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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Sidney Public Library's reading programs aren't just for kids. The adult summer reading program, started by Vickie Morlock in 2006, wrapped up last week. Sue Wilson, a 5th grade teacher at West Elementary won the grand prize of dinner and a movie for two, drawn from entries submitted when participants return books. Wilson was encouraged to join the program by Doris Jensen, the Library Director, because she knows that Wilson travels to visit her grandchildren during the summer. "I really helps...
The city found itself in a difficult lie on Wednesday and the long planned golf course project appeared to stall. After lengthy planning with city officials and Project One, Staples Golf Design only received one contractor bid for municipal course improvements, set to start this fall. Both Staples Golf and the city council deemed this bid unsatisfactory. The city contracted Staples Golf to design, plan and coordinate the irrigation project at Hillside Golf Course. This project includes an... Full story
Nebraska farmers who've been dealing with drought for the past few years now have a new pest new pest to worry about. Wheat stem sawfly is a small wasp that lays eggs in the growing plant. The sawfly's feeding reduces crop yield, but the real damage is done when the larva scores a line in the stem. When this happens, wind can easily knock flatten damaged crop, an event called lodging. Once the wheat is knocked over, combines generally skim over the grain, without picking it up. "It's been a growing problem in the last three years," said Jeff... Full story
James Russell of Sidney was caught with some sweet evidence after allegedly stealing candy from the Legion Park concession stand. Sergeant Joe Rieken of Sidney Police was called to Legion Park on the morning of July 16 after a burglary was reported at the concession stand, the second in as many months. Bonita Dickinson told police that someone apparently climbed in the window and took candy and soda, according to the arrest affidavit. Rieken deduced from evidence found at the scene that the burglars pried open metal plates around the concession... Full story
The Illinois Street construction project recently hit a few snags. "It's progressing," Sidney Public Services Director John Hehnke assured. "There have been a few twists along the way." The construction crew discovered some underground utilities that weren't in their expected location. These extra shallow gas mains have to be placed more deeply underground so the road can be properly installed. So far, the crew has the curb and gutter in place on Illinois and have replaced the storm drain. They... Full story
After reports of rabies in northeastern Colorado over the past few weeks, the virus has now been confirmed in the panhandle of Nebraska As of July 15, 25 Nebraska animals have tested positive for rabies, according to officials at the Panhandle Public Health District. This number includes seven skunks. Across the entire state, the virus has been discovered in bats, cattle, cats, one llama, one horse, and a dog. In Nebraska, skunks and bats most commonly carry and spread the disease, according to the health district. "Some humans in the... Full story
Probation officers working out of Cheyenne County are revving up services and trying to find more space. The state government passed Legislative Bill 561 in June, a new juvenile probation plan being piloted in Omaha and Nebraska probation districts 11 and 12. This law will expand the organization's current juvenile services. "We'll need more employees," said Linda Buehler, chief probation officer for district 12. Probation district 12 encompasses all of the counties in the panhandle. At this point, Buehler is trying to put together...
Balancing planned construction against the current needs of Sioux Villa residents caused Sidney's Housing Authority to reconsider their schedule and workload. The board spent part of Wednesday's meeting discussing a proposed cut in their meeting time, but an increase in their commitment. Rather than gather once a month, debate centered around a bi-monthly meeting schedule, with a lot of work in between. Executive Director of Sidney Housing Authority Nancy Bentley will need more time in the future, if the authority ever finds funding for a... Full story
Drought, late winter storms and vicious summer heat makes for an uncertain harvest. Even among local farmers, there is some disagreement about expected quality and yield of this year's winter wheat crop. Logan Snyder, merchandiser at Scoular Grain, thinks it's still too early to speculate about the quality. "The stuff coming off right now is from drier areas," he said. Once the portions still containing moisture are cut, then farmers might have a better idea about the specifics of this year's crop. "It'll be interesting to see what the wetter a...
Trayvon Martin died tragically and needlessly. His demise turned the eyes of an entire nation. This cynical reporter doesn't believe that all this media attention will change anything. Although this tragedy brought racial tensions to the foreground and has inspired many people to angry Facebook messages, I can't help but feel that most who seem outraged at the moment will never take any real action. Yes, there have been peaceful protests across the country, but most of those who watched the trial and discussed it with their friends and...
One trip to the concession stand apparently couldn't satisfy an alledged burglar with a sweet tooth. James Russell, a 20 year old Sidney man, was arrested in connection with a break in that apparently took place sometime on the night of July 15 at the Legion Park concession stand. Russell was previously arrested and charged with theft of candy and soft drinks from the same location in June. At around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Sidney Police responded to a report of a burglary at the Legion Park baseball... Full story
Nebraska ranks in the country's top five states in two polls for quality of life and business-friendliness. Nebraska was named second most business friendly state by Pollina Corporate Real Estate, Inc., a national leader in corporate site selection. The state was also named number four for quality of life by CNBC because of its low crime, clean air and stress free lifestyle. "I think we're one of the leading business-friendly communities in a leading state," said City Manager Gary Person. Sidney and the state of Nebraska work in conjunction to... Full story
The board of commissioners met on Monday with Cheyenne County Treasurer Diane Scott to compare the county's current fiscal situation to figures from a year ago. "2012 tax collections are at 62 percent, and last year at this time they were at 60 percent," Diane Scott said. The biggest concern in Scott's mind was a drop in inheritance tax collections which were $32,000 less than last year and seems to be on a downward trend, she said. Last year collections were $46,000 less than the year before. "... Full story
The county is looking for some help, in the form of community donations, to make the fairgrounds more hospitable. Connie Hancock of the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds Association spoke with county commissioners at yesterday's meeting about potential upcoming fairgrounds projects. The plans call for new facilities and upgrades, perhaps even a catering set up. Hancock assured the commissioners that there were no final plans and reminded the group that everything was still up for discussion. "As we think of the future of the fairgrounds and the... Full story
On July 7, 41 year old Draven Watson of Hudson, North Carolina was charged with second degree assault and disturbing the peace for a fight that took place in the Sidney McDonald's parking lot. Around 3 a.m., Sidney Police Officer Scott Tobler witnessed two men fighting near a Semi truck with its lights on in the lot. He observed a younger male he later identified as Tory Stacy punching an older male, later identified as Draven Watson, to the ground. Tobler then witnessed Watson get up and hit Stacy on the side of the head, according to the arre... Full story
There's more than one reason to scurry from a nearby skunk. At Tuesday's city council meeting, Sidney Mayor Wendall Gaston announced reports of rabies in towns close to Sidney. Communities in northern Colorado have discovered the disease in their feral cat and skunk populations, Gaston said. With the number of people and animals that travel between Sidney and Sterling, Colo., the mayor expressed concern the issue could spread. No cases have been confirmed so far in Cheyenne or any of the... Full story
The French Door Antique Mall is just one of the businesses in Sidney that is helping to keep the city beautiful. Mary Jo Putman, opened the store two and half years ago in a rented space off of Toledo Street. She just moved the mall to its current location, on 10th street, in May. Because of its stellar outward and inside appearance Putman's store has been honored with the Community Beautification Award by Keep Sidney Beautiful. "The Community Beautification Award is given out quarterly to an... Full story
Ben Sasse worked to turn around companies in crisis for 20 years. Now he's considering putting that skill set to work in the U.S. Senate. Sasse is currently traveling around Nebraska on a listening tour—including a stop in Sidney on Thursday—to help him decide whether or not he wants to run for Congress. After a series of discussions, he believes that three major concerns are at the forefront of most Nebraskans' minds. To begin with, many agree that there's a crisis of work in the United Sta... Full story
Pilots and passengers flying in and out of Sidney will finally have a place to relax and take a load off before and after air time. After many years of operating without one, the Sidney Airport Authority is planning to add a terminal building. The group hopes that construction will begin in spring 2014 for completion in fall of the same year. The price is estimated at around $600,000 and the committee expects the Federal Aviation Administration to pay for 95 percent of the construction. The Sidney Airport Authority will fund around 3 percent... Full story
Relief is on the way for those worried about West Nile or suffering from itchy bites. Mosquito spraying in Sidney starts this weekend. "They're not too bad recently because there hasn't been water," said superintendent of Sidney parks, Tom Von Seggern. But he predicted that the volume of mosquitoes will soon rise because of the recent rain. "I expect there to be a surge," Von Seggern said. The city uses a spray process called ultra low volume. This means that about 1.5 oz of the pesticide is used on an area around the size of a football field....
I live on the wrong side of the tracks. I've only been here for a month and a half, but I've already seen it so many times: The look of pity, disdain or disgust when I tell people I reside on the north side of town. Most cities label certain sections as the "bad" part of town and the "good" part of town. It's common practice. I've heard from several lifetime Sidney residents that negative perceptions about the north side go back as far as memory serves. Even though people might acknowledge that they know many nice, successful people who live on... Full story
New state mandated library accreditation will amp up community involvement. "We have to have a strategic plan for our new accreditation," said library director Doris Jensen. "They went in and wrote some new rules and regulations for the accreditation program because it had not been updated for a number of years." The library will be working to meet the new standards set by the state before mid-October. These regulations include forming a community planning committee. Only two current library board members will be allowed to take part in the...
The 9th annual Ladies Chamber Garden Walk features foliage and flowers of all kinds. The Garden Walk is a self guided tour this Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. The walk takes participants through especially beautiful and interesting gardens in the city of Sidney, said Norma Long, a member of the Cheyenne County Ladies Chamber. "Anyone who enjoys yards or gardens or flowers would enjoy the walk," Long said. There are six gardens on the tour this year. Those interested in going on the walk can pick... Full story
New signage and saving money were the biggest concerns at last night's city council meeting. Scott Day of Urban Development Services, a company that specializes in design management and commercial revitalization, displayed various design concepts for a "Welcome to Sidney" sign planned for the intersection of 11th Ave. and Old Post Road. The council appeared unanimous in their appreciation of the concept of a long, low stone wall as the base for the new sign. Roger Gallaway pointed out that the... Full story
A high speed chase from Sidney to Chappell ended with the driver in protective custody after he was finally stopped by spike strips deployed on Interstate 80. Doug Freude, 50, of Pueblo, Colo. led State Troopers in a pursuit along the Interstate June 26 after allegedly driving recklessly through multiple parking lots in Sidney and reportedly informing bystanders that people were trying to kill him. "He endangered a lot of peoples' lives," said Deputy Cheyenne County Attorney, Jonathon Stellar. The incident began when Nebraska State Trooper Jay... Full story
