News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 90
From the superintendent To the Editor: As 2023 comes to an end, I wanted to share with you a few highlights from the December Sisters School Board meeting. Before the start of the meeting, the Board and guests celebrated the Sisters High School volleyball team as the 2023 3A state champions. A group of middle school teachers presented on the continued support of transitions as the fifth grade will be in the new elementary school in the 2024-25 school year. Brad Tisdel, who shared that the Sisters Folk Festival has been... Full story
Goodbye to a community icon To the Editor: One of our community icons is gone. He was the first to greet us when we came, often the last to catch the eye when leaving. He was the one we said goodbye to, in a way thanking him for a good time—the host of the party that is Sisters. He hung out at most public events, helped around town, especially if music was involved. I think he deserves a few words from one of us. The last time I connected with Jack Nagel was at The Belfry, a Halloween party. I never do that kind of thing, s... Full story
Thank-you to letter writer To the Editor: This is a thank-you to Wendy Vermillion for your letters to the editor regarding cedar bow trimmings/permits, and forest uses. Your initial letter spoke to my heart, and all the ways that I see nature being destroyed around us, and so often feel hopeless. I thank you for having the courage and taking the time. I thank The Nugget for posting the letters; it gives me hope. Your name says it all, you are one and over 1 million and I wish you a very joyous winter season and new year.... Full story
Whose land? Re: The letter “Whose Land?” (The Nugget, November 23): The writer of this letter is under certain misconceptions about the history of Palestine and the Palestinian people. She alleges that “the only people who have ancestral ties to Israel as their historic homeland and nation are the Jewish people.” Does she believe that ancient Israel and modern Israel are the same thing? If so, this is nonsense. Not even Jews, especially Orthodox Jews, believe this. Or does she believe that because there was some kind of Jewi... Full story
Climate change To the Editor: In the November 15 letters to the editor, Sharon Booth said she was stunned by the lack of knowledge Pat Farr possesses on climate change in comparison to “scientists” all over the world. I’d bet Pat Farr has more common sense than those scientists have conclusive data free of untainted bias and motive. And believe it or not, there are also scientists all over the world that disagree with the narrative pushed by CNN, AOC, and Greta. Proverbs 14:15-18, New Living Translation. Sharon in her summary... Full story
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
