News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 30
The upcoming May election will decide who is filling two open positions on the Sisters School Board. Five candidates are running for the two open positions on the Board. Jeff Smith is running for Position 3 and has been on the School Board since 1999, with a break of 2-1/2 years. Smith believes his experience and passion for education set him apart from the other candidates. "I have a passion for education. I believe in good schools and am lucky enough to end up in a... Full story
Green Ridge looms over Camp Sherman, its treed slopes and burn scars home to populations of wildlife and a destination for hikers and hunters. It's also the site of a Forest Service project - six years in the making - that is drawing intense scrutiny as a final decision approaches. According to the Forest Service, a draft decision on the Green Ridge Landscape Restoration Project envisions a project that "includes up to 19,437 acres of thinning, mowing, and prescribed fire... Full story
Educators know that visual arts are highly beneficial to students of all ages. Sisters School District honors this by offering a variety of artistic programs - including the 24th annual ARTifacts program held at Sisters High School Tuesday, April 18. This event allowed high school students of all ages to showcase their hard work to their friends and family. Sisters High School hosted multiple observational art booths and hands-on art stations for community members to try.... Full story
People interested in returning Oregon habitat to a more wild state will rendezvous in Camp Sherman next month. The Re-Wilding Oregon Conference, set for May 13 at Lake Creek Lodge, is a public conference focused on conservation initiatives across Oregon. Sponsors include the Western Watersheds Project, Wolf Welcome Committee, and Lake Creek Lodge. Two of the organizers, Adam Bronstein and Susan Prince, hope the sold-out event will bond groups together and begin inclusive and... Full story
Fans of Sisters Rodeo have for years seen Gary Frazee doing what he does best - working hard to make the event come off smoothly. Sisters Rodeo is recognizing his contributions, naming Frazee Grand Marshal for the 2023 Sisters Rodeo Parade. Gary, his wife DeAnn, and their family have been attending the rodeo since 1969, and he became a member in 2005. Gary and DeAnn will celebrate their 41st anniversary on June 9 - at this year's Sister Rodeo. Frazee returned home in 1969... Full story
Sarah McDougall always gets involved in her community, wherever she is. She got especially involved in Sisters when she moved here in 2020, after living in Bend for 14 years. McDougall knew for a long time that she wanted to move to Sisters, after seeing Bend turning into a place more like the places they moved to Bend from. "We came out to Sisters and saw everything being built, and how there may be an opportunity for us to live here. The neighborhood we saw was full of... Full story
We know what we need to do but do we have the will to do it? That was the burning question that defined last Thursday's screening of the documentary "The West Is Burning." The hour-long documentary was hosted by Discover Your Forest at the Sisters Movie House, a free event encouraging community members to learn and join in the discussion of wildfire risk and management in the western states. The documentary tells poignant stories of personal loss with wildfire up and down the... Full story
April Artwalk welcomes home Raven Makes and Toriizaka Art gallery owners from art expeditions. Stitchin’ Post’s Fabric Arts Gallery will display the work of artist Judy Hoiness, recently featured on Oregon Art Beat. Hoiness is known for her abstract landscapes that often incorporate watercolor and acrylic paint, stitching, calligraphic marks, collage, and mixed media on canvas and recycled cloth. Drop in between 4 and 6 p.m. Hood Avenue Art displays award-winning Western artists K.C. Snider and Diane L. Farquhar Hallstrom. Sn... Full story
At their quarterly meeting on April 5, the Vision Implementation Team (VIT) took a first look at how to go about adding new topics and strategies to the Vision Plan as evolving issues arise. There was a great deal of discussion regarding how to address houselessness in the Vision Plan, and where the strategies should go within the plan. The suggestion was made to invite locals who are working with the homeless and Cheyenne Purrington, the Deschutes County and participating cities’ houseless strategies and solutions d... Full story
The Sisters Outlaws girls tennis squad started their week with a 5-3 win at home over North Marion on Tuesday, April 18, and three days later fell 2-6 to Redmond. The Outlaws fought off the cold and notched a dominant win over the Lady Huskies at home in Tuesday’s tennis action. Juhree Kizziar (No. 1 singles) dominated her match with great serve speed and placement for a 6-0, 6-0, sweep over Allyson Chamberland. Coach Bruce Fenn said that Kizziar’s foot speed around the court, her power ground strokes, and varied drop sho... Full story
A local option levy that supports programing of Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) is before voters for renewal. Measure 9-160 will appear on the May 16 election ballot in the amount of 15 cents per $1,000 of assessed property valuation. This is the same amount voters approved in 2018. According to SPRD Executive Director Jennifer Holland, the funds will support programming in three areas: child care; seniors; and youth athletics/recreation. The funds will also support District operations generally, and ongoing... Full story
The 2023 annual Point-in-Time Survey shows the number of persons living in non-traditional housing in Sisters increased from 55 to 64. In all of the tri-county region of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties the number increased more dramatically, from 785 to 1,012. The survey is conducted annually in January by the Homeless Leadership Coalition (HLC). Coalition membership includes nonprofit homeless assistance providers, victim service providers, faith-based... Full story
Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) has been awarded a $45,900 grant through Travel Oregon’s Oregon Trails Fund program to hire a Volunteer Events & Education Coordinator (VEEC) to recruit, train, and manage a robust cadre of volunteers who perform trail work and support activities on behalf of STA. In addition, the VEEC will establish and oversee a new Student Trail Ambassador program: six to 10 students trained and compensated to educate trail users about sustainable recreation, environmental trail stewardship and reducing u... Full story
The Central Oregon Veterans Ranch will screen its newly released documentary “Cover Me, The Path to Purpose” in Bend at Open Space Event Studios Saturday, April 29, with two showings for veterans, their families, and community members. “Cover Me, The Path to Purpose” is a gripping documentary that tells the story of how the Veterans Ranch, a 19-acre farm, is challenging veteran suicide and changing the paradigm of veteran care. The documentary was filmed on location at the Central Oregon Veterans Ranch in June 2022. It was... Full story
Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District Fire Chief Roger Johnson will be one of seven presenters at the C4C Emergency Preparedness Forum at the Sisters Fire Station Community Hall on Thursday May 11. The preparedness forum is designed to inform Sisters Country residents of the inherent risks of living in Sisters as well as to provide solutions to mitigate the risk. “The forum is designed to provide practical and actionable solutions that everyone can benefit from,” Chief Johnson said. While many people believe their local fire dep... Full story
The boys lacrosse squad travelled to Forest Grove (FG) on Friday, April 22, and defeated the Vikings 10-7. They were short players earlier in the week, and had to forfeit their game against Hillsboro. Gus Patton got the Outlaws’ scoring started with a goal in the first minute and a half of Friday’s game against the Vikings. Sisters kept the Vikings scoreless for a long stretch before Patton scored again with 4:30 left in the quarter. Teams headed into the final quarter with the Outlaws up by six goals. Coach Paul Patton tol... Full story
Calls to 911 reporting fires are up as more and more yard debris is being burned. Callers mistakenly think a structure or wildfire is happening, when it’s just neighbors burning off leaf and needle piles or trimmings and clippings. Knowing this possibility, if the report of fire does not confirm an actual structure or vehicle, Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District (SCSFD) may send out a scout car before dispatching firefighting engines. Every spring, like a well-oiled clock, s... Full story
The magic of Hayward Field, followed by good competition at the Meet of Champions, helped many members of the Outlaws track-and-field team produce career bests last weekend. Friday, April 21, about half of the team took part in the Oregon Relays at Hayward Field that featured teams of all classifications from throughout the West, with running events, as the name implies, done in relay fashion. A highlight for the girls team included a season best in the 4x400-meter relay as Ila Reid, Delaney McAfee, Nevaeh McAfee, and Gracie... Full story
The girls lacrosse squad opened their season with a vengeance — with four straight wins. They remain undefeated. They opened with a doubleheader at West Albany High School’s turf field, and matched up against Corvallis and West Albany. Sisters defeated Corvallis 14-10 and then took down West Albany in a nail-biter that ended in an 11-10 victory. The Lady Outlaws were down the entire game against the West Albany Bulldogs and came from behind to get the win. Goalie Tania Rebolledo had 15 saves in the game. Rebolledo also had a... Full story
The Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) is bringing back its Speaker Series with an event at The Belfry on Tuesday, May 2. With so much discussion about forest management, wildlife inventory, and extreme weather in the news lately, STA wil host George Wuerthner, a local ecologist who has published more than three dozen books, to share his extensive experience and knowledge of protecting and preserving wilderness and wildlife. He will share another perspective on wildfire and wildfire management. “We believe strongly in hearing f... Full story
Sisters Habitat for Humanity will be hosting its annual Women Build volunteer event Thursday, May 11 through Saturday, May 13. This event provides the opportunity for local women to take part in constructing a Habitat home. No experience is necessary. Volunteers work under the guidance of construction professionals, alongside other volunteers, and with future Habitat homeowners. This Habitat tradition occurs around Mother’s Day each year. Since 1991, Women Build volunteers have come together to build a stronger community. I... Full story
I’ve lived in Sisters 28 years and love this sweet town for the same qualities we all appreciate—gorgeous mountains, majestic trees, recreation opportunities, celebrations of art and music. We purposely moved here to embrace a smaller community, to participate in activities and join a few organizations. We are involved and caring neighbors, both next door and at large. But lately it seems, after joining a group (CATS) to question some disturbing city issues (overdevelopment...mega gas stations) I’m suddenly chara... Full story
STA speaking up on Green Ridge To the Editor: The relationship between wildfires in the West and responsible forest management is a highly debated topic, and one that’s been written about extensively. For Sisters Trails Alliance, the debate illuminates a need for greater transparency from the Forest Service and for public understanding of all sides of this complex topic, especially because it impacts our wildlife, ecosystems, and recreational experiences in Sisters Country. Timber harvest projects disguised as “ecosystem res... Full story
Nobody enjoys paying taxes. However, if we have to pay taxes — and we know that that is one of two inevitabilities in life — local taxes paid directly to institutions that have immediate local value are the best kind to pay. With both measures 9-160 and 9-161 on the May 16 ballot, Sisters has the opportunity to renew local option levies that make a big difference in the quality of life for many of our citizens. You can see the impact of each of your tax dollars on the gro... Full story
Sisters School District (SSD) and Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) have announced that they intend to develop a partnership that will repurpose the current elementary school site into a community recreation center once the new elementary school opens. In a prepared release, the districts noted that, "While hurdles remain, the two organizations are slated to sign a letter of intent outlining the scope of a long-term lease for the site by the end of April." Prior to... Full story
