News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 15 of 15
President George W. Bush spoke at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds after touring the B&B Complex fires on Thursday, August 21. photo by Matt Cyrus After a couple of weeks of rumor, then a couple of days of excited anticipation, local residents saw a planned visit to Camp Sherman by the President of the United States overtaken by an emergency. President George W. Bush was scheduled to tour the forests around Camp Sherman on Thursday, August 21, then speak in the community on... Full story
An apparent deal to cement a biennial state budget is welcome news at the Sisters School District office. The deal would fund schools at $5.2 billion this year, which means Sisters isn't facing cuts -- at least for now. "Well, so far, so good," said Sisters School Superintendent Lynn Baker. "I'm concerned about a potential movement to repeal." Absent such a move, Sisters schools have enough funding to staff the schools at budgeted levels. "We're going to be able to fill the... Full story
Three fires in two years, plus one evacuation and the threat of two others, have plagued Black Butte Ranch (BBR), but it is still doing fine, although hit with some financial losses. Loy Helmly, the executive manager of the 1,800-acre Ranch complex, said that he estimates the Ranch lost between $50,000 and $75,000 during the Link fire. "And we'll probably exceed that during the Booth Fire scare," he said. "Part of the problem this time is that Highway 20 was closed for a number of days and that affected our day-use business,... Full story
An ODOT crew surveys the slopes above Highway 20 for snags. Crews are cutting away trees that pose a risk of falling. photo by Eric Dolson As the safety of Camp Sherman seemed at the moment relatively secure, concerns of Sisters residents and the business community turned to the closure of Highway 20 over Santiam Pass. Through the weekend of August 23-24 there was little traffic either on the streets or in the stores and many are concerned about the Labor Day Weekend. The Oreg... Full story
Time is running out to buy tickets for the Sisters Folk Festival, September 5-7. The popular event is nearing a sell-out and, according to organizers, the show will go on despite the fires in the area. Headliners for this year's show are ace bluegrass band Blue Highway, Robin & Linda Williams, Chris Hillman & Herb Pedersen, The Waybacks, Tracy Grammer, Eliza Gilkyson, and Christine Kane. Blues guitarist Del Rey and the eclectic band The Paperboys will also be appearing. There are several venue locations throughout town. The... Full story
The first housing in Sisters with income-based rent will open its doors to residents in mid-September. The people behind the creation of Tamarack Village Apartments, 555 N. Larch Ave., celebrated an open house including neighbors, members of the Central Oregon Regional Housing Authority (CORHA) and city and state officials on Wednesday, August 20. Amidst many accolades and sighs of relief, the theme at Wednesday's gathering was warm appreciation for the opportunity to help neighbors who might have it a little rough. "The... Full story
Plans for a new Sisters Library got a boost last week. Meeting in the La Pine Library, the Deschutes Public Library System (DPLS) Board approved borrowing $1.4 million to supplement the $240,000 in its reserve fund to finance the new Sisters Library project. Michael Gaston, DPLS director, reminded the board that the budget is tight but DPLS will create a quality library in Sisters. The board selected architect Rich Turi for the project. Turi completed the La Pine branch library in 2000 for DPLS. Turi also designed libraries... Full story
Yve Evans and Company. photo provided Yve Evans, one of the all-time favorite musicians at the Sisters Jazz Festival, will return to the festival's stages this September but with her own band rather than as a vocalist with another group. The quintet, Yve Evans and Company, will appear at all four main venues during the September 12-14 jazz festival. The group will entertain also at the festival's Sponsor Party Wednesday evening, September 10. Previously at the Sisters Jazz Festival Evans has been the vocalist with Chicago... Full story
Heavy equipment moves onto McKinney Butte Road. photo by Tom Chace The long-awaited McKinney Butte link from Highway 20 to the new Sisters High School will be surfaced next week (Monday-Wednesday, September 4-6) and is expected to be finished and ready for the opening of school on Monday, September 15. Hap Taylor and Sons, Inc. has the contract to do the finish grading upon the road, which includes laying a bed of rock and gravel and then putting down the asphalt. "We're just waiting for the contractors scheduled ahead of us... Full story
By Conrad Weiler Paula Waite of Sisters has become a successful triathlete. photo by Conrad Weiler Sprint triathlete Paula Waite took second place (out of 215 in her age group) at the Danskin womens' triathlon event held at Genessee Park in Seattle earlier this month. The contest consisted of a half-mile swim, 12.5-mile bicycle race and a 3.1-mile run. Some 3,758 women participated from ages 10 through 80. Not only did Waite finish second in her 50-54 age group but also 163rd out of the total field. Danskin has been holding... Full story
By Tom Chace The trek of a lifetime is awaiting 16 Black Butte Ranch and Sisters hikers next week as the date for the assault on South Sister approaches. A hike preliminary to the climb to the Sister summit was taken Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 15-17 around Mt. Hood along the Timberline Trail. "It was very difficult," said Sharyn Fetrow, leader of the planned South Sister climb. "We did something a little over 40 miles in three days." The length of the trek in itself is arduous, but "we climbed to about 7,320 feet... 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: The severity of... 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
Virtually everyone who lives in or visits the Sisters country cherishes good times at Suttle Lake. As the powerful Booth Fire bore down on the Suttle Lake area, the local community held its breath, fearing the worst. People worried about the youth camp facilities that dot the shore and they feared that this beautiful spot would be horribly scarred by a voracious fire. The worst of those fears did not come true, thanks to a dedicated firefighting effort by firefighters from... Full story
Flames soared 400 feet into the air on Potato Hill just west of Hoodoo Ski Area on Monday, August 25. photo by Eric Dolson A massive wildfire has raged in the forests west of Sisters since Tuesday afternoon, August 19. A week after its start, the Booth Fire has covered 31,630 acres and it will almost certainly continue burning till snow flies this winter. The fire broke out in the late afternoon and was called in at 3:23 p.m. A fire to the north at Bear Butte in the Mt. Jeffer... Full story
