News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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The Sisters Library will close temporarily September 24 in order to transition from its temporary quarters to its fully remodeled facility. The transition will take until mid-October, with no date certain, as construction and technology crews are at work completing the final steps of the upgrade and modernization. In an announcement to the public, Library managers ask that patrons please hold returns while the library is closed during the transition period. No late fees will... Full story
A 21-year-old woman named Gin Szagola is riding her horse, Finley, from New Jersey to the Oregon shore. That's a 3,450-mile trek across 10 states. More amazing is that this is her third cross country-adventure; the first was on foot and the second on a bicycle. In 2019, she became the youngest woman to have walked across the U.S. solo. None of this comes across when you meet her, as The Nugget did Friday when she came through Sisters, hours behind schedule. But "schedule"... Full story
Over 18 years ago, Sisters teachers Rand Runco and Mark LaMont started the non-profit Ten Friends as a hopeful experiment. What began as trips to a distant land, led by Sisters business owner Nurbu Sherpa, has matured into an organization making a difference for Nepalese people who lack basic necessities and a chance for a better life. Access to clean drinking water, education, and books are just a few of the things Ten Friends has brought to both remote villages and... Full story
Short-term rentals (STRs) were originally heralded as a way to increase tourism dollars in a city by offering a wide variety of lodging quality and affordability, as well as a different experience from that found in a hotel. Homeowners and landlords would also benefit by earning additional income from renting out rooms and entire properties as STRs. After more than a decade of experience, the STR impact on local economies and rental markets is highlighting problems that may... Full story
Volunteers can help clean up the forest near Sisters in an event sponsored by Sisters Community Leadership Initiative (CLI) on Saturday, September 23. Volunteers will meet at Village Green Park in Sisters at 9 a.m. and convoy to the site approximately four miles outside of Sisters toward Bend on Eagle Rock Road. Participants should wear appropriate clothing for working in the forest, and bring work gloves. The City of Sisters is providing trash bags. In a statement, Danna McNeese of CLI said, “We endeavor to prevent trash b... Full story
Notwithstanding the tragedy of Maui, as the peak wildfire season draws to a close, national woodland firefighters and foresters are breathing a cautious sigh of relief. As of last Saturday, a total of 2.1 million acres have been lost to wildfire as compared to 7.58 million acres in all of 2022. Mother Nature still has about six weeks to change the outcome, but for now things are looking good. In Sisters there have been about a dozen days where smoke put the air quality index... Full story
According to the Transportation Research Board, more than 100 children are killed every year while walking to and from school. About 25,000 are injured. With school back in session, local citizens have expressed concern about driving they have witnessed in school areas, particularly on Locust Street near Sisters Elementary School during the afternoon. Causes of pedestrian accidents in school zones vary widely. It's important to remember that the word "pedestrian" includes... Full story
With the increasing number of record-breaking wildfires occurring in recent years, the availability and cost of homeowner’s insurance is becoming a concern for communities located in fire-prone areas. Many traditional insurance companies have announced they will no longer write policies in fire-prone areas, having seen millions in losses due to wildfire. Other carriers have stopped renewing policies due to the increasing liability and cost of replacements. This topic and m... Full story
Local firefighting professionals honored the 2023 cadre of young resident volunteer firefighters as they launch their careers in the service last Thursday, September 7. The resident volunteers successfully completed the Firefighter 1 Academy and were "pinned" with their badge as newly fledged firefighters in an hour-long Joint Recruit Academy Graduation & Recognition Ceremony held at Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District Community Hall. Cade Heitschmidt, Madison Jones, Noah... Full story
Sisters City Council came to a 3-2 contingent decision to deny the application of the Sisters Cold Weather Shelter (SCWS) organization for an emergency homeless shelter at 192 W. Barclay Dr. in Sisters. Councilors Gary Ross, Jennifer Letz, and Mayor Michael Preedin voted to deny the application by SCWS, while councilors Susan Cobb and Andrea Blum voted to approve. The decision made in a marathon special meeting on Tuesday, September 5, is non-binding until a written decision is adopted. City staff will prepare a draft written... Full story
The Sisters City Council came to a 3-2 contingent decision to deny the application of the Sisters Cold Weather Shelter organization for an emergency homeless shelter at 192 W. Barclay Drive in Sisters. Councilors Gary Ross, Jennifer Letz, and Mayor Michael Preedin voted to deny the application while councilors Susan Cobb and Andrea Blum voted to approve. The decision made in a marathon special meeting on Tuesday, September 5, is non-binding until a written decision is adopted. City staff will prepare a draft written decision... Full story
It's a warm afternoon as smoke from a distant fire settles into the tree canopy. Black Butte's faded silhouette overlooks the 50-acre Black Butte Lower Swamp, which is experiencing renewed life. Willows and waist-high, vibrant-green blades of sedge drift in the caustic breeze. Birds whisper among the treetops. Indian Ford Creek, once subtle, now ripples through the meadow. This once-barren landscape harbors abundant life, once again. The faint aroma of native mint fills the... Full story
The Central Oregon Chapter of OSU Master Gardeners will present a free class by OSU Master Gardeners on seed saving and storing. Participants will see successful ways to save and store seeds from your vegetable garden and landscape. Learn the tricks and techniques from experienced Master Gardeners. Bring a small white envelope if you would like to take home some of the seeds from the demonstration. The class will be held Saturday, September 9, 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Oregon State... Full story
Andrea Blum has been involved in Sisters Country life for many years. Blum moved to Sisters in 1988 and purchased 20 acres of land in the triangle between Bend, Redmond, and Sisters. Blum worked for the Bureau of Labor and the Oregon Public Employees Union in the Willamette Valley before moving to Sisters, and had always been interested in public service work. "I worked my way up to the office manager position and learned about workers' rights. I worked behind the scenes on... Full story
In 2001, I saw Oregonians make a difference in hundreds of lives. Their courage and compassion made history, but sadly, it's history that even Oregonians don't know about these days. It was called the Flight for Freedom and it's who we are at our best, when we come together across all the things that are supposed to divide us and we let our hearts take the lead. Prepare to be inspired. The Flight for Freedom took place just three weeks after the September 11 terrorist... Full story
Local realtors say the market for single family homes in Sisters has cooled dramatically but a look at the numbers tells a slightly different story. On August 15, a 14,666-square-foot, eight-bedroom, nine-bath home on Jordan Road sold for $15 million. Stripping that one-of- kind sale from the totals, August 2023 showed signs of resiliency compared to August of 2022. Last year in August saw 35 single- family homes sell in Sisters Country for $31.7 million. This August saw a... Full story
Shae Gascon's family moved to Sisters when she was in the third grade. She remembers gardening with her grandparents and how much she loved planting and harvesting fresh veggies. Her interest in farming continued, but it wasn't until her junior year that she spent some time at Seed to Table (S2T) farm "I was in IEE, (Interdisciplinary Environmental Expedition) and chose farming as my extra activity," she said. "We were working on building doors for their hoop houses. We also... Full story
Additional fire restrictions are currently in effect on the Willamette National Forest. Those restrictions include popular areas for Sisters’ OHV (off-highway vehicle) riders. The new restrictions prohibit all motorized use on motorized trails, including in the Santiam Pass and Huckleberry Flats OHV areas. Off-highway vehicles are only allowed on multi-use roads, which allow both OHVs and regular motor vehicles; Motor Vehicle Use Maps show which roads are open to multi-use, and are available at Willamette National Forest o... Full story
Explore Sisters is tasked with promoting tourism that fits in well with the community values of Sisters. The work of the organization, which is one year old, has not been very visible to the public. The organization is funded through a lodging tax of 8.99 percent on room rates for overnight lodging of less than 30 days. Transient Lodging (Room) Tax (TRT or TLT) is the City's second largest general fund income source. Despite the volatile economic environment for the last... Full story
The average schoolteacher in the U.S. can only afford to buy 12 percent of the homes for sale within a 20-minute drive of their school, down from 17 percent last year, according to a report from real estate broker Redfin. That's less than half of the pre-pandemic levels, when 30 percent of homes near their workplace were affordable to teachers. Likewise, just 27 percent of the available rental properties near their school are affordable. "The shortage of affordable homes is... Full story
The Sisters City Council will hold a hearing on Tuesday, September 5, at 5 p.m. on a proposed emergency shelter for the homeless at 192 W. Barclay Dr. in Sisters. A local nonprofit organization, Sisters Cold Weather Shelter (SCWS), advocates for the houseless community. The organization was awarded funding from the State through the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) to purchase and operate a shelter at a permanent location within Sisters. The SCWS board has reapp... Full story
Smoke that is visible from Sisters looking toward the mountains is from the Pete’s Lake Fire, which is on the far side of the Three Sisters and west of Elk Lake. Central Oregon Fire Information reports: Firefighters spent a busy day yesterday responding to several new starts caused by lightning storms that passed over the area in the last several days. Four of these new starts were on the Deschutes National Forest and were contained at less than 1/2 acre. One new incident on the Willamette National Forest continues to g... Full story
(Editor’s Note: Hearing time corrected). The Sisters City Council will hold a hearing on Tuesday, September 5, at 5 p.m. on a proposed emergency shelter for the homeless to be located at 192 W. Barclay Drive in Sisters. A local nonprofit organization, Sisters Cold Weather Shelter (SCWS) advocates for the houseless community. The organization was awarded funding from the State through the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) to purchase and operate a shelter at a permanent location within Sisters. The SCWS board has... Full story
In an abundance of caution, ODOT announced Friday that it was closing 15 miles of the 82-mile McKenzie-Santiam Scenic Byway (Highway 242) between mileposts 61 and 76 due to activity from the Lookout Fire, reported on August 5, which so far has consumed over 11,000 acres. The closure is 14 miles west of Sisters. The popular Dee Wright Observatory at mile post 77.5 remains open. ODOT’s decision was not based on the threat of actual fire reaching the iconic highway. Rather it w... Full story
The pair of wolves known as the Metolius pair are presumed - but not confirmed - to be a male and female. On April 19, 2022 a new AKWA (Area of Known Wolf Activity) was designated in the Metolius wildlife management unit. Since August of 2021, there have been public reports of two wolves. Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) documented that the wolf activity appeared to be resident, prompting the AKWA designation. These two wolves were counted for the 2021 annual... Full story
