News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 201 - 225 of 29577
A home undergoing an extensive remodel was destroyed by fire in the early hours of February 15. According to Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District (SCSFD), firefighters responded at 2 a.m. on Thursday, February 15, to a report of a house fire in the 69000 block of Old Barn Court northeast of Sisters. Crews arrived to find a large home heavily involved in fire, with fire venting through the roof of the structure. The initial arriving engine crews from Sisters, supported by an engi... Full story
With Deputy Aaron Myers on patrol in Sisters, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) Sisters contingent is once again fully staffed, with three deputies and a lieutenant operating out of the local substation. Deputy Myers is new to the Sisters office, but he has 16 years of experience with DCSO, serving six of those years as assistant coordinator for the DCSO Search and Rescue Unit. Deputy Myers told The Nugget that he sought the open position in Sisters because... Full story
It's nighttime at Hoodoo ski area. Intrepid skiers and snowboarders make their way down lighted runs, their silhouettes flittering against a white snow backdrop. Music blasts from speakers. Kids who probably should've been in bed long ago race across the snow, pelting each other with snowballs. They move from awesome snow sculpture to awesome snow sculpture, clambering on sphinxes and other shapes, until the sculptures are worn down, unrecognizable. "Winter Carnival has been... Full story
The long-awaited project to construct a roundabout at Highway 20 and Locust Street is set to get underway at the beginning of March. The project will start with moving the Sisters Elementary School fence and relocating some utilities, according to Sisters Public Works Director Paul Bertagna. The fence relocation is expected to be completed by the time students return from spring break so that students can use the fields. "All of this is, of course, weather-dependent, too,"... Full story
The term "art" is a word used to encompass a wide range of activities, but can often fail to convey the power it has on people's lives. On January 30 the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) partnered with the White House Domestic Policy Council to host a Healing, Bridging, and Thriving Summit on Arts and Culture in Communities. This event spanned throughout the entire day, with over 30 speakers from all over the country. The Sisters-based Roundhouse Foundation was one of the... Full story
After an extensive national search and a day-long interview process involving five panels of evaluators, the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District's Board of Directors made a conditional job offer to Tony Prior from Kenai, Alaska. The conditional offer is contingent upon the candidate passing a background investigation, medical physical and successful contract negotiations. The Board is confident that Chief Prior has the skills and experience necessary to ensure the Fire... Full story
With a few ceremonial shovelfuls of dirt turned over, the US20/Locust Roundabout construction project is under way. City and county elected officials, Oregon Department of Transportation representatives, along with construction personnel gathered on the south side of the Locust/Cascade intersection on Monday morning to officially inaugurate the project. Mayor Michael Preedin noted that the effort was six years in the making, starting with initial impetus from Sisters Public... Full story
The Ski Inn Taphouse was full of community members and fire staff who gathered last Sunday evening to meet the five semi-final candidates for Sisters fire chief, one of whom will replace Chief Roger Johnson as he retires this summer. George Dunkel, who provides consulting services for Special Districts Association of Oregon, introduced each of the candidates who made brief statements. The assembled citizens and staff had almost two hours to meet, question, and listen to the... Full story
By now you will have received your first electric bill of the year, the one with the 5–7 percent rate increase announced by CEC (Central Electric Cooperative) at the end of last year. That was a hefty bump which CEC attributes to higher costs from its source — Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) — and “surging” inflation of equipment and supplies used to deliver power. Since 2019, CEC has seen the cost of a power pole rise by 35 percent, overhead power cables by 45 percen... Full story
Long Hollow Ranch sits on 12,000 acres across two counties. Its main entrance is on Holmes Road in the heart of Sisters Country. The most visible part of the operation is its wedding and event venue but behind the bucolic setting are cows. Hundreds of them. The ranch also sits on an AKWA (Area of Known Wolf Activity). Long Hollow is claiming the loss of seven cows to wolves beginning in February of 2023 with the most recent loss last year between May and July when two calves... Full story
The annual July 4th fly-in, car show, and drag-racing event at Sisters Eagle Airport, known as Rumble On The Runway, is in danger of disappearing from the Sisters event scene, a victim of its own success. Airport co-owner, Julie Benson, told The Nugget "that the cost to insure the one-day event has risen by 500 percent and there are simply not enough of us to staff the event. We need many more volunteers." In 2021 the event attracted about 1,500 people. That grew to around... Full story
The February 15 fire that destroyed a house on Old Barn Court northeast of Sisters was caused by spontaneous combustion of oily rags in a garbage can. Jeff Puller, community risk and fire safety manager with the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District, told The Nugget that two deputy state fire marshals investigated the fire, and determined that this was the accidental cause. The home was undergoing an extensive remodel, and was unoccupied at the time of the blaze. Units from Sisters, Cloverdale and Black Butte Ranch responded to... Full story
Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District’s Fire Chief Roger Johnson will retire on July 1, after serving 12 years with the District. The Fire District Board of Directors started the process for hiring a new fire chief nearly a year ago when Chief Johnson announced his retirement. “The community has been fortunate to have such a high-quality individual as Chief Johnson in this leadership position for the past twelve years,” said Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District Board President Kristie Miller. “Selecting a new Fire Chief that wo... Full story
The family of a U.S. Marine veteran and Sisters High School graduate has launched a campaign seeking information on her whereabouts. Kirsten Anne Clarke reportedly left service and cut off all contact with family and friends in March 2023. Clarke's family lived in Sisters from 2006 to 2020, and still maintains property and connections in the area. Kirsten Clarke graduated from Sisters High School in 2011. She was a cross country runner. She served as a Navy corpsman (medic)... Full story
A local resident recently raised concerns about drone traffic over private property - and what the law allows. She told The Nugget that she has "repeatedly seen drones (daytime and nighttime) over our property and in the area even directly over our home which is on 68 acres. It is very unsettling. We have reported to Deschutes County Sheriff, but there is clearly nothing they can do...and it may not even be illegal." She's not alone in raising this issue. The skies over... Full story
The Sisters Library re-opened last week after a month-long closure following extensive water damage from a broken pipe. The children’s area and the community meeting rooms remain out of commission as damage was more extensive than first assessed. It was originally thought that the building would be reopened in two weeks. “Fortunately no books were lost and the children’s area books were on rolling shelving so we were able to move them into the main section for the time being... Full story
It’s not too early to start thinking about your summer garden. Join the Sisters Community Garden and reserve a place to grow vegetables, flowers, and herbs. Applications for new and existing members are available through March 1. Returning gardeners have until that date to reserve the same raised bed they used last year. After March 1, new applicants will be assigned a space depending on availability. Garden plots measure four feet by 20, 15, and 10 feet, are surrounded with wood siding, and have a water spigot. Two w... Full story
Readers often ask The Nugget either how to get something done at City Hall or simply register a thought about various and sundry things. We usually suggest taking issues directly to City of Sisters staff. Sisters is still a town where school, fire, police, and city officials are very accessible. There are no gatekeepers and no special code or status is needed to make contact. In our experience you will most likely be met with accessibility and transparency. Recently, for... Full story
Recently the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced its findings for gray wolves in the Western United States, and its launch of a national "path to support a long term and durable approach to the conservation of gray wolves, to include a process to develop - for the first time - a National Recovery Plan under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for gray wolves in the lower 48 states." The announcement does not make any changes to the legal status of gray wolves in the... Full story
Sisters firefighters knocked down a fire on the roof of a home northeast of town on Sunday. On the morning of February 11, firefighters from the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District (SCSFD) responded to a report of a house fire in the 69000 block of Deer Ridge Road. The fire district reports that crews arrived to find smoke and flames from the roof of the home near the metal chimney pipe. The fire had extended to the roof structure, and was burning in a void space between the... Full story
Deschutes County declared a state of emergency February 7 over the growing fentanyl crisis in Central Oregon that is following the statewide trend of lethal drug overdoses and associated crime. The declaration issued by the county board of commissioners, following a vote in favor by commissioners Board Chair Patti Adair, and Tony DeBone, provides no money nor redirects any resources. Commissioner Phil Chang abstained, claiming the declaration doesn't give the county any... Full story
It all began in 1911 as a schoolhouse followed by a stint as the Hitchcock family residence and later to be occupied by the Barclay family. The old white house just north of East Barclay Drive on the west side of Camp Polk Road has had a history of ups and downs. Its last life came to be in the 1980s when Frank and Marie Conklin turned it into a quaint bed-and-breakfast. It was described then in travel guides as "Country elegance in a serene pastoral setting. Perfect spot for... Full story
In testimony to Congress last week - described as chilling - FBI Director Christopher Wray said that China's hackers are targeting American critical infrastructure, including water treatment plants, pipelines and the power grid, to be able to "wreak havoc" in the U.S. if Beijing ever decides to do so. Testifying before the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Wray also warned that there has been too little public attention on the threat that he says China's... Full story
On Saturday, January 27, Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District paramedics assisted in delivering a baby during a transport to the hospital. Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District crews were dispatched with lights and sirens to a medical call for a woman in labor. Upon arrival, ambulance crews quickly confirmed the patient was in active labor with just a couple of minutes between contractions. The patient and her significant other were assisted to the ambulance and crews began to transport the couple to St. Charles Medical Center in... Full story
Paul David Weston, 47, of Sisters, pleaded guilty in Deschutes County Circuit Court to a single felony count of possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to 10 days in jail, but has already served 11, and so will not serve any additional time. A second larger and more serious case involving drugs and equipment theft is still pending. Judge Beth Bagley reset the trial date for that case to July 22, but both prosecutor and defense anticipate that the case will be... Full story
