News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 9 of 9
A local activist group wants developers to pay more for roads, water, sewers and parks within the City of Sisters. A political action committee called Citizens for Fair Development Charges has filed a ballot initiative requiring that the City of Sisters charge the maximum systems development charges allowed by state law. Voters will decide the issue in the November 3 election. If the initiative passes, charges could add up to between $7,000 and $9,000 per single-family... Full story
To thousands of people it seems like a dream. Write a 500-word essay, and possibly win a $600,000 ranch outside of Sisters, Oregon. Others are a little concerned. The entry fee is $150. They want to know that the contest is legitimate. Ranch owner Tom Flenniken vows that it is. A semi-retired Realtor, Flenniken says that he wants his contest to be so "clean it squeaks." Flenniken hired a Portland, Oregon, lawyer who had done this once before to design the contest. He hired an English professor to assemble a team of... Full story
Off-road drivers will face hefty fines if they return to an area they devastated recently off Steven's Canyon Road, near the Edgar Lake Clay pit northwest of Sisters. District Ranger, Bill Anthony announced that the area has been posted and closed to off-road vehicles. The area is a clay flat and meadow that has sensitive plants. "It's kind of a unique place," said district lands manager Jeff Sims. "You hate to see it kind of trashed up and turned into something else." On Memorial Day weekend several people camped at the loca... Full story
Quite a few middle and elementary school students have started their summer vacations. School doesn't end until July 2. According to Sisters Middle School Principal Rich Shultz, 32 students have checked out with parental permission for most or all of the last few weeks of school. The school enrolls 255 students. Some are on family vacations, some are at summer camp; a couple of Camp Sherman students are in Washington, D.C. for National History Day competition. Elementary... Full story
The Sisters schools got a look at struggles to come as the school board adopted next year's budget at their June 22 meeting. The $6.5 million general fund budget reflects $400,000 in cuts to staffing and programs needed to make up for a large shortfall caused when state support fell off due to declining enrollment. But the school board's budget hearing was dominated by an issue that was bypassed in the budget - the extended school calendar for the elementary and middle schools... Full story
The largest restoration project ever proposed in a late successional reserve on the Deschutes National Forest will now stand the test of public appeals. Three separate appeals were recently filed with the U.S. Forest Service against the Santiam Late Successional Reserve (Santiam LSR) Restoration Project. A local coalition of environmental groups and individuals filed a joint appeal against the proposal, which includes over 2,500 acres of commercial timber harvest north of Suttle Lake and east of the Pacific Crest. The... Full story
Money raised by the Sisters Schools Foundation has been a shot in the arm for many school programs, but it won't make a big difference in the schools' current budget crisis. This year, the foundation has about $35,000 to distribute, raised through a combination of donations and fund-raisers such as the Sisters Starry Nights Concert Series. The school district is facing a budget shortfall that will force about $400,000 in cuts to next year's budget. "It's less than 10 percent... Full story
* * * To the Editor: I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the Sisters EMTs and ambulance service and the officer from the sheriff's department that came to my aide on June 11. Their caring, professionalism and reassurance helped make a terribly frightening time less so. This was the third time you've come to my aid since I had the stroke and with the doctor's and God's help, it will be the last (third time's a charm?) God bless you guys. Sylvia Cara * * * To the Editor: Thank you to all who responded to my... Full story
I slid the fish from the water and turned it in the fading light to catch the changing colors. There was an almost neon, iridescent purple where the red side stripe should have been. That color on something man-made would have been incredibly gaudy, but the fish wore it well. When I set him back I was very careful. I hoped he could feel the kindness and gentleness in my touch. "Thanks," I whispered softly as he shot away back into the river's current. That fish gave me pause to think about what a lucky man I really am. In... Full story
