News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Redmond Police officers arrested 28-year-old Redmond resident Michael Moran, and 25-year-old Sisters resident Christien Richardson on Thursday, April 18, in connection with burglaries in Redmond. The arrest took place in the parking lot of Dairy Queen. Redmond Police Lt. Eric Beckwith reported that the pair were arrested on cases involving burglaries at La Frontera and the Redmond Tap House. La Frontera was burglarized four times with a large multitude of items stolen, and... Full story
Oregon’s getting better at preventing and responding to wildfires, experts said Thursday, April 25, but much more still needs to be done. A panel of University of Oregon professors who study climate change, smoke, and wildfire discussed the 2024 wildfire season in an online forum with journalists as the West braces for summer fires. “Wildfire risk in the West and in Oregon this year is not abnormally higher than in recent years,” said Daniel Gavin, a professor in the geography department who specializes in paleoecology — the... Full story
The discussion of development code changes that would allow for a boutique RV Park at the former site of the Conklin Guest House on the corner of Barclay Drive and Camp Polk Road/Locust Street will carry into next month. The Sisters Planning Commission continued their April 18 public hearing on the matter to May 16. 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... Full story
Local nonprofit Citizens4Community (C4C) recently selected 10 organizations, businesses, and individuals as the recipients of its 2024 Momentum Grants. Now in its fifth year, the program offers funding for grassroots projects aligned with the Sisters Country Vision. The Vision is a “guiding light” for the community, developed through a citizen-led process and designed to offer a long-term framework for the future of Sisters Country. A Vision Implementation Team (VIT) composed of local agency, organizational, and com... Full story
Kevin Eckert speaks bluntly when it comes to “affordable housing” in Sisters: “The era of single-family homes being affordable is gone,” he says. Eckert is the principal of Build LLC, architects and designers of Sisters Woodlands, a housing development located on a portion of the former Sisters Ranger District property along Pine Street on the western edge of Sisters. He will be part of the panel sparking discussion of the housing situation in Sisters at a town hall sponsor... Full story
A massive fire at a shop east of Sisters consumed two rare cars and destroyed the structure early Wednesday morning, April 17. There were no injuries and firefighters kept the fire from spreading. The Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District responded to an early morning fire near the 67000 block of Fryrear Road near Sisters. Cloverdale fire officials reported that multiple callers indicated that there was a large building on fire with explosions. The first arriving crews... Full story
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
The May 21 primary election is underway. If you are an active registered voter in the county, you should expect to receive an official primary ballot by mail in early May. Once you vote your ballot, you can return it either by mail or at any of the secure, official drop boxes available throughout Deschutes County. There is a drop box in front of Sisters City Hall, 520 E. Cascade Ave. In Oregon, the two major political parties, Democratic and Republican, have chosen to hold closed primaries. This means that only voters who... Full story
A strong turnout was on hand at the Teixeira Ranch sale barn in Terrebonne, April 9, for the second meeting of the freshly reanimated Deschutes County Livestock Association (DCLA). Dave McMichael, president of the DCLA, who raises commercial beef cattle throughout Central Oregon, told The Nugget that he accepted the mantle as an "act of service," and that members are energized around three priorities: communication with the broader public, education of the next generation,... 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
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
