, summer and winter. That UV light can cause all kinds of vision problems. "UV... Full story
Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is a national student-based organization that is designed to promote the American free-enterprise system. After several years of inactivity, the Sisters Chapter of FBLA has been reinstated this year through the determination of the student body and with the help of community members such as Brian Witt and the FBLA adviser, Morgan Davis. The chapter, which currently consists of 11 members, has been listening to local business owners speak of their experiences, preparing for tests, and... Full story
The Lady Outlaws lacrosse players kicked of their season at the OGLA (Oregon Girls Lacrosse Association) State Tournament in Wilsonville with four tournament-length games. The Outlaws won three games and then lost in a very tight fourth and final game which was played in a torrential downpour. Sisters matched up against Hood River in their first game of the tourney and walked away with a 3-2 win. Langley Vogt, at mid-attack, scored the Outlaws' first goal on a foul shot. Co-captains Maison Morgan and Harley Bowler each added... Full story
Sisters residents played host to a Hollywood actress last week and she loved every minute of it. Monika Jolly first became aware of Sisters after meeting a group of Sisters women who were attending a yoga retreat in Ojai, California. She felt an instant kinship with the Sisters women and was intrigued by their descriptions of Sisters and what makes it such a special place. "After spending time with those amazing women, I had to see this place," she said. The opportunity came... Full story
