News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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The Red Cross Cascades Region (RCCR) encourages everyone to follow simple steps to prevent home fires from holiday decorations. “December is the peak time for home fires involving candles and holiday decorations,” said RCCR CEO Priscilla Fuentes. “Help protect your family by using battery-operated candles, making sure you have working smoke alarms, and practicing your two-minute escape plan with everyone in your household.” • If you use candles, keep them away from anything that could burn, and place them out of reach of... Full story
Wild turkeys are high on the list of things folks in Sisters Country would like to see less of. "They're a menace, and a safety issue," said Chester Wilcox, who is a regular driver on Camp Polk Road, a hotspot of consternation over the birds. "We get regular complaints about that flock," said Andrew Walch, district biologist for Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) in Bend. The flock in question numbers over 100, and is easily found when visiting the Camp Polk Cemetery... Full story
A travel trailer was reported on fire approximately one quarter mile north of Best Western Ponderosa Lodge in Sisters at 10:48 a.m. on Wednesday, December 11. The fire was reported by a U.S. Forest Service (USFS) employee. According to Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District, the occupant of the trailer was able to exit but sustained moderate burns trying to extinguish the fire. A USFS engine and Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District crews arrived to find the fire extinguished, and contained to the trailer. Crews on scene provided... Full story
With a standing-room-only crowd of over 200 people filling the cafeteria of the new elementary school, the City and their consultants, MIG, presented an overview of the process involved when considering an expansion of the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), with time for small-group discussions concerning the five alternatives presented and providing feedback to the City. Based on his experience in numerous other communities, both large and small, MIG consultant Matt Hasty told the... Full story
Sisters woke up to less than an inch of snow last Thursday, but it sat on top of ice for much of the day. The scene repeated itself throughout the weekend. Even seasoned drivers were surprised at how slick the roads were. For several days temperatures barely climbed to a point where the roads completely dried out. Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) sanded and sprayed, yet drivers remained frustrated with numerous fender benders, and vehicles sliding into ditches.... Full story
The Spirit of Christmas Giving Tree program sponsored by the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District is well underway to provide Christmas gifts to children in Sisters. The deadline for families to request gifts was last Friday, December 6, and an additional 67 children were added to the list of requests by the deadline. There are a total of 140 children needing assistance with gifts this year. The deadline to return donated gifts for this program is Friday, December 13, and as of today there are over 160 tags (requests for... Full story
"Celebrate the rebirth of the Sun!" exhorts an invitation from Sisters Community Labyrinth. All are invited to join the group's Winter Solstice Gathering & Silent Meditation Walk on Saturday, December 21, at 6 p.m. Celebrants can expect a short, non-religious welcome ceremony followed by a silent walking meditation through the labyrinth. Halfway through the walk sits a large boulder at the labyrinth's center. Walkers are invited to meet there, at the fire, sharing words and... Full story
A woman in Cannon Beach was caught by a massive sneaker wave a few weeks ago and nearly washed to sea. The drama was captured on a phone camera by a passerby who coaxed her back to shore as she appeared dazed and disoriented. The video has been viewed some 600,000 times. Such happenings do not stop thousands of Oregonians, many from Sisters Country, from flocking to the coast to witness powerful king tides. The first king tides of the season occurred November 15-17. The next... Full story
Among the ponderosas at 222 N. Trinity W., there is a beehive of activity in the building owned by the Oregon Network Ministries and rented by Sisters Cold Weather Shelter. According to shelter coordinator Sharlene Weed, they have "successfully transitioned to operating the Wellhouse Market food pantry on Thursdays at 3 p.m." They have opened their "front room community space for anyone to use on Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m." The furniture for the community room was donated... Full story
BASX Solutions, a leading national manufacturer of modular structures and cleanroom solutions, has leased 27,190 square feet of light industrial space in Three Peaks Industrial Park. The 15.59-acre park sits on the northern section of former Forest Service property, located on the north side of West Barclay Drive and bordered by North Pine Street on the east and the Ponderosa Best Western property on the west side. To the north is Forest Service land, and across Barclay to... Full story
An annual tradition, the Ugly Sweater Run, sponsored by RunSistersRun, attracted more than 200 runners and walkers who "donned them now their gay apparel" and took on a five-kilometer course on the north side of Sisters Saturday, December 7. The run started and finished at Fir Street Park with the afterparty spilling over to The Barn. Holiday outfits ranged from outlandish sweaters to full-on Christmas trees. Participants of all ages navigated the course, including William... Full story
The Cascades Academy MUSE Club will host a Himalayan Dinner and Silent Auction to support Ten Friends ( www.tenfriends.org ), a Sisters-based non-profit that supports a number of projects in Nepal. The dinner will be held December 12, 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Cascades Academy, 19860 Tumalo Reservoir Rd, Bend. The evening will include speaker updates of Ten Friends Nepal projects, a raffle, a delicious dinner of Dal Bhat (Nepali dish of lentils and rice), a large silent auction, and... Full story
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek wants the state to spend more than $2 billion on homelessness and housing and send a record $11.4 billion to public schools as part of a budget focused on maintaining existing programs with little cash to spare for new initiatives. Her total spending plan, including federal funding that the state doesn’t have much control over, is $137.7 billion for the two-year period from July 2025 to June 2027. Her proposed general fund and lottery funds budget, where Kotek and lawmakers have more discretion, i... Full story
Starting this summer, Oregonians across the state will begin to receive a standardized list of what can and cannot be recycled statewide, and owners and managers of apartment complexes and multi-unit housing will need to prepare to provide recycling for residents. These are among new rules around recycling finalized Friday by Oregon’s Environmental Quality Commission following four years of negotiation and planning. The Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act will go into effect July 1, 2025, making it easier for O... Full story
The 2024 fire season cost Oregon emergency response agencies nearly $350 million, and the state leaders are struggling to find a way to cover outstanding bills. Gov. Tina Kotek announced Tuesday, November 26, following reporting from Oregon Public Broadcasting that she’ll call a special session of the Legislature on December 12 to appropriate at least $218 million from the state’s general fund to cover remaining fire costs. Lawmakers will already be at the Capitol for committee hearings during that time. More than half of... Full story
Eryn Ross of Sisters Depot welcomed 21 Community Builders to her restaurant for their November meeting. Ross purchased Sisters Depot in 2020, opening for business in December of that year. She admitted the first two years were “really hard” coming on the heels of COVID. But she has built a menu she is passionate about, honoring her dad by preparing some of his recipes. She has learned to run all aspects of the business and has come to realize that events are an integral par... Full story
Sisters' signature stallion sculpture will hopefully be back where it belongs in the coming days. The iconic metal art sculpture of a rearing wild stallion near the entrance to downtown on the corner of Cascade and Larch was damaged when a vehicle crashed into it on the night of October 30. It was the second collision involving the beloved art. An 18-year-old driver escaped injury when he fell asleep at the wheel early on the morning of July 7, 2017, and crashed his pickup... Full story
The holiday season officially kicked off in Sisters Country this past weekend with the annual town Christmas Parade and tree lighting. Although there was no snow to frame the picturesque parade through town on Saturday, November 30, spirits were high under a bright Central Oregon blue sky. The event is sponsored by Kizziar Properties and Sisters Woodlands, and organized by Sisters Parks & Recreation District (SPRD). The second "Holiday Palooza" combined iconic events, includin... Full story
Four state agencies are teaming up this holiday season to support the “Rethink the Drink” winter advertising campaign that encourages people in Oregon to celebrate safely by understanding the health and social harms of excessive alcohol use. Officials at the Oregon Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission (ADPC), Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC), Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon Health Authority (OHA) hope the tools provided by the campaign help people reduce the pressure to drink alcohol during fam... Full story
For the first time since being established in 2017, Sisters Cold Weather Shelter (SCWS) organization has a consolidated space for their office and supplies. Wellhouse Church has rented SCWS the building they used for their food bank, with the shelter taking over operation of the food program that is open every Thursday. Last week 220 customers received 850 lbs. of Thanksgiving meals. Shelter Executive Director Sharlene Weed said, “Our current space was the one we used a couple of years ago as a shelter and we had no reported... Full story
Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who cultivated a closer relationship with some labor unions than most Republicans and narrowly lost her bid for a second term in Congress earlier this month, is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Labor Department. Trump on Friday praised Chavez-DeRemer, the daughter of a Teamster who sought endorsements from unions in her unsuccessful reelection campaign, for building relationships with business and labor. “I look forward to working with her to create tre... Full story
Sisters Transportation and RideShare (STARS) announced its ride sponsorship “drive” is launching on Giving Tuesday, December 3, and will run through December 31. STARS is a volunteer ride share program that provides Sisters Country residents with free non-emergency medical rides to Sisters, Bend, and Redmond. STARS “riders” are unable to drive themselves or afford private ride services, and many say, without the nonprofit, they would need to cancel their medical visits. According to Rennie Morrell, STARS’ Executive Director,... Full story
Following an October 6 “community conversation” about houselessness in the Sisters area, hosted by a coalition of local organizations, the City of Sisters has released a 32-page summary report on community concerns, ideas, and questions that came out of the meeting. The event served as a platform for learning and input-gathering providing an opportunity for participants to hear from 11 community groups who are each providing services and assistance to the unhoused in Sis... Full story
Snow started piling up above 4,500 feet two weeks ago, to the point where Mt. Bachelor opened to pass holders 12 days ahead of its November 29 plan. There were about 200 skiers Saturday and Sunday at Ski Hoodoo even though the resort is not yet open. With a solid two feet of snow, skiers - primarily from the Valley - trekked the 30-40 minutes to the summit and skied down. Around the bend at Ray Benson Sno-Park, dozens of sledders blasted off in their snowmobiles careful to... Full story
Starting Sunday, December 1, four winter range closures take effect across the Deschutes National Forest to provide critical habitat for deer and elk. The four annual wildlife winter range closure areas include Cabin/Silver Lake, Metolius Winter Range, Opine Travel Management Area, and Tumalo Winter Range. Motorized vehicles (including snowmobiles and electric bicycles) are prohibited in the closure areas to protect deer and elk during the winter. The winter wildlife closures will last through March 31, 2025. Winter range is... Full story
