News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 23 of 23
The Sisters City Council approved a 3 cent gas tax at its Thursday, August 13, meeting. The vote was 4-1 in favor, with Councilor Sharlene Weed dissenting. The tax may be immediately thrown into question as Oregon Petroleum Association representative Paul Romain said he would immediately launch a petition to refer the matter to voters in the March election. Romain told The Nugget such a petition in Sisters would require 109 signatures. "I'll get 'em in two days," he said. A... Full story
They started lining up more than an hour before the doors opened at 9 a.m. on Wednesday. It was a day eagerly anticipated by many Sisters Country residents: Bi-Mart was opening a new store at the former location of Ray's Food Place in the Three Wind Shopping Center. At the head of the line was ex-mayor Steve Wilson. "I got here at 10 minutes to 7," he said. "Why? I'm not going to be aced out in the ammo department again." About half of the people in the front of the line were... Full story
Local ultra-marathoner Sean Meissner says any race with the word "death" in its name is something he takes as a personal challenge. So when race officials notified him in mid-July that a spot had opened up for him in the 125 kilometer (77.5 miles) Canadian Death Race August 1, he grabbed the opportunity. Good thing he did, since he became the first American winner of the race in its 10-year history, conquering the grueling, technical trail race in 15 hours, 4 minutes and 4... Full story
So far this year, Sisters has escaped a major wildfire. But our recent history of conflagrations and evacuations leads folks in the Sisters Country to know that the threat is ever-present. A coalition of public safety and education organizations recently released the final draft of the Greater Sisters Country Community Wildfire Protection Plan. The Greater Sisters Country CWPP will be available on the Deschutes County Web site at www.deschutes.org. Community members have... Full story
To the Editor: I am outraged by the comment by (city councilor) Bill Merrill (see related story, "City council approves gas tax, page 1). I am NOT the "village idiot," and yes, I will buy my gas in Bend or Tumalo, as I work in Bend. The majority of people that live in Sisters do not actually make their living in Sisters, they work in Bend or Redmond. Then again, maybe Mr. Merrill does not have to make a living. I don't know him, but his comment was completely out of line. We need to take this to... Full story
Boy, was I wrong! Prior to attending the Thursday council meeting on the proposed gas tax, I had suggested we follow the City of Bend's idea of adding a charge to everyone's utility bill to financially support the street fund. One problem with that idea, as pointed out by Councilman Bill Merrill, is that each home, whether occupied by a large family with several cars that are on the road every day, or occupied only by one person making an occasional trip to the grocery or a weekly church service, would be charged the same.... Full story
Medics and a search and rescue team came to the aid of a Sisters woman who suffered from a medical incident while hiking at Smith Rock last Friday. According to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports, at approximately 11:50 a.m. Deschutes County 911 Dispatch received a cell phone call regarding a 65-year-old female hiker, on the Misery Ridge Trail near the back side of Monkey Face, who was in distress. The caller said Barbara Hicks became dizzy, tired and unable to stand on her own. Redmond Fire Department responded to... Full story
It's patriotic, but it's not political. That's the message Richard Esterman wants to get across about his latest project, "Listen to the People." Esterman has invited everyone to come to a photo shoot at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds Expo Center, Parking Lot B on Sunday, August 23, at 2 p.m. Bring a handmade sign. It should only say these words: "LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE." Why? To send that message to Congress, the Senate, and the White House. Sisters knows Esterman as the organizer/promoter of three events: Sisters Art in... Full story
About a hundred people came together in Camp Sherman's Community Hall on September 15 to honor the life of Luther Metke, builder of bridges, constructor of log cabins, and poet. "Our body is the temporary temple of the soul," he once wrote in a poem. A true testament to his own words, Metke lived 100 years. Paden Pritchard, whose idea it was to hold the memorial, said, "Norma and I feel we know him, because we live in a house he built when he was 80." At 94, while he was... Full story
Tuesday afternoon, August 11, found a lot of people in Sisters doing a double-take as they passed the Papandrea's Pizza parking lot east of town. There were eight black and white BMW police motorcycles parked in a line. "What's going on?" a man asked as he went in for his pizza. What was going on was that Sergeant Derel Schultz rolled into town with his motorcycle division from the City of Eugene Police Department and stopped in Sisters for a brief rest while on their way to... Full story
• A huge heartfelt THANK YOU from Tom and Mary Tomjack. On Saturday evening, August 1, while we were out of town, the evening thunderstorm exploded over our homes and property on Eagle Top Butte in the Plainview area. A direct strike set a stand of junipers on fire very close to our newly built home. We are so grateful to our neighbors on Fryrear Ranch Road and Panorama Ranch who acted quickly, summoning the help of the Cloverdale Volunteer Fire Department. We also want to thank the three Forest Service employees who,... Full story
We all know we should eat our greens, right? But let's face it, good dietary intentions all too easily end up on the compost pile of life. What if there was a palatable way to consume volumes of green leafys that didn't involve a major change of lifestyle? Sisters acupuncturist and healer, Greg Wieland, is an advocate of the green smoothie, a blended drink of raw green leafy vegetables and fruit, with herbs and spices such as ginger root added. There is science behind all this whirring of blenders and Vita-Mix machines,... Full story
A Bend-area couple was seriously injured Sunday afternoon when the motor-cycle they were riding on crashed into the side of a passenger vehicle that turned in front of them on Highway 242 about three miles west of the viewpoint. On August 16 at approximately 4 p.m. a 1999 Subaru Legacy driven by William F. Foster, age 51, from Veneta, was westbound on Highway 242 near milepost 76 when Foster attempted to turn left toward a highway turnout. The Subaru turned directly into the path of an eastbound 2004 Honda motorcycle... Full story
•A deputy spotted smoke coming from a bark pile, which then burst into flames. He contacted the fire department, which doused the blaze. •A deputy contacted a dog owner whose dog has been pooping on a neighbor's property. The deputy explained dog-at-large ordinances and the like. •The sheriff's office dealt with a multitude of loose dogs, dogs at large and a chicken-killing dog (see story, page 15). •A cleaning crew at a local gym found a small brown vial containing an unknown white powder and turned it... Full story
With financial support from TAPS (Think Again ParentS), the Sisters Sports Alliance will host four August workshops aimed at enhancing the sports culture in the Sisters community. To be held August 27-28 at Sisters High School, the workshops will be geared to offer useful and positive information for parents, athletes, coaches and community leaders. With TAPS underwriting the cost for guest speakers and 1,000 booklets, the SSA hopes the workshops will make an "impact" for all ages of athletes and anyone associated with... Full story
When John and Jean Keenan decided to build a new home on the edge of Pine Meadow, at the west end of Sisters, they knew they wanted to be as green as they could be without trying to go off the grid entirely. They also knew they had a lot that was perfect for tapping into the power of the sun. "We had a solar designer design the house," John Keenan said, noting that the configuration of the lot made it "a solar designer's dream." The sun comes through the windows in the... Full story
Dolores Jean Pritchard was born June 27, 1924, in Chicago, Illinois, an only daughter, raised by her Lithuanian mother and grandparents. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in education and took a job teaching elementary school in Los Angeles. She decided to pursue her interest in geology and went to graduate school at Stanford University. There, she obtained a masters degree in geology, as well as met Austin Pritchard, whom she married in 1950. She wen... Full story
Elizabeth Rose "Toots" Hochlowski passed away on August 10. She died peacefully of natural causes. "Betty" was born on December 23, 1920, in Seminole County, Oklahoma. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in education and began her teaching career at a military school, instructing young men who were not much different in age than she. During World War II, she interrupted her teaching career to work for the Navy Dept. ain Washington D.C. After the war,... Full story
"I warned my neighbor and his wife over and over again that their dog was after my chickens," Sherrie Georges said with tears in her eyes. "Those hens were our pets, they had names, we sold their beautiful brown eggs, my grandchildren loved them - and now they're dead." Sherrie's granddaughters took her into Sisters that fateful day for a birthday celebration, and when they returned home, one of her grandchildren cocked her head listening to a sound others had missed, and... Full story
For years Tami Bunker delivered foodstuffs to Sisters Market. Owner Susan Couch joked with her that in a few years she'd sell her the business. It turned out to be no joke at all. About two weeks ago, Susan and Ken Couch sold Sisters Market to Charlie and Tami Bunker - and the Bunkers have been hard at work here ever since. For Charlie, commuting from home in Bend is no big deal. For the past there years he's had a much longer drive. "The last three years I was running stores... Full story
Truly an artist at heart, local resident and 2000 graduate from Sisters High School Ashley Reed has opened a tattoo studio and art gallery at 210 S. Elm St., adjacent to U.S. Bank in downtown Sisters. Reed's circuitous educational path following high school passed through Southern Oregon University, COCC, University of Oregon and finally the Art Institute of Portland, where she received a bachelor's degree in architectural design in 2007. "I have always loved art and found the... Full story
When looking up at Broken Top from Sisters, have you ever noticed the prominent rock outcropping on the left shoulder of the mountain? Well, it's called Broken Hand, and that's where we're headed on today's hike. In geological - or mountaineering - parlance, a rock pinnacle on a ridge, such as Broken Hand, is termed a gendarme. From the French word for policeman or guard, this type of gendarme guards the approach to the summit. This rewarding climb builds on last week's hike... Full story
About a year ago I walked into Sisters Feed & Supply and bumped into three remarkable people: Brian Blakelock, father of Hunter, 11, and Cole, 8. They were discussing who was going to pay for a big bag of crickets on the counter. "After all, they're your frogs..." dad was saying, but it was pretty obvious he was going to pay - and had been happily paying for some time. "What kind of frogs do you have, and how did you come by them?" I asked, curious as to whether these two... Full story
