News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 176 - 200 of 29577
If all goes according to schedule, the new 13,342 square foot headquarters building for the Sisters Ranger District will open to the public in January 2025. This according to Ian Reid, Sisters District Ranger, as he led a tour of the 12-acre construction site prior to the District annual open house last week. The new warehouse, which has three engine bays, is where the annual meeting was held. It has an area for working on equipment, a storage room for field gear, and a... Full story
An applicant-driven slate of changes to the City of Sisters Development Code will come before the Planning Commission in a public hearing on Thursday, April 18, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall. The changes, which would allow an RV park as a use in the Sun Ranch Tourist Commercial zone, would have to be in place before a formal plan for the site can be filed. The property developers propose a “boutique, higher-end RV Park that caters to the growing sector of the tourism industry that travels in RVs” to be sited on the property for... Full story
Looking at the horizon one sees plenty of the white stuff on the Three Sisters, and Black Butte is showing a pretty white blanket. Ski Hoodoo and Bachelor are having excellent spring skiing. Typically by mid-April the ski resorts are icy in the morning and "mashed potatoes" by noon, frustrating skiers and boarders seeking to extend the season. Not so this year. Afternoon temps have remained cool under a good deal of cloud cover. On Saturday, Hoodoo was sitting on 72 inches of... Full story
Julie Kehler is on a clock. What happens in the next few weeks will determine whether or not she can stay in Sisters. It all comes down to finding a place to live. Kehler has to be out of her current rental by the end of May, and she has not been able to find a new place that she can afford. "I've given myself till the end of this month to make a decision on what I need to do," she told The Nugget last week. Kehler is one of many working people in Sisters who struggle with... Full story
If you've hiked along Whychus Creek as it rushes down from the mountains in spring, or strolled through the tall grass of Glaze Meadow into swampy terrain, or stepped into the Metolius River to cast a fly line, you've encountered the work of Mike Riehle. The Sisters Ranger District fish biologist has worked for decades to restore natural habitat, and make the streams of Sisters Country hospitable to native fish populations. He'll quickly tell you that he was one among many... Full story
Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District Board Chair Kristie Miller announced Friday, April 5, that Tony Prior has completed all pre-employment requirements and the parties have completed contract negotiations. Chief Prior’s start date is scheduled for June 1. He will succeed current Fire Chief Roger Johnson, who is retiring on July 1. Chief Prior comes to the District with 29 years’ experience in the fire service working his way through the ranks. He has served as a firefighter, engineer, captain, battalion chief/training and saf... Full story
Sisters deputies with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office arrested Dana Michael Roy of Washington last year, after incidents involving threats to people living in the forest near town. On April 1, Roy, age 43, was sentenced to probation, restitution, and time served on multiple counts, including attempted robbery in the second degree and unlawful use of a weapon. A count of first-degree robbery and a count of menacing were dismissed. The incidents unfolded on the morning of February 7, 2023, when deputies with the D... Full story
Sisters High School will continue its vocal music program, even as teacher Rick Johnson has been placed on leave while the Sisters School District looks into concerns about a potentially inappropriate text exchange with a former student. The student is believed to have been 17 at the time of the exchange. “That’s our next conversation,” Superintendent Curt Scholl told The Nugget. “Our intent is to still run the program. We want to, as much as possible, limit impact on any of our students. That’s our goal.” Johnson taught choi... Full story
The primary election is May 21 and ballots will be mailed May 1. There are only two races. One for County Commissioner Position #2, and the other for Deschutes County Sheriff. Both are four-year terms. There are eight measures on the ballot, none affecting Sisters nor which Sisters voters can vote. This is the first commissioner election since voters approved a measure to make such races non-partisan. Thus the top two vote getters will appear on the November ballot. Phil... Full story
After conferring with its attorneys and insurance advisor, Sisters Eagle Airport has decided against continuing its annual July 4th event known as Rumble on the Runway. As The Nugget reported earlier this month, the very popular event has grown in size to the point where risk leaves the airport vulnerable. Last week, Rotary Club of Sisters, Citizens4Community (C4C) and Explore Sisters met in an emergency setting to discuss alternatives for an Independence Day family event of... Full story
Sisters' taste of warm temperatures and bright sunshine earlier this month heralded spring, and a hint of summer. It's a welcome tease - and also a reminder that we're headed into wildfire season. Local officials met informally with a group of Sisters area citizens on Wednesday, March 20, at Sisters Fire Hall, to talk about wildfire preparedness. According to Andrew Myhra of the Sisters Ranger District, it's a little early to predict what kind of wildfire season we're facing.... Full story
Helping people in need - that's the fundamental mission and purpose of the men and women who volunteer with the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District. There are many different ways to help fulfill that mission - and many paths to becoming a volunteer. "My journey with the fire service has been long," Firefighter Kevin Cramer told The Nugget last week. "It's got a lot of holes in it; it's not continuous." As a young man, he was on a path toward the fire service in southern... Full story
It often comes as a surprise to Sisters Country folk when out hiking deep inside the Deschutes National Forest and they come across fences or other indicators that they are now upon private lands. "How does anybody have a ranch smack dab in the middle of the forest?" Clay and Maureen Whittier asked as they came upon Skyline Forest. They were snowshoeing near Three Creek Butte via Snow Creek Road when they faced a pair of signs: "NOTICE Entering Private Property" and "PLEASE... Full story
On a cold December 21, Deschutes County Sheriff's Deputy Jerad Bearson of the Sisters Station found himself on the Cold Springs Road cutoff near Highway 20 in search of a distressed dog. A citizen called it in describing the dog as looking like a black Labrador retriever, pregnant or having recently birthed. Bearson quickly found the dog, sitting up, guarded. When he approached, the dog became agitated and tried to bite him. Another deputy responded to Bearson's efforts and th... Full story
Deschutes National Forest firefighters plan to start spring prescribed burning in mid-April as conditions become favorable. The Deschutes National Forest may accomplish up to an estimated 11,000 acres of prescribed burning, including up to an estimated 7,000 acres on the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District, 1,271 acres on the Crescent Ranger District, and 2,942 acres on the Sisters Ranger District. Prescribed burns are planned north of Sisters on the east and west sides of Highway 20 just south of Indian Ford Campground; within... Full story
Sisters School District officials and other agencies will look into potentially inappropriate texts between a Sisters teacher and a former student believed to be 17. The texts came to light in social media posts on Sunday, March 25, involving choir and Americana Project teacher Rick Johnson. "We're aware of the issue," Sisters Schools Superintendent Curt Scholl told The Nugget Monday afternoon. "Can't comment on personnel issues, but we're working with all the agencies on the matter." As is standard practice for mandatory... Full story
A drug overdose. A suicide attempt. Patients in cardiac arrest and not breathing. Two calls in February 2023, only three days apart - and two lives saved through professional care, quick thinking, and intervention including advanced life support provided by paramedics of the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District. April 2023: Using CPR and rapid intubation, paramedics got a patient with a self-inflicted gunshot transferred to a waiting air ambulance, to be taken to the hospital. T... Full story
In a sure sign of spring, "Construction Ahead" signs are popping up around Sisters Country. One that is likely pleasing to area residents is the improvement project to the popular and historic Highway 242, where thousands of tourists in vehicles and on bicycles wind their way every summer. A favorite highway of motorcyclists and touring cars, Highway 242 is still in the middle of its annual winter closure from about 12 miles west of Sisters to a few miles east of Highway 126... Full story
Plans to turn the site of the former Conklin’s Guest House near the intersection of Camp Polk Road and Barclay Drive into a boutique RV park are wending their way through a multi-tiered planning process. Sisters planning commissioners met in a workshop on Thursday, March 21, to get up to speed on proposed changes to the City of Sisters Development Code that would have to be in place before a formal plan for the site can be filed. The code changes are being proposed by the a... Full story
Sisters resident Kevin Blake Gast, 65, lost his life in a single-vehicle accident north of town on Tuesday, March 12. According to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, deputies with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported single vehicle rollover accident near the intersection of Wilt Road and Hinkle Butte Road at approximately 8:26 p.m. Deputies were advised a Dodge Ram pickup was resting on its side on the shoulder of the road. Upon arrival deputies determined no other vehicles were involved. The dri... Full story
Children from infants to 11 years of age are invited to participate in the annual Easter Egg Hunt co-sponsored by the Sisters-Camp Sherman and Cloverdale fire districts. The event will take place on Easter Sunday, March 31 at 2 p.m. at the adjoining Creekside Park and Sisters Creekside Campground, regardless of weather. The Easter Bunny will be present to greet all. Parking is limited so plan to be a little early. Children wishing to participate are asked to be at the parks twenty (20) minutes before 2 p.m. so they can be... Full story
Have you ever been interested in supporting your community by being involved with emergency services? Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District is currently accepting applications for our upcoming Spring Volunteer Firefighter Academy. Specifically, our fire stations in the Camp Sherman and Whychus Canyon Estates are actively looking for volunteers who are passionate about giving back and serving their communities. The 11-week academy begins Monday, April 22, and it will host a combination of new volunteers for Sisters-Camp Sherman... Full story
Public Works Director Paul Bertagna will be happy when spring arrives. Nearly all of Sisters was under a blanket of snow for 10 weeks. Bertagna and his crews have found themselves at all hours of days and nights tackling the beast. The City has plowed through $42,800 of its $50,000 snow-removal budget with a good four to six weeks left of possible accumulation. Four of Bertagna’s staff are trained to handle the job. He occasionally has to jump in himself when the snow comes h... Full story
Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District is inviting folks in Sisters to a community event on wildfire preparedness. Local, county, and state agency professionals will speak on the upcoming wildfire season and their respective planning. They will have guest presenters from the City of Sisters, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Sisters Ranger District, ODF, and Deschutes County Health Services. The event is set Wednesday, March 20, 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Sisters Fire Hall. Additional experts from Oregon State Fire Marshal, OSU E... Full story
Chief Tony Prior of Kenai, Alaska rose to the top of the candidate pool following interviews with the five semi-finalists to replace retiring fire chief Roger Johnson. Following background and reference checks, a medical physical, and successful contract negotiations, an official public announcement will be made by the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District board. In a phone conversation last week with Chief Prior, he told The Nugget, "My wife Diane and I were amazed at the... Full story
