News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 15 of 15
As drought reduces hydroelectric power in the Pacific Northwest, local utilities are predicting a price increase of 25 percent or more starting in October. According to Jim Crowell, member services director for Central Electric Cooperative, the co-op board of directors met with rate consultants on Thursday, July 19, to discuss how to handle a 51 percent increase in power costs to CEC from the Bonneville Power Administration. A final decision on the amount of a rate increase... Full story
With $20.5 million to spend, Sisters school board members, staff and architects have gone shopping for high school designs. They visited several schools in the Portland/Vancouver area last week, then hit the road to Boise, Idaho, to examine some snow-country designs. "We had a chance to see some different designs and different materials and saw how some configurations might look," said school board member Glen Lasken. The award-winning Parkrose High School in Portland made... Full story
The Bend Parkway overpass to Sisters opened on Friday, July 20. The new loop reduces the number of intersections, turns and stop lights faced by travelers to Sisters from Highway 97 North. The new loop joins Highway 20 westbound on the south side of the Mountain View Mall. The Oregon Department of Transportation moved the mall access from Highway 20 to Robal Road. It's a clear road to Sisters. In addition to interfering with the Sisters loop, ODOT says the old mall access from Highway 20 was a traffic hazard and the site of... Full story
It happens when the motorist least expects it, and that's the problem. Too few drivers anticipate the suicidal antics of Central Oregon's deer. Highway 20 and Highway 97 see their share of dead deer, but the bucolic Camp Polk Road is also claiming deer in great droves. More deer and more vehicles -- a deadly combination. In terms of dead deer per mile, few stretches of road can rival the deer slaughter along the one mile of roadway between the Sisters Airport and Indian Ford Creek. In 1996, after the wooded avenue claimed at... Full story
Deschutes Public Library officials hope to salvage the chance to purchase the land the Sisters Library sits on from the City of Sisters. The Sisters City Council rescinded a $175,000 sale offer at its July 19 meeting, citing lack of response from the library district. "I am very disappointed that no one from the library was asked to be at the city council meeting," said Sisters Librarian Peg Bermel. "We would have liked the opportunity to respond to the things that were said that night. "It was quite a shock to find out that... Full story
If Sisters seemed to have more than the usual number of cowboys and cowgirls on hand this past June -- it did. According to Sisters Rodeo Association President, Glenn Miller, the "Numbers were up considerably" at this year's 61st edition of the Sisters Rodeo. He said that attendance figures were higher, not only for Sunday's final performance, but also for the rodeo as a whole. This was the first year that the rodeo's top scorers were offered the chance to qualify for a "short go" true final on Sunday -- with additional... Full story
Since 1988, the Sisters Garden Club has been making Sisters a more beautiful place to live. Actually, beautifying the community is only one of its goals. Promoting public interest and education in Central Oregon gardening are among the Garden Club's top priorities, along with fostering a general understanding of land stewardship. Garden Club members (l-r) Nancy Uppendahl, Lorena Bliven, Mickey Duehren, Juanita Rice and Cathy Ehlers work on the welcoming portal to Sisters. The group's major public event and fund-raiser, the Qu... Full story
An exuberant crowd of about 50 Black Butte Ranch (BBR) homeowners and friends witnessed groundbreaking ceremonies last Friday evening, July 20, at Big Meadow Golf course. Under sunny skies the group heard Loy Helmly, BBR manager, describe plans for the new clubhouse facility. Helmly also thanked all who had participated in bringing this project to fruition. BBR directors broke ground on a new clubhouse. The project has been a long time in development. "This is the first new project since the association (homeowners) took over... Full story
About 40 grade school students from Sisters journeyed to Blue Lake for a drama day camp hosted by Camp Caldera's REACT program. Caldera exists to expose underserved students to the arts, and generally hosts students from out of the area. But the REACT program drew a near-capacity crowd from its own back yard. Sisters kids brought "The Wind Says Goodnight" to life on stage. REACT, which is an acronym for Read and Act has the day campers bring a book to life in a theatrical performance. Students from Sisters came from SMART... Full story
The landscape is changing at St. Edward the Martyr, the Roman Catholic church in Sisters. The church is in the middle of Phase II of its building program. Reverend Faucher standing next to what will be the cloistered prayer garden at St. Edward's. "It took two years of long-range planning, but we are adding to our existing sanctuary and developing a prayer garden," said Reverend Thomas Faucher. "Phase III, which is down line, will be a new sanctuary." The addition to the existing sanctuary will add seating for an extra 70... Full story
A fire of undetermined origins burned on Bureau of Land management land off Fryrear Road east of Sisters on Tuesday, July 24. According to Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch, the fire was reported at 4:08 p.m. and had burned about three acres by early evening. No structures were immediately threatened by the blaze. Helicopter drops water on Fryrear fire. Fire burns one mile east of Frerear Road east of Sisters. Firefighters hit the flames from the air with one strike from a... Full story
The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday. To the Editor: Thanks to all... Full story
A picture has been festering in my patriotic sense of values ever since the first day I opened my May, 2001 copy of Smithsonian magazine and found it on the inside back cover. An advertisement for Encompass Insurance depicts the famous scene of Washington Crossing the Delaware -- with the patriots encumbered by a load of modern gadgets. The tag line is "A Declaration of Independence for your stuff.... Liberty, Justice, and really good insurance." That mural, "Washington Crossing the Delaware," by German-born Emanuel Leutze,... Full story
- A man reported several items stolen from his vehicle -- which was left along Highway 20 while he was taken to jail on a warrant arrest. - A woman reported an unknown animal under her deck, growling at her. It turned out to be a mama raccoon with babies. The woman resolved to wait till the new family moves out and then block access. - A deputy located a missing Alzheimer's patient who had left her house and walked to the residence of her brother-in-law. - A resident complained about constant drumming by his neighbor. The... Full story
The Sisters Centennial Wagon Train rolled into town on Saturday morning, July 21, on the final leg of its seven -day trip. From Prineville they had come, across 80 odd miles of roads and a hundred years of time. Sisters veterinarians (and twin sisters) Sharon Sharpnack and Susan Conner drove their matched team of black quarter horses. Their rig was an antique farm wagon that they restored themselves and converted into a covered wagon. A passenger could close his eyes for a moment and listen and imagine himself a passenger on... Full story
