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 search for a new Sidney city manager took a small step forward this week. Councilors voted to allow the mayor, human resources director and interim city manager to interview representatives from a recruitment firm that submitted a proposal to assist in the search. J.D. Gray Group – from Texas – was the only firm to respond to the city’s request for proposals by last week’s deadline. Jo Houser, the city’s human resources director, said the request for an executive search firm was advertised and she contacted seven firms directly. She had hop...
Gabriel Martinez, 50, of Longmont, Colo., was sentenced Tuesday to serve 20 to 60 months in prison after pleading no contest to enticement by an electronic communication device. According to court testimony, Martinez had repeatedly messaged a 14-year-old on her cell phone seeking sexual photographs. In a plea deal struck last month, an additional charge of violation of visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct was dismissed. Martinez was also ordered to register on the Nebraska Sex Offenders’ List for a term between 15 years and his l...
A Sidney woman facing 21 felony burglary charges appeared in Cheyenne County District Court on Tuesday. Prosecutors allege Mindy Richmond, 34, carried out a string of burglaries throughout the Sidney area. However, in August, a lawyer representing Richmond filed a plea in abatement, arguing there is insufficient evidence his client carried out the crimes. In court documents, the defendant’s lawyer, James Korth, argues evidence presented by the prosecution at the preliminary hearing in county court “is insufficient as a matter of law to establis...
While work has already begun on the new Sidney Outdoor Aquatic Center, city officials, community members and project workers held an official groundbreaking at the site on Friday morning. The pool is set to be completed by May 24, 2016 – in time for Memorial Day Weekend – and contractors said work is on schedule. Chuck Musgrave, CFO of Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture, told the 30 people gathered for the event that the site will include a competition pool, recreation pool, splash features, a l...
Cheyenne County is in the market for an oil distribution truck to replace its current vehicle that was manufactured in 1965. At a meeting earlier this week, county commissioners gave the OK to County Highway Department Superintendent Doug Hart to seek bids for a used truck. This year’s budget includes $35,000 for that purchase. “We need to find something more reliable than a ’65 Chevy,” Commissioner Philip Sanders said at the meeting. The oil distribution truck will be used to spray a layer of oil on the surface of roads during the chip se...
An 18-year-old Alliance man accused of burglarizing a Sidney home last May has reached a plea deal with prosecutors in the case. Troy Christofferson pleaded no contest to two counts of aiding and abetting a theft and one count of theft by receiving stolen property. All three counts are class one misdemeanors and each carry a maximum jail sentence of one year. Christofferson had initially faced a felony charge of burglary. As part of the plea agreement, he must pay $2,200 in restitution. Christofferson is scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday,...
Joshua Woolery was arraigned Monday in Cheyenne County Court on a felony charge of first-degree sexual assault. According to the criminal complaint, the 26-year-old Sidney man is accused of subjecting “another person who is at least 12 years of age but less than 16 years of age to sexual penetration.” Woolery has been in custody since his arrest on Friday. Judge Randin Roland set bond at $500,000. A probable cause affidavit alleges the assault took place at Woolery’s residence last week. As the two were playing video games, Woolery began rubbi...
Brownfields in Cheyenne County and opportunities for their improvement will be the topics of discussion at a meeting scheduled for Friday in Sidney. Brownfields are properties that may have been contaminated by hazardous substances or pollutants in the past, complicating redevelopment of reuse of the sites. The Panhandle Area Development District – a nonprofit serving 11 Nebraska Panhandle communities to help enhance community vitality – was recently awarded a $113,273 grant to identify brownfields. “The [PADD] was awarded those funds to help...
The Lodgepole Historical Society will likely receive $1,000 this year from Cheyenne County to help support its efforts to preserve and display the village’s history. On Monday, Maryann Dickinson, a historical society board member, told the Cheyenne County Board of Commissioners the county had previously made an annual contribution to the group. “But we didn’t get any last year,” she said. This year’s budget, passed last month, likewise didn’t include any funds earmarked for the historical society. Dickinson asked why not. Cheyenne County Clerk...
Construction crews have been busy preparing the site of the new Sidney outdoor aquatic center. On Thursday morning, concrete was being poured for the competition pool. City of Sidney Park Superintendent Tom von Seggern said according to the contractor, construction is on schedule. The project is set to be completed in May of next year – in time for Memorial Day 2016. City Councilors approved the $5.4 million aquatic center earlier this year. The facility will include a lap pool, leisure pool w...
A judge has upheld a misdemeanor conviction and 30-day jail sentence for Sidney Police Chief B.J. Wilkinson. Wilkinson has been on paid administrative leave since July, after pleading no contest to obstructing government operations. He appealed his conviction and sentence after being ordered to serve jail time, arguing the sentence was excessive, there was no factual basis for his plea and the complaint against him was insufficient. In a written order submitted on Tuesday, Judge Travis O'Gorman...
As Sidney's population has grown in recent years – and is expected to continue climbing – residential, commercial and recreational demands for water have increased. To ensure a steady and adequate supply of water is available for all users, the City of Sidney is undertaking a large-scale upgrade of its water system infrastructure. In the next year, transmission lines will be laid, three booster pumps replaced and water storage capacity increased. "We have the water we need," said Bill Tay...
Sidney Police Chief B.J. Wilkinson appeared in court on Monday morning to appeal his conviction and 30-day jail sentence on a misdemeanor charge of obstructing government operations. Wilkinson’s attorney, Thomas Sonntag, and special prosecutor Doug Warner made oral arguments in Cheyenne County District Court to supplement written briefs already submitted. Judge Travis O’Gorman, who was appointed to hear the case, said he would likely make a decision on the appeal within two weeks. Wilkinson pleaded no contest in July to the single charge ste...
A section of Fort Sidney Road closed since June for the reconstruction of a bridge will likely reopen in mid-November. Ben Dayton, City of Sidney zoning administrator, said the closure will last about a month longer than initially expected. The road is currently closed between Pole Creek Crossing – formerly Toledo Street – and Virginia Lane. The Fort Sidney Road bridge was initially scheduled to be demolished and rebuilt before the nearby new Pole Creek Crossing bridge was constructed. "It...
DALTON – The Leyton High football team dropped a 60-22 decision to Crawford (3-1) at home on Friday night. The Warriors fell to 0-4 on the season. Despite a team-high 175 rushing yards on 22 carries from Kordell Maestas, miscues and penalties stalled the Warriors' offense. "I saw some great things tonight when we had the ball and were moving it down the field," Leyton coach Glen Lipska said after the game. "It was just the technicalities – snapping the ball, penalties, stuff like that. Tha...
Although some Nebraska school districts are being asked to pay for ambulance standby services at sporting events, there are no planned changes for local schools. At Cheyenne County school districts, ambulances are present at home football games as a safety precaution in case of injuries. Officials from all four school districts within Cheyenne County said the services are provided for free and there’s been no discussion of a charge being implemented. Sidney School District Activities Director Mike Brockhaus said for home Raider football games,...
Nearly 70 employees in Cabela's corporate operations were laid off Wednesday. "The majority of the people were in Sidney, but there were people affected in Denver and Lincoln," said Doug Means, executive vice president and chief supply chain and IT director. Means was in Prairie du Chien, Wisc., on Thursday at one of the company's distribution centers with CEO Tommy Millner when reached on his cell phone. In a media release, Millner said, "This was a sad day for us at Cabela's. "These are not...
Cabela’s has reached a settlement with a federal agency after the Sidney-based retailer was alleged to have failed to adequately recruit and hire minorities. The company has entered into a nationwide agreement to strengthen and improve its hiring and recruiting practices of minorities, a media release issued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Wednesday states. “Those actions are based on a settlement agreement with the federal agency that resolves an EEOC Commissioner’s Charge of Discrimination alleging that Cabel...
Robert Thurow Jr. reached a last-minute deal with prosecutors just before his trial was set to begin on Wednesday. The 50-year-old Sidney man pleaded guilty to child abuse, a class I misdemeanor, in Cheyenne County District Court. Thurow was initially charged with third-degree child sexual assault. According to court documents, Thurow entered an Alford plea – meaning he maintains his innocence but admits there is enough evidence to find him guilty. Thurow was sentenced to 147 days in jail, w...
A search is on for an executive search firm to assist the City of Sidney recruit a new city manager. The position became vacant after long-time City Manager Gary Person resigned in August. Geri Anthony, Sidney’s city clerk, has taken over the duties until a permanent replacement is hired. On Tuesday night, city councilors unanimously approved a motion to put out a call for interested firms. Proposals will be accepted until Oct. 8. The council will then select a firm to help the city identify qualified candidates. The request for proposals a...
Several state senators were in Sidney on Tuesday to listen to testimony from experts and members of the public about the state's oil and gas industry and regulations. The Natural Resources Committee interim hearing was held as part of two studies prompted by legislation passed last session. Sen. Ken Haar drafted a resolution to examine a process for shuttering the Sidney-based Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and transferring its duties to other state agencies. Sen. John Stinner, in...
Several state senators were in Sidney on Tuesday for a Natural Resources Committee interim hearing. The hearing was part of two studies prompted by Legislative resolutions passed last session. A resolution introduced by Sen. Ken Haar seeks to examine a process for shuttering the Sidney-based Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and transferring its duties to other agencies. A separate resolution, introduced by Sen. John Stinner, calls for a study into the oil and gas commission’s a...
An initiative to replace Cheyenne's County aging jail took a step forward Monday afternoon as conceptual drawings of what a new facility could look like were presented. Sheriff John Jenson prefaced Monday's presentation by saying the designs of a possible new jail were preliminary. The architects were tasked with examining whether the new jail could be incorporated in an expanded courthouse using the existing site – and it can, he said. While the specific locations of offices and hallways c...
A pair of proposed projects that call for a detour of a section of Interstate 80 traffic onto U.S. Highway 30 could cause traffic snarls, the Cheyenne County Board of Commissioners warned. At a regular meeting on Monday, commissioners unanimously approved submitting a letter outlining their concerns regarding the proposed projects to the Nebraska Department of Roads. The projects, planned for three, seven-month construction seasons between 2018-’20, would occur between Potter and Brownson. A portion of County Road 99 would be closed for five w...
DALTON – Hundreds of residents and visitors turned out last weekend for the 88th annual Dalton Fall Festival. "It went really well," Paul Parker, chairwoman of the organizing committee, said on Monday morning. "Overall, it was a great weekend." The sun was shining and the weather pleasant throughout the weekend as participants competed in various competitions, enjoyed community meals and listened to live music. This year, the area used for the car show was expanded by a block, Parker said. "...
