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 301 - 325 of 331
Depending upon when you catch him, William Cantu might be cooking, chatting with customers in his dining room or on his mobile phone, dispatching trucks. Owning a restaurant is something new for a man who spent seven years working in stockyards before purchasing a semi. Before long he bought another, just as a back up. Now he owns a fleet of six. Grilling steaks and popping clam strips into the deep fryer—that’s something new. “People said ‘why do a restaurant? You know nothing about restaur...
Sidney has a new hospital--on paper, at least. The Sidney Regional Medical Center's Board of Directors approved architectural plans and forwarded requests for proposal to five contractors, putting a face for the first time to an idea that has been deliberated for almost five years. Reality will have to wait until June of 2016, when SRMC's chief executive, Jason Petik, expects the new 122,000 square foot facility's doors will open. The new structure will include a 25 bed critical access...
Professor Silias Scavenger is a nefarious cad, intent on fleecing the good people of Buffalo Bend—and woe unto those who cross his path. The conniving evildoer travels from town to town selling snake oil to unwitting pioneers along the Union Pacific line in western Nebraska. Such is his lack of humanity he even keeps his own minions in line with a well-cracked bullwhip. But that’s not the only patch of trouble facing the stage community. Sheriff Billy Bold, the town's pillar of honesty and all...
In Mark Twain's hierarchy of misinformation, statistics occupy the bottom rung, lagging behind lies and "damned lies." It's no wonder America's most revered humorist cast doubt on the validity of numbers. Those who study such data can't even pin down Sidney's exact population. The Census Bureau's head count puts it at 6,748. Yet survey-based research from the same organization bumps the figure above 8,000. Meanwhile, Sidney City Manager Gary Person considers both numbers low, estimating a population of up to 12,000. Why the confusion? "It...
Kendall Atkins, a "darn near 80-years-old" panhandle farmer, remembers well the days when market prices remained fixed all day and horses tilled the land. "We used to dream about sitting in our house, driving the tractor by the push of a button," he recalled. Now, with GPS guiding machinery and rural 4G networks providing data--and more--instantly, even when farmers or ranchers are out in the field, those days are apparently here. One smart phone application allows farmers to determine the precise chemical mix necessary, when starting a...
Michael Fleming and his father were on motorcycles around lunchtime Monday when a distinct sound almost drowned out the rumble of their machines. "I heard the whistle and told dad 'that's a steam engine,'" Fleming said. A day later than originally scheduled, Union Pacific's 844 pulled into Sidney yesterday for routine maintenance, on its way to the College World Series in Omaha. Fleming and his father rode over to 9th Ave. and Grant St., with more than a dozen enthusiasts in their wake....
At the height of Tuesday night's thunderstorm, Sidney Public Service Director John Hehnke spotted very little in the way of damage. In fact, he spotted very little at all. "It was a wall of hail and water," he reported. "You couldn't see out of the windshield, even with the wipers at full blast." The storm front dumped almost an inch of precipitation on Sidney in just a few hours. The National Weather Service identified possible rotation in the clouds 10 miles south of town, spurring tornado...
The local sales tax increase voters approved in November becomes a pocketbook reality on July 1. State Tax Commissioner Doug Ewald issued the announcement on Tuesday, confirming that Sidney's local sales and use tax will increase to two percent, with funds going toward city infrastructure improvements. Sales tax receipts "are distributed to the communities where they were collected," Ewald explained in a prepared statement. Half of the funds collected from this tax will go toward street repair and construction projects. Sidney plans to extend T...
The Sidney Volunteer Fire Department held its annual awards banquet on Friday evening, with dozens applauding presentations to Firefighter of the Year Dave Sanders, longtime veteran Dean Starr and others. Award winners represented some 175 years of cumulative service to the city. Sanders, who works for D & D Roofing, earned the top honor following a vote by department members. "There is no better award to receive than to be honored by your peers," said Sidney City Manager Gary Person in his...
“Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by, from this day until the ending of the world, but we in it…” oh, forget it. Shakespeare was referring to the battle of Agincourt, anyway—not a brisk hard cider bottled in California. It’s just an assumption on my part that the label chose “Crispin” based upon Henry’s soliloquy in the bard’s famous “Henry V.” From the days of one room schoolhouses, students here were forced to memorize Shakespearean passages. Yet it took far longer for England’s summertime fa...
It was all downhill after the first inning for Sidney’s American Legion squad in Wednesday night’s season opener. Fortunately, the Seniors pounded out 10 runs in that frame, on their way to an 11-0, five inning whitewash of visiting Hershland. “We have to hit the ball—put hits together,” reported head coach Tim Herrera, feigning disappointment over the outcome. Over the final three innings his team indeed managed only one single, a shot off Hershland pitcher Josh Connell’s hand by Austin Pile...
Travelers on the Lincoln Highway--including several hundred cyclists taking part in the Bike Ride Across Nebraska--may encounter delays as they approach Sidney this summer. Construction on Highway 30 west of town, as well as N-19 to the Colorado state line, will begin on May 28, weather permitting. Work will cover the stretch of road from near the county fairgrounds to the Brownson intersection. The $2.8 million project on Highway 30 includes milling and widening the lanes then adding an asphalt overlay. During construction, the road will...
Brendon Brown had a ready explanation for his team-leading round of 74 after Thursday’s Ogallala Invite. “I was just hitting everything straight,” he said. The score put him third on the leaderboard, a stroke ahead of teammate Taylor Barton’s 75. With the addition of Ryan Birner’s solid 89, the Raiders secured the third slot out of 14 teams. Brown recorded three birdies and ten pars by shooting on a line, though his birdie on 17 may have been the most important. The back nine was on the verge of tripping up Sidney’s number two. He bogeyed 12,...
Teresa Grant’s arms never stop moving. She assembles flowers, ties colorful ribbons, tucks and nudges blossoms into just the right place--all while answering constant calls for last second Mother’s Day bouquets. “It starts on Monday,” said the owner of Sidney Floral & Gift Shop, “and we go all week.” Although a survey by the National Retail Federation suggests that more moms will receive electronics for the big day this year, flowers--along with jewelry and dinner--still dominate the gift ma...
When faced with the question of the perfect Mother’s Day meal, Candice Swanson hesitated. “I’m a mom, but I don’t know,” she finally said. The Sidney resident’s uncertainty isn’t hard to fathom. A recent study by the National Restaurant Association suggested that one in four American adults will celebrate by dining out, while a further 10 percent plan on delivery or take away. Meanwhile, the website Allrecipes.com listed mom’s favorite reward as crepes, waffles or other simple dishes--things best prepared at home--with breakfast as th...
The Rocky Mountain Fever swept through the Double Pump Spring Series field on their way to a tournament championship last weekend in Denver. Only B&B Basketball Academy caused any trouble for the squad. On Saturday, the Fever slipped by with a 57-56 nail biter, aided by Sidney guard Paxton Ehler’s 13 points. Mike Daum from Kimball led the team in scoring with 14, while his Longhorns teammate Jake Reader shut down B&B’s inside game. The teams met again in Sunday’s title game. This time, howev...
Saturday’s volunteer effort to pick up refuse around Sidney, billed as the Great Trash Race, led to one of my better Facebook posts. Somewhere along the railroad tracks a member of the Sun-Telegraph team scooped up a discarded liquor bottle still in its cliché brown paper bag. I posed with the find and tapped out the caption “Sure you spend the morning picking up trash, but there are perks.” OK—not very original. And that was in the giddy moments before we learned that the Girl Scouts, UPS, Cabela’s, Saunders Construction and other teams kick...
States and regions often celebrate a defining cuisine. Clam chowder comes to mind when you think of Massachusetts, for example, and chicken fried steak smothered in white gravy appears on just about every roadhouse menu in Texas. Barbecue narrows down geographic identity even further--Memphis, Kansas City and so forth. Then there’s New York and Chicago style pizza, Cincinnati chili, Rice-A-Roni, the San Francisco treat. OK--that was more of an advertising ploy. But even Indiana has breaded p...
Lincoln’s Empyrean brewery has never feared jousting with the many flavors and genres of beer, from India Pale Ales to Extra Special Bitters to darker porters and stouts. Their Fallen Angel is an attempt at the old milk stout, a robust, silky and sweet style. And it indeed lounges on the palate, plush as a suede jacket. On the nose it promises a roasted, bittersweet, evening by the hearth with a cup of hot cocoa experience. Aromas of espresso, chocolate, toast and sugary malt dominate—all expressions you would expect from a stout on the swe...
Katy Ernest knew where the credit belonged after recording a winning throw of 31-3 in the MAC shot put competition on Saturday: the weather. Not the weekend’s clear and warm conditions, mind you, but the icy blast that wiped out most track meets over previous two weeks. “We spent a lot of time indoors, working on fundamentals,” the Leyton thrower explained. “Taking a step back really helped.” On the other hand, Potter-Dix’s Bryant Knigge felt the recent blizzards almost cost him the conference...
Western Conference Track Meet at Bulldog Stadium, Alliance - April 27. BOYS Team Results 1. Scottsbluff 150.0 2. Alliance 137.0 3. Sidney 87.0 4. Gering 70.0 5. Mitchell 66.0 6. Chadron 16.0 Individual Results 100 Meters 1. Luke Worden Scottsbluff 10.90 2. Mitch Pancost Alliance 11.10 3. Logan Lewis Sidney 11.50 200 Meters 1. Mitch Pancost Alliance 22.40 2. Logan Lewis Sidney 23.00 3. Ryan Schwartzkopf Gering 23.20 400 Meters 1. Ryan Schwartzkopf Gering 51.30 2. Taylor James Scottsbluff 52.10...
In just a couple of months, hundreds of cars taking part in the Lincoln Highway Centennial will pass through Sidney on their way to Kearney. Yep—as it turns out, the Nebraska town happens occupy a tract of land 1,771 miles from New York and San Francisco. Drivers will depart from both coasts and meet in the middle in celebration of the nation’s first coast to coast highway. Of course, in 1913, the road resembled rutted ranchland in many places. Military vehicles led by Dwight D. Eisenhower along the route in 1919 often bogged down. Yet the pas...
It’s difficult to pin down the origins of any dish. Was the fajita, for instance, invented by kitchen staff at Ninfa’s in Houston or derived from chuck wagon meals served to cowboys roaming the borderlands? Did a short order cook in Massachusetts, Michigan or wherever else first slap the hamburg steak on a bun to create America’s signature sandwich? No matter the origin myth, fajitas and burgers soon made their way into every corner of the country. The breakfast burrito--once an oddit...
New Amsterdam’s gin made quite a splash when introduced six years ago. Now the California distillery hopes to capture the more lucrative vodka market with a spirit turned to the casual, 20-something crowd. Their gin cranked down the potent juniper flavor that frightens novices. New Amsterdam’s vodka runs through the coils five times and charcoal filtering twice, creating a clean, clear spirit offering little nuance—just the sort of thing favored by mixed drink fans. The more a vodka is distilled and filtered, the more character evapo...
A state senator from New York, Greg Ball, once again cast doubt upon the amount of grey matter lodged in elected heads when he suggested in a tweet that authorities should torture Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the accused Boston Marathon bomber. His timing was impeccable. Almost lost amid the turmoil of a tragic week, the Constitution Project released a damning report. In 560 pages, the Task Force on Detainee Treatment determined it is “indisputable that the U.S. engaged in the practice of torture.” Yeah, I know—we all assumed as much. Then vice presi...
