News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 18 of 18
Some good luck and a lot of hard work has allowed firefighters to contain the Rooster Rock Fire at 6,134 acres. The fire started on Monday, August 2, along Whychus Creek near Three Creek Road and made a powerful seven-mile run to the southeast, threatening scattered homes and forcing a precautionary evacuation of some homes in the Ponderosa Cascade and Plainview neighborhoods east of Sisters. Firefighters from Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Department protected houses along Three... Full story
With an eye on promoting excellence in the face of daunting budget cuts, the Sisters School Board and new Superintendent Jim Golden reviewed draft proposals for mission and vision statements, board and superintendent goals for the school year 2010-2011 in their meeting on Wednesday. They expect the final board goals to be approved at the August 31 board meeting, with Golden's goals to be finalized shortly thereafter. Board Chair Chris Jones noted that the board members have some fundamental philosophical differences on the... Full story
Sisters Habitat for Humanity learned this week it will receive $150,000 in Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds for the purchase of bank-owned bare land within the city of Sisters. "This is big news, great news," said Executive Director Sharlene Weed. The funds will come in the form of zero-percent interest-deferred loans. Weed expects the funds will allow Habitat to buy five local properties on which they can build homes for low-income families. Families that qualify for this program will have an annual income of... Full story
To the Editor: While I appreciate the conciliatory nature of Ms. Tehan's response to my July 14 letter to the editor, her response missed the mark. The intent of my letter was to encourage the Sisters Park & Recreation District to provide programming that serves the needs of all local families beyond just sports programming. Sisters needs youth enrichment and after-school care to support families who do not have other options. Nowhere in her response did she address the importance of that issue. Instead she said, "the board... Full story
The animal displays are always a big part of the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration's annual Country Fair, and each year there is always something new. This year a special horse, Nochecita, will be visiting. "Cita," as her owner, Sandy Klein calls her, has a special talent for painting original art. Cita is a 13-year-old, formerly wild mustang mare rounded up and adopted when she was 2 years old off the Bureau of Land Management Northern Nevada Range. She and Sandy have combined talents to create beautiful equine art.... Full story
"A Starry Summer Night" is set for Friday, August 13, at Aspen Lakes, to benefit the Sisters Schools Foundation. High Street, one of the Northwest's favorite bands, will provide high-energy entertainment with dancing under the stars and in Aspen Lakes' elegant clubhouse lodge, while Aspen Lakes will prepare a delicious kabob BBQ. Opening the evening will be a performance by singer-songwriter Jena Rickards, a graduate of Sisters High School who is a rising star on the Nashville music scene. A live and silent auction will add... Full story
Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Seth Norman is looking down the road at a bright future from behind the wheel of a newly restored 1976 Chevy Nova. The non-profit organization, which grants wishes to cancer patients, revealed Norman's tricked-out car at a party hosted by Pappy's Pizza in Redmond last week. Norman bought the car in April 2009 for $1,700 then worked all summer long, painting houses to pay off the loan to his dad. The 16-year-old souped up the engine,... Full story
Since 1995, the Deschutes Land Trust (DLT) has been conserving and protecting land in Central Oregon for fisheries, wildlife, scenic views, and local communities. They're about to do it again with "Whychus Canyon Preserve." The plan for the proposed preserve will add another 450 acres to DLT's stewardship projects, protect another two miles of fish and wildlife habitat, and ultimately include a trail system that will provide public access for hikers, from Sisters all the way... Full story
In 1736, Benjamin Franklin organized Philadelphia's Union Fire Company in a city woefully unprepared to deal with potentially devastating fire. He coined the famous saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." That phrase was hot on everyone's mind as the 6,136-acre Rooster Rock Fire progressed toward full containment last week. Kate Lighthall of Project Wildfire directed a tour Saturday, starting from the Incident Command Post at Sisters Middle School, illustrating various strategies for keeping homes and... Full story
Throwbacks to the golden age of automobiles made a lunch stop at Aspen Lakes Golf Course Thursday en route to the annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The Pebble Beach Motoring Classic is a nine-day, 1,500-mile antique car tour from Washington to California with interesting backroads and scenic byways. Organizer and director, Al McEwan, tries to give participants a grand adventure that allows them an opportunity to really tour in their vintage cars. "We started this event... Full story
Just after celebrating the 35th Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show - and her 35th year in business at Stitchin' Post - Jean Wells-Keenan headed east to Marion, Indiana, where she was inducted into The Quilters Hall of Fame. "Marion, Indiana, is like going back to the '50s," Wells-Keenan said. The Quilters Hall of Fame is located in the Marie Webster House, named after the woman who sparked the revival in American quilting. "She was an early quilter in the '30s, and she designed a lot... Full story
Relying on timely hitting, good defense and strong pitching, the Central Oregon VooDoo placed fifth in the Amateur Softball Association's 16U-B Girls Western Nationals, held August 2-8 in Hillsboro. The Redmond-based team, featuring four Sisters High School softball players, won five games and lost two in the double-elimination tournament after winning a pair of games in pool play. The 7-2 tournament record enabled VooDoo to finish the season with a 32-14 win-loss record on the season. The Western National tournament... Full story
• Brenna Weems, of Sisters, won Reserve Champion in the short stirrup, hunter equitation division, at the A-rated horse show, the High Desert Classic held July 21-30 at the J Bar J Youth Ranch in Bend. Brenna was showing her own horse, Sneak a Little Peak, and she trains with Catherine Cruger of Someday Farm in Tumalo. • Karly Hedrick, Sisters Volunteer Bank Coordinator: Norma Holmes, Nancy Stonington, and Troy Collins offered their artistic expertise as... Full story
About 1,000 High Country Disposal customers in the Sisters Country have received 95-gallon recycling bins, allowing them to recycle from home and receive free pickup of their recycled material. The bins will be collected every other week on the same day as trash pickup. Those living within the city limits have had the co-mingle roll carts for over a year. "Our curbside program maximizes the amount of recycling," said Brad Bailey, HCD president. "And being collected at homes... Full story
Caldera is known in Sisters Country for their outreach to the arts community through their residency program. Many people don't know that Caldera has one of the deepest outreach programs for kids in Central Oregon. Since 1996, Caldera has worked to get arts to underserved kids to change their lives. Caldera works with these children from the end of their sixth grade year through high school, their college years, and into their business life beyond. Many of their students live at or below the poverty level. "Once they're part... Full story
Every now and then, I'm asked to recommend a hike for people who aren't hikers. Maybe the in-laws are visiting from Florida, or maybe it's your old high school friend whose idea of a hike is when you're stuck with a distant parking space at the shopping mall. In any event, there are places where you can share the Central Oregon outdoor experience without making your guests feel like they're on a Himalayan expedition. Two of my favorites are the trail to the Head of Jack Creek... Full story
The Rooster Rock Fire was generally easy on Sisters. Prevailing winds pushed the heavy smoke to the east, leaving pretty fair conditions in town even at the height of the blaze. No campgrounds were closed and the tourism that provides the lifeblood of the local economy was generally unaffected. Local merchants and lodgers had their worries, however, as news outlets from the Willamette Valley to the NBC "Today" show reported the fire - sometimes in rather dire terms. Erin... Full story
After two weeks of resting a strained hamstring, brought on by middle age and not by running at a fast pace, I headed out behind Tollgate for a three-mile trial run to test whether my recovery was complete. There I merged with my colleague Lora Nordquist on the Brooks-Scanlon Road. Her husband John had run ahead and had already turned back into Tollgate, which I assumed Lora would also do. We had begun conversing and I discovered that she is training for the Eugene Women's... Full story
