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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Craig Johnson, 48, is scheduled to stand trial for murder in Cheyenne County District Court next week. Jury selection will take place Monday, Dec. 9, while the trial is set to begin Dec. 10 with the possibility of running through December 17. Johnson faces charges of first-degree murder, a class IA felony, use of a weapon to commit a felony, a class II felony, possession of a deadly weapon by a felon, a class III felony, and habitual criminality. The charges are in connection with the Dec. 11, 2011 death of 42-year-old April Smith. Johnson...
At last week’s meeting, the city council approved the final numbers for the funding mechanism to finance work at Hillside Golf Course. Marc Munford of Ameritas Investment informed the council about the Recreational Facilities Public Infrastructure Bonds that will pay for the project. The closing date for these bonds is Jan. 2, 2014. “The city’s request was to net $1.5 million for the project, so in order to do that we have a bond issue size of $1.520,” Munford said. While $1.5 million is allocated for construction, the additional money will go...
The city will receive additional funds from the state for the long awaited trail project. After the council made a request during its last meeting, public services director John Hehnke contacted the department of roads regarding additional funding for the Sidney trail extension project. He also worked on a cost estimate for the project with Baker and Associates. “NDOR (Nebraska Department of Roads) has been true to their word, previously given to Gary, that they would be willing to increase their funding for this project if we were able to a...
The city moved forward on plans to raise the maximum building height allowed in a commercial zone to 80 feet at last week’s city council meeting. The planning commission voted to forward this suggestion to the council at its Nov. 18 meeting. The current maximum height allowed is 50 feet. “It’s outdated by today’s standards,” said city manager Gary Person of the existing regulation. “C3 zones in proper planning are never near residential areas.” Most of the new projects zoned for commercial uses are near the interstate, Person said. One of...
Parking spaces may soon get a little bit tighter in Sidney. The city took steps toward narrowing the minimum required off-street parking space width at last week’s meeting. Sidney now requires 10 foot width on 90 and 60 degree parking spaces. Public services director John Hehnke did some research and found that many other communities have a 9 foot minimum. “This was an issue that was brought to us by the private sector,” said city manager Gary Person. “When you have national franchise companies that do projects throughout the United States,... Full story
The possibility of a name change for Toledo Street when the road is extended from Fort Sidney to link 17J as part of the East Sidney Development was the topic of some debate at the last two city council meetings. The city invited the public to submit name suggestions for the road through both social media and traditional means. “The whole idea behind this was to come up with a name that was more representative of the Sidney area, the Sidney community, Western Nebraska, which you can make the argument Toledo Street doesn’t fit that description,...
The Christmas season in Sidney will kick off this weekend with lamplight tours Friday at the Fort Sidney Museum and a tree lighting ceremony at Hickory Street Square on Saturday. The tree lighting events will take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the downtown area. Santa will arrive via fire truck to light the tree officially and then he'll head over to the Book & Corner to meet Sidney's youth. "All the local kids are invited to bring their letters and wish lists and there will be photos... Full story
At Tuesday night’s meeting, the city council took the first steps toward accepting new approved uses in agriculture and agriculture/residential zoned areas. These changes were initially approved unanimously at the planning commission’s meeting Nov. 18. As city staff reviews various projects, they discover items that they believe should be allowed in certain zones, said city manager Gary Person. “For one, mobile homes had previously only been allowed in mobile home parks,” Person said. The planning commission decided it would be accepta...
Gene Howard, 40 of Colorado, was charged with a list of violations following a tip, an investigation and a stop in Big Springs. Law enforcement officials charged Howard with possession of a firearm during a felony, possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of marijuana with intent to deliver or distribute, possession of more than one pound of marijuana, possession of marijuana without tax stamps and possession of methamphetamine—all felonies—in Deuel County last week. On Nov. 21 an informant made law enforcement aware that Howard pla...
At a meeting earlier this month, the city council approved a bid for the Fort Sidney Road federal aid project. The bids for the mill and overlay project on Fort Sidney from Highway 30 to 11th Ave. were opened Oct. 24. The state received two bids, one from Simon Contractors and one from Werner construction. “The bids were very competitive,” said public services director John Hehnke. Simon Contractors offered the lower bid in the amount of around $740,000 while Werner bid around $760,000. Hehnke requested council approval of the Simon bid so the... Full story
Neither the prosecution or the defense achieved the verdict it hoped for at the onset of the State of Nebraska vs. Nancy Gipfert. Last week a jury of six men and six women found the defendant guilty of negligent child abuse, a misdemeanor. This is a lesser conviction than the original charge of child abuse causing serious bodily injury, a felony. The two-month-old victim in this case became seriously ill after his first visit to Gipfert’s daycare on Sept. 13, 2011. It was later confirmed that he suffered from bleeding around his brain, brain d...
After seven hours of deliberation on Thursday a jury found Nancy Gipfert guilty of negligent child abuse, a lesser charge than the one initially lodged against her. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2014. Gipfert was originally charged with one count of child abuse causing serious bodily injury, a felony, for her part in the incidences leading up the hospitalization of a two-month-old who was at her daycare prior to suffering seizures and brain injuries. Both the defense and prosecution delivered closing arguments Thursday morning, following...
After five days of testimony in the State of Nebraska vs. Nancy Gipfert, both the defense and the prosecution presented the remainder of their cases and rested. Gipfert is charged with one count of child abuse causing serious bodily injury, a felony for her alleged part in the incidences leading up the hospitalization of an infant who was in her care prior to suffering seizures and brain injuries. Megan Gipfert, Nancy Gipfert’s daughter, testified for the defense Wednesday morning. She told the jury that her mother opened the day care 21 y...
Real criminal court cases are not that much like Law and Order. Anyone who’s ever watched the show and then actually attended a criminal trial knows exactly what I’m talking about. Right now I’m in the midst of covering my second criminal trial, so by no means am I an expert. I have learned that real trials have some similarities to the show, but for the most part they are much different. In many episodes of Law and Order it seems that a criminal trial takes place very soon after the police investigation. In some episodes, the inves...
On day five of the State of Nebraska vs. Nancy Gipfert, the alleged victim’s mother testified that her two-month-old son was healthy and normal until the events of Sept. 13, 2011. Gipfert is charged with one count of child abuse causing serious bodily injury, a felony, for her alleged part in the incidences leading up the hospitalization of an infant who was in her care prior to suffering seizures and brain injuries. The mother of the victim, who grew up in Sidney but now lives in Peetz took the witness stand yesterday afternoon. Her p...
A child abuse pediatrician who headed the team that worked to determine the cause of the alleged victim’s injuries testified during day four of the State of Nebraska vs. Nancy Gipfert. Gipfert is charged with one count of child abuse causing serious bodily injury, a felony for her part in the incidences allegedly causing the two-month-old baby’s seizures and brain injuries in Sept. 2011. Expert witness for the prosecution, Dr. Lisa Griss out of Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children where the boy was hospitalized from Sept. 13-Oct. 4, shared her...
Last week, during the first and second days of the State of Nebraska vs. Nancy Gipfert law enforcement testified about their investigation into events leading up to the hospitalization of an infant who had been in Gipfert's earlier that day. Lieutenant Keith Andrew of the Sidney police took the stand for the prosecution. On Sept. 13, 2011, Andrew received a call from Sidney Regional Medical Center about an injured infant. The hospital reported that the child suffered head injuries that could...
On day three of the State of Nebraska vs. Nancy Gipfert, an expert witness explained the injuries to the alleged victim’s eyes and those who saw the infant in the days and weeks before the incident testified to his prior state. Gipfert is charged with one count of child abuse causing serious bodily injury, a felony for her alleged part in the incidences leading up the hospitalization of an infant who was in her care prior to suffering seizures and brain injury. Two months old at the time, the alleged victim suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage a...
Medical experts for both the prosecution and defense testified Thursday regarding possible causes of internal head injuries to the alleged victim in the case of the State of Nebraska vs. Nancy Gipfert. Gipfert is charged with one count of child abuse causing serious bodily injury, a felony for her alleged part in the incidences leading up to the hospitalization of an infant who had been at her daycare prior to suffering seizures and brain injury on Sept. 13, 2011. The then two month old child...
September 13, 2011 started out like any other day but ended with her infant grandson on a helicopter transport to Denver after suffering a seizure, said Wendi Schuessler, grandmother of the alleged victim, during her testimony in the first day of the State of Nebraska verses Nancy Gipfert. Gipfert is charged with one count of child abuse causing serious bodily injury, a felony for her alleged part in the incidences leading up to the infant's hospitalization. Michael Guinan and William Tangeman,...
The city is finally prepared to begin towing abandoned, unlicensed and inoperable vehicles. At Tuesday's meeting, the city council approved a year long contract with Affordable Towing for this purpose—although some council members were perturbed that the council was advised to accept the only bid submitted. The original bid included specifications that the tow company must provide an area to store the vehicles. The only bidder then suggested to the city that Sidney store the vehicles on its own property to save some money. These changes i...
There’s a lot of hate in the world. I can admit that some of it lies within myself. I have very little patience for lazy people and those who are needlessly rude. Some people say that hate is growing and that the world is becoming a worse place than it was back in the good old days. I’m not sure this is true. I doubt those living in the south during slavery would say there is more hate in the world now than there was at that time. I also don’t think victims of the Crusades or any of the other past religious wars fought in various parts of th...
On Tuesday evening the city council urged community development director Megan McGown to make sure that there are enough holiday events scheduled to take place at Hickory Street Square to ensure that closing off the block is worthwhile. McGown came before the council to ask for the closure of the square to traffic for Christmas events from Nov. 22 through the end of December. McGown is the community development director as well as the main street director for the Historic Downtown Sidney program. Most of the businesses in the area wrote a... Full story
The city’s hiking, biking and walking trail expansion project, which has been in the works for well over five years now, is expected to finally go out to bid next spring. “Luckily this time I’m coming forward with good news in regard to the trail project,” said public services director John Hehnke at Tuesday night’s city council meeting. “We do have all of our right of way documents from all the landowners signed and submitted to the department of roads.” Currently, the department of roads plans for the project to be bid at the end of May 20...
Vorachit Luexayachack, a 40-year-old from Iowa, led Nebraska State patrol on a 40 mile chase through Cheyenne and Deuel counties last week ending in his arrest and the discovery of almost 60 pounds of marijuana. The Deuel County attorney’s office charged Luexayachack with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver or distribute, possession of more than one pound of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance without tax stamps, and operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest. At around 8:30 p.m. last Wednesday a Nebraska S...
