News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 22 of 22
Sisters School District officials are beginning to investigate why enrollment has declined in recent years and what steps can be taken to stop the trend. Enrollment was 1,211 as of 2011-12 but has slipped to 1,066 by this year, according to figures released last month. District Superintendent Curtiss Scholl said during an interview on Thursday, November 17 that the number of students now is 1,074 - just 16 fewer than the same time last year, although further behind earlier projections. Enrollment is important because the... Full story
Susie Werts and her reading class at Sisters Middle School couldn't believe it when one of two butterflies they had tagged in September made it 700 miles to north of Ventura, California, last week (see related column by Jim Anderson). Werts and her class learned all about the struggle of monarch butterflies last spring. They focused their energy into building and planting a monarch waystation at the middle school. The group received five caterpillars, of which only two became... Full story
At last week's DeschutesSafe public meeting in Sisters, Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel shared the initial results of the online survey recently conducted in an effort to assess what citizens see as the biggest threats to public safety in the county. The presentation was full of interesting information, but only two Sisters residents attended. The Sisters meeting was one of six being held throughout the county during the month of November. There is one more... Full story
A garage fire in Sisters Wednesday morning, November 16, resulted in fire and smoke damage to the home. The fire occurred in a single-family residence located at 115 N. Maple St. in Sisters. The home is owned by William and Pat Faris of Sisters. The fire started near a workbench in the rear of the garage. The homeowners noticed smoke in the garage and called 911 at 9:37 a.m. to report the fire. The owners then filled buckets with water and threw water on the flames from the... Full story
To the Editor: I want to express my thanks to Daniel Stroemple, who rang my doorbell on Veterans Day, with the offer of a pie that he had purchased expressly to give to veterans. As I understand it, Daniel ordered several desserts when the Sisters High School baseball team was selling them as a fundraiser and paid for them himself so that he could honor his grandfather and father by donating these desserts to Sisters-area veterans. In talking with him, I learned that his grandfather was a World War II and Korea War veteran... Full story
My niece, a Trump supporter, as is all my family in rural Ohio, saw an article I posted on Facebook titled "Why We Grieve Today," and as you might imagine we had a long, heated discussion and ended up not really agreeing on anything. How is it we see the world so differently when we come from the same background and have the same values? I concluded that we each get our information from sources that align with our viewpoints and rarely get information outside our media bubble. The difference, though, and the point of this... Full story
With at least 10 people losing their lives on state highways over the past week, OSP is urging motorists to travel safely this Thanksgiving holiday weekend. This holiday period (Wednesday through Sunday) will see one of the highest volumes of traffic in over a decade according to AAA Oregon/Idaho. As with other holiday weekends, OSP is urging motorists to plan ahead, expect heavy traffic, expect poor driving conditions with rain expected at lower elevations and snow in the mountain passes, and take your time (see traveling... Full story
The Sisters High School Aviation program was well-represented at the National Symposium of High School Aviation Conference last week. The seminar was hosted by the largest aviation organization, AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Sisters was represented by Sheryl Yeager, Flight Science teacher, Benny and Julie Benson, owners of the Sisters Eagle Airport, and Bob Ramsey, coordinator for COCC Aviation program. There were more than 2... Full story
Champion sports teams are typically comprised of a group of highly motivated individuals coached by knowledgeable, effective leaders who gel together for a common goal. This chemistry is rare and often includes both overt and subtle values that can result in not only winning state titles, but in the development of good character and being able to see the "big picture" in life. Such was the reason behind coaches Rod Jones and Brad Bulloch helping arrange a trip for the Outlaws... Full story
The early bird may get the worm - but only if they jump on it quickly. Sisters Folk Festival (SFF) is opening ticket sales for the 2017 festival at 9 a.m. on Thursday, December 1. The festival dates are September 8-10, 2017. There will be 500 tickets for a three-day weekend pass available at a discounted price of $125. Patrons are limited to four discounted tickets per purchase. When the early-bird tickets are gone, there will be plenty of full-price tickets available at $150. Organizers remind patrons that last year early bi... Full story
Nikki Heiden was relaxing in her friend's backyard in Corvallis back in 1978, talking about work. She though she needed to "do something" - as in something entrepreneurial - and her friend agreed. So they opened Ear Expressions in a local mall. The jewelry and accessories business is still going strong all these years later - right here on Cascade Avenue in Sisters. Heiden moved to Sisters in 1991 and brought her shop - and her relationships with artisans - with her. Through... Full story
Last month marked the first monthly cooperative program offered by the High Desert Museum (HDM) and Deschutes Public Library System. The presentation was on nocturnal animals, focusing on bats and owls. To begin the program, Alyisa Wolf, assistant curator of wildlife for HDM, removed a lively adult barred owl from its carrying case and gave each of the children and parents in attendance a close-up look at this controversial nocturnal owl. The barred owl is an alien species... Full story
Even if there's nothing but skepticism about what's causing our great old Earth to warm up, there is no question that a whole lot of people in the US-of-A are answering the call to help the signature butterfly of North America, the monarch. As soon as the call went out that this rare, remarkable and vanishing butterfly might end up on the Endangered Species List, a suggestion was made to create monarch waystations. Schools, service clubs, conservation organizations, government... Full story
Indie folk rock band The Weather Machine is returning to the Belfry for their second annual Thanksgiving hometown throwdown show. The group's last appearance was at the Sisters Folk Festival when they said farewell to cellist and Sisters High School grad Matthew Cartmill, who followed his heart to Seville, Spain, in September. This show marks the first appearance of the band's new lineup, fronted by Sisters local Slater Smith, with Luke Hoffman on drums, Andre Zapata on bass,... Full story
Frank Edward Lalli passed away Monday, October 31, 2016 at home with his wife by his side. He was 74 years old. Frank was born in his grandparents' home in Sisters on August 7, 1942 to Frank Arther Lalli and Pherne Winkle-Lalli. Frank's father was a logger, so much of his childhood was spent living in logging camps all over Central Oregon. When he was 7, his father passed away, leaving his mother with four small children. At that time, Frank was left with his grandparents,... Full story
9 is drawing nearer to an end, and the holiday season is here. With cold weather and short days, celebration with family and friends is an appropriate way to maintain sanity and enjoy the waning days of the year. Often, the holiday season is an easy excuse for gluttony and indulgence. This lapse of self-control leads to added pounds and waist measurements. Anyone who is attempting to keep their diet in check is faced with a difficult road. It's not easy or feasible to exclude the foods that everyone else is enjoying;... Full story
Continuing its efforts to bring wide-ranging cultural events alongside the finest latest release movie fare, Sisters Movie House is set to bring Mozart's comedy "Così fan tutte" in an "as live" production from England's Royal Opera House on Thursday, December 1 at 6:30 p.m. The operatic jewel offers a glittering take on the nature of love in this brand new production by director Jan Philipp Gloger. Based on a theme of "fiancée swapping" which dates back to the 13th century, Mozart's opera follows the story of two en... Full story
The temperatures are finally dropping in Sisters Country, and with winter on the way it's important to prepare your furry friends for the cold months ahead. It is a fallacy to believe that cats and dogs can withstand cold temperatures just because they have fur. Cold weather can be hard on pets, just like it is on people. Dogs, like people, need to come inside more quickly after walking or playing during frigid weather. After walking or playing with Rover outdoors, towel-dry... Full story
As part of its Cowboy Christmas events, the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce will host the community's annual Christmas Tree Lighting on Friday, November 25 at Fir Street Park and Christmas Parade on Saturday, November 26, at 2 p.m. on Hood Avenue. The tree lighting will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the park on the corner of Fir Street and Main Avenue. Join in singing Christmas Carols and start off the season here in Sisters Country. Begin your day with shopping through the many stores for your Christmas treasures and then join... Full story
For the past couple of years we have raised our own turkey for Thanksgiving. We do this for several reasons, not least of which is that we keep making genuine efforts to raise or harvest our own food. Anyone who does this realizes that it is an uphill fight, and we are grateful we don't need to rely on it. The cold fact is that we would likely be dead, or in a near-death spiral, without Melvin's or Ray's. But we do try conscientiously, and for some reason we think it might be... Full story
Kimry Jelen is internationally renowned for her exquisite equestrian paintings. While all of us can enjoy original Kimry Jelen paintings in public places like the Lakeside Bistro at Black Butte Ranch, for many, the most accessible way to put her work on the wall is through her annual equine fine art wall calendar. This year, due to some unforeseen circumstances, Jelen has turned to the community to fund the completion of the calendar. She is in the last push on a $8,358 Kickst... Full story
To mark Thanksgiving each year, I watch History Channel's excellent docudrama, "Desperate Crossing." Through quality reenactments, it depicts the voyage of the Mayflower and the founding of the Plymouth Colony in 1620. The voyage of the Mayflower must go down as one of the most courageous - perhaps foolhardy - excursions in history. The voyagers were ill-prepared and under-supplied, they left late in the season, their ship was overcrowded, and its main beam cracked halfway... Full story
