News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 24 of 24
Tom and Helen McMeekin and Michael and Dee Hooey of Sisters are happy to announce the engagement of Sara Jane McMeekin and Daniel Allan Hooey. FINALLY!! Both are 2001 graduates of Sisters High and plan a summer 2008 wedding. Danny is presently working as a welder in Sisters. Sara graduated in June from Cal State Northridge with a Marketing degree and works at an investment firm in Bend.... Full story
The Outlaws' undefeated football season came to an unhappy end on Saturday when they lost 28-36 to Marist in the 4A State Championship at Reser Stadium in Corvallis. Both teams started off tentatively, but the Marist offense came through late in the second quarter. Spartan quarterback Ryan Bell ran the ball into the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown (TD) and then threw a 21-yard TD strike to Mitchel Wilson just before the clock ran down to close out the first half with the Spar... Full story
Sisters shoppers should exercise a modicum of common sense security to avoid having the Grinch steal their Christmas. There are plenty of Grinches out there, from identity thieves to car clouters, burglars and pickpockets. "It's basically the same every year," said Black Butte Ranch Police Chief Gil Zaccaro. "Watch what you're doing. Be aware of your surroundings." Zaccaro says one of the major breaches of shopper security he sees is women leaving their purses open in a... Full story
Festive holiday scenes appeared on the windows of businesses all over town - but it wasn't by magic. The art is compliments of Sisters Elementary School fourth graders through a project that brings together the students' creativity and parents' desire to volunteer. Fourth grade teacher Clay Warburton, an artist in his own right, brought the idea of adorning Sisters window fronts with him from Portland when he started teaching in Sisters seven years ago. "The project for me... Full story
The water system at Squaw Creek Canyon Estates has had many problems over the past year: burned-out pumps; inadequate water supply; rationing. Now the water has been contaminated. On December 4 a notice was provided to the customers of the water system to boil the water before using it, as the water was contaminated with both fecal coliform and E. coli bacteria. The water system, owned and operated by the Remund family, has since been chlorinated and flushed. However, as of Sunday the system had still not received a clean... Full story
The Sisters School District cannot charge parents to add an extra half day onto their children's kindergarten. Sisters is one of about 30 school districts statewide that is affected by a recent opinion of the Oregon Legislative Council. In a letter dated November 30, the counsel states that under Oregon laws public schools cannot charge tuition for any portion of their kindergarten programs. The ruling impacts Sisters all-day kindergarten program, which this year serves 18 students. Currently, parents pay tuition of $2,500... Full story
The Sisters Starry Nights Benefit Concert Series returns for its 11th season with a performance by renowned contemporary blues artist Keb' Mo,' who will appear on Saturday, May 10, in the Sisters High School Auditorium. Starry Nights organizers are confirming the series' second concert and will make that announcement in the coming weeks. Three-time Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and guitarist Keb' Mo' is one of the brightest stars in the music business today and a favorite... Full story
Throughout the rest of this month, seniors all over the U.S. will be scrambling to take advantage of a window of opportunity that will allow them to make changes to their Medicare drug coverage. This window, known as an "open enrollment period," began on November 15 and ends on December 31 and will allow Medicare recipients to adjust their drug coverage plans to more effectively meet their needs. In Sisters, two volunteer specialists are available to help seniors navigate the... Full story
To the Editor: The school board is to be commended for its open letter to the community explaining why the Sisters School District will have $1.2 million in funding withheld by the state. It's a letter that should have been presented two years ago. Or, at the very least, before the last election of board members. It's painful to drag this issue out further, but the school board's letter left some key questions unanswered. The letter states: "When the program changed to involve Sonrise ... neither the changes in the program... Full story
The Sisters Jazz Festival is calling it quits after a decade-and-a-half of bringing a full weekend of traditional jazz sounds to Sisters each September. In a prepared statement, the festival board cited a declining audience over the past few years and the loss of the in-town RV park as contributing factors as well as "additional community events this year that negatively affected the festival" and higher overall operation costs that "make it very difficult for the festival to continue." The festival provided outreach... Full story
The Outlaws boys basketball team started their season with a thrilling overtime win against Stayton, followed by a close-fought losing battle against Cascade. It might not have been the smoothest of games for the Outlaws, but it was definitely exciting as Sisters pulled off their first win of the season with an 80-71 victory over the Stayton Eagles in triple overtime on November 27. It was a close and intense match up from the start, and at the half Stayton held a four-point lead over the Oultaws at 24-20. The Outlaws found... Full story
The City of Sisters has gone back to the drawing board to try to deal with the town's growing traffic problem. The city held the first in a series of transportation planning workshops last Wednesday, December 5. Mayor Brad Boyd began the workshop with the statement: "We want to examine all the possibilities so that everyone's opinion is heard and all the options are on the table. There is nothing engraved in stone." The first challenge may be convincing Sisters that the planning will actually accomplish something. Some... Full story
Lyla Folston, who passed away peacefully at age 101, was born in the Kahler Basin, near Lone Rock. Her parents were R.T. and Laura Emma Brown. Her father owned sawmills. As a young girl Lyla lived at home with her folks and three older siblings - two brothers and one sister. The Browns led a homesteader's life, with no electricity, straw mattresses, a large garden, a milk cow and chickens and refrigeration from ice drawn from the local streams and rivers. In 1926, Lyla... Full story
A fund-raising dinner, raffle and auction to help support mission work in the Philippines is scheduled for Saturday, December 15, at 6 p.m., at Three Sisters Fellowship Church. Pastor Mike Boswell, whose brother Manny and sister-in-law Heather are currently full-time missionaries on the island of Mindanao in the city of Davao, will be leading a trip that includes a number of church members January 16-30. The team will be involved in supporting a number of activities, including work with a maternity center, a youth ropes... Full story
In their first meet of the season, the Outlaws swimmers competed against some of the top teams in District 3. Sweet Home hosted a newly configured relay meet for Marist, Jefferson, Stayton, Central and Sisters on November 30 and accommodated the Outlaws with an additional 200-yard freestyle relay event for the unusually large girls team. The very experienced foursome of Brittany Baldessari, Chelsea Flanders, Tia Berg and Felicia Pledger opened the meet with explosive individual races and a visibly even finish with Marist. Onl... Full story
As the house lights dimmed last Sunday evening, the enchanting voices of Sisters High School choir members rang out: "Silent Night, Holy Night. All is Calm, All is bright...." The audience listened in darkness as the students set the stage for the 11th annual Magical Voices of Christmas concert. When they were finished, the spotlight came up on this year's Mistress of Ceremonies Elaine Drakulich, superintendent of Sisters schools and a Rotarian herself, who greeted concert... Full story
The annual Sisters Habitat for Humanity Christmas potluck had all the ingredients for the perfect Christmas party. Carols filled the air; aromas of various savory dishes tempted even the most dedicated dieter; Santa was on hand - and there was a big surprise. The surprise came in the form of a check that opened a major door for Habitat. "Kathy Deggendorfer, who is a part of the leadership council for the Oregon Community Foundation, came in tonight to present us a check for... Full story
In the shadow of an announcement by the city of Bend that they are laying off 10 people from the planning and engineering staff because of the economic slowdown, the city of Sisters has hired a new senior planner in what has been a chronically understaffed planning department. Pauline Hardie will join the staff at the first of the year. "She is very impressive and will really add to the planning department. There are a lot of areas that we have not been able to devote any... Full story
Tucked away in a corner of Sisters shopping area just off Cascade Avenue is a wonderland of winter woolies, very luxurious woolies. Alpaca by Design is a small shop that carries only garments made of alpaca fiber. Owner Steve Segal is a former alpaca breeder, a designer and weaver who knows his products. Nearly all are sourced from South America, where the alpaca industry has been established for hundreds of years. The garments in Segal's store aren't like the South American... Full story
"The Golden Compass" is less of a movie than we expected. Less controversial, less of an epic. A fun and fine action flick, more in common with the better of the "Harry Potter" or "Pirates of the Caribbean" or "Narnia" series, than "Lord of the Rings." It's all a shame, in a way. It could have been more; it just wasn't. "The Golden Compass" is a fun way to spend a couple of hours. The animal spirit companions were great in concept and execution, the polar bears spectacular and the transportation of balloon airships and side-w... Full story
The Lady Outlaws basketball team lost 31-59 to Cascade in a tough game on the hardwood at home on Friday, December 7. The Outlaws played great ball 80 percent of the time, but when their offensive and defensive schemes broke down, it was costly. At the breaking points when the Outlaws lost their poise and confidence, Cascade took full advantage. The Cougars pounced on the opportunity and scored many easy buckets in the paint off two-foot jump shots and lay-ins. The Outlaws... Full story
•Common Threads has antique winter sports display fixtures for sale. Choose from sleds, skis and boots. Call Rosie at 549-5648 for prices and information. •Wisteria Chic's holiday sale starts Saturday, December 15. Looking for the red dot will save you 25 percent. Complimentary gift wrapping is available. The store is open every day, except Tuesdays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is closed Christmas Eve. They are located at 183 E. Hood Ave. •Cross "Rover" off your list with 10 percent off all pet beds at Sisters... Full story
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission, in a unanimous decision by a four-member quorum last week dismissed all complaints Sisters resident Mike Morgan filed against the Sisters School District's Board of Directors. The commission dismissed Morgan's case on the grounds that its investigation found "no appearance of a violation" on the part of the Sisters School Board. The commission's action came down last Friday. Morgan's complaint named three current school board members: chairman Mike Gould; vice-chairman Glen Lasken;... Full story
Sisters High School students were given a special opportunity last Friday to learn about combining ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) programs with their university studies. Two 2005 Sisters High School graduates, Kate Canja and Joe Green, came back to the school to talk with interested students. Canja is in Navy ROTC, and Green is in Air Force ROTC. Both are juniors at Oregon State University. The forum was offered through the school's ASPIRE program (Access to Student... Full story
