News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 24 of 24
The latest casualty in a long and grinding conflict over a proposed paved trail from Sisters to Black Butte Ranch fell last week. Oregon Solutions (OS) Network, which specializes in conflict resolution, stepped away last Thursday from a process it had tried to initiate this spring to restart a community discussion on the concept of a paved trail. In a letter announcing the decision, Michael Mills, a project manager with Oregon Solutions, stated that, "Given the inability to br... Full story
The two finalists for the position of Sisters Schools Superintendent spent a long day in Sisters on Monday, meeting with staff and community members and touring the school district each hopes to lead. Curtiss Scholl of Salem-Keizer School District and Joe Wehrli of St. Paul School District each met with community members in a Q&A session at Sisters High School Monday evening. The questions were probing and revealed different strengths and styles in the two candidates. Wehrli, who has been the superintendent for St. Paul Schoo... Full story
The grand opening celebration for Three Creeks Brewing Co., located in the industrial park of Sisters, kicked off at 5 p.m. on Friday evening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at their new 9,000-square-foot, 30-barrel production facility. While company partners Victoria Graves and Rob Durand held the ribbon taut, owner Wade Underwood cut the ribbon, and head brewer Zach Beckwith cheered them on. Beckwith has been with Three Creeks for almost three years. "I've been over here... Full story
Sisters Rodeo has gained a reputation for being a fast-paced, exciting and consistently entertaining rodeo because of the team of professionals it has assembled. Most of this crew has worked Sisters Rodeo for a decade or more. The team includes the four-time Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Announcer of the Year Wayne Brooks, a smooth announcer on horseback who shares the stage with one of the best historians and statisticians in rodeo, Curt Robinson. The complementary... Full story
My idea of a trail in the woods is walking on dirt and pine needles, not an asphalt trail. Sheryl McLaughlin ••• To the Editor: We are Black Butte Ranch homeowners who support the development of a bike trail between BBR and Sisters. Current owners and registered guests use and enjoy the existing bike trails at the Ranch. The development of the trail to Sisters would extend safe biking opportunities beyond the Ranch and in general add to the recreational options available. We know our guests, children,... Full story
The last Friday of May holds special significance for Sisters Country first grade students. That's the day the Rotary Club of Sisters celebrates literacy with Books for Kids, an event in its sixth year that saw each student heading home last Friday with a hard-cover book and a host of other goodies, all lodged in a backpack. Each student selected his or her book a few months ago, after classroom teachers read from a selection of six books chosen this year by Paige... Full story
An integrative arts-and-science education program in Sisters will host an artists' reception from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 4 at Sisters Art Works. The community is invited to come and learn about fish reintroduction in local streams and rivers. The show title is Defenseless Through the Water, meant to depict the struggles that salmon and steelhead have faced in their reintroduction into Whychus Creek. Within the show are six projects, including: A collaborative watercolor making a salmon; an interactive project using Ph... Full story
According to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, music and dance share a parallel expression of emotion. This new research suggests that the two disciplines can express a mood together, with complementary methods of generating the dynamics of feeling. That was proven true Saturday evening when over a hundred dancers of all ages from Sisters Dance Academy performed their 11th semi-annual recital in the Sisters High School auditorium. "This... Full story
There's something especially pleasant about sitting down to a delicious, well-presented breakfast in congenial surroundings. Folks in Sisters are discovering that pleasure at The Cottonwood Café, located at the former home of Jen's Garden. The players who made Jen's Garden a fine dining destination in Sisters are on board for this new venture: Jennifer McCrystal and her former husband, T.R. McCrystal, and chef Brad Wood. "T.R. and I are still business partners," Jennifer... Full story
Cascade Street Distillery announces its launch with the opening of its tasting room in downtown Sisters. Located at 261 W. Cascade Ave., the tasting room is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Cascade Street Distillery is a local, family-run artisan spirits company passionate about creating artisan spirits that are smooth and delicious. Cascade Street has recently introduced its first spirit, North Sister Vodka. Made from 100 percent American corn grain distilled six times and then filtered six times to achieve a... Full story
The Outlaws baseball team had all nine of their starters receive all-league recognition, with senior Justin Harrer leading the pack as a first-team all-leaguer (infield) and the Sky-Em's MVP. Harrer batted .519 for the Outlaws during league play and recorded 37 RBI. Justin also recorded seven home runs and had 12 stolen bases. "Justin has the combination of both speed and power," said Coach Steve Hodges. "He's the complete package for a baseball player. He's got all the tools... Full story
Sisters Country is made for Cub Scout activities. A Scout's playground lies just out our back doors, where youngsters can learn to enjoy and appreciate the outdoors while building skills and self-confidence they can tap into all their lives. Cub Scout Pack 139 formed in Sisters last January to provide just such experiences to young boys in Sisters Country. "It was an existing (pack) that, due to lack of leadership being involved, it basically dissolved," explained Cub Master C... Full story
The Outlaws suffered a devastating 10-5 loss to Molalla in the first round of the state playoffs at home in Sisters on Wednesday, May 27. Molalla was a scrappy opponent and put the ball in play, several times with two outs. The Indians got on the scoreboard first, and at the close of the second inning were on top 3-0. Sisters scored a run in the third and one in the fourth to close the gap to 3-2. The Outlaws had a nice rally in the fifth, and took the lead at 5-3. The inning... Full story
The Deschutes Land Trust's (DLT) "Campaign for Whychus Creek" continued to gain momentum last Saturday with the dedication of newly acquired acreage that more than doubles the size of its Whychus Canyon Preserve. The addition, which was actually acquired last fall, is the product of several years of planning and negotiations. More than 100 guests attended Saturday's ceremony in what will be one of the last public opportunities to view the area prior to restoration activities... Full story
Black Butte School's spring program theme this year was "Found Objects & Unnecessary Things." A capacity crowd filled the Camp Sherman Community Hall Thursday evening for an annual event that brings old friends and good food together in support of the school staff and the students. This year, Ethan Barrons, with the help of Gabriel Edwards, and his upper-grade students participated in an intentionally experimental MakerSpace program giving students the opportunity to design,... Full story
As we age, the garden we planted 10, 20 or 30 years ago may no longer be a source of joy and pride. Rather it may seem overwhelming and burdensome. The large lawn that has always been green and carefully tended, and requires aerating, thatching, fertilizing, watering, mowing and edging, can begin to take on the proportions of a football field in our mind's eye. Those beautiful perennial beds that require continual weeding, edging, pruning, deadheading, amending and... Full story
Of the many pleasant times I have - and enjoy - within the awesome World of Nature is when someone sends me an image of something they can't figure out. They come via email, text, or snail mail. That photo at right had me scratching my head for quite a while when it popped up on an email from Kim Long, who used to live in Bend. Kim and her family moved off to Texas a while back (the land of fossil shark teeth), but while they lived here they were regulars on bird-banding and... Full story
Where have all the flowers gone? It's that old Pete Seeger song that comes back to haunt us as we are finally beginning to realize the damage done to the food chain by pesticides. Brought to us by Dow AgroSciences to protect their genetically engineered crops is their chemical herbicide aminopyralid. Seven years ago, thousands of gardeners in the United Kingdom lost their tomatoes, beans and other sensitive crops to manure and hay laced with this potent, highly persistent... Full story
Bill Hall, newly appointed member of Sisters City Council, was sworn in at the May 28 Council meeting and hit the ground running, as he was voted to become the new Council president by his fellow councilors. Public Works Director Paul Bertagna informed Council that due to the disruptive nature of the Hood Avenue lighting and water improvements, the project will be delayed until the fall, to avoid impacting the summer tourist season and to allow for more outreach to the effecte... Full story
It's May, and spring has finally arrived in Sisters Country. Warmer weather, longer days, flowering trees, brightly colored hanging baskets ... and fleas. According to Debbie Putnam, DVM at Riverside Animal Hospital in Bend, the recent mild winters and warm summers in Central Oregon have resulted in an increased prevalence of these blood-sucking creatures. This year has been especially mild, and you can expect to see more fleas and ticks than in previous years. Add a little... Full story
Certainly, the annual blizzard of pine pollen is annoying when it turns my red car yellow or coats my front porch with that yellow dust ready to be tracked into the house. Still, I didn't fully recognize the extent of the pollination in progress until I hiked to the top of Black Butte last week. Looking down at Sisters Country from more than 6,400 feet, we saw a haze over the local forests. At first we assumed it was smoke, and we could see some controlled burns, so that... Full story
Michael H. Nutt passed away on May 27. He was the husband to Susan Nutt (Davis) for 35 years and the father to Amanda Den (Nutt) and Cody Nutt. Michael was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on March 19, 1946, to Herman and Harriett Nutt. Michael attended Howe Military School before serving in the Army during Vietnam. He later was a graduate of Boise State University and was employed with Charles H. Lilly Miller Co. (Lilly Miller), Garden Grow Co., and Yard 'n Garden Land before... Full story
Colonel Clifford W. Steele passed away May 27 after a valiant and courageous fight with cancer. He and his wife, Lynne, moved to Sisters in 2003 so that their grandson Taylor Steele could attend Sisters schools, as well as for the family to enjoy this beautiful area. His family and friends honor and remember him as a lifelong patriot, a man of deep conviction and integrity, and a generous and loving son, brother, husband, father and grandfather. Memorial contributions in Clifford's name are being accepted at Partners in... Full story
Cadet Kevin Sampson graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY on May 23. He is the son of Nancy and Bill Sampson of Sisters. Sampson graduated from Sisters High School (SHS) in 2010 and is the first local to graduate from West Point. While at SHS, he was a lacrosse team captain, a member of the swim team, and an honor student. While at West Point, Sampson majored in law and legal studies with a minor in environmental engineering. He held cadet... Full story
