News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 326 - 350 of 460
It feels good to have a scapegoat sometimes. The perception that we ourselves are free from blame, and that our challenges are the fault of circumstance or others, is an alluring reprieve from our own culpability. In our attempts to bypass blame, we also put our scapegoats on a pedestal, holding the power to hijack our sense of agency and joy. We live in a shame- and blame-based culture, too frequently practicing outdated beliefs that shaming and punishment are prerequisites... Full story
I was looking forward to seeing “Golda,” a film about the Yom Kippur War that played a large part in my own life. Now I wonder if my memories are skewed or if writers and directors took liberties with history I did not anticipate. Golda Meir was prime minister of Israel when the Yom Kippur War broke out on October 6, 1973. As the title suggests, the movie is all about Golda, her agonies and anguish during the war. I was on a freighter between Brindisi, Italy and Patras, Gre... Full story
Jack Lake to Round Lake or Santiam Pass: It's all about options on this stunning Three Finger Jack-area hike. This is a one-way jaunt, mostly downhill, necessitating a car shuttle to one of two possible ends. Why go? This great hike has it all: spectacular views on a moderate route, with flowers, swimming lakes, and frequently wildlife. It's great from the end of spring (however with more downed trees and colder lakes ) right on into early fall (with more likely wildlife... Full story
Last week I headed out to Cody, Wyoming for the annual rendezvous of the chiefs of the Mullen newspapers. Louie Mullen is the majority owner of The Nugget, with myself as minority partner. Louie owns 39 newspapers in total, most of them weeklies, with a few dailies in the mix. All are what you might call small- town newspapers. Louie is a man in his 30s — of a generation that supposedly eschews newspapers and gets all of their information online. Obviously, he retains faith i... Full story
Fishing poles To the Editor: I am responding to Terry Weygandt’s letter of September 13. To be clear, I think most people, unless you are a monster, care about the plight and suffering of others less fortunate. That said, there are two fundamental differences between conservative and liberal ideology. Conservatives feel that you are responsible for your own actions, whether they result in good or bad results. There is no such thing as luck. Secondly, they feel that it is better to give a person a fishing pole and teach t... Full story
• The smoky weather in August and early September wreaked havoc on fall sports teams that normally practice and compete outside, including the Outlaws' cross-country team. Tate Metcalf and his staff at Sisters Athletic Club have been able to offer time and space for the team to do training on the spin bikes and in the pool. • The Transitions program team members from Partners In Care were recognized as "2023 Health Heroes" in a ceremony at Deschutes County Health Ser... Full story
Haves and have-nots To the Editor: It’s all about the haves and the have-nots. The Sisters City Council vote last week against approving a warming shelter says that a majority of the Council adheres to the view that the haves are not obligated to provide assistance to the have-nots. It’s a view of callous indifference toward those of lesser means. Just let them freeze to death. The votes by City Councilors Michael Preedin, Gary Ross, and Jennifer Letz suggest the majority of citizens in Sisters believe in the fea... Full story
The Back-to-School Breakfast for teachers and all employees of District 6 took place on August 29. Being on the Sisters School Board I felt an obligation to accept the invitation to attend. Sitting next to a middle school math teacher I was greeted by many from my days of teaching parents for Together For Children, 25 years ago. I instantly felt connected. I was immediately swept away by the camaraderie that permeated the room. Starting with the District Office and continuing with each of the principals and department heads,... Full story
Our first winter in Sisters in 1993-94 was rough. My wife, Marilyn, and I were newly married and broke. We had plowed all of our sparse funds into moving to Sisters so that Marilyn could take a job working with Phil Arends at Desert Wings Travel. I didn’t have a gig. We moved into a double-wide trailer across East Cascade Avenue from Sisters Elementary School. Through Christmas, it was all new and beautiful and magical. By February, we were thinking maybe we’d made a big mis... Full story
Amy Bennette, owner of Cake Lab in Sisters, won the first-ever "Claw-some" Crab Cake Bake-Off, a cake-baking contest hosted by the Coos Bay-North Bend-Charleston Visitor & Convention Bureau, also known as Oregon's Adventure Coast. The organization invited amateur and professional bakers to bake and decorate a crab-inspired cake for a chance to win a complimentary two-night stay in the region, complete with lodging, activities, and dining options. Bakers were asked to craft a... Full story
The anticipation of a new school year colored my August for years. First, as an eager student, the beginning of school meant a few new clothes and a new pair of shoes, after my shorts, T-shirts, and bare feet of summer. In high school, it meant the return to seeing friends every day and the excitement of new experiences and more freedom. As a mother of two boys (and four stepchildren for a decade), August meant shopping the back-to-school sales for clothes, shoes, and school... Full story
This is a new, regular feature The Nugget will run periodically. If you have a favorite hike or trail, send it along in about 500 words to editor@nuggetnews.com using the following format, including a photo. Hawk's Flight-Eagle Rock Loop is a fun and easy loop trail within five miles of town that offers superb views with diverse scenery. It's part of the wondrous Peterson Ridge section of the impressive Sisters Trails Alliance system. Why go? For one thing it's only a... Full story
A new school year is upon us and with it brings great opportunity. It’s a chance to reflect upon our past and also dream up new visions for our future. I’ve been fortunate to have been involved in SPTC (Sisters Parent-Teacher Community) for the last several years, supporting the kids of our learning community through a variety of avenues. As a mom and a teacher, I know that our kids benefit most from a collaborative community and an “all hands on deck” mentality. This year, there are again many opportunities to lend your ta... Full story
Truck stop? To the Editor: The furor over the proposed mega gas station and the new big apartment complex in back of Takoda’s made me think wistfully about my first of many visits, starting many years ago (1997 maybe?), to the little town of Sisters. A friend and I lived over by Ontario and we came over with our horses to camp and ride in the Cascades. It was usually hot, so we looked for a cool spot (for the animals) to park our rigs and were delighted to park under the big ponderosas back of Takoda’s, where there was foo... Full story
The Red Crossbill [Loxia curvirosta] is an erratic and nomadic bird that will flock to the tops of either deciduous or coniferous trees for a wealth of seeds. A highly variably colored species, the female is a yellowish golden, with the male exhibiting various shades of red. Crossbills have a unique bill where the tips of the bill overlap to enable them to open conifer cones and seeds. With this skill, in seasons of plentiful cone production they may breed year round. Red... Full story
There are many reasons people need rides to medical appointments. They may have given up driving altogether, have a temporary condition that makes driving impossible, or they may feel uncomfortable driving in inclement weather or outside of their own area. Whatever the reasons, when people stop driving themselves, they have limited options for travel to nonemergency medical appointments. Most people rely on paying for rides, or asking a friend, neighbor, or family member for... Full story
• The Sisters Cold Weather Shelter wrote: Gratitude and appreciation to Sisters Community Church for choosing the Sisters Cold Weather Shelter as the beneficiary of donations at their wonderful community concert on August 20. Over $2,000 was raised for our volunteer efforts to provide lifesaving support to our unhoused neighbors. At the event we also raised nearly $700 by selling Turkish towels and pillows donated by supporter Melanie Nelson. So many thanks for your support! • Judy Bull wrote: I would like to hug each an... Full story
Back in the mid-1990s I stopped calling my sandals “thongs.” Because none of us wants to be like that guy to whom “The Princess Bride” character Inigo Montoya said, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” If we hope to be understood, word choice matters. Word choice can mean the difference between a good-natured snowball fight and throwing stones. Writers and editors are a special kind of weird. I never close the Merriam-Webster tab on my browser. A fun feature of M-W’s landing page... Full story
More Bunkhouse Chronicle To the Editor: I firmly believe Craig Rullman is fully capable of defending himself, to say nothing of his being able to shrug off criticism. That being said, recent critics seem to feel his characterization of the current President as a “demented octogenarian bigot, who is probably a felon” is somehow to be disparaged, while calling the former President a “narcissistic whack job” is somehow laudable. The hypocrisy of these obviously biased critics is laughable. Craig is spot-on with both assessm... Full story
The Sisters City Council’s decision to hold a public hearing on the proposed emergency homeless shelter at 192 W. Barclay Dr. is the right call. Click here to see related story.. A decision of this magnitude, with the degree of public interest and concern that has been generated, deserves a public process — and the final decision should be made by elected officials who represent the community. That’s not what the governor and state legislature of Oregon wanted — the legislatio... Full story
Emergency shelter To the Editor: I would like for those who have strong feelings about the proposed homeless shelter to consider the following: The town of Sisters has had an operational cold weather shelter for the past five years. This service has been conducted by local churches who are not equipped to provide the mental health services that a proper homeless shelter would. There is now a precedent set for many of the homeless among us to spend a good deal of time in those areas surrounding the churches and more... Full story
A few months ago the Sisters Library had a book signing with William "Bill" Sullivan. Since the library is undergoing a massive remodel, the signing was held at the Sisters Firehouse Community Hall on Elm Street. When I saw a few of the books that Bill has published, I decided I would get out of my comfy chair and go. I'm glad I did go. Bill was very down to earth, knew his subjects and made the entire event interesting. One of the books I saw in his list was "100 Hikes /... Full story
In your lifetime there are two odds of seeing a wolf in the wild: slim and none. Just ask Emily Weidner of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), a biologist based in Bend. She's made a career of tracking and monitoring wolf activity, and just saw her first live wolf three weeks ago. I had the pleasure of meeting Weidner and her Oregon state counterpart, Aaron Bott, last week. We sat down at Angeline's before Bott and I struck out to check trail cameras near Sisters (see... Full story
In the creatively inclined town of Sisters, music can usually be found just around the corner. From hosting musical venues throughout the area, to being the origin of the Sisters Folk Festival, music is a passion many Sisters citizens share. Robert Sposato, previous college professor and current father and arts activist, is a man who encourages this passion. "I love jazz," said Sposato. "Ever since I heard Coltrane play 'Round Midnight,' I was hooked. But now it's a lot about... Full story
According to ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer site, the Sisters Cold Weather Shelter (SCWS) officially became a registered nonprofit in January 2021. This fact is mirrored by Guidestar’s non-profit profile of the same organization. The only IRS tax filing to date listed by both ProPublica and Guidestar is for fiscal year 2022, when SCWS filed a 990EZ to include Schedule A. The SCWS offered its justification as a public charity is because it is “an organization that normally receives a substantial part of its support from... Full story
