News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
Marla Cooper has fond memories of Sisters. The 48-year-old Oklahoma woman told The Nugget last week that she remembers exploring the forests around the Brooks-Scanlon logging camp, where her family lived, horseback riding with her friend Patty Oatman, shopping at Leithauser's grocery store. She also remembers what may have been the planning of one of the most storied heists in the annals of American crime. Marla Cooper believes her uncle Lynn Doyle Cooper was the man known as... Full story
This summer, just as more folks have requested help, donations have tapered off at the Sisters Food Bank. Operated by the Kiwanis Club of Sisters with community volunteers, the food bank has seen a 30-percent increase in customers in the past six months. A substantial rise in food prices has contributed to the problem. An added blow to the program has been a decrease in supplies received from Oregon Food Bank, NeighborImpact and government entities. Sisters Food Bank Operations Manager Naomi Rowe estimates government-issued s... Full story
More than 50 Sisters Country residents and business owners crowded into the council chambers at City Hall Thursday to participate in an interactive workshop on the details of the major street renovation project that will change the "vertical landscape" of Cascade Avenue. Construction on the Cascade Avenue roadway will start in early 2013, which means the design details must be finalized by this time next year. Cascade Avenue (Highway 20) is a federally designated freight... Full story
The Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) will run middle school sports in Sisters next school year. On a 4-0 vote the Sisters School Board approved a SPRD proposal to take over the responsibility for Sisters Middle School (SMS) sports for the coming year. (Board member Andrew Gorayeb, who also serves on the SPRD board, was on vacation and did not vote.) The school district's financial crunch caused the board to severely reduce sports funding for the 2011-2012 school year. The district could only find $14,000 for middle s... Full story
To the Editor: Sisters and Central Oregon lost a great gentlemen, a very active volunteer, and for many a wonderful friend with the passing of Gary Woods on August 5 in Redmond. Gary and his wife, Evonne, came to the Sisters area first as part-time visitors, built their first home here, and then became full-time residents. He became a volunteer and then the volunteer coordinator with the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce. He also was a member of the board of directors for the High Mountains Dixieland Jazz Festival and an... Full story
The City of Sisters is currently facing a reduction in operational days of its recycling center that was originally designed to be a self-service drop-off center. It is possible that the recycling center will be closed. On July 1, the City of Sisters issued a press release that in part stated, "Effective July 1, 2011, the operational days will be reduced from seven to four days per week. The reduction stems from a combination of increased hauling costs for recyclable materials and cutbacks in Deschutes County financial... Full story
The effort to improve Sisters schools got a boost last week as Superintendent Jim Golden announced a $97,000 grant from Oregon's Chalkboard Project. The grant will fund professional development, and the development of a curriculum evaluation process for the 2011-2012 school year. Last year the district received a grant for $8,500 and then matched it with an $8,000 stimulus grant to work on a program of curriculum improvement by measuring the engagement of the students. "We had a wild success. The teachers were very... Full story
As it does so often, the Sisters community will rally on August 20 to help a local family in distress. Andy Hartford was killed in a single-vehicle accident on Three Creek Road on July 5, leaving a wife and young children behind. Family friend Holly McIntosh is organizing a benefit event on Saturday, August 20, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Takoda's Restaurant to help the family with expenses. "My goal with the fundraiser is to get them enough money to get them through until the Social... Full story
The tail-waggin' crowd found hardly a cat in sight for the inaugural Dog Days of Sisters Festival on Saturday, held at Sisters Art Works. Canines and their owners enjoyed a full day of tastes, smells and activities to honor our four-legged companions of all breeds and varieties. Outside, vendors sold home-baked doggie snacks, pet shampoos, pup-inspired art and jewelry, with a portion of the proceeds going to help support Furry Friends. Indoors, an art show featuring a... Full story
It's all about neighbors helping neighbors get ready for trouble - whether that comes in the form of fire, flood, earthquake or personal emergency. Local agencies from the City of Sisters to the Sisters fire department and the Red Cross have put together detailed plans for responses to all kinds of emergencies. Now a grass-roots group called Sisters Country: Prepared & Ready (SCPR) is working to make sure that local families have plans, too. "We're focusing on being prepared... Full story
Sisters was a very different place in the 1940s and '50s. It was a resource town; most families made their living in the woods or serving, supplying or educating those who did. That was the Sisters recalled last Saturday night at Brand 33 Restaurant at Aspen Lakes, as graduates of the original Sisters High School and their spouses gathered some 70 strong for a class reunion. Sisters High School then was housed in what is now the Sisters School District administration building,... Full story
Here's the way it all began: "Jim, what sounds like a bald eagle without the staccato chattering? Four consecutive "blasts" (to put it in nautical terms) in the same tonal range as a BE... Craig." That's the email message I received from Craig Eisenbeis, Nugget writer and fellow bass in the Sister Chorale. Then he added this: "Another thing... it just won't shut up.... constant squawking... like a baby that wants to be fed (ah-hah! A clue). When I first saw it, my first... Full story
Pickleball? What's that? Sisters is about to find out. At 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 18, in the community of Sage Meadow, located just north of Sisters off Camp Polk Road, a team of four experienced pickleball players will give a demonstration of how to play the game. The public is invited. Pickleball was started in 1984 by Joel Pritchard, a former lieutenant governor of Washington. It had its supporters over the years, but didn't catch on in a big way until a few years ago.... Full story
• A husband and wife got into a dispute over how much to pay for gas on a road trip. Things got physical and the wife got arrested. • A woman reported that her best friend's boyfriend was sending her unwanted text messages. A deputy contacted the boyfriend and he said he'd never contact her again. • A man contacted his ex-girlfriend at her residence. The woman and her new boyfriend requested that he be trespassed from the property. • A resident complained about a tent on... Full story
Watercolor naturalist Don Zylius brings a lifetime of perspective to his art now being displayed at the Gallery at The Lodge at Black Butte Ranch. Zylius, who is now 76 years old and as energetic as a person half his age, displayed his art and his technique for all to see at an artist reception held at The Lodge last Thursday evening. Zylius, who is largely self-taught, paints mainly landscapes, florals, wildlife scenes, and fly fishing using a water-color technique called... Full story
Now that it's well into August, you would think that snow should have ceased to be an issue on the high-country trails. Think again. The Forest Service continues to issue bulletins warning of snow covering trails. Hardly a week goes by without news of lost hikers; and, almost invariably, this is because hikers became disoriented when they wandered off trails that were obscured under - sometimes - several feet of snow. Just last week, the Forest Service reported,... Full story
The teacher once called "the soul of Sisters High School" has resigned to take a teaching job in Woodstock, Vermont. The announcement of Jody Henderson's resignation was made to great regret at last Wednesday's school board meeting. The renowned music teacher has been in the Sisters School District for 15 years, creating what Superintendent Jim Golden described as one of the strongest music programs in the state. "The good news for Jody is that both Blake and Jared go to... Full story
Lloyd David Morrell passed away of pancreatic cancer the morning of August 3, 2011. He was born in Milton, Massachusetts, and grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, where he attended West Anchorage High. Lloyd graduated from the University of Puget Sound and raised his family before moving to Sisters. Many people knew Lloyd from Sisters Hardware, the business he started, where he could be found with his best buddy Orvis the Golden Retriever. Lloyd's favorite pastime was fly fishing,... Full story
Mary Beth Pearl-Gent died peacefully Saturday, August 6, 2011, at the age of 67 after battling pancreatic cancer for more than a year. Born in Miami, Florida, Ms. Pearl-Gent spent most of her childhood in Southern Illinois. Beth and her first husband Roy A. Pearl (deceased), moved out West where she dedicated her life to working with children. Her accomplishments in the area of library science have benefited schools in the Central Oregon area and include such accomplishments... Full story
