News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 22 of 22
The article “Recounting life in Sisters’ forest” which appeared in the October 12 issue of The Nugget, recounted the story of Buddy Blair and his family, living in the forest near Sisters. It inspired me to write and encourage everyone to attend the Town Hall discussion on October 20 on homelessness. I won’t be there because of a previous obligation; however, if I were to attend, I could share my experience of welcoming a houseless woman into my home. A request came across my computer, seeking a single woman, perhaps a widow... Full story
I like The Nugget Newspaper. I read it weekly. I think for the most part Jim Cornelius does a good job of balancing out controversial subjects by our unfortunately very polarized political community and country. In fact, because he has done such a good job of this, I have sat on my hands and let the ink dry out of my pens before writing in on the numerous musings which I disagree with that have been printed. However, after reading the editorial page article “Vaccine complications” by Wayne B. Schmotzer DVM, printed in the... Full story
Luke Demro Gardinier was born on October 17, 1978, in Forest Grove. He grew up and lived the entirety of his adult life in Sisters with his family. He passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on Wednesday, September 28. He was 43 years old. Luke graduated from Sisters High School in 1997. Throughout his high school career, and after, he would often be found at school or sporting events supporting his brother, Bryce, and his sister, Krista. After high school, he spent... Full story
Note: The list of men I respect and admire is long. This commentary is from a place of care rather than critique. I am an observer and welcome other perspectives, and I think more dialogue is needed. On August 28, my hometown of Bend was added to the long list of mass shootings as 20-year-old Ethan Miller fired over 100 rounds with a legally purchased AR-15 rifle through a local grocery store, killing two and wounding multiple others before taking his own life. Since 1966, of the 196 mass shootings that have taken place, all... Full story
A relatively common dabbler duck, the Northern Pintail [Anus acuta], feeds on grains, seeds, crustaceans, and aquatic insects. It gets its name from the long tail feathers ending in a distinctive narrow sharp tip. They build their nest amongst the reeds in marshes and begin nesting in very early spring, laying six to 12 pale olive eggs, which hatch in 21-25 days. Ducklings leave the nest immediately, and are capable of flying in 38-45 days. Pintails once were one of the most... Full story
Continuing a tradition dating back to 2017, Sisters Movie House announced that special one-night-only arts presentations will return on Thursday, October 20. The 2022 Autumn Arts Series kicked off on October 6, with a music documentary on the pop-rock band Chicago. Now the series moves into the popular realm of modern art with a special on 20th-century painter Edward Hopper. “Hopper: An American Love Story” provides a comprehensive look at one of America’s best-known, but l... Full story
The Lady Outlaws continued to roll over league foes last week, with an 8-0 shutout at home against a young and inexperienced Siuslaw squad on Monday, October 10, and three days later a 3-0 shutout on the road at Santiam Christian. In Tuesday’s game the Outlaws scored seven goals in the first 25 minutes of the contest and at the half held an 8-0 lead. Since the Outlaws were up by eight, the game was called and came to an end. The Outlaws were able to move the ball around the field with ease, get balls to the corner, and f... Full story
The Outlaws boys soccer team suffered a tough 2-1 loss at Santiam Christian on Thursday, October 13. Sisters and Santiam Christian both came onto the field focused and ready to play, but seven minutes in the Outlaws had a breakdown in communication on defense, and the Eagles scored. Coach Jeff Husmann told The Nugget his team didn’t panic, but settled into their style of play, and showed character and grit. The Eagles boast a couple of very fast and crafty players, but the Outlaws’ defense made the necessary adjustments and... Full story
Being homeless is not a crime. The local Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office substation in Sisters is tasked with the delicate task of dealing appropriately with a houseless population and citizen concerns. Lt. Chad Davis will be one of the panelists in a Town Hall, “Houseless in Sisters,” on Thursday, October 20. Lt. Davis told The Nugget that much of deputies’ time spent in dealing with issues around unhoused people in the community involve trying to find solutions to problem... Full story
In December 2016, at the beginning of what proved to be an especially harsh winter, an unhoused man named Ed Fones died in his car of hypothermia. Fones was employed in Sisters, but couldn’t afford to pay rent, so lived in his car. At the time of this tragedy, a dedicated group of community members was already in the process of establishing Sisters’ first cold weather Shelter, led by co-chairs Pastor Ron Gregg of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church and Lois Kaping of Wes... Full story
High rental housing costs, low inventory of affordable homes, and climbing inflation conspire to keep a certain percentage of Sisters residents from having stable permanent housing, even if they have full-time employment. On Thursday evening, October 20, Citizens4Community and The Nugget Newspaper are co-sponsoring a community forum at the Sisters Fire Hall Community Room at 301 S. Elm St. and the public is invited. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the program begins at 6 p.m. Six... Full story
Whether you bury it in the garage or send it to the landfill, chances are you’ve run into a broken household object recently. Many folks don’t know what else to do with it. “We throw away vast amounts of stuff,” according to the international organization Repair Café. “Even things with almost nothing wrong, and which could get a new lease on life after a simple repair.” Call a local repair shop and you may find it’s more affordable to buy a new gadget than get your old... Full story
The Outlaws enjoyed a beautiful, crisp fall evening for their homecoming football game, and their senior night ceremony. Before kickoff, Sisters’ 11 seniors were honored for their contributions to the football program. Seniors Gabe Bailey, Ben Cooper, Brody Duey, Hayden Kunz, Adam Maddox-Castle, Easton Moore, Jessey Murillo, Henry Rard, Mason Sellers, Patrick Silva, and Hudson Symonds were all met by their families on the football field in front of a big Outlaws crowd. C... Full story
The Sisters community children and families are invited to a howling good time at the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Station, 301 S. Elm St., from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, October 31. There will be carnival games and — if you dare — you can venture into the new haunted maze at the annual Halloween event. There will be refreshments, prizes, and candy for all the trick-or-treaters. For more information contact the fire district at 541-549-0771. Halloween Safety To ensure a safe and happy Halloween experience, families are... Full story
The No. 1-ranked Lady Outlaws volleyball squad traveled to Pleasant Hill High School on Tuesday, October 11, to take on the No. 3 ranked Billies, and lost in a grueling five-set match — their first loss in league play. Two days later, the agony of defeat was put behind them as they swept Creswell at home, and secured the Mountain Valley Conference Championship. In Monday’s matchup against Pleasant Hill the Lady Outlaws jumped out to a quick and decisive 25-18 first set, but knew better than to expect the Billies to g... Full story
Clive Rainey’s passion for creating housing for those in need remains undiminished, after decades of service with Habitat for Humanity — which started with him stepping up as the organization’s first volunteer on April 1, 1977. His journey with Habitat took him to Africa, where he worked in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) and in Uganda in the wake of the genocide perpetrated by its dictator Idi Amin. He retired as a paid staff member and moved to Gua... Full story
I plan to attend the meeting on houselessness next Thursday, and am curious as to what possible solutions will be presented. As a pragmatic person, I hope it’s not only an awareness meeting with lots of talk-talk-talk. I think most of us are aware there is a problem that is not improving. Like many of you (and thank you, Bill Bartlett), I’ve been giving this difficult situation some serious thought. Especially with winter coming. I recently watched a YouTube video about the Opportunity Village in Eugene. Eugene happens to hav... Full story
Traffic and growth To the Editor: Traffic again. How many readers of The Nugget have waited interminably to drive across Highway 20 in the heart of Sisters this year? How many have viewed the “open-air RV showroom” that is Highway 20 for much of the year? How many have seen traffic stretch for a mile west- or east-bound toward the roundabout? Well, the worst is yet to come. While the City is encouraging more tourists to come (to enjoy our colossal traffic jam?) and more businesses to be established (perhaps another Lai... Full story
It’s the time of year when deer are on the move. Although known biologically as the rut, their unpredictable and potentially dangerous behavior during October and November has some local hunters labelling it derisively as “the time when deer get stupid.” The odds of expensive and life-threatening car-deer interactions are way up, especially as urban boundaries expand and deer are displaced. Eric Smith of Caliber Collision in Redmond is seeing the collision numbers climb, aside from the rut and fawning (spring/summer) seaso... Full story
Ian Reid, Sisters’ district ranger, knows that when he takes his seat on the “Houseless in Sisters” panel on Thursday, October 20 at Sisters Fire Hall, he’ll be on the hottest seat in the house. It’s his agency, after all — the U.S. Forest Service — that is directly responsible for managing camping in the forests surrounding Sisters. And that’s where the unhoused of Sisters Country live. “It’s a complicated role,” he acknowledged in an interview with The Nugget.... Full story
Sisters planners will conduct a public hearing on a proposed development along McKenzie Highway at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 20. The planned Sunset Meadows housing development by Woodhill Homes is proposed to create a 71-lot residential development with 22 single-family, detached dwellings, 48 townhome dwellings, and approximately 72 to 124 multifamily units on one of the last available large parcels of land in Sisters. The 12.85-acre parcel is located on the McKenzie Highway (Highway 242) between West Hood Avenue and... Full story
Don’t you love the smell of autumn? The dried plants and leaves with their potpourri scents wafting up as we tramp through the woods? As leaves fall and die they give off any number of gases as they expire, which fill the air with scents that trigger our nostalgia mechanisms. YouGov did a study (they have a poll for everything it seems) and learned that 31 percent of us say fall is our favorite season. Spring is still the most popular season among those over 55. N... Full story
