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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Students at Leyton Elementary School welcomed the holiday season on Thursday evening with their annual Christmas program. Nearly every seat in the school's gymnasium was full as kindergarten through 6th graders performed numerous songs....
The Nebraska Department of Education released the results of its new accountability model on Friday, and every school in Cheyenne County ranked "Good" or above. AQuESTT – or accountability for a quality education system, today and tomorrow – was created following a bill passed by the state Legislature in 2014. The program classifies each district and school in the state among four categories: excellent, great, good or needs improvement. Six tenants are examined when determining cla...
CHAPPELL – As part of a tour throughout the state, Nebraska's chief law enforcement officer met with Creek Valley High School students this week. Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson, who was elected to the position about a year ago, spoke to the students for 45 minutes on Wednesday afternoon. He explained the functions of his office, discussed the Constitution and talked about current events affecting teenagers before taking questions. "We are basically the law firm for the State of N...
The trial has been set for a Wyoming man accused of leading law enforcement officers on a two-state car chase that ended near Sidney. Joseph Mladenik, 40, of Cheyenne, Wyo., is scheduled to appear Dec. 14-15 in Cheyenne County District Court for a jury trial. He is facing four felony charges: three counts of possessing a firearm while committing a felony and operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest. Mladenik is represented by Sidney attorney Steven Elmshaeuser and has pleaded not guilty to all...
Cabela's announced Wednesday that the company's board of directors is beginning a process to "explore and evaluate a wide range of strategic alternatives to further enhance shareholder value." There is no timeframe for the process, and the company said it wouldn't necessarily lead to a transition of ownership or any other changes. "The board of directors and management team, working with advisers, plan to proceed in a timely and orderly manner, but have not set a definitive timetable for...
A team of researchers is set to document and catalog historic buildings in Sidney. "On-the-ground work for a historical and architectural survey of 175 buildings in downtown Sidney will begin in December, weather permitting," a release from the City of Sidney states. The project includes commercial, governmental and non-residential buildings from Elm Street, on the north, to King Street, on the south. It also goes from 14th Avenue, on the west, to 7th Avenue, on the east. "Researchers will be...
The search for a new Sidney police chief will likely wait until spring, after a city manager is hired. Both positions became vacant in recent months after Gary Person stepped down as city manager in August, followed by B.J. Wilkinson as police chief in October. Assistant chief Joe Aikens is now the ranking officer in charge, said Jo Houser, the city's human resources director. "Right now, the plan, because it seems to be working, is to wait until a city manager is hired," she explained. An execu...
The Christmas season has begun in Sidney. On Saturday night, Santa Claus rode into town and helped illuminate the city's Christmas tree in Hickory Street Square. With more than a 100 residents braving the cold weather to watch, festive floats travelled along 10th Street spreading the season's cheer. A half-dozen floats participated in the Sidney Parade of Lights, sponsored by the Sidney Jaycees. "This is the second year that we have been asked to direct the parade and it is definitely fun to...
As Sidney's electric utility has faced steep rate increases from its power providers, the city is undertaking a financial review to determine how to limit rate increases passed on to its customers. At a Sidney City Council meeting on Tuesday, Andrew Ross, of the Nebraska Municipal Power Pool, presented an overview of the public utility's current financial status and projected what future growth could entail. Sidney Interim City Manager Geri Anthony said the study would help the council...
POTTER – The Potter-Dix High one-act team earned first place at the Minuteman Activities Conference Play Production Contest on Monday. The conference's eight schools had teams competing in Potter, where three judges scored each production. Leyton High took home second place and Banner County rounded out the top three. Creek Valley finished in fourth place. In individual awards, Dawson Sharman, from Potter-Dix, and Jaedon Wann, from Leyton, were named the competition's best actors. Justice P...
Safeway in Sidney donated 43 turkey dinners with side items to Sidney's Table of Grace Mobile Food Pantry Tuesday morning. The Sidney store raised nearly $2,100 from local customers that was used for the turkey dinners. According to Safeway employees, they are thankful for all of the customers who helped make this donation possible for families in need this holiday season. Timm Lindeman, food pantry director, said the food will be spread out over the holidays. "Food will be given away in the...
A tradition that began more than two decades ago is again underway this year. A free Thanksgiving community dinner, open to everyone, will be served from noon to 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day at the First United Methodist Church in Sidney. All community members are invited to attend the event and celebrate the holiday with a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings, said Dean Starr, who along with his wife, Susan, is a longtime organizer. The annual community dinner began about 23 years ago after a local woman wanted to give back to Sidney...
The unemployment rate in Cheyenne County rose slightly in October, to 2.3 percent. According to preliminary data recently released by the Nebraska Department of Labor, that's a 0.2 percent increase from September and up 0.4 percent from last October. Statewide, the jobless rate stands at a seasonally-adjusted 2.9 percent – unchanged from September and down 0.2 percentage points from October 2014. "October was another month of strong job growth for our state," Commissioner of Labor John Albin s...
Eight high school teams will be performing one-act plays at the Potter-Dix Junior and Senior High School on Monday. Students from Creek Valley, Leyton and Potter-Dix high schools will be up against five other Minuteman Activities Conference teams. The plays will begin at 9 a.m. "After each team performs, they clear the stage and then go to a critique room to listen to what to three judges have to say," Beth Bogert, sponsor of the Potter-Dix team, explained in an email. Awards for top teams and o...
A woman arrested two years ago after she was accused of taking sexually explicit photographs of a toddler appeared in court for a preliminary hearing on Friday. After listening to testimony, Cheyenne County Court Judge Randin Roland ruled there was sufficient probable cause to send the matter to district court, where felony cases are heard. Kristen Gulley, 30, of Sterling, Colo., is charged with five felony counts of visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct of a minor. Roland dismissed two...
In the past three years, nearly $250 million has been invested from public and private sources into development initiatives in Sidney. And for every $1 the municipality has spent on infrastructure and recreation, an additional $4.50 was invested from the private sector. Sidney Mayor Mark Nienhueser presented these numbers on Wednesday as he talked about the strong relationship between the City and businesses. He spoke to a group of about 45 local employers – members of the Cheyenne County C...
The Peetz Plateau School District Board of Education on Monday night bid farewell to three members who had reached maximum 8-year term limits and induct new members. Outgoing members Lanae Fehringer, Gary Gillham and Gary Schumacher were presented with certificates honoring their service to the school district. Nick Fehringer, Tiffany Vallier and Mike Hill, who won election to the board of education during Colorado's November election, were also officially inducted onto the board. Their terms ar...
A preliminary plat application for a residential development was tabled by the Sidney Planning Commission on Monday evening. The owner, Michael Nelson, and developer, Brad Harper, had submitted an application to subdivide and rezone a tract of land north of U.S. Hwy. 30 in the west part of Sidney. According to the application, the subdivision would include 10 lots and require a change from agriculture to residential zoning. Harper said the request was for the first phase of the project and the...
A local church is again seeking donations to benefit children affected by natural disasters or wars throughout the world. Operation Christmas Child, headed internationally by Samaritan’s Purse and organized locally by the Sidney Evangelical Free Church, sends shoeboxes with small gifts to children in need. Cheryl MacKenzie, who is leading the Sidney-based efforts, said the program has been in operation since 1993. It helps to distribute shoe boxes to children in war torn counties or where there’s been devastation. “Millions of shoeboxes have...
The Lodgepole, Sidney and Chappell volunteer fire departments responded to a structure fire southwest of Sunol on Friday night. Cheyenne County Sheriff John Jenson said the damage was extreme. "The house is pretty much a total loss," he said. The fire, at a residence along County Road 16, was first reported around 9:40 p.m. The last unit on scene left at 7 a.m. the next morning. One resident was treated for smoke inhalation and another for an injury sustained while leaving the house, Jenson...
A decision on whether or not Cheyenne County will apply for a livestock friendly designation will wait until the new year. Tyson Narjes, of the Cheyenne County Farm Bureau, told the Cheyenne County Board of Commissioners on Monday that recent initiatives have demonstrated the county’s relationship to the agriculture industry. Applying for the designation would allow local elected officials to say they believe it, he said. Narjes highlighted the amount of support a new livestock building at the fairgrounds has received and the start of the R...
Students from high schools throughout Cheyenne County visited the Cheyenne County Courthouse on Monday as a part of county government day. The annual event, sponsored by the American Legion, allows students to learn about their local government. Participants met in the district courtroom before breaking into groups and visiting the various county offices. Sheriff John Jenson was the guest speaker at the lunch event held at the Elks Club....
Sidney elementary school students honored area veterans during a program on Thursday night. The fine arts auditorium at Sidney High School was full as parents, residents and veterans turned out for the event....
There is sufficient probable cause to continue a criminal court case against a Sidney woman alleged to have participated in a string of burglaries throughout Cheyenne County, a judge ruled this week. Mindy Richmond, 34, was arrested in June after another woman, Tanya Yates, approached the Sidney Police Department and told authorities Richmond had broken into more than 100 homes to steal prescription medication, cash and designer clothing. Richmond is facing 21 felony burglary charges and was released from custody in July after posting a...
A boil order notice has been issued for the Village of Dalton's public water supply. Jeff Juelfs, the community's utility supervisor, said the notice was issued Thursday after tests showed the presence of E. coli in the town's public drinking water. According to the notice, water must be boiled for one minute before being consumed. "Fecal coliforms and E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes," the notice states. "Microbes in...
