News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Articles from the August 12, 2003 edition


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  • Fallen firefighter honored

    Jaki Roberson|Updated Aug 12, 2003

    Eric Pierce. photo provided Eric Pierce, 21, of Sisters, died on Monday, August 4, from injuries sustained in a single vehicle accident the previous evening in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Pierce was a Firefighter T-1 (Squad Boss) for GFP Enterprises, Inc., a private wildland firefighting contractor based in Sisters (see related story). He excelled as a Class B Sawyer. Pierce, the son of Paula and Tom Pierce of Sisters, graduated from Sisters High School, Class of 2000. A memorial service was held on Saturday, August 9 at Paula... Full story

  • Sisters' city sewer system nears capacity

    Jim Cornelius|Updated Aug 12, 2003

    Sisters is running out of space to spray treated effluent. photo by Jim Cornelius It's only been in operation for two years, but Sisters' municipal sewer system is already bumping up against its capacity limits. The City of Sisters is rapidly running out of space where effluent can be sprayed. The treated effluent is currently sprayed on 87 acres of forest land south of town. According to City Administrator Eileen Stein, city staff was worried that the irrigation limit might... Full story

  • School district will save thousands on water

    Jim Cornelius|Updated Aug 12, 2003

    In the face of an evaporating state budget, the Sisters School District got some welcome financial news last week. The district secured water mitigation credits that will allow the district to irrigate 50 acres of playing fields at a fraction of the cost of city water. Mitigation credits grew out of recent studies that indicate that ground water and stream flows are connected in Central Oregon. New regulations require that removal of water from the system be compensated for... Full story

  • Ben Westlund to take state Senate post

    Jim Cornelius|Updated Aug 12, 2003

    Representative Ben Westlund is making a short but significant move across the Capitol to take a seat in the Oregon Senate. The Sisters-area legislator won appointment from the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners to the seat vacated by Bev Clarno. Clarno resigned August 1 to take a position with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In their unanimous decision, the three commissioners cited confidence in Westlund's knowledge of the state budget and his ability... Full story

  • Firefighters are on-call in Sisters

    Tom Chace|Updated Aug 12, 2003

    GFP Enterprises firefighters (l.-r.) Tim Decamp, John Simpson, Josh Canaday and Jedediah Belcher await their next fire call. photo by Tom Chace It may be for only a few hours or a day or two at the most, but during the break between Central Oregon's rash of wildfires, a team of 20 firefighters rests in downtown Sisters. "We're ready to go when we get the call," said Tech-2 fireman Tim Decamp from Government Camp, near Mt. Hood. "We'll catch up on our sleep and get some good food and check out our equipment and be always at... Full story

  • Art show draws Sisters area crowd

    Updated Aug 12, 2003

    By Tom Chace A Grand Art Show and Gala was held at Sisters Episcopal Church Community Hall. photo by Tom Chace An overflow crowd of admirers turned out for Central Oregon's largest juried art show last Friday, August 8, and Saturday, August 9 in the new Community Hall at Sisters Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration. The show kicked off the church's annual Country Fair. Forty-eight artists from throughout the area presented more than 150 pieces, many selling into the thousands of dollars, according to Margery Guthrie,... Full story

  • Hike offers view of Metolius Project

    Updated Aug 12, 2003

    Local hikers can catch a glimpse of the future of the Metolius Basin on a tour of the Heritage Forest Demonstration Project on Saturday, August 16, at 10 a.m. Sponsored by Friends of the Metolius, this tour will meet at the Four Corners, where Forest Road 1419 turns down to the Camp Sherman store. Those attending will view and evaluate several different treatments and combinations of treatments for improving forest health and reducing wildfire risk. The demonstration project helped create a template for the Forest Service's... Full story

  • Sisters' second 'airport' is busy

    Tom Chace|Updated Aug 12, 2003

    Dusty Wilkerson flies his remote control helicopter on a Sunday outing with the Cascade Flyers. photo by Tom Chace More airplanes land and take off at Sisters' second "airport," on any given Sunday, than at the regular, full-time airport in a month of Sundays. This most active airport is the home of the Cascade Flyers Club, whose members fly miniature airplanes, models mostly made from kits. About a dozen "pilots" from all over Central Oregon gather there at the field about nine miles east of town on Highway 20. They meet... Full story

  • Music camp draws record number

    Torri Barco|Updated Aug 12, 2003

    Fiddle students work at music camp. photo by Torri Barco The six Booher siblings taught a record number of students last week in their summer music camp. The 15th annual Booher Family Music Camp more than doubled its number of students last week, jumping to an all-time record of 125 students, up dramatically from last year's 53, Brendan Booher said. The camp, which ran August 3-9 at Sisters Community Church and cost $425 per person, drew students of all ages from Oregon, Washington, and California. The camp featured three... Full story

  • Camp Sherman man revisits hometown

    Conrad Weiler|Updated Aug 12, 2003

    Doug Gyllenskog. photo by Conrad Weiler Doug Gyllenskog, who works at Camp Sherman's garbage transfer station, was missing for a few weeks late last month while on vacation from his volunteer job. "I went back to Nyssa where I grew up as a young boy," said the former ODOT manager who has retired in Camp Sherman. "This was their 100-year birthday celebration and I got to see my mother who still lives there. Nyssa is on the Oregon-Idaho border just below Ontario. At age three, Doug and his family moved there from Utah when his... Full story

  • Sisters teen injured in wreck

    Updated Aug 12, 2003

    Sisters resident Katie Resnick, 19, remained hospitalized this week after a weekend accident that claimed the lives of two Bend teenagers. According to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports, the accident took place shortly after midnight on Saturday, August 9, when Resnick's Plymouth minivan and a Mitsubishi Eclipse driven by 16-year-old Danielle Gates collided on Alfalfa Market Road. Gates and her passenger, 15-year-old Stephanie Beeksma, were both dead at the scene. Resnick was transported to St. Charles Medical Center... Full story

  • Local author, publisher team up

    Kathryn Godsiff|Updated Aug 12, 2003

    Kim Meeder. photo provided True stories of hope and faith triumphing over distress are always popular. Tumalo horsewoman and first-time author Kim Meeder will shortly release such a collection called "Hope Rising." This may not be a book readers would want to open in an airport or other public place, because of the emotional tug of many of the stories. But that same emotional release is what opens readers' hearts and minds to the powerful message of the book, that when hope and faith intertwine, life returns. Meeder is no... Full story

  • New chef joins staff at Coyote Creek

    Tom Chace|Updated Aug 12, 2003

    Janette Sinclair in her kitchen. photo by Tom Chace From Scottsdale, Arizona, where she taught culinary arts, to Sisters, Oregon is a "move up," according to Janette Sinclair. Sinclair is the new chef at Coyote Creek Cafe. "While I loved it there, this is a very special place and I am my own cook in a wonderful restaurant with marvelous people," Sinclair said. She has traveled extensively and "been trained in many countries in their local cuisine," she said. She lived with a family in Taiwan, "teaching their children English... Full story

  • Tamarack Village to host open house

    Updated Aug 12, 2003

    Tamarack Village, a development of the Central Oregon Regional Housing Authority, will open its doors to the public with a day of festivities on Wednesday, August 20. Tamarack Village is a multifamily housing development located on a 2.1-acre site fronting Larch Avenue on the north end of Sisters. The target population is individuals and families earning typically 30 to 60 percent of the area median income, or $11,400 to $37,740 depending on the family size. The community's two- and three-bedroom units include amenities such... Full story

  • Hike the wild side of the Metolius

    Tom Chace|Updated Aug 12, 2003

    The springs on the Metolius River are the highlight of a wonderful hike. photo by Tom Chace There are probably as many favorite hikes along the Metolius River as there are hikers. Possibly the most scenic and least used trail is along the west side, upstream two miles from Wizard Falls Hatchery. It is not too arduous from the hatchery end, walking up stream, but from the other direction, where the natural beauty is found, it takes a bit of doing. Along this stretch of class four and class five rapids the water roars within... Full story

  • Letters, letters, letters

    Updated Aug 12, 2003

    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: I agree with the co... Full story

  • Meeting Calendar

    Updated Aug 12, 2003

    - City Council Meeting 7 p.m., 2nd and 4th Thursday each month, Sisters City Hall. 549-6022. - School Board Meeting 7 p.m., 2nd Monday each month, middle school lecture/drama room. 549-8521. - Black Butte School District Board of Directors meets 2nd Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m., Black Butte School. 595-6203. - Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month, 8 to 9 a.m. at Sisters Fire Hall, 549-0251. - Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD meets for drill every Monday, 7 p.m. Sisters Fire Hall, 301 S. Elm St.... Full story

  • Sisters crowd enjoys country fair

    Updated Aug 12, 2003

    If the consumption of marionberry cobbler is any gauge, the eighth annual Country Fair held at Sisters Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration must be considered a smashing success. The cobbler -- always an enticement at the fair --ran out just a little after 1 p.m., testament to a large and enthusiastic turnout. Fair-goers basked in nearly perfect summer conditions; the shade on the church grounds making a nice refuge from the hot summer sun. Children worked themselves red in the face jumping in the popular bouncy castle... Full story