News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 23 of 23
The Cambodia photojournalist Jay Mather visited in 1979 was a country in bloody chaos. The murderous Khmer Rouge regime had slaughtered 1.7 million of its own people and was in turn being chased out of power by the army of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Refugees by the thousands were streaming into squalid camps along the nation's western border. Mather and reporter Joel Brinkley's series of stories from the refugee camps earned their paper, the Louisville... Full story
The proposal for a local gas tax of three cents per gallon to be imposed upon dealers in Sisters drew fire from gas station owners and local citizens at a public hearing at City Hall Tuesday, July 28. The proposed tax would be used to fund street maintenance, which has for years been subsidized by the city's general fund. The city council hit upon the gas tax as the most equitable way of funding maintenance on Sisters' 42 miles of streets. "A gas tax spreads out the cost... Full story
Deschutes County Fair is a busy week for many Sisters families. For some, it's the big week of the year. Jodi Ford is the leader of Hog Wash, a 4-H swine club with members scattered over a wide area. "We have members in Sisters, Tumalo, Redmond and Crooked River Ranch," she said. "This is definitely the highlight of our year." The long established club uses pigs to teach young people discipline, responsibility and animal care. Ford was particularly pleased with the swine... Full story
For decades, some 3,000 to 5,000 fish from Whychus Creek have been getting trapped in the Three Sisters Irrigation District (TSID) diversion canal, swept into holding ponds and fields. For just as long, farmers, fishermen and others who care about fish have been rescuing them from the ditches and putting them back in the creek. With a project currently under development by the Forest Service and TSID, fish will be prevented from getting caught in the diversion and aided in... Full story
The Sisters City Council and Sisters Planning Commission will meet in a joint work session Thursday, August 20, at 5:30 p.m. to receive a presentation on the draft Sisters Transportation System Plan (TSP). This is the last work session to be held on the Transportation System Plan update leading into the public hearing process, which is anticipated to begin in October. The Sisters Transportation System Plan update is being prepared by DKS Associates, Jeanne Lawson & Associates and Alta Planning + Design of Portland. These... Full story
To the Editor: The Nugget and Bulletin report that Sisters can implement a local gas tax without voter approval. These news organizations haven't done their homework or asked the right questions. I urge the council members to be cautious. Consider this: The Oregon Constitution at Article I, Section 32: "No tax or duty shall be imposed without the consent of the people or their representatives in the Legislative Assembly..." The city charter approved by the people has no words whatsoever granting the city authority to levy... Full story
The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration will hold its 14th annual Country Fair and Art Show on Saturday, August 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Festivities actually begin one day earlier, opening on Friday evening, August 7 from 5 to 8 p.m. with an art show featuring top-quality regional artists. A visit to the country fair will provide a day of old-fashioned fun for the entire family. For the children there is a petting zoo, face painting, bouncy castle, puppet show and lots of games and craft activities. The new mustang... Full story
Those willing to brave record hot weather last weekend in Sisters dropped into the Sisters Summer Faire. Sponsored by the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, it ran Saturday and Sunday at the Village Green Park. Tony Lompa sang and played guitar, entertaining Saturday's crowd. Several people spent the better part of the afternoon listening to Lompa and enjoying the fair's many food offerings. Crowds were modest, but still some vendors reported they did the best business of any of the Sisters fairs they had attended in recent ye... Full story
Hard work, ingenuity, and some good old fashioned moxy are the ingredients needed to begin a business. Business sense and customers keep it moving forward. Nancy Wilson of GWN Brand has the complete package, and it's wrapped up like a pillow. A soft, one-of-a-kind, leather pillow. Wilson is the artist and craftsman behind a line of leather pillows found exclusively in Sisters. Each one is hand-sewn, with artistic details of hand-cut leather fringe, antler buttons and photos... Full story
Dog lovers gathered at Sisters Art Works last Saturday to celebrate their canine friends in the opening of the Dog Days art show. Kathy Deggendorfer, owner of Sisters Art Works and sponsor of the event, made it a family affair. Husband Frank served the treats with the help of daughter, Erin Borla. Her sister, Sally Bany, owner of Moonstruck Chocolate Company provided some of the treats and Bany's daughter Rachel helped serve them. "The whole event was the result of the stew... Full story
While many in Sisters Country were aiming to keep cool over the weekend, members of the High Lakes Pony Club were taking aim at shooting targets with an air pistol. They also swam lengths in the Sisters Athletic Club pool, ran around the cross-country course at O'Neal Farms and rode their horses around a course of jumps in the indoor arena there. Thirteen members were participating in a unique Pony Club activity called tetrathlon. It's a junior version of modern pentathalon,... Full story
Drownings are often inexplicable, unfair - and preventable. Four deaths in Central Oregon have occurred this summer as temperatures rise, and people seek inviting cool waters. There has been one "still water" drowning at Scout Lake this summer, another in a slow-moving portion of the Deschutes in Bend, and another in fast-moving rapids near Maupin. The fourth involved a fisherman who fell from a boat in Lake Billy Chinook. There are about 3,600 drownings in the United States per year, or about 10 per day, according to the Cen... Full story
Kenneth Walter Bernard of Sisters passed away on July 26, in Bend. He was 70. Ken was born February 18, 1939 in Portland, to Ken and Esther Bernard. He spent most of his childhood years growing up in the Newberg and St. Paul area. He attended Newberg High School and in 1957 joined the Marine Corps. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California. While there he met the love of his life, Anne Marie Darnell. They married on September 12, 1959 and enjoyed nearly 50... Full story
Scott Redfield was a native Oregonian born in Portland, where he attended Riverdale grade school and then Lincoln High School. During the World War II years Scott saw action in the Pacific on a transporter for four years in the U.S. Navy. He then attended Reed and Lewis & Clark Universities where he completed his degree in economics. He worked for the state as a social worker out of Portland and also Wheeler County. The Redfield family has a strong connection to Central Oregon through the cabin they had on the Metolius River... Full story
Sisters Christian Academy may be small, but its quality is gaining a national reputation. Sisters Christian Academy (SCA) is one of two Christian schools recently selected by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) as an exemplary model academy with an excellent academic program and affordable tuition. SCA was one of more than 1,000 small Christian schools (under 200 enrollment) in the United States, evaluated by ACSI on the criteria of excellent and rigorous... Full story
Mike and Beth Huitt opened Top Pin Pro Archery shop August 1 to offer high-performance equipment befitting competitive pros and serious bowhunters, but that's only half the shop - and half the story. The shop is located in the Outlaw Station shopping center next to High Desert Hair Co. and just a couple of doors down from Ray's Food Place. A wall runs the 20-yard- length of the shop, dividing it right about in half. On one side, the compound bows are precisely arranged in... Full story
Success in statewide competitive mountain biking has ended an identity crisis for 33-year-old Shawna Palanuk. "I found myself again," she said. Two sons, Max, five, and Eli, three, put her bike racing career on hold. In fact, the "hold" grew into an eight-year hiatus. But that gap has ended in a big way as the mountain biker recently won Best All-Around Rider for Category I, or expert division, of the Oregon Bike Racing Association. She participated in five races, won first... Full story
The Gallery at the Lodge at Black Butte Ranch has brought an artist to Sisters Country whose abstract landscapes play on the emotions. Katie Williams, assistant to BBR CEO Scott Huntsman, JoEllyn Loehr, artist and Charles Kingsbaker, the new director of sales and marketing, were on hand with artist Kentree Speirs for an artist's reception at the Lodge's Gallery. "It's a way to continue to reach out to the community. A way to bring regional artists to the area," said... Full story
It is not illegal, but it is certainly hazardous to float the fast-flowing Metolius River, especially below Bridge 99. Below that point, trees are not typically managed or removed for boater passage, says Bill Anthony, U.S. Forest Service District Ranger in Sisters. But a downed tree that now spans the river is an exception because "it is an unacceptable public hazard," Anthony said. What makes this one unusual is its location and size. The root system is on the side of the... Full story
Daniel F. Little wrote: A very big thanks goes out to all the patriotic visitors at the Quilt Show who donated to Rear Area Support Foundation. Your generosity made it possible to put together and send out our largest shipment of care packages to U.S. deployed troops in the three-and-a-half years Rear Area Support has been doing this. A special thanks to Marsha Marr, Miss Sew It All, whose son is serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, to Jean Wells and Valori Wells Kennedy of the Stitchin' Post, to the organizers of the Sisters... Full story
There's a roundup in Sisters starting Thursday, August 6, and you won't need to know how to make a lasso or ride a horse. You might want to wear country-western garb and twirl your partner around the floor. Four area square dance clubs have come together to sponsor the 27th annual event: Bachelor Beauts; Red Rock Squares; Sagebrush Shufflers; and the Sundown Round Dance Club. Dancers can check in with wagon-master Gary Danner, who will have information on places of interest... Full story
As with life, hiking isn't necessarily about the destination. It's about what you experience along the way. On several recent hikes, I've noticed a variety of tree burls and decided to look into the phenomenon a little more closely. Burls are peculiar growths on tree trunks, branches, and roots. Usually, burls have a bulbous appearance and may appear simply as unobtrusive bumps. In other cases, they can become large, misshapen tumor-like protuberances larger than the tree... Full story
Let's call this an "entry- level" hike. If you're looking for a walk in the woods that's a little more challenging than a sidewalk but still suitable for toddlers, Little Three Creek Lake might be just the ticket. My three-year-old daughter didn't have any problem with this trail; although in the interest of full disclosure, I should probably point out that that was 33 years ago. This outing might also be a good choice for your visiting out-of-town relatives who consider... Full story
