News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 401 - 425 of 29577
In what could be the first verdict for private plaintiffs against a utility over a wildfire, a jury in Portland found PacifiCorp negligible for a series of wildfires in 2020 and awarded more than $72 million for property damage to 17 plaintiffs. The verdict, rendered June 12, included about $67.5 million in noneconomic damages against PacifiCorp, which operates Pacific Power and is part of deep-pocketed Berkshire Hathaway Energy. PacifiCorp said it would appeal. The verdict... Full story
Bend Fire & Rescue was dispatched at 3:05 a.m. on June 29 to a reported vehicle fire on Tumalo Reservoir Road near Mock Road. Initial reports were of a trailer full of hay that was on fire. First-arriving apparatus found multiple spot fires along a 500-yard stretch of Tumalo Reservoir Road, primarily on the north side of the road. Additional resources were requested, including U.S. Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry, and Cloverdale Fire District, to assist in... Full story
The annual Sisters Eagle Airport Rumble on the Runway will take off Tuesday, July 4, starting with a pancake and sausage breakfast starting at 7 a.m. Rotary Club of Sisters will flap the jacks as vintage, experimental, and assorted aircraft land in the background. As diners chow down in the cool of a hangar, all manner of cars and trucks will inch into their stalls. Most are for show waxed and polished to a glaring sheen. They will be as old as 80 or 90 years in some cases - c... Full story
Petty Officer Third Class Emma Young, a daughter of Sisters residents, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Naval Air Station Lemoore in Lemoore, California. Young joined the Navy five years ago. Today, Young serves as an aviation ordnanceman. "I joined the Navy to be a diver," said Young. "I was going to convert back to Navy diver but I liked aviation ordnanceman so I stuck with it. I liked the people, their work ethic, and the job." Naval Air Station Lemoore is home to... Full story
A Black Butte Ranch police officer deployed spike strips to stop a fugitive’s vehicle, and Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) deputies took two men into custody on Highway 20 west of Sisters last week. The men arrested were suspects in a shooting incident in Redmond. According to Redmond Police Department (RPD), officers responded to the 1900 block of NW Cedar Ave., at approximately 7:30 a.m. on Monday, June 26, regarding a shooting that had just occurred. Witnesses reported that a black passenger car drove by a res... Full story
A plan intended to protect mule deer populations in Central Oregon has ended up as roadkill. At its June 26 meeting, the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners voted 2-1 to withdraw the County’s mule deer inventory update project. The project had included community conversations about the potential creation of the 2023 Mule Deer Winter Range Combining Zone. In May, the Deschutes County Planning Commission had deliberated on the zone following two public hearings in April a... Full story
Local community members Judy Trego, Martin Cannon, Kathy Gillan, Turi Shergold, Jeanette Pilak, and Nick Beasley have been working since 2021 to set up a Sisters Community Foundation (SCF). This week, they are officially announcing the launching of the organization to the public. SCF’s mission is to “directly and positively impact the lives and future of the greater Sisters community and to be a manifestation of the kindness and compassion exemplified by the generous spirit of Sisters.” The founding board members have decad... Full story
The residents of Sisters Country provided generous support for the recently completed Hospice House at Partners In Care, contributing $134,310 to build and furnish the Three Sisters patient care suite. In addition, The Roundhouse Foundation funded the large foyer and gathering space complete with a fireplace. The state-of-the-art facility is one of only three inpatient hospice facilities in the state of Oregon and the only one east of the Cascades. The new 12-suite facility,... Full story
Most folks in Sisters know that creating defensible space around the home is critical to protecting our properties against wildfire. To better prepare Oregonians for wildfire and give them resources to help create defensible space, the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) has launched a new defensible space educational tool. The Oregon Defensible Space Program offers Oregon-specific wildfire preparedness best practices, resources for download, and an in-person defensible space property assessment request portal. Creating... Full story
The Sisters City Council moved forward with adopting the ordinance to establish camping regulations and a camping removal policy within the City of Sisters at their June 14 meeting. With a second reading of the ordinance, Council voted to establish the camping regulations. The purpose of the camping ordinance is to create some sort of boundary regarding camping on public property. Situations will be handled according to these regulations, and at the discretion of the Deschutes... Full story
America likes to celebrate Independence day with fireworks — a tradition that dates all the way back to 1776. But that tradition doesn’t fly in Sisters. Fireworks are prohibited within city limits, in local subdivisions, and in surrounding forests. The reason is — or ought to be — self-evident: Fire risk is just too great. “It’s already plenty dry out there,” Fire Chief Roger Johnson told The Nugget. The Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District will be out and about on Tuesday, July 4, as they always are. “If there’s a fire... Full story
City staff is proposing adding the tree-removal process that is in the development code into the municipal code, so enforcement applies more generally. This also allows enforcement to be done on tree removal on private property, not just when building a new development. Sisters City Council heard from Code Enforcement Officer Jacob Smith and Community Development director Scott Woodford at the last Sisters City Council workshop on June 14 regarding the city’s tree removal p... Full story
The City of Sisters is seeking to award Community Grants to nonprofit community groups and other entities that meet the grant criteria for the 2023/24 fiscal year. The City will award up to $20,000 in grants this year for Sisters community projects. The average grant award is approximately $1,400, and the City has awarded over $304,000 in grants to 61 local groups over the past 20 years. Organizations that serve the Sisters community but are not designated non-profits will need to meet at least one of the following criteria:... Full story
In 1932 Walter H. Beech began designing and manufacturing airplanes in Wichita, Kansas, with his business partner and wife, Olive Ann Beech. They had one objective: to build the finest aircraft in the world. They began their business during the Great Depression and were warned a cabin biplane with a fancy exterior wouldn't "fly." The naysayers were wrong. Beechcraft airplanes are still flying today. Sisters resident Steve Harris is a longtime pilot. He has been intrigued by... Full story
For 45 years, John Leavitt was a key man in staging the annual Sisters Rodeo. Leavitt, who died in April, became a Sisters Rodeo board member in the 1980s and served as an arena director and timed-event coordinator, as well as serving on the queen-selection committee. And throughout most of those years, he was also a contestant, having grown up in a rodeo family. Leavitt grew up on his family's cattle ranch in Lakeview. At the age of 24, Leavitt toured Europe with the Rodeo... Full story
First responders came to the aid of an injured bicyclist on Sunday morning after he crashed down a 15-foot cliff. The rider said he was cut off by another bicyclist while traveling approximately 40 mph on Highway 242 outside Sisters. Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District crews were dispatched to the crash victim experiencing pain secondary to the accident. On arrival, crews performed an assessment and determined the patient needed to be transported to the hospital for further... Full story
Sisters in Sisters celebrated its one-year anniversary with food and drinks at The Barn on Thursday, during Pride Month. The monthly meetup offers a casual gathering space for LGBTQIA+ folks and their allies the second Thursday of every month, from 4 to 7 p.m. Its first event, held one year ago, attracted dozens of attendees, many of whom heard about it through Central Oregon-based Pride announcements and social media. It was the first known Pride event ever to occur in... Full story
Stetson Wright of Milford, Utah, took All-Around Cowboy honors at the Sisters Rodeo last weekend. That meant he went home with an exquisite equine sculpture sponsored by the Sisters branch of U.S. Bank, and carved by Sisters artist J. Chester "Skip" Armstrong. The exceptional trophy is a reflection of the homegrown quality of the Sisters Rodeo - one of the aspects of the event that draws the top competitors and sold-out crowds. The event is staged by hundreds of volunteers... Full story
The Sisters Rodeo honored some key players in America's frontier military history last weekend. They welcomed the Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle, a reenactment group that pays tribute to the soldiers of the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 24th and 25th Infantry - Black regiments that conducted some of the most grueling campaigns in the American West after the American Civil War. The Buffalo Soldiers were given their name by the Plains Tribes, who respected their endurance and... Full story
The 77th Sisters Habitat dedication ceremony was held on Bluebird Street in the ClearPine neighborhood earlier this month, to celebrate the completion of Ben and Nicole Harris' new home. Many family members and volunteers who worked alongside each other on the project joined in the celebration. Family partners Kristina Maxwell and Chris Laing made a special presentation. A handmade quilt created by local quilter Susan Cobb was presented to the family, as is done for every... Full story
Dozens of Sisters Country folk were startled Friday when driving past Metabolic Maintenance at North Larch Street and East Barclay Drive. Fire crews from Redmond, Jefferson County, and Black Butte Ranch were assembled in the firm's parking lot. Not just any fire trucks. The big ones. The ones with aerial ladders. The ladders were extended, and towered over the structure. Firefighters were ascending the ladders, step by step, methodically and intently. No. smoke. No fire. What... Full story
The Sisters Ranger District and the Deschutes National Forest road crew are mobilizing equipment to begin reconstruction work on the non-paved portion of Forest Service Road 16. Starting Tuesday, June 13, and lasting through the duration of the construction work, Forest Service Road 16 will be closed to all access, including vehicle, pedestrian, biking, and equestrian use, between the gate at Upper Three Creek Lake SnoPark south to Three Creek Lake to provide for public and operator safety due to heavy equipment and large... Full story
City staff has recommended denial of the application for the owner of the Space Age gas station to rebuild the current facility. The recommendation is based on one development standard: compatibility. A much-anticipated Planning Commission public hearing was held on the application on Thursday, June 15. There was no final decision — the hearing was continued to next month. Based on the information in the record as of June 1, staff concluded the proposal has not satisfied t... Full story
The Central Cascades Wilderness Permit System goes into effect Thursday, June 15, and runs through October 15. Central Cascades Wilderness Permits are required for all overnight stays in the Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, and Three Sisters Wilderness areas. Day use permits are required at 19 of 79 trailheads within those same three wilderness areas. Permits must be reserved through Recreation.gov. About 40 percent of overnight permits were released in April for advance reservation, and starting Thursday, June 8, the... Full story
The Sisters Community Garden invites the public to its GROW flower sale Saturday and Sunday, June 10 and 11. The sale is the non-profit group's major fundraiser of the year. Volunteers from the garden have planted and nurtured hundreds of annuals and perennials that are ready to bloom and make home gardens shine. Many of the plants for sale are proven deer resistant and drought tolerant, making them good additions to Central Oregon gardens. The sale also offers native species... Full story
