News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Since May is the month we traditionally honor mothers, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the many things they do in that role. In many small ways their love manifests itself in common gestures that are easily overlooked as important. Yet so important. From the time of a child’s birth a mother’s hands are there to cradle, clean, caress, and correct. Have you ever given thought to what life would be like without those four “C’s”? In the worst scenario, a child would not live, unless someone else stepped forward to perform tho... Full story
Standing in a quiet grove of old growth pine trees near Glaze Meadow, east of Black Butte Ranch, Tim Lillebo would often start a talk by saying "There we were... it was war." And it was. Between 1991-2005, the Sisters Ranger District was challenged on nearly every forest management project. Trust between the Forest Service, conservation groups, and many in the public was low after broken agreements. This led to a federal lawsuit and a mediated agreement putting the District... Full story
It was a quiet morning, I had just gotten my latte at Sisters Coffee, sitting in the corner with my dog, Bo. The young man sitting next to me was busy working on his laptop. He asked me what kind of dog Bo was and I informed him he was a 9-year-old Shiba Inu. We exchanged pleasantries and he informed me he was an administrative assistant to an entrepreneur. As we continued to speak about religion, the environment, and current political issues, I learned he was very religious, very driven in his current job, happily married... Full story
Tejanos curse in Spanish and a Cajun eyes the weather There’s black mud on the belly of the yellow colt I ride Never thought I’d catch myself so calm out in the open As a gulf storm deals in bucket loads and hits from every side — Turnpike Troubadours, “A Cat in the Rain” “We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality.” — Seneca, First Century Roman Stoic These are unsettling times, no doubt about it. Wars and rumors of war. A “b... Full story
As a young professional who has lived and worked in Sisters for nearly four years, I have been invited to share my story for C4C’s Community Forum about local housing challenges, “Who Gets To Live Here? The Search for Local Housing Affordability.” It was spring 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown was in full swing in Portland, when I graduated with a degree in urban planning. It was important for me that I get a job in my field as soon as possible, but as uncertainty from the ongoing pandemic continued, fewer job openi... Full story
There’s nothing like contemplating the end of the world to start off your weekend. I headed out at daybreak on Saturday to get in a good training session at Zimmerman Butte. Kettlebell complexes and shooting — a kind of biathlon. I like to listen to a podcast while I drive out there and set up, so I scrolled through the new stuff, and ran across a fresh one from Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History. He was interviewing Annie Jacobsen about her new book “Nuclear War: A Scenari... Full story
A few years ago, in the very early morning hours, I visited the Lincoln Memorial. A crew was busily cleaning the huge statue. I acknowledged the workers with a wave. One man shouted to me, “Sorry for the inconvenience, but we don’t want grime to build up on Mr. Lincoln’s face.” April 15 marks the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. One hundred and fifty-nine years ago, a ruthless bigot, John Wilkes Booth, resentful that the federal government dared to stop white folks from owning black folks, shot Mr. Lincoln in the back of the... Full story
Have you ever wished you could travel through time? What would it have been like to set out on the Oregon Trail in a covered wagon in 1840? What was life really like in a European castle in the Middle Ages… or in the villages outside? What if we could actually climb into a time machine to experience life alongside the people of another time period? I suggest that there is a sense in which we can. For thousands of years humans have seen the value of recording their stories i... Full story
There is nothing quite like sitting across the table from a fisherperson. There is genuine happiness in their eyes, laughter, and pats on the back. Their faces light up like a warm campfire when they start spinning yarns with hands outstretched ("It was that big!"). We eavesdropped as the older guys shared the location of their favorite fishing holes. Some kids from a middle school fly tying club sparkled with anticipation and awe as they took in every word. Best of all,... Full story
Sisters Country homeowners and business owners are struggling to access affordable fire insurance coverage. I’ve worked for 20 years to protect our homes and communities from wildfire and now I’m working as your Deschutes County Commissioner to keep insurance accessible and affordable for residents. We need to make our homes and communities more resilient to wildfire and then we need to get insurers to recognize those improvements in coverage and premium decisions. Since 2004, I’ve worked to build collaborative agree... Full story
We are all going to miss him dearly. How does one go about describing Sibi? Many of you are blessed to have come to know Fr. Sibi over these last five years as he pastored the flock at St. Edward the Martyr Catholic Church. Whether as a Young Lifer, pickle-baller, hiker, mountain biker, or just hanging out with the guys at the Space Age. His kind and gentle and humorous nature made him so easy to be around, to be drawn to. His detachment from the world and abiding joy... Full story
To the parents of Trenton Burger: I am so sorry for your loss. No words of mine can mend your wounds. I can’t even imagine the pain you have endured. Trenton, 15, died after he collided with a minivan while riding an e-bike in Bend. The driver of the van was not cited, it being determined that the driver was not responsible. There are many ways to imagine how this tragedy might have been averted. Trenton was illegally riding on a sidewalk. Trenton was was not of legal age t... Full story
Recently I came across a reminder that the Harry Potter books are not about never failing, but rather are about rising every time we fall. The story about the Sorcerer’s Stone is a great illustration of how overcoming obstacles creates growth. Those words took me immediately back to the article, “Ten Things You Should Do Now So Your Kids Know How to Deal with Failure,“ by Dr. Jill M. Richardson, and her emphasis on the value of failing. A primary piece of that article emphasized the value of play and what it teaches kids.... Full story
On May 10, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission is scheduled to decide who to hire to lead the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department as its new director pushed back an initially aggressive hiring timeline. “Hearing people is more important than speed,” Chair Mary Wahl said at the February 16 meeting in support of the decision. This process comes as Curt Melcher, who has been director for the last 10 years, prepares to retire. As the commission navigates the hiring process, I want to express my thoughts and giv... Full story
We live in the shadow of mountains named after three women. One of the names for the river that runs through town came about because Native American women often camped along its shores. A legend about the black volcano that guards our skyline says it is a woman resting on a long journey with her pouting husband. Our town is even named after the girls in the family. Sisters is the perfect place to celebrate Women’s History Month and the lives that helped make our community what it is today. Many women walk through the pages o... Full story
It happens to the best of us as we age. Sometimes, after a long walk, you have a little hip or knee pain. Then it starts happening more often. You get together with older pals and the first half hour becomes what one friend calls the “Organ Recital”: “my hip, your eye, her shoulder, his pancreas.” Pain starts waking you up at night like a nagging toothache. You join Team Motrin and start gobbling anti-inflammatory pills that eventually hurt your stomach. You buy the economy-size gel form called diclofenac to smear on the ach... Full story
On February 26, The New York Times published a column by Professor Paul Krugman titled “The Mystery of White Rural Rage.” While the professor’s opinion perpetuated stereotypes and tropes about many communities across America, I can imagine it may speak to people looking outside of their circle for someone to blame for policies they don’t care for, or the divides seen in our country. With Prof. Krugman’s platform he has the opportunity; and as a professor, he has the obligation; to encourage others to think critically about th... Full story
The Three Sisters Historical Society packed the Sisters Fire Hall Community Room last Sunday for a presentation by Larry Len Peterson on the legendary photographer of Native Americans, Edward S. Curtis. Peterson, a Sisters resident, is the author of a magnificent study of Curtis, titled “Printing the Legends: Looking At Shadows In A West Lit Only By Fire.” Last week, we published Maret Pajutee’s wonderful account of the wild times and violent demise of Sisters pioneer Tillm... Full story
There has been a lot of controversy and litigation involving the possible breaching of the Snake River and its lower four dams to save salmon and steelhead. There are pros and cons on each side. Native Americans, environmentalists, fishermen, and scientists favor removing the dams. Utility companies, barge owners, and farmers along the Snake hold a different view. My view is that the four dams should be breached. The Nez Perce and other tribes have been fishing in the Pacific Northwest since time immemorial. In 1855 the Nez P... Full story
What do you do when you get a call from a mother who just lost her job and is facing the difficult decision to release her young daughters’ cats to the Humane Society? She knows she now won’t be able to afford to spay and neuter them and is running out of cat food. Furry Friends listens, then schedules and pays for their surgeries, and the mom picks up cat food at the Furry Friends pet food bank. The kitties are staying in their home, the family is staying together. What do you do when a senior man calls crying on the pho... Full story
Unless you have been living in a cave for the past year, you cannot help being exposed to some degree to the political fighting going on between the current and immediate past administrations over the handling of “classified” information. The discussion and debate over the safeguarding of the nation’s secrets has been playing out in a very public forum from the news media to the courtroom. Is that good or bad? It certainly raises issues that the general public rarely pays attention to. Why do we need to guard state secre... Full story
The children of our community are in good hands, in their classrooms, and in relationships with their parents. This is obvious every time I have a chance to listen to or meet one of the young people in our district. Knowing that, I am also aware of how difficult the job of being a parent is. I believe it is the hardest and the most important job we will ever have. It can also be extremely satisfying and rewarding. There is no manual of how to do this job. We are on our own, and often the examples that have gone before us... Full story
I sat down this weekend to write a column about dysfunction; 700 words on the bipartisan cascade of incompetence, cynicism and decrepitude that we witnessed on the national stage last week. Nope. Just couldn’t do it. I’ve already said my piece in these pages about the proper consequences of the willful mishandling of classified documents, and calling out cynical, partisan hypocrisy isn’t even sport. It just leaves me full of dismay, disgust, and despair. Not exactly the mood... Full story
Women still need to make up ground in a key area: retirement security. Women’s challenges in achieving a secure retirement are due to several factors, including: • Pay gap – It’s smaller than it once was, but a wage gap still exists between men and women. In fact, women earn, on average, about 82 cents for every dollar that men earn, according to the Census Bureau. And even though this gap narrows considerably at higher educational levels, it’s still a source of concern. Women who earn less than men will likely contribute... Full story
Years ago, while working as a reporter in Oregon, I was tasked with covering the county commissioners. At the time, I had very little understanding of who the county commissioners were or what their jobs entailed. Probably like a lot of voters, I trusted that these public servants were doing their best on the public’s behalf. As a reporter, I learned that is not always the case. Some used the position to enrich themselves or their friends. One commissioner I reported on was investigated by the state ethics board for such viol... Full story
