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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The Sidney Airport Authority Board continues toward construction of new hangars at the airport. The board has been working toward adding new hangars at the facility with the goal of drawing more air traffic and pilots who would house their aircraft at the airport. The challenge is the funding; even more so with prices increasing in recent months. The board met with Jeff Wolfe of McSchaff and Associates on Thursday, Oct. 14, to discuss updates on the hangar plans. The plan is for construction of...
When Charlotte & Emerson opened, the vision was to offer a place where female shoppers felt comfortable and had a wide variety of accessories and fashion for a friendly price. The concept has expanded to include what could be called boutique shopping. Above the Charlotte & Emerson store is a setting that teenage dreams are made of with a variety of dresses for proms and formal events, and the attention to ensure the dress fits the customer. The atmosphere is a balance of history and elegance....
Once in a while, there is a glimmer of reality in our trip on this crazy ride. There is a sitcom recently introduced that plays with the concept of an Afghan interpreter moving to the U.S., and living with a soldier who served there. I’m leaving out some of the details, but the story line often involves his adjustment to American society, the soldier adjusting to stateside society and the two often acting like brothers from different mothers. The story had the opportunity to borrow from h...
The Panhandle Public Health District reported 227 cases of COVID-19 between Sept. 27 and Oct. 4. The number equates to 263 cases per 100,000 people. The Centers for Disease Control reports 2,180,150 vaccines administered at a rate of 112,704 per 100,000. The PPHD reported Most of the new cases are a result of Community Spread, followed by Close Contact. The confirmed cases by gender are almost an even split with 79 female and 72 male. By age, the 50 to 59 age bracket Cheyenne County reported 24...
Sidney's three-night concert series Downtown Sounds received high praise Wednesday, Oct. 6, at the Visitors Committee meeting. McCailie Carnahan-Kuhns, President and CEO of the Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce, said the concert series went really well. The first concert of the season, July 9, featured Luke Mills. Kuhns estimates Mills' concert drew about 450 people in attendance. Mills is a singer/songwriter and performer from Holdrege. In 2017, he was nominated for Album of The Year for his...
The Sidney Police Department and Cheyenne County Sheriff's Department have additional assets in their toolboxes. Both departs were awarded Automated External Defibrillator (AED) units The Office of Emergency Health Systems was responsible for the project oversight of a Helmsley Charitable Trust $6.4 million grant, which was used to equip law enforcement agencies statewide with next generation "connected" Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). The Helmsley Nebraska First Responder AED Project...
Twice in a short period of time I’ve heard the phrase “be fiercely kind.” It sounds like the craziest of oxymorons. Be fierce, and be kind. Kind, fierce. Opposite ends of the spectrum, or complimenting sides of the same coin? The most recent time I heard this was in a memorial. A friend of mine left this earth. His wife, children early in their adulthood, and his friends are left to move on. During the celebration of life service, many talked about how he was such a “get-it-done” kind of guy, a...
The Sidney City Council okayed a path in the Sept. 28 council meeting for the Sidney Park Project to apply for more grants. The council was presented with a resolution requesting approval of a letter of development as required by the Nebraska Game and Parks to apply for the Land and Water Conservation Fund Application for this year. Madi Wilkinson, president of the Sidney Park Project board, explained to the council the resolution is part of the grant process for Nebraska Game and Parks. The Sid...
The Sidney City Council reviewed a proposal to possibly increase funds earmarked for trails improvements. The City has about $700,000 in taxes collected by Cabala's for the purpose of trail projects within and adjacent to the dedicated Enhanced Employment Area, generally just north of the Cabela's retail and corporate complexes. In the City Council's Sept. 28 meeting, the council was presented with the idea of using the funds to seek larger grants. City Manager David Scott proposed the City...
North Elementary School was a hive of activity recently when staff and students welcomed the public, specifically family and parents, to visit their learning environment. North Elementary hosted “A Night Through the Eyes of Your North All Star” 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 27. The concept is the result of North Elementary staff brainstorming a way to invite parents into the building and sharing the educational process with them. Staff estimated about 70 families attended the event. The eve...
It is the image of an updated school bus. The school yellow and black has been exchanged for white, with blue lettering. It isn't inhabited by a start-up band or college philosophers seeking the meaning of life, although it does have many adventures within it. It brings with it the resources to let people take their own adventures. In the definition of rural life, libraries reach those who are within a short distance or have the means to commute. The other option is to bring the library to the...
Days are counting until the Oktoberfest returns to Sidney. The 2021 Oktoberfest is scheduled for Oct. 1-3, returning to the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds after a year absence. This year Sidney's Oktoberfest starts Friday, Oct. 1, with a Dedication Ceremony at 12 p.m. under the tent. Following the Dedication Ceremony, the stage will be alive with entertainment, starting with “Sidney State of Mind” at 12:15 p.m. The Sidney High Advanced Vocal is scheduled for 12:45 p.m., and the Sidney High Com...
When President Trump proposed building a wall at the southern border, and entering the country could only be done through official entry points, he was called a racist and a list of other names. Complaints were made that the wall would disturb natural habitats and sacred grounds. Fast-forward, President Biden’s administration has said the number of immigrants entering the country illegally has declined. Then headlines suddenly announced a border crisis surrounding the swelling number of Haitians...
Inside nearly every child is the excitement of travel. For some it is fast cars, for others it is flight and still others it is being in command of the rails. Some children never fully grow up. They just reduce their focus their attention on models and scale size trains. That is where Andrew Holbrook comes in. Andrew and his wife Lynn moved to Sidney a little more than a year ago at the urging of friends, relocating from Colorado. They then opened a store in downtown Sidney offering all...
The Cheyenne County Commissioners on Sept. 20 approved a permit for Pit Acres, LLC. Prior to approval of the Conditional Use Permit, the commissioners held a public hearing for public input in favor or against the permit. In discussion between company representatives and the commissioners, the question was proposed to allow a one-day use of Cheyenne County Road 99. “I don't have a problem with it,” said commissioner Phil Sanders. The petition for a one-day use of CR 99 is to save travel rel...
The Cheyenne County School District No. 1 Board of Education approved the 2021-2022 District Budget in its Sept. 13 meeting. The 5-0 vote was held in the regular session following the 5:15 p.m. public hearing on the budget. The board noted the budget increased from about $19.4 million for the General Fund in the 2020-2021 budget to $20.3 million in the proposed 2021-2022 budget. The mill levy increased from 1.015094 generating almost $7.1 million for 2020-2021 for the General Fund, to 1.05...
The Leyton Board of Education approved its 2021-2022 fiscal year budget with a reduction to the building fund. During the public comments portion of the meeting, several residents spoke against the concept of one principal overseeing both the high school and elementary school. All of the speakers supported the role of a principal at each site, from the amount of administrative duties performed to the support and contact with staff and students. The board voted unanimously to approve the...
The question was posed recently of “what do you like about Sidney?” As a relative newcomer — I was reminded recently I’m losing the “odor” of a recent arrival — I decided to offer my take. My wife and I made the move about 3 ½ years ago. She had been working here for most of a year and I was in a job transition period, unexpectedly, so when I saw an opportunity in Sidney, we talked and came to an agreement. Many employers know that is the easy part. The next step is getting the family “marrie...
The Cheyenne County Commissioners approved a mill levy of .406647 in their Sept. 7 meeting. The mill levy will generate an estimated $5,686,095. Commissioner Randy Miller said the mill levy has remained the same for the last seven years. The mill levy reflects a slight increase, but a decrease in requested tax revenue. Miller said it is the seventh year in a row the county has lowered the mill levy. In 2018, the commissioners approved a mill levy of .409000 with a total county valuation of...
Suicide is reported to be the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. In 2019, 47,511 Americans died by suicide, with an estimated 1.38 million attempts. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention(AFSP), the rate of suicide is highest for middle-aged white men. In 2019, men died by suicide more than three times that of women. In the same year, white males accounted for 69.38 percent of suicide deaths. The AFSP reports on the average there are 130 suicides per day. In...
Since the announcement of the coronavirus and the resulting pandemic, life has changed, to say the least. Some businesses have had to depend on emergency assistance to stay open, also changing their business plan to stay in line with health directives. Meanwhile others work harder with fewer employees, and still others have emotional struggles resulting from different family dynamics and fear of the virus itself. That is where Nebraska Strong comes into play. Nebraska Strong Recovery Project is...
Several years ago, there was an Adam Sandler movie called “Click.” On the surface it was the perfect story line. An executive acquired what looks like a generic remote control that can be purchased at any given retail store. The remote allows the character to zoom past all of the difficult, uncomfortable or otherwise uninteresting chapters of life; like reading every other chapter of an epic novel and expecting to feel satisfied with the last few sentences. In this particular adventure, he beg...
On Thursday, Sept. 2, the Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce hosted representatives from the Nebraska Enterprise Fund (NEF). The meet and greet was held at The Pedalers Corner patio with Sam & Louie's catering the pizza. The NEF serves a target market of traditionally disadvantaged small businesses, including those owned by people of color, low-income people, women and veterans. The Nebraska Enterprise fund envisions a vibrant small business eco-system where every small and micro business has...
Each weekday in Sidney, a room at the Cheyenne County Community Center is busy with cooks preparing meals. Some of the meals are delivered to Sidney residents, and others are shared in a daily meal time. Meals On Wheels and Congregate Meals both have a place and are managed by the same few people. The programs have been serving Sidney for more than 30 years, according to Judy Schaefer, local administrator of the program. The Meals on Wheels program is made possible by the Aging Office of...
Kechi Okwuchi was a normal teenager in Nigeria. She was born in 1989 and in 2005 her life changed. Her life changed when she became one of two survivors of an horrific plane crash that killed 107 people. She was traveling between Abuja and Port Harcourt when the commercial flight crash-landed at Port Harcourt International Airport. At one point, official reports said all on board the plane had died. She suffered third degree burns on more than 65 percent of her body. She moved with her family...
