Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 150
The smell of formaldehyde permeated the halls of Sidney Middle School this week as seventh grade students learned about vertebrate anatomy in their life science class by dissecting frogs. "It's kind of nasty, but fun," Lainey Hausmann, 13, said as she and her lab partner, 13-year-old Karly Sylvester, exposed the brain of their dissected frog. Seventh grade science teacher Joydene McCarville said the experiment is done annually in the seventh grade life science class. This year, she had five...
Oral arguments in the appeal of the misdemeanor conviction and 30-day jail sentence for former Sidney Police Chief B.J. Wilkinson were made to the Nebraska Supreme Court early Thursday morning at the Creighton University School of Law in Omaha. Wilkinson pleaded no contest to a charge of obstructing government operations in July last year. The charge related to pulling a citation that had been issued to Sidney's then-public services director John Henke. After being ordered to serve 30 days in...
Siona Kshirsagar, 9 of Sidney, won the Sidney Sun-Telegraph's 2016 Easter coloring contest. Kshirsagar was presented with a cash prize of $20....
Potter-Dix Jr./Sr. High School once again had a strong showing at the Nebraska School Activities Association's (NSAA) State Speech Championship, held last week at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, coming away with the 2016 Class D2 State Champion title and six students placing in the top six in their events. Coach Claire Smith said she believes Potter-Dix "is one of the strongest in the state for a school of our size." A total of 43 teams competed in Class D2, with Potter-Dix finishing in...
With the end of the school year just around the corner, the Cool Kids Club/No Limits program is ready to kick off its 15th year of operation in Sidney, with registration for its annual summer camp beginning on April 1. "We've come a long way from that first year," program director Coleen Langdon said. The Cool Kids Club started in Oct. 2001 when school administrators from Sidney and Chadron wrote a joint grant to begin a before, after and summer school program in their communities. A $1.5...
With the Easter holiday, new Sidney City Manager Ed Sadler's first week might have been shorter than a typical week, but between attending his first city council meeting followed by a blustery spring snowstorm it was far from uneventful. "I've kept busy," Sadler said. "But Friday I had off, so I managed to finish unpacking and put stuff in a storage area I've rented." Sadler was previously the city manager of Webster City, Iowa, for nearly ten years, and before that, served as the assistant...
Eight fatalities were reported on state roadways in February, bringing the total to 23 for the year according to data collected by the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR). According to the data, the eight fatalities occurred in eight crashes, three on non-interstate highways and five on local roads, and seven of the vehicle occupants killed were not using safety belts. One of the fatalities was a motorcyclist. Six of the reported fatalities occurred in rural locations, with four of the fatal...
Three volunteers were sworn in to the Cheyenne County CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, Thursday in the county courtroom by County Judge Randin Roland. CASA is an organization that offers court-appointed advocates who work on behalf of abused and neglected children in the court system with the guardian ad litem....
The Sidney City Council approved an increase to the speed limits of two roads surrounding the Sidney Regional Medical Center (SRMC) by 10 miles per hour during Tuesday's regular meeting. Currently, both roads have a speed limit of 25 mph leading to the medical center, located at 1000 Pole Creek Crossing in Sidney. The proposed speed limit increase was brought to the council at their March 8 regular meeting through a letter dated Feb. 16 from Jason Petik, chief executive officer at SRMC. In the...
Monday's Cheyenne County Commissioners' meeting ended with a trip to the county highway shop for a demonstration of a John Deere motor grader that might be purchased in the future. Motor graders are used in maintenance and construction on dirt and gravel roads, utilizing a long blade to create a flat surface. Pictured is John Deere salesperson Bryan Hulbert explaining features of the motor grader to commissioners Philip Sanders, Darrell Johnson and Steven Olson....
Potter-Dix Public Schools celebrated earlier this week after ranking in the top five school district in the state under the Nebraska Department of Education's new accountability system, AQuESTT. Potter-Dix Superintendent Mike Williams said the ranking is quite the accomplishment for the school district and praised the teachers, students and the community for their hard work. AQuESTT, or Accountability for a Quality Educational System, Today and Tomorrow, replaces the Nebraska Performance...
Coming from South Texas, this week's snowstorm is definitely not something that I have experienced many times in my life. Sure, as a military brat, I've seen my share of snowfall when my father was stationed at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany back in my early days of grade school, but in that case the weather was more constant than sudden. I was also not yet in double digits, so the memories aren't as vivid as they once were. As you can imagine, snow in South Texas is as rare as a winter...
Cheyenne County was bathed in a sea of white for most of Wednesday as a spring snowstorm brought heavy snow and strong winds, blanketing the region leading into the Easter holiday and forcing the closure of Interstate 80 and other routes in the Nebraska Panhandle. The National Weather Service in Cheyenne, Wyo., received reports of between 5 and 6 inches of snow in Cheyenne County from yesterday's snowstorm. Chad Hahn, NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist, stated in an email interview that...
The Peetz Plateau School District will remain on its current five-day week schedule through at least the 2016-2017 school year after board members rejected moving the district to a four-day week. The decision was made during the school board's regular meeting held on March 15. Peetz Superintendent Mark Collard said discussion to move the district to a four-day week began in December last year. "We did research on it and held some open forums," Collard said. "Some hard copy survey materials and...
After months of discussion, the Sidney City Council approved the 2016 admission, lesson and rental fees for the Sidney Aquatics Center that will be open to the public as soon as the end of May. Tom Von Seggern, park superintendent for the City of Sidney, presented to the council revised fees based on feedback from the March 8 regular city council meeting. "You had me research a few things," Von Seggern said. For children five years and under and seniors, the admission price is set at $3 daily...
Ed Sadler was officially appointed as the new city manager of Sidney during Tuesday evening's regular city council meeting, filling the position vacated by longtime city manager Gary Person in August last year. "I've been pretending for two days," Sadler joked with the council after they approved the resolution formally appointing him to his new position. The city manager serves as the city's chief executive officer (CEO) and is responsible for managing day-to-day operations. City...
The Nebraska Army National Guard 1057th Transportation Company presented Cheyenne County Commissioners with a certificate of appreciation during Monday's regular meeting in recognition for volunteering the county fairgrounds for the company to hold its annual training meeting this week. Pictured is U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. Mason Wren, pictured far right, with county commissioners, from left, Philip Sanders, Darrell Johnson and Steven Olson....
For the first time in at least two decades, Cheyenne County will have a public defender after county commissioners unanimously approved awarding Sidney attorney Donald Miller a contract for the position during Monday's regular meeting. Once contracted, Miller will serve as an independent contractor for a two-year term at a cost of $249,600. Three other bids were received for the public defender position: Stacy Bach of Scottbluff with a two-year cost of $192,000, Steven Elmshaeuser of Sidney...
The four candidates for the 47th District legislative seat tackled a dozen questions from the public, ranging from property taxes to TIF projects, during a candidate forum held at the Buffalo Point Steakhouse in Sidney early Monday afternoon. The District 47 legislative seat is currently held by State Sen. Ken Schilz of Ogallala, who is term limited from running for re-election. Cheyenne County has two locals running for the State Legislature among the four candidates, which include Wendall F....
The Cheyenne County Fairgrounds were packed with people Saturday evening, months before the county fair, for games, food and fun at the annual 4-H Spring Carnival. Attendees flocked to fifteen booths created and run by the various 4-H clubs within Cheyenne County, each featuring unique games such as target shooting, pillow fighting, prize fishing and more. The annual carnival is the primary fundraiser for the county's 4-H council, funding its various activities and programs throughout the year....
Dozens of children and their parents braved chilly temperatures Saturday morning to participate in the Sidney Regional Medical Center's annual easter egg hunts. The first hunt was held at the SRMC Sloan Estates Assisted Living, located at 2550 Craig Ave., followed by a second hunt at the SRMC Extended Care Unit at 549 Keller Dr. Children were divided into one of three groups depending on their age and searched the surrounding grounds for plastic colored eggs filled with candy...
Hundreds of people from around the area traveled to Peetz High School, more than tripling the population of the town, Thursday evening for a taste of Rocky Mountain tradition at the annual Peetz FFA Oyster Fry and Student Auction. "Oyster fries are pretty synonymous with FFA chapters, especially in eastern Colorado," Peetz FFA teacher Michael Forster said. The annual event features a full meal for attendees, with the star attraction being the main course of Rocky Mountain Oysters, or bull...
Even just three months in, 2016 has been a year of new experiences for this South Texan. When I made the move to Nebraska, I made a decision that I would throw myself into any experiences that came with it. I didn't move here to remain set in sedentary ways. I want to drive the roads and see the sights. I want to meet the people and hear their stories. I want to experience the midwest and all it offers. That, of course, includes the cuisine. Last night, I covered the Peetz FFA annual oyster...
Several Potter-Dix, Leyton and Creek Valley students will be moving on to the state speech championship next week after placing in the top three during the D1-6 and D2-6 District Speech Contest held Wednesday at Potter-Dix High School. Champions for Potter-Dix in the District D2-6 contest were sophomore Audrey Juelfs in oral interpretation of poetry as well as in duet acting with freshman Brooke Moench. Junior Levi Kasten also won in entertainment speaking. Also advancing to the state...
Grocery shopping on a budget can be a frustrating endeavor, especially when trying to make healthy choices as well as find the best price. To assist the residents of Sidney, the Sidney Regional Medical Center (SRMC) has partnered with Sonny's Super Foods to provide a trio of grocery store tours led by a registered dietitian during the month of March. "It's a way that we can connect with the community," said Marci Rosenberg, SRMC registered dietitian and leader of the grocery tours. "Especially...
