News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 751 - 775 of 29621
The face of a portion of West Cascade Avenue is in for a big change. The current Space Age gas station at 411 W. Cascade Ave. is slated to be replaced by a much larger station and convenience store. The Community Development Department has received an application from Stephen Williams for a site plan review and minor conditional use permit to replace the existing Space Age station with an approximately 3,500- sq.-ft. convenience store, a canopied fuel island with 16 gas pumps... Full story
It’s often overlooked or ignored, but new young drivers operate with restrictions on their license. Those restrictions are designed to minimize distractions while new drivers learn how to drive on their own. Under Oregon law, new drivers are provided with a provisional license, which restricts the number of passengers allowed in a vehicle — no passengers under 20 (unless family members) or driving between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m. for the first six months; no more than three p... Full story
A wildfire risk map that was rolled out last year, and quickly withdrawn in the face of significant backlash over concerns about insurance coverage, has been placed on hold again. According to the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), the Oregon Legislature will be considering a number of recommendations for changes to the statewide wildfire risk map during the 2023 session, some of which would substantively change the map itself. In a news release, ODF stated that “following conversations last week with the Senate C... Full story
A City Council goal for 2022/23 is to identify land in the city and find a development partner(s) for a future multi-family workforce housing rental project. By December 2026 Sisters hopes to meet that goal. The City received a proposal in August 2022 from NW Housing Alternatives (NHA) headquartered in Milwaukie, Oregon. Founded in 1982, NHA is a leading not-for-profit developer of affordable and workforce housing throughout Oregon. Their mission is to create individual... Full story
Registration is open for the annual Peterson Ridge Rumble 20- and 40-mile trail runs, set for Sunday, April 2. The event is considered the “grandpappy” of local races, according to Race Director Sean Meissner.... Full story
The class of 2023 at Sisters High School is sitting on a gold mine of local scholarship opportunities, with over $300,000 of aid available to help fund post-high school education and training through Sisters Graduate Resource Organization (Sisters GRO). Applications opened Monday, January 23, and will close on February 28, according to Laura Kloss, program director for GRO. All seniors and their families received emails last week outlining the scholarship program and application process. According to Kloss, students... Full story
Housing Works reopened the project-based voucher waiting list for Ponderosa Heights on Monday, and it will remain open until 5 p.m. on Thursday, January 26. Income limits and occupancy standards apply for all Project Based Voucher Units. The time you apply during the week does not impact your position on the list. All applications taken during this time frame will be randomized by a computer and placed on the waiting list to give all applicants an equal chance. Applications received after the close of the wait list will not... Full story
The town’s third March for Hope took place on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Students and their siblings, accompanied by a handful of adults and dogs, walked down the town’s main sidewalks. They carried hand-painted signs with messages about their dreams: peace, smiles, equality, and homes for everyone. Seven-year-old Ani Orange carried rainbow flags and a handmade sign reading “Equality 4 All.” A second grader at Sisters Elementary School, she learned about Dr. King at school... Full story
The Sisters Park & Recreation District is accepting applications from those who would like to fill one vacant budget committee position. Applications should be submitted online by February 10. The board will conduct interviews of applicants and make a formal appointment at the February 28 business meeting beginning at 4:30 p.m. To be eligible for appointment, the candidate: 1. Must live within the Sisters Park & Recreation District boundaries. 2. Must not be an officer or employee of the Sisters Park & Recreation District.... Full story
The Outlaws boys and girls ski teams took first-place honors in the giant slalom held at Hoodoo Ski Area on Wednesday, January 18, and three days later posted first-place finishes at Willamette Pass Ski Area. In Wednesday’s giant slalom at Hoodoo, skiers raced in stormy weather with lots of new snow, and both the boys and girls teams emerged as first-place winners. The combined run one and run two overall first- place winner of the day on the boys’ side was Joe Barnes of Phi... Full story
The Outlaws’ Nordic ski team helped host the “Hoodoo Night Sprints” race on Monday, January 16, which employed a new spin on racing format. Each individual competitor took part in three rounds of skiing on a set course of about 800 meters against a mix of competition. Points were awarded in each round based on place, according to Coach Jeff Husmann. “During the course of the race we discovered a flaw in the plan in that some kids, including two of our own, Spencer Tisdel and Corbin Fredland, ended up being in the last he... Full story
The Lady Outlaws had another rough week on the hardwood: a 43-21 loss at home to Pleasant Hill on Wednesday, January 18, and a 45-29 loss to Creswell at home on Friday. In Tuesday’s game at home against Pleasant Hill (PH), the game was decided in the first quarter. Sisters got down 0-16 in the first period and never recovered. The Lady Outlaws got off to a slow start, and when they did get some good open shots they couldn’t get them to fall. They also turned the ball over numerous times. The Lady Billies have some ski... Full story
The boys basketball squad fell 55-41 at home against Pleasant Hill on Wednesday, January 18, and at home two days later knocked off Creswell, the No. 1 ranked team in league (4-0) and the No. 6 ranked team in 3A, in an exciting 51-50 overtime win. Friday’s home game against Creswell was an exciting barn-burner to the end of regulation, which extended into overtime with the Outlaws edging out the Bulldogs by one. The Bulldogs started strong in the first quarter and the Outlaws quickly went down 5-10. Later, Mehkye Froehlich s... Full story
Sisters Woodlands has made its first three sales and construction is underway. The planned development in the rectangle of North Pine Street, West Barclay Drive, and Highway 20, features some 359 homes and 44,000 square feet of commercial and light industrial space. In its infancy, Sisters Woodlands was imagined and touted as a practical option for workforce housing. At the time, one of the project’s owners, Paul Hodge, was CEO of Laird Superfoods when Laird projected as m... Full story
Sisters Folk Festival is launching a brand-new music festival bringing progressive bluegrass and Americana music to two stages in June. Big Ponderoo will take place June 23-25, 2023 at Sisters Art Works and Three Creeks Brewing Co. production facility. The lineup includes The War and Treaty, The Travelin’ McCourys, Corb Lund, Margo Cilker, Jon Stickley Trio, Mile Twelve, Twisted Pine, Never Come Down, Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs, and FY5, with a full lineup announcement coming... Full story
A big heart in a little package might be just the right way to describe a Sisters resident who has contributed to the Sisters community for the 23 years she has called this place home. Annie Marland was one of the first to purchase a home in 2000 in The Pines, the 55-plus community located off McKinney Butte Road. Her neighbors refer to her as “The Historian,” because she’s been there since the beginning of the neighborhood. Her dad lived with her for the first four years... Full story
Brian David Owens stopped by The Nugget last Thursday to clear a couple of things up. Owens lives in the forest west of Ponderosa Lodge, and he was mentioned — by first name only — in Bill Bartlett’s story “Forest thinning reveals forest dwellings,” (The Nugget, January 18, page 1). He and his dog Dude came into the office, and we rang up Bill, and we all had a good conversation. Owens prefers that his full name be used. He wanted it understood that his frien... Full story
Contrasting classified scandals To the Editor: Before I sit down to write something I might seek to have published, I ask myself two questions: What point will I try to make, and who is my intended audience? In his opinion piece “Jammin’ in Joe’s garage” (The Nugget January 18, page 2), Mr. Cornelius fails to explain the first, and it is obvious what is the second. He explicitly promotes the notion that “both sides do it” (mishandle classified documents), as means of eliding the significant differences between the actions... Full story
Knowing the community you are working in on an intimate basis makes a big difference in law enforcement. That was the message that came across loud and clear in a two-night Citizens Academy open house hosted by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) at the Sisters Fire District Community Hall on Wednesday and Thursday, January 18-19. Between 30 and 40 citizens turned out each night to get to know local deputies and to get a glimpse at how the DCSO operates. Everyone a... Full story
The controversial Sunset Meadows development can go forward — if developers meet conditions of approval. Woodhill Homes’ application for their Master Plan development Sunset Meadows, on a 12.92-acre property in the multi-family residential district (MFR) at 15510 McKenzie Highway on the west side of town, won approval — with conditions — from the Planning Commission at their January 19 meeting. The condition of approval requires the applicant to revise t... Full story
Good fences make good neighbors — so the saying goes. The Nugget’s story last week about the Forest Service mowing the underbrush in the Sisters woods, and thereby making homeless camps more visible, caused some readers to make contact in hopes of adding context to the story. One was Ashley Okura, one of the family owners of Ponderosa Lodge, the landmark motel at the Barclay/Highway 20 roundabout. Okura explained the long history of the new 1,700-lineal-foot fence b... Full story
Three City councilors were sworn in at the January 11 Council workshop. Returning councilors Michael Preedin and Gary Ross were elected to four-year terms and Susan Cobb to a two-year term. Following the oath of office, all five councilors received training on roles, protocols on public meetings, and records and ethics from the City attorneys of Bryant, Lovlien & Jarvis. City councilors reelected Michael Preedin to serve as mayor for the next two years, and Andrea Blum was... Full story
The first executive director of Explore Sisters, Scott Humpert, told The Nugget that the primary goal for the new destination management organization (DMO) is to sustain Sisters’ quality of livability by managing tourism to insure they attract “the right person at the right time in the right place.” Rather than simply promoting general tourism through broad marketing, the DMO’s messaging will work to attract certain kinds of tourist who value the small-town atmosphere and sur... Full story
Looking around Sisters Country and seeing standing water in many places might lead one to conclude that we’re inundated with water. Not really. While recent rains and snows are a welcome sign, and indeed there is some slight improvement to our years-long drought, the numbers say we have a long road ahead. Sisters Country is still clocking in at D2 (Severe Drought) as compared to a year ago on this date when we were recording D3 (Extreme). Just a few miles away, Bend remains a... Full story
If you have driven on North Pine Street, or the adjacent FS 100 Road spur, or along Highway 20 just west of the city limits, and the forest looks like somebody came in and mowed it one day — they did. Not in one day of course, but over a period of weeks. Suddenly the forest appears wide open, manicured even. The trees seem taller, more stately. The intent is to reduce fuels — dense underbrush — and is part of an ongoing, multi-year, forest-wide strategy to... Full story
