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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Frenchman Valley Cooperative will soon be adding aerial application services to the resources it provides. FVC announced Thursday that it had purchased Steggs Aerial Spraying. “FVC is excited to add Steggs’ exceptionally knowledgeable employee group to our team as well as the services they provide in Holyoke, Imperial and the surrounding areas,” a release from the co-op stated. Jeff Steggs said he is looking forward to the transition. “After over 35 years of owning and operating our aerial application business in the Imperial and Holyoke...
PEETZ, Colo. – New state-mandated testing began this week for Peetz Plateau School District students. This is the first year the Colorado Department of Education has required schools to administer the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers English and mathematics assessments. On Tuesday night, Peetz Superintendent Mark Collard discussed the testing during his report to the district’s board of education. While some Colorado schools had reported technical glitches with the computer-based test, Collard said the first day...
This year, Colorado students will for the first time take Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers assessments in mathematics and English. PARCC is a multi-state consortium working together to develop computer-based assessments to measure students’ progress. In 2008, Colorado legislators passed a bill reforming the education system. The following year, the Colorado Department of Education created the overhauled Colorado Academic Standards. The new standards for writing, reading and mathematics incorporate the controversia...
A permanent injunction against a no longer operational gravel and excavation company and its former owners could soon be vacated. On Monday morning, the Cheyenne County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to support a joint filing on behalf of Raymond and Teresa Kuehn to vacate a permanent injunction preventing them from conducting gravel mining operations on a parcel of land west of Sidney. The property formerly owned by the Kuehns is now held by Pit Acres LLC – a company for which the Kuehns are primary shareholders. The site is the f...
The Sidney Industrial Park moved a step closer to fruition on Monday night. By a unanimous vote, the Sidney Planning Commission recommended the city council approve a plat application to subdivide – into four individual lots – the 22-acre tract of land that will become the initial phase of the city’s planned industrial park. The application will now move to the Sidney City Council for approval. A total of 86 acres have been identified as the site of an industrial park, which will be developed in phases. Sidney City Manager Gary Person said city...
As the Sidney High Red Raiders battled 350 miles away in Lincoln on Saturday, local fans turned out at local watering holes to watch the game live on TV. At least 100 people stopped in at Hillside Bar and Grill to view the game with fellow Raider supporters. Judy Morrison, manager at Hillside, said she was surprised by the turnout. “We filled up quickly,” she said. “There are a lot of supporters for Sidney.” Expecting at the least a busier than normal Saturday, she had called in three additional...
The Cheyenne County Board of Commissioners discussed the county’s aging fairground buildings on Monday morning at its regular meeting. While the commissioners conceded any upgrades or new construction likely won’t be completed in time for this year’s fair, they identified improving the facility as a priority. “We really need to focus on fixing up the buildings for the kids and for the community,” Commissioner Philip Sanders said Marty McMillen is leading a committee on the proposed new building at the fairgrounds, and he presented possible...
The Peetz High Bulldogs made it to the Colorado Class 1A state basketball tournament this season for the first time since 2008. Despite losing games against Sangre de Cristo and Ouray, the Bulldogs exceeded expectations and represented their team and school with pride. Under the leadership of first-year head coach Jim Gardiner, Peetz was 15-11 on the season. After Friday's 65-62 loss to Ouray, Gardiner reflected on the season and his players. "They can't fault themselves one iota," he said. The...
Peetz High School lost a 65-62 heartbreaker to Ouray on Friday morning in a consolation game in Loveland, Colo. The Bulldogs wrapped up their season at 15-11....
LOVELAND, Colo. – The Peetz High School Bulldogs' run at the Colorado basketball state tournament came to an end Friday afternoon, losing 65-62 to the Ouray High Trojans in the consolation bracket. While the loss means the Bulldogs' season is over for this year, the team from Peetz has much to celebrate. Against the Trojans, Peetz cut an early fourth-quarter, 10-point deficit to two with 8.7 seconds remaining. With just over three ticks left on the clock, the Trojans remained up by three. A...
PEETZ, Colo. – The bleachers were full Wednesday night in the Peetz High School gym as students and community members turned out for a pep assembly on the eve of the boys' basketball team's trip to the state tournament. For more than an hour, the assembled crowd participated in cheers, games and skits. A potluck dinner followed the assembly. Peetz Plateau School District Superintendent Mark Collard said the school has a long tradition of community participation. "You'll come to games – it can...
With spring and the construction season nearing, the Sidney City Council on Tuesday night passed motions advancing numerous development initiatives. Jack Baker from Baker & Associates was present to provide an update on the 11th Avenue trail project. “It’s moving along pretty well,” he told the council. “Really, no major problems.” But the 11th Avenue and Old Post Road beautification project has hit a snag, he said. After initially receiving no bids for that project, a quote submitted a few weeks was higher than expected, Baker explained...
The Cheyenne County School District No. 1 board room was filled to capacity with students and parents at the beginning of Monday night's school board meeting. Before discussing agenda items relating to district personnel and the next school year, board members honored the Sidney High School wrestling team and students of the month. Derek Robb, Michael Muggli, Kaden Vowers and Colton Peckham, the four Sidney wrestlers who competed at last month's state tournament, and their coach, John Ganser,...
POTTER – Kevin Thomas, the Potter-Dix Public School District superintendent, is set to retire this June after working in education for 23 years. Thomas also served as the elementary school principal and high school golf coach. A recruitment firm is assisting the school board hire a new superintendent with a target start date of this summer. Don Hague and Jeff West, regional consultants with the executive recruitment and development firm McPherson & Jacobson, are aiding the search process. The firm recently helped Creek Valley Public School D...
Deaths in Nebraska caused by work-related injuries were down in 2013, according to a report released last month by the state Department of Health and Human Services. While reported work-related injuries and illnesses were also reduced compared to the previous year, hospitalizations were up slightly. Despite the reductions, the state is still above the national average when it comes to occupational deaths and injuries. Transportation incidents accounted for 21 of the 39 work-related fatalities in 2013, the most recent year data are...
A Sidney police offer used a stun gun on a local woman last week after she allegedly threatened him with a large kitchen knife. Following the incident on Friday afternoon, the woman was transported to the Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff for a psychological evaluation. Sidney Police Department Assistant Chief Joe Aikens said the disturbance occurred around noon at the woman’s residence in the north part of Sidney. “The officer responded to Cheyenne Villa to stand by while Adult Protective Services checked on the lady,” he said....
PEETZ, Colo. – Peetz Elementary School students got a close-up view of the agricultural world on Wednesday courtesy of the high school's Future Farmers of America program. After a week of preparations – and a few last-minute finishing touches – FFA members spent the day leading equipment demonstrations, hosting a petting zoo and teaching the younger students about the importance of agriculture. Ag teacher Mike Forster said Ag Day is an opportunity for high school students to become educa...
Cabela's executives met with analysts and investors Wednesday morning to discuss progress made over the past year and plans for future. The gathering was held three weeks after the retailer released its 2014 fourth quarter financial results, which showed total revenue increased 7.2 percent to $1.3 billion. Cabela's Chief Financial Officer Ralph Castner said the key to growth for the company is retail expansion. "Fifteen years ago, we had eight stores," he said. "It's pretty impressive that we...
The Cheyenne County Board of Commissioners reviewed a feasibility study for a joint law enforcement facility on Monday during its regular twice-monthly meeting. The review was presented by architects and a consultant tasked with examining what a facility that combined the sheriff’s office, police department and jail would look like. The county feasibility study comes about a year after the Sidney Police Department completed a study of its current building, which recommended a new facility at a cost of $3 million to $4 million. In October, C...
Firefighters and emergency personnel responded to a structure fire in the 1200 block of Newton Street in Sidney on Tuesday morning. First reports indicated the fire began near the house's fireplace. Nearly a dozen firefighters along with at least three engines responded to the scene, where fire hoses were brought inside the house. Cheyenne County Sheriff's Office deputies and Sidney Police Department officers were also on scene.... Full story
Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson was in Sidney on Friday morning to meet with area county attorneys and law enforcement leaders. The visit was part of a tour through the western part of the state to discuss how Colorado's legalization of marijuana is affecting Nebraska. "I want to be an attorney general who gets throughout the state to meet with law enforcement because I take the title as chief law enforcement officer to heart," he said. The tour comes a couple of weeks before the Nebrask...
After nearly a year of study and discussion, an electric master plan for Sidney is nearer to completion. At the city council meeting this week, councilors heard possible options for expanding electrical capacity near Interstate 80 and the eastern part of the city, as well as increasing redundancy systemwide. In an interview, City Manager Gary Person explained the need for a master plan. “Anytime we do major utility upgrades, we try to master plan it to where we’re not making intermediary types of decisions that might adversely affect us lon...
Following an accreditation review last spring that gave the Sidney Public School District high marks in most areas – but also identified two places where improvements could be made – the district continues to make strides. Technology infrastructure and a mentoring program for new teachers have been formalized and implemented in the months following the review. Nebraska state statue requires all schools to be accredited. Every five years, schools must undergo a formal, comprehensive review. Last March, an accreditation team visited all Sid...
At Tuesday's Sidney City Council meeting, updates were given on multiple projects the municipality currently has underway. While no official action was taken on the new community swimming pool and industrial tract, council members were asked to offer input on how the finalized projects will look. Sidney City Manager Gary Person said a contact had been signed between the municipality and Wheat Belt Public Power District to allow the city to provide power service to the planned industrial park,...
A Fed Ex semi truck traveling east on Interstate 80 on Tuesday ended up on its side in a ditch after crossing the median and west-bound lanes. The driver, Cordell Judkins, 52 of Utah, and a passenger who was in the sleeping compartment were transported to Sidney Regional Medical Center for minor injuries. The single-vehicle crash occurred at 12:44 p.m. near mile marker 46, between Sidney and Potter. According to the Nebraska State Troopers, both the semi and the trailer were totaled. Traffic on...
