News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 24 of 24
The art that promotes the Sisters Folk Festival each year is much more than a simple poster advertising the event. The poster painting by Dennis McGregor captures the spirit of the event and the role of SFF in the community. And McGregor's work is loved and collected just like the music is. McGregor has been the SFF poster artist since the 1990s. "I'm enjoying it more now than I ever have in the past, and every year it's more so," he told The Nugget last week. Festival... Full story
Thanks to a grant from the Sisters Schools Foundation, Sisters Elementary School will be able to expand their Handwriting Without Tears program beyond kindergarten to first and second grade. Tiffany Briggs, a parent at Sisters Elementary School, put together the grant for the Sisters Schools Foundation this past spring. Briggs writes, "Research has shown the benefits of handwriting go beyond penmanship. Handwriting skills help brain development, reading, writing, and... Full story
All-event passes for the Sisters Folk Festival may be sold out, but there are still plenty of opportunities to enjoy some of the outstanding music the festival has been bringing to town each September since 1995. Sunday tickets are still available - and though that's the third day of the festival, there's still plenty of music to enjoy. Many of the festival's premier performers are on the schedule for Sunday. "It's a great deal for the price and the value you get from the music," said SFF Creative Director Brad Tisdel. There... Full story
Sisters Eagle Airport has requested inclusion on the Oregon Department of Aviation's list of "airports of state concern," according to ODA planner Jeff Caines. However, airport manager Dave Campbell told The Nugget that no formal application has been made. The listing would include a boundary map, much as a site plan is part of a land-use application for a development, Caines noted. The potential scope of the airport boundary has raised concerns among some citizens because of... Full story
To the Editor: "Can't we all get along?" - Rodney King This was almost 25 years ago. We are a slow-moving people. Stan Robson's Nugget letter to the editor about current racism last week caught my eye when he said this: "I always tried to instill in my folks that everyone was to be treated with respect and dignity." I'm assuming when you say "my folks" that you are not talking about your parents or "Americans" in general, but whatever race/ethnicity you identify with - which I feel drives the racism/division stake yet a littl... Full story
Sisters Elementary School welcomed new school counselor Wendy Von Segren this week, as classes started. Von Segren comes off of 17 years teaching experience at the elementary-school level in the Redmond School District. This year marks the first in some number of years that all three schools have each had a certified counselor. Von Segren holds a master's degree in counseling from Lewis & Clark College. Her husband is a school counselor in Terrebonne, where both of her childre... Full story
Justin Veloso is one of our own. A homegrown young man who followed his dreams to New York City after being encouraged by his parents, dedicated teachers, and a community that believed in him. After graduating, touring, and then returning home to Sisters Country to give back through music, he is being shown more support through our community of Sisters. Veloso, a 2006 graduate of Sisters High School, played the drums under the direction of then-band-instructor Jody Henderson.... Full story
The community honored Sisters High School's athletic heritage last week by inducting nine individuals and a team into the Outlaw Hall of Fame. About 125 people attended the banquet Saturday, September 3, at the high school. It was partly a fundraiser for Sisters schools co-curricular activities, but mostly a salute to those who have shaped Outlaw athletic programs. "Tonight is a chance to bring our school system and the public together," said Don Pollard, who joined Kris... Full story
Last week, the U.S. Forest Service hosted a meeting of the Sisters Trail Users Group (S-TUG). According to S-TUG's mission statement, the group's periodic meetings are designed to "bring together a diverse array of trail enthusiasts from Sisters and the surrounding communities ... to communicate, coordinate, and collaborate on any trail planning management topics of interest..." The "trail enthusiasts" were represented by S-TUG members that include hikers, bicyclists,... Full story
Fall was in the air at Black Butte Ranch (BBR) last Saturday, as artists and patrons enjoyed the annual Art at the Ranch event on the promenade beside the Lakeside Bistro. The crisp day offered up blue skies and beauty clouds - a perfect setting for the event's plein air painting program, which featured a number of noted local artists. The conditions were beautiful, but a touch challenging. "It was cold this morning," said Jo Ann Burgess as she worked in pastels on the grass n... Full story
Holly Davis was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in June 2009. After undergoing months and months of treatment at Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland, she was cancer-free when she finished treatment in August 2011. And as of August 18, 2016, she can call herself cured. Holly, 9, the daughter of Chad and Darcy Davis of Sisters, wanted to do something to give back to others facing the same rough road she traveled down as a young child. "I couldn't... Full story
A view of Mt. Bachelor created by Sisters artist Kathy Deggendorfer will adorn the walls of Mahonia Hall, the official residence of the governor of Oregon. The Oregon Historical Society last week presented Governor Kate Brown with the loan of a Kathy Deggendorfer painting from her traveling exhibit "Painting Oregon's Harvest." The exhibit launched two years ago at the High Desert Museum. Kerry Tymchuk, executive director of the Oregon Historical Society, explained that OHS... Full story
The Outlaws opened their season with an exciting 25-22 win over Burns at home on Friday, September 2. Sisters got on the scoreboard first when Johnny Gurney connected with Christopher Luz on a 12-yard pass for the touchdown. Burns answered back and scored on their next two possessions. At the close of the first quarter the Highlanders held a 16-6 lead. In the second quarter, Tanner Head threw a nice pass over the middle to twin brother Tyler for the score, but the two-point... Full story
City contract forester Dan Galecki and two assistants have been out on the streets of Sisters in recent days, mapping and assessing all of the city-owned trees in the City of Sisters right-of-way. They are building a database that will help the City monitor the health of trees more efficiently in the coming years. "A lot of municipalities do this all over the country," Galecki told The Nugget. "It's a money-saver and a time-saver." The foresters are recording the attributes... Full story
Service to others is the payment you make for your space here on earth. - Muhammad Ali Some friends were visiting us in Sisters recently and we took them up to McKenzie Pass and walked up the observatory there. We have been there several times, and I was again impressed with how that observatory was built during the Great Depression. Teenagers, young adults and others worked for a small wage and built a thing of beauty. Our country has several such examples of that era. Go to any National Park or Monument in existence during... Full story
The Outlaws kicked off their season with a 2-0 win over Madras at home on Tuesday, August 30, in an endowment game. Two days later, they lost 2-1 on the road to Molalla. Malachy Sundstrom got the Outlaws on the scoreboard in Tuesday's game against the White Buffs. Sundstrom received a ball behind the defense from Keaton Green and took a big touch past the keeper and tapped in a breakaway goal. Sundstrom scored again, when he crossed a ball from the right side, and it... Full story
Sherry Joseph has taken the reins at the Sisters School District as the new business manager. Joseph was hired this summer after the retirement of longtime business manager Sandy Tartaglia. Bringing with her 18 years experience in the Crook County School District as well as an additional 13 years working in the accounting department for Les Schwab, Joseph says she is ready for the Sisters job. "It's what I've always wanted to do," she said. "I love looking at the general... Full story
Tradition is powerful, and the Outlaws cross-country team has plenty of it to uphold entering the 2016 campaign. Both the boys and girls teams have won the district titles more often than not over the past decade-and-a-half, including last year. For the girls, repeating looks pretty likely, while the boys, like last year, will have a battle on their hands come late October, when the state-qualifying Sky-Em District meet will be held. The girls team returns the core of the... Full story
Gil Staender, longtime resident of Camp Sherman and the Sisters area, passed away at Hospice House on August 27. Gil was born February 25, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois. He was a first-generation American. His parents emigrated from Germany and became U.S. citizens. When his parents divorced, he returned to Germany with his mother. She died when he was 6, and he spent several years in an orphanage. While in the orphanage, he was issued a set of silverware, which the children... Full story
Don Frederick Grabe of Sisters died July 26 at age 90. He was born in the small western-Iowa town of Pierson and grew up on a farm. While at Iowa State University he met Lorna Dohrer. The couple was married in 1950. Don served in the Korean War, then went on to teach agronomy as a professor at Iowa State University, Mississippi State University, and Oregon State University. While on foreign university assignments, he enjoyed teaching farmers and university personnel about... Full story
Susan G. Sprang of Black Butte Ranch died August 10, surrounded by her loving family. She was the widow of Dr. Harry E. Sprang. She is survived by her sister Ruth Ingham and her daughters Debby Miller, Rebecca Stanley and Barb Franklin. She was born February 16, 1923 in Canton, Ohio. She was always active in the community. Her background in archaeology enabled her to survey sites for primitive habitation for the U.S. Forest Service. She also worked as a lookout on fire towers... Full story
If you've ever heard about Chaser, the border collie who is known as the smartest dog in the world, it may really make you wonder just how intelligent a dog can be. Chaser's pet parent, psychology professor John Pilley, has a background in animal behavioral research and set out to answer the question: "How much can a dog learn?" He worked with Chaser every day, devising experiments aimed at discovering the limits. Chaser had learned the names of 1,022 toys and was able to corr... Full story
It's easy to succumb to low morale right now. Every time I check my online news sources I'm faced with another tragic story and yet another reason to take hold of defeatism. Shootings, acts of terror, dysfunctional families, and politics seem to reign supreme, not to mention the issues which hit closer to home like murder, a dysfunctional city government, and increased airport noise. I like Christmastime. I love the cold weather and the hope of snow at the appropriate time when I can break out a cup of cider, gaze upon the... Full story
(Editor's note: The print version of this story states that the Forest Service closed the McKenzie Pit to shooters. that is incorrect. Though the Forest Service has concerns about safety and trash accumulation, and is encouraging shooters to use other locations, the pit is NOT CLOSED). The U.S. Forest Service has received increasing complaints about irresponsible target shooting west of Sisters. According to Forest Service representative Amy Racki, residents of Crossroads and... Full story
