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  • Emergency communications to implement NRIN

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Feb 10, 2017

    Following the 9/11 attacks, the federal government began to collaborate solutions to improve response in times of disaster. One of those solutions resulted in the Nebraska Regional Interoperability Network or NRIN. The NRIN system is designed for regional and statewide wireless data sharing to connect Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) or 911 centers and enable them to utilize statewide communication resources and new, developing wireless technologies. In 2005, the Public Safety Communications Grant (PSIC) was created to allow funding for...

  • Farmers voice concerns

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Feb 10, 2017

    A large group of farmers from the area gathered in the District Court room at Monday’s Commissioners meeting to once again voice concerns over the weed Common Mullein. Commissioners have already set a date to hear growing concerns about Common Mullein, a non-native species of plant that occurs throughout most of North America. In Monday’s Commissioners meeting, Randy Matthewson said he hoped to get Common Mullein added to Cheyenne Counties Noxious Weed List before the “problem with the weed gets worse.” “The people that have shown up today hav...

  • 100 years of deliciousness

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Feb 10, 2017

    It only comes around once a year, but when it does the highly sought after Girl Scout cookie seems to be on everyones mind. This year the Girl Scouts are celebrating 100 years of this delicious tradition. Juliette Gordon "Daisy" Low organized the first Girl Scout troop on March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia. Today, the Girl Scout mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place continues in nearly every city across the nation. Five years after...

  • Commissioners address liability issues

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Feb 8, 2017

    Cheyenne County’s Commissioners addressed ongoing liability issues with fairground buildings in Monday’s regular meeting. Use of the fairground buildings have been an agenda item and topic of discussion in almost every meeting since the construction of the Pavilion building last year. Candy Glass came before the Cheyenne County Board of Commissioners Monday to request the use of the Pavilion building by the Sidney Wranglers 4-H club. The community members that gathered in Monday’s meeting to discuss the use of the building, including the Commi...

  • History lies just beneath the surface

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Feb 8, 2017

    History lies just beneath the surface of the ever-changing landscape in Sidney. Prehistoric nomads, natives and soldiers have camped and lived along Lodgepole creek, for where there is water there are signs of life. Lodgepole Creek played a big role in the development of the area. The once-thriving creek bed played a pivotal role in the lives of people spanning back thousands of years. The creek, which once ran deep, has since diminished. Part of what is left now runs through culverts under the...

  • Sidney High School Takes Top Honors at Western Region Envirothon Contest

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Feb 8, 2017

    GORDON – A team from Sidney High School will represent the Panhandle for the Nebraska Envirothon Contest near Gering at the Wildcat Hills Nature Center April 26. The Sidney team of Chantal Riggs, Mitchell Porter, Kollyn Weimer, William Castner and Lindsey Deaver earned the state berth with a score of 109 at the regional contest held in Gordon. Thirty students from six schools competed in the regional. Students were from Sidney, Gordon-Rushville, Creek Valley, Banner County, Garden County and L...

  • Local youth cast for this year's Missoula Children's Theatre

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Feb 3, 2017

    Youth from around the area have been hard at work rehearsing for the Missoula Children's Theatre (MCT) production of Rumpelstiltskin. High Plains Art Council (HPAC) hosts MTC in Sidney every year, and auditions are always a big turnout. This year more than 60 students made up the cast and crew for the production. The Montana-based MCT tours throughout the country and the world to help stage performances in small communities, touring productions come complete with costumes, scenery, props and...

  • Depression and anxiety program offered in Sidney

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Feb 3, 2017

    Most people feel anxious or depressed at one time or another. Losing a loved one, getting fired from a job, going through a divorce, and other difficult situations can lead a person to feel sad, lonely, scared, nervous, or anxious. Those feelings are normal reactions to life’s stressors. Pastor Jim Nichols, of the Adventist Learning Center of Sidney, will be hosting an eight-session program that provides holistic and practical ways to alleviate depression and anxiety. The Nedley Depression and Anxiety Recovery Program features a DVD series w...

  • Couple found deceased in home

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Feb 1, 2017

    On Friday, law enforcement officers responded to a welfare check that resulted in the discovery of two bodies. According to Cheyenne County Attorney Paul Schaub, authorities were asked to perform a welfare check at 2226 Maple St. in Sidney early Friday afternoon. With no answer, an officer entered the home through a window in the front of the house, where he found Rachelle C. Jensen, 36 and Jeffery C. Jensen, 39 deceased. Subscribe to the Sidney Sun-Telegraph to read the rest of the story....

  • Illegal u-turn leads to accident

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Feb 1, 2017

    According to an accident report, a black four door Dodge Neon driven by Michelle L Marlatt-Arledge, 51, of Lodgepole, was struck when she attempted to make an illegal u-turn. The accident happened on Link17J at Pole Creek Crossing in Sidney at approximately 5:59 a.m. on Friday Jan. 27. Marlatt-Arledge’s car was struck by a 2003 semi-truck driven by Issac J. Gonzales of Scottsbluff. According to the report, Marlatt-Arledge was traveling south on Link 17J in the west lane when she attempted to make an illegal U-turn crossing in front of the e...

  • Veterans help students learn human development

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Jan 27, 2017

    Human development is the examination of a persons growth over the span of their life. There is one human development class that take their learning a bit further than the textbook. Brett Avila teaches Human Development Across a Lifespan at Sidney High School. The class takes students in grades 10 through 12 and offers them a hands-on approach to learning the physical, cognitive and emotional development of a distinct set of people. Two years ago, the class decide to take learning a step...

  • Fairground buildings to get new locks

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Jan 25, 2017

    Over the past few weeks Cheyenne County Commissioners and Fair Board Members have been discussing security for the buildings located on the Cheyenne County fairgrounds. In the most recent Commissioners meeting, concerns were voiced about the security of the fairground buildings. According to Fair Board President Gerald Frerichs, buildings at the fairgrounds are found consistently unlocked after being left locked by fair board members. Recently the pavilion building had fresh horse tracks left in the freshly prepped floor, indicating someone...

  • Sidney man arrested on charges of child pornography

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Jan 25, 2017

    A Sidney man was in County Court Tuesday on three counts of visual depiction of a sexually explicit conduct involving a child, a Class 2A Felony. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) received information that child pornography had allegedly been traced and downloaded to an IP address linked to Daniel Konruff of Sidney. Pursuant to the search warrant, a phone belonging to Konruff was sized. The phone allegedly contained three videos containing child pornography. In the affidavit from Oct. 11, 2016, NSP...

  • County officials meet to review budget

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Jan 20, 2017

    County officials met in Tuesday’s Cheyenne County Board of Commissioners meeting for a budget review. The Commissioners meeting was held in the District Court room Tuesday, to make room for various officials that gathered for the county’s six month budget review. Certified Public Accountant Rachel Smith, of Rauner and Associates, presented the six month review. A local government budget is a financial plan that details the government’s projected revenues and expenditures for a defined period of time. According to Smith, the Cheyenne Count...

  • Auditions to be held for upcoming Missoula Children's Theatre

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Jan 18, 2017

    High Plains Art Council (HPAC) will be holding auditions for the Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT) production of Rumpelstiltskin. The Montana-based MCT was founded four decades ago. The organization tours throughout the county and the world to help stage performances in small communities. The MCT will be in Sidney for a week as part of it’s international touring project, and is presented to the community by HPAC. Touring productions come complete with costumes, scenery, props and makeup. This year MTC will be presenting Rumpelstiltskin, the...

  • Sidney Public School Board welcomes new member

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Jan 13, 2017

    Sidney Public Schools (SPS) Board met to conduct new year business in Monday’s regular board meeting. The SPS Board welcomed Dr. Brandon Brown as the newest member of the board. Brown was elected to the board in the 2016 election; he took the place of prior board member Randy Miller. Outside of the school board role, Brown is a Family Medicine Physician at Sidney Regional Medical Center, with special interests in Sports Medicine and Obstetrics. “I am an avid sports fanatic and either participate or watch pretty much any sport,” Brown said....

  • Keeping Fido safe in inclement weather

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Jan 13, 2017

    Having a pet is a commitment that extends beyond basic needs and rules of animal welfare. One of those commitments is knowing the needs of our four legged friends, and how to keep them safe and warm in the winter months. Winter in Nebraska can get rather cold, with the average high reaching 34 degrees, and lows dipping into the negatives. The cold can take its toll on all the state's residents, even ones that come with a fur coat. Jennifer Elliott, doctor of veterinary medicine at the Creekside...

  • Commissioners conduct new year business

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Jan 11, 2017

    On Thursday, Jan. 5 the Cheyenne County Board of Commissioners held its first meeting of the year, where designations and appointments of office were made and reaffirmed. Prior to the start of Thursday’s meeting, Randy Miller was sworn in as the Cheyenne County Commissioner for District One, taking the seat of previous Commissioner Steve Olsen. Commissioners began the meeting by nominating and appointing Commissioner Darrell Johnson as chairman of the board, and Commissioner Philip Sanders as vice chairman. Committees for the board will r...

  • Flames claim family's car in minutes

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Jan 11, 2017

    Rebecca Gray had just dropped off her son at preschool when her Yukon Denali began to malfunction, it was not long before the vehicle was engulfed in flames. On Monday at approximately 12:05 p.m., the Sidney Fire Department responded to a vehicle fire located near the corner of 16th and Newton in Sidney. Gray said her daughter and granddaughter were traveling with her after dropping her son off at preschool when the vehicle's heater began malfunctioning. "I didn't have my heater on because it...

  • New face on the Commissioners Board

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Jan 6, 2017

    There is a new face on the Board of Commissioners this year. Randy Miller was appointed to his seat as the Cheyenne County Commissioners District one Board Member in the Thursday, Jan. 5 commissioners' meeting. County Commissioners are charged with administering county government in many states. The Cheyenne County Commissioners are comprised of three people: Board Chairman Darrell J. Johnson, Board Member Philip Sanders and newest elect Board Member Randy Miller. There has been a Board of...

  • Fair Trade Commission requests additional information for pending Cabela's merger

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Jan 4, 2017

    More information has been requested by the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) in the pending Cabela’s merger with outdoor retailer Bass Pro Shops. A Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filling on Thursday stated that Bass Pro and Cabela’s received requests from the FTC for “additional information and documentary material, commonly referred to as a second request” The request is pursuant to the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Antitrust Improvements act of 1976. A United States law enacted by President Ford that requires large companies to file a report...

  • Local family loses home to fire

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Dec 23, 2016

    A local family is facing both blessings and hardships this holiday season, as they put the pieces back together following a devastating fire to their home. Tammy Vowers said she was home asleep when the fire that consumed their home started Monday night. "I really don't know what happened. I was asleep, my son was studying for finals. If he wasn't there, I wouldn't have woken up," Vowers said. According to Vowers, the fire started in the attic, "the fact that it was in the attic, so the smoke...

  • Getting to know new City Council member

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Dec 23, 2016

    Kelly Utley was appointed to the Sidney City Council at the last council meeting, taking over the council seat of Chris Gay. A native of western Nebraska, Utley was born and raised east of Sidney on a farm located outside of Ogallala. After receiving a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Utley developed her Certified Public Accounting career in Ogallala for 17 years. In 2009, she obtained a Masters of Hospital Administration from the University of Minnesota. To enhance...

  • Hearing to add to the Noxious weed list

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Dec 23, 2016

    Cheyenne County Commissioners will be holding a hearing to decide if Common mullein should be added as a noxious weed in Cheyenne County. Common mullein (Verbascim thapsus) is a non-native species that occurs throughout most of North America. It’s origins in America are attributed to US settlers and Native Americans, due to it’s many uses. According to Stevan Knezevic, Extension Weeds Specialist with the University of Lincoln, Common mullein is on the increase in northeastern Nebraska’s rangeland, woodland and pastures. It is a biennial plant...

  • Commissioners appoint new Cheyenne County Assessor

    Amanda Tafolla-Sutton|Dec 21, 2016

    Cheyenne County Commissioners held further discussions about the vacant Assessor position in Monday’s regular meeting. In a previous meeting, Commissioners extended the deadline to accept applications for the recently vacated Cheyenne County Assessor position. The extension was made to expand advertising for the position to the other end of the State. In Monday’s meeting Cheyenne County Attorney, Paul Schaub said there were three applications received for the position however, two of the three applicants did not fit the criteria for the pos...

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