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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There was a time we would already be hiding presents, guarding the tree from the family pet and double-checking our list of guests and what they will be bringing to the feast of all feasts. We would be worried about having enough ham for the number of guests, and if Uncle Tony will make a fool of himself again There was a time movies like “Jingle All the Way” were more of a docudrama than a funny story of misplaced values. There was a time in the not-so-distant past when employees hurried home C...
While many people are gratified with a career in one occupation but several locations, others have interests that develop into careers, including “volunteer careers.” Steve Mattoon is closing his 36th year of service to one “career” and location — Sidney Public Schools. “I am concluding my 36th year and ninth four-year-term,” he said recently. He said he considered not running prior to the last two elections. He decided to stay on the board because of the instability related to the changes a...
The Sidney City Council has a change and a continued leadership. In the Dec. 8 Zoom council meeting, the council approved the verification of votes cast in the Nov. 3 election. The Sidney City Council approved the purchase of a new fire truck for just less than $500,000. The vote came during the Dec. 8 meeting of the city council. County Clerk Beth Fiegenschuh's certified count shows1,695 votes for Joe Arterburn, 1,896 votes for Burke Radcliffe, 1,089 for Loren Hoekema and 19 scatterings. For...
Children run through the toys with their imagination and excitement two strides ahead of their youthful legs. They slide down from the make-believe castle while friends on the other side of the area crawl through a “tunnel,” a plastic chute that stimulates the vision of being a conquering hero. Meanwhile, a child on the perimeter of the play area has to push his imagination harder because his wheelchair or walker doesn't maneuver the small gravel well, and the young mom on the far corner has...
“Whoever shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world.” “As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of who you particularly desire, I think the system of morals and His religion as He left them to us, is the best the world ever saw, or is likely to see.” — Benjamin Franklin A few years ago, it feels like longer, then-President Barack Obama gained attention when he told a crowd America is not a Christian nation, nor has it ever claimed t...
The news came like the whisper of a hurricane. The friend, supervisor, co-worker, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother had died. Geraldine "Geri" Anthony spent her life among people. She was known for her more than 50 years with the City of Sidney; most of that time in the Clerk's office. She died Tuesday, Dec. 1, at the age of 73. Her passing leaves behind friends and former co-workers in sorrow. "She hired me 20 years ago," said Kim Phillips. "She took a chance on me and here I am...
The COVID-19 testing station in Sidney is staying busy, according to Sidney Regional Medical Center CEO Jason Petik. “We're seeing roughly 75 people per week,” Petik said. The number equates to about 1,300 since the testing unit opened in July. Petik said the Sidney location has had to address a couple of transportation issues. "Otherwise, the testing site is working well", he said. “Overall, I think the program is working really well,” he said Thursday, Dec. 3. Petik said the length of quarant...
A Sidney man was arrested recently based on documentation presented by a group independent of law enforcement. On Wednesday, December 2, Sidney Police Officers arrested Jamie Daniels, 45, of Sidney, for the offense of Child Enticement, according to a release from the Cheyenne County Attorney's office. A team that calls themselves “Predator Poachers” was involved. Messages were exchanged between Daniels and an 18 year old female, who represented herself to be 8 years old. During these mes...
I watched part of a video recently that was both enlightening and heart-felt. It was one of those events where the mall or major retail store looks typical with shoppers buying and grazing and suddenly one of the previously unnoticed shoppers starts singing. From across the counter another joins in. Then another, and another. It is called by some a “mob sing.” It seems like after the last several months the event might want to change its name. The protests and related activity have put a dim...
The Panhandle Public Health District reported three more COVID-related deaths as of Monday afternoon, Dec. 7. Two were females from Dawes County; one in her 80s and one in her 90s, and a Sheridan County woman in her 80s. As of December 4, 27,015 COVID-19 tests have been administered in the Panhandle area, according to the Panhandle Public Health District. That number is cumulative since March. Of the 27,015 tested, 6,272 were returned positive. The PPHD reported 2,235 active cases from the...
If you want to know where you're going, you need a plan. You need to have an idea of where you are, where you want to be and how to get from where you are to where you want to be. On Nov. 24, the Sidney City Council was presented with an update of the City's Master Plan. The update was conducted by RDG Planning and Design. Economic Development Director Melissa Norgard said the last Master Plan update was in 2008. “The whole premise to doing a Master Plan — we should do an update every 10 yea...
The southwest corner of 10th Avenue and Jackson Street is filled with fun and delightful items for shoppers from the creative to the unique, and delectable drinks and snacks in the coffee shop to follow. But Brand New Items and Coffee Shop wouldn't be where it is without the community support. And that is why Janette Ford and the store staff rolled out the banquet table to express her thanks. "Without the community, I wouldn't have a business," she said. She decided to offer the community her th...
Business or building owners within the Expanded Historic District of Sidney are eligible for a grant to improve the exterior appearance, the facade. On Nov. 24, the Sidney City Council approved updating the program, making more funds available to property owners. The facade enhancement program was first approved by the city council in 2005. Prior to the Nov. 24 meeting, the program offered up to $5,000 per building with the property owner providing a 50 percent match for a maximum of $10,000. El...
The Sidney City Council approved on Nov. 24 the purchase of mowers for the golf course and for Parks/Cemetery. Parks Superintendent Tom Von Seggern addressed the city council with a request for two front deck mowers. During the 2020 budget sessions, $68,000 was budgeted for the Parks and Cemetery Department to purchase two mowers, one for the cemetery and one for parks. The parks department is replacing a 2015 Kubota front deck mower with attachments, and the Cemetery is replacing a 2012 John...
By now Thanksgiving dinner is a memory, a calorie explosion many try to forget while preparing for the next. Refrigerators and pantries are full of leftovers from the grand feast. Families were sent home with more food than they contributed. The host family doesn’t want to relive the well-worn movie of a child recalling eating refashioned leftovers for days on end. There really is a connection between the dinner table and emotional connection. Most people are respectful of the cook even when t...
— The Security First Bank’s 22nd Annual Tree of Lights is now on display. The Tree of Lights will be in the lobby with lights representing residents from the SRMC Extended Care Center. Their name and three items on their Christmas list. The public is invited to select one or more lights. The Security First Bank lobby is temporarily closed. Please call 308-254-4525 to access the lobby. A name can also be picked at the drive-thru window. Gifts are to be returned by Dec. 21. For each light you cho...
Sometimes the best business card is a craftsman’s work displayed. That is the hope of Josephine Marie who recently completed a mural on the south wall of The Rock. “I love putting art in public places,” Marie says. She has been in Sidney about four months, moving here from Key West, Fla. She has a 22-year history in art, starting in a business not directly related to art. “I had an antique shop,” she said. “I ended up selling more art than antiques.” Since coming to Sidney, she’s been se...
Sometimes life isn't fair. The job didn't work out. Medical bills are claiming much of the paycheck. The cost of food is increasing. Some families just need to know they have help when life seems a little stormy. That is the role of Table of Grace. The organization offers discount clothing, various furnishings and household items, and on the other side of the facility a food pantry for people struggling to feed their families. The shelves are stocked with essentials for families in the Sidney...
In any other year, kitchens are already looking like a war room preparing for the great day. Recipe books are retrieved and researched. Lists of foods to be brought by family and guests are closely watched. But this isn’t any average year. The coronavirus was announced like an enemy without a clear definition, like a thief in the night, a sci-fi character with bloodlust but no physical characteristics. The hope for a short-lived threat has been treated as an empty hope with no clear end date, a...
The news breaks interrupted the day like a thunder clap on a still day. Yet another fire was announced. This one generally between and west of the Cameron Peak Fire near Fort Collins, Colo., and the Mullen Fire in Wyoming near the Colorado border. The Mullen Fire is 97 percent contained after burning nearly 177,000 acres. However, the East Troublesome Fire, in Grand County of Colorado, is near 194,000 acres and as of Nov. 12 was only 60 percent contained. The high country of Colorado has a...
Nelnet is showing its support of the Sidney Community with a donation to the Sidney Public Schools. On Monday, Nov. 9, Nelnet Development Manager Cory Keen and his team of local employees met with the Cheyenne County School District No.1 Board of Education to present a donation to the schools. The donation included 10 3D printers along with necessary supplies. Three of the printers will go to West Elementary School, three to Sidney Middle School and four to Sidney High School. In addition to...
With the Panhandle Public Health District's Risk Dial entering the Red, the Severe Risk, category, the Sidney School District Administration are making plans against increasing cases associated with the school district. “It's a reality we're all facing,” District Supt. Jay Ehler said in the Nov. 9 meeting. According to the PPHD information from Nov. 9, has entered the highest of the four marks on the Risk Dial: Low, Moderate, High and Severe. As of the afternoon Nov. 9 update, the PPHD rep...
The Cheyenne County Commissioners Monday approved a policy addressing COVID-19 and the increasing number of positive cases in Cheyenne County and the Nebraska Panhandle. The policy addresses county employees, staff or elected official, and the public. The policy states that if a person has tested positive for COVID-19, they must self-isolate at home until at least 10 days have passed since the date of the positive test, or at least 10 days have passed since the onset of symptoms, your symptoms...
I was looking through my bookshelves recently when I stumbled upon a book of quotes from Thomas Jefferson. “That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves.” “No government can continue good, but under the control of the people.” The first quote caught my attention, leading to recollection of a quote that is probably from Jefferson, but with some of the meaning removed: The government is best which governs least. Minimalist government sounds good on...
As of Saturday afternoon, the Associated Press announced former Vice-President Joe Biden had reached the 270 votes needed to clinch the presidency. The count as of 3:18 p.m. MST Saturday was 290 Electoral College votes for Biden to 214 electoral votes for President Donald Trump. Nebraska voters made their voices heard and favored keeping President Donald Trump in office. With 94 percent of votes counted as of mid-day Nov. 4, 58.8 percent of returns, 542,398 votes, were in support of President...
