News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 148
Nearly every day, I encounter members of our community who are impacted by loneliness. As a behavioral health specialist with St. Charles Sisters Family Clinic, I help patients with mental health concerns like depression or anxiety. When I meet with a patient, I always ask about their social support and what they do each day. Often, the answers I get start with the phrase “I used to be able to...” or “before COVID we had...” My patients talk about lost gatherings, from walking and coffee groups, to support meetings, to week... Full story
Over 30 years ago, biologists realized the Metolius River had a serious problem. As the Forest Service (USFS) moved toward "Ecosystem Management," they recruited botanists, including me, to look closely at plants in the National Forest. There was a strange striped grass taking over riverbanks and islands in the river. This grass was so aggressive it crowded out native plants that supported insects important to wildlife and fish. It was Ribbongrass (Phalaris arundinacea var.... Full story
“Every man, whatsoever his condition, desires to be happy.” — Saint Augustine The pursuit of happiness is the unavoidable hardwired disposition of every human heart. We were designed to desire true happiness. We can pretend we’ve moved beyond such “selfish, juvenile” behavior, but the fact remains that everyone is driven to achieve maximum happiness. Blaise Pascal put it this way: “All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war... Full story
As a community we have much to be proud of in Sisters. By most traditional measures, we have one of the strongest school districts in the state. We believe that a comprehensive education grounded in the community’s core values is key to the success of all students in Sisters Country. Prior to the pandemic, the Sisters School District started to engage the community around creating a new mission and vision for our schools. This process included a dozen meetings with diverse stakeholder groups to get feedback on the c... Full story
The explosion of intense violence in Israel is a savage spasm in a long-standing frontier conflict. It is often said that “they’ve been fighting each other there for thousands of years,” but that’s not really an accurate depiction of the conflict between Jews and Palestinian Arabs in the land that is now the state of Israel. The current conflict has its roots in the 19th century, in the Zionist movement, which sought to establish a Jewish homeland in a Middle East then un... Full story
Only the lonely Know the way I feel tonight Only the lonely Know this feeling ain’t right — Roy Orbison Loneliness is a melancholy theme in generations of songs. It’s not just a trope, though — it’s a serious matter. If the Surgeon General of the United States is right, it’s a major health threat: “Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling — it harms both individual and societal health. It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depr... Full story
Feeling the next season on cool morning air, I’m filled with nostalgia for another waning summer. Buddy’s copper coat is fluffing up. Pulling a rubber curry comb from a dusty tack box in the barn, his slick summer hair pulls free as my gloved hand moves in circular motions from his neck to his shoulders, back, and rump. When I tap the grooming tool against the railing of our arena, a perfect replica of the tool’s oval insides comes away in concentric reflections of dust and short summer fur leaving his body. When the horse... Full story
A friend of mine wore a T-shirt the other day exhorting us to "Keep Calm and Circus On." It struck me as an apt slogan for the times, for surely we are living in a circus - though perhaps not the kind my friend adores. Our republic is careening in a clown car toward a presidential election rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden that a substantial plurality of Americans - or a clear majority depending on how you look at the data - don't want. A recent NBC poll shows Biden... Full story
“The morning was fair and the plains looked beautifull . . . . The air was pleasant and a vast assemblage of little birds which croud to the groves on the river sung most enchantingly. . . . Proceeded with the party across the plain to the white bear Islands . . . through a level beautifull and extensive high plain covered with immence hirds of buffaloe. It is now the season at which the buffaloe begin to coppelate and the bulls keep a tremendious roaring we could hear them f... 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
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
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
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
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
If someone were to ask me, “What is a wolf?” I’d pause, as there is no simple answer. They are a dynamically complex species, legendary in fiction and lore; historically persecuted, used when convenient as an image for sport teams, travel trailers, movie villains, and even insurance companies. Wolves are primarily misunderstood and all too often marginalized. I am an avid “wolf watcher” returning annually to watch the wolves in Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Personally, I am fascinated by the wolf’s family social dyna... 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
It’s a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken Perhaps they’re better left unsung I don’t know, don’t really care Let there be songs to fill the air —“Ripple,” Robert Hunter/Jerry Garcia Songs filled the air everywhere in Sisters last weekend. The Sisters Folk Festival packed the lawn at Sisters Art Works with a “community hang” featuring some of the best of Sisters Country’s local musicians. At Hardtails Bar & Grill, the classic rock band NightLife served up some stunning le... Full story
World War II is often hailed as “The Good War,” fought by “The Greatest Generation.” That characterization is accurate. The massive mobilization to defeat Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan was morally justified as few conflicts in human history have ever been. Those regimes were evil and had to be crushed and wiped from the slate of history. The men and women who made the Herculean effort — and then crafted a post-war order of remarkable durability and stability... Full story
This proposed “cold weather shelter” at 192 W. Barclay Dr. is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and will become a magnet for vagrancy to our small town — “build it and they will come; enable it, fund it, and it will grow.” Here in Sisters, we do not have large indigenous need, and we are not prepared for the increased influx. There had been no transparency nor meaningful public input until a group called private meetings at the fire house community center on August 1. The City has hidden behind a new state law to jam through thi... Full story
A human being wrote this column. You’ll just have to take my word for it. Strange way to start a column, right? Well, we’re living in strange times. Times in which this column you’re reading might well have been created by a chat bot — and you might not be able to tell the difference. I’d like to think that I have a distinctive enough voice that you wouldn’t mistake a chat bot for me — but actually there’s enough of my writing out there in the world that Artificial Inte... Full story
Few books can transport me to another place these days. With the hecticness of life in general, with busy work schedules, deadlines, and a new house to maintain, reading and getting transported to another place became low on the list. However, listening to a book while driving on a road trip or cleaning the house has become part of my every day this summer. With the technology of Audible and the willingness of a sister-in-law to share her entire library of C.J. Box books with... Full story
Dave Alvin is a hero of mine. He was an early standard-bearer for the hybrid of country, folk, blues, and roots rock & roll that folks call “Americana” music. He played here at the Sisters Folk Festival a decade ago. Marilyn and I traveled to Portland earlier this month to catch him with another stalwart, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, at the Aladdin Theater. It was a show we couldn’t miss because there’s no knowing how many more chances we’ll get. You see, Dave Alvin should be dead.... Full story
Last winter the news of a plan to “supersize” the Space Age gas station got the attention of many Sisters residents. Most agreed it was a poorly conceived plan. Not only would it be an eyesore upon entering town and worsen our ongoing traffic problem, a lot of folks regretted the loss of our charming plant nursery and produce stand. Both would be ousted in the process of constructing a truck-stop-like gas station. Despite local concern, most people believed it would be a losing battle to speak out. Our small town was already... Full story
