News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 25
Dear Property Guy: I am about to sell a rental home in So. Cal. It is worth about $1.2M and has appreciated about $600,000. It used to be my primary residence but has been a rental for a couple years now. I don’t want to take the huge tax hit by selling it, but I understand that I could sell it for another rental property and not owe taxes. I could use it to take out a couple hundred thousand to reduce the payment on our current house. What should I do? — Taxed out… Dear Taxed: You have a lot going on here. And many optio... Full story
The Outlaws played hard against the visiting Cottage Grove (CG) Lions on Tuesday, December 12, but lost by three, 45-48, in an exciting fourth-quarter battle. Three days later at South Umpqua the Outlaws prevailed and posted a 61-44 victory. On Tuesday the Lions came out with a pressure style defense that knocked the Outlaws back a bit at the start of the game. Cottage Grove scored seven straight points in just over two minutes of play and held the Outlaws scoreless. Landon Scott got the Outlaws started and scored six straigh... Full story
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Michael (Mike) Burke, who left us tragically on October 12, 2023, in a vehicle accident in Mt. Shasta, California. Born on January 9, 1951, in Springfield, Ohio, Mike was the youngest of three children. His family relocated to Los Angeles during his childhood, where he later graduated from Charter Oak High School. After graduation, Mike enlisted in the National Guard. After Mike's father passed away in 1972, he was... Full story
Since early September, the Broken Top Builders Lego robotics team has been working every week with their innovation project, programming their robot, building challenges, and more - all in preparation for competition with FIRST Lego League. The program nurtures students' interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) through hands-on learning. Last year, the Sisters-area team came close to going to the state tournament with a team of nine. This year, with a smaller... Full story
It doesn’t matter if you like dogs. Or private detectives. Or murder mysteries. If you like laughter, sarcastic humor, and listening to a dog’s thoughts, you’ll like Spencer Quinn’s series of Chet & Bernie mysteries. The Little Detective Agency is owned by Bernie Little and run by Chet, Bernie’s dog sidekick. Well, Chet thinks he’s running the place, since he constantly worries about Bernie losing the check a client gave them, or agreeing to work for someone for free or at a discount. The books in the series are narrated by... Full story
Sisters High School played host to the annual GFP Outlaw Invite on Saturday, December 16 with mixed results. The girls tied for eighth among 13 teams, while the boys took ninth among 14 teams. For the girls, the Outlaws picked up two third places, a fourth, and a fifth among the four who competed. Kisten Elbek scored 12 points for the team on her way to third place in the 151-174 pound class. Elbek dropped her first match of the day to Ambar Benito, but came back with a pair... Full story
The Sisters Outlaws Alpine Ski Team is getting ready for the upcoming season. They will field 26 athletes, 19 skiers who return from last year, and seven who are new to the program this year. The girls squad returns the most skiers and the most upperclassmen the Outlaws have had in many years. Eleven girls return to the squad including Payten and Presley Adelt, Brooke Duey, Ella Eby, Molly Greaney, Tallis, Araiya, and Pia Grummer, Kiara Martin, Ava Riehle, Lauren Sitz, and Charlotte Seymour. Joining the girls squad, for the... Full story
With the theme "To the North Pole," dancers from age 3 to adults held a packed house rapt at Sisters High School in two performances on Saturday, December 16. Some 250 dancers performed in styles of hip-hop, ballet, tap, jazz, and contemporary around Christmas and winter themes. Sisters Dance Academy owner and director Lonnie Liddell introduced the performances, making special note of the seniors who were performing in their last recital with the academy. Hundreds of Sisters... Full story
The Roundhouse Foundation began bolstering organizations that serve and support rural and Tribal areas of Oregon in 2002. This fall, they supported the work of 105 organizations for the fall 2023 Open Call cycle, with nearly $1.5 million given across the state. Here in the Sisters area, eight organizations received funding for special projects. Grant partners working in Sisters fell into three focus areas: education, social services, and environmental stewardship. “We are honored to support the great work happening in our h... Full story
The Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District (SCSFD) plans to conduct live fire training exercises on Saturday, December 30, and Saturday, January 6, 2024 on the U.S. Forest Service compound in Sisters. The compound is located at 201 N. Pine St. According to Fire District officials, the exercise will provide invaluable training to firefighters using live fire. The buildings are being burned as the Sisters Ranger District begins construction of its new headquarters facility on the property. District firefighters will be practicing... Full story
High Desert Education Service District (ESD) Superintendent Paul Andrews announced that he will retire at the end of June 2024. Andrews has been with the region's Education Service District for 25 years, first teaching, then innovating and growing programs, and ultimately leading the organization as superintendent beginning in 2017. High Desert ESD provides administrative, information, and special education support services to the region's schools, including Sisters School... Full story
History is capricious. Who we remember and who we forget often has more to do with who had the better press agent than who was most accomplished. Most folks in Oregon have at least heard of John C. Fremont, who traveled through this country in the 1840s, mapping out the expansion of the United States. Before Fremont was a Mountain Man named Jedediah Smith. Few other than fur trade buffs know that name today. I was gratified last week to hear that a new popular biography of... Full story
The girls basketball squad fell 37-50 at home to Cottage Grove on Tuesday, December 12, but three days later, they bounced back with a 65-47 victory on the road at South Umpqua. In Tuesday’s action against the Lady Lions the Outlaws were shorthanded, with one starter out, with an injury and another for academic reasons. As a result the Outlaws played with just five varsity players, two of them freshmen (Audrey Corcoran and Paityn Cotner), and four girls swung up from the JV squad. Sisters stayed within five points of the v... Full story
Sisters High School (SHS) has always been known for its creative and hands-on classes. As the world quickly advances in technology, the high school is following in stride. Just a few weeks ago a well-equipped media center was set up at the heart of the school. Junior Jack Turpen was at the helm of this project, which spanned the week-long Thanksgiving break. Turpen initially developed an interest in technology during his time as a sixth grader at Sisters Middle School. This... Full story
Sisters Country is horse country — and there is nothing more critical to equine well-being than keeping their feet in good shape. That’s where Charles Halper and Halper’s Horseshoeing steps in. Halper graduated from Oregon Farrier School in Silverton at the top of his class, and has hung out his shingle as a certified farrier in Sisters, where he and his wife have decided to make their home. “I can do just about anything to do with horseshoeing,” he told The Nugget. That incl... Full story
On December 12, at 7 a.m., Detectives with the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Illegal Marijuana Market Enforcement Team (DCIMME) executed three search warrants after conducting a long-term investigation into the illegal production of marijuana at multiple addresses in the Bend area. The team was supported by the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement team, Drug Enforcement Administration, Deschutes County District Attorney's Office, Redmond Police Department, Bend Police... Full story
Merry Christmas to the people of our wonderful community here in Sisters Country. Just a few short weeks ago many of us gathered for the Christmas parade and the definitive marker that it is now officially Christmas in Sisters Country — the lighting of the tree at Fir Street Park. As our community ushered in the joy and excitement of the holiday season, I found myself asking some deeper questions that many wrestle through, especially those who aren’t necessarily feeling all that “Christmas cheer” due to the pressures of this... Full story
The girls soccer squad wrapped up a perfect league season, made it to the state semifinals and to top it off had three players make All-state teams. Marley Holden was a first-team pick and Izzy Schiller and Katie Ryan were both second-team selections. Holden, for the second consecutive year, led the Outlaws in both goals and assists, 21 and 11 respectively. She was a stellar midfielder who was the “engine” of the team. Coach Brian Holden said, “I will miss Marley as a player and a captain. She has set a standard of how a mid... Full story
Maybe you are one of the estimated 7.5 million air passengers traveling for the Christmas holidays. Or maybe you are expecting family traveling to you. Good luck. You will probably need it. In addition to the anticipated record number of travelers - up by 200,000 from the previous high in 2019 - you may encounter uncommon delays at RDM – Redmond airport - in the form of fog. A couple from Camp Sherman arose at 3 a.m. last week for a 6 a.m. am flight that would take them to S... Full story
This will be the last Sisters Arts Association Fourth Friday Artwalk of 2023. It’s a great opportunity to find gifts that may be just what you’ve been looking for. Canyon Creek Pottery will feature “Raku After Dark.” Master Potter Ken Merrill will be pulling pots from the raku kiln, starting at 5:30 p.m. at his gallery at 310 N. Cedar in Sisters. It will be a lively and exciting demonstration, and you get to see beautiful pottery created in real time. From red-hot to beautiful finished pots in minutes. The gallery also ha... Full story
Sisters has lost two mighty ponderosa pines, one at Sisters Woodlands Development. And one by a tree poacher, in the Deschutes National Forest behind Crossroads. Click here to see related story. We know who is responsible for the first loss, at the corner of Pine Street and West Sisters Park Drive. Sisters Woodlands Development, which states it is committed to saving as many trees as it possibly can, mysteriously felled one of the largest ponderosa pines on its 35-acre site last month. This approximately 42-inch DBH... Full story
While Sisters Ranger District Special Forest Products Officer Jeremy Fields and local volunteer Therese Kollerer were out on a Forest Service volunteer clean-up and patrol on December 4, they stopped to examine the site of a crime. Someone had felled a very large, green old-growth ponderosa pine. The felling of a large, important tree - one that the Forest Service had gone out of its way to protect during fuels treatment in the area - is a stark example of a problem that is... Full story
From the superintendent To the Editor: As 2023 comes to an end, I wanted to share with you a few highlights from the December Sisters School Board meeting. Before the start of the meeting, the Board and guests celebrated the Sisters High School volleyball team as the 2023 3A state champions. A group of middle school teachers presented on the continued support of transitions as the fifth grade will be in the new elementary school in the 2024-25 school year. Brad Tisdel, who shared that the Sisters Folk Festival has been... Full story
From Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, across the nation to Sisters, Oregon, Americans laid wreaths on Saturday, December 16 to mark National Wreaths Across America Day. The national moment commemorates fallen veterans during the holiday season in a mission to remember the fallen; honor those who serve; and teach the next generation the value of freedom. In Sisters, the December 16 observance was hosted by Sisters veterans and held at the veterans' memorial at Village... Full story
Those who have worked with Jeremy Fields in his capacity as Sisters Ranger District's Special Forest Products coordinator, or in his work with the unhoused population in Sisters' forests, know that he approaches his work with exceptional dedication, and with humility and a high degree of respect for all. His work was recognized last week in the U.S. Forest Service's Regional Forester's Honor Awards ceremony held in Portland. Fields was named Region 6 Employee of the Year.... Full story
