News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 28
NeighborImpact’s weatherization program is accepting applications from residents of Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs to help lower energy costs and increase the durability of their homes. The Weatherization Program provides free services to income-qualified renters or homeowners living in manufactured and stick-built homes. The program is currently scheduling home energy audits for qualified applicants. Those who apply now can have a more comfortable, energy-efficient h... Full story
Marine law enforcement officers from across the state will be joining with the Oregon State Marine Board and the U.S. Coast Guard to enforce Oregon’s Boating Under the Influence of Intoxicants (BUII) laws this July 4 weekend. “If there is a chance you’ll be impaired this summer – especially during the July 4 weekend, don’t go boating,” says Randy Henry, with the Oregon State Marine Board. “It’s not worth the risk.” Henry notes that many of the state’s 36 sheriffs’ offices and Oregon State Police will specifically b... Full story
When we live our lives according to personally meaningful values and goals — especially those that transcend self-interest — happiness usually follows. I love being silly with my granddaughters, following their lead in our play. I enjoy their always-changing, funny selves. Recently I decided that one of my life’s purposes was to dance with my granddaughters at their weddings. Since Charlee, Lizzy, and Luna are 4 years, 3 years, and 2 months old, respectively, and I am 68, my goal could be aspirational. To dance i... Full story
• Gas prices continue to rise. The average gallon of regular unleaded in Sisters hit $3.63/gallon on Sunday. For the four petrol stations in town, this is an average increase of 20 cents in a week and 86 cents since January. This weekend should bring even higher prices, dealers say, typical for the holiday period. The higher tank costs do not seem to deter vacationers. • 30 single family homes in Sisters sold in June (through June 27) with a combined value of... Full story
Three more Sisters families have found homes through Hayden Homes’ outreach arm, First Story. Nate and Ariel Roy, with son Elijah (5) and daughter Xiomara (one); Genevieve Farrington and son Kyle (11); and Randy and Jazmine Ray, with son Sebastian (2) all celebrated this signal moment, receiving the keys to their new homes at a dedication ceremony at McKenzie Meadows Village earlier in June. First Story, Hayden Homes, Neighborlmpact, and the City of Sisters worked together in... Full story
Jefferson County Deputy Marty Kaczmarek helped to save swimmers in trouble at Lake Billy Chinook on Saturday, June 26. Kaczmarek is a resident of Sisters Country, better known locally as “Master K,” founder of Outlaw Martial Arts. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were at the Crooked River boat launch at about 5:55 p.m. and observed a group of young men run from the parking lot through the park and into the water, swimming for the floating dock.... Full story
Twenty months ago, I experienced a life-altering fall. At first, my only consequence of falling was a broken nose and two black eyes. But two months later, I began to experience troubling post-concussion symptoms. My encounter with the ground was a full-frontal crash on the asphalt as I was running with a friend’s dog. The sound of my head hitting the pavement is one I will never forget — like a ripe melon being dropped from the heights. Headaches, vertigo, brain fog, d... Full story
Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District’s Fire Corps volunteers will be hitting the streets in downtown Sisters this week to introduce a new program aimed at lowering the risk of fire and other hazards at local businesses. As a part of their normal duties, District firefighters have performed fire- and life-safety inspections for businesses within the City of Sisters. Due to COVID-19, the inspections were temporarily suspended. This new program is a supplement to the Engine Company Inspection Program and is meant to be a s... Full story
The red-naped sapsucker [Sphyrapicus nuchalis] feeds on the sap and insects drawn to the sap after drilling small holes in mostly deciduous trees: birch, willow, and especially aspen. Hummingbirds may follow these sapsuckers and feed by actually sipping on the sweet sap. Nests are excavated within diseased trees and three to seven white eggs are laid directly on the nest bottom, resting on wood chips with no soft nesting material used. Both parents incubate the eggs for 10-13... Full story
The Outlaws finished out the season with a bang with back-to-back wins against Bend and La Pine on Monday and Tuesday, June 21-22. Sisters earned a solid 58-44 win against Bend on Monday. The Outlaws were down by two at the close of the first quarter, 15-17. They battled hard in the second period, and at the end of the quarter Max Palanuk hit a three-pointer that sent the Outlaws into the half with a five-point lead, 28-23, along with a big boost of momentum. In the third, Sisters outscored Bend 15-9 and kept the lead until... Full story
Riley McHugh and Georgie Scott recently won the mixed doubles 4.0 level Gold Medal at the 2021 USA Pickleball Pacific Northwest Regional Championship in Boise, Idaho. This win provides them a “Golden Ticket” to the national championships in December in Indian Wells, California. Riley, a Sisters resident, plays at the Pineview Tennis Club in Sage Meadow and is a member of the Sisters Country Pickleball Club. Georgie lives in Eagle Crest and plays for the Eagle Crest and Bend Pi... Full story
You’ve seen them. They’re everywhere. Ringing Village Green. Nosing into Peterson Ridge Trailhead. Lurking on Cascade, Hood, and Main, trying to find a place to squeeze in. They are big, as much as three tons, and tall — often over seven feet. They are mainly gray and usually have all sorts of thingamabobs attached. You know them as camper vans. I call them Covid Wagons. With the pandemic came a nationwide rush to buy camper vans, crushing inventory to near zero and del... Full story
Roxie passed away peacefully in her home in Boise, Idaho after a courageous battle with cancer. Although she made her home in Boise, she lived in Sisters for many years before relocating to Boise. During her residence in Sisters, she was a member of the Sisters Garden Club and was active in the yearly home and garden tours held in connection with the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. Roxie spent numerous hours working in the community gardens that were sponsored by the garden club,... Full story
The Roundhouse Foundation, well-known to the people of Sisters for its longtime support of many local projects and organizations, has broadened its scope of funding and recently announced a $750,000 gift to the Hospice House capital campaign to sponsor the Great Room and provide seed funding for The Center for Compassionate Care. The Compassionate Care program will be launched with $500,000 in seed funding and sustained long-term through charitable gifts and grants from the Central Oregon community. Although the new program... Full story
In just a few months’ time, the generous residents of Sisters Country not only met but exceeded the $100,000 challenge in support of the new Hospice House at Partners In Care in Bend. As of last week, $116,035 had been donated, fully funding the Three Sisters suite, with the remainder going toward the Black Butte suite. Partners In Care and the Sisters Challenge Team extended a very grateful thank-you to those Sisters Country residents who opened their hearts and their w... Full story
For years, Sisters High School’s woodshop and construction program teacher Tony Cosby has led crews of students in framing and raising walls for Habitat for Humanity homes in Sisters Country. Last Wednesday, he hit the job site for the last time with a student crew. Cosby is semi-retiring and passing his hammer to Jason Chinchen, who plans to keep the Habitat program rolling. “It was pretty smooth,” Cosby said of Tuesday’s labors. “A little warm, but other than that, a g... Full story
Summer is a great time to try out Cascades East Transit’s (CET) free, ADA-accessible shopper shuttle that connects residents living within the Sisters Dial-A-Ride service area (including Crossroads, Tollgate, and Sage Meadow neighborhoods, and more) to shopping destinations in Bend on Thursdays. The Sisters-to-Bend shuttle picks up passengers at their home or business in Sisters between 8:45 and 9:15 a.m. and makes stops at the Cascade Village Mall, Walmart, and Costco s... Full story
Bend Police arrested a man inside Ray’s Food Place in Sisters on Sunday afternoon, after they had responded to a domestic call in Bend. According to Bend Police, officers responded to an address in Bend at about 4:18 p.m. on Sunday, June 27, after a woman’s relatives called to report that she needed to have police dispatched to her residence. When they arrived, officers determined that an assault had taken place and that the woman’s boyfriend had left the residence. They had a description of his vehicle and developed infor... Full story
Seed to Table Oregon’s Community Outreach and Education Coordinator Hannah Joseph is harvesting smiles and curiosity from her students. Her background as a gardening and cooking educator in public schools has her Sisters students reaping the benefits of Joseph’s teaching style. “Edible education is a powerful tool for sparking wonder in the natural world, expanding our palates to try new foods, fostering socio-emotional skills, and connecting to academics,” said Joseph.... Full story
Plein Air Painters of Oregon will work their magic with watercolor, pastel, and oils at Art at the Ranch at Black Butte Ranch (BBR) on Friday, July 9. They will be painting all day on the lawn in front of the Lodge, and then selling their works at the art show, which begins at 4 p.m. on the deck at the Lodge. There will a silent auction with no-host beverages and appetizers at 5:30. The proceeds from the silent auction benefit the BBR Art Guild which gives scholarships to Sisters High School students continuing in art... Full story
The Quilts in the Garden Home and Garden Tour organized and conducted by the Sisters Garden Club has been a highlight of Quilt Show Week for the past 20-plus years — that is, until the COVID-19 pandemic required cancellation of the tour in 2020 and 2021. The tour has offered a diversion from the week of quilt classes and an opportunity for all to experience the homes and gardens in the Sisters area. With no garden tour for two years, and the waiving of annual membership... Full story
A lot has changed in Sisters since 1983, but there has been one constant in town, a man who impacted the lives of hundreds of school-aged kids: Sisters Elementary School (SES) teacher Kirk Albertson, or “Mr. A,” as he is affectionately known. Albertson has decided to retire, ending a teaching career spanning 38 years, 36 of which were in Sisters. Albertson was a 25-year-old, who was just about to enter finals week at Oregon College of Education (OCE), now Western Oregon Univer... Full story
The Sisters School District is on the right track in focusing on creating a sense of belonging for ALL of its students — and stepping around culture war Claymore mines and booby-trapped tripwires such as Critical Race Theory. As outgoing school board chair Jay Wilkins noted in a recent op-ed in The Nugget, “Creating a sense of belonging — if done improperly — can feel like a zero-sum game and create backlash or resistance. If done properly, it lifts every m... Full story
Agree with every word To the Editor: Passing through Sisters on June 23, I read Jim Cornelius’ editorial in the then-current Nugget (“A wrecking ball,” page 2). I think it is the first time in my long life that I have agreed with every sentence in an opinion article. Some of the comments prompted my enthusiastic “Yes!” Heather Kerr... Full story
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) Search and Rescue (SAR) Team assisted with three separate missions around the county on the evening of Friday, June 25. At about 5:54 p.m., a DCSO special services deputy was dispatched to an injured hiker near Broken Hand, a small peak to the northeast of Broken Top. A hiker had been injured in a fall, requiring immediate medical attention and evacuation. The deputy immediately paged out for SAR volunteers and made contact with A... Full story
