Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
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Nebraska state Sen. Amanda McGill-term limited at 34-is ready to bring energy and enthusiasm to the state auditor's office. At the time McGill took office to represent northeast Lincoln eight years ago, she was the youngest woman to work in the Nebraska legislature in 25 years. "Since I'm term limited, I was looking at ways to further continue efforts of reform and digging into government mismanagement and waste and felt that the state auditor's office was the best way to do that," McGill said...
A bill passed in the Nebraska legislature last year will make it possible for old defense sites such as Sioux Army Depot to be improved with redevelopment projects. At last week’s city council meeting Sidney took the first steps toward a substandard and blighted designation for Sioux Army Depot in order to make projects at the site eligible for this sort of project funding. “We’ve worked with the legislature for years to get them to understand the special circumstances and the challenges that we have with a major part of our community north...
Jason Assad, a 35-year-old Sidney man, was arrested for making terroristic threats last week after an alleged domestic dispute at the El Palomino hotel on Illinois St. Just after midnight on April 24, personnel at Sidney Regional Medical Center notified Sidney police that they were treating a woman for injuries she allegedly sustained during an altercation with Assad earlier that night. Assad’s 38-year-old significant other claimed that she suffered the injuries during a fight with Assad at a private apartment at the hotel. Assad said he w...
A 49-year-old pedestrian sustained severe head injuries Thursday night when he was struck by a pickup truck on 10th Ave. near Newton St. in Sidney. Donald Deaver was heading east, across 10th Ave. on foot around 8 p.m. on Thursday when he was struck by a gray Ford pickup traveling north on 10th St., according to witness accounts. The truck slowed in the next block and then continued on, witnesses said. When police arrived several witnesses were attending to Deaver, a Sidney man who was laying near the curb on the side of 10th Ave. just north...
A Sidney woman was found guilty of facilitating her husband's suicide on Thursday. Deann Kimble, 53, pled no contest in Cheyenne County district court to one count of assisting suicide, a class four felony. Kimble waited outside the storage unit in which her husband, Russell Kimble shot himself in the face on March 22. Afterward she attempted to dispose of his body. Law enforcement reportedly found Russell Kimble's body at the igloo storage units at the old Sioux Army Depot on March 26, after receiving a tip from a citizen informant. Deann Kimb...
A smaller right of way along portions of the Toledo St. extension—soon to be Pole Creek Crossing—and Greenwood Rd. will make for some inconsistency in sidewalk placement. The city previously requested an extra seven feet of right of way from landowners along the Pole Creek Crossing extension as well as along the area slated for improvement on Greenwood Rd. The city is usually granted 80 feet of right of way for streets. Because Toledo St. and Greenwood Rd. are former county roads which were incorporated into Sidney, the city only has 66 feet of...
Sidney’s boundaries will likely soon expand. At Monday’s meeting, the city’s planning commission considered seven properties for annexation and recommended to the city council that six of these properties be incorporated into the city. There is still a lengthy process ahead before these properties actually become part of Sidney. Although some of these property owners requested annexation, many of them were considered because they already receive city utilities and other services. Gary Dible spoke on behalf 21st Century Equipment, the only...
I’m not sure the good old days were really that good. Quite often I hear people around town talking about how much better things were back in the day. Kids were more respectful, teachers could paddle students to make them behave and no one had to deal with constant texting at dinner. I submit to you that Sidney was a much wilder place way back in the day than it is now, although I supposed citizens don’t really reminisce about the late 1800s. However, I’m sure this sort of thinking has gone on for centuries. We always idealize the past. Everyon...
A gravel pit in Cheyenne County that has been the source of frustration for nearby homeowners will soon have a new owner, one promising to be a conscientious neighbor. Sidney’s planning commission approved a conditional use permit to Croell Redi Mix for land located a half mile south of the intersection of County Roads 20 and 117, east of Sidney. This pit is not located within the city limits, but is inside the city’s two mile zone of influence. Croell plans to buy a 160 acre parcel of land containing the pit from the current owners, the Kielia...
Without a carnival this year, the fair board hoped that beer might attract more visitors to the county fair. While fair board members believe a beer garden would draw higher attendance, others argue that adult libations shouldn’t be a part of this family event. At Monday’s county commissioner’s meeting, fair board members proposed a closed beer garden that would hold around 70 patrons at a time to serve beverages for the duration of the fair. In the proposal, drinking would only take place inside an enclosed area on the north side of the fair...
Occupational therapists won't help anyone find a job, but they do assist clients in becoming independent. The four occupational therapists who work out of Sidney Regional Medical Center are focusing on community awareness during the month of April, occupational therapy month. "We think of occupation as what people do throughout their day," said occupational therapist Tish Treinen. "And if there's any type of impairment or problem that impedes their independence, then we step in and help them."...
Theodore Medina, accused of beating Ernie Ward to death in his Sidney home last November, pled not guilty to multiple charges in Cheyenne County district court on Thursday. Medina, of Sidney, is charged in two separate cases, one for Ward’s death and another for assault on an inmate at the Cheyenne County jail. In the first case authorities charged the 24-year-old with one count of first degree assault, a class two felony and manslaughter, a class three felony. The second case involves charges of second degree assault, a class three felony, a...
By fall of this year, 24 Western Nebraska Community College students will live on campus in dorms. "This is a huge milestone for the Sidney campus," said Sidney Campus Director Paula Abbott at the groundbreaking ceremony for the housing facility on Wednesday afternoon. The students at the school are both excited and surprised that the Sidney campus will have housing, Abbott said. "I have to say that this is really an exciting day for us at WNCC," said college president Dr. Todd Holcomb. "For...
We’re all liars. Some of you out there might disagree with me, but I’d say if you do, you’re just lying to yourself. I know that most Sidney residents take pride in the community’s high moral standards. Dishonesty probably goes against that. However, sometimes politeness requires a lie. Dealing with children requires a fair amount of lies as well, simply because sometimes kids can’t handle the truth. I challenge you to consider how many lies, small and large you tell your friends, co-workers, children and loved ones each day. I think at the end...
The effects of marijuana legalization in Colorado reach far beyond its borders. “Our proximity to Colorado and the availability of marijuana has certainly had an impact on us here,” said Sidney Chief of police B.J. Wilkinson. “Marijuana availability is relatively prolific in Sidney right now and lots of people we didn’t suspect a year ago, two years ago are now using today.” Police find personal use quantities and paraphernalia on a regular basis. The number of cases submitted by the police in the last six months for misdemeanor marijuana...
Sidney schools are on the right track, in the opinion of an external accreditation team who visited the school last month. “Really, in a nutshell we had an excellent visit,” said Sidney high school principal Chris Arent at Monday’s school board meeting. “The accreditation team was very impressed top to bottom, across the board.” The accreditation process for the middle and high school takes place every five years. This process includes an external review performed by administrators from other districts in this region of the state. The revie...
Col. Tom Brewer promises to give a real voice to Nebraskans in the third Congressional district. Brewer, who hopes to replace Adrian Smith as western Nebraska's representative to U.S. Congress, is a veteran of the armed services who survived six gunshot wounds and a rocket propelled grenade attack while deployed in Afghanistan. "I think if you look at the third district and the one thing they've lacked for the last eight years is a congressman who's aggressive, who is willing to take on issues...
The Love’s Travel Stop planned for the Interstate 80 area promises to accommodate some of Sidney’s voluminous truck traffic while maintaining safety for other travelers. At Tuesday’s meeting, the city council approved the re-zoning of the parcel planned to house the stop south of the Holiday Inn. Steve Walters, real estate project manager for Love’s spoke with the council about the company’s plans. “Mr. Love and one of his sons has been on the site already,” Walters said. Tom Love, who founded the company 50 years ago in a small Oklahoma town...
Earlier this week, Sidney renewed its commitment to a tree-filled community. Park superintendent Tom Von Seggern represented the Sidney tree board at Tuesday’s city council meeting. “The tree board would encourage the council to promote tree planting in our many new developments to establish a tree canopy that can be enjoyed by future generations as well as we move forward with our many developments,” Von Seggern said. On April 2 Sidney received its Tree City USA designation for the 28th year in a row. Tree City USA status is designated by th...
City staff are confidant that the half cent sales tax, which began collection in July 2013, will garner significantly more in funds this year than expected. Now that the first six months of the tax collection have been reported, the total funds in city accounts from the tax equal around $476,000, even though the city had to pay out a significant refund one month. “It clearly shows that our optimism is founded,” said city manager Gary Person at Tuesday’s city council meeting. To add to this, the city expects excellent revenue from the tax during...
It seems that when it comes to many social issues those on both side of the aisle do nothing but scream at one another and decide they are effectively deaf to any opinions different from their own. Personally, I really do sympathize with both sides of the abortion debate. I don’t understand how any rational person who tries to look at the situation from outside his or her own emotions could lack at least some empathy for either stance. No matter what your feelings on abortion, the only way to solve any problem is to analyze all the factors e...
Despite a smaller than usual turnout, the Cheyenne County Community Center's annual fundraiser still managed to net the center around $62,000 in contributions. "Overall, I was very pleased with how the fundraiser went," said Mike Namuth, the center's director. "It just goes to show, again everyone's willingness to support this facility on an annual basis and whenever needed." The fundraiser, which took place April 5 at Buffalo Point, featured a silent auction, social hour, recognition for the...
The Sidney woman accused of assisting in her husband’s suicide and then concealing his body pled not guilty in Cheyenne County District court on Tuesday. Deann Kimble, 53, was arraigned on one count of assisting suicide and one count of concealing human skeletal remains, both class four felonies. Kimble could face up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each offense. There is no mandatory minimum sentence for these charges. Law enforcement reportedly found Russell Kimble’s body at the igloo storage units near the old Sioux Army Dep...
Toledo St., from 10th Ave. east, may soon be known as Pole Creek Crossing. The city council voted on Tuesday to begin the process of a name change for what is now known as Toledo St. from 10th Ave. to Fort Sidney Rd. At the council’s March 25 meeting it voted to name the yet to be constructed Toledo St. extension, as well as Virginia Ln., Pole Creek Crossing. The new portion of road will connect what is currently Toledo St. to Greenwood Rd. What was previously Virginia Ln. will connect the new extension with link 17J. Last fall city staff s...
At Monday’s meeting of the county commissioners, highway superintendent Tom Noel presented two quotes the county received for an air compressor. The county approved a bid from NMC Equipment Rental in Gering for around $11,800. The other bid came in at around $14,000. This is a 2010 machine that was formerly used for rentals. This will replace the county’s current compressor which is more than 50 years old. “It’s wore out and we can’t get parts for it anymore,” Noel said. This week the county highway department is working to fix potholes in...
