News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 776 - 800 of 29577
Happy New Year from all of us at the Sisters Ranger District! We saw some amazing conservation work get accomplished last year, and we look forward to continuing that spirit of service in 2023. One new project we are excited to begin is the Cougar Rock restoration project north of Sisters, near Stephens Canyon and Garrison Butte. This is an important strategic location to keep wildfire out of Sisters and private inholdings close to city limits. The project aims to reduce... Full story
Sisters Folk Festival (SFF) presents two six-week songwriting and musical arranging workshops at Sisters Art Works (204 W. Adams Ave. with local artists Beth Wood and Joe Schulte beginning in February and continuing through May. Registration opens on Wednesday, January 11 at 10 a.m. at https://sistersfolkfestival.org/music-education/. Participants must be 18 or older to enroll. First up is “Songwriting in Community: A 6-Week Workshop/Playshop with Beth Wood” every Tuesday nig... Full story
Amy Yoder, 2011 Sisters High School (SHS) graduate, has combined her love for the outdoors with her love for science in working for the USGS (United States Geological Survey) as a hydrologist based in Boise at the Idaho Water Science Center. Her journey to her position at the USGS began during her time at SHS, and then through college where she developed her passion for water conservation and hydrology. During her time at SHS, Yoder was heavily involved in the IEE... Full story
While I was out delivering your Nugget a couple of weeks ago, I listened to the final episode of “Revolutions,” a podcast by historian Mike Duncan. Many a Tuesday evening of chucking newspaper bundles has been filled with this monumental achievement of historical storytelling, which started back in 2013 with the English Civil Wars of the 17th Century and concluded last year with a deep dive into the Russian Revolution. I am of the belief that you can’t understand the world... Full story
Folks in Sisters have an opportunity this month to learn how local law enforcement works. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office used to offer a Citizens Academy in which people could sign up for an in-depth exploration of the variety of missions and services required of the Sheriff’s Office — from running the jail to patrolling our streets and investigating crimes. The academy has been distilled down to a two-night event in an open house set for later this month at the Sisters Fire District Community Hall (see sto... Full story
How did my beautiful golden-haired, blue-eyed boy who grew to six-foot-five, who loves animals (he’s a dog whisperer), has a wicked sense of humor, is enviably creative in a variety of ways — how did he morph into a 46-year-old shell of a man, living on the streets? His physical body is wracked by damage from years of addiction and recurring infections. His mind slips into and out of a world of paranoia that sometimes even questions my motives. He made his entrance i... Full story
Back in 1980 the original Sisters Library—630 square feet and built in the 1930s—was lifted off its foundation, loaded on a trailer, and moved a few blocks to a new location. It was not long, however, before the community outgrew that building, as well as another 2,600-square-foot space built in 1989. In 2005, the current 8,300-square-foot Sisters Library began serving the public as part of the Deschutes Public Library System. Almost 20 years later the Sisters... Full story
A circuit court judge in Burns in Harney County has temporarily blocked the entirety of Ballot Measure 114, a controversial gun control law narrowly enacted by voters last November. Presiding Judge Robert Raschio of the 24th Judicial District ruled: “The court declines to remove the background check provisions from the [temporary restraining order] as the provisions are intertwined with the permit-to-purchase program and the court has made no final determination on c... Full story
The family of Maria Aviles Tapia, who died in a single-vehicle car accident on Thursday, December 23, is profoundly grateful to the Sisters community for the outpouring of support the family has received in the face of their tragedy. “They’ve been doing such a good support for the family and the kids,” said Maria’s brother Jaime Tapia. “I really, really want to say thank you.” Tapia, 38, died when the vehicle she was a passenger in slid on ice heading west toward Sisters jus... Full story
Oregon has one of the most robust land use and planning protocols in the nation, and LUBA — the Land Use Board of Appeals — has been the center of disputes for decades between advocates and opponents of growth. The year 2023 will no doubt be a year of controversy in the long running debate about best stewardship practices when Deschutes County resumes consideration of updating its wildlife inventory. In the face of declining mule deer numbers, and greater concern... Full story
The fourth quarter of 2022 saw a significant cooling off of the residential real estate market when compared to the same quarter in 2021. For 2022 there were only 59 sales that closed, for a total value of $51.48 million, between October 1 and December 31. That compares to 84 homes sold in the same period in 2021 for an aggregate of $66.53 million. November of 2022 was particularly difficult for realtors, with only 17 sales. December rebounded a bit with 20 sales, three of $1... Full story
The view from my writing room looks out on Greenridge, Black Butte, Mt. Jefferson, and our American flag on a gray flagpole just above the barn. I look at the flag often and for many reasons. It shows which way the wind’s blowing and reminds me of the service my father and husband gave to our country. I think about my relatives, male and female, who have served more recently, or are still in service to our country. I am filled with gratitude. I look at the flag and think of th... Full story
The highlighted constellation for January is Camelopardalis, the celestial giraffe. Although the constellation is relatively large, its resident stars are exceedingly faint. Choose a clear, moonless night away from the glare of nearby lights. First locate Polaris (the North Star) at the end of the handle of the Little Dipper. Next find the bright star Capella in Auriga, which is nearly overhead at about 9 p.m. local time. Starting from Capella, draw an imaginary line to... Full story
Maddie Siler was a horse-crazy kid with dreams to rescue and train a mustang. When her family lived in the Sacramento suburbs, she saw an article about mustangs being captured and held in Bureau of Land Management (BLM) corrals, and she begged her parents to put a round pen in their tiny backyard. The answer was no for many years, but eventually, after her family relocated to Oregon and Siler was a freshman in high school, she finally got her first horse. It wasn’t a m... Full story
The Outlaws wrestling team hit the road twice during the holiday break, with tournaments in Pendleton and Burns. The Red Lion Invitational in Pendleton on December 21 included 19 squads from throughout Central and Eastern Oregon. The Outlaws ended up placing 11th, with 61 points. Scorers at the tournament included Tyson Kemp, who came through with a fifth-place finish in the 132-pound weight class. Hayden Kunz went 3-1 to place third in the 145-pound division and Ben Cooper... Full story
The Lady Outlaws basketball squad hosted their annual Holiday Tournament Wednesday through Friday, December 28-30. Teams traveled from around the state including 3A Banks, and 4A Crook County, Gladstone, Henley, Junction City, Klamath Union, La?Grande, Madras, and Mazama. Sisters suffered a 57-40 loss against Junction City in their first game of the tournament. In the first quarter Haleigh Froehlich got Sisters on the board two minutes into the period when she drove the key... Full story
Sisters continues to reach out in support of the Tapias family, struck by a tragedy just before Christmas. Maria Aviles Tapias was killed in a single-vehicle accident on Highway 20 east of Sisters on Friday, December 23. Tapias, well-known to many in the community as part of the Rancho Viejo Mexican Restaurant family, leaves behind five children, the youngest 3 years old, the others 9, 12, 15, and 19. A GoFundMe page created by Cenobia Gonzalez of Sisters had raised $56,243... Full story
The Sisters Planning Commission will decide whether to approve a revised version of a controversial subdivision plan at their first meeting of 2023. The revised plan reflects changes requested by citizens at previous hearings. At the close of their December 8 public hearing on the Sunset Meadows Master Plan, the Planning Commission left the written record open to allow for submittal of additional information. The Planning Commission is scheduled to deliberate and make a decisi... Full story
Thanks to generous donations of gifts and money over the past six weeks, the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire and Ambulance Association was able to provide Christmas gifts to 150 children. Gifts were available to children age newborn to seniors in high school of low-income families who live within the Sisters or Black Butte School Districts. Gifts were distributed to families on Saturday, December 17, along with gift certificates for food from Sisters Kiwanis Club. Pet food and gifts... Full story
When I was a kid growing up, my dad would often say to me, “Where are you going?” or “Where have you been?” These questions would bring a pause for reflection. They brought about thoughts of purpose, identity, values. Often they would stimulate some changes in behavior. Sometimes even become New Year’s resolutions. As we enter a new year at SCC (Sisters Community Church), I think they are pretty good questions to ask of ourselves as a congregation. What is the role we want t... Full story
Pleased to meetcha To the Editor: Been attached to Sisters for goin’ on 15 years, Central Oregon for 20, state of Oregon for 55, born in Yreka, California, so four years there (please don’t hold it against me). I’ve always looked forward to the last Nugget of the year. I’ve always look forward to seeing all the folks I’ve known and met. The happy faces of those that have been and no longer are. Most of all, the ones that I’ve crossed paths with either way. Based on my continual perusal of The Nugget on a religiously... Full story
The boys basketball squad hosted their annual Holiday Tournament Wednesday through Friday, December 28-30, and competed against tough 4A squads from around the state. The girls squad also served up holiday competition (see story, page 4). In their first match-up on Wednesday, the Outlaws lost 38-47 to the Klamath Union (KU) Pelicans. Sisters struggled to score in the first quarter and Kale Gardner scored their only points in the period off of a transition layup. Klamath Union... Full story
With such a large territory to cover, the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District may appear to employ a larger force than it actually does. There are a total of 15 paid staff, 13 full-time and two part-time. Nine are shift responders, plus the chief and deputy chief, each of whom are, of course, fully engaged in action as needed. Your first question may be the same as mine: How can only nine frontline workers cover an area from Camp Sherman to Sisters to Squaw Creek? And do it... Full story
Detectives arrested a Sisters man on Wednesday, December 28, in connection with a series of thefts of construction equipment. After receiving several community tips and a report from a Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) Deputy, Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team (CODE) detectives identified Paul Weston, 46, of Sisters, as a suspect in a series of construction and heavy equipment thefts around the Portland and Vancouver, Washington areas. Weston was previously arrested for trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl in No... Full story
The Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District is adequately equipped to fight fires with their current equipment, and the fire station could hold a ladder truck if the District had one, according to Fire Chief Roger Johnson. Comments made at the December 14 City Council meeting by Mayor Michael Preedin, which were reported in the December 21 Nugget, were inaccurate. During Council discussion regarding the proposed increase in building heights allowed in Sisters to implement... Full story
