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 Sidney City Council and City Manager David Scott discussed findings on a recent traffic study regarding the Fort Sidney Road and Pole Creek Crossing intersection recently. The City contracted with MC Schaff & Associates of Scottsbluff to conduct a traffic study of the intersection. The process started when the City received a request for traffic signals at the intersection in response to accidents that have occurred there. In a January 14 letter from Donald J. Dye, P.E., of MC. Schaff & Asso...
The Leyton Board of Education met before a packed house Friday. The agenda focused on filling the district superintendent’s seat, and making plans to fill to board positions. Leyton School District Superintendent Chris Leary was put on administrative leave recently. During the same period, two board members resigned. Friday’s meeting was held with four board members present: board chairman Susan Ernest, Dave Wiedeman, Ryan Borges and Roland Rushman. The board accepted a proposed contract for...
Growing a community's economy involves recruiting businesses from outside of the area, “selling” them on what the local downtown has to offer. It also involves supporting the entrepreneur whose name is not yet in a few states and several cities. The Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce and the City of Sidney Economic Development Office are working together toward developing a Downtown Business Association. In the January 26 city council meeting, Sidney's Economic Development Director Melissa Nor...
Dagen Lee, center, spells a word in deciding for second and third place during the Cheyenne County Spelling Bee Thursday, January 28 at West Elementary School. First place is Aastha Chaudhari (right) and second is Aadhav Krishna (left). Chaudhari will represent the county in the State Spelling Bee to be held at a later date....
The Sidney Public Library ended the 2019-2020 fiscal year 11.8 percent under the $494,811 budget, as presented by Head Librarian Richard Sandstrom. Sandstrom said the impact on the budget is mostly due to employee changes that impacted salaries and benefits. The Sidney Public Library serves a population of 8,910. Of those, 1,005 have active library cards. During the fiscal year, 21,159 people visited the library, including 2,235 who visited the bookmobile. The number of patrons has decline,...
Lincoln – The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will be issuing emergency supplemental allotments to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients who receive benefits for the month of January on February 9. On December 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, went into effect which increases SNAP maximum and minimum allotments from January 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021 to 115 percent of their original levels for the fiscal year. On November 5, Governor Pete Ricketts announced that in response t...
Born Oct 26, 1954 in Sidney, Nebraska. Died Jan 11, 2021. Richard graduated from Sidney High School in 1972. He is survived by his wife Evalina Ral Falla, his daughter “Adriona” Paula Kurz, mother Delores Kurz, sister Karen Kurz, and brothers Russel and Bob Kurz. He was preceded in death by his father Robert Kurz and sister Jakie Kurz. He died in Glendale, AZ where he had lived for the last 40+ years. May he rest in peace....
Richard Dean Gillham, age 70 of Peetz, CO, slipped into the arms of Jesus on January 30, 2021 at Northern Colorado Medical Center, in Greeley. Visitation will be held Sunday, February 7 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Chaney-Reager Funeral Home in Sterling. His memorial service will be on Monday, February 8 at 10 am at Sterling FourSquare Church, followed by burial on the family ranch. Richard was born in Sidney, NE, on April 27, 1950. He graduated from Peetz High School in 1968 and then attended...
Robyn Elizabeth Howitt, age 25, of Sidney, NE passed away Sunday, January 24, 2021 at the Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, CO. A celebration of life for Robyn is planned for Saturday, May 29, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. The venue for Robyn’s celebration will be announced at a later date. You may view Robyn’s Book of Memories, leave condolences, photos and stories at www.gehrigstittchapel.com. Gehrig-Stitt Chapel & Cremation Service, LLC is in charge of Robyn’s care and funeral arran...
** Services for Stephanie L. Hajek have been postponed from February 5th and 6th. A Wake service will be February 26, 2021 at 6:00 P.M. A Mass of Christian Burial will be on Saturday, February 27, 2021 at 10:00 A.M. with Father Mike McDermott officiating. Both services will be at the St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Sidney, NE. Friends may stop at the Gehrig-Stitt Chapel on Friday until 4:00 on Friday, February 26th to leave condolences for the family. A celebration of life will also be held in...
A few weeks ago I reached that “Golden Age” that virtually all working class people strive for. Yes! That time of life when we can do just about anything we want without worrying about scheduling conflicts at our place of employment. Yep! I retired a few weeks ago at the young age of 71.41 years old. The wife and I figured that our financial and health needs can be met without too much stress. Dorothy gave me the go ahead to retire after I convinced her that I would behave at home and not get...
I was recently reminded of the obvious, or at least it should be obvious. Life is not easy. If it is easy, be careful for the skies to change. I’m not being negative. I haven’t signed up for the Murphy’s Law Fan Club. I’m being candidly honest. There are athletes who count their body fat in ounces, not percentages. Some of these men and women have a better relationship with the gym manager than their spouse. Maybe not. But the point is the obsession makes them what people might call the perfect...
Joe Biden began his presidency by issuing more executive orders in his 10 days than any other president in history during that time frame. As of this writing, 42 edicts from on high have been handed down. It’s no surprise. What you’re seeing is an attempt to flood the zone with so much change so quickly that effective opposition’s resources are divided and unable to cope with the avalanche. One reason for this is to make up for time lost during the Trump presidency, which was a surprise to th...
If you’ve been investing for many years and you’ve owned bonds, you’ve seen some pretty big changes on your financial statements. In 2000, the average yield on a 10-year U.S. Treasury security was about 6percent; in 2010, it had dropped to slightly over 3percent , and for most of 2020, it was less than 1percent . That’s an enormous difference, and it may lead you to this question: With yields so low on bonds, why should you even consider them? Of course, while the 10-year Treasury note is an important benchmark, it doesn’t represent the retur...
It has been practically a year since we were confronted with the global health crisis which has sent shock waves throughout the world. Whether we know it or not, everyone and everything is just a little bit different, if not a lot different. It is good for us to assess exactly how our lives have changed, for better or for worse. Initially, many of us were held in disbelief as to the significance and the seriousness of such a pandemic. Many questions arose. In fact, many questions continue to rise. Questioning such a challenge helps us to...
Recently, I saw a post on Facebook that made me take notice. The post read: “You are allowed to be a masterpiece AND a work in progress”. I have always known I was a child of God and a real work in progress, but where does “masterpiece” fit in!? The dictionary defines masterpiece as a supreme intellectual or artistic achievement and is always connected to a master. I had never thought of myself as a masterpiece, but it felt pretty good. It felt especially good when I read the following scripture, revealing Who the Master of our masterp...
After eons of landing on the legs and arms of humans and animals, ticks have landed smack-dab in the middle of the research interests of University of Nebraska–Lincoln master’s student Dominic Cristiano. Cristiano, a member of the NSF National Research Traineeship Program at Nebraska, studies issues at the intersection of human health, wildlife disease and the environment, and these eight-legged critters (yes, ticks are arachnids, not insects) suck the blood of their hosts and spread dis...
Many eggs reach stores only a few days after being laid. Determining the freshness of eggs can be confusing at times, as some egg cartons feature two dates. The Julian date is the “pack date,” when the eggs were washed, graded and placed in the carton. This three-digit code represents the consecutive day of the year, with January 1 as 001 and December 31 being 365. The Julian date is usually found on the short side of the carton. Eggs are safe to be consumed four to five weeks beyond that date, as long as they are kept refrigerated. Many egg...
LINCOLN – The Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska (MEAN), the wholesale power supply entity of NMPP Energy, elected officers for its board of directors for fiscal year 2021-22 at its annual meeting Jan. 21. Those re-elected to one-year terms as officers of the MEAN board of directors beginning April 1 were: • Tom Goulette, city administrator/utility superintendent, West Point, Neb., chair • Tom Ourada, city administrator, Crete, Neb., vice chair • Darrel Wenzel, chief executive officer, Waverly (Iowa) Utilities, secretary/treasurer Four re...
Nebraska Extension will conduct chemigation certification training sessions in February and March at Alliance, Sidney, Bridgeport, and Scottsbluff. Training and testing will also be available online. Producers who plan to apply crop nutrients and pesticides through irrigation systems during 2021, including those who need to renew their permits, are required to attend a training session and pass the test administered afterward, or else complete the online process. The preferred option for both initial and recertifying chemigators is the online...
On January 20, the United States carried out a distinctive national tradition: Our country underwent a peaceful transition of power. Looking back on the history of nations, this is not typical. Transfers of power between leaders have often been tumultuous. While the federal government is responsible for our country’s defense and certain policy areas, the U.S. Constitution is structured to let state governments take the lead in many areas that impact the day-to-day lives of Americans. Our Republi...
Nebraska’s high school seniors have a lot to look forward to in 2021. Years of hard work in the classroom have led up to the college applications that many of them submitted last fall, and now, all that’s left to do is wait. According to a report from the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, about 80% of seniors who go on to attend college will stay in-state for their education. A smaller group will choose to go to college out of state, but many of them will eve...
In recent days, I reread Daniel Boorstin’s book, The Image, or What Happened to the American Dream. Boorstin trained as a historian, but in his 1961 book, he steps away from history long enough to peer deep into American’s modern-day thought processes. He identifies certain illusions that, he insists, hamper correct thinking. I would agree. Illusions abound in modern-day America. We wonder, “what is true, what is false, what is real, what is fake?” We fill our minds everyday with trucklo...
One bill that I will support this year is LB364, which creates the Opportunity Scholarships Act. Under this Act individual and corporate taxpayers would qualify for a non-refundable tax credit on the income tax returns that is equal to the amount that the taxpayer contributes to a scholarship-granting organization. However, taxpayers would be limited to an amount up to 50 percent of their state income tax liability. Those organizations providing scholarships would become certified by the...
The Sidney High School Dance Team was recently recognized by the Lodgepole Camp with the Ivan LiJren Award. The award was presented by Board President Gary Hawkins. The award is presented to individuals or groups who have gone above and beyond in support of the Lodgepole Camp. The Dance Team spent a day in October cleaning the four cabins...
