News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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“Suzi” Geneva Ruth (Lowery) Tewalt of Sisters, Oregon passed away March 4, from diabetes complications. She was born November 15, 1947 in Bend, Oregon to Bernadine and Jack Lowery. She graduated from Sisters High School in 1965, and then from American Airlines Stewardess School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She returned to Sisters and married Gerry Tewalt in 1967, on September 2. She was a great friend to many and had three children, Tammy Chappell, Daryl Tewalt, Carol Tew... Full story
The Sisters City Council officially adopted their new set of goals for the 2023/24 fiscal year in a meeting that was held Wednesday, March 8. The Council discussed the goals in a workshop on February 15. The goal-setting workshop is a place where the Council adds, changes, or wordsmiths the goals put together by the staff. See related story with the goals in detail in the February 29 edition below. Some of the most noteworthy aspects of the goals are included in the section... Full story
David Rowell was recently hired as the new head coach for the boys tennis program. Rowell, 26, played competitive soccer since he was 10 years old, and played tennis in high school. Rowell graduated from Canby High School and then attended Oregon State University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s in math in 2018. While working on his master’s at George Fox University (GFU), David was the JV2 boys soccer coach from 2019-2020 at Canby. Rowell graduated from GFU and sta... Full story
The Heavenly Acres Rezone project took another step forward last week in a public hearing before the Sisters City Council. This rezone project in the neighborhood where many Sisters churches are located is included in the comprehensive plan map and zoning map amendment to rezone the subdivision on the west side of Sisters from Urban Area Reserve (UAR) to Public Facility/Institutional (PF/I) as well as Multi-Family Residential (MFR). The rezone will involve seven lots with a... Full story
Back in the 1980s and ’90s, Nate Turner lived in Camp Sherman, near Lake Creek Lodge. Little did he know that his elementary school experience was unusual compared to that of most young Americans. Now he’s living the dream as a professional outdoorsman. Turner attended Black Butte School (BBS), a tiny, single-school district and schoolhouse that now serves kindergarteners through eighth graders. On Fridays, the kids head up the hill to ski at Hoodoo, just like when Turner was... Full story
Bernie, our 12-year-old black Scottie, has walked the roads in our neighborhood for all but the first six months of his life. Many people have moved in and out of the neighborhood during those 12 years. Thus, many dogs have come and gone too. Bernie was badly abused during the first six months of his life. He came to our home with a number of fears and anxieties. Because of those issues, Bernie seems to build a dog enemies list. As an observer, he seems to have included people and their dogs who won’t greet him. He appears t... Full story
Pink balloons, history installations, and delicious snacks awaited guests at the 50th anniversary party for Black Butte School’s Ski & Ride program at Hoodoo Ski Bowl last Friday. Some had to wait in traffic for an hour, as wintry conditions and tow trucks brought vehicles to a standstill on Highway 20. “It’s really about getting people together,” said Delaney Sharp to the crowd. “I appreciate you guys sticking with it.” A round of applause went out for “Gary the bus drive... Full story
The luck of the Irish smiled upon over 200 green-garbed runners and walkers, as Saturday morning dawned bright and clear for the second annual Lucky Leprechaun 10k and 5k on March 11. A day earlier, snow covered all the roadways in Sisters, which would have made for a treacherous time for even the most nimble leprechauns. Kyle Gray and Katie Black had no trouble navigating the course out and around the Sisters Industrial Park area as the two claimed the men’s and women’s 5-kil... Full story
The Lady Outlaws return 13 players to the varsity squad this season and will add four new players to give extra depth to the team. Last year the team finished third at Districts, and this year they feel they can do even better. Leading the Lady Outlaws will be junior Juhree Kizziar, who will once again be a force at the No. 1 singles spot. Kizziar had a great season last year as a sophomore, finishing as runner-up at Districts. She was also a state quarterfinalist. “Juhree is an experienced player with exceptional d... Full story
Photographer Wendy Birnbaum spent years perfecting her craft. Her photographs are on display at Sisters Gallery and Frame Shop. A world traveler, she always wanted to go to Africa. When she found her dream trip, called “Tribes and Animals,” it felt like her heart jumped out of her body. The trip Birnbaum found was guided by renowned photographer Piper Mackay. Because of deep relationships Mackay established with various tribes, her African tours are more than snapping photogra... Full story
For a position that requires compassion, empathy, and a deep desire to be of assistance, Partners In Care has the perfect person offering their Transitions program here in Sisters. Within five minutes of meeting Bethany Benefield, her passion for her work with medically fragile individuals is unmistakable. Her eyes light up as she talks about those who are benefitting from the assistance offered through Transitions in Sisters, Bend, Redmond, La Pine and south county,... Full story
The City of Sisters has a park plan that encompasses all the parks within city limits, with plans for future use, improvements, and additions of new parks. There hasn’t been an update to the Sisters Parks Master Plan since 2016. Last week, the City Council voted in a public hearing to approve the comprehensive plan amendment to update the Sisters Parks Master Plan as proposed. City staff has been working with the consultant group Cameron McCarthy, a landscape, architecture, a... Full story
Sisters Folk Festival will host an official 2023 poster unveiling and initial lineup announcement party on Thursday, March 16 at the Cindy and Duncan Campbell Gallery at Sisters Art Works, 204 W. Adams Ave. in Sisters from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Local painter, musician, author, and longstanding SFF poster artist Dennis McGregor will be in attendance to reveal this year’s unique painting. The SFF has commissioned artwork from McGregor since 2000, with 23 festival posters now in his portfolio. “I love the Sisters Folk Festival and it h... Full story
It’s been almost three months since we introduced readers to Maddie Siler and her mustang, Lola. The two are edging closer to the big day when they’ll compete in the final stage of the Teens & Oregon Mustangs Challenge. Lola has come a long way since being rounded up and kept in holding pens at the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse Corrals in Burns. Before Siler loaded her into their trailer and brought her home, Lola had never been touched by a person. Her first... Full story
Winters are prime time for reading. I found myself deep in a Wendell Berry book of essays this week and couldn’t help but connect an anecdote to all the hand-wringing in town about change and development. “We left the hunters behind and went down past a green grainfield where cattle were grazing and drinking at the waterside. They were not disturbed that the river had come up over part of their pasture, no more troubled by the height of today’s shoreline than they were by the height of yesterday’s. To them, no matter how hig... Full story
Road repair To the Editor: Les Schwab has been a great good-neighbor business in Sisters for many years. Perhaps the city of Sisters would be so kind to pave the transition road that connects Highway 242 to Highway 20. This little section of road has had frost heave humps in it for several years. I think Les Schwab deserves better. If the City determines it is not responsible for this section of road, perhaps the City can investigate who is responsible and have that section of road repaired. Bill Anttila Trail vandals To the... Full story
Sisters Country woke up to snow Friday morning that persisted off and on throughout the day, with accumulations of five to eight inches depending on location. The weather event had been forecast fairly accurately and ODOT crews were ready. The Nugget rode along with lead employee, George Ormsbee, in one of the two 465-horsepower plow rigs in the Sisters maintenance yard fleet on duty that morning. Many in Sisters do not even know of the yard’s existence two miles east of t... Full story
The Sisters Ranger District and Deschutes National Forest road crew plan to reconstruct the non-paved portion of Forest Service Road 16 this spring and early summer. The road surface has degraded to a condition that is difficult for vehicles, in particular those towing trailers, to safely navigate. The reconstruction work will improve forest users’ driving experience while increasing the long-term sustainability of the road. The road crew plans to begin reconstruction a... Full story
The March 8 joint meeting of the Sisters City Council and Deschutes County Board of Commissioners had an agenda packed with updates on a number of new and ongoing programs. Explore Sisters Executive Director Scott Humpert introduced himself to the Deschutes County Commissioners and explained how the world of tourism promotion has evolved from just marketing a destination to managing tourism as an economic activity incorporating marketing, management, stewardship, and... Full story
There has been a lot of talk lately about growth in Sisters. The rate of development in the last five years has been brisk, and more projects are under construction or in the planning stages. Industrial buildings are coming out of the ground and new commercial ventures are being contemplated. Additionally, there has been discussion about how to accommodate future growth — through infill within our existing boundaries, or expansion of the city’s urban growth boundary. For many, the pace has been too fast and not r... Full story
Get involved To the Editor: Eight years ago, I became involved after Sisters’ city manager proposed building an amphitheater at the east end of town to bring tens of thousands of visitors to Sisters for weekend concerts. Lots of Sisters folks who opposed it got involved. Notice there is no amphitheater. Getting involved can make a difference. This year I simply started a discussion in a Facebook community group with my comment “16 pumps?” So get involved if you don’t like something that’s being proposed. Somebody started C... Full story
About six months ago Sisters Trails Alliance (STA) changed their logo and set about applying it to hundreds of trail marker signs on its 192-mile network. The decals were positioned over the existing ones, an easier chore than having to remove the originals first. Since that time vandals have systematically and steadfastly removed the new decals. In warmer weather, the removal of the new badge generally did not harm the original ones while reexposing their design. Now, in the... Full story
The Sisters School District (SSD) is set to seek a fifth renewal of the local option tax levy. The local option renewal has been ongoing for 24 years, providing essential funding for the unique programs Sisters schools are able offer. Superintendent Curt Scholl will file for the local option levy to be on the ballot for the May election. The local option levy renewal is the same amount of 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The school board on March 1 approved the... Full story
Heavy equipment knocked down the building that formerly housed Hop in the Spa last week. The new owner of the property, Roger Johnson of Sisters, told The Nugget he is working on plans to redevelop the property. The building on the Cascade Avenue site was completely removed. It had stood empty for many months in the wake of the closure of Hop in the Spa after its owner, Mike Boyle, of Sisters, was indicted on September 7, 2021, on multiple counts of practicing massage without... Full story
Biochar is a fuel management practice that is taking the fire and science world by storm. A workshop on the use of biochar in our forests, on our farms, and more is coming to Sisters. The workshop is in partnership with the School of Ranch, High Desert Food & Farm Alliance, and Pine Meadow Ranch Center for Arts and Agriculture. Biochar is a burning technique that scientists and fire professionals are looking at to practice better forest management in the wake of intense... Full story
