News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 26
Whychus Creek is a scenic wonder of the Sisters Country that draws hikers - and artists. Last week, local artist, Kathy Deggendorfer, Maret Pajutee, USFS Ecologist, Mary Vasse, Associate Conservation Director of the National Forest Foundation (NFF), Kathleen Dowd-Gailey also of NFF, and local artist Norma Holmes went out on Whychus Creek looking for sites that would provide artists with viewpoints for creating works of art. "I think artists see this area different than hikers," Kathy Deggendorfer said, as she stood... Full story
The City of Sisters may soon grow by 30 acres as the city council moves forward with plans to annex the McKenzie Meadows property along McKinney Butte Road just north of Sisters Middle School. The city council agreed in a workshop last week to have staff start working with developers on an annexation agreement that would bring the property inside the city with plans for a senior living and community center. Voters approved future annexation of the land in 2006. The property... Full story
Fireworks may be a staple of Fourth of July celebrations, but they have no place across almost all of the Sisters Country. Fireworks are banned on public and state managed forest lands and in the rural subdivisions that surround Sisters. The use of Oregon-legal fireworks is allowed inside the city limits of Sisters, but Fire Marshal Dave Wheeler offers strong cautions to those who choose to use them: Have an adult present and never give fireworks to small children. Always... Full story
A weeklong series of events and activities revolving around the fiber arts kicks off this weekend, leading up to the one-day Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show on Saturday, July 11. Ann Richardson, executive director of the quilt show, says that the events give locals and visitors a chance to enjoy quilts and associated arts in a more leisurely atmosphere before the wonderful madness of the quilt show itself. "The nice thing about the fiber arts show is there's a lot of quilts on... Full story
To the Editor: Gayla Nelson, thank you for coming to the 69th Sisters Rodeo. And if you didn't, that would explain your lack of knowledge about Team Bronc Riding (see Letters to the Editor, The Nugget, June 24, page 2). Yes, the sport was called Wild Horse Riding until 1976. It is one of the oldest events of the Sisters Rodeo. The horses that are used are far from wild. These horses are two- and three-year-old bucking horses. Their mothers and fathers were also bucking horses. They are older than the horses that run in the... Full story
The dog days of summer came last weekend - not too hot, but with nearly 1,000 dogs representing 124 breeds from across America, coming to Redmond to compete in the 28th Annual Mt. Bachelor Kennel Club Dog Show. Competing dogs must be registered with the American Kennel Club. Among the competitors were two of Sisters' own English setters, champion Archer and his nephew Balen, owned by Jeff Spry. Conformation is a key category of competion. Conformation represents an American... Full story
In the wake of The Nugget's story on mule deer fawns last week, urging people to leave "abandoned" fawns alone, a woman called the paper to report that part of the problem was caused by actions she had just witnessed: someone's dog was chasing a fawn. She identified a problem that plagues Deschutes County. With the population of the county soaring to over 158,000 people, and an estimated 20,000-plus dogs running around (many of them unlicensed), it's no wonder mule deer fawns have problems surviving. "It happens a lot out... Full story
The quilts travel many miles and over several continents to come to Sisters, yet the connection from Uganda to Sisters is ever close to the heart. The quilting program, Sisters of the Heart, was conceived when local interior designer Janet Storton traveled to Kapchorwa, Uganda, with Sisters Community Church. Sisters Community Church has partnered with Christ Glorious Church in Kapchorwa in a child sponsorship program for several years. Storton had a quilt to bring one of the s... Full story
A late start and a wet spring threw a monkey wrench into the Forest Service's prescribed burning program this season. The Sisters Ranger District hoped to treat 800-1,000 acres with underburning this season. They fell short of the goal, burning only 500 acres before lightning storms and warmer, drier weather shut the program down. "It was a challenging spring season, absolutely," said Jinny Pitman, Sisters Ranger District fire specialist. "The rain was good, though. We did... Full story
Leah Keeton of Sisters was crowned Oregon High School Rodeo Queen for 2009-10 last Saturday evening. Keeton, a senior at Sisters High School, will be traveling with fellow Oregon High School Rodeo teammates to Farmington, New Mexico, July 19-25 for the 61st annual National High School Finals Rodeo, where Keeton will compete in the queen contest. Featuring 1,500 contestants from 41 states, five Canadian provinces and Australia, the National High School Finals Rodeo is the... Full story
While other Central Oregon cities are making deep cuts to services and slashing staff, the City of Sisters' $14.8 million budget for 2009-10 is leaving the city stable and in sound fiscal shape. There are no layoffs in the cards. The city has left one utility worker position unfilled in the wake of franchising its refuse collection services, and employees will not be getting a cost-of-living increase this year, though merit-based pay increases are possible. "I told the staff... Full story
Sisters Habitat for Humanity has a new construction manager to lead its crews of volunteer builders. Alex Weiss, of Sisters, took over the position last week, succeeding longtime building leader Woodie Woodsum, who has moved on to Alaska to pursue humanitarian work. Weiss said he saw an advertisement for the position in The Nugget and decided to throw his hat in the ring. "I've been a finish carpenter for a long time, but business is down," he said. "I saw that (ad) and... Full story
New windows of life, learning and living opened to four-and-a-half-year-old Jimmy Orsillo, of Tumalo, last Monday morning in the Sisters Library; his mom, Yvette Orsillo, brought him in for his first library card. It was a very exciting day for Jimmy, and began in early morning, when he came down for breakfast all excited, saying, "Mom! Today I get my library card!" In addition to checking out the books he wants to read and ponder (he's already well on his way to counting!),... Full story
Remember all that rain we had last spring? As any farmer will tell you, rain makes the grass grow, and in Central Oregon, grass means foxtail barley and cheatgrass, both of which can be real trouble for livestock and pets. This is going to be - and in some places already is - a banner year for the seeds of both grasses, and those abundant seeds are of special concern to livestock owners and dog people. While foxtail barley is a native plant, and when found, is usually very not... Full story
The Sisters Park & Recreation District has received many requests from parents for a flexible, affordable, drop-in summer recreation program. "Because many people are unemployed or working reduced hours, they need something other than full-day programs for their children this summer," said SPRD Executive Director Carrie Ward. In response to this community need, the district is offering a drop-in program for children in kindergarten through seventh grade. The program operates Monday-Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The fee is... Full story
The ex-wrangler convicted of shooting a horse and leaving him to die in the forest west of Sisters last fall was sentenced on Monday. Russell Daniel Willeford will serve 90 days in jail, 60 months of probation and is required to pay more than $9,400 in restitution after he was found guilty of animal abuse in the first degree and criminal mischief in the first degree for shooting a horse on Forest Service land near Camp Tamarack. The horse, now named Hero, survived the shooting and has since been donated to the Crystal Peaks... Full story
Annette Ehrenstrom is a pioneer of sorts. She has moved her successful salon, High Desert Hair Company, out of downtown Sisters and into the new Outlaw Station retail space adjacent to Ray's Food Place. "I started thinking about it when I heard the post office was leaving, because that was a huge traffic flow for us," Ehrenstrom said of the decision to move out of her long-time Town Square location. "Ray's is the highest traffic in town." High Desert Hair is the first... Full story
"We rocked the house," was how Janet Zuelke described the Concert For The Canyon fundraiser held on the rim of Whychus Creek canyon last Saturday. She wasn't just talking about the music, though that was a big hit. The event raised thousands of dollars for the science organization Wolftree to pay for habitat restoration and other expenses on their new Whychus Creek Discovery Outpost. "We're going to cross our fingers and say it's going to be a $25,000 net," Zuelke said. "Some of the money we raised is going to be matched by... Full story
Five new letters opposing the Sunburst Retreat proposed conditional use permit were received by the Deschutes County Planning Department by the June 24 deadline. All comment on the project is now closed. A final ruling will be made by a hearings officer, a process that usually takes from four to eight weeks. Common reasons for opposition are increased traffic, noise, dust and compatibility with the area. The conditional use permit would allow operation of a guest lodge in a Multiple Use Agricultural area (MUA-10). The... Full story
Roger White has a niche. It's called Camp Sherman, and he has marketed it in all ways possible. Through the years White and his wife, Kathy, have added many themed/logo'd items to their stock at the Camp Sherman Store, creating an image of Camp Sherman that reminds folks of the charms of life in small-town America. The store itself provides us a bit of history, having been founded in 1915, in the days before roads were complete and the horse and buggy was the way to get around... Full story
• Deputies arrested a 19-year-old Sisters woman after she allegedly threw rocks at a car and beat on an adult male. Alcohol was involved. She allegedly passed out on a lawn and was uncooperative when contacted by police. • During an investigation of an assault case, deputies cited two people for being minors in possession of alcohol. • A man called to report that his future son-in-law had called him on the phone, referred to him as a bodily orifice and threatened to "kick his ass." The man just wanted the... Full story
It's been almost six years since the Booth and Bear Butte fires merged to become the B & B Complex and burned nearly 100,000 acres of forest that many of us considered our personal playground. This hike begins at the well-known Jack Lake Trailhead, which is also the jumping off point for the popular Canyon Creek Meadows hike. Instead of going right to the lush meadows, however, we turned left toward Booth and Square Lakes on our way to Round Lake. It's an eight-mile jaunt, so... Full story
The ravages of war on the human soul take their toll in innumerable ways. Often a caring ear or a friendly smile seem horizons away to a proud veteran in need. One new oasis of hope is the Sisters Area Veterans Assistance Program, an action-oriented base of operations that will be a source of guidance and fellowship for all Sisters area veterans and their families. It's something local veteran activists Tom Barrier and Tom Salgado thought up one day. "We were sitting around thinking about how the national veterans... Full story
"Sue! There's a bunch of bees out behind our office!" Sharon Hrdlicka, office manager for Ponderosa Properties, announced when Sue picked up the ringing phone. "OK, Sharon, thank you," Sue replied, "I'll tell Jim when he gets back." At the time I was out banding American Kestrel nestlings near Tumalo Reservoir with my nest-box partner, Don McCartney and a bunch of OMSI students from Cascade Science School in Bend. When I heard the message on my pocket phone, I shouted,... Full story
The Oregon House today approved a K-12 education budget of $6 billion, with $200 million of that set aside in a special reserve account. After failing to approve the bill last Wednesday, the House came back Thursday, June 25, and passed the bill by a wide margin, overriding a veto earlier in the week by Governor Ted Kulongoski. "All session long we have worked closely with the Governor and his staff on critical issues including the transportation package, health care reform and other important measures," said House Speaker... Full story
