News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 29647
Andrew Dutterer's family, friends, and partners in river and watershed restoration gathered Saturday morning to dedicate the "Otter Be Fishing" bench and plaque beside Whychus Creek in Creekside Park. The bench is dedicated to Dutterer who, before his tragic death in an auto accident in 2021, was instrumental in supporting the various agencies and individuals involved in the restoration of the creek. For Andrew Dutterer, fishing connected his past, present, and future.... Full story
Nugget freelancer Jarod Gatley was on a long trail run in the Three Creeks area recently when he got a text from a family member alerting him to a report of a fire at Lower Three Creeks Sno Park. While that fire was quickly dealt with, the encounter sparked a question for him: Hikers are commonly equipped for various types of weather and terrain, hazards from avalanches to flooding, and predators from animal to human, but how should you prepare or act for wildfire?... Full story
Campfires are now banned across Sisters Country, including in developed campground and wilderness areas. Due to continued hot weather and extremely dry vegetation, the Deschutes National Forest, Ochoco National Forest, and Crooked River moved into Stage 2 public use fire restrictions and Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) III on Monday. Effective on Monday, July 22, Stage 2 public use fire restrictions prohibit open fires, including wood stoves and charcoal briquette fires on all Central Oregon public lands including... Full story
Jonathan Kelly considers himself one lucky man. The Sisters Middle School teacher just took possession of a new home in Sisters Woodlands subsidized under a workforce housing program. Without assistance from a project created by the not-for-profit Rooted Homes and backed by a consortium of foundations, Deschutes County and Business Oregon, Kelly would still be commuting from Redmond and wondering if he could sustain working in Sisters at all. Kelly cut the ceremonial ribbon... Full story
A man identified as a 37-year-old transient accidentally shot himself in the leg earlier this month in Sisters. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office reported that at approximately 10:27 a.m. on July 7, deputies responded to Ray’s Food Place in Sisters to a report of an accidental gunshot wound. Upon arrival, they located the involved red 1997 Chevrolet 1500 pickup parked on the south end of the lot. Deputies located the driver seated on the tailgate of his truck. The man was being attended to by a citizen, who was hol... Full story
After campaigning for the state Legislature as a supporter of LGBTQ+ rights six years ago, U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer has a mixed record in Congress on these issues. She introduced a bill to automatically reverse the dishonorable discharges given to gay members of the military because of their sexual orientation, and she voted against an amendment to an appropriation's bill that would have stopped the Department of Defense from acknowledging Pride Month. But she also co-sponsored and voted for a "Parents' Bill of Rights"... Full story
Since June, there have been 100 human-caused wildfires on national forests and grasslands in Oregon and Washington. While firefighters have been largely successful in putting out these preventable fires, the extremely hot and dry conditions are significantly ramping up fire danger across the region. “We’re entering a very dangerous time period in the Pacific Northwest wildfire season,” said Ed Hiatt, Pacific Northwest Assistant Fire Director for Operations. “Mother Nature turned on the oven for a week in local forests... Full story
Along with the rest of the state, Sisters will soon see the release of the Oregon Statewide Wildfire Hazard Map risk map (Click here to see related story.). A key takeaway is the change in name from “risk” to “hazard” map. The semantics are subtle, but significant. Risk implies impacts on insurance, whereas hazard suggests something more temporary that can be mitigated. Ben Duda heads up the Sisters Sub-Unit Office of ODF (Oregon Department of Forestry). He is also a volunteer... Full story
CORVALLIS — Forest scientists at Oregon State University studying tree regeneration have found that wildfire smoke comes with an unexpected benefit: It has a cooling capacity that can make life easier for vulnerable seedlings. An OSU College of Forestry collaboration led by faculty research assistant Amanda Brackett made the discovery while working to determine the effect of forest canopy cover on summer maximum temperatures near ground level. The study’s goal was to describe how heat waves and other future climate conditions... Full story
A statewide “wildfire risk map” that drew the ire of many Oregonians will return in several weeks with few changes but with a new name following a yearlong makeover. The new “wildfire hazard map,” set to debut in mid-to-late July, will not differ in substance too much from the previous map published in 2022, according to lead researcher Chris Dunn, an Oregon State University forestry professor and wildfire expert. That first map was quickly taken offline in August 2022, just months after it was released, due to public... Full story
Many in Sisters will remember Phyllis Yankey, who lived in the community for a number of years. Phyllis Yankey’s husband, Mike, an Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) employee, was killed in an accident at the ODOT yard at the Santiam Junction in 2009. In 2020 Phyllis left Sisters to be closer to her children. On July 8, Hurricane Beryl ripped through her current neighborhood in Conroe, Texas, a tree fell and destroyed her home. In a GoFundMe narrative, her son Chris reported that, “because of some now hea... Full story
Pine Meadow Ranch, School of Ranch, OSU Extension, and High Desert Food & Farm Alliance, is set to host the workshop, “Howdy Do: Practical Land Management,” on Thursday, July 18, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Howdy Do workshops turn the model on its head, tapping into community wisdom of farmers, ranchers, hay growers, and gardeners on what works and what doesn’t work in Central Oregon when it comes to making things grow here. Hosted at the picturesque Pine Meadow Ranch in Sisters, this workshop offers participants a unique oppor... Full story
The Roundhouse Foundation has awarded grants to 106 organizations throughout rural and indigenous Oregon communities, with nearly $1.7 million in total support. These organizations were selected as part of the Spring 2024 Open Call grants cycle which closed in March with decisions shared in May and June. The recipients, or grant partners of the Roundhouse Foundation, are either nonprofits or government entities. They vary in missions, but fall into these core focus areas: arts and culture, education, social services, and... Full story
They came. 10,000 strong. And they came early, even before the 1,000-plus quilts had been completely hung across downtown Sisters. In part because it was 85 degrees by 8:30 a.m., and more to get a first-hand look at one of the premier quilt exhibits in the country. "We drove through on our way to McDonald's for breakfast around 7:15 and when we came back at 8:30 it was like, 'Whoa! How'd that happen?'" said an amazed Cory Archer from Redmond, playing in a golf foursome at Aspe... Full story
Deschutes County Board of Commissioners, on Wednesday, June 12, unanimously approved funding for a new pilot program that encourages builders to construct and sell new homes at prices attainable to median-income earners. The program, called Workforce Home Ownership for Median-income Earners (Workforce HOME), was established in partnership with NeighborImpact, Housing Works, and the Central Oregon Builders Association (COBA). It will provide developers a $30,000 builder credit for each home they build that is sold within a... Full story
A chip-sealing project on Locust Street/Camp Polk Road went badly awry this week, causing damage to numerous vehicles. The Deschutes County Road Department is making good on the damage. Road Department Director Chris Doty told The Nugget what happened on Wednesday, July 10. "Chip sealing can be very finicky," he said. "In this case, a little too much oil was applied and we released the road to traffic before the oil had time to settle." The result was "traffic driving on the... Full story
The process of shaping the future of Sisters — both figuratively and literally — is underway. According to projections used by the state, the population of Sisters will nearly double by 2043. To meet the needs of a growing population, the City has embarked on the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) expansion process. Over the next year the City will effectively decide where the city limits will be in 20 years. To aid in this work, the City has assembled the UGB Steering Committee, whose first meeting was held on Thursday, June 27.... Full story
Oregon and Washington leaders are using the start of the region's wildfire season to once again ask Congress for more money for prescribed burns. The practice of strategically starting low-intensity fires across forests to improve soil and ecosystem health and prevent catastrophic wildfires has been common among tribes in the West for millenia. In recent years, it has gained more traction among the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Oregon Department... Full story
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is warning the citizens of Deschutes County of a recurring warrant scam hitting the area. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office has taken reports recently that community members have been contacted by subject(s) requesting money for not responding to a subpoena. The caller(s) demanded the money be sent in the form of bitcoin. The caller(s) also use numerous intimidation techniques to facilitate the payments, namely keeping the unsuspecting victim on the telephone while the payments are... Full story
The Lodge in Sisters was recently the scene of smiles, excitement, and good feelings as 15 residents received an interactive animatronic dog, cat, or bird from members of the Sisters Middle School fifth-grade Sunshine Club. Romeo's Joy, headed by Sisters resident Cheryl Pellerin, is an Action Team of Age Friendly Sisters Country, and provides Sisters-area residents who are at risk of social isolation, living with dementia, and/or unable to have the companionship of a live... Full story
When Lake Creek Lodge put a sign out that said "Restaurant Open," they didn't expect a large aquatic rodent to be one of the first to dine. But just days before a major restoration planting to benefit beaver habitat began behind the Lodge, a special guest came by to check out the neighborhood eats for one of the few times in a decade. That lone beaver must have felt the love. In April a partnership between Think Wild/Beaver Works Program and Lodge owner Gordon Jones invited th... Full story
In the late 1970s, when Sisters' new fire chief, Tony Prior, was a boy of 8, he came to Central Oregon from his home near Philomath to hunt mule deer. He also fished for rainbow trout in the Metolius River. And now, some 40 years later, he and his wife Dianna are calling Sisters home. Chief Prior assumed his new duties as of late June, with the retirement of Chief Roger Johnson. Chief Prior moved to Alaska in 1994, married Dianna, had two children, and became an... Full story
It appears Sisters has a new annual Independence Day tradition. Sisters 4th Fest attracted an estimated 1,000-plus people to Village Green Park, adding a ton of heart to the heart of town. "It was wonderful seeing the community come together to eat, celebrate, dance, pay tribute to our veterans, and just have a good time," said Kellen Klein, executive director of Citizens4Community (C4C), which put on the festivities with Rotary Club of Sisters. "The event wholly exceeded our... Full story
Two small fires serve as a warning to campers as the region heads into dangerous fire weather. Fire crews jumped quickly on a small brush fire southeast of town on July 4. According to Sisters District Ranger Ian Reid, the fire that broke out on Thursday afternoon off the 4606 road between Sisters and the Rodeo Grounds “sounds like it was caused by ashes that were disposed of that were still hot.” The area sees a mix of recreational campers and forest dwellers. Reid said that the person responsible for the hot ash disposal wa... Full story
(UPDATED June 30 to include statement from Black Butte Ranch). Nine people who worked at Robert’s Pub on Black Butte Ranch have filed a $13.5 million lawsuit alleging that they were sexually abused and harassed by long-time Ranch server Michael Woosley — and that the Ranch and its managers failed to act to correct and stop Woosley’s actions. Attorneys Christopher Larsen of Pickett Dummigan McCall LLP and Jason Kafoury of Kafoury & McDougal held a press conference in Bend on Thursday, June 27, shortly after the lawsuit was f... Full story
