News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 21 of 21
After an extensive series of interviews on Friday and Saturday, June 18-19, the Sisters School Board has narrowed the field in its search for a new superintendent of schools. On Friday, June 25, the Sisters School District will host a public reception at Sisters Middle School in the Lecture/Drama Room from 5 to 6:30 p.m. to provide the community with an opportunity to meet the finalists. Community members will have an opportunity to visit with the candidates and ask questions in an informal setting. Light refreshments will... Full story
The site of a proposed McDonald's. photo by Jim Cornelius After years of speculation and rumor, a moment that many Sisters area residents see as a watershed has arrived: A developer has submitted a plan for a McDonald's drive-thru restaurant in Sisters. Cache Mountain Development -- comprised of partners Steve and Robin Rodgers and Darren and Donna Layne -- turned in documents last week requesting "site-plan review" by the City of Sisters for a gas station/convenience store/McDonald's to be located on the former Relco... Full story
Sisters area residents dug in their heels over a proposed one-way couplet on Monday, June 21, at Sisters Middle School. The City of Sisters hosted the first public workshop to gain feedback on plans to build a Hood Avenue/Main Avenue couplet. While a few visitors considered a couplet a feasible option, the resounding cry heard Monday night was one which has been repeated for months: locals don't want a couplet. Reasons cited for opposition to the couplet, which is intended to relieve traffic off of Cascade Avenue during peak... Full story
Paul Bennett discusses his tapestries during the Sisters Art Stroll. The artist worked for years with Pendelton Woolen Mills to develop the tapestries. Hundreds of people turned out for the stroll on Saturday. photo by Conrad Weiler Balmy weather greeted throngs of strollers at Sisters' sixth annual summer Art Stroll last Saturday, June 19. The mellow crowd was treated to a wide variety of art, dancing, food and music throughout town. Highlighting events was Paul Bennett's unveiling of his new series of tapestries at the High... Full story
Maintaining neighborhoods with large lots and open space is a priority for some locals and community leaders. The question is how to balance the growing population, the demand for parks and streets and development codes to make that happen. There is a demand for residential lots that are bigger than 7,500 square feet, councilor Lon Kellstrom told the Sisters City Council in a workshop Thursday, June 17. But estimating that every 10,000 square-foot lot would require a corresponding 4,500 square-foot lot to meet the city's... Full story
The Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce is looking for volunteers to help man its Visitor Information Center this summer. The chamber operates the Visitor Information Center as a service to its members and the community. The center operates seven days a week during the summer months. The service center is staffed by a group of volunteers with support and back-up by chamber staff. "This dedicated group of volunteers are on the front line as ambassadors for the Sisters community," according to Chamber Executive Director Ric... Full story
Four Sisters area residents will deploy to Iraq this fall as part of an Oregon National Guard contingent. According to Deputy Public Affairs Officer Kay Fristad, members of Redmond's 82nd Cavalry G Troop and the 3rd Battalion/116th out of La Grande will mobilize this month to head to Fort Bliss, Texas for training on July 2. Redmond will hold a mobilization ceremony on June 28 at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds. The units include Kyle Bafford, a medic with the 3rd Battalion/116th; and, from Redmond, Spc. William Lucas; PFC... Full story
A dispute between the Cyrus family of Sisters and Central Electric Cooperative (CEC) over a power line that travels across Cyrus land wound up at the Oregon Court of Appeals on Friday, June 18. The court heard oral arguments in an appeal by CEC of an earlier ruling by the state Land Use Board of Appeals. That ruling kicked a decision approving upgrades to the line back to Deschutes County for further review. In February 2003, CEC applied to the county for "non-conforming use verification" and changes to the "Jordan Road... Full story
Sisters, which is part of the fastest growing county in the state, grew by 296 people to a population total of 959 between 1990 and 2000, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. In the next three years it grew even faster, increasing by 455 people to a total of 1,430 within the city limits. Over the next 20 years, Sisters is expected to quadruple in size, to a total of 4,688 in 2025, according to the latest population forecast created by city staff. In light of such expected growth, city staff told the council in a workshop on... Full story
Kim Meeder of Tumalo, founder of Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch and author of "Hope Rising," has been named a regional and national recipient of the Jefferson Award for Public Service. Of 276 nominees in the Northwest region, four were selected to be regional recipients and one, Meeder, was chosen to travel to Washington D.C. for a formal presentation at the national level. Meeder and her husband Troy are in the capital this week to receive the award and participate in a Senate reception along with 75 other winners chosen from... Full story
Miriam Anderson. photo by Sue Anderson Miriam Anderson, a 2004 Sisters High School graduate, has been selected to perform as a soloist at "Sisters Sings" on Saturday, June 26, at Bronco Billy's Ranch Grill & Saloon. The event, featuring light opera and show tunes, is a fund-raiser for Bel Canto Northwest International Vocal Institute and the Sisters Rotary Club. Anderson was selected by Sisters High School Choir Director Tara Clarke. The Sisters teen, who won a solo voice competition earlier this year, will sing "Se Florindo... Full story
Paul Schneider navigating. photo provided Paul Schneider of Sisters has a strenuous definition of fun. He is an adventure racer, competing in challenging 12- to 24-hour competitions involving segments of kayaking, trail running and mountain biking. All segments rely heavily on accurate navigation by map and compass. No GPS (Global Positioning System) allowed. An Adventure Race will generally contain eight or more checkpoints. Each team member carries a "passport" that must be stamped or punched at each checkpoint. Teams of... Full story
Caroline Stratton. photo by Becky Coffield Caroline Stratton's journey through life has taken her from Missouri to Illinois, New York, Montana, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, and Oregon. She has followed her heart and her inclinations, from building teepees to teaching yoga to her work as a psychologist and her endeavors as an equestrian and an artist. She is currently using her own love of horses to help others through Equine Assisted Therapy. Stratton was raised in Joplin, Missouri. Her family moved regularly as her step-father's... Full story
Kelly Holmes runs on the Sisters High School track, training for the Prefontaine Classic. photo by Charlie Kanzig Two of the best female middle distance runners in the world burned up the Sisters High School track last week as they prepared for the prestigious Prefontaine Classic held in Eugene last Saturday. Olympic 800-meter gold medalist Maria Mutola of Mozambique and 800-meter bronze medalist Kelly Holmes of Britain spent time in Central Oregon to avoid the pollen in the Willamette Valley that leaves both of them plagued... Full story
Jim Cheney and his harp. photo by Judy Vallembois Jim Cheney poured two to three months of labor, four months of research, 12 years musical training and the heart of an artist into his "Live Edge" harp. "I feel less the artist and more the revealer to show the inherent art of the wood itself," Cheney said. According to Cheney, the "Live Edge" tradition, which reveals a more natural edge of the wood, was introduced to America in the late 1940s by George Nakishima, a Japanese-American. Before beginning this work Cheney spent... Full story
June 24, 2004 -- Sisters area residents who dislike a proposal for a one-way couplet on Hood and Main Avenues may not have to worry about seeing a couplet in the near future. The City of Sisters' difficulties in getting a plan together for the couplet are threatening to kill the city's chance of winning state funds for the estimated $2 million to $3.5 million project. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) told the city earlier this month that it missed the deadline to present proposals for the couplet in the Statewid... Full story
New cabin under construction at Lake Creek Lodge. photo by Conrad Weiler June 25, 2004 -- Voting 3-0, Jefferson County Commissioners approved changes submitted by owners Gordon and Jeff Jones to their proposed Lake Creek Lodge at last week's meeting in Madras. These changes come after LUBA (Oregon's Land Use Board of Appeals) remanded back to Jefferson County two of the nine challenges filed by the Friends of the Metolius. The project calls for 23 new cabins to be built on the 41.9-acre site. These would join the existing 16... Full story
Children enjoyed exploring for insects at the Metolius Preserve dedication on Saturday. Nugget News photo With a deep blue sky between the green pines, on the banks of Lake Creek, 1,240 acres of critical habitat for the reintroduction of steelhead and salmon in the Upper Deschutes Basin was dedicated on Saturday to the idea of community. Before a group of nearly 200 people, Brad Chalfant, executive director of the Deschutes Basin Land Trust (DBLT), attributed the success of a campaign to preserve the land to 90-year-old... Full story
Three people died in a head-on collision at Milepost 9 on Highway 20 near the viewpoint east of Sisters on Monday, June 28. According to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports, Jonathan Duyshart, 21, of Sisters, was driving a black 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee eastbound when he attempted to pass another vehicle and struck an oncoming 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer driven by Theresa Anne Clayton, 42, of Lowell, Oregon, in the westbound lane. Clayton and passenger Chad McGlaughlin, 11, of Lowell were dead at the scene. Another... 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: Attention Sisters... Full story
- City Council Meeting 7 p.m., 2nd and 4th Thursday each month, Sisters City Hall. 549-6022. - School Board Meeting 7 p.m., 2nd Monday each month, middle school lecture/drama room. 549-8521. - Black Butte School District Board of Directors meets 2nd Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m., Black Butte School. 595-6203. - Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD meets for drill every Monday, 7 p.m. Sisters Fire Hall, 301 S. Elm St. 549-0771. - Sisters Kiwanis Club meets every Thursday, 7:30 a.m., Sisters Fire Hall. 549-1223. - Sisters Habitat for... Full story
