News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 126 - 150 of 29647
Oregon set a record last week for acres lost from wildfire, 1.49 million or 2,200 square miles, surpassing the 2012 total of 1.2 million acres. Nationwide it has been a disastrous year for wildfire, with 5.5 million acres burned through Sunday from 30,293 fires. This is more than double the 2.7 million acres lost in 2023 but down from the losses of 2021 and 2022 when over 7 million acres burned those years. The largest single wildfire in the U.S. is the Durkee Fire in Oregon... Full story
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is one step closer to appearing on ballots across Oregon this November. All it took was a brand-new political party. On Monday, August 12, the Oregon Secretary of State’s office verified that backers of the independent presidential candidate had gathered enough valid signatures to create a new minor statewide party. Dubbed the “We The People” party, the political organization was created for the express purpose of nominating Kennedy and his running mate, Nicole Shanahan, for a slot on the ballot. Now t... Full story
Persistent drought in the West over the last two decades has limited the amount of electricity that hydropower dams can generate, costing the industry and the region billions of dollars in revenue. The sector lost about 300 million megawatt hours of power generation between 2003 and 2020 due to drought and low water compared with the long-term average, researchers from the University of Alabama found. That equals about $28 billion in lost revenue. Half of the drop in power generation was due to drought in Oregon, Washington,... Full story
SFF Presents is committed to reducing its environmental impact at their events, with a special focus on waste management. After receiving considerable grants from The Environmental Center in Bend and Can'd Aid's Crush It Campaign, the organization has made significant progress in diverting refuse, and eliminating single-use plastics. The Environmental Center's Community Innovation Fund grant of approximately $5,000 enabled SFF Presents (SFFP) to purchase tailored bins and... Full story
A series of wildlife images captured by a trail camera on a proposed downhill mountain bike trail near Sisters is remarkable in clarity. Moreover, against high odds, the same camera caught a pair of cougars, a black bear, and numerous mule deer. The camera is the property of Adam Bronstein, a local wildlife and wilderness advocate with the newly formed group Wild Ecosystems Alliance, one of a number of opponents to the Forest Service's proposed trail activities on 21 existing... Full story
As school and construction teams ready a new elementary school on West McKinney Butte Road, one teacher is transforming rooms in the old school building into a new school for very young children. Soul Blossom Child Care Center (Soul Blossom CCC) will be located at 611 E. Cascade Ave. Director April Farmer, a teacher from Bend, saw a need in Sisters as an opportunity to manifest her dream. “I’ve always had a soft spot for Sisters,” said Farmer. “When I was a kid, I remember my mom taking me to the quilting festival. The are... Full story
Lauren DuRocher will serve as Acting District Ranger while current Sisters District Ranger Ian Reid fills a 120-day stint as Acting Modoc National Forest Supervisor. That temporary role places him in charge of four districts from an office in Alturas, California. The Modoc covers 1.6 million acres spread over three northeast California counties. Reid told the Modoc County Record, "I am excited to work with the caring and dedicated employees of the Modoc National Forest and to... Full story
Fire managers in the Pacific Northwest predict that many wildfires currently burning in Washington and Oregon, and potentially new ones, will persist until the region experiences significant rain or snow this fall. Firefighters are actively battling these fires. With widespread lightning expected this month, fire managers will be adopting a strategic approach to integrate risk management, ecosystem resilience, and community involvement on long-duration fires before typical east wind events potentially arrive around the... Full story
Explore Sisters, the Destination Management Organization (DMO) for Sisters, has opened a reimagined Visitor Information Center in the downtown district. Located at 291 E. Main Ave. next to Fir Street Park, the center provides visitors with information about the local area through printed materials, digital resources, business highlights, and inspirational content. Explore Sisters anticipates the Visitor Information Center will operate seasonally May through October. The... Full story
A 23-year-old Sisters man allegedly fired a pistol repeatedly as he rode his bike home from a Sisters bar in the wee hours of Friday, August 9. The escapade landed him in jail facing charges of unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, reckless endangering, and driving under the influence of intoxicants. According to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to reports of a shooting complaint in the area of West Felicity Lane on the west side of Sisters at about 12:20 a.m. on Friday, A... Full story
With climate change driving hotter, drier summers across the West, the intensity of recent fire seasons is outpacing workers’ ability to track and analyze fires with the traditional methods. “There simply aren’t enough boots on the ground, or eyes in pairs of binoculars to cover the base and the extent of what we’ve been dealing with, and that’s been true across the western U.S. and across the world,” said Sarvesh Garimella, the chief scientist and chief technical officer at weather app MyRadar. But government agencies an... Full story
The City of Sisters is conducting a survey to gather residents’ opinions on various aspects of public safety, including traffic, crime, and concerns or suggestions you have for improving public safety in Sisters. The survey will be open until August 25. The survey can be completed online or on paper. Online submissions can be made at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sv/7QDLHkV, or on the City of Sisters website, while paper surveys are available at City Hall. Responses are confidential and individual responses will not b... Full story
Citizens and public officials are continuing to determine where and how Sisters will grow in the future. The second meeting of the UGB Steering Committee was held on Thursday, July 25, to discuss the Draft UGB Study Area Map. The draft land need report, which was discussed in June, determined that the City needs to add about 250 acres to the new UGB. During this meeting, the Steering Committee reviewed the preliminary study area and discussed the characteristics of various parts. Early in the meeting Scott Woodford, Community... Full story
This summer, local nonprofit Citizens4Community (C4C) wants residents of Sisters Country to get outside and connect with their neighbors. To encourage such community bonding, the organization is launching a new micro-grant program offering stipends to help fund neighborhood gatherings. Launching this week, “Land of 1,000 Picnics” offers community members and organizations up to $150 toward expenses for neighborhood picnics, potlucks, block parties, and related activities. Funds can go towards food, permit fees, pro... Full story
Within the confines of the 2.1, acres known to most locals as Camp Polk Cemetery, lie hundreds of clues regarding the history of Sisters and its inhabitants. There are no well-manicured lawns, paved walking paths, or orderly rows of gravestones. Rather, there are bird houses, horseshoes and other cowboy paraphernalia, a variety of personal memorabilia, and more than a little humor as well as sentimental pathos on display. The land the cemetery inhabits was originally part of... Full story
Firefighters as of last week had harnessed a temporary break of cooler weather and no new lightning fires to add miles and miles of new containment lines across large wildfires on national forests in Oregon and Washington. But after just a short 72-hour reprieve, wildfire conditions across much of the Pacific Northwest came roaring back. “August is showing us nothing but hot, dry, windy conditions and dry lightning all in the first week,” said Ed Hiatt, Pacific Northwest Assistant Fire Director for Operations. “Ex... Full story
Some 300 Sisters-area households north of Sisters Eagle Airport experienced a power outage for approximately three hours on Wednesday, July 31. According to Central Electric Cooperative (CEC), the outage was impacted by safety precautions in place during the height of fire season. The majority of CEC members in Sisters area north of the airport had their power restored at approximately 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. “Due to CEC’s system being set to sensitive settings because of wildfire season, line crews had to visually inspect ove... Full story
The Forest Service plans to issue permits to allow recreation shuttle outfitter and guide services to bring hikers and cyclists to Sisters trails for a year. Sisters District Ranger Ian Reid announced the decision in a letter to stakeholders on August 2. The permits will include some mitigations to address concerns raised by the public about the proposals. “We used public comments received to build in appropriate mitigations where possible and will make those mitigation terms and conditions of the permit,” Reid told The Nug... Full story
Oregon farmers raising sheep, chicken, or cows will soon have to comply with new state rules. Environmental groups and some small farm advocates say the changes bring much-needed clarification on who qualifies for a permit usually reserved for large, commercial-scale livestock farms, while some agriculture trade groups say the changes put more undue burden on farmers. The Oregon Department of Agriculture is wrapping up a process that began after some farm and environmental groups lobbied state legislators for more regulatory... Full story
Health insurance agents who fraudulently enroll consumers in Affordable Care Act health plans could be subject to criminal charges — and civil penalties of $10,000 to $200,000 — under legislation introduced by Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee. Wyden, a Democrat, first promised the bill in May, when he called on federal regulators to do more to combat sketchy Obamacare enrollment schemes. Often, consumers who are targeted don’t know they’ve been enrolled or that their coverage has bee... Full story
U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer has agreed to participate in four televised debates ahead of the general election in Oregon’s closest congressional district. Chavez-DeRemer’s announcement continues more than a month of negotiations over debates since her Democratic opponent, state Rep. Janelle Bynum, challenged her to three debates – one hosted by a Portland TV station, one hosted by a Bend TV station, and one live-streamed debate hosted by an organization with a print or radio news outlet. Chavez-DeRemer accepted debate offers... Full story
John Grant and Jim Cunningham have walked in each others' tracks over 50 years of service. The two men were squadron mates in special air operations during the Vietnam War. Both went on to careers as pilots for United Airlines, and both continued to serve in the military - Cunningham in the Oregon Air National Guard, Grant with the U.S. Air Force Reserves. "He went into the Reserves, I went to the Guard - that's the only difference as far as our service went," Cunningham told... Full story
Many readers may be surprised to know that there is an Oregon State Park in Sisters. Sisters State Park was established in 1939. The park was named for the adjacent town of Sisters. The original 41 acres was purchased by Louis W. Hill for $1,532. After he purchased the land, Hill donated it to the State of Oregon for a park or some other public purpose. It was Hill's desire to preserve the old-growth pine forest on the property for use and enjoyment of future generations.... Full story
With the addition of at least four pups, the Metolius wolves, a pair first identified in 2021, are now six in number, possibly more. Four sets of tracks have been observed by Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) wolf biologist Aaron Bott. The average litter size is five. Bott has thus far been unable to capture the new arrivals on trail cameras. The den is believed to be on private land in a mosaic of public and private property. The minimum known count of wolves in... Full story
The land of Deschutes County, like other counties, is divided up into interesting shapes. A school district here, a parks and recreation district there, a House of Representatives district that might change from District 2 to District 5. Maps for land use zoning determine whether folks can develop their properties, whether they must grow trees or agriculture, or whether it's suitable for industrial use. What about evacuation zones? This reporter made five web searches and... Full story
