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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A fundraising effort is continuing in earnest to secure donations for a planned swimming pool in Sidney. The project has been in the works for years, and the Sidney City Council has been discussing plans and specifications of the complex in recent months. With a $5 million price tag, funding is coming from multiple sources. And now, just $330,500 stands between the pool and its full funding. Megan McGown, the city’s economic development director, said a large grant is within reach. A Peter Kiewit Foundation grant could provide $225,000 to t...
The beautification project planned for Old Post Road and 11th Avenue in Sidney is slowly moving forward. The project, initially proposed last summer, has faced numerous setbacks. The plans call for installing landscaping, a wall and sign at the corner of the two streets. Barry Swanson, a project manager at Baker & Associates, discussed the project at Tuesday night’s Sidney City Council meeting. He said when the proposal was initially put out to bid last fall, no quotes were received. When a bid was finally submitted, the numbers were u...
The Sidney Public School District recently purchased a travel bus for activity and sports groups to use. The vehicle holds 57 people and was first put into service last Friday to transport high school track athletes. The bus is a 2007 model and cost $187,500....
A half percent occupation tax charged on purchases at the Cabela’s retail store in Sidney has raised nearly $850,000 since it was first instituted in 2008. The money is earmarked for walking trails and storm water management. The tax – voluntarily charged by Cabela’s – is permitted under a Sidney city ordinance passed in July 2008 and is in addition to the 7.5 percent state and local sales tax. Cabela’s Chief Financial Officer Ralph Castner said the company began charging the occupation tax in October 2008. “Statistics show that 26 percent of...
West Elementary sixth-graders participated in a field day on Tuesday to celebrate completing a drug and alcohol awareness program. As part of Tuesday's activities, students raced to locate their shoes in a pile....
Numerous Sidney students were honored at the Sidney Public Schools District board meeting earlier this week. Seven Sidney High School students recently received Academic All State honors: Andrew Myers and Megan Neal for music; Ryan Birner for golf; Hayden Lienemann and Jachob Wiedeburg for boys’ track; and Savanna Rosenbaum and Sara Von Seggern for girls’ track. Sidney Superintendent Jay Ehler said the honors are limited to two students per activity and that sometimes there are more who qualify. “They are great kids and represent us very well,...
Bryan Red Bear, who led law enforcement on a 25-minute car chase in February that ended after a Nebraska State Trooper performed a tactical vehicle intervention, pleaded guilty to two charges in Cheyenne District Court on Tuesday and asked Judge Derek Weimer to proceed directly to sentencing. While a pre-sentencing report is often ordered, leaving a month or more between when a defendant is found guilty and a sentence imposed, Weimer consented. Red Bear, 28, of Sidney, pleaded guilty to operating a motor vehicle to flee arrest and driving under...
A 26-year-old Sidney man was sentenced in Cheyenne County District Court on Tuesday morning for stealing a U.S. Forest Service fire truck last September and driving it from Chadron to Sidney. As part of a plea agreement, Aaron Timmens pleaded guilty last month to a single count of theft by unlawful taking, a Class IV felony. Timmens served 18 days in custody after he was arrested at Legion Park in Sidney on Sept. 28, 2014. On Tuesday, Cheyenne District Court Judge Derek Weimer ordered Timmens...
A storm forecasted to hit Cheyenne County found its mark over the weekend. After more than three inches of rain fell on Saturday, causing some streets in Sidney and the county to flood, residents were greeted by 5 inches on snow on Sunday morning. John Hehnke, Sidney public services director and emergency manager, said there was some localized street flooding on Saturday morning. "Nothing too major," he said. "It was a lot of rain and we had areas of town that were covered in hail – and that t...
As communities in Western Nebraska brace for a weekend of possible wintery weather, cities to the east are preparing for more precipitation and wind. Yesterday, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts surveyed storm damage in Lincoln and surrounding communities from a helicopter. A storm on Wednesday led to power outages and flooding near Lincoln. “I have authorized an emergency declaration,” he announced in a statement. “At this time, the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency is in contact with other state agencies and they are actively monitoring the s...
A severe weather system is making its way through Cheyenne County. As of Saturday night, County Road 113 in the southern part of the county is closed between mile markers six and eight due to high water. A deputy with the Cheyenne County Sheriff's Office said drivers are urged to avoid roads in the southern part of the county. Weather forecasts are calling for snow and wind throughout the night. On Sunday, 1 to 2 inches of snow are forecasted. Temperatures are expected to rise on Wednesday,...
A man alleged to have been behind the wheel of a vehicle that led Nebraska State Troopers and Cheyenne County Deputies on a 25-minute pursuit near Sidney earlier this year was arraigned on three felony charges this week. Bryan Red Bear, 28, of Sidney was formally charged with driving under the influence of alcoholic liquor causing serious bodily injury, second degree assault and operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest. Red Bear appeared before Cheyenne County District Court Judge Derek Weimer for arraignment on Tuesday. On Feb. 24, a state tr...
A 49-year-old Sidney man has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a child in the third degree, a Class IIIA felony. The arrest of Robert Thurow Jr. last week followed an investigation that began nearly a year ago. According to court documents, Thurow allegedly sexually assaulted a young girl in May 2014. A probable cause affidavit in the case states that during a medical exam of the girl in June of last year, health care workers found possible evidence of sexual assault. Law enforcement officers were called, and the girl said Thur...
While two units that help regulate the heating and cooling system at the Cheyenne County Courthouse have exhausted their life spans and need to be replaced, County Commissioners heard Monday that a local contractor may be able to help. Commissioners were first told earlier this spring the two air handlers in the building’s HVAC system needed to be replaced. In the subsequent months, funding was identified, a bid approved and a contract finalized. And then in early April, around the time work was supposed to begin, Johnson Controls – the fir...
Work will resume this week at a gravel mining operation site near Sidney that in recent years led to a court battle and permanent injection preventing such activities. The Cheyenne County Commissioners unanimously approved a conditional use permit on Monday for Pit Acres for gravel mining, crushing and washing, as well as asphalt and concrete batch plants. Monday’s decision is another victory for Pit Acres. In recent months, the company received a similar conditional use permit for the western half of the property and saw a permanent i...
A hearing for a 19-year-old Sidney man accused of selling marijuana was called off Thursday afternoon after his attorney met with the prosecution. Zachary Borges, a Sidney High School senior, is next scheduled to appear in Cheyenne County Court on May 28 at 1:30 p.m. for a status hearing. Borges is represented by Sidney lawyer Donald Miller, who was out of the office on Friday and unavailable for comment. Borges was arrested Sept. 4 after an investigation by the Sidney Police Department and is...
Construction on a new terminal building at the Sidney Municipal Airport will soon begin. The new terminal will include expanded areas for flight crews to rest and a pilots' lounge. The building will be constructed between the Western Nebraska Community College building and the current fixed base operator....
A woman arrested earlier this year in conjunction with an investigation into counterfeit money passed at area businesses has pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges. Briana Sifuentez, 19, of Sidney, appeared in Cheyenne County District Court with her lawyer, Michael Samuelson, on Tuesday afternoon to enter her pleas. Sifuentez originally faced two charges of possession of forged instrument, Class IV felonies. However, in a plea agreement, she pleaded no contest to two charges of criminal attempt of possession of forged instrument, Class...
Deaths on Nebraska roadways climbed to 225 in 2014 – the highest since 2007. But when the fatality rate per miles traveled is calculated, there’s no increase from 2013. The Nebraska Department of Roads has embraced a “Toward Zero Deaths” safety campaign that includes performance measures, construction and maintenance techniques along with non-infrastructure projects. Those initiatives are included in an annual report released by the NDOR this month. The 31-page document is divided into eight strategic goals, each with performance measures. “Hav...
A Sidney man accused of leaving the scene of a fatal vehicle crash earlier this month was arraigned in Cheyenne County District Court on Tuesday morning and pleaded not guilty to the single charge against him. Abel Domingo Jeronimo, 38, of Sidney, is charged with failing to stop, disclose information and render assistance in an accident involving death – a Class III felony. He is accused of being involved in the fatal crash on April 7 that killed 45-year-old Martin Geiger Jr. of Sidney and Chapp...
The 4-H building at the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds in Sidney received minor damage last week after a city maintenance vehicle hit the structure. According to a Cheyenne County Sheriff’s Office motor vehicle accident report, the building sustained $500 in damage. Two occupants were in the vehicle, but neither were injured. Both were wearing seat belts, and drugs or alcohol are not suspected. The collision occurred last Thursday at 7:38 in the morning, as the maintenance truck was driven into the 4-H building through an overhead door. A...
A 5-year-old Sidney girl fell out of an open door in the vehicle she was riding in on Wednesday afternoon. According to Cheyenne County Sheriff John Jenson, the girl sustained minor injuries and was transported to Sidney Regional Medical Center. “It appears like she fell out of the car and the wheel caught her,” he said on Thursday afternoon. The girl was not wearing a seat belt and the vehicle’s door was not closed. The incident occurred near a Leyton Public Schools bus pickup and drop off site about seven miles north of Sidney near the inter...
As Sidney continues to grow – attracting new businesses and upgrading infrastructure – a recently released audit of the city’s finances reflects those expenditures and revenues. Every year, the city is required to have an audit conducted. In late March, an accounting firm hired by the city presented its finding to city councilors. “They start about six months in advance of when they actually make the presentation,” Sidney City Manager Gary Person said in an interview earlier this month. “They’re very thorough. Every year they come up with sugge...
An application for a wastewater well near Mitchell was approved on Wednesday. The Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission gave the go ahead for the project in a 2-0 vote during a brief special meeting at its Sidney headquarters on Illinois Street. Commissioner Robert Goodwin recused himself from the proceedings due to a conflict of interest. While approving the wastewater well, commissioners set a maximum pressure limit at which the fluid can be injected at the surface and also limited the...
Michael Williams will begin his tenure as superintendent for the Potter-Dix Public School District on July 1. Williams, who grew up in Elmwood – 20 miles east of Lincoln – will be relocating to the area with his wife of 18 years, Amy, and their four children, ages 17, 14, 12 and 3. For the past four years, Williams has been the superintendent at Maywood Public Schools. The first two years there, he was also the K-12 principal. Before that, he worked at other schools in Nebraska and Missouri. “I’ve got 20 years of administrative experie...
