News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 35
There are more students in Sisters classrooms as students start school this fall. As of Friday, August 26, total enrollment in the Sisters School District is up 7.87 percent from last June, according to figures supplied by the district offices. There are 1,370 students enrolled in the district this fall (excluding alternative school). That’s up 100 students from June 2005. At Sisters Elementary School, enrollment was expected to be 484 students (four more were listed as ... Full story
A heating cord is likely to blame for a fire that destroyed the roof of a Sisters area home on Sunday night, August 28. According to Sisters Fire Marshal Dave Wheeler, the fire at 70825 Indian Ford Road was confined to a wood shake roof on a home that he believes dates back to the 1920s. “The roof is pretty much gone,” he said. “There’s not much damage inside other than smoke damage.” Wheeler said there was relatively little water spillage into the home. “I’m guessing mayb... Full story
Nicholas Patterson, who remains in jail on charges that he set fire to the unfinished McDonald’s restaurant in Sisters on July 10, has been charged with six counts of Arson I and two counts of Arson II. Patterson was scheduled to enter a plea on August 23, but the case was continued for another 30 days, according to his lawyer Jacques DeKalb. “The case was continued while we continue to get reports from the District Attorney, and our own investigation as a follow-up on (Pa... Full story
Two Measure 37 claims in the Cloverdale area east of Sisters have been approved and could lead to residential development of the current agricultural land. Deschutes County commissioners approved a claim by Keith Cyrus and Marilyn Knott to waive land use restrictions allowing them to develop a 110-acre property at 17155 Highway 26 in the Cloverdale area into 22 five-acre lots. Another claim by Keith and Connie Cyrus also was approved allowing them to develop 180 five-acre lots on several acreages on Highway 126 and Jordan... Full story
To the Editor: Thank you for your informative article in the August 17, Nugget (“Black Butte Ranch project draws opposition, page 3). I agree with Ms. White and Ms. Salon with regards to the importance of having landscape architects involved with the plan. I feel, as well, the entry change needs to be a separate issue. The proposed entry change (as well as the reformed plan) is an insult to the property. The current entry is breathtaking and very much a part of what makes Black Butte Ranch so special. To enter and see a... Full story
Salvage logging on three timber sales on the B&B Complex Recovery Project will continue despite a request for a temporary injunction to stop logging the sales, according to Sisters District Ranger Bill Anthony. That request was filed August 23. “Although I have not yet seen the actual document, I understand that the request for the temporary injunction was made by the Cascadia Wildlands Project, the Oregon Natural Resources Council, the League of Wilderness Defenders – Blue Mountain Diversity project, and the Sierra Clu... Full story
Central Electric Cooperative has donated more than 50 computers to the Sisters School District over the years. About two weeks ago, the district received “a whole shipment” of uninterruptible power supplies. “Some will go into our workstations and some into battery packs for our mobile video systems,” said Jon Renner of the Sisters School District. Renner, a Social Studies and Technology teacher, also heads OutlawNet, the student-oriented business providing Internet and com... Full story
One of Sisters’ two municipal wells gave the City of Sisters Public Works Department fits earlier this month. The well off Three Creek Road repeatedly shut down. When Public Works Director Gary Frazee got electricians out to fix the pump’s electronics, it would run for 10 or 11 hours and then quit. There was never any danger of a water shortage in the City of Sisters, according to Frazee. The reservoir was filled as it is supposed to be and the city’s other well, located near Sisters High School, continued to function prope... Full story
The Outlaws cross country team capped the first week of official practice on a high note as 18 members of the squad completed the annual Portland-to-Coast Relay August 26-27. The Portland-to-Coast High School Challenge, in its 10th year, is held in conjunction with the Hood-to-Coast Relay, which celebrated its 25th anniversary as the largest running relay in North America. It is the eighth consecutive year the cross country team has participated. The Outlaws finished 26th overall among the 46 high school teams, 15th among... Full story
Sisters Cub Scouts Pack 139 is welcoming more Cub Scouts into the fold. The pack will hold its first meeting of the school year on Thursday, September 1, at 6:30 p.m. at the Sisters Elementary School Commons. According to organizers, “there will be songs, prizes, awards and goodies.” It is an opportunity for interested youths to find out more about scouting. Pack 139 recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Cub Scouts with a day at the Village Green Park in Sisters. The event featured games and activities that wou... Full story
The Sisters Gallery Association is gearing up for the September in Sisters Art Stroll on Saturday, September 24. The event promises an evening of extended store hours highlighting local artists and musicians, demonstrations and food and beverage tasting. More than 20 Sisters merchants and fine art galleries will host artist exhibits, live music, refreshments and more. The event is free and open to the public. The Art Stroll runs from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Art Stroll maps and additional information will be available from the Sisters... Full story
There will be a 7th and 8th grade Sisters boys soccer team this fall. There was some confusion in the community earlier this summer over prices and deadlines, and only one boy initially signed up by June 20. Interest was assumed to be low. “Many of the parents of soccer players obviously didn’t read the SOAR guide closely, including me,” said parent Mike Gould. In early August, they discovered the problem and pleaded with Rick Ekman at Bend Parks & Rec to let Sisters put a team together. “After a couple weeks of conside... Full story
The Sisters Community Trails System may become part of the Deschutes County Transportation Plan, connecting these trails with others in the county and possibly providing another source of funding. That was the message given to the Sisters Trails Committee last Friday by Steve Jorgensen, Deschutes County transportation planner. The citizen volunteer trails committee will work with the county to provide this information that may qualify them for future funding from the county for trail development to widen pavement for bike... Full story
• Several youths were caught trespassing in the pool at Pine Meadow Ranch. • A man complained about gunshots, possibly some that hit his house, that he believes came from a .22 rifle. • A shopper set her fanny pack down in a store and someone apparently stole it. Credit cards, checkbook, cell phone — all gone. • A Sisters child apparently snuck out of the house while his mom was sleeping and went to the store for some candy. A deputy escorted him back home — without any. • Deputies investigated a reported road rage incident... Full story
Lynn Miller, editor/publisher of the Small Farmer’s Journal, published in Sisters, will be the announcer at the United States Plowing Contest being held at Carriage Hill MetroPark in Dayton, Ohio September 3, 4, & 5. Miller has been farming with draft horses for over 30 years, and his skills as a teamster are recognized throughout the U.S. Contestants will compete in four categories: the two-horse walking plow, the two-horse sulky plow, the three-horse sulky plow, and the multi-horse gangplow. Judges will rate the c... Full story
Three interpretive displays and a radio message now offer travelers information on the 2003 B&B Complex Fire that burned over 90,000 acres, leaving much of the country severely scorched along the Highway 20 west of Sisters. Travelers can tune their car radio to 530 AM and listen to a recorded message about the fire and planned recovery work, or they can stop at three locations to view displays. A new information kiosk has been installed at the Corbett Sno Park on the east slope of the Cascades. New interpretive signs have... Full story
Sandy Affonso didn’t get to ease in slowly to her new position as owner of the Blue Spruce Bed & Breakfast. Her first weekend in July was the busiest of the year — Sisters’ annual Quilt Show. She said the regulars who stayed there welcomed her and all went well. Buying the only bed and breakfast in downtown Sisters was both a business and a family decision for Affonso. “This will be perfect!” Affonso remembered thinking of her first look at the Blue Spruce. Affonso’s... Full story
Folks in Sisters will continue to spin, lift weights and keep in shape at Cascade Fitness. Sisters’ oldest gym, which was about to close its doors at the end of this month instead is moving toward the future under the new ownership of Sue and Charles Rasberry. “We were going to try to figure out a way to keep it going — maybe as a co-op — and we decided at the last minute to make the commitment,” Rasberry said. Gym members already know Sue; she has been a personal trainer there for a year, starting just after she and her h... Full story
The Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners is scheduling three consecutive public hearings on September 8, to consider a proposal by the City of Sisters to expand the Sisters Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) by approximately 53 acres. The hearing will be at 6:30 p.m. at the Sisters Fire Hall, 301 S. Elm St. The purpose of the public hearings is to take testimony on the Sisters City Council’s proposed UGB amendment, a Deschutes County Comprehensive Plan map amendment and a Deschutes County Zoning map ame... Full story
Sisters dodged the flare-up of fires across Central Oregon last weekend, but local firefighters did roll out. An engine from the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District (RFPD) was dispatched at about 2 p.m. Sunday to Redmond for structural protection duties. “As they were staging they were diverted to La Pine,” said Sisters Fire Marshal Dave Wheeler. The four-person crew rolled down to La Pine to protect structures threatened by the Park Fire, which blew up to 125 acres near the Deschutes River on Saturday. How... Full story
Scott and Priscilla Smith, residents of Sisters for the past 18 years, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on August 27. The couple met at Warner Pacific College in Portland and married the summer of their graduation. Their anniversary celebration took place with their children and grandchildren at Lake Chelan, Washington, where they honeymooned. Congratulations!... Full story
The Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District will receive a federal grant of $107,704 to purchase up-to-date self-contained breathing apparatus and a fill station for the district, according to Fire Chief Chuck Cable. Chief Cable explained that breathing apparatus is equipment that can save lives. Having up-to-date breathing apparatus can make a big difference in the workload placed upon firefighters. The newer equipment is much lighter and allows a firefighter to carry much more air supply. “Our budget is lean, and this t... Full story
El Rancho Grande is opening a second restaurant in Redmond this week and a third in Bend next year. The space in Redmond is about three times larger than the 2,000 square foot space in Sisters. The Bend space, in the new Cascade Village Shopping Center, is about twice the size. The family that owns El Rancho attributes all this growth to the support they have received in Sisters. “We want to thank our locals for being so great to us because they are our success,” said Lor... Full story
Applications are being accepted for the 2006 PRCA Sisters Rodeo Queen, according to John Leavitt, queen selection committee chair. Applications will be accepted until September 23 with tryouts scheduled for Sunday, September 25 at 1 p.m. at the Sisters Rodeo Arena. “We again have set our queen selection schedule well in advance of our June rodeo to allow our queen to appear at more events before the rodeo,” Leavitt explained. Applicants must be 18 years to 23 years of age as of June 10, 2006, single, have not been mar... Full story
Susan Neumann of Sisters is a patient woman. It has taken 2-1/2 years, but at last she can gaze upon her small herd of Mangalarga Marchador horses. The horses arrived in mid-August from Brazil and now graze peacefully in a pasture at trainer Clint Surplus’ Terrebonne property. Neumann and her husband Holm visited Brazil in March 2003, taking Surplus along to help them choose six horses. The Neumanns had been exposed to the Marchador breed on previous visits and were smitten w... Full story
