News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 24 of 24
Two Sisters City Councilors say there is no need to annex 30 acres at the west end of Sisters to accommodate a senior living center. They argue that Sisters has enough land and that growth never pays for itself. Proponents say that that point of view is wrong, that Sisters will benefit significantly from annexing the land, and by having housing for seniors. They want to see an agreement reached soon so that developers can start going through what is likely to be a lengthy... Full story
With six inches of snow already accumulated on McKenzie Pass Highway and more expected, the Oregon Department of Transportation closed Highway 242 for the season on Tuesday, October 27. The closure follows early season snowfall at and below the pass elevation of 5,325 feet. After completing a final sweep to make sure no vehicles (along with campers, hunters or hikers) are parked along the road, ODOT will close and lock the snow gates on the east and west sides of the highway. The scenic highway opened to vehicle traffic this... Full story
A 20-year-old Bend woman is safe after she got lost summiting South Sister Saturday and hiked out of the wilderness to Three Creek Road. According to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports, Hillary Williams and her black Labrador dog left Devils Lake Trailhead at about 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 25, with intentions of summiting both South Sister and Middle Sister. However, nightfall caught her and she spent a long cold night wandering in the Three Sisters Wilderness. At about 12:15 a.m. on Sunday, a friend of Williams' ca... Full story
Oregon Treasurer Ben Westlund is receiving treatment to combat a recurrence of cancer, he disclosed last week in a letter to his staff at the Oregon State Treasury. Westlund, 60, who previously underwent successful treatment for lung cancer, receives regular scans to quickly detect any return. He said he started treatment earlier this year, but remains on the job and expressed confidence the treatments will be successful. "As part of my regularly scheduled exam, my doctor discovered that cancer has returned and I am working... Full story
The Deschutes Land Trust still has a long path to tread before the Skyline Community Forest becomes a reality. But if wishes counted for anything, it would already be a done deal. Earlier this year, the Oregon Legislature approved a potential land deal that would bring 30,000 acres of the Bull Springs Tree Farm under the stewardship of the Deschutes Land Trust. Although planning and negotiations are moving forward, no deal has yet been struck to change the property's... Full story
To the Editor: I am a parent of three children in the Sisters schools. I have two sons in middle school who have been in school here since preschool and I have a daughter in kindergarten who attends the charter school. If it were not for the charter school, my daughter would not be in school this year. From the beginning, my husband and I agreed that our daughter would not go through the traditional schooling system like her brothers have. She attended Waldorf preschool for two years, and considering the cost of Waldorf and... Full story
"When I was a kid, I always wanted to throw a birthday party like this," said Janet Zuelke. So she did - only it wasn't for herself; it was for the environmental education organization Wolftree. Wolftree is turning 15; the organization has been active in Sisters for many of those years. Supporters gathered Saturday night at Three Creeks Brewing Co. to celebrate with a bagpiper, a clown, storytelling from Susan Strauss and music from Dennis McGregor, Patrick Lombardi and Peter... Full story
When foresters ignited piles of slash in the woods near Metolius Meadows in Camp Sherman last week, they also touched off a storm of protest from residents. An inversion layer pushed the smoke to the ground along the Lake Creek drainage and the smoke mixed with fog to create an impenetrable and unpleasant pall. "It was like New Delhi on a bad day," said area resident Shane Lundgren. The air quality was so bad, Lundgren said, that after several days of smoke inundation, some... Full story
For the past two years, Sisters students have had the rare opportunity to learn Mandarin, the official national language of China. Their teacher, Sisters businessman David Perkins, who lived in Taiwan for 21 years and Hong Kong for five years, is planning to take his second-year students to China. They hope to tour China for two weeks in June after school is out. Perkins is busy creating fundraisers to help make the trip a reality. Black Butte Ranch Art Guild donated a... Full story
Parents will gather next week for an exciting evening of dinner, dancing, raffles, and silent and live auctions - and it's all for the kids. On Friday, November 6 from 6 to 10 p.m. the Sisters Elementary School's parent/teacher association will hold its annual Green & Gold Gala at Aspen Lakes' Brand 33 restaurant. "It's a very fun event for our parents and staff that has really helped fund some enrichment programs for our school," said Jan Silberman, Principal. "Our parents ha... Full story
The Outlaws lost 48-0 to the No. 1 ranked Marist Spartans on Friday, October 23. Marist is not only ranked No. 1 in the state but is ranked No. 4 in the state at all levels, including 6A. "We lost in what seems a very lopsided score, but we played a very good game and our defense played brilliant," Coach Bob Macauley said. Sisters' defense gave up only one touchdown in the first quarter and held Marist to 20 yards rushing. On the other hand, the Outlaws offense was unable to sustain drives against a very tough Spartan... Full story
A sweep of the top three places in the boys varsity race must have sent a charge of confidence through the rest of the Outlaws runners as Sisters had its strongest showing so far this year at the Bristow Park Rock 'N Roll Invitational hosted by Pleasant Hill High School. Parker Bennett, still undefeated on the season, buried all competitors on the winding, muddy trails surrounding Bristow Park near Dexter Lake to win in 16:17. Asked afterwards what he thought of the race, he remarked, "Actually it was kind of boring." His... Full story
Wayland was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the second child of Herman H. Stephenson and Edith Wayland Stephenson. He grew up in Wichita, Kansas, and graduated from Wichita East High School in 1936, and the University of Kansas in 1940. He completed medical school at the University of Kansas on June 9, 1942 and married Alice Ann Jones the very next day. During World War II he served at the naval hospital in Long Beach, California. After the war he completed a residency in... Full story
Until the moment he drew his last breath, he was our model of a life well-lived. Never wavering in his integrity or his love for his family, he bore the physical pains and indignities of his final days with grace and equanimity. Born in Slayton, Minnesota, Hal passed away at the age of 88. Son of Verne and Clara Secrest, he grew up in Galesburg, Illinois. He served as a meteorologist in the Army Air Force with an honorable discharge in 1946. He and Janice Marie Lamb were... Full story
Don was born on February 28, 1941 in Mt. Home, Idaho, to Raymond and Charlotte June Mouser (Kester). He moved to Sisters in 1950 at the age of 9 and graduated from Sisters High School. After graduation, Don spent a few years in Chico, California as an auto mechanic before returning to Sisters. Don started working for Barclay Logging Company in 1964 as a cat skidder. In 1965 he became a member of the Sisters Volunteer Fire Department. He was also a member of the city council... Full story
In tough economic times, everyone in Sisters is looking to make their dollar go as far as they can make it stretch. Sisters Dollar Store aims to make that dollar go a long way indeed. The store, located in the Three Wind Shopping Center, opens Thursday, October 29, with a 9 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce. "A lot of people are saying they're happy it's coming to Sisters so they don't have to drive to the dollar store in Bend," said... Full story
The Lady Outlaws volleyball team notched wins over La Pine, Elmira and Junction City (JC) - all in three straight sets - to push to a 10-1 record in league play. On Tuesday, October 20, Sisters took down the Hawks of La Pine with scores of 25-13, 25-23 and 25-18, and two days later beat Elmira 25-7, 25-16 and 25-13. On Saturday, October 24, Sisters beat JC 25-13, 25-9 and 25-8. In Tuesday's match-up against the Hawks, setter Kaity Douglass logged 25 assists for the night and... Full story
The Central Oregon Rush Strikers struck soccer gold when they won the Kohl's American Cup recreational soccer championship in the U12 division, October 18 in Salem. The youth soccer team, consisting of kids from Sisters and Redmond, beat the McMinnville YSC Grizzlies by a score of 2-1. The Rush Strikers trailed 1-0 at halftime, but rallied behind Sisters sixth-grader Colton Mannhalter's two goals and a strong defensive effort. Many of the Rush Strikers from Sisters have been t... Full story
The girls soccer team rebounded from their loss last week at Marist to record two shutouts. Sisters beat the Falcons 5-0 at Elmira on Monday, October 19, and two days later notched a 2-0 shutout at home over the Junction City (JC) Tigers. Coach Nik Goertzen said, "The win over JC was absolutely huge. I'm very proud of the girls. This was the first time in five years that we've beat JC twice in the same season." Sisters scored their first goal against the Tigers just 10... Full story
Sisters lost 1-0 at Marist in a hard-fought battle that went into 20 minutes of overtime on Tuesday, October 20. Two days later the Outlaws bounced back and notched a 4-2 victory at home against Elmira. In Tuesday's game against Marist the score was even at 0-0 at the end of regulation play. At the 17th minute in overtime, Marist got a free kick that set up the winning goal, and the Spartans recorded the win. Goalie Drew Harrison had a strong performance, and according to... Full story
Sisters Rotary set up an Emerson Respirator, also known as an iron lung, in front of Ray's Food Place on Saturday, October 24, to raise awareness - and funds - for Pennies for Polio. The iron lung was invented to help people breathe who were crippled with the disease. Sisters is the first community to use the lung to create awareness about polio. Rotary restored the iron lung to help with their fundraising efforts to match a $100 million donation made to Rotary... Full story
Daisy Troop #50786, the Sisters Elementary School First Grade Daisy Troop, planted an autumn maple tree on school grounds on Wednesday, October 21. The troop of 14 6-year-old girls with their leader, Wendy Vernon, and parents Annamarie Crosier and Peggy Hogue, placed, planted and watered the large tree as part of their continuing effort to help grow the community in a healthy eco-conscious way. The 15-gallon tree was donated by Aspen Ridge Nursery of Redmond and Sisters city... Full story
A dream shared a year ago is becoming a reality. With this fact in mind, the purpose of the latest Ten Friends "friendraiser" was to update the Sisters community and Ten Friends donors about the nonprofit's latest activity and achievements in improving the quality of life for villagers in Nepal. Brad Tisdel provided music for the evening. Speaking to the crowd of approximately 100 people that filled the Sisters High School commons Saturday night, Ten Friends founders Mark... Full story
Across the nation, workers face the worst job market since the Depression. The average laid-off worker has been without a job for six-and-a-half months, a post-World-War-II record. Many may never recover financially. What does this mean for Sisters Country and what can we, the citizens of Sisters Country, do about it? It's up to the leaders and citizens of this community to make intelligent decisions and to generate opportunities for jobs to keep our citizens from having to relocate their families elsewhere. McKenzie Meadow... Full story
