News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 31
The lightning-sparked Waterfall fire northeast of Mt. Jefferson on the Warm Springs Reservation is now estimated at 2,700 acres. Depending on winds, there may be some smoke impact in the Sisters Country. Fire officials warn of the potential for lighting-sparked fires with thunderstorms that are expected to cross the region over the next couple of days.... Full story
Raelyn Valerie Hunt was born July 31 in Eugene, Oregon weighing 8 lbs. and measuring 20" in length. Her parents are Rory and Cyndi Hunt of Eugene. Proud grandparents are Doug and Diane Hunt of Sisters, and Ray and Susan Ault from Coos Bay.... Full story
The early bird catches the cobbler. And so it was on Saturday for the 17th annual Country Fair and Art Show hosted by the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration. An eager crowd of Marionberry dessert fans clustered around The Sweet Tooth booth at the fair's opening at 10 a.m. "We had 13 pans and they're mostly all gone already," said church member Ann Reed. "They're selling faster than ever. People are getting a lot smarter now and started lining up earlier than ever. They... Full story
The city-sponsored "Made in Sisters" tour on August 9 surprised even longtime Sisters residents with the breadth and depth of the international businesses operating quietly in Sisters. Outgoing Economic Development Director Mac Hay put together a bus tour to give a sampling of five Sisters businesses. Hay said, "We are well-known as a tourist town, and we acknowledge that and we like that label, but we are also manufacturing, light-industrial and professional services as well.... Full story
An 18-year-old Sisters woman was seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash on Highway 126 at Bradley Road on Sunday. The emergency call came in just before 8 p.m. Dispatch advised responding units that the vehicle had crashed into a tree, and the single female occupant was injured. The driver, later identified as Gabriela Rodriguez, had to be extricated from the vehicle. Life Flight was also auto launched to the scene. Firefighters from Sisters-Camp Sherman fire department were able to free Rodriguez from the vehicle, and... Full story
If hundreds of injured hawks, eagles and owls now enjoying good health and freedom of flight today could talk, they could tell why Gary Landers is an "everyday hero." Since they can't, the Kiwanis Club of Sisters bestowed the honor on their behalf. From time to time the Sisters Kiwanis Club asks its members for nominations for the award, which is presented to someone who does tasks within the Sisters community without being asked, does it for no personal gain, and "just gets... Full story
To the Editor: Re: Cascade Avenue project: I do not think that the City of Sisters should have taken on this project in this bad economy. This was the wrong time. It has been a real struggle for all of us the past few years. We are also going into an election year. It slows down during an election year. Add in closed streets, bad economy and election year and what do we get? Not a pretty picture for Sisters. We all need to stay in business and feed our families. Look at how many empty buildings we have in town right now.... Full story
Late Sunday evening, August 5, a powerful storm cell moved across Central Oregon, laying down over 3,300 lightning strikes. Eighteen fires broke out across Sisters Country. One of lightning strikes spiraled through a ponderosa pine tree and transferred its electrical shock to a juniper tree less than 10 feet away, igniting the tree and nearby grasses on the Cyrus family property just north of Aspen Lakes Development, five miles east of Sisters. Matt Cyrus, the property owner... Full story
Folks who want to catch the music at the Sisters Folk Festival had best act soon. Tickets for the September 7-9 festival are nearing a sellout point for the first time in the organization's history. "We've experienced a dramatic increase in ticket sales every year for the past four years, and this year we are ahead of projected sales by almost eighty percent," said Assistant Festival Director Travis Ehrenstrom. The festival has traditionally released single-day tickets in the middle of August, but the high demand for... Full story
Sisters resident Gerhard Schnuerer collects rare automobiles. His collection includes mostly Mercedes-Benz cars but also has some other unique vehicles and BMW motorcycles. He transported four cars from his collection to town recently to be photographed for a spread in Star Magazine. Gerhard and wife Rosemarie immigrated to this country from Germany in 1963, educated but penniless. Gerhard found work as an engineer, and in 1976 started what turned out to be a very successful... Full story
Every Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show for as long as anyone can remember, the Friends of the Sisters Library (FOSL) has been selling quality used books - first to FOSL members, and then to the wonderful hoards of visitors and residents of the Sisters Country that attend the quilt extravaganza. And every year, the Friends Book Corner (FBC) sells just about everything on the shelves. It was no different this year. Now is the time for local folks to start emptying the attic,... Full story
Matt Ruettgers, 24, was killed in a motorcycle crash in Bend on Thursday, August 9. According to Bend police, officers and the Bend Fire Department responded to a motor vehicle crash at the intersection of NE 27th Street and N.E. Highway 20 East at about 8:22 p.m. Upon arrival, officers found a man pinned underneath a 2002 Ford F150 pickup. Officers conducted an investigation and learned Ruettgers had been riding a motorcycle southbound on N.E. 27th Street and collided into the back of a 2002 Ford F150. This Ford pickup had... Full story
Voters may decide on annexation of the Sisters Airport in November. Attorney Liz Dickson requested a fast-track review by the Sisters City Council of the annexation papers that would bring Sisters Eagle Airport, owned by Benny and Julie Benson since 2011, into the city of Sisters. Dixon said, "I am representing Benny Benson, who is the managing member of two entities that together own the Sisters Airport which includes the hangar building as well as the runway. As you may know, the Sisters Airport is currently outside of the... Full story
A number of years have elapsed since Northern Hemisphere-sky watchers have been treated to a bright naked-eye comet. Many of us will remember comet Hale-Bopp that adorned our skies for several weeks during the spring of 1997. The comet was a dazzling sight, even from the light-polluted skies of large cities. It was probably the most widely observed comet of the 20th century. Discovered independently by Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp, the comet never really got close to Earth, but... Full story
For some time now, the popularity of Pamelia Lake has caused it to be designated a high-use area in the Detroit Ranger District, with entry allowed on a special permit basis only. That is not about to change. What is changing, however, is that "probably" starting next year, Detroit will switch to online permits, which will cost $6 each. At present, although the number of permits is limited, the permits are still free. The Obsidian Trail, just over McKenzie Pass, has already... Full story
Local Realtor Patty Cordoni will fill the economic development manager's slot left open by Mac Hay's early departure from the half-time position that he has held for the last two years. On a 3-1 vote, the Sisters City Council appointed Cordoni to the interim position. Cordoni has worked on economic development as a volunteer with Hay for the past four years. She has also served as president of the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors where she was instrumental in the hiring of current executive director Erin... Full story
Kelly Dean Smith was born June 18, 1952 in North Bend, Oregon to Sidney and Carolyn (Sherwood) Smith. He died August 1, 2012 with his life partner Danielle Fougere by his side. Kelly grew up in Tillamook County, where he enjoyed spending time with his grandparents. He joined the United States Navy in 1970. He served as a marine mechanic on the USS Ticonderoga before being honorably discharged in 1971. He then returned to Oregon, where he spent his life doing what he wanted, when he wanted. He was an angry, gruff man on the ou... Full story
Patty was born in Eugene on July 26, 1947 to Lester Russell and Eula Mae Curtis. Patty and husband Arnie Swarens moved to Sisters from Bend in 1985 where she was able to enjoy her favorite pastimes, spending time with friends and family and riding her horses. She was loved by everyone that knew her and will be very missed. She was preceded in death by father "Russ" Curtis and husband Arnie Swarens. She is survived by mother Eula Curtis of Sisters, sisters Nancy Curtis of... Full story
Edith Bird, of Sisters, passed away on August 3. Edith was born September 30, 1918 in Cerrito Sannita, Italy to Francesco and Rosalee Savelli. Her family immigrated to the United States, through Ellis Island the same year and settled in Bayonne, New Jersey, where her father made and repaired shoes. She met her husband, Henry Bird, when she went to a dance where he was performing as a musician, and they were married in 1941. In 1948, they moved to Kennilworth, New Jersey. Her... Full story
Matthew Francis Ruettgers, 24, of Bend, died tragically in a motorcycle accident August 9. Matt was born to Ken and Sheryl Ruettgers in Bakersfield, California January 28, 1988; he was the oldest of three siblings. Matt enjoyed his early years in Green Bay, Wisconsin, before spending the majority of his life in Central Oregon. Matt graduated from Sisters High School in 2006 and had since attended community colleges in Bend, Eugene, and Hood River. He participated in a wide... Full story
Ethel May Van Tassel, a longtime resident of Central Oregon, died August 7, 2012 at the age 100. Ethel was born March 5, 1912 in Palmyra, Maine to Ariel and Helen (Decrow) Goodrich. In her early years her family relocated to the Sisters area; she graduated from high school in 1929 from Redmond High. On June 5, 1930 Ethel married Glenn F. Van Tassel in Cloverdale, and the couple moved to Redmond in 1949. She worked as a homemaker for most of her life but also enjoyed working... Full story
Joe was born to Richard and Rebecca Hutchins Skupa in Pasco, Washington. His family moved back to Camp Sherman when he was 5 years old but later moved to Portland for the remainder of his childhood. He continued to spend a great amount of time in Camp Sherman enjoying the beautiful outdoors with his family and spending time at their family cabin on the Metolius, which was built by his great-grandfather. Joe was a gifted artist who loved to draw and paint and was recruite... Full story
Noreen was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. At the age of 13, after her father's death, she moved to Eugene, then Portland, and graduated from Grant High School. She later married Richard Brown. Noreen then worked for Standard Insurance Company, Napa Auto Parts and then Georgia Pacific in the human resources department, while raising her three children. After Richard's death in 1994 she married longtime friend Kenneth Robbins in 1997, who was also from Portland. They... Full story
A search and rescue team aided a party of hikers who had run out of water in high heat while hiking along the Pacific Crest Trail near Belknap Crater last Sunday. Jenna Curtis, 23, Thomas Gradt, 26, and Brandon Durgan, 24, had been dropped off at the Pacific Crest Trail near the Hoodoo ski area earlier in the day. The three of them were hiking south along the PCT, headed toward Highway 242. The party was very concerned about Gradt, who had lagged behind after they had run out of water. Gradt was displaying signs of a... Full story
• The second annual Ray's Quilt Challenge has two lucky winners. Ray's shoppers voted for their favorite quilt on display during July, and "Sawtooth Cats" by Lawry Thorn (left in photo) of Sisters was the winner by a landslide. Libby Seitz (right in photo), also of Sisters, was the winner of the random drawing from those who voted. Both ladies were awarded $50 gift cards by Ray's store manager, Jeff McDonald (center). "We love having a... Full story
