News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 29
• I once had a boss who said I was just too efficient. Here's my secret: I always do the simplest tasks first. Serves me two-fold: clears my desktop more quickly and helps me feel accomplished, ready to take on the more time-consuming tasks and the rest of what comes my way that day. • All of us here in Central Oregon know that, no matter the color, no matter the smell, no matter what, if the deer want it, they'll eat it, including Oregon Grape Ivy. This year is the first time in 14 years, though, that said deer... Full story
Sheriff's deputies arrested a Salem man on a laundry list of charges after catching him in an allegedly stolen vehicle in Sisters on Saturday night. On October 13, at about 10 p.m., the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office received a report of a possible stolen vehicle eastbound on Highway 20 West from the Aumsville area. The stolen vehicle - a 1996 black Honda Civic, stolen from Keizer - was reported to be operated by 23-year-old Kyle Erik Madrid of Salem. Madrid was also wanted for a Marion County parole violation.... Full story
It seemed as if a fresh breath of air blew through city hall last Thursday, October 11, during a meeting scheduled by the new head of planning and community development Eric Porter. The meeting was organized to address the concerns of 64 local businessmen, contractors and developers who have expressed frustration with the manner in which the city conducts its business. Porter is reaching out to those who have been the most vocal in criticizing the city, especially its planning department. Many expressed appreciation that... Full story
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D.-Oregon, stood in front of a tough audience last week: students at Sisters High School. The Senator stopped by the school last Wednesday afternoon using a town meeting format to entertain the students' questions and respond to the teens' take on the state of the nation. "I like to go to high schools because I think there are so many important issues right now for young people," said Senator Wyden. According to social studies teacher Jon Renner, the... Full story
To the Editor: I wonder if any of us in Sisters would appreciate huge metal power poles marching down Main Street. Most of us are grateful for the beauty and community this place offers. Some have lived their entire lives here; others were drawn to a simpler life surrounded by nature and good people who smile and wave when walking by. These are our values. It is why we live here. Right now we have neighbors and friends who are suffering. CEC (our co-op) says they must live with devalued property and industrialized ambiance... Full story
Will your kids be able to return to Sisters to live and work? This is a dilemma understood but rarely addressed in our community: too few employers offering too few jobs at family/living wage levels and a lack of "affordable housing." On May 1, I gave a presentation at the inaugural Sisters Business Summit & Job Fair held at the FivePine Conference Center. One of the major points I made was that Sisters, over the 15 years that I have lived here, has lost more family/living wage employers than it has gained. Some examples:... Full story
The Sisters School District must repay $1.2 million received from the State of Oregon because the district claimed as its own 50 or more students actually educated at Sonrise Christian School for a number of years. Effectively, the State of Oregon has found that the Sisters district was skimming. Sisters received in the neighborhood $5,000 per child per year from the state, gave Sonrise $1,500 by putting their teachers on Sisters payroll and used the rest to educate other students actually attending Sisters schools. The... Full story
Parents of teens in Sisters are less likely than ever to look the other way when it comes to children drinking alcohol or using other drugs. The local substance abuse prevention group TAPS (Think Again ParentS) is trying to reinforce that trend with a new program called Party Safe Homes of Sisters. Party Safe Homes of Sisters is a pledge-based program where parents sign a card pledging that they will not allow drugs, alcohol or tobacco to be used in their home; that they will... Full story
The Central Oregon Medical Teams International Mobile Dental Unit returned to Sisters last Thursday, October 11, for a one-day clinic. Sisters Family Access Network (FAN), through a donation from Sisters Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, sponsored the clinic. The services of the mobile dental unit are available to uninsured, low income adults who reside in the Sisters area. "Even though FAN and the Church of the Transfiguration do sponsor, it no way pays for the cost of the van coming over here and all the equipment.... Full story
Three Sisters High School students, Dane Moorehead, Rachel Sims and Brian Greaney won National Merit Scholar recognition. The accomplishments of these three students were highlighted at the school board meeting last Tuesday night, October 9. Nationwide approximately 1.4 million students enter the National Merit Scholarship Program each year. About 50,000 of these young people, less than four percent, qualify for special recognition. Some 34,000 receive letters of commendation... Full story
Sisters continued to dominate league play in a three-game sweep over Marist at home on Monday, October 8. Scores were 27-25, 25-19 and 15-17. The Lady Outlaws started out slow in game one and struggled to pass the ball but managed to pull off the win. Sisters played more aggressively and widened the point spread the final two games of the match. Outside hitter Haylee Schaab led the Outlaws with 13 kills on the night. "Haylee had big night," said Coach Diane Bremer. "Her play was outstanding and she terminated a lot of balls... Full story
The Lady Outlaws jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in their 6-0 shutout over La Pine on October 8. Katie Taylor got Sisters on the scoreboard four minutes into the game on an unassisted goal. Taylor took a great shot with her left foot from the right side at 14 yards out to score. At the 16-minute mark McKenzie Williams scored a goal on pure effort to push Sisters to a 2-0 lead. "McKenzie had a breakaway, got disrupted but stuck with it. She transferred the ball from her right to her left foot to finish the... Full story
Sisters Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration is distributing $16,000 to local non-profit organizations. "This year's distribution has set a new record for the church's annual outreach program, well above last year's contributions of $13,500," church officials stated. Funds were raised in August at the church's annual country fair and art sale. All of the proceeds raised from these events are filtered back into the community through the church's donations to local agencies. "The art sale was a little disappointing this... Full story
As the slowing economy begins to affect Central Oregon, the housing slump is setting up the area for some belt tightening. Home sales in Sisters are off approximately 40 percent from the high market, according to the latest MLS figures. The first to feel the pinch are those who are connected to the housing market, be they realtors, property managers, mortgage brokers, contractors or developers. Housing inventory is still on the rise, and length to sale times continue to increase in the Sisters area. Even the Black Butte... Full story
Sisters Christian Academy middle school math and science teacher Nick Kidwell has spent the last six weeks bonding with his new students. Last Thursday Kidwell stepped away from his flock and turned his attention once again to serving his country. Kidwell is being deployed to Iraq. "It's difficult, especially considering it's right in the middle of the school year," said Kidwell, a new teacher at the Christian school. "The really frustrating thing is that this was supposed to... Full story
The swan song of summer events brought large crowds to Sisters - and the weather could not have been more accommodating. Last Saturday and Sunday's autumn event boasts one of the highest attendance of any of the fairs that are hosted annually by the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce. "This is the 27th year of the fair, and it seems like it gets better every year," said Jeri Buckmann, events coordinator for the Sisters chamber. As the fair is late in the season, there is always... Full story
Sisters School Superintendent Elaine Drakulich will meet with Oregon Department of Education Legal Affairs Coordinator Cindy Hunt to see if the ODE will provide the district with any latitude in its withholding of $1.2 million in State School Funds. "I'm not going in to negotiating anything," Drakulich said. "I'm going in to see what latitude there is within this decision ... in terms of the payment payoff schedule." The school district's problem is the result of a homeschool program it housed at Sonrise Christian School... Full story
The No. 1-ranked Outlaws took down the No. 4-ranked Spartans in the game of the week for high school football in the state of Oregon on Friday, October 12. Sisters earned the 53-36 victory on the Marist home field. Sisters' speed and quickness had the advantage over Marist's great size. Sisters fans crowded the bleachers and cheered for the Outlaws like it was a playoff game. The noise, according to Coach Bob Macauley, negated Marist's home field advantage. "Marist runs their... Full story
"In the Valley of Elah" is not entertainment. It is not an action film; it is not a detective flick. It is an outstanding movie about a father looking for his boy, who has gone missing after returning from the war in Iraq. Tommy Lee Jones does a tremendous, understated job as the father looking for his soldier son. We are so used to his smart dialogue in other films; here his face tells the tale. Charlize Theron is quite believable as the police detective aiding in that search, and Susan Sarandon owns every one of the few... Full story
Sisters has developed a thriving music scene over the past few years, with new venues for live music cropping up regularly. The newest is The Dairy Barn at Pine Meadow Ranch. Last month saw the re-opening of the Dairy Barn venue, celebrated with a concert by local singer-songwriters. The barn has been lovingly renovated by Doug Sokol and Rebecca Morton and will be the setting for an upcoming series of musical events called the Barn Concerts at Pine Meadow Ranch. "This is the maiden voyage of a community music circle," said... Full story
A new concept in church is coming to Sisters. Its approach strips away many of the trappings of the traditional church. The ministry called "Under New Management" does not believe in owning property. Its philosophy is simple: communicating with neighbors. According to Under New Management's lead pastor Aaren Gushwa of Redmond, no particular denomination is backing the establishment of the new church. Gushwa spoke to local folks at an organizational meeting at Bad Ass Coffee Co. earlier this month. Gushwa explained that his... Full story
Director and producer of independent films Tom Putnam returned to his native Oregon last week to provide a forum to discuss his latest film "Red, White, Black and Blue." The Bend Film Festival was the venue for the documentary that was six-and-a-half years in the making. The film is about an invasion of United States territory: the country's first full-scale invasion since the War of 1812. Hidden by the U.S. government for many years and still disguised as a footnote in history, the invasion by the Japanese of the Alaskan... Full story
Folks who use the services of Sisters Drug Co. are being greeted by a smiling new face behind the pharmacy counter. Jenny Murphy took over this month as the new managing pharmacist at the venerable Sisters pharmacy. Tim and Deanna Muir sold the store to Pill Box Drugs, based in Vancouver, Washington, a year ago. Tim Muir remained a fixture behind the counter as the search went on for a new pharmacy manager. It took a year before serendipity took a role and brought Murphy... Full story
A sunny autumn day and a fast course produced quick race times for the Sisters Outlaws boys and girls cross country teams Saturday at the Adidas Classic at Fernhill Park, in Portland. Running for the second weekend in a row against the best 6A, 5A, and 4A teams in Oregon, as well as Alaska's top team, the Outlaws finished respectably in the middle of the team race in both the boys and girls contests. Benton Urquhart got wrapped up in the excitement of the race and led for most... Full story
Changing professions is a big step for anyone. Moving to a new area is also a huge stretch. Doing both is a challenging leap, a leap that Sisters newest chiropractic physician Anthony Green felt compelled to take. Green has taken his leap in slow motion over a period of some four years. It all started when he decided to go back to school to become a chiropractor after a career as a chemical technician in the semi-conductor field. "It was all inside work. I was working night sh... Full story
