News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 30
One woman died and six other people were seriously injured in a three-vehicle crash on Highway 20 eight miles east of Sisters on Saturday, March 17. According to Oregon State Police, the wreck occured at 2:53 p.m. A silver 1999 Volkswagen Jetta driven by Beverley Walter, 52, from Sunriver, was eastbound on Highway 20 near the Three Sisters viewpoint when it crossed into the westbound lane, narrowly missing two vehicles and collided head-on with a gold 2001 Chevrolet Suburban. A westbound 2005 Volks-wagon Passat with four occu... Full story
Kris Helphinstine lasted less than two weeks on the job as a new Sisters High School biology teacher. The school board fired him last Monday night on the recommendation of Superintendent Ted Thonstad for deviating from accepted curriculum by presenting materials supporting creationism to his biology class. By a vote of three to one, with one member abstaining because of a lack of background information, the board terminated the employment of the probationary, part-time teacher. Helphinstine, 27, disagrees with Thonstad's... Full story
Thirty-five elk escaped from a private elk ranch in Sisters on Wednesday morning through fences that Oregon State Police have determined were deliberately cut. All were recovered and returned unharmed to Patterson Ranch. The Oregon State Police is investigating the incident. Anyone with information is urged to contact Sergeant David Pond at 388-6213. Two fences, both of which were cut, keep the elk inside the ranch boundaries. Of the 35 elk, 27 managed to escape through both... Full story
Larry Blanton has fulfilled a lifelong goal by becoming Deschutes County Sheriff. Now the really hard work begins. Blanton is sheriff of one of the fastest-growing counties in America - with all the challenges that entails. The Sisters area is probably the quietest sector in his county - and Blanton knows he'll have to work to keep it that way. The new sheriff has no plans for altering the contract his office has to provide police services to the City of Sisters. This year... Full story
To the Editor: Paul Patton's letter in the March 7 issue attempted to cast The Nugget's coverage of the Sisters School District's frequent fumblings as slinging mud. But mud can only be made where there is dirt. It's bad enough that the district routinely fails to navigate simple mathematics related to school budgets and new construction (this isn't calculus, folks) while willfully snubbing the basic tenets of our Constitution that mandate separation of church and state. But after repeatedly being caught with their pants... Full story
Bryant Lasken loves to sculpt. So does his mother Deb Sether. An eighth grader at Sisters Middle School, Bryant has been fascinated with clay as long as he can remember. His passion is forming monsters - cute monsters. He appoints them holding catchy signs like "Drink a lot of Coffee" or "Shop 'til you Drop." Bryant's monsters are currently being exhibited at Mirror Pond Gallery in Bend. He says he might consider a career as a professional artist. "If I sell a few pieces then... Full story
Most folks would love to live without utility bills. A few innovators in Sisters are doing it. Jack Addison is one. He's building a new home "off the grid." "To bring electrical service to this home site would have cost about $30,000, and then I would still have to pay for electrical service," Addison told The Nugget. "For the same price I was able to make the home so that I didn't need to hook it up to the grid, and I will not be making monthly payments to CEC (Central... Full story
As the warmth of the sun stole the chill from the cold Sisters morning air, a crew of university students laid a roof. Later, some of the students helped to finish the house's exterior. Others cleared a building site, burned brush and patched the roof at the old city hall. During the last two weeks, students from the University of Minnesota and the University of Washington have spent their spring breaks volunteering as construction workers for Sisters Habitat for Humanity.... Full story
Six candidates will run for three seats on the Sisters School Board. The election is May 22. Mike Morgan opposes Tom Dumolt for Position 2, an unexpired two-year term that is open as a result of the sudden resignation two months ago of former board chairman Rob Corrigan. Morgan has spent the last months challenging the Sisters School Board's usage of public meeting law. "For the past few months I have been the harshest critic of the current board," Morgan said. School board chairman Mike Gould has welcomed Morgan's challenges... Full story
The Lady Outlaws softball team lost their season opener 0-10 against Mountain View on Tuesday, March 13. Mountain View was up 2-0 until the fifth inning when they added two more runs and then broke the game wide open. "We had our share of first game jitters," said Coach Tom Mauldin, "and the bats weren't working well. But for our first game, our reaction times defensively were good. We know what we need to work on, and the girls have got to see how much potential they have." Junior outfielders Cassie Huber and JJ Ashley each... Full story
James Charles Burkholder, a longtime resident of Sisters, died in his home surrounded by his family on March 11. He was 91. He was born in Campbellsville, Kentucky, on August 28, 1915, the first son of Claude Allen Burkholder and Clara Buchanan. He grew up and was schooled in central California. He served in the Army during World War II, where he met his wife Blanche. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last year. He was a successful small businessman in Carmel, California and in Bend for 40 years before retiring... Full story
A florescent yellow-green sign now adorns the middle of the intersection on Highway 20 and Locust Street. The sign shrieks caution to motorists. They are approaching a school crossing. They are expected to slow down. "It has worked to slow down traffic... because that sign is so visible in that crosswalk out there that it has helped," said Deschutes Sheriff's Deputy Don Pray. As a deputy Pray serves as the School Resource Officer for the Sisters School District. During the win... Full story
The girls' tennis team lost to North Marion at Black Butte Ranch on Wednesday, March 13, and then fell to Madras just two days later. In Wednesday's match against North Marion, three of Sisters' doubles teams made their debut. None of the girls had ever played in a tennis match before. Coach Marty Dale told The Nugget that in the first set the girls were soundly defeated by scores of 0-6 or 1-6 but stepped it up in the second set with scores of 3-6 and 4-6. Junior Tori Miller (No. 2 singles) split her match with Katie Kahle.... Full story
The warm and sunny weather was perfect for lacrosse, and the Outlaws made the most of it with an 11-10 win in sudden death over West Salem (WS) on Saturday, March 17. The Outlaws jumped out to a fast start to take a 3-0 lead. Sisters pushed to a 6-2 lead at one point in the game, but WS kept chipping away and closed the Outlaw lead to 7-5. With 27 seconds remaining on the clock, WS scored to tie it up at 9-9. West Salem got the face off, and then Sisters got a penalty called and had to play one man down. Norman Emberton... Full story
The JV boys' basketball team went .500 for their season with eight wins and eight losses. The team improved from an overall 1-12 record from last season. Making up the roster for the team were: Barclay Moon (point guard); Levi Rowe (point guard, wing); Lee Elder (wing); Aaron Fegenbush (wing); Ross Cristiano (wing); Jordan Tandy (post); Ryan Burbank (post); Tyler Miller (post); and Kevin Wistrom (post). Moon was the team's Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the season, the team captain and also led the team in assists. Rowe and... Full story
The boys' tennis team brought home a big 8-0 win over North Marion on Wednesday, March 14 - despite the fact three varsity players didn't play. Both singles and doubles teams won in straight sets. Number one singles player, Johannes Traut defeated Ben Brickley 6-0, 6-0. Evan Sims (No. 2) defeated Sam Krekos 6-1, 6-0. Jordan Wilmes (No. 3) won 6-1, 6-4 over Aloma Johnsick, and Charlie Phillips (No. 4) defeated Justin Cha 6-0, 6-1. The number one duo of Shyma Ellis and Jake Thomas defeated Karl Porath and Phil Martines 6-2,... Full story
The competitive track season got underway on a positive note for the Sisters Outlaws at the Marist Icebreaker Invitational held March 15 in Eugene. "I was very pleased with the way the kids competed, especially for the very first meet of the season," said head coach Bob Johnson. The girls won the four-way meet with 95.5 points against the host Spartans (77), Junction City (47.5) and Sweet Home (41), while the boys came up second to Marist, 79-90. Sweet Home (51) edged Junction City (48) for third. Highlights of the boys'... Full story
Fueled by unseasonably warm and beautiful weather last Saturday, volunteers from the Sisters Rodeo Association descended on the grounds to start preparing for the year's events. Most of the projects involve repairs and general maintenance; however, there is a new office for the secretary in the wind. "We are going to increase the size of the building to accommodate the rodeo secretary. The rodeo secretary has been sequestered in the little office, and there is no room in... Full story
• One of the action teams that has formed as a result of the community-wide Sisters Future Vision Project (SEED: Sisters Economic & Entrepreneurial Development) is seeking input from the Sisters community. Has a small (or large) business, as a result of your relationship, ever contacted you about potentially relocating to Sisters? What was the process and eventual result? The action team will assess whether there is need in Sisters for an Economic Development Director position. E-mail Bill Mintiens at... Full story
The Outlaws notched a 7-5 victory in their season opener on the diamond against Crook County (CC) on Wednesday, March 14. The Outlaws held a slim 6-5 lead in the seventh inning. With a two strike count, Fegenbush hit a single to score Zach Lange and give the Outlaws a little cushion. Sisters finished the game with eight singles and five errors. CC got five runs off of four hits and committed two errors. Nate Jackson was the winning pitcher for Sisters, and the save went to Jared Hasskamp. Jackson and Hasskamp combined to... Full story
NeighborImpact volunteers spent last Wednesday and Thursday helping local folks file tax returns. The program was made possible through NeighborImpact's partnership with Oregon State University Extension Services BIT Mobile. Through a software program called Complete Tax, individuals who make $40,000 or less are able to file their tax returns online free of charge. The BIT Mobile provides the wireless Internet terminals to make such filings possible. Complete Tax is hosted at... Full story
Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) plays a young Scottish doctor who has traveled to Uganda to assist in a rural hospital. His decision to go to Africa is not an example of altruism as much as an opportunity to escape his father and have an adventure. In the early 1970s, Garrigan meets Idi Amin Dada (Forest Whitaker), who admires the Scots and is the new President of Uganda. The film covers the early years of Amin's rule - the promise of a golden age for the African nation that instead breeds unimaginable brutality and... Full story
Five candidates will be interviewed for the Sisters school superintendent position. The Sisters School Board invited two others who declined to be interviewed. The school board acted on the recommendation of the Superintendent Screening Committee. The committee consists of staff, administrators, the five school board members, one student and district residents. After reading the files of all 21 applicants, the committee members narrowed the field to seven. Betsy Miller-Jones, the Oregon School Boards Association consultant... Full story
Six cases of theft have been reported at Sisters schools this year. "This is very few cases," said Deschutes County Sheriff's Deputy Don Pray, who serves as the School Resource Officer for the Sisters School District. One case of theft has been reported at the middle school and five cases have been reported at the high school. Items reported stolen at the high school are: clothing and a cell phone; a cell phone; a wallet and $4; $309 from a locker; and clothing. "This is down... Full story
Ryan Haney finished off the middle school wrestling season by placing 2nd in the 80-pound bracket at the state tournament in Woodburn on March 10. To qualify for state, wrestlers were required to compete in one of three qualifying tournaments around the state on March 3. Placing in the top six at one of the qualifiers reserved a spot in the state tournament. There were 17 boys in Haney's qualifying bracket, and he got off to a slow start against Willamina's Josh Perry,... Full story
