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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Saturday evening, a rumble of motorcycles entered Sidney. The bikers entered the county from the west, carrying with them a torch, a flame in honor of fallen soldiers. Their overnight stay was at the Sidney Elks Lodge. Warren Williamson, executive director of Tribute to Fallen Soldiers, addressed the crowd upon stopping at the Elks. He said the ride from Oregon to Washington, D.C., is in honor of soldiers who did not return home. The ride began July 9 in Eugene, Ore., and is expected to arrive i...
When talking about economic growth, the big three are frequently jobs, housing and quality of life. The Sidney community is in the early stages of a process that could promote quality of life, and economics, in an artsy way. The City of Sidney is applying for the Creative District Program offered by the Nebraska Arts Council, with legislation passed by the State of Nebraska. The legislation will show arts as an economic driver, support communities in the state in telling their stories and...
Sidney voters will get to decide in November whether to continue a ½ cent sales tax, a “Local Option Sales Tax Proposal.” The Sidney City Council held a public hearing July 12 prior to approving the measure. As written, the ballot question asks whether or not to continue the tax that increases city taxes from 1.5 percent to 2 percent for an additional 10 years. The current ½ percent sales tax expires in 2023. As presented in the public hearing, 50 percent of the funding would go towards stree...
I wonder if there’s been many studies on the psyche of society overall? We, collectively, want freedom, but only if approved policies favor our perspective of life. Person X expects to have the freedom to do Activity Y. Resident B objects to Activity Y because it doesn’t line up with his or her views. Ironically, on some platforms Person X and Resident B are on a level playing field. They can turn off or walk away from the conflicting point of view. Some of the conflict is the social viewpoint i...
For some people, the attraction to the rural lifestyle is the distance between you and your neighbors. Measuring distance by time has a unique relevance. The disadvantage to the rural lifestyle is the same: distance between neighbors... or help when something suddenly goes wrong. On Tuesday, July 5, representatives of the Cheyenne County Sheriff's Department, Regional West first-responders and representatives of the Helmsley Trust met with the Cheyenne County Commissioners. “About a year ago, t...
The discussion started as an effort to designate a printer for post cards, and evolved into a debate on a legislative bill. In the Cheyenne County Commissioners July 5 meeting, the agenda included a line item on designating a printer should the county need to conduct a special meeting. The meeting would involve all local taxing districts that went above a certain growth percent. The requirements are defined in Nebraska's LB644. LB644 creates the “Property Tax Request Act.” “The Property Tax R...
I was watching a replay of sorts, a talent contest, when one of the contestants said “you can’t wait until life is perfect to feel happy.” It is a very insightful challenge for so few words. It is akin to the cycling challenge: “Wait for perfect weather and you will never ride.” But what constitutes happiness, or did she really mean contentment? Can you be more, or less, happy depending on your circumstances? If so, happiness is an emotion that varies with your situation. You’re happy when...
In 2010, Rebecca Napier took a job promoted as part-time. Now about 12 years later, she admits the time commitment was not always 20 hours, but it was fulfilling. “It's been a great job,” Napier said Wednesday, June 29. Some jobs, occupations focus on the mechanics of service — paperwork, deadlines, reports — while others are more about the people. Working in the Veteran Service Office (VSO) is a balance that can change the tipping point at any given moment. At its simplest definition, it rema...
The Cheyenne County Fair Board is on a quest to return the charm and excitement of a county fair and bring back affordable family fun. The board is organizing activities to restore the charm of children's games, entertainment for the whole family and the tradition of roping and rodeo, 4-H exhibits, concerts and demolition derbies. The board is coordinating ways to incorporate local ideas for entertainment. Options discussed in the June 27 meeting included hayrides, stick horse races, photo...
While much of Sidney was preparing for the official fireworks display Sunday night and backyard barbecues were heating, a group of people made their voices known from Legion Park north to Illinois Street and back. The primary chant, call to action, heard in the march was “Our Body, Our Choice.” The march was organized by Kelsey Hauge of Sidney. “We marched today (Sunday, July 3) in support of women's rights, after the overturn of Roe vs Wade,” Hauge said after the march. The march include...
It wasn't a million dollar lottery win, although it might have felt like it. There weren't any well-known celebrities followed by clowns and confetti celebrating the lucky draw of the family's name. This “lottery” cost more than a $2 ticket, and therefore is best said as a “Thank you for your service.” Benjamin Carter and his family are the recipients of a home through the Military Warriors Support Foundation. The presentation of the keys to the home was made Tuesday, June 21, in Sidney,...
The Cheyenne County School District No. 1 Board of Education met June 20, reviewing and approving five policies, an agreement with Rauner and Associates, P.C., to perform the 2021-2222 District Financial Audit and reviewed a “Turf Tank” contract proposal. The board approved the Open Enrollment Resolution on how to determine what number of students will be allowed into the district. At issue is if the district would be near its bench mark for specific grade levels and the board is petitioned for...
There are specific events that define a community, including the aroma of fresh popcorn colliding with cheesy nachos and the presence of livestock in the same area. County fairs include a variety of entertainment and purpose from 4-H members seeking reward for their work to children and adults alike enjoying the lure of the carnival attractions. In the June 20 meeting of the Cheyenne County commissioners, Fair Board member Kip Miller met with the commissioners to provide an update on the annual...
I’ve been looking at this page for what seems like hours and no words are magically appearing. Oddly enough it reminds me of some quotes attributed to different know cycling racers. Example: It doesn’t matter if you ride slow or fast, a long distance or short, just ride.” I’ve heard, and experienced, that some writing requires priming the pump. Write even when its unrelated; just write and soon the creative juices will flow and you will get to what you want to say. Writing is a discipl...
In November 2021, the Sidney City Council approved contracting with Five Rule Rural Planning to conduct a blight and substandard study. In his report, City Manager David Scott said the City is now in the process of that study, and presented maps for the council's review. Scott said the last full blight study of the city was done in 1994. The Nebraska Department of Economic Development requires a blight study be conducted every 10 years, he said. According to Nebraska Revised Statute 18-2103,...
The Sidney City Council met in a work session June 6 to discuss renewing the City's ½ cent sales tax. In the work session, City Manager David Scott said the proposal was first brought before the city council in 2012, and approved by voters in November of that year. Scott asked council members how the tax revenues should be divided among city projects, if the tax is approved by voters. Scott stated that ten years ago, 50 percent of the funds went to street, 30 percent went to the pool, 12...
How does a person move from an idea, a dream, to a successful business? That is one of the challenges “E3” is researching. E3, Energizing Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, evolved from Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (E2) with roots in Kansas. “e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems helps communities and regions connect, learn, and share best practices for building sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems across North America. With more than 25 years of field experience, particularly in rural America, e2 is the p...
The Fed recently OK’d a .75 percentage point increase, the biggest increase since 1994, according to the New York Post. There were also rate hikes in March and May of this year. The reasoning behind it is to try and prevent inflation. Meanwhile others are concerned the move could result in a recession. Electric vehicles are being promoted like there is no choice... before a universal charging method is established, or acknowledgement of where the electricity is generated. Shelves of baby formula...
Philosophers say you can't cross the same place in a river twice because the water is always moving. The same can be said about society, and the economy. It doesn't stand still. It moves forward or backward. When Cabela's was assumed by Bass Pro, the Sidney community changed. People outside of Sidney changed their view of Sidney. However, this isn't the first challenge Sidney has seen, and returned. The better question might be how to stay the course and move toward a positive future. A group...
Cheyenne County offers health insurance for its employees, but not all need or want the plan. In the June 6 meeting of the Cheyenne County Commissioners, County Clerk Beth Fiegenschuh proposed a cash-in-lieu program where employees who are insured by another option can choose a cash payment in place of the health insurance program. In place of health insurance, an employee who chooses to opt out will receive an additional $500 per month, taxable. Fiegenschuh stressed that employees leaving the...
About three years ago, two young boys were considering what should be their latest enterprise. “We wanted to start a business,” said Graham Santero. How they progressed from two boys with big ideas to a business is credited to his mom. “It's actually kind of funny. We were driving down the road and my mom said 'why not sell worms?'” Thursday, June 9, Santero and his partner Kale Kaiser held a worm clinic at Legion Park for children. In the clinic, they explained how to feed worms, includi...
It seems like only a few days ago news channels were announcing the then latest school shooting. It also sticks in my mind when Columbine High School was the target. I recall scenes like these and think of the quote: “We have found the enemy, and he is us.” The phrase is actually a parody of a quote from the War of 1812: “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” Sadly, the parody makes as much sense as the true statement. We have met the enemy, and too often we are looking in a mirror, not thro...
The journey started about two months ago, more than a year before that with the planning. It is a monumental goal with several objectives, and more that developed as he made his way down the road. Gregory Maassen, a Dutch cyclist from Washington, D.C., decided to relive American history from a little less than a century ago, bring awareness and funding to a disease and along the way get a true education of America. Maassen is a senior executive manager of large regional and complex USAID...
The Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce leadership program held a ceremony commemorating the completion of its recent class. The class project was promotion of non-profit organizations with "Show Me Your 501c3 and I'll Show You Ours." The event was held at the Sidney Elks Lodge with each organizations accepting donations and promoting its programs. There was also a donation lunch and a silent auction with proceeds returned to the non-profit of the buyer's choice. About 30 non-profit vendors...
It started on a perfect night, well, actually morning. When you work something of a swing shift, day and night are a little more subjective, and offers a little daylight to do things I like instead of following a tight routine. Sixteen years ago today, the morning started as it ought, mostly, and ended in a way I couldn’t have described. The day went from an argument with my daughter to eight hours among inmates and a chapter that was difficult to accept. My 18-year-old daughter was in an a...
