News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 10 of 10
With high temperatures, low moisture and thick grasses fed by a wet spring, the Sisters country has become a late-summer tinder box. "It looks like we're finally into fire season around here," said Rock Gerke of the Sisters Ranger District. "Friday (August 15), if we'd had a fire it could have been bad news with that wind we had." The district has moved into Level II fire precaution status, which restricts wood-cutting and other power-tool operations in the forest to the... Full story
Sisters residents' ability to stand there amazed at the glory of the Central Oregon night sky will be enhanced as a new "dark sky" ordinance takes effect in the city. The ordinance, which Mayor Steve Wilson called "probably one of the most exciting pieces of work we've done," restricts outdoor lighting from spilling off private property. According to the ordinance, adopted August 14, lighting must be shielded so "that a person standing at the adjacent property line would not... Full story
Sisters police arrested Jeremy Cledenny, 23, of Sisters, after he allegedly struck and menaced his estranged wife at the Sno-Cap Drive-in on Sunday, August 17. Oregon State Police later lodged additional charges against Cledenny for an incident earlier that day in which Cledenny allegedly broke into his estranged wife's home in the Plainview area at 4:30 a.m., chased her male companion out of the house, and threatened her. Sisters police responded to a report of a disturbance... Full story
A Saturday room-raising work party brought together about 30 volunteers to put up walls, but, even with a dedicated community work force steaming away, the three new elementary school classrooms will not be ready on September 6 as project leaders had hoped. Project manager Bill Willitts estimates the rooms will be completed from mid-to-late-November, although he acknowledges that, "everyone has a different guess." Until the classrooms are ready, students will temporarily use other classrooms and space above the gym. "But... Full story
It's safe again to splash in Indian Ford Creek. The creek waters have tested safe after a sewage spill at Black Butte Ranch July 29. The ranch tested the creek at several locations for a week before the Department of Environmental Quality authorized removal of signs warning people to stay out of the creek. According to Black Butte Ranch utilities manager Lynn Lounsbury, tests at the ranch showed an unsafe level of fecal chloroform in the creek only on the first day of the... Full story
A technical disagreement about where employees fall on the salary schedule has stalled negotiations between Sisters teachers and the school board. According to board chair Bill Reed, the parties need to resolve this matter before proceeding with the next negotiating session, scheduled for Friday, August 22. "Before we go any further, we need to come to an agreement as to where each and every employee in the district is on the salary schedule so we know exactly how much money it (the teachers' proposal) will cost the... Full story
The building that was to have been Sisters' new city hall is on the market. The Sisters City Council voted in their August 14 meeting to sell the old Memory Lanes Bowling Alley building on Adams Street, appraised at $530,000. The building was donated to the city by industrialist Joe Fought in April of 1994. The city had planned to remodel it for a new city hall, but ultimately decided - after three years and $12,228 in planning costs - that Sisters couldn't afford the $498,762... Full story
* * * * * * * * * Editor's Note: In last week's issue, we had a letter from a reader who referred to the proposed Les Schwab Tire Store on Highway 242 as a "two-story yellow metal barn." That was inaccurate. The store is planned as a wood-sided building designed in conformance with the Sisters' 1880s theme. Since this debate will probably draw more reader involvement in the next few weeks until the September 16 public hearing, we have included on this page a rendering of the new store. A few other points: First, this store is... Full story
The anticipation of steelhead season is not like waiting for another hatch or another form of trout fishing. It has a fever all its own. For dedicated steelheaders, it is the crown jewel of the entire fishing season. I've been thinking about it for months. I bought some new gear this season and fixed some of the of old stuff. I tied flies and built leaders. With each bit of work my anticipation has been building. Now, at last, the hour is here. In the beginning, fishing is spotty. People always catch a few fish at the mouth... Full story
On the Attitude of Gratitude The year is getting old. Summer colors have muted into the soft blue-grey and gold of the high desert; the winds are still warm, but their purpose is evident: they are working to coax and draw the cold down over us from its haven in the north. Soon they will pull it down the mountains like teams of excited horses, lunging with their heavy cargo of frost and snow stretching out behind them for all the months until April. Part of the cycle, respondents to the altering mood of the sun, we begin to... Full story
