News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 1029 - 1053 of 29670
The 2020 population census is still being tabulated almost two years later in some locales, but for Sisters the numbers are in. According to the United States Census Bureau, Sisters is home to 3,064 persons living in 1,661 dwelling units (1.84 per household). There were 1,172 families or other living arrangements recorded. The census, which is conducted every 10 years, also revealed that 49.7 percent are employed in Sisters, and 57.6 percent work in Oregon. The Sisters median... Full story
Sisters schools honored local veterans with their annual assemblies at all three schools. The Sisters High School assembly took place on Wednesday November 9 in the auditorium, with the entire student body and teachers present, as well as 15 local veterans from different branches of the military, who sat in the front to be recognized. The assembly, which is put on by the Associated Student Government (ASG) every year, included a video message from staff and students about what... Full story
Rampant development and land-use conflicts. Pandemic illness. Economic instability and anxiety. Gun control. We could be talking about issues affecting Oregonians in 2022 — or we could be talking about issues affecting Puritan colonists and the Wampanoag Confederacy in 1675 New England. One of the things that makes the study of history so compelling is the way the same kinds of trials and tribulations resonate across centuries. An old saying, usually attributed to Mark... Full story
Gender Identity To the Editor: Last week my husband, Kris Calvin, submitted an excellent letter to the editor referencing the controversy over nonbinary youth counselors at Camp Tamarack, and I’d like to chime in that I am also extremely proud of our daughter Amity Calvin (she/her pronouns, prefers term daughter). She came out as gay in college and a few years later, in medical school, shared with us her nonbinary gender identity. I’ll admit, when she told me she was having top surgery (bilateral mastectomy for the pur... Full story
The Lady Outlaws had a stellar league season and finished with a 11-1 record — all sweeps, except for two matches. Six Outlaw players stood out and earned All-League recognition — and Coach Rory Rush was named Coach of the Year. It came as no surprise that junior Gracie Vohs, Sisters’ outside hitter and team captain, was a First-Team pick and named Player of the Year. Vohs recorded 220 kills, 24 blocks, and 25 aces during league play. Coach Rory Rush said, “Gracie... Full story
The 2023 Sisters City Council will see only one newcomer, Susan Cobb, who will take the seat vacated by retiring Council President Nancy Connolly, who has served for eight years. Gary Ross and Michael Preedin were reelected to serve for four years, and Cobb will serve for two. They join continuing Council members Andrea Blum and Jennifer Letz. Ross, who garnered 28 percent of the vote with 1,179 votes, said, “I want to thank the voters of Sisters for trusting me with their v... Full story
Detectives from the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team (CODE Team) arrested a 46-year-old Sisters man on multiple drug charges on Friday, November 11. According to Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO), the CODE Team concluded a short-term investigation with the arrest of Paul Weston of Sisters. Sgt. Vander Kamp reported that after receiving several community complaints, CODE detectives identified Weston as a fentanyl trafficker in the Sisters area. The initial investigation alleges Weston i... Full story
Although Sisters Country will finish the year on the edge of a La Niña cycle (cooler and wetter), it is still impossible to predict with certainty how this will translate into snowfall — and, therefore, local driving conditions. It is best to be prepared for whatever nature brings. In a “typical” year a mile section of road could simultaneously be dry, wet, packed snow, ice, and slush. These driving conditions are brought on by Sisters transitional elevation. At 3... Full story
Citizens packed the hearing room at City Hall last week to register their opposition to the proposed development of Sunset Meadows by Woodhill Homes on Highway 242. At the first public hearing before the Planning Commission on October 20, it was standing room only and the hearing was continued to Thursday, November 3. There were over 60 people in attendance at Thursday’s meeting, with 17 people testifying. No one testified in favor of the development. Prior to last week’s mee... Full story
The Lady Outlaws volleyball squad finished third at the state tournament, held at Springfield High School on Friday and Saturday, November 4-5. Sisters started the tourney with a sweep over the St. Mary Crusaders in the quarterfinals. The first set was back-and-forth until midway through, when the Outlaws pulled ahead and recorded the win. Bailey Robertson had several nice blocks and Gracelyn Myhre put down several hard kills. With the Outlaws ahead 21-13 Mia Monaghan went... Full story
The Deschutes National Forest closed two Forest Service roads in Sisters Country at the beginning of the week due to recent and forecasted snowfall. The Sisters Ranger District closed Forest Service Road 16, which provides driving access to Three Creek Lake, at the Upper Three Creek SnoPark. The Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District will close Forest Service Road 4603, which provides driving access to Tumalo Falls. The roads are closed to provide for public safety and minimize resource damage, as well as to preserve the snowpack as... Full story
On Sunday, October 23, 2022, Willard (Bill) Ernest Wilson III unexpectedly passed away at the age of 80 from a cranial hemorrhage as he was traveling to his beloved annual elk- hunting trip in Eagle Cap Wilderness, Oregon. Bill was born June 9, 1942, in Grants Pass, Oregon, to Willard II and Marian, while his father was serving in World War II. He received his pharmacy degree from Oregon State University where he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. He used his degree to... Full story
Longtime Sisters resident George W. Sproat passed away quietly November 3, 2022. He was born in Terrebonne, the fourth child of William LeRoy Spoat and Eva Lucille (Chapman) Sproat. He attended school in Central Oregon and went on to serve in the Navy from October 31, 1950 – the day after turning 21 — until being discharged August 1954. He married his wife, Charlotte Jean Ladrow, May 1951, and they welcomed their daughter Cindy while stationed in California. The... Full story
Close to a thousand runners gathered in Sisters Saturday to participate in the FivePine Happy Girls Run. Runners from as far away as Minnesota and Texas took part in the two-section event. A little over 500 registered for the half-marathon (13.1 miles) and just under 500 for the 5K (3.1 miles). The 36-degree temperature at start time, abetted by a 5-to-10-mph wind, made for a frosty sendoff. The overcast skies did not dampen the mood. It seemed to be all smiles even as... Full story
Firefighters with the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District responded to a motor home fire early Monday evening at the intersection of Hood Avenue and Highway 242. A 911 call was received at 5:59 p.m., and firefighters arrived within four minutes to find a motor home fully engulfed in flames, which were spreading to the grass and brush around the vehicle. Firefighters extinguished the fire and remained on scene for more than an hour cooling the smoldering vehicle. The motorhome w... Full story
The Sisters High School boys and girls cross-country teams discovered that moving from the 4A ranks to the 3A/2A/1A ranks did not lessen the level of competition at the state meet. Quite the opposite: the competition proved to be tougher. The Sisters boys placed sixth and the girls eighth at the OSAA Championships held Saturday, November 5, at Lane Community College in Eugene. The boys team toed the line with some familiar foes in Siuslaw and Valley Catholic, which both moved to the 3A classification as well. In last... Full story
The Lady Outlaws fell in a heart-breaking loss to the Lady Warriors at Amity High School in the state quarterfinals on Saturday, November 5. Sisters battled hard the entire contest and with 15 minutes left in the game thought they’d scored the go-ahead goal. Shae Wyland took a free kick and booted a laser shot that deflected off the bar and Ella Davis was there to head it in for the score. Coach Brian Holden said, “An official got involved, and made an offsides call, whi... Full story
Sisters is home to many residents who moved here from other states. They, like some longtime Oregonians, may not be aware of or understand Oregon’s unique land-use planning program, which guides what Sisters can and cannot do when it comes to growth and development. Oregon’s land-use planning program was established to provide a balance of needs, including protecting farm and forest land, while also planning for organized urbanized growth. In 1973, then-Governor Tom McC... Full story
The Outlaws football squad lost to No. 4-ranked Banks in a final score of 47-8 in the first round of state playoffs, which was held at Hare Field in Hillsboro. Weather conditions were horrible, as teams battled the cold and stormy weather with incessant rain the entire evening. Banks is a very physical and well-coached team, and dominated the game on both sides of the ball all night long. The Outlaws offense fumbled twice inside their own 10-yard line, which set up easy scores for the Braves. At the half the Outlaws trailed... Full story
The 2022 growing season has proven to be better than Seed to Table’s Executive Director Audrey Tehan hoped for. “Wow! What an incredible season it’s been,” she said. “With a combination of our greenhouse expansions, warm October weather, and our amazing farm team’s experiences, we will be continuing the produce share through November 16. We have 110 families in our produce share. They’ve received Seed to Table produce for 30 weeks this year.” This will make Seed to Table p... Full story
Two events scheduled for next week at City Hall on Wednesday and Thursday, November 16-17, will provide the opportunity for public input on decisions that will have long-lasting impacts on the Sisters community. The Sisters Planning Commission is holding a public hearing on Thursday, November 17, to consider Development Code text amendments that will alter density and height regulations, among other changes (see related story, below). The City is holding an in-person open... Full story
Early on, Barb Schulz knew science would be a part of her life. At 80 years old, she’s still active, inquisitive, and happy to share what she’s learned. Getting started in the sciences proved a challenge. In 1963, she applied to veterinary school but was rejected; not because she wasn’t smart enough, but because she was female. “I applied at the University of Illinois and was told they’d never admitted a woman and weren’t going to start with me,” she recalled. That theme of... Full story
Sisters’ veterans group Band of Brothers had their work cut out for them when they readied a five-foot-by-four-foot boulder at Village Green Park for the installation of a 27-inch-by-27-inch granite face onto which brass plaques honoring deceased Sisters Country veterans will be memorialized. The boulder is the third in a trio of large rocks at the park’s pavilion that bear the names of citizens who served. One boulder is full and the second has room for only seven more veterans —thus the third was necessary. Hal Dar... Full story
I have just read some commentary from Wayne Schmotzer, D.V.M. in regards to COVID-19. Wayne is passionate about this topic, means well, and is very intelligent, but his commentary may be taken by people as actionable medical advice — advice that is not well-founded. Dr. Schmotzer is largely promoting things that are in many ways not correct, only partially correct, or taken out of context in such a way as to contradict the evidence of thousands of experts who want nothing more than to promote public health, safety, and... Full story
A rock wallaby atop the boulder pile we were halfway up ignored us. Humans move clumsily on furniture-sized stones by comparison, so it kept ambling along despite being 40 feet away. The encounter had little effect on us as well. Commanding our attention were incredibly ancient images right before our eyes, meticulously chiseled into rock, and local authority Graham offered insights: “Could this be some sort of abstract portrayal known only to its creator or might it r... Full story
