News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 22 of 22
All three Sisters schools earned passing grades measured against the Oregon Department of Education's "Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)" standards. The AYP report is a key measure for the federal No Child Left Behind Act. AYP gauges the minimum percentage of students who must meet or exceed state standards in Language Arts (40 percent) and math(39 percent). The scores also reflect the rate of participation in tests, attendance for K-8 schools and high school graduation rates.... Full story
The end of Wagonwheel in Tollgate will be the head of a new trail. photo by Tom Chace A trail linking the Tollgate subdivision to the new Sisters High School tops the priority list of an ambitious master plan for a community trails system in Sisters. The final master plan for a series of hiking and biking trails in and around Sisters is nearing completion, according to an announcement this week from Jeff Sims, a volunteer with the project. Sims, who is a Lands and Special Use Forester with the Sisters Ranger District, said,... Full story
There is a pretty good chance that Sisters will start its school year without knowing how much money the district will have to operate. As the Oregon Legislature slogs through a record-length session with no budget to show for it, the Sisters School District has put hiring plans on hold. "We are leaving a couple of positions unfilled right now," said School Superintendent Lynn Baker. Those positions are in language arts and math and science, both at Sisters High School. "If... Full story
The approval of an expansion plan for Camp Sherman's Lake Creek Lodge has been appealed to the Jeffer- son County Board of Commissioners. Eugene attorney Bill Kloos filed the appeal on behalf of Friends of the Metolius and Toni Foster. Lake Creek Lodge, established in 1935, currently has 17 cabins and a lodge in operation. Brothers Gordon and Jeff Jones have proposed an expansion project that would add 24 additional cabins, a new meeting hall and a new septic sewage system. They brought the project up for discussion at an... Full story
Black Butte Ranch women made this quilt for a raffle in conjunction with the Art at the Barn show. Shown here are (l.-r.) Lyn Jacobs, Ruth Ingham, Barbara Mowers, Ruth Peterson, Peggy Click-Taylor and Marti Kufchak. photo by Tom Chace One of the highlights of the summer season at Black Butte Ranch (BBR) is the annual Art at the Barn show and reception. The show is scheduled this year for Friday and Saturday, August 29-30. Several BBR women have worked for weeks on a hand-made "Strip Quilt" to be raffled off at the show.... Full story
The Sisters community has rallied repeatedly to help local folks who have a medical crisis. Fund-raisers and direct donations have helped several people handle large medical bills. Naturally, the more widely a person is known in the community, the easier it is to raise funds. But there are others in the community who face crises with few resources -- people who are not well known to the community. Theresa Slavkovsky sees many of these people in her role as a family advocate wi... Full story
Last year, in the Sisters area alone, drivers killed 77 deer on local stretches of highway. Already this year through May, automobiles have killed 49 more. And Sisters is now approaching the migration season when deer on roadways become more numerous. Shortened daylight hours mean we drive more at dusk and dawn -- the very time deer are likely to be moving -- and the approaching Labor Day holiday means heavy traffic. Collisions are a costly proposition, not to mention devastating for the deer. Insurance experts estimate that... Full story
Developers will have a chance to purchase 29.5 acres of industrial land in Sisters in the wake of a school board decision to put its Lundgren Mill property on the market. The board voted unanimously Monday night, August 18, to sell the property at the end of North Pine Street for $100,000 per acre. The land is zoned for light industrial use. The proceeds from the sale will be used in part to pay back an $800,000 loan the school district used to repair the building that now houses Sisters Middle School (the former high... Full story
Tim Wonderly and Jacquie Zanck inspired 26 Sisters residents to take on Cycle Oregon. photo by Jim Cornelius A whole "tribe" of Sisters area residents will hit the highways and byways of Eastern Oregon next month to ride hundreds of miles in Cycle Oregon's tour of the Wallowa Mountains and Hell's Canyon. Most of the 26 riders hitting the road under the auspices of Sisters Athletic Club gathered for a potluck celebration on Monday evening, August 18. Ride Director Jerry... Full story
Bill Helm (left), Postmaster Karen Sheldahl, Jim Sternberg, Ellen Wood and Tinkerbell relax outside the Camp Sherman Post Office. photo by Conrad Weiler Camp Sherman may be kin to the rural hinterlands, but it's got its very own zip code (97730) -- and its own post office, run by Postmaster Karen Sheldahl. In fact, postal services go back over a century in this tiny, rural community. Early service was offered at the site of the present Allingham Guard Station from 1893 to 1896 and services in the area may have been offered... Full story
Small town atmosphere will get an infusion of big city attitude on Saturday, September 13, when the Sisters Jazz Festival spotlights Portland's Lily Wilde, backed by her 14-piece Jumpin' Jubilee Orchestra (JJO). Wilde has been described as "sultry, sexy, and the definitive icon of a swing jazz vocalist." She and the orchestra will be making their first appearance at the Sisters Jazz Festival, and will be featured for a 1-1/2-hour set at the Village Green venue on Saturday night. The popularity of Wilde and the JJO has gone... Full story
The Sisters Folk Festival has announced the five finalists for this year's Songwriting Contest. The contest features performing songwriters vying for a $500 cash prize. The contest drew approximately 150 entrants from all over the United States. The finalists are: - Jim Faddis of Nine Mile Falls, Washington. - Dale Fisk of Council, Idaho. - Matthew Fox of St. Paul, Minnesota. - Dennis McGregor of Sisters, Oregon. - Ginny Mitchell of Santa Cruz, California. The contestants perform on Saturday, September 6 at noon at the... Full story
Tara Clarke. photo provided Sisters schools will welcome a new choir director with the start of the school year. Tara Clarke was born in Coos Bay into a family of three brothers. Her love of music stemmed from her parents. Music was always part of the Clarke household and Clarke's own experiences in high school choir led her to pursue music as a career. Clarke received a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Oregon and is pursuing a Master's degree in Music Education from there as well. She directed her own high school... Full story
Tate Metcalf, far right, got back on the track for the National Masters Track and Field Championships. photo provided Tate Metcalf, owner/manager of Sisters Athletic Club, decided three months ago that at age 35 it was time to put his body to the test on the track again. So he registered for the 800 meters at the U.S.A. National Masters Track and Field Championships held August 4-9 at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, and began training. The results were downright impressive for the fitness professio... Full story
Sarah Lawrence on a horseback safari in Kenya. photo provided Some people live for adventure. Sarah Lawrence, 21, of Lower Bridge is one of them. She spent the last year adventuring on the rivers of the West and in the wilds of Kenya -- on horseback. Lawrence is an Environmental Studies and Sociology senior at Whitman University in Walla Walla, Washington. She spent four months last year studying river systems in the West, before heading to Kenya to attend the School of Field Studies affiliated with Boston University. The... Full story
Standing: Sharyn Fetrow, Darla Neiss, Beverly Gaskins, Janet Lawhun, Jessica Judy, Russ Fetrow, Eloise Barry, Scott Reekie, Dave Barry and Bill Miller. Kneeling: Keith (Neiss' grandson), Justin (Linda Goebel's step-son), Carolyn Gabrielson, Linda Goebel, Doug Wood, and Cathy Ellis. photo provided The hiking group that will attempt the summit of South Sister is in the final two weeks of training. They plan, depending upon weather, to start the assault a few days after Labor Day. Many of those who will attempt to scale South... Full story
Thursday, August 21, 10 a.m. The Booth Fire, burning approximately 3,000 acres near Highway 20, is raging on the west side, spreading toward Hogg Rock and Hoodoo Ski Area. The fire has also spread north and spotted to the south. Firefighters are battling the blaze today with dozers, engines, hand crews and helicopters, according to Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch. A precautionary evacuation notification has occurred in the Black Butte Ranch area. Black Butte Ranch has not been ordered to evacuate. The Governor has... Full story
Shoppers and vendors alike enjoyed a successful Antique Faire. photo by Jim Cornelius The Sisters Antique Faire drew a large crowd of shoppers to the Sisters Village Green on Saturday and Sunday, August 16-17 -- and they seemed to be in a mood to buy. Vendors reported brisk sales on everything from dishware to western leather goods to furniture. "There was just a literal crush of people there for the first few hours," said Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce Manager Ric Nowak.... Full story
Thursday, August 21, 10 a.m. Large billowing smoke clouds rising high to the west can be seen from Camp Sherman this morning. Ash has coated much of the local area. Several residents have voluntarily evacuated, hanging white towels from their entry signposts to alert rescue workers and firefighters that their home is vacant. However, according to Christy Donham of Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch, while "trigger points" for evacuation are being established, Camp Sherman is not on a pre-evacuation notice. "I would say... Full story
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: As a board member,... Full story
- 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
- Someone stole energy drinks from a grocery store. After all, being on the lam requires lots of energy. Black Butte Ranch Police - An officer observed that some pranksters had poured a 64-ounce bottle of detergent into a fountain at the Ranch. Upon arriving at the scene the officer was confronted by a 15-by-30-foot mound of soap bubbles that he described as being reminiscent of something from "The Blob" -- only this was white. "The Lawrence Welk crowd would have loved it," the officer observed. - An officer responded to a... Full story
