News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 27
On a 6-0 vote, the Sisters planning commission recommended to the city council that the current definition of "significant trees" be expanded to include all species of trees, including junipers. The commission was responding to the city staff request for a text amendment to the city development code that would limit the definition of a "significant tree" to cover only ponderosa pines. The commission further recommended that a moratorium be placed on the cutting of "significant trees" on city property until the newly chartered... Full story
Each year sees more and more mule deer wandering around Sisters. And each year sees more and more residents making virtual pets out them. This has created problems, with does aggressively defending their fawns from a perceived threat even by leashed dogs. Such encounters do not end well for the dog. Wildlife professionals say that if you see a mule deer with a fawn, do not go near them. Leave them alone; the doe knows what she's doing, even when she leaves her fawn on your... Full story
After serving the Sisters Country for a quarter-century, first with the Sisters Police Department, then with the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Don Pray has retired from the force. Law enforcement was a second career for Pray, and he found it almost by accident. He had already worked for two decades for Dominick's Foods in Chicago, where he was managing stores for the company. "I started with them when I was in high school," he recalled. "I wanted to do something... Full story
The dog days of summer are approaching and when the mercury rises, your furry friends are at risk for heatstroke or death when their pet parents leave them in a parked car. Every year across the nation, thousands of pets fall victim to or die from weather-related conditions due to ignorance or poor judgment by a pet parent. Lieutenant Bryan Husband from the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office has had officers dispatched many times from people who have called in because they noticed a dog left in a parked car when it was too... Full story
To the Editor: Kudos to Kristie Miller of the Sisters Forest Service for her due diligence in revisiting the much debated Crossroads/Tollgate/Black Butte bike path and ultimately expressing the overwhelming opinion of Crossroads residents by abandoning the first stage of the troubled trail. Miller's decision is doubly significant in that it effectively nullifies the primary supposition put forth by those who continue to push for the controversial project: That there is a widespread strong feeling of "need" throughout the... Full story
In his third presentation of options to get his North Sisters Business Park building lots zoned residential, developer Peter Hall got a 3-3 split vote from the planning commission. In two previous appearances before the commission, Hall's proposal has received a thumbs-down from the planning commission. In April the city council was moving towards approval of the zoning request, overturning the planning commission's two recommendations that they deny the proposal. The mayor and several councilors were reluctant to directly... Full story
The Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce and Deschutes County will host a business-to-business workshop for a "State of the County" presentation. This workshop will be held on Tuesday, July 1, at 8 a.m. at the Sisters Area Chamber office (291 E. Main Ave.). Coffee and pastries will be provided. Attendees will hear from the Deschutes County Commissioners and learn about the Sisters School Based Heath Center, public safety, and emergency and disaster preparedness. Topics like economic development, an overview of County services,... Full story
You may never look at the barista behind the counter of your favorite coffee shop the same way again after watching any episode of "The Barista Times." This quirky short-sketch comedy series, which is set to premiere on July 5 at the Volcanic Theatre Pub in Bend and on YouTube, was filmed entirely inside Sisters Coffee Co. at night using local talent and resources. It all started because the two Sisters Coffee baristas and siblings Nathan and Emily Woodworth were looking for... Full story
As the saying goes, one person's trash is another person's treasure. Bay Area Quilter Judy Arrants has created a treasured quilt with a Sisters connection. One of her most revered quilts, "Poubelles Around the World", will make its public debut July 12 at the 39th Annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. For the past 15 years, Arrants and her husband, Ron, have enjoyed traveling the world. She has carefully documented their trips with countless photographs, including photos of... Full story
All kinds of students have trouble with their lessons now and then. For 28 years, Donna Moyer helped those students learn as a paraprofessional. "A paraprofessional is a Teacher's Assistant," Moyer said. "Just a fancy name." She worked K-12 in all subjects, focused mainly on math at Sisters High School. Moyer retired as this school year ended. "I loved working with the students," she said. "Each and every one of them are unique. We all learn differently. I just took each one a... Full story
Former Sisters resident, Dona Lee Hammack passed away peacefully on June 20, 2014, with her family by her side. She was 84. Dona was born December 22, 1929 in Lyons, Oregon, to Henry and Verda (Bay) Abbott. She grew up in Redmond, attending Jessie Hill Elementary School and Redmond Union High School. On August 16, 1946, she married Wesley Milton Hammack in Crooked River Ranch. Dona was a life-long resident of Central Oregon, living in Sisters for 41 Years. Dona was a woman of... Full story
On June 17, 2014 Nancy R. Miller, 87, longtime resident of Sisters, died peacefully at her home listening to her favorite music with her husband and son. "Nan" was born September 21, 1926, in Utica, New York, the daughter of the late Josephine C. and Wallace C. Roberts. She graduated from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri in 1948. Shortly thereafter, she married William N. Miller, also of Utica and now Sisters. Their 66 years together included helping her husband Bill... Full story
Coming off a stellar season, the Outlaws baseball program is headed into its annual effort to build the Outlaws baseball program from the outfield grassroots up. The Outlaws Baseball Camp will be held Monday through Wednesday, June 30-July 2 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sisters High School varsity field. "We do this every summer," said head baseball coach Steve Hodges. "We do all aspects of the game." The camp is geared toward both boys and girls ages 7 to 13, with the idea of building fundamental skills and inculcating the w... Full story
Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) will offer three tennis camps this summer. These camps, led by Sisters High School boys tennis coach Bim Gander, will teach beginners, low intermediates, and intermediate level players basic techniques for the game of tennis. Bim Gander will cover tennis scoring and all of the essential tennis strokes: serve, volley, forehand and backhand. All participants should have tennis shoes and a racquet if possible. A limited number of... Full story
Sisters Country customers of BendBroadband won't see any radical changes out of the recent acquisition of the company by Telephone and Data Systems (TDS). However, company executives do expect the change to position the company to offer more products and capabilities moving forward. The $261 million purchase was announced in May. The industry news site Multichannel News reported on June 20 that the sale had cleared a key antitrust regulatory hurdle with the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission. The Federal... Full story
Lots of folks roll through town in their RV to enjoy all the beauty and recreational activities the Sisters Country has to offer. Dan and Susie Campana came to work. The couple, who hail from La Crescenta, California, were in Sisters last week as part of the Habitat for Humanity RV Care-A-Vanners program. They camped at Creekside Campground and worked on two Sisters Habitat for Humanity builds. "You give a two-week commitment," said Susie. "You come to a campground and you... Full story
The Sisters Dance Academy brought classic stories to life on stage for the semi-annual recital, with dancers aged 3 to 18 performing ballet, tap, hip-hop and contemporary dance to a full house on Saturday evening in the Sisters High School auditorium. "This year our story teller is Felicia Zandonatti. She is one of my cherished past dancers and has been attending Brigham Young University. She still loves to dance and wishes she was performing, but told me narrating would... Full story
After leaving home at the age of 14 in 1945, because he didn't want to be an extra mouth for his dad to feed with four other siblings, Sisters resident Oran "Mac" McCartney put himself through high school in Estacada, sleeping in the back of cars at night determined to get his high school diploma. "The janitor would let me in every morning before school so I could take a shower in the boys' locker room," McCartney said. McCartney had different odd jobs during high school,... Full story
Sisters artist Randall Tillery received the "Cascade A&E Magazine Choice Award" for his painting "Morning in the Rock" at the second annual Smith Rock Paint Out hosted by the High Desert Art League. The plein aire (outdoors) event started at 8 a.m. and all paintings needed to be completed, framed and turned in for judging by one p.m. "I set up my easel on the far end of Smith Rock in the morning and did this painting in about a two-hour painting session," Tillery said. The... Full story
A day after arriving back in Sisters after a school year in South Korea, my wife and I gathered up our two dogs and hit the trail for our first run since our return through the forest at the edge of town. Dust puffed up from the trail, coating our shoes. Indian paintbrush, balsam root, and lupine lined the trail. Through the ponderosas we caught glimpses of the bright white mountaintops backed by the clear blue sky. Despite my being quite out of condition, my soul felt renewed. Locals know it in their hearts what a special... Full story
The Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show (SOQS) offers a variety of exhibits and events - and not all of them involve quilts. Wish Upon A Card, one of the most popular of these events, is a fundraiser that benefits both the SOQS and "Wendy's Wish," a program of the St. Charles Foundation and sponsored by the St. Charles Cancer Center Radiation Oncologists. Original hand-made fabric postcards are donated, a select number are then framed, and finally all cards are offered for sale or auct... Full story
Senior Scott Nelson has signed an official letter of intent to play lacrosse for Notre Dame de Namur (NDNU). Nelson told The Nugget he's thrilled he gets to continue to play the game he loves so much. Nelson switched over from track to lacrosse five years ago, and knows he made the right decision. "Lacrosse was a different sport, and one I hadn't done, and I decided I didn't want to go with the flow," said Nelson. "There's something about lacrosse that just clicks with me. I t... Full story
June 28 marks the 100th anniversary of the day the world changed. The world didn't know it at the time. A small cadre of young Serbian anarchists had crossed the Drina River into Austrian-ruled Bosnia-Herzegovina to strike a blow for a "Greater Serbia." On June 28, 1914, a 19-year-old consumptive terrorist named Gavrilo Princip gunned down Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophia as they motored through Sarajevo on a state visit. At first, nothing much happened. T... Full story
The cutest little dog wagged his tail when you approached him at the park. How could it have turned into an aggressive dog and bite you when all you did was put out your hand for him to sniff? Educating folks about how to interact properly with any dog is critically important when it comes to reducing dog-bite incidents. Be aware of the fact that any dog can bite - from the smallest to the largest. Never approach an unfamiliar dog; respect his space and teach your children to... Full story
On June 20, at the annual conference of the Oregon Volunteer Firefighters Association (OVFA) Lieutenant Rex Parks, Sr. of the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District was sworn in as president of the state association. The OVFA works at the state legislative level in order to provide guidance to legislators on behalf of the states' volunteer firefighters. The OVFA also provides training to volunteers at their annual conference, which was held at the Chinook Winds Resort... Full story
