News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 20 of 20
J. Wesley Jones in his favorite habitat -- the forests of Sisters. photo by Becky Coffield J. Wesley Jones of Sisters has had plenty of "lights, cameras and action" over the course of his photographic career, which has spanned 40-plus years since his father gave him his first camera at 13. Jones took to photography with a passion, and became so adept that he regularly taught his high school photography class. Upon graduation from high school, Jones commuted daily from New Jersey to New York, where he attended the School of... Full story
Randy Morris, Jeff Barnhart and Michael Kaeshammer tickle the keys in a special jazz festival performance. photo by Jon Renner Perhaps the sweetest note in a weekend of music at the Sisters Jazz Festival (SJF) was hit on Saturday afternoon, September 18, when three of the finest piano players in the U.S. gathered at Sisters High School. In a performance described by one audience member as "magical," Canadian sensation Michael Kaeshammer and the multi-talented Americans Jeff Barnhart and Randy Morris dazzled the audience with... Full story
The Oregon Liquor Control Commission hit Space Age Fuel in Sisters with a $3,795 civil penalty or 23-day license suspension on charges that an employee failed to verify the age of a 17-year-old juvenile before selling him alcohol. The juvenile, Stephen Withrow, allegedly became intoxicated and was arrested for homicide in connection with the beating death of a man in Drake Park in Bend in April 16. According to OLCC, the employee also had been selling alcohol without reading the required training pamphlet, in violation of... Full story
City Manager Eileen Stein, left, listens as Eric Beckwith and Jenny Scanlon describe a new juevile program. photo by Jim Mitchell Sisters' long standing program to help juvenile offenders get on the right track will soon be replaced. At a City Council workshop last week, the Deschutes County Juvenile Community Justice Department presented a new program that will replace the Juvenile Empowerment Team (JET) program in Sisters. Eric Beckwith, Community Justice Officer, took over the Sisters JET program in December, 2003. "We... Full story
Barbara Barker, Audrey Kallio, Sylvia Gee (left to right) gathered in Sisters for a reunion. They've known each other for 50 years. photo by Nikki Lewis Nearly 70 years ago, at the age of 10, three girls began a life journey together in Huddersfield, Yorkshire that paused for a few days in Sisters last week. Audrey Kallio, Barbara Barker and Sylvia Gee celebrated their 80th birthdays together in the beautiful settings of Sisters and the Oregon Coast. The women met in school and all began work together at the age of 16 as tele... Full story
Gator Beat included students in their Sisters Elementary School show. photo by Jim Cornelius Two of the Sisters Jazz Festival's (SJF) high-energy, good-time bands took the stage at Sisters schools last week, bringing zydeco, swing and jump blues to Sisters youth. Gator Beat got the Sisters Elementary School crowd involved in the performance, teaching them some swamp rhythms and call-and-response parts for their lively songs. The commons area resounded with cries of "Oooo-la-la, Hey, Hey!" and the classic Cajun "Aaaaiiieee!"... Full story
The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday. To the Editor: After viewing the... Full story
- City Council Meeting 7 p.m., 2nd and 4th Thursday each month, Sisters City Hall. 549-6022. - School Board Meeting 7 p.m., 2nd Monday each month, middle school lecture/drama room. 549-8521. - Black Butte School District Board of Directors meets 2nd Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m., Black Butte School. 595-6203. - Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD meets for drill every Monday, 7 p.m. Sisters Fire Hall, 301 S. Elm St. 549-0771. - Sisters Kiwanis Club meets every Thursday, 7:30 a.m., Sisters Fire Hall. 549-1223. - Sisters Habitat for... Full story
The columnist of September 15 ("It's the war on terror, stupid," Carey Tosello, The Nugget, page 2) makes the case that the war on terror is what voters this November care about the most and that we should vote for the guy who is most resolute in waging it. Moreover, the more we persist in the effort in Iraq, the safer we'll be on American soil. This voter was compelled to examine the columnist's assertions more closely and respond in kind. Which war on terror are we talking about? The present fight against Iraqi insurgents?... Full story
It's more than traffic Over the last few weeks of August's hot weather and now into the fall, it's obvious that the traffic problems of Sisters have become more than "just a few weekends in summer." It is often difficult to get across Cascade Avenue, either from the north side of town east toward Bend or Redmond, or from the south side of town west toward the Santiam Pass. We have long believed that the community of Sisters needs to devise our own plan to solve this problem, or the Oregon Department of Transportation would... Full story
High Street swings at the big tent during the Sisters Jazz Festival. photo by Tim O'Neal The weather was chilly but the music was hot at the 13th Sisters Jazz Festival (SJF) last weekend, September 17-19. The festival has grown more eclectic over the past few years, expanding from Dixieland to cover a broader palette of jazz styles. The formula seems to be working. Festival chairman Tom Worcester said that the festival was "musically... just an outstanding performance. Without question the best line-up we've had." The Dan... Full story
A group of Camp Sherman property owners out for a hike in the woods found a human skull in a ravine on Wednesday, September 15. "They immediately called the sheriff's office and we went out there to see what we could do," said Sgt. Jim Atkins of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. The bones were located 15 miles west of Sisters and about 10 miles north of Highway 20, Atkins said. Investigators removed the skull and several other bones and shipped them to the Oregon State Police crime lab for forensic investigation. Anyone... Full story
An architect's rendering of the proposed McDonald's. Graphic courtesy Cache Mtn. Development Developers of a planned McDonald's restaurant at the west end of Sisters inched closer to approval on Thursday, September 16, but they have more work to do before the Sisters Planning commission is willing to sign off on the proposal. After reviewing the Findings and Recommendations of the Planning Department concerning the Site Design Review and Conditional Use Permit request for a 4,453 square foot building containing McDonald's... Full story
Off-road vehicle use has caused resourse damage statewide at an increased rate. photo by Jim Fisher Off-road vehicles are tearing up forest land around Sisters. The Sisters Ranger District has a growing concern with the increased use of the forest by off-highway vehicles (OHV) causing resource damage, according to Kevin Foss, lead field ranger for the district. Foss works with all recreation activities outside of wilderness. While the greatest increase has been with the four-wheeled all-terrain vehicles (ATV), visits by dirt... Full story
Casey Glick and Justin Thomas at the summit of Middle Sister. The pair topped all three Sisters peaks in one long and grueling day. photo by Casey Glick For most Sisters area residents, gazing up to the Three Sisters mountains from town is simply a daily dose of taking in the beauty of the peaks. For friends Justin Thomas and Casey Glick viewing the North, Middle and South Sister will forevermore remind them of the adventure challenge they concocted to summit all three mountains within a 24-hour period on Wednesday,... Full story
Young people these days are told that they should expect to change careers several times during their working lives. When he talks to the students in Sisters schools, Superintendent Ted Thonstad can offer himself as a personification of that probability. Omitting much detail, here are the main stops on his career path since he earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Oregon in 1966: - Pay analyst for the Oregon Civil Service Commission. (1966-67). - Field sales person in three cities over four... Full story
The Eyerly Fire Salvage Sale lost its emergency status on September 10 when the designation was withdrawn by the Deschutes National Forest. The action means that even if the Forest Service does find a willing buyer for the fire-killed timber, it cannot be logged before November 15 following a 105-day appeals period required for non-emergency salvage sales. Sisters District Ranger Bill Anthony said that the value of the timber had declined enough in the two years since the fire that it did not justify continuing the emergency... Full story
Dennis McGregor. photo provided Dennis McGregor is known for his Sisters event posters and as a member of the band The Blue D'Arts. In recent years, he has become a prolific and successful songwriter -- and he just released his first collection of original material. During the Sisters Folk Festival he announced the release of his first solo CD "Most People Are Good." McGregor dedicated his creation to his father, "who taught me that most people are good." McGregor wrote his first song when he was 15. Over the years he... Full story
The deadline to register to vote in the November 2 general election is October 12 (a previous article in The Nugget misstated the date). Those who are NOT CURRENTLY REGISTERED need to register by October 12, which is 21 days before the election. If you are already registered but need to UPDATE YOUR ADDRESS, mail address to the county clerk's office by October 12. That address is 1340 N.W. Wall Street, Bend OR, 97701. Registration forms are available at the Post Office or in the Qwest phone book. Those who are updating their... Full story
Folks from Sisters can dance to the music of High Street while raising funds to help children during the Family Access Network's (FAN) "Dancing on the Green." The fund-raising event will be held Saturday, September 25, at the Central Oregon Indoor Soccer Center, 20775 High Desert Lane. in Bend from 6 to 11 p.m. Last year the event benefited Sisters' local FAN in the amount of $1,500, according to family advocate Theresa Slavkovsky. These funds help families in crisis. Admission tickets are $15 per person in advance (contact... Full story
