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A year and a half in the making, Western Nebraska Community College held an open house and ribbon cutting for its Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center Wednesday. The center is testiment, said Sidney Campus Executive Director Paula Abbott, to what can be accomplished when people put their heads together to find a solution to a problem. Abbott reviewed how members of the chamber of commerce and Sidney's economic development director got together to see what could be done to help people displaced b...
A man convicted of a 2012 murder in Sidney has been denied postconviction relief by the Nebraska Supreme Court. Larry Martinez was convicted in July 2012 in the shooting death of Mandy Kersham and was later sentenced to life in prison. Martinez later appealed the conviction, which was denied. This time around, Martinez filed for postconviction relief, claiming his council was ineffective for not raising his mental capacity in support of an argument that his statements to law enforcement should...
Who says learning can't be fun? Certainly not Rick Meyer, principal at Sidney's South Elementary. Meyer delighted students and parents alike Friday when he opened the day in a fun and unusual way, wearing a dinosaur costume as he greeted his first and second graders as they came to school. The activity was payoff for students' achievements this school year. Since the beginning of the year, students have worked hard to earn "Raider Badges" when they reach certain levels of performance. From...
While the southern Panhandle didn’t take the severe damage and losses of those in eastern Nebraska, local entities, in particular cattlemen, still suffered hardship from the cyclone blizzard that struck the area in mid-March. Cold, wet conditions came with extremely high winds, subjecting cattle - particularly new-borns - to dangerous conditions. With warnings of the pending severity of the storm going out days before it actually hit, cattlemen with the facilities were able to shelter their a...
Cheyenne County Fair Board members held an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss an unexpected problem that arose with fair entertainment. The problem arose at the end of March when a fair board member, perusing the Cheyenne Frontier Days lineup, stumbled across an entry that showed the musical lineup of Walker Hayes opening for Keith Urban. A good combination, no doubt, but the problem laid in the fact that at the same time on the same night, Walker Hayes was supposed to be the headline show...
More than 40 people "gave their all" during a special rollout of a new workout program held Saturday at the Cheyenne County Community Center. By participating in the event, they became part of an elite club. Transform :20 Live is a high energy step workout based on a program developed by nationally known trainer, Shawn T. The original program, Transform :20 gives participants access to taped workout and additional materials. The program held at Sidney Saturday, Transform :20 Live, puts the...
A Sidney teacher is among those being recognized for their outstanding contributions to sports as members of the 26th induction class selected by the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame Foundation. Jennifer (Warner) Ramsey, a media specialist with Sidney Public Schools, is being recognized for her achievements while at St. Paul and Greeley High Schools. While at the schools, she led each school to a state basketball championship. As a freshman (Warner) Ramsey led her team in Greeley to the...
Agricultural producers and their supporters filled the hall last week at the Cheyenne County’s Ag Social, one of the Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce’s most popular events each year. Highlighting the event was the presentation of the Chamber’s Agribusiness Scholarships. Each year the Chamber presents two scholarships to deserving high school students who plan to further their education in agriculture. The scholarships, one for $1,000 and one for $500 are awarded by the Chamber’s Ag Committ...
A number of long-term drug investigations culminated with the arrests of five people Wednesday. Members of the Western Intelligence Narcotics Group, or WING, made the arrests. Members of the taskforce include local officers from the Cheyenne County Sheriff's Office, Sidney Police Department and Nebraska State Patrol, as well as other agencies in the Panhandle. Arrested were Jerry R. Roa, 21, of Sidney for Delivery or Distribution of Marijuana, a Class II Felony; Jose Hernandez, 35, of Gurley...
Chamber Reports Progress Sidney’s City Council on Tuesday approved a public hearing for April 9, at which time members will obtain information for the proposed purchase of an office building at 812 13th Ave. in Sidney. The building, which originally housed Sidney’s John Deere dealership, became the original retail store for Cabela’s, and later was used by the company for office space. The city proposes to purchase the property for $1 million and to lease the space to UST Global, a company planni...
Sidney school children from kindergarten on up threw their “hats” into the ring, so to speak, joining together to raise more than $1,600 to help with flood victims in eastern Nebraska. The idea came about last week when school councelor Carla Brauer read an email from Nebraska children’s author Julia Cook of Fremont. Cook, taking an idea from Freemont school children, who held a “Kids Helping Kids- Wear a Hat for Fremont Day!” Cook spread the idea across her platforms to help raise funds to...
Potter-Dix came out on top of the competition last Friday, earning the championship in Class D-2 at the Nebraska School Activities Association Speech Championships. Potter-Dix scored in five of nine events on the way to winning the D-2 team sweepstake crown, with six Coyote individuals or groups earning medals. Duet Acting was Potter-Dix' best arena, where CC George and Ana Manning finished in second, while teammates Erica Bogert and Reagan Williams were third. Ginny Herboldsheimer was a double...
While last week’s blizzard was fast and ferocious, it didn’t result in a lot of calls for service by local emergency personnel. “In 16 years this was the most uneventful blizzard we’ve ever had,” said Cheyenne County Sheriff Adam Frerichs. Frerichs, and Region 21 Emergency Management Director Ron Leal, both agree that the state’s action to close the interstate early, before the storm was actually on top of the area, was the biggest reason it was so quiet. Last April was just the opposite, when l...
While Sidney and Cheyenne County fared pretty well during last week's blizzard, its affects on the state have been devastating. With many of the state's rivers already being watched for flooding due to the buildup of ice, the storm's added moisture and wind resulted in severe flooding across nearly two-thirds of the state. As of Monday, 65 of the state's counties had declared emergencies due to flooding, with more than 70 towns or cities affected. Some, like Niobrara, no longer exist. Others,...
Snowmageddon. Bomb Cyclone. Winter Storm Ulmer. No matter how it was referred to in the various forecasts and weather reports, this week's winter storm lived up to the predictions as it brought severe weather to the region. As predicted, the storm first made its appearance late Wednesday night, with the first band of rain sweeping over Sidney around 10:30 p.m. After a few hours of reprieve, the larger body rolled in during the early morning hours, bringing with it light rain and fog to go with...
With last week's announcement that Bass Pro/Cabela's would be closing the Sidney product distribution center, local officials are already preparing to assist the workers displaced by the action. "These are good people who have been in our community for a long time, and we're going to do what we can to help them," Sidney Mayor Roger Gallaway told the Sun-Telegraph. "It's disturbing to see the dismantling of a company that for so many years was the fabric of our community," Gallaway said. "But...
A Sidney woman faces up to a maximum of two years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine after a theft case in which she was accused of misappropriating funds she was administering was bound over to Cheyenne County District Court Monday. In an amended complaint, in Cheyenne County Court, Samantha D. Robertson, 27, was charged with Theft by Unlawful Taking $1,500-4,999, a Class 4 felony. Robertson waived her right to a preliminary hearing, and her case was assigned to District Court. According to court...
A Sidney woman is due to appear in Cheyenne County Court Monday on charges stemming from an alleged theft of Go-Fund-Me funds that were to benefit the family of a house fire. Samantha Robertson, 27, was cited by Sidney Police for Theft by Unlawful Taking after receiving a report that she had used the Go-Fund-Me account money for her own personal use rather than distributing it to its intended benefactor. At the time, Robertson was the administrator of the Go-Fund-Me account set up to assist...
City water department crews spent 12 hours locating and repairing a water main break that occurred at one of the city's highest locations Saturday. The break, to a six-inch main line, was reported at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in the 1500 block of Manor Road on Sidney's north side. Sidney Water Superintendent Rob Kuhns said the break's location, which sent leaking water downhill, also resulted in problems finding the exact location. Kuhns said the extreme cold weather, with temperatures hovering near...
Big snows meant big opportunities for sledding in Sidney over the weekend. This group of youngsters took advantage of piles left from clearing off parking lots for their sledding and snow climbing fun....
Another award-winning musical program is in store for Sidney residents tomorrow (Saturday), when the High Plains Arts Council brings the Nebraska Brass to the stage at the Sidney High School Performing Arts Center. Founded in 1987, the Nebraska Brass is one of the Midwest's most popular brass quintets. Audiences young and old enjoy the group's serious musicianship and light-hearted humor as they present a variety of music ranging from classical to popular, Dixieland, and jazz. The groups Sidney...
Members of the Sidney Police Department Explorer Post held its awards banquet recently, recognizing members who have excelled. Also recognized was businessman Sean Doyle for his commitment to the community. Doyle, owner of Cedar Lanes, has hosted two major police department events this past year - the 2018 Shop With a Cop gathering, and the Explorer Awards Banquet. For that support, the Explorer Post #607 presented him the Community Action Award. The Community Action Award is given out every...
For the first time in more than 150 years, "American" is no longer part of the name of one of Sidney's oldest businesses. Last Friday, sign workers removed the last American Bank sign from the corner of 10th and Illinois, replacing it with signage of Platte Valley Bank, which acquired the local bank last fall. The bank is the longest running Sidney business in one location, having opened in 1889....
Cody Renkoski really wasn't looking for a career position when he came out of college. Rather, he wanted to follow his passion of shooting sports and wanted a job that would allow him time to pull out the shotgun and keep shooting. With that in mind, he started a small spray company, servicing lawns and killing a few weed patches here and there. But now, less than 10 years later, he's found another passion and grown that small business into one of the top weed management businesses in the...