News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 22 of 22
Most every year, during periods of high rainfall and snowmelt, a portion of Camp Polk Road north of Sisters and just beyond the Sisters Airport has been prone to flooding. "That's actually called Trout Creek," said Tom Shamberger, operations manager for the Deschutes County Road Department. "Every year since I've been here it's flooded; and, ever since the Pole Creek area burned, the forest no longer has the capacity to absorb all that water." The result has been recurring... Full story
BEND, Ore. (AP) - A 40-year-old man who was convicted at age 15 of raping and murdering a high school classmate in suburban Portland has been assigned a parole officer in Central Oregon. Conrad Engweiler is set to be released from state prison in less than two weeks. The Bend Bulletin reports that Engweiler's father lives in Sisters. The Oregon parole board ruled last month that Engweiler should be released. It was a closely watched decision that angered the victim's family. Engweiler's case was repeatedly before the courts... Full story
The Forest Service deployed a new process last month to hash out the differences between community members over a proposed paved trail from Sisters to Black Butte Ranch. The final meeting in the "objection" process was held Monday, September 29 - and closed with opposing views no closer to reconciliation. Deschutes National Forest chief John Allen, who conducted the meeting, acknowledged that the gap between points of view is a chasm. "This is not an easy thing for me to... Full story
As voters across the state weigh the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana, Sisters voters will decide on whether to allow medical marijuana dispensaries within the city limits. Measure 9-101 on the November ballot asks a simple question: Shall the Sisters code be amended to allow regulated medical marijuana dispensaries to operate within the Sisters city limits? A "yes" vote means that medical marijuana dispensaries would be allowed to operate only in the Highway Commercial... Full story
To the Editor: Wendy Holzman is a smart, hardworking, involved Sisters City Councilor. We've talked with her about issues that Sisters faces as a community and without exception, she is a careful listener, and her responses are thoughtful and balanced. The City of Sisters is moving forward and continues to need her good communication, thorough research, and basic fairness on the council. Please vote for Wendy Holzman for Sisters City Council! Stephen Bryan and Jane Levesque ••• To the Editor: Sisters has never... Full story
There are the Three Sisters, and then there are the three Sisters taxing districts: the school district, the city, and the park and recreation district. The public grants each of these the privilege of taxing us so they might carry out their missions aimed at providing specific public services. The school district educates our children, the park district provides recreational activities for children and adults, and the city develops and maintains an infrastructure providing the services necessary to sustain an urban... Full story
The air buzzed with excitement on Saturday evening as Sisters folks congregated at The Belfry for the second annual Taste of Sisters & Mayor's Ball, hosted by Mayor Brad Boyd and event organizer Karen Kassy. Dressed fun and fancy or in everyday clothes, folks mingled among friends and neighbors as they took in the aroma of the tempting cuisine that was ready for tasting. The broad range of appetizing food was donated by a variety of Sisters restaurants. "We were so fortunate... Full story
"Journey to the Junkyard," a colorful visual feast, is the October exhibit adorning the walls of the Community Room at the Sisters Library. Original quilted art pieces by members of Central Oregon quilt guild Journeys were inspired by trips to a scrapmetal yard in Terrebonne. Guild member Sheila Finzer of Terrebonne provided the initial inspiration for the junkyard pieces when she visited the facility and captured 300 photographic images of the beauty and interest to be found... Full story
The newly constructed St. Charles School-Based Care Center (SBC) of Deschutes County Health Services, adjacent to Sisters High School, expects to begin accepting patients from Sisters School District (SSD) on October 9. The center will provide affordable, convenient healthcare - medical, behavioral, and dental - to any child, newborn through 20 years of age living in the district. This project is the result of a partnership that has been evolving over about five years following school board approval. The school-based care bui... Full story
Enrollment in Sisters schools is not yet back on an even keel, but the steep decline of recent years is leveling out. Superintendent Jim Golden reported to board members Wednesday night that current enrollment "rollup" was 1,104 students against last years "rollup" of 1,079. "This is not year-over-year growth but, in other words we went from a diving Kamikaze plane in terms of loss of enrollment to now. We have almost pulled up. If we had another 42 kids we would be even or growing." Rollup refers to the size of the high... Full story
The boys soccer team continued to steam-roll over league opponents this past week. The Outlaws recorded a 3-0 shutout under the lights at Cottage Grove (CG) on Tuesday, September 30, and two days later shut out Sutherlin 8-0 at home. In Tuesday's action, the Outlaws scored two goals in the first half to go up 2-0. Malachy Sundstrom scored off a deflection inside the 18-yard box at the 10-minute mark and 14 minutes later scored again on an assist by Justin Harrer. Malachy... Full story
City Manager Andrew Gorayeb and city attorney Steve Bryant told the city council on Thursday that they need to take proactive measures before the vote on the statewide pot-legalizing Measure 91 if the city wishes to keep its taxation options open. Bryant reported at a Thursday-morning workshop that the closely watched November 4 ballot Measure 91 is now predicted to pass, despite widely varying polls leading up to what promises to be a very close election. If the city does not have a "rate-specific" tax on the books before pa... Full story
Engaging in favorite activities in the great outdoors can be healing. Nobody knows that better than Brett Miller. He's found solace in outdoor pursuits ever since returning to Sisters as a permanently disabled military veteran, severely injured in Iraq by an improvised explosive device. Now Miller and his fellow Sisters Country veterans are working to provide that kind of support and solace to hundreds of other wounded veterans through War Fighter Outfitters. The newly minted... Full story
Generally, tension headaches are caused by the static and prolonged contraction of the muscles in the head, jaw, neck and shoulders. Makes sense! We have statically contracted muscles - tension - in a tension headache. We always have some degree of contraction in our tissues. Muscle tone maintains posture. If we didn't have some muscle contraction, our heads would be flopping around on our necks and our mouths would always be open. Not a pretty sight. But, when enough becomes too much, TONE becomes TENSION, and tension can... Full story
Most pet parents don't need reminding that animals make folks feel good; they are great to have as a family member, and it is well known that people who have pets are typically happier and live longer than those who don't. But sometimes your furry friend may get sick, and this may leave you wondering if you or your family might be able to catch whatever it is that is making your pet sick. You can't catch a cold from your cat, and your dog won't pass on pink-eye. But certain illnesses can be spread from pets to humans.... Full story
Good health is so easy to take for granted, until I experience a period of ill health. And sometimes I don't realize how sick I was, until I regain my health. Surgeries that require time for healing and rehabilitation also give pause to consider the importance of health and fitness. At age 70, a downturn in my overall condition gives rise to much more introspection than it did at 40 or 50 or even 60. Living alone and being physically compromised brings up questions of the feasibility of long-term residency in a small town,... Full story
Last month turned local attention to Oregon's Death with Dignity Act with two events: A reception at Circle of Friends Art Gallery in Tumalo introducing Compassion & Choices to Central Oregon; and a Frontiers in Science lecture at The Belfry in Sisters entitled "What is Death with Dignity?" At the Belfry, Dr. Edward Weiser, a gynecological oncologist, and his wife, Peg Brand, PhD, offered a slide presentation and lecture covering the history of suicide from Greco-Roman times, including Socrates and his decision to drink... Full story
The Outlaws scored in the final quarter to tally a win over the Lions at Cottage Grove on Friday, October 3, in the league opener. Sisters scored their lone touchdown on a seven-yard run by Logan Schutte around the left side, and Josh Andrade added the PAT. Will Luff, foreign exchange student from Australia and dubbed Outback by his teammates, was a huge weapon for Sisters' kicking game. Luff put several kickoffs into the endzone and made several booming punts which helped... Full story
Betty was born in Eugene on May 23, 1932 to parents Julius and Louise Haglund. The family purchased the Metolius River Resort and moved to Camp Sherman when she was 14 years old. She attended the one-room Camp Sherman School when it was located down near Davis Creek, then on to Redmond High and Bend High where she graduated in 1950. She met her future husband, Laurence, while he was picking up his younger sisters from school. She enrolled in nursing school at Portland's... Full story
A Friday meet in Central Oregon gave the Sisters Outlaws the chance to run a race without having to sit on a cramped bus for hours ahead of time. Whether it was that or the competition that Bend High attracted to the Oxford Classic, the team achieved some strong results. Aria Blumm ran within a second of her career best on her way to eighth place in the elite girls' race, finishing in 19:53.2, one place behind Danielle Jantzer of Phoenix, the top 4A runner in the race. "It was good to see Aria really race the girls around... Full story
The Outlaws volleyball squad continues its domination in league play. Sisters beat the Tigers in three sets with scores of 25-6, 25-10, and 25-11 to close out the first round of league playoffs, and two days later defeated the Huskies at Sweet Home with scores of 25-11, 25-14, and 25-10. Sisters cruised to sweep the Tigers on Tuesday. Nila Lukens led the Outlaws with 12 kills and four aces. Brooke Knirk contributed five kills and Jessie Brigham came through with seven digs... Full story
The Outlaws tallied two home victories this past week: a 6-0 win over Cottage Grove on Tuesday and a 6-1 win over Sutherlin two days later. Sisters played one of their best games of the season in their shutout victory over the visiting Lions in Tuesday's match-up. Taylor Schneider got the Outlaws started at the 25-minute mark off a Michaela Miller assist. Miller dribbled to one-on-one with the keeper and Schneider followed the shot in and knocked it in the goal just before it... Full story
