News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 22 of 22
City Manager Brant Kucera announced last Wednesday he is resigning his position effective August 18. He has accepted a position as the city administrator in Ashland, Wisconsin, population 8,200, located on the shore of Lake Superior. Kucera's son lives in Michigan and, when he was not yet in school, Kucera was able to have him live with him over half the year. Rhys is now in grade school and visits with him are not frequent or long enough. Being in Ashland will put Kucera... Full story
Creativity abounded through exquisite quilts that spilled across downtown Sisters on Saturday for the 43rd annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show (SOQS). From tiny doll quilts to giant king-sized ones, the town of Sisters was an explosion of vibrant color. Known today as the largest outdoor quilt show in the world, SOQS, presented by Kaufman Fabric, began in 1975 when Jean Wells Keenan hung her students' quilts outside her shop on a Saturday in July. That thoughtful action turned... Full story
The Sisters Park & Recreation District Board of Directors voted unanimously last Friday morning to accept the resignation of SPRD Executive Director Todd Garrett, who had assumed the position in late April. In his resignation letter, Garrett cited inability to gain "access to requisite information to perform job duties" as a reason for his resignation. "In addition to inhibiting my abilities to perform requisite tasks, the toxic environment I was thrust into," Garrett claims,... Full story
There's a proposal afoot to make the entire Metolius River fly fishing only. The move is spearheaded by Lake Oswego resident Chris Foster, who has fished the Metolius for decades; he believes that such a change in fishing regulations would better protect the river's redband trout while putting a big dent in the ongoing problem of bull trout poaching. Currently, the entire river is catch-and-release only, and fly fishing only with barbless hooks above Bridge 99. The river is cl... Full story
To the Editor: Sisters needs a dog park. The July 11 column by Craig Eisenbeis about Whychus Creek Trail being defiled by dogs emphasizes the need for a community off-leash dog park. About one third of U.S. households have dogs, and here it's probably more, yet there is no place to let dogs play and exercise safely. The local grapevine informed me that Peterson Ridge and Whychus Creek Trails are de facto off-leash areas ("You won't get arrested."). Mr. Eisenbeis points out the downsides with that approach. In addition we... Full story
There's a special place in my heart for SPRD. Two years ago, my family set out from Portland in a tiny travel trailer, wandering beaches, deserts, and mountains. I'd fallen in love with Sisters during an artist residency at Caldera. Now we set up camp in the forest nearby, hoping this would become home. Our family had grown close on the road; we needed a little space. My husband went to work. My health improving, I started writing again. As for our 5-year-old: we signed him... Full story
SISTERS (AP) - A couple hoping to restore a dilapidated ski lodge west of Sisters in Central Oregon has received a $20,000 state grant to launch the effort. The Bulletin reports in a story on Friday that Friends of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge received the grant from the State Historic Preservation Office. Salem couple Dwight and Susan Sheets founded Friends of Santiam Pass Ski Lodge. They're relying on grants and private donations to raise the $2 to $3 million to renovate the historic lodge. They signed a five-year permit from... Full story
So what does a world-renowned surfer have to do with economic impact in Sisters, Oregon? The answer to that became more public as professional surfer Laird Hamilton's company, Laird Superfood, cut the ribbon on their new facility in the Sisters Industrial Park on Monday, July 16, at a ceremony attended by civic and company leaders, as well as employees, citizens, and economic development strategists. Hamilton, best known as a world-class surfer and fitness guru, was on hand... Full story
When your signature product is beer, you should know how to throw a party. That's just what Three Creeks Brewing Co. is doing this weekend, inviting the whole Sisters community to join in a celebration of the brewer's first decade in Sisters. The event is set for Saturday, July 21, from 2 to 8 p.m. on the expansive lawn at the Three Creeks Brewing Co. brewery and tasting room in the Sisters Industrial Park at 265 E. Barclay Dr. "We're going to use the whole property here," sai... Full story
Brad Smith of Paulina Springs Books went out among the stars on May 20 of this year - but if reincarnation works, he'll be back, not as Brad Smith, owner of Paulina Springs Books, but as a thorny devil stick insect. If that goes as he planned, however, we'll have to visit the Solomon Islands to catch up with him! Brad was born December 13, 1954, in Spokane, Washington and lived there until he was five. His big sister Cynthia says, " The family then moved to Clarkston,... Full story
Last March, the "Friends of Eloise" and "Pals of Pete" of the Aspen Lakes Golf Course community rallied to support the growth of trumpeter swans in the Cyrus family's pond. With the help of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, The Trumpeter Swan Society, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the generous Aspen Lakes homeowners, Eloise, the lone female swan on Aspen Lake, connected with Pete, a male swan, hoping for babies. It was an expensive undertaking for the Aspen Lake... Full story
Artist Vincent Van Gogh once said "Color expresses something in itself. One can't do without it; one must make use of it. What looks beautiful, really beautiful, is also right." Last Thursday, 120 amazingly vibrant quilts, all designed to depict Van Gogh' paintings, known as the Cherrywood Quilt challenge, found their way to the Community Hall at the Sisters-Camp Sherman fire station. The Van Gogh quilt exhibit is on display for the 2018 Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show (SOQS) with... Full story
When Mike Denton, featured quilter in the 2018 machine quilter showcase, retired in 2009 he decided to make up a list of activities he wanted to do to keep busy. "There's about, oh, 60 things listed - golf, hiking, boating, painting, reading, camping - they go on forever." And one just happened to be fabric arts. And his wife, Sue, a longtime quilter, had purchased a long-arm quilting machine in 2006. "The machine kind of became a coat rack for a while because it intimidated... Full story
Danae Bennett-Miller, bronze artist, ran her fingers through the shallow water in her worktable. Then she dipped a cup into an old turkey-roasting pan filled with melted wax and skillfully poured a curved shape into the water on the table. The cool water smoothed the side of the hot wax it touched, but sent artful bubbles and swirls to the surface. The wax took form quickly, as she lifted it from the water and shaped it into graceful curves as it cooled and hardened. This... Full story
Have you ever embarked on a diet or exercise plan, and noticed that pure intentions, willpower, and stick-with-it energy falls to the power of instant gratification? This is so common not because everyone is weak or lazy, but because of the systems processor in our head. Yes, the brain is to blame for the late-night ice cream. It is discouraging, but understanding why you're having a hard time sticking to your program is a good way to armor yourself against the fallacies in our decision-making. Imagine yourself in five years... Full story
Yes, those are butterflies you see smashing into the front of your vehicle as you drive over the highway from Sisters to Redmond or Bend, and especially in the Cascade foothills. They are NOT monarchs or moths, and they are not migrating; they are just undergoing a huge population explosion as a means to seek out new territory, and no one knows why. Oh sure, there are scientists who think the emigration is linked to climate change, and it could be, but this has happened... Full story
Charlie Kanzig has been running and writing for most of his life - and for the past 22 years, he's been combining the two as a freelance writer and reporter with The Nugget. Kanzig started out in the mid-1990s covering sports, including providing reports on Sisters Outlaws cross-country teams that he coached. He branched out into other sports, including a year of covering football, and then he moved into other feature writing. Kanzig enjoys the features, because the reporting... Full story
"Green, green, it's green they say on the far side of the hill...." Go ahead, sing along if you want; it's true! If you can bear to drive past yet more miles and miles of charred forest, it is green just over the hill - specifically, just over McKenzie Pass. So, that's where this week's hike takes us. I've hiked on by the spur trail leading to Four In One Cone a number of times; but I've always been on my way to somewhere else, and there just didn't seem to be time to take... Full story
Edinburgh, Scotland: Five festivals; U.S. dollar value up; weather, mild; people, exceptional; accommodations, plentiful. Edinburgh this time of the year is THE place to be for book lovers; the Edinburgh International Book Festival is the largest in the world. More than 900 authors and thinkers gather to present thought-provoking experiences to the 225,000 festivalgoers, including this correspondent from Sisters, Oregon. "The Book Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland is an unbeatable place for meeting inspiring people and sharing... Full story
Brian Foutz understands the power of music to make the world a better place, and he's determined that any child who wants to learn to play music has the opportunity. He and his wife, Genny, started the Foutz Foundation last year with the goal of making musical instruments available to students free of charge. Brian's brother, Travis, shared the love of music and was enrolled in college, preparing to become a music teacher. His unexpected death last year at age 36 caused Brian to seek a way to honor Travis's memory and the... Full story
It is not easy being a kid these days. Even in the best of circumstances, growing up in today's world certainly comes with challenges. Suicide rates have risen among teens - and sharply. According to the Centers for Disease Control, suicide for teens is up 28 percent since 2000. Suicide among girls age 15-19 has reached a 40-year high and has increased 30 percent for boys age 15-19 since 2000. Suicide is now the third leading cause of death in young people age 10-24. The digital age has made social comparisons, criticism,... Full story
Last week's Letters to the Editor offered an important study in contrasts. One was a well-considered essay in which the writer expressed her concerns, approached the discussion with a counter-argument, and finally made an effective, reasonable case in favor of her beliefs. The other was a kind of "First Thought, Best Thought" screed, lacked any argument whatsoever, and finally morphed into an embarrassing public soccer-flop. Soccer-flopping, if you don't know, is an invention... Full story
