News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 25
Harold Eugene "Smitty" Smith, 71, husband of Dorothy "Dot" Batton Smith, went to be with his Lord October 31, 2011, at his residence in Waynesboro, VA. He was born July 17, 1940, in Grundy, VA. Harold grew up in Baltimore, MD and after serving in the U.S. Air Force he studied electrical engineering at the University of Houston. In 1997 Smitty and Dot moved to Bend, where he went to work at Keith Manufacturing in Madras. They built a home in Sisters in 2002 and attended Sisters Community Church. In 2005, when Smitty retired,... Full story
Sisters marked Veteran's Day with tributes both large and small, some public, some private and personal, pausing to remember the brave men and women of the armed forces. At Sisters High School, the 13th annual Veterans Day Celebration combined a full breakfast hosted by the Leadership Class prior to Thursday's assembly for veterans and their families. In the lobby, a memorial table displayed medals and memories of local veterans and their loved ones, allowing guests to... Full story
David and Terry (Jensen) Byrum, of Coburg, Arizona, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary November 24. The couple married on November 24, 1961, at Bethesda Lutheran Church in Eugene. They have three children: Dave (and Debbie) of Camano Island, Washington; Mark, of Corvallis; Jodi Fish of Redmond; and three grandchildren. Mr. Byrum served in the U.S. Navy on the U.S.S. Hancock from 1961-64. He owned and operated David Byrum Electric, Inc., in Sisters until his... Full story
High winds that roared through the Sisters Country on Friday, November 11 uprooted and broke trees, some of which fell on cars and houses, and drove a rare mid-November forest fire. Janna Brown's stepdaughter and her family were staying at a vacation home in Black Butte Ranch when the top of a ponderosa pine broke in the high wind and plunged through the roof and, as Brown put it, "stuck through the floor like a lance." Debris from the ceiling and glass from a broken window... Full story
After almost two years of wrangling, differences of opinion and differences in approach, the city council quietly voted 4-1 to make permanent the temporary four percent increase that went into effect May 1. (Note: the print edition and an earlier version of this story stated that the vote was 5-0. Councilor David Asson notified The Nugget that he had, in fact voted "No," arguing that "This rate increase can not and will not sustain the water fund into the future even without paying for any further CIP expenditures delayed... Full story
A woman's report that she had been carjacked in Sisters turned out to be a false claim. The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office sent out a media alert early Saturday morning detailing a woman's report that her car had been stolen by force while she was parked in Sisters on Friday night. According to the media release, "The female victim reported that she was taking a break from driving and was parked just off of Highway 20 in Sisters near the City Hall and the Sisters School Administration Building. "The victim said she was... Full story
To the Editor: With all due respect to the freight industry, we cannot allow them to determine what is best for our town of Sisters. Sitting at Barclay and Highway 20 this morning waiting to cross, taking my daughter to school: I see something coming. What is it? Oh, just another fully loaded semi-truck bearing down on our little intersection. Is he slowing down to 45 mph? Yeah, right. He's doing at least 60. Meanwhile, parents with kids, school busses with kids, and, well, just kids, are busy trying to get to school. Where?... Full story
The U.S Coast Guard is one of the most overlooked service branches of our military, but its impact in numerous homeland arenas of World War II can never be ignored. Sisters' Gordon "Spud" Halsten was a proud member of the Coast Guard from 1941-45 and fondly remembers his time as a radio operator and harbor captain, policing vessel traffic in key ports along the West Coast. "When I first entered the Coast Guard in June, 1941, there were only about 18,000 in it," Halsten recalle... Full story
Tickets are now on sale for the next Starry Nights production, "A Starry Nights Christmas with Gary Morris." Morris first appeared at Starry Nights in 1998, where he thrilled the audience with a magnificent voice that has made him a country music and Broadway star. He will make a special stop in Sisters on his national tour to bring his celebrated acoustic Christmas concert to the Sisters High School stage on Saturday, December 17. Thanks to Morris' great generosity in once again donating his time, the event will raise... Full story
Sue Leek may not be tripping the light fantastic for the TV cameras on a Hollywood set, but she's definitely a dancing star. The proprietor of MacKenzie Creek Mercantile and Peggy Sue's Dance Store in Sisters has returned from the Caribbean Dancesport Classic in Puerto Rico, not with a mirror ball trophy but with dozens of top finishes in a wide range of dance categories. Leek, 68, was one of five Central Oregon dancers who study under Travis Kokkeler, who made the trek to... Full story
On a cold dark Monday night, more than 250 Sisters Country folks packed the FivePine Conference Center to hear a lecture on "Mapping the Brain." On November 7, Dr. Arthur Toga, a world-renowned brain-mapping researcher delivered a clear, concise overview of the scientific community's efforts to better understand the brain and how it functions. "What is it that we spend most of our time doing in brain science?" said Dr. Toga, "We are looking at the 'what and where' (with mappin... Full story
"Teaching is my passion, and has been since second grade," says new Sisters High School English teacher Kristy Swan. But she's not just a teacher; she's also, unexpectedly, a coach. On her first day of school she was thrown a surprise challenge - coaching JV girls' soccer. Luckily for Sisters High School, Swan did have soccer in her background. Her dad was a middle-school soccer coach, and both her older and her younger sister played soccer. Kristy played soccer for 14 years,... Full story
The Lady Outlaws took a fifth-place finish at the Girls 4A State Tournament on Friday and Saturday, November 11-12, at Lane Community College. Crook County claimed the state crown with their win over Hidden Valley in the championship match. Sisters started the tourney with a 25-15, 25-15 and 25-21 win over LaGrande on Friday morning. The Outlaws handled the Bulldogs, the No. 1 seed from the Greater Oregon League, in three straight sets. It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment when the squad realized they'd won the quarterfinal gam... Full story
Linda Leigh Daniel and husband Larry Boyd have watched the sad decline of the economy and its effect on horse owners. With hay prices rising and incomes falling, horses can become an overwhelming financial burden to struggling owners. Desperate owners have turned horses loose on public lands, abandoned their horses by tying them to someone else's trailer, or simply sold them to the nearest slaughter house. Coupled with lameness issues and illnesses brought on by neglect or... Full story
Far from the familiar trails of Sisters Country, Sean Meissner found himself awestruck and inspired as he took part in the New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6. With a goal of averaging six-minute miles, which would translate to about a 2:36 finish time, Meissner, 38, embarked on his quest on the streets of the Big Apple at 9:40 a.m., just after the elite runners departed. For the most part, the 47,000 runners were separated into three starting waves in order to give faster runners a clearer path on the route.... Full story
Ken's Pizza Pie has experienced some recent growth spurts, adding a large party and gaming room to its family restaurant on Hood Avenue. Owner Ken Neff thinks it's something the town has been asking for over the last few years and is happy it's finally done. The 1,100-square-foot expansion includes additional banquet tables and 15 arcade and pinball games in a separate arcade area. "We can seat up to 50 people now as well as host larger get-togethers," said Neff, tossing a... Full story
With key funding from the Ten Friends organization of Sisters, the Hopeful Home is a children's orphanage in Kathmandu, Nepal where Sisters alum Leyah Jensen has just visited as an artist-in-residence. Jensen came to the orphanage after wrapping up a five-week residency in Orissa, India, in which she was selected as one of 20 international artists to study the ancient traditions of pattachitra painting and carving at the Raghurajpur Heritage Village. "I gave the children no direction whatsoever on what to depict," says Jensen... Full story
• Sisters Athletic Club sponsored an entry in the Bend Veteran's Day Parade, featuring a number of Sisters Country veterans. America's best female distance runner, Lauren Fleshman, and professional triathlete Jesse Thomas will appear at SAC on Tuesday, November 22. Fresh off her debut marathon at New York, Fleshman was seventh in the World Championships this past summer. She is a two-time National Champion. Thomas won the prestigious Wildflower Triathlon this past... Full story
The Outlaws boys JV soccer team closed out their season last week with a 4-1 win over Sweet Home, which brought their overall season record to 9-1. Their only loss was a 0-4 defeat by non-league rival and state champion Stayton High School. Offensive standouts for the Outlaws were junior Cody Lane and sophomore Devon Calvin, both with six goals each. Midfield standouts were sophomore Landon Prescott and sophomore Trevor Standen, who won balls and distributed passes from the center of the field. Defense was anchored by sophomo... Full story
The Loudermilk family cut the ribbons across the doorway of their new Habitat for Humanity home on Sunday afternoon. Several dozen people shared the moment with Jimmy Loudermilk and his children Michael and Kayla. Sisters Habitat Board of Directors President Jerry Hanford spoke to and about the family, congratulating them on the significant accomplishment of homeownership and welcoming them home. "You are on a new journey of family and home," he said, as he and the family stoo... Full story
The girls soccer team kept the Henley Hornets at bay in a 1-0 shutout at home on Saturday, November 12 and will advance to the state semi-finals. Sisters was scheduled to play at Mazama against the defending state champions on Tuesday, November 15. A win would put them in the state championships on Saturday, November 19, at Liberty High School in Hillsboro against either Philomath or Gladstone. The win over the very tough, physical Hornets marked the Outlaws' 12th consecutive... Full story
The Camp Sherman Hasty Team, an all-volunteer search and rescue group, is gearing up to host several months of specialized training called the SAR Basic Academy. Run by Deschutes County search and rescue, the training begins in January and consists of 140 hours of both classroom and field work. Course work covers all aspects of search and rescue, from basic map and compass skills to understanding how a search base is set up. The academy concludes in the late spring with an overnight survival field test which participants... Full story
The Sisters sixth-grade volleyball team is living up to the high standards of the Outlaws program. The team went undefeated for the second year in a row this season. Coach Midge Rose credited the assistance of coaches Tanya Johns and Miki McFadden, along with a spirited squad of girls that included Hope Barney, Jessie Brigham, Mandi Calavan, Ashlynn Cantwell, Hawley Harrer, Cassidy Ling-Scott, Alana Lukens, Jackie May, Rosalva Pachuca, Sadee Pray, and Rylee Weber. The team... Full story
Whychus Creek will soon be back where it belongs: meandering through Camp Polk Meadow Preserve. The creek, once straightened by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has been undergoing a restoration project started in 2005 to re-create a more natural, meandering course through the meadow. Last week, Amanda Egertson, stewardship director for the Deschutes Land Trust, met with Forest Service fisheries biologist Paul Powers and USFS hydrologist Cari Press in Camp Polk Meadow to... Full story
Gary Landers of Wild Wings Raptor Rehab here in Sisters is no stranger to barn owls. He often receives young owlets, who for one reason or another were found all alone on the ground, on the floor of an old barn, or just out wandering around flightless, homeless and parentless. He then proceeds to care for them in a big flight cage, feeding them hundreds and hundreds of mice, and eventually teaches them to fly. You gotta see the last part: It's a hoot! When said owls have been... Full story
