News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 28
The Deschutes National Forest closed two Forest Service roads in Sisters Country at the beginning of the week due to recent and forecasted snowfall. The Sisters Ranger District closed Forest Service Road 16, which provides driving access to Three Creek Lake, at the Upper Three Creek SnoPark. The Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District will close Forest Service Road 4603, which provides driving access to Tumalo Falls. The roads are closed to provide for public safety and minimize resource damage, as well as to preserve the snowpack as... Full story
On Sunday, October 23, 2022, Willard (Bill) Ernest Wilson III unexpectedly passed away at the age of 80 from a cranial hemorrhage as he was traveling to his beloved annual elk- hunting trip in Eagle Cap Wilderness, Oregon. Bill was born June 9, 1942, in Grants Pass, Oregon, to Willard II and Marian, while his father was serving in World War II. He received his pharmacy degree from Oregon State University where he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. He used his degree to... Full story
Longtime Sisters resident George W. Sproat passed away quietly November 3, 2022. He was born in Terrebonne, the fourth child of William LeRoy Spoat and Eva Lucille (Chapman) Sproat. He attended school in Central Oregon and went on to serve in the Navy from October 31, 1950 – the day after turning 21 — until being discharged August 1954. He married his wife, Charlotte Jean Ladrow, May 1951, and they welcomed their daughter Cindy while stationed in California. The... Full story
Close to a thousand runners gathered in Sisters Saturday to participate in the FivePine Happy Girls Run. Runners from as far away as Minnesota and Texas took part in the two-section event. A little over 500 registered for the half-marathon (13.1 miles) and just under 500 for the 5K (3.1 miles). The 36-degree temperature at start time, abetted by a 5-to-10-mph wind, made for a frosty sendoff. The overcast skies did not dampen the mood. It seemed to be all smiles even as... Full story
Firefighters with the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District responded to a motor home fire early Monday evening at the intersection of Hood Avenue and Highway 242. A 911 call was received at 5:59 p.m., and firefighters arrived within four minutes to find a motor home fully engulfed in flames, which were spreading to the grass and brush around the vehicle. Firefighters extinguished the fire and remained on scene for more than an hour cooling the smoldering vehicle. The motorhome w... Full story
The Sisters High School boys and girls cross-country teams discovered that moving from the 4A ranks to the 3A/2A/1A ranks did not lessen the level of competition at the state meet. Quite the opposite: the competition proved to be tougher. The Sisters boys placed sixth and the girls eighth at the OSAA Championships held Saturday, November 5, at Lane Community College in Eugene. The boys team toed the line with some familiar foes in Siuslaw and Valley Catholic, which both moved to the 3A classification as well. In last... Full story
The Lady Outlaws fell in a heart-breaking loss to the Lady Warriors at Amity High School in the state quarterfinals on Saturday, November 5. Sisters battled hard the entire contest and with 15 minutes left in the game thought they’d scored the go-ahead goal. Shae Wyland took a free kick and booted a laser shot that deflected off the bar and Ella Davis was there to head it in for the score. Coach Brian Holden said, “An official got involved, and made an offsides call, whi... Full story
Sisters is home to many residents who moved here from other states. They, like some longtime Oregonians, may not be aware of or understand Oregon’s unique land-use planning program, which guides what Sisters can and cannot do when it comes to growth and development. Oregon’s land-use planning program was established to provide a balance of needs, including protecting farm and forest land, while also planning for organized urbanized growth. In 1973, then-Governor Tom McC... Full story
The Outlaws football squad lost to No. 4-ranked Banks in a final score of 47-8 in the first round of state playoffs, which was held at Hare Field in Hillsboro. Weather conditions were horrible, as teams battled the cold and stormy weather with incessant rain the entire evening. Banks is a very physical and well-coached team, and dominated the game on both sides of the ball all night long. The Outlaws offense fumbled twice inside their own 10-yard line, which set up easy scores for the Braves. At the half the Outlaws trailed... Full story
The 2022 growing season has proven to be better than Seed to Table’s Executive Director Audrey Tehan hoped for. “Wow! What an incredible season it’s been,” she said. “With a combination of our greenhouse expansions, warm October weather, and our amazing farm team’s experiences, we will be continuing the produce share through November 16. We have 110 families in our produce share. They’ve received Seed to Table produce for 30 weeks this year.” This will make Seed to Table p... Full story
Two events scheduled for next week at City Hall on Wednesday and Thursday, November 16-17, will provide the opportunity for public input on decisions that will have long-lasting impacts on the Sisters community. The Sisters Planning Commission is holding a public hearing on Thursday, November 17, to consider Development Code text amendments that will alter density and height regulations, among other changes (see related story, below). The City is holding an in-person open... Full story
Early on, Barb Schulz knew science would be a part of her life. At 80 years old, she’s still active, inquisitive, and happy to share what she’s learned. Getting started in the sciences proved a challenge. In 1963, she applied to veterinary school but was rejected; not because she wasn’t smart enough, but because she was female. “I applied at the University of Illinois and was told they’d never admitted a woman and weren’t going to start with me,” she recalled. That theme of... Full story
Sisters’ veterans group Band of Brothers had their work cut out for them when they readied a five-foot-by-four-foot boulder at Village Green Park for the installation of a 27-inch-by-27-inch granite face onto which brass plaques honoring deceased Sisters Country veterans will be memorialized. The boulder is the third in a trio of large rocks at the park’s pavilion that bear the names of citizens who served. One boulder is full and the second has room for only seven more veterans —thus the third was necessary. Hal Dar... Full story
I have just read some commentary from Wayne Schmotzer, D.V.M. in regards to COVID-19. Wayne is passionate about this topic, means well, and is very intelligent, but his commentary may be taken by people as actionable medical advice — advice that is not well-founded. Dr. Schmotzer is largely promoting things that are in many ways not correct, only partially correct, or taken out of context in such a way as to contradict the evidence of thousands of experts who want nothing more than to promote public health, safety, and... Full story
A rock wallaby atop the boulder pile we were halfway up ignored us. Humans move clumsily on furniture-sized stones by comparison, so it kept ambling along despite being 40 feet away. The encounter had little effect on us as well. Commanding our attention were incredibly ancient images right before our eyes, meticulously chiseled into rock, and local authority Graham offered insights: “Could this be some sort of abstract portrayal known only to its creator or might it r... Full story
And finally the madness ends. Election madness, I mean. Most of the candidates, early or late, zeroed in on homelessness as a problem. One candidate was even bold enough to suggest that he would “solve homelessness.” That’s a big and briny declaration, and, of course, it is equally absurd, but there it was on the long list of heroic crusades the candidate claimed he would embark on — given the necessary donations and, of course, that annoying requirement of actual votes... Full story
At the distinct risk of offending any number of people, including around 100 or so who have plunked down $800,000, $900,000, or a million or more for mid-century modern or prairie ranch homes popping up all over Sisters, I’ll take my chances that others might also find the newest hot look incompatible with Sisters. It’s the “Bend look,” I hear more and more as I make my rounds. And Bend isn’t Sisters, some state forcefully with apparent disdain for the style of architect... Full story
The depth of competition was daunting in the girls 3A/2A/1A State cross-country race held in Eugene on November 5. “Not only would our team have placed in the top five in the 4A race, the individuals were much stronger in our race,” said Head Coach Charlie Kanzig. “Five girls broke 20 minutes in the 4A race, whereas ten did in the 3A/2A/1A race. The competition was excellent.” Sisters lacked the firepower to keep up with champion Enterprise (63), and the other trophy winners, Oregon Episcopal (84), Siuslaw (95), and Union (... Full story
The Outlaws boys soccer team faced top-seeded Oregon Episcopal (OE) in the second round of state playoffs without two of their strongest and most experienced players, Aidan Eckert and Vincent Christian, one out due to penalty and the other due to injury. The OE Aardvarks only had one loss on the season and the Outlaws knew they were in for an uphill battle. Sisters battled hard throughout the contest but lost 0-3. Coach Jeff Husmann told The Nugget that the Outlaws’ plan was to “gum up the middle of the field, get all of the... Full story
The City of Sisters has designated four finalists for the position of city manager: Sungman “Simon” Kim, Neil Obringer, Ron Tinseth, and Keith Witcosky. The community will have an opportunity to participate in small roundtable group conversations with the finalists the evening of Tuesday, November 15 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Sisters City Hall, 520 E. Cascade Ave. Dr. Sungman “Simon” Kim currently serves as the principal of Landform and Planning, his private consulting enterprise, and has 15 years of experience in local governm... Full story
Changes to the City of Sisters Development Code that would allow for greater building density and residential building in commercial areas are on the table before the Sisters Planning Commission. Commissioners will conduct a public hearing on Thursday, November 17, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, regarding amendments to the code. The proposed changes reflect recommendations of the Sisters Housing Plan and Efficiency Measures Report. The requested text amendments would impact... Full story
A large turnout of parents and other community members attended the monthly Superintendent Coffee Chat last Wednesday morning. These Coffee Chats give the community a chance to discuss concerns and have an open roundtable discussion with each other, and with Schools Superintendent Curt Scholl. Scholl is entering his eighth year as superintendent at the Sisters School District (SSD), and only twice has he seen a group this large turnout. And that was twice online and once in... Full story
Four Sisters students were awarded for their hard work in completing the English Learners Program, last Wednesday evening at Sisters Elementary School (SES). The four students, two from the elementary school, one from the middle school, and one from the high school, all completed their benchmark levels in learning English through the program in the Sisters School District. This is the program’s third year and second ceremony honoring students with the Avanza Award, Spanish f... Full story
No matter how the midterm election turns out, some folks are going to be mad. And sometimes when people get vexed, they lash out. I just hope that won’t happen in Sisters. I’d like to think that whether or not we agree on all things political (and who does?) we could still get along. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could live up to the name of our town? After all, Sisters is named after the pristine white-capped mountains we all admire and enjoy, and their names are Faith, Hope, and Charity. These are attributes the whole world... Full story
A vibrant, inclusive society To the Editor: Hey Sisters! My daughter is gay and nonbinary! (She/her pronouns, and prefers the term “daughter.”) She is a product of Sisters High School, Middlebury College, and OHSU Medical School. She is currently working on the front lines saving lives in New Mexico. Her parents could not be more proud of their perfect child. It may come as a surprise to some that none of her patients have turned to stone despite their “intimate” interactions with a queer physician. Equally surpris... Full story
