News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 24 of 24
Gwen Newport, long-time Black Butte Ranch resident, passed away quietly at Absolute Serenity's Pennington Place in Sisters in the early hours of August 25. Born on March 9, 1928, in LaJunta, Colorado, she was the youngest of two daughters of Kay and Gus Remington. She grew up in Colorado and Nebraska, moving to Oregon in the 1950s and spending much of the last 40 years at Black Butte Ranch. On March 9, 1944, in Ainsworth, Nebraska, she met Carl Newport at the nearby Army Air... Full story
Construction activity on the roundabout at the Highway 20/Barclay Drive/McKinney Butte intersection is slated to begin in February 2017 with the installation of utilities, and will be completed in time for the 2017 Memorial Day weekend, according to Mike Darling, project leader for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). Sisters City Council received a thorough briefing on the project by Darling and three other ODOT employees at their August 25 workshop. During the... Full story
As a Dane who was an exchange student in Sisters at SHS last year, living with the Bachtold family, I read with great interest the letter to the editor written by Bruce Carpenter in The Nugget and would like to correct some of the inaccuracies in that letter about my country. No country in Scandinavia has a 70 percent tax rate. The highest tax rate is 59 percent and it only applies under special circumstances. If someone makes the local equivalent of $200,000, they would have to pay 45.7 percent in Sweden, 45.6 percent in... Full story
Isabelle Norman broke out in a big grin as she walked into her classroom at Sisters Elementary School last week. "I missed you," she exclaimed upon seeing teacher Gretchen Lane, who taught the 7-year-old girl last year. "I missed you, too," Lane replied, noting Isabelle will be her student again this year as a second-grader. Children reconnected with friends, parents chatted with teachers, and Principal Becky Stoughton roamed the building greeting new children and familiar... Full story
Sisters School District and others across Oregon are bracing for another increase in Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) costs during the 2017-18 biennium. Sisters Superintendent Curt Scholl acknowledged that public employers' contributions to PERS will increase during the next budget cycle. The only question is by how much. Most estimates indicate Oregon's public employers will have to pay an extra $800 million during the next biennium starting July 2017. "It's going to impact us, but we're still not sure how much," Sch... Full story
While most of us gathered before our television and computer screens to catch the Olympics earlier this month, Sisters resident Tate Metcalf was navigating Rio de Janeiro in real time, in part to witness Ashton Eaton attempt to defend his Olympic gold medal in the decathlon. Metcalf coached Eaton at Mountain View High School in Bend. While it was not Metcalf's first Olympics - he traveled to London in 2012 - the experience in Rio provided a contrast. "Transportation was a chal... Full story
To the Editor: The letters in the August 24 Nugget written by Jensen Newton and Larry Benson illustrate the main problem facing people of color in the U.S. with regards to racial bias in law enforcement: denial. Specifically, denial by people who enjoy white privilege. Despite numerous videos explicitly showing - on major news outlets - beatings, choking and extrajudicial killings of law-abiding black people by rogue police officers, the two letter-writers insist that no injustice has ever occurred. Instead, they attempt to... Full story
The Cloverdale Fire District recently held a combined ceremony which is known in the fire service as a "Wetting Ceremony" and a "Housing Ceremony." The Wetting Ceremony is the dedication of a new engine. Water was taken from the old truck and poured into the new truck's tank to show the continuity of service from one generation to the next. After the transfer of water from the 35-year-old Pierce engine, the Housing Ceremony began. Chief Thad Olsen recounted the fact that many... Full story
Sisters High School students will have more freedom to tackle elective courses, spend time on internships or pursue other options under the semester schedule beginning this fall. Those are the benefits of moving to semesters from the previous trimester setup, said school district Superintendent Curt Scholl. For example, he said students will be able to take a year-long series of science or art courses without missing sections, as happened under the trimester plan. "There is no perfect schedule," Scholl said, "but there is... Full story
Sisters artists honored man's best friend with their unique depictions on Friday evening at the Sisters Art Works Entry Gallery in the eighth annual Dog Show artist reception. "The Fur & Feather Show" was sponsored by The Roundhouse Foundation. "We changed it up a little this year because we wanted to give it a different look," said organizer Kathy Deggendorfer. National Dog Day was also celebrated last Friday in synchronicity with the Dog Show. Susan Robinson, managing... Full story
The Jere Breese Memorial Ranch Stampede, hosted by Crook County High School, provides a challenge unrivaled among cross-country courses in Oregon. Mosquito-infested irrigated cow pastures, rock-laden single-track, a creek crossing at the start and finish, a never-ending hill, and an unrelenting sun greeted runners from Sisters, Redmond, Mountain View, Summit, and La Pine in the inaugural race of the 2016 campaign. For new runners, it is an initiation of sorts to a sport in... Full story
If you remember your piano lessons and recitals as a nerve-wracking, stressful time of childhood, you'll barely recognize Agnes Hendrie's method. It's all summed up in the name of her teaching practice: Playful Piano. "I'm a Simply Music teacher, which is a playing-based program from Australia," Hendrie explained. Simply Music is a fully developed curriculum and protocol that is science-based to make learning piano a more natural - and more joyful - experience. The idea is to... Full story
As the autumnal equinox approaches, the nights come sooner giving us more time to go out and enjoy the night sky. The sun stands directly above the earth's equator at 7:21 a.m. PDT on September 22 on its journey into the southern hemisphere, marking the first day of the new season. At this time, the axis of Earth's rotation is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun but instead is perpendicular to the sun's rays. This results in the length of days and nights being nearly... Full story
The Seed to Table program has been going strong in Sisters for the last three years, and director Audrey Tehan is excited about moving into the fourth. Seed to Table started with support from the Sisters Science Club and Sisters School District as an opportunity to connect students to farm- and garden-based education. This year the local program has been recognized at the state level, with Tehan as a Farm-to-Table speaker at the State-wide Oregon School Gardens Conference in... Full story
The Lady Outlaws, along with new coach, Rod Jones, have been hard at work in preparation for the upcoming season. Sisters brings nine players back to the varsity squad, and hopes are high for another great year. Seniors Emma Houck, Brooke Knirk, Alex Hartford; juniors Hawley Harrer, Ashlynn Cantwell, Jessie Brigham, Erynn Ricker; and sophomores Sydney Head and Kendra Sitz all return as experienced players who will be expected to provide strong leadership to the team. Houck... Full story
The girls soccer team will boast a young, inexperienced squad this year, as they return only three varsity players, Rylee Weber, Alexa Stewart and Alexa Martin, but will make up for their lack of experience with strong team bonds, a fierce work ethic, and desire to compete at their best every game. Weber (junior) will play midfield. Coach Jenna Pike told The Nugget that Rylee brings an awesome attitude to the team and pushes her teammates to do their best. Weber does a great job thinking about what her next play will be, and... Full story
A good irrigation system keeps your landscape green and your flowers colorful. It can also save you money by saving water. Miller Irrigation has come to Sisters with those twin purposes in mind. "Our goal is to save as much water as possible," said Scott Miller, owner of Miller Irrigation. Though Miller Irrigation is based in Bend, Scott has recently moved his family to Sisters and is expanding his client base here in Sisters. He's offering free assessments of irrigation... Full story
This summer, while Camp Eagle Cap (CEC) volunteers were making preparations to lead a group of local children on a grand adventure, the Heartwarmers were making blankets to help ensure the kids' camp experience was warm and fuzzy. Their shared efforts gave 10 kids the trip of a lifetime. After taking horsemanship classes provided by Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch, the kids rode on horseback for five hours way up high into the heady country of the Wallowa Mountains, where they... Full story
I am frequently asked to name my favorite hike, and that's a really difficult task. On the other hand, I have an unhesitating response if someone asks me, "We only have half a day, where can I take my friends on a hike to show them the best of our area?" The answer to that question is a no-brainer. I tell them to hike the Matthieu Lakes Trail, a pleasant outing in the Three Sisters Wilderness that does not involve a major expedition. It's a great hike for people who aren't rea... Full story
Exercise in the 21st century at times can be confusing, with over-complicated programs, expert gurus, and charts and graphs showing that the layman shouldn't even begin a program on her own. These notions poison the water for beginners, giving the illusion that productive exercise is an unattainable moonshot. Part of the job of a good exercise and health professional is to distill the textbooks, data, and journals down into actionable, easy-to-understand concepts. Poor professionals make it all seem harder than it should be,... Full story
Editor's note. This story is about Marines. And a quilter. Therefore, it contains a touch of salty language. One of my companions for the evening was U.S. Marine Gunnery Sergeant Robert Gallup. Gallup, 32, was wounded in the second battle of Fallujah in 2004, scene of the bloodiest fighting in the Iraq War, where 82 Americans were killed, and some 600 wounded. We were at a beer garden on the garrison at Hohenfels, where Marines, Georgians, and Hungarians were celebrating... Full story
Eagles have been a love of my life from the time I arrived in Oregon - where I discovered them being killed from 1080 poison put out by government trappers killing coyotes back in the early '50s. Eagles are still with me today as Sue and I help to conduct a statewide survey with the Oregon Eagle Foundation. Like all birders who have a special bird they enjoy and see all the time in their subconscious, I too see the shape and movement of eagles automatically; while driving... Full story
Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) has become something of a specialist in laying on feasts. They've scheduled another event in the "Sisters Feasts Series" for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on September 24, at the corner of Main Avenue and Fir Street. "Buried Beef & Brew" includes "buried beef" (beef cooked over coals underground overnight), "beer keg" beans (made from a secret recipe) and other side dishes, lemonade, etc. Three Creeks Brewing Co. beer will be available for... Full story
Summer will ring to a close on a high note over Labor Day Weekend with many local venues serving up live music. On Thursday night at 6 p.m., Mike Biggers and Jim Cornelius will play at Rio Restaurant. Their band, The Anvil Blasters, will follow that up with music at Black Butte Ranch at 5 p.m. on Friday, September 2, and ring out the season with their traditional rousing performance at the Camp Sherman Store on Saturday, September 3. The barbecue at the Store starts at 5:30 p.m. Brent Alan and His Funky Friends will help you... Full story
