News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 85
Climate change To the Editor: The letter from Pat Farr in The Nugget on October 11 stunned me by the lack of knowledge she possessed re: climate change. The changing climate has to do with overall averages of measured weather phenomena over extended periods of time. Temperature is the most commonly used to monitor climate, but also severity of damaging storms. Weather is what we experience on a day-to-day basis. Taken cumulatively, climate is defined by average weather measurements. Scientists from all over the world agree... Full story
Hunters in the forest To the Editor: There were a few misconceptions promoted in T. Lee Brown’s column of November 1. She stated that a hunter had fired off 12 rounds without looking. Since hunters are limited by regulation to a maximum of five rounds, one in the chamber and a magazine that can hold no more than four cartridges, it was clearly not a hunter who was shooting. The second misconception is that hunters take over the entire forest during the fall of the year. In fact the rifle deer season in this area was O... Full story
My dark wish for Sisters To the Editor: When I walk out my front door in Borrego Springs I can see the Milky Way — ours is a designated international dark-sky community. It is estimated that 80 percent of humanity has never seen the Milky Way and never will. This is largely the result of urbanization and the bright night-lights that come with it. The 20 percent who do enjoy a clear night sky are taking steps to protect it. On my recent visit to Sisters to give a Science Club Talk at The Belfry (Starry Starry Nights, O... Full story
Beware of scams To the Editor: Sue Stafford’s column “Of a certain age: Don’t get fooled, (The Nugget, October 18, page 8) is a story I have also heard from friends and family. She makes it clear that it’s all too easy to be fooled by these practiced fraudsters. Her detailed story will help readers recognize the patterns and emotional “triggers” they use. Kathy Reynolds Israel-Hamas war To the Editor: The editorial by Jim Cornelius, “War to the Knife,” on October 18” gives us a very good perspective of the crisis in the Mid... Full story
Crossroad or crosshairs To the Editor: The lights blinking on my dashboard go dead. I barely make it to Les Schwab. Of course there’s a two hour wait. Years ago I would have been devastated, embroiled in victimized mind chatter. “What? I just spent a fortune on crawlspace insulation. Where am I going to get the money for this? Instead I think, “I’ve got time. Why not hike to the store, stock up on a few things from Bi-Mart?” After shopping, I return the way I came with an armful of unwieldly bags. Two cars approach the inter... Full story
Climate scam To the Editor: The Green New Deal and Climate Change are the biggest SCAM in our nation’s history. Our so-called authority tells us we haven’t done enough. We have the cleanest water and air. The worst offenders appear to be China and India, and the U.N. wants the USA to clean up their pollution. The environmentalists, since the 1970s, keep saying the sky is falling if we don’t do what they say. Now they say it is climate change. Well yes the climate changes, some years it is too hot and some years it is too cold... Full story
Development and affordability To the Editor: The Central Oregon Daily on September 6 reported that the 2020 Census data revealed that 33 percent of the people moving to Deschutes County between 2016 and 2020 came from California and, of the other 66 percent, half came from other parts of Oregon and half from other parts of the country. The implications of this are worth pondering. Perhaps the most important is that the housing “crisis” in Deschutes County has little or nothing to do with organic demand. Instead, it is dri... Full story
Unconditional love To the Editor: Grace and Peace to you. I understand you are having a vicious time with this homeless condition. I want to tell you a little about my beliefs and experiences regarding the homeless. The cornerstone of my beliefs is based on unconditional love. The ones I want to speak up for are the women and children. I hear there are a dozen of them attending school in Sisters. Unconditional love dictates that you will help them and shelter them. Remember that they are just like you and just like me; we... 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
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
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
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
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
Topic headers To the Editor: Really Mr. Cornelius? You are getting your leads from British tabloids now? A new low for The Nugget. With “Chinese” in the title, the yellow background caught my attention. When I saw “British daily tabloid,” I figured yellow journalism had been resurrected right here in Sisters. But after reading the article the tone definitely told me your rag is back in the McCarthy era of the Red Scare with paranoia abounding. The tipoff was “Parents Defending Education.” A little online research into this v... Full story
No bull To the Editor: As an avid user of our trail system, I have seen my fair share of wildlife — coyotes; bobcats; a herd of elk, etc. — but this sighting was unique for me. On a run with my dog I hear some rustling off-trail and stop to see a huge bull staring at me from 50 yards away. My first thought was “This is not normal.” He stared at me for a minute and then went on his way. Finishing the run later, the story became clear as I came upon several cowboys on horseback searching for an escaped bull from the nearby... Full story
Grateful for those who have gone before To the Editor: Jim Cornelius’ editorial about Dave Moyer (The Nugget, July 19, page 2) hit a nerve and made me want to speak up. Not just about Dave and my time spent serving on the Sisters School District Facilities Committee with him, but about many of the recent obituaries that I felt a connection to. John Leavitt, Carla Merrell, Chuck Harper, Steve Little, Gene Carlson, Janie Buell. Amazing members of the Sisters community who I feel like I knew personally even if we’d barely met... Full story
Remembering a contributor The first time I met Dave Moyer, he was fighting to save a man’s life. It was the first City Council meeting I covered for The Nugget as a freelance reporter — February 1994, if memory serves. The tiny council chamber was packed; the agenda featured a proposed ordinance to allow snowmobiles to ride on the streets of Sisters. As sometimes happens in Sisters, the issue had stirred some passions. Dave Moyer was presiding as mayor. Suddenly, a man who was sitting behind me pitched out of his seat and hit... Full story
Us vs. them To the Editor: I wish to thank Jim Cornelius for his reminder how the lack of trust between Russians and NATO allies in 1983 (“The most dangerous year,” The Nugget, July 5, page 2) nearly annihilated us. Those wise words extol us to contemplate King Mongkut’s puzzlement: “Is a danger to be trusting one another One will seldom want to do what other wishes But unless someday somebody trust somebody There’ll be nothing left on earth excepting fishes” Given the certainty of uncertainty in Eastern Europe, heeding the c... Full story
Thank you to Forest Service To the Editor: A big thank-you to our local Forest Service for their prompt response to a recent bonfire that was started and left unattended on BLM land that borders the perimeter of the Tollgate subdivision on the south side of Highway 20. Fortunately, a concerned motorist traveling on the highway reported seeing smoke. The USFS was dispatched and extinguished the fire before it had an opportunity to spread closer to nearby homes. Crisis averted for now, but it’s not difficult to imagine this s... Full story
Just say no To the Editor: I applaud the City staff for its denial of the Space Age rebuild! Mr. Pliska’s comment that he’s “trying to be a good neighbor by doing what is right for Sisters” is laughable. As a 33-year resident, I love driving into town and seeing the flower and plant stands open, announcing that spring and summer are coming! They’re both welcoming and a down-home entrance to our little town!! The idea of a truck-stop-size gas station/mini-mart replacing that image gags me! I hope we continue to “just say... Full story
Keep it traditional Top the Editor: Nearly 40 years ago I built a house in the Sisters area. I was attracted here by the rustic, traditional nature of the environment and escape to the country. The proposed gas station violates every facet of country living that I can imagine. This distorted image is not the Sisters area that I knew and loved. The facsimiles of the proposal for changing remind me of a downtown exit to Los Angeles or Miami. One person’s business success and desire to expand will detrimentally affect the d... Full story
Sisters Rodeo To the Editor: Sisters Rodeo again demonstrated why it is a favorite PRCA rodeo for both contestants and fans. With a mostly new board of directors and the leadership of President Patty Cordoni, this production ran smoothly and appeared seamless to the fans in the stands. Cordoni even brought the Buffalo Soldiers of Seattle to the parade and the Grand Entry after seeing them at another Rodeo. This was a tribute to American history, which was so appreciated by fans. The whole week of rodeo was so inspiring,... Full story
Sisters Community Garden To the Editor: I remember her words like yesterday: “Fertilize, fertilize, fertilize. And stop planting so tightly.” Her name was Donna Parker and, for a number of years, this elderly matriarch of the Sisters Community Garden was a constantly cheerful expert to us clueless gardeners. Ask her a question about her life’s journey or anything regarding plants, gardening, and, yes, organic fertilizer (aka poop), and you would gain such insight and, yes, wonder at producing a harvest in Central Orego... Full story
Prescribed burns To the Editor: George Wuerthner’s critique of controlled burns was on the mark (“Rethink burning in Sisters’ forests,” The Nugget, May 31, page 2). It has been claimed that they help reduce the threat of a forest fire in a given area and lower the intensity of a fire if one starts there. This seems plausible, but I wonder if the Forest Service has any evidence that a controlled burn has ever contributed to either scenario? As we know, controlled burns throw up a huge cloud of pollution, turning clean air into... Full story
Thank you, voters To the Editor: To the voters of Sisters Country — thank you. Thank You. Thank You. We, the board of Sisters Park & Recreation District, can’t thank you enough for your vote of confidence in last Tuesday’s election. Nearly 80 percent of you voted to renew the SPRD local option levy — Measure 9-160. This was the highest level of support for any local option levy up for renewal in all of Deschutes County in this election, and a dramatic increase from the less than 60 percent of voters supporting the original le... Full story
