News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 18 of 18
Fivemile Butte is already studded with communication towers. photo by Jim Fisher A long-awaited new radio repeater is expected to improve operations for three local fire districts and increase safety for firefighters. The repeater will be installed on Fivemile Butte southwest of Black Butte Ranch, according to Tay Robertson, chief of the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District (RFPD). Plans are to have the new repeater working before major winter snows. "We have the equipment on hand and FCC approval to proceed,... Full story
Robin Buckles of Sisters was recovering at home on Sunday, December 5, after she was involved in a head-on collision on Highway 20 on Friday night. According to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports, Buckles was headed west in her 1998 Isuzu Rodeo a little before 9:30 p.m. when a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am driven by George Balzer, 64, of Bend, "failed to obey a traffic control device at Gerking Market Road." Buckles' Isuzu struck the Pontiac head-on. Airbags in both vehicles deployed and sheriff's deputies reported that all... Full story
John Leese with his wife Lisa and son Jonathon. photo by Jim Mitchell Sisters High School graduate John Leese is back from the Iraqi desert with extra baggage -- the Bronze Star Medal awarded for heroism in combat. Last week family, friends, and dignitaries gathered to welcome Leese home and to celebrate his award. Leese, a 1994 Sisters High graduate, did contract wildfire fighting and worked as a logger. During much of that time he was a volunteer with the Sisters-Camp Sherman and Crooked River Ranch fire departments. Leese... Full story
Sisters School District and Sonrise Christian School have suspended a program in which for several years the district has paid part of the salaries of some Sonrise teachers. Leaders of both systems are conducting a review to make sure that their practice does not violate state laws or regulations. Sisters School Superintendent Ted Thonstad said his interest was triggered by the filing of an unemployment claim by one of the teachers last summer. Thonstad, who is new to the district this year, said that when he learned about th... Full story
Part of Tom Anderson's railroad collection on display now at Comfort Inn. photo by Jim Mitchell Tom and Mabel Anderson, managers of the Comfort Inn in Sisters, have been collecting for longer than they have been married -- over 35 years. Much of their collecting falls into the holiday mode and they would like to share with the public. Mabel started collecting teddy bears before she and Tom were married. She now has about 350 bears -- traditional teddies, wooden bears, and ceramics. Many of the bears line a three-walled shelf... Full story
The Sisters City Council moved up its meeting time for the Thursday, December 9 city council meeting to 6:30 p.m. to cope with a packed agenda. The council will hear an appeal of a planning commission decision to approve a site plan for a new McDonald's and considerable public testimony is expected. While the McDonald's issue has the highest profile, the council will also discuss other significant matters, including a method for processing claims under Measure 37, which passed last November (see related story). The council... Full story
Gov. Ted Kulongoski's proposed $5 billion public education budget for the next biennium doesn't provide much solace for Sisters school administrators. Superintendent Ted Thonstad said, "The district is facing increases in every budget category and at this level of state funding (less than a two percent increase for two years), I am concerned that the additional funds generated by both growth and the local option levy will not be enough to cover these increased costs. As a result, I anticipate that the Sisters School District,... Full story
A Sisters area couple has filed Deschutes County's first claim under voter-approved Ballot Measure 37 seeking either approval to build a dwelling on their Cloverdale Road property east of Sisters or to be compensated in the amount of $383,000 for the loss of their property value. Eugene and Barbara Prete's claim was presented to Deschutes County commissioners last Thursday, December 2. In a letter to the commissioners, Prete's attorney Ross Day stated that their loss came as a result of actions taken by the county in... Full story
Measure 37 passed handily (60 percent voter approval statewide) in the November election. Now that Measure 37 is law (as of December 2), state municipalities are scrambling to implement claim processing procedures. Measure 37 provides for compensation if a landowner's property value is reduced because of land use regulation changes. Governmental agencies must respond to a claim within 180 days of the filing date. There are exceptions and the full wording of the new law takes up a couple of pages. The Sisters City Council is e... Full story
Five Sisters businesses stepped up to pledge a minimum of $2,000 in advance ticket payments in an effort to bring Delta Airlines service to Redmond. As of last week, 107 businesses had pledged $543,500, more than the target required to secure a contract between Delta and the organization Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO). It appears that the effort to create Redmond-Salt Lake city service was successful. Multnomah Publishers, O'Keeffe's Co., Eastlan, Black Butte Ranch and Metabolic Maintenance Products all... Full story
Marilyn Sanders is a bridge builder. She helps Episcopal Church congregations move from the past to the future with grace. Rev. Sanders is an interim rector, one of a select cadre of Episcopal priests who serve in the wake of the departure of a priest, as a congregation seeks a new priest to lead it. That is the role she is playing now at the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration. She took the post as interim last summer when Rev. Larry Harrelson announced his retirement. She will serve until the church's search committee... Full story
The sixty-seventh year of skiing at Hoodoo Mountain Resort could begin any time -- snow willing. As of press time, welcome snow was falling fairly heavily over the Sisters area. The ski area needs 24 inches in order to turn on the lifts and open to the public. The base of Hoodoo is at 4,700 ft. Hoodoo Mountain Resort President Chuck Shepard said the best way to learn of the opening is to check the ski area website, www.hoodoo.com. When the area does open, skiers and snow bunnies will have some new features to enjoy. "Speed... Full story
A frequent image of Habitat for Humanity home owners is one of struggling on subsistence level incomes, i.e., minimum wage jobs. Four Sisters Habitat owners have made moves to change that image and have become business owners. Peggy Dorsett has worked in local video stores for 10 of the 16 years she has lived in Sisters. She is generally acknowledged as one of the most informed video retailers in town. When the owners of Sunbuster Video, Dorsett's employer, decided their plate was full and they needed to divest themselves of... Full story
O'Keeffe's® Co. in Sisters will soon ramp up production. photo by Peggy Chesser O'Keeffe's® Co. is boldly going where no hand cream has gone before. To Home Depot. And maybe to Lowe's, too. The Sisters company is expanding into a market where customers are thinking more about nails and drills than skin care. But the founder says large home improvement chains are where her customers shop. "Our goal is to break into the industrial hardware market, with the most effective product in its category," said Tara O'Keeffe.... Full story
The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is noon Monday. To the Editor: McDonald's isn't... Full story
Snow flurries changed to clear skies just in time for the Sisters Christmas Parade. Children of all ages (adults are included in this category for parades) waved and cheered friends in the parade. Thirty entrants, led by Honorary Marshal Cliff Clemens, followed the five blocks of Hood Avenue from Pine Street to Spruce Street. The parade officially crossed over to Washington Avenue and made its way back to the beginning. Most spectators stayed on Hood Avenue. An estimated... Full story
- City Council Meeting 7 p.m., 2nd and 4th Thursday each month, Sisters City Hall. 549-6022. - School Board Meeting 7 p.m., 2nd Monday each month, middle school lecture/drama room. 549-8521. - Black Butte School District Board of Directors meets 2nd Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m., Black Butte School. 595-6203. - Sisters-Camp Sherman RFPD meets for drill every Monday, 7 p.m. Sisters Fire Hall, 301 S. Elm St. 549-0771. - Sisters Kiwanis Club meets every Thursday, 7:30 a.m., Sisters Fire Hall. 549-1223. - Sisters Habitat for... Full story
- A pickup truck hit a tree after going off the road near Black Butte Ranch on Thursday last week. The driver walked way. - Two chainsaws were reported stolen. - Deputies investigated a reported burglary at a vacation home. - Someone vandalized some trees at a business in the industrial park. - Deputies responded to multiple single-vehicle accidents. - A man reported that he thought a woman had hired people to watch him. Black Butte Ranch Police - Officers assisted with a motor vehicle accident with injuries on Highway 242.... Full story
