News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 20 of 20
Twenty-five years ago Sisters Habitat for Humanity founder Hort Hammond knew that some folks in Sisters needed affordable housing, so he organized Habitat for Humanity in Sisters. Habitat is dedicated to more than building homes; it's about building communities, and building opportunities for families to help themselves. On Sunday, September 18, Habitat celebrated their 25th anniversary of building homes with groundbreakings followed by a dedication ceremony for their 60th... Full story
Enrollment in Sisters School District is falling short of the projected number of students this fall, a decline that would reduce the amount of funding from the state. Superintendent Curt Scholl said during the September 7 school board meeting that projections called for about 1,109 students districtwide. He emphasized that was a preliminary look because records requests had not been received from students who might be attending a different district this fall. However, the picture became more clear in an interview on Wednesda... Full story
A small hemp crop is growing east of Sisters, pioneering what may become a significant agricultural industry in the region. The operation drew attention last week as helicopters were brought in at night for frost abatement. The rotors of a helicopter stir the air enough to prevent frost from forming on plants. The noise from the choppers over the Cloverdale Road area and landing to refuel at Sisters Eagle Airport in the early morning hours raised some ire among neighbors, but... Full story
The Deschutes County Commissioners should have gone ahead with their discussion of issues related to Sisters Eagle Airport, instead of canceling it after it had been announced (see story, page 1). While it's true that the shape of a proposed state-recognized airport boundary remains undetermined - and thus any discussion would have been speculative - the commissioners would have nevertheless benefitted from a thorough briefing on issues that are of significant interest to their constituents in this part of Deschutes County.... Full story
Correction A typographical error was introduced into Bruce Mason's letter to the editor regarding the Sisters Eagle Airport last week. A second zero was cut off along with the % symbol when the % symbol was replaced with the word "percent." The sentence should have read: "It appears that Sisters Eagle Airport is seeking an increase in their airport zone footprint of approximately 400 percent." s s s To the Editor: Kudos to Sisters City Council President Nancy Connelly and Council members Andrea Blum and Amy Burgstahler for... Full story
"There is so much love in this room." That's what one event-goer said to Justin Veloso as Dennis McGregor and The Spoilers hit the stage at the Belfry last Thursday night after a live auction raised over $27,000 for the 28-year-old's cancer treatment and recovery. Veloso, a lifetime musician and drummer who graduated from Sisters High School in 2006, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in February. In March, he had surgery to remove his thyroid and some lymph nodes and is on... Full story
Sisters Elementary School welcomed three new teachers this fall. Students welcomed Ashleigh Thomas, replacing longtime P.E. teacher Mark Lamont; Danielle Pulliam as a new third-grade teacher and Ashley Bye as the new Title Teacher for both reading and math. Both the P.E. and title position replaced staff who have moved on from the Sisters School District. Pulliam's position is new to the District - added this year to help keep class sizes small as promised by District... Full story
The sky is the limit for students in Sheryl Yeager's classes at Sisters High School (SHS). That's because she teaches two sections of Flight Science, and the 50 students who are enrolled could be well on their way to having a pilot's license by next spring. "It's not very common," Yeager said. "I didn't even know anything like this existed." She worked as a substitute teacher at SHS and other Central Oregon schools last year. When Sisters School District advertised for a... Full story
The Outlaws shut down the Hornets 5-0 at Henley on Tuesday, September 13, and two days later smashed the Bulldogs 9-0 at Sutherlin. Sean Willitts got the Outlaws on the scoreboard in Tuesday's shutout over Henley. Willitts scored four minutes into the contest with an assist from Keaton Green on the ground. Four minutes later, Keaton crossed the ball from the right side over to Malachy Sundstrom, who hit a lefty shot into the net. At the 10-minute mark, Willitts got a second... Full story
In early spring the symphonious melodies of the male American robin (Turdus Migratorius) are heard over the entire U.S. They begin mating in April and can produce up three broods by the end of July. The female builds the cup-shaped nest with grass, twigs, and feathers and a coating of mud for stability. Occasionally the male will assist in the gathering of materials. The nest is built in many places including drainpipes, in wreaths on doors, window ledges, and of course... Full story
"It's the hour of dogs a-barkin'," as Tom Russell sings about Mexico. Seems to be true in the countryside of Mongolia as well. This night though, Stinky, Guetuerma and a nameless pup that belongs to someone else but is here most of the time, were barking well past dark outside my ger (Mongolian for "yurt."). It had been an unharmonious day for them: this afternoon, a large aggressive male dog hung around camp. Most dogs here are "Mongolian Dog" - black with brown points; few... Full story
It's always a treat to try new adventures, especially one as scenic and close to home as this one. Lately, my column has focused on short and middle-distance hikes. At 13.3 miles, however, today's hike offers the serious hiker more of a challenge. This little adventure starts at the Scott Trail Trailhead on the McKenzie Highway, just a few miles west of McKenzie Pass. This route combines with the popular Obsidian Trail, to make one of the most scenic hikes imaginable. At a... Full story
The Lady Outlaws kicked off league play with a 2-1 victory at home over Sutherlin on Thursday, September 15. Two days earlier it was a completely different story, with the Outlaws on the short side of the stick in a 7-1 loss at home to the Henley Hornets. Sisters was excited to record a win in their first league game of the season at home on Thursday against Sutherlin. It was a scoreless contest as teams headed into the half, but the Outlaws picked it up when they got back on... Full story
A trio of Sisters women each possess a penchant for pushing their bodies to the limit and exploring the depths of fortitude through ultra endurance running. The Sisters women - Ashley Nordell, Rebecca Touvelle, and Riva Johnson - have each competed in many ultra endurance events. Off the trail, these stellar endurance athletes don't look like superwomen; they look much like many of the people seen on sidewalks or in line at the coffee shop. They have kids in the schools, they... Full story
$3.5 billion. That's how much money the United States gave to Pakistan in 2011. Since 2007, there has never been a year when we sent them less than a billion greenbacks. Many of those years it was considerably more. That's our money, yours and mine, that one White House and Congress or another has forked over to an unstable, essentially borderless Islamic Republic, year after year, for "economic and military aid and development." That's a lot of our billions, and those are... Full story
Jeannie Hale of Seattle says she never wins anything. Her losing streak came to an end over Labor Day weekend, when she won the Furry Friends Fundraiser Quilt. Hale, who has a cabin at Black Butte Ranch, held the winning ticket for a quilt pieced by local quilter Valerie Fercho-Tillery. The quilt was originally won by Sandy Layne, who then donated the quilt back again. "I'm thrilled to have won this year's quilt! I've bought tickets every year, but have never won anything my... Full story
For the 14 art quilters of the local group Journeys, their work is all about pushing themselves creatively. In their current exhibit, they are pushing themselves right to the edge. Journeys Art Quilters of Central Oregon will open an exhibit at Sisters Art Works, 204 W. Adams Ave. The 14 original quilts are inspired by a poem, "Come to the Edge" by Christopher Logue. An artist reception will be held on September 23, from 5 to 7 p.m. June Jaeger told The Nugget that this... Full story
Sisters Folk Festival is following up on the tremendous success of its 21st annual event with two upcoming shows. On Sunday, November 6, Darlingside with Frances Luke Accord will perform at the Tower Theatre in Bend. Sponsored by Birkenstock of Bend, the band will return Central Oregon after being fan-favorites at the 2014 and 2015 Sisters Folk Festival. The Boston-based band is on a national tour following the release of their album "Birds Say." Darlingside fuses chamber pop with folk melodies for infectious and gorgeous... Full story
More than 150 runners turned out at Faith Hope & Charity Vineyards on Saturday with a mission: to crush cancer like a wine grape. The fourth annual 2016 Crush Cancer 5k, 10k & Half Marathon Event kicked off on a pleasant fall morning at the vineyard off Lower Bridge Way. Proceeds from the race benefit Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. "Our daughter-in-law Summer got cancer five-and-a-half years ago," vineyard owner Cindy Grossman explained. "She got her treatment at Seat... Full story
A true team effort resulted in victory for the Outlaws girls cross-country team last week. They easily won Division Four of the Seaside Three Course Challenge held Saturday, September 17 at Camp Rilea. Divisions are made up according to school population, since teams come from other states besides Oregon. In all, more than 80 teams took part in the meet including many from Washington and even a few from California. In its 26th year, the Three Course Challenge is one of the... Full story
