News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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The Biden administration has asked a federal appeals court to reinstate a rule passed under the Trump administration to remove Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the Lower 48 states which, if successful, would put the animals under state management as is currently the case in Montana and surrounding states, including Oregon, where state and federal authorities oversee wolf management. On behalf of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, attorneys with the U.S. Department of Justice filed the 87-page appeal of... Full story
The Sisters community is invited to join an important conversation about houselessness in the Sisters area on Sunday, October 6. This gathering will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the new Sisters Elementary School, located at 2155 W. McKinney Butte Road, Sisters. Hosted by a coalition of local organizations — including the Sisters Ranger District, Sisters School District, City of Sisters, Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD), Sisters Library, Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District, DCSO, Deschutes County Behavioral H... Full story
The Sisters Country Vision Implementation Team (VIT) recently published its 2023 Progress Report. The Vision report highlights progress toward long-term goals for Sisters Country and details efforts of local agency representatives, organizational leaders, and community volunteers to make Sisters Country more prosperous, livable, resilient, and connected. The report can be viewed at www.bit.ly/sistersvision2023. “With so much growth and change over the past few years, we know that there are many in our community who are u... Full story
Family Access Network (FAN) received an $8,900 donation from 110 Women Who Care. After three local organizations made presentations - Seed to Table, Family Access Network (FAN), and Living Well With Dementia Sisters - FAN was chosen to receive the funds donated at last week's 100 Women Who Care Sisters quarterly gathering. The donation was awarded to the nonprofit receiving the most votes from the women in attendance. The $8,900 gift will benefit the Sisters FAN in a number... Full story
"I like being part of something bigger than me," was Sarah McDougall's answer when asked why she is seeking a position on the Sisters City Council. She also enjoys teamwork and has seen plenty of that in her interaction with and observation of the City Council, the City staff, and other City boards and advisory committees. After 14 years living in Bend, McDougall and her husband, Chris, moved to Sisters in 2020, and McDougall has jumped into volunteering with both feet. She... Full story
More than 1 million acres of federal land in central and southern Oregon could soon be leased for solar energy projects. Officials at the federal Bureau of Land Management announced Aug. 29 they had finalized a plan to add Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Wyoming to its existing Western Solar Plan – an Obama-era project that expanded permitting for solar projects on federal land. When it was first implemented in 2012, it only included Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. The expansion includes 1... Full story
Oregon will receive nearly $43 million from the federal government to repair roads damaged by recent natural disasters, the state’s two U.S. senators announced Monday. The influx of federal funding comes as the state struggles to fill transportation funding gaps. The Oregon Department of Transportation estimated it will face a deficit of more than $350 million in the 2025-27 budget if lawmakers don’t pass a substantial funding package in the upcoming legislative session. The new federal money, part of more than $800 mil... Full story
Sisters Cold Weather Shelter (SCWS) volunteers joined over 50 Central Oregon organizations at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds on September 13 for an all-day training to learn how to handle tough situations. Renowned trainer Ryan Dowd taught de-escalation techniques and effective communication with people in crisis. SCWS volunteers had participated in many Ryan Dowd on-line trainings and were excited to see him in person. "His training is important, useful and engaging," said... Full story
With 30 attendees, the September 18 Community Builders meeting at City Hall was the most well-attended yet, including one very cute infant who came with mom. • A majority of the meeting was an overview by Scott Woodford, community development director, of the study currently being done on Sisters’ Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) — should it be enlarged and, if so, where? More information is available on the City website, www.ci.sisters.or.us, administration, land use plannin... Full story
It was Saturday when The Nugget last visited Josh Smith, co-owner of The Paper Place on South Elm Street. Smith is one of five candidates for Sisters city council. He has never sought nor held public office. His store was crowded with shoppers. "This is the busiest day we've had all summer," Smith said, smiling broadly. "More than the Rodeo. More than the Quilt Show." Indeed, the town was packed with visitors taking in the Glory Daze Car Show Click here to see related story.... Full story
Hope and trust are beautifully linked to one another. You cannot have hope in anything or anyone without trust. Trust is exactly what the organization Hope Africa International is built upon. The mission had to trust they would be able to make a difference in the lives of others, they had to trust they would be successful in their goals, and those who they have supported have had to trust the people providing this hope. In 2004, a group from Sisters Community Church went to a... Full story
If you found a parking spot in Sisters Saturday, consider yourself among the lucky. Between the 1,000-plus who marveled at a collection of 95 pristine cars and trucks - some nearly 100 years old - and The Artist Studio Tour, town was wall-to-wall with happy visitors. And if three blocks of automotive artistry weren't enough for car buffs and their tag-alongs, no fewer than 52 vintage Packards rolled into Sisters, an overnight stop on their 1,100-mile road trip through a dozen... Full story
As the days get shorter and the approach of winter is not far away, thoughts of our unhoused neighbors rise higher in our consciousness. For many Sisters agencies and organizations, the welfare of those neighbors is a year-round priority. To provide information to the public on the work being done on behalf of those Sisters residents lacking secure permanent housing, and to provide an opportunity to hear ideas, concerns, and questions from community members, the City has... Full story
League of Women Voters of Deschutes County, in collaboration with the City Club of Central Oregon, will host a series of candidate forums ahead of the 2024 General Election. These forums will provide voters in Deschutes County the opportunity to hear directly from candidates running for key local and regional offices. These nonpartisan forums are designed to foster informed civic engagement by allowing voters to engage with candidates and ask questions on issues that matter most to them. Questions from the public are... Full story
Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District was awarded the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the 11th consecutive year by the Government Finance Officers Association. This award reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. The staff showed how well their budget serves as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide, and a communications device. Fire Chief Tony Prior said, “Each year our staff and the budget committee put a... Full story
The developer SWD, BUILD and Sisters Habitat for Humanity are collaborating on six future cottage homes in Sisters Woodlands, via a subdivision and cottage development extension on former Lot 175, becoming Lots 175-180. SWD, BUILD and Sisters Habitat have been working together for the last two years culminating in the current construction of four cottages for Habitat. SWD has provided Sisters Habitat with significantly discounted lots, as well as constructed foundations,... Full story
Pedestrians and close- by tenants say the intersection of South Pine Street and West Hood Avenue is regularly the scene of near misses. Though only two recorded accidents in five years have occurred, locals in the adjacent area, and nearly all businesses, have warned that it was only a matter of time until there would be serious injury. The present arrangement - a two-way stop - regulates east and westbound traffic on Hood Avenue. The issue has been brought to the attention... Full story
As summer turns to autumn a new set of risks arises for Sisters Country recreationalists. This is elk rutting time, for example, and the males - bulls - weighing up to 700 pounds can be dangerously aggressive. The elk rut, starting mid-September, is a wild time of year, both for the elk and for onlookers. From a safe vantage point, say 100 or more yards, you can watch the bull attracting, herding, and fighting for his harem. He uses a high-pitch bugle sound to attract cows... Full story
The fire that consumed an RV and truck belonging to a Sisters man on September 1 was caused accidentally. Clara Butler of the State Fire Marshal’s Office reported that the cause was determined to be improper disposal of burning materials. “It appears that smoking was a factor,” she said. The fire occurred in the forest north of Highway 20, directly across from the entrance to Tollgate. A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to aid the fire victim, Randall Hodges, who lost his dog Tyson in the blaze. The Support Now campaig... Full story
Cathy Covell has always had the urge to travel. Covell is a physical therapist who specializes in myofascial release. She travels the country with her horses and her dogs, filling in at clinics that need an extra pair of hands or some vacation relief. This summer, she landed for a while in Sisters, at Green Ridge Physical Therapy. A native of Indiana, Covell first encountered Sisters while working a stint at a practice in Eugene. She headed over the mountains and set herself... Full story
A driver reaching for something in his vehicle hit a parked car on Cascade Avenue, which caused his vehicle to heel over on its side, blocking the westbound lane of travel on Tuesday afternoon, September 3. Deschutes County Sheriff's deputies arriving at the scene found a black 2018 Honda Pilot resting on its driver's side and facing west in the westbound lane. Cascade Avenue was shut down and traffic was re-routed around the scene. Medics from the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural... Full story
The intensity level of the race for Deschutes County Sheriff ratcheted up last week, as candidate Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp filed a tort claim notice — notice of a potential lawsuit — against the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office administration, alleging ongoing targeting, harassment, and election interference. Sgt. Vander Kamp, who serves on the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team (CODE), is running against Captain William Bailey, the candidate endorsed by retiring Sheri... Full story
With only the South Locust Street branch to go, motorists can now get a clear picture, both of what the finished roundabout will look like, and how to navigate it. Access from Cedar Street is also now clear in how it will work. None too soon for Sisters Pumphouse and Country Store, the Union 76 station, and High Camp Taphouse, two businesses who "have taken a beating" owners say. Drivers are confused with how to enter the businesses which have easy-to-miss temporary access. Ci... Full story
An 18-year-old woman from Klamath Falls was killed in a head-on crash on Highway 20 west of Suttle Lake on Tuesday, August 27. Oregon State Police responded at about 11 a.m. to a two vehicle crash on Highway 20, near milepost 82, in Jefferson County. According to OSP, preliminary investigation indicated an eastbound Tesla Model S, operated by Scarlett Jewell Felder, crossed into the on-coming lanes and struck a westbound Jeep Wagoneer, operated by Michel Phillipe Sabourin, age 65, of Naples, Florida, head-on. The operator of... Full story
Despite mixed-to-negative reports of commercial development across the country and Oregon, Sisters developers and entrepreneurs appear to have a differing take. According to Goldman Sachs, some $1.2 trillion of commercial mortgages are scheduled to mature this year and next. That's almost a quarter of all outstanding commercial mortgages, and the highest recorded level dating back to 2008. The biggest single holder are banks, many local and regional, with a 40 percent share.... Full story
