News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 276 - 300 of 29611
Winter came hard and fast this year. All over Sisters, folks bundled up and fired up their snow blowers - those who have them - while most of us relied on the centuries old method of shoveling by hand; a risk for many health experts warn Click here to see related story. Snow blower sales are expected to grow at an annual rate of 6.74 percent in the U.S. and Canada from $639 million in 2021 to $935 million in 2027. More than one million of the snow tamers are sold each year.... Full story
Old man winter came late this year, but when he arrived he packed a wallop on Sisters Country. At Black Butte Ranch, there was two feet on the ground by noon on Friday. Throughout the weekend temperatures plummeted and the white stuff kept piling up. For many, like skiers and snow boarders, the long wait for snow materialized and Ski Hoodoo opened last Wednesday to excited crowds. Although only two of four lifts operated as the job of grooming trails and readying all the... Full story
Like it or not, clearing your sidewalks of snow is the law. It’s probably better to think of it as common courtesy. The City puts it this way: “Many of our neighbors rely on a clear sidewalk to get to and from work or school, or to access the school bus. When a sidewalk has not been cleared of snow and/or ice, pedestrians may be forced to walk in the road, causing a dangerous situation for both the pedestrian and the driver of a vehicle.” City code requires every property owner or occupant to maintain the adjacent sidew... Full story
The City of Sisters has established an affordable housing program to offer eligible agencies and private developers grant and/or loan funds for purposes of constructing and offering affordable housing to low-and moderate-income persons in the City. The applicant must be a housing authority, a qualified nonprofit organization that constructs affordable housing, or a for-profit developer of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households. The applicant must demonstrate compliance with all eligibility requirements... Full story
In response to the extreme winter weather conditions, the City of Sisters is designating the currently vacant City-owned building at 291 E. Main Ave. as a temporary emergency shelter. This facility will provide overnight warming shelter services specifically for houseless families and individuals within the community. This emergency shelter is a temporary solution to provide assistance to houseless neighbors during extreme winter weather. The emergency declaration was approved by the City Council for the shelter to operate...
Drivers passing by the Sisters District Ranger Station on Saturday, December 30 felt a certain amount of anxiety as thick smoke and fire arose from one of the several buildings on the District's campus. The obsolete building, once used as a dormitory, was in the way of the new 14,000-square-foot headquarters building to be constructed this year. Rather than demolish it, the Forest Service donated it to Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District (SCSFD) for a live fire training... Full story
Sisters Ranger District firefighters plan to conduct pile burning operations one mile southwest of Sisters along Forest Service Roads 15 and 1505. Firefighters may continue burning throughout the week as conditions are favorable. Smoke may be visible from Sisters and the surrounding area. Residents are encouraged to keep doors and windows closed to help decrease smoke impacts. Firefighters select pile burning units for ignition based on moisture levels, forecasted weather and conditions predicted to move smoke away from... Full story
A large glow in the distance was reported to Deschutes County 911 just after 11 p.m. on Sunday evening, January 7, by a property owner over a mile-and-a-half away from a fully involved structure fire in Stevens Canyon. Firefighters were initially dispatched to a possible structure fire on Wilt Road in Sisters. Responding firefighters were later directed to the Ridge at Indian Ford Subdivision and finally to a group of homes off Stevens Canyon Road. Due to the uncertain... Full story
Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) has alerted The Nugget of abuse to several trails within their system by one or more motor bikers. They provided photo evidence of the damage. There is no way of knowing if this was wanton disregard for the rules or carelessness. Either way the injury to the trailbed will require hours of volunteer work to repair. “Nearly two-hundred STA trail volunteers and trail adopters work tirelessly throughout the entire year to steward nearly 200 miles o... Full story
Concerned citizens routinely notify the Sisters Ranger District of abandoned vehicles in the woods around town. Just as routinely, the Forest Service begins the somewhat arduous task of removing them. In 2023 there were 25 cases in all, including a trailer at the rodeo grounds, a Ford Ranger on Forest Road 15, a motorhome near the high school, three RV trailers at 970/4606, five vehicles in all at Eagle Rock Road, two burned out RVs on Road 100 (the spur road), and the list go... Full story
Almost everybody in town has or had or knows someone who has or had “the crud.” Workers are out — as are some masks. Stores are having a run on tissues and Tylenol. Home remedies and self-isolation may be keeping reported numbers low in spite of people hacking and coughing their way through life in Sisters Country. St. Charles Health System spokesperson Alandra Johnson said, “We are starting to see an increase in COVID-19 statewide but that has not yet reached Central Oregon... Full story
A Prineville resident is facing charges related to the trafficking of controlled substances after the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team executed a roadside search warrant just outside Sisters last weekend. Law enforcement reports that on January 6, around 9 a.m., the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team concluded a long-term investigation and surveillance operation with the apprehension of Travis Ingram, 35, from Prineville. According to Sergeant Kent Vander Kamp, Ingram... Full story
America’s oldest trees, most of which are in the West, will get added protection from wildfire and climate change under updated forest plans from the U.S. Forest Service. In announcements over the past week, officials from the Forest Service said they would begin the process of amending forest management plans affecting all 128 of the agency’s forest and grasslands, including the Northwest Forest Plan governing federal forests in northern California, Oregon, and Washington. The amendments, both nationally and in the Nor... Full story
Kate Tibbitts comes to her North Star Elementary School kindergarten class every day excited about teaching her students. She's rewarded and challenged by her students' unique personalities, learning styles, and stories. Watching Tibbitts teach reveals her skills and approach, grounded in life experiences and an education focused on helping students understand themselves and how their minds work. In her 10 years of teaching, she hasn't focused on recognition or accolades, but... Full story
The collective efforts of a very giving local neighborhood gleamed with a donation of $4,280 toward Sisters Camp-Sherman Rural Fire Protection District's sponsorship of "Spirit of Christmas Giving 2023." Providing Christmas gifts and financial assistance to Sisters Community families this holiday was the mission of the Aspen Lakes Estates Owners Association. Five years ago, the Aspen Lakes Social Committee chose to join the collective community efforts of our local fire... Full story
With homeowners in Sisters Country — and across Oregon — concerned about keeping their homeowners insurance policies in the face of industry-wide wildfire risk concerns, when the clock strikes midnight on January 1, 2024 many new laws immediately take effect. The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (DFR) reports that Senate Bill (SB) 82 strengthens consumer protections for homeowners dealing with wildfire-related issues. It requires insurance companies to explain, using property-specific characteristics, why a policy mig... Full story
Winter may not have hit Sisters Country in earnest, but roads can still be icy, especially in the morning. An incident on Highway 20 near Suttle Lake demonstrates the importance of slowing down and adjusting for conditions. According to Black Butte Ranch Police, on Tuesday morning around 8:26 a.m., Black Butte Ranch Police responded to assist on a crash on Highway 20 near the entrance to Suttle Lake. A vehicle had slid off the road due to icy conditions. Black Butte Ranch Fire Department medics arrived on scene to assess the... Full story
State biologists say Oregon's gray wolf population may have reached its ecological limit in the eastern third of the state and that packs will probably spread out to the west and south in greater numbers. Those comments, made at a meeting of the state Fish and Wildlife Commission, came as Colorado released five wolves trapped from Oregon as part of a historic reintroduction program. Roblyn Brown, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's wolf coordinator, told ranchers and... Full story
Much of Sisters Country woke up on December 25 to what might be characterized as a minimalist white Christmas. There was just the lightest skiff of snow on the ground, and that was it. Temperatures have been mild and precipitation minimal in Sisters — and it’s likely to stay more or less that way through March, according to the latest forecast from the Oregon Department of Agriculture. According to Oregon Department of Forestry lead meteorologist Pete Parsons, we should “expec... Full story
The Roundhouse Foundation began bolstering organizations that serve and support rural and Tribal areas of Oregon in 2002. This fall, they supported the work of 105 organizations for the fall 2023 Open Call cycle, with nearly $1.5 million given across the state. Here in the Sisters area, eight organizations received funding for special projects. Grant partners working in Sisters fell into three focus areas: education, social services, and environmental stewardship. “We are honored to support the great work happening in our h... Full story
On December 12, at 7 a.m., Detectives with the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office Illegal Marijuana Market Enforcement Team (DCIMME) executed three search warrants after conducting a long-term investigation into the illegal production of marijuana at multiple addresses in the Bend area. The team was supported by the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement team, Drug Enforcement Administration, Deschutes County District Attorney's Office, Redmond Police Department, Bend Police... Full story
Maybe you are one of the estimated 7.5 million air passengers traveling for the Christmas holidays. Or maybe you are expecting family traveling to you. Good luck. You will probably need it. In addition to the anticipated record number of travelers - up by 200,000 from the previous high in 2019 - you may encounter uncommon delays at RDM – Redmond airport - in the form of fog. A couple from Camp Sherman arose at 3 a.m. last week for a 6 a.m. am flight that would take them to S... Full story
While Sisters Ranger District Special Forest Products Officer Jeremy Fields and local volunteer Therese Kollerer were out on a Forest Service volunteer clean-up and patrol on December 4, they stopped to examine the site of a crime. Someone had felled a very large, green old-growth ponderosa pine. The felling of a large, important tree - one that the Forest Service had gone out of its way to protect during fuels treatment in the area - is a stark example of a problem that is... Full story
From Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, across the nation to Sisters, Oregon, Americans laid wreaths on Saturday, December 16 to mark National Wreaths Across America Day. The national moment commemorates fallen veterans during the holiday season in a mission to remember the fallen; honor those who serve; and teach the next generation the value of freedom. In Sisters, the December 16 observance was hosted by Sisters veterans and held at the veterans' memorial at Village... Full story
Those who have worked with Jeremy Fields in his capacity as Sisters Ranger District's Special Forest Products coordinator, or in his work with the unhoused population in Sisters' forests, know that he approaches his work with exceptional dedication, and with humility and a high degree of respect for all. His work was recognized last week in the U.S. Forest Service's Regional Forester's Honor Awards ceremony held in Portland. Fields was named Region 6 Employee of the Year.... Full story
