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 Sidney nursing home and assisted living center are among a group of facilities across Nebraska affected by a move by the State of Nebraska. The state has taken control of 21 nursing homes around Nebraska because their owner couldn't make payroll. Affected are Sidney Care and Rehabilitation Center skilled nursing center and assisted living center. The homes' owner, Cottonwood Healthcare, also known as Skyline, which is headquartered in New Jersey, notified the state about its financial crisis,...
“Keep Life Simple” is the theme of the annual Women in Agriculture Conference, which will feature information and advice about simplicity and excellence, making meals with a multi-cooker, forage production, youth loans, farming with disabilities, and more. This year’s conference is scheduled for Friday, April 13, at Sidney. It will run from 8:15 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. at Buffalo Point Restaurant, 638 Cabela Drive. The conference is intended to help women who are involved in agriculture improve their decision-making, increase understanding, and e...
National Agriculture Week was March 18-24, and Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts sees it as a time to celebrate Nebraska as well. "Agriculture is the heart and soul of what we do," Gov. Ricketts said Wednesday. "If we're going to grow Nebraska, we have to grow agriculture." Gov. Ricketts said one in four jobs in Nebraska are agriculture-related. Gov. Ricketts stopped in Sidney for a lunch hosted by the the Cheyenne County Farm Bureau. Following the lunch, the governor, Director of Agriculture Steve We...
Creek Valley's School Board upheld a teacher's release at a hearing Tuesday, continuing an action authorized at its February board meeting. The release was not due to any wrongdoing of business teacher Janet Hill, but rather a Reduction In Force (RIF) due to work on the district's high budget. In February, the board authorized RIF reductions of two positions, Hill's and a special education spot. The other teacher accepted the action without protest, but Hill chose to protest the decision and...
The Cheyenne County Commissioners revisited a County Bridge Match Program Grant at its meeting this week. The program is for a bridge nine miles north and one mile west of Lodgepole. The commissioners previously discussed the project and the use of conduits versus a box culvert. The issue in the last discussion is if cattle would use the six-foot round conduit to cross between pastures. Commissioner Philip Sanders talked with other land owners and county commissioners who reported no problems wi...
Creek Valley’s School Board upheld a teacher’s release at a hearing Tuesday, continuing an action authorized at its February board meeting. The release was not due to any wrongdoing of business teacher Janet Hill, but rather a Reduction In Force (RIF) due to work on the district’s high budget. In February, the board authorized RIF reductions of two positions, Hill’s and a special education spot. The other teacher accepted the action without protest, but Hill chose to protest the decisio...
Preliminary results from the Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Survey released by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln revealed that Nebraska Panhandle agricultural land declined in value for the reporting year ending Feb. 1, 2018. The average farmland value in the region is estimated to be $720 per acre. This is 5 percent lower than the prior year. This is the fourth consecutive year of market value decline. The eight major types of land reported in the survey declined in value from 2017-18 across the state. In the Panhandle, gravity irrigated...
The Cheyenne County Commissioners have an unexpected debate. A seemingly routine contract renewal will now involve a Request For Proposals and a writing of a proposed contract for ambulance service in Cheyenne County. The Cheyenne County Commissioners agenda Monday included a review of the ambulance agreement. Present at the meeting was Jay Johnson representing Medical Air Rescue Company (MARC) and three representatives of Regional West Emergency Medical Services. Regional West provides...
Friday's Entrepreneur and Startup Event at Western Nebraska Community College in Sidney brought out a lot of innovative ideas and concepts for new businesses. The challenge, according to Paul Jarrett, is to commit the sweat and determination to make it a reality. Jarrett, of Lincoln, is the co-founder of Bulu Box, a health supplement company. He was the opening speaker at the Friday meeting of the Sidney Entrepreneur and Startup Event. He talked of how when he speaks at events, he has a plan, a...
It is a sound that pierces the night sky, echoing across an empty prairie or between peaks as if bouncing off of both sides of a canyon's walls. Drivers and nearby homeowners complain about it... until it saves their life. It is the bell, the blaring horn, the flashing lights and at some locations the black and white wooden arms crossing the road encouraging drivers to stop, Most drivers stop, some make other decisions that can result in injury or death. The Union Pacific recently conducted an...
Raiders Reaching Out, a project of the human development class at Sidney High School, is hosting an event Friday that will bring young and old together to share experiences. The class, along with help from the community, will host a Multi-Generational Prom at the Sidney Elks Club. On tap are dance lessons for those in need, along with hors d’oeuvres, dancing to the tunes from a student DJ, and interaction that class teacher Brett Avila says has been welcomed by young and old in the classes’ prev...
Sidney revenues are maintaining well, according to Finance Director David Scott. Scott made a report before the Sidney City Council during Tuesday’s city council meeting. In his report, Scott noted that the City has collected $331,785 in Property Tax and DMV, about 22 percent of the budgeted amount. “This is very close to the $354,608 we had collected at the same time last year and seems to be in line with previous year percentages for this point in the fiscal year,” he said in the repor...
The Sidney City Council Tuesday gave the green light to the purchase of two new pickup trucks for city departments. The city council had earlier agreed to the purchase of a service truck for the Sewer Department and the Wastewater Department. In a memo from Water and Sewer Superintendent Rob Kubns and Wastewater Superintendent Todd Sukup, the council was asked for authority to move forward with the purchase of a pickup for each department. The Council had appropriated $32,089 for the Water and...
LINCOLN — Nebraska lawmakers gave initial approval Tuesday to a proposed $8.8 billion two-year budget despite major disagreements over funding for the University of Nebraska and family-planning services, including Planned Parenthood. Lawmakers advanced all three of the budget measures that make up the package, even as many senators raised concerns that state officials are relying too much on their emergency cash reserve. Two additional votes are required before the bills go to Gov. Pete Ricketts. The package would balance the state’s fin...
The Sidney School District Board of Education renewed the contract for superintendent Rodney “Jay” Ehler during the March 12 meeting. Ehler is contracted with an annual salary of $149,000, a $300 monthly travel allowance, health, dental and life insurance. The District also pays Ehler’s professional dues and professional publications. The board also reviewed expenditures for February. The District is operating with a budget of about $15.5 million. Year to date expenditures account for 47.31 perc...
Sidney Volunteer Fire Department responded to a small grass fire at the top of Haskell Hill Road Tuesday, extinguishing the blaze quickly. No cause for the fire was determined....
It might be a service that is no longer available but should be, or the next greatest kitchen or garage tool. Many people have ideas that could develop into prospering businesses. Sometimes the obstacle is connecting the vision with how to make it reality. That is where events scheduled for March 15 and March 16 could help. A Network Reception is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 15 at Dude’s Steakhouse Back Room. The reception is hosted by the Sidney & Cheyenne County Economic Development. The reception will be a time to meet o...
The deadline has passed for challengers to submit their intentions with the May 15 Primary Election and there are plenty of candidates for local offices. The Cheyenne County Commissioner race remains at Darrell Johnson, Republican, for the Second District and Philip Sanders, Republican, for the Third District. Both are seated commissioners. The Cheyenne County Assessor's seat will be decided in the primary with Republican Melody Keller challenging incumbent Republican Sybil Prosser. Cheyenne...
Bass Pro Shops announced in a memo late last week an update in its plans, along with the announcement of a campaign advertising buildings for lease following changes to its Sidney Cabela’s campus. In its memo, Bass Pro announced it is investing more than $100,000 in an advertising campaign that began Thursday with an ad in the Wall Street Journal. The ad leads off with the header, “Usually We’re All About The Catch. This Time There Isn’t One.” It follows with the offer of leasing world-class bui...
LINCOLN - Staff Sgt. Richard L. Vath, a 2011 graduate of Leyton High School and a member of the Nebraska Air National Guard's 155th Air Refueling Wing in Lincoln, was nominated to compete in the Nebraska Air National Guard's 2017 Airman of the Year competition for the 155th Maintenance Group. Staff Sgt. Vath is an Avionics Technician for the 155th Maintenance Group. The son of Gregory Vath of Dalton and Romy Vath of Gering, Neb., Vath was nominated for the award as part of the Nebraska Air...
Ninth grade students from across the region attended Nebraska Extension's Connecting the Dots Career Exploration Program at Sidney High School on March 5. Nearly 150 students spent the morning exploring their skills, learning to write a good resume and how to behave in an interview. In addition to Sidney High, students from Leyton High School, Kimball High School and Banner County High School participated in the simulation. After lunch, students had the opportunity to see how they can connect th...
The Sidney School Board Monday approved a program that will offer more flexibility for teachers and students. Labeled the 1 to 1 Chromebook Iniative, Sidney students will have access to a computer they can take with them on field trips, to a local wifi hotspot, home or anywhere within the school to do their homework. The District has 1,006 devices for students in grades five through 12, according to Technology Facilitator Matt McKay. The new computers will allow students the flexibility of...
At Monday’s school board meeting, the Sidney School Board recognized six students for their work over the past month. The Monthly Performance Award acknowledges other criteria as well as achievement. These criteria are: Superior academic performance, (or), dramatic improvement of classroom work, G.P.A. or attitude toward learning. Exceptional work effort toward a particular class project. Outstanding Contribution to the class. Leadership exhibited in the class/school. Citizenship emphasized and modeled. Service to school. Recognized for the F...
With staff reductions related to the Bass Pro absorption of Cabela’s, the Sidney School District is bracing for a related loss of students. In the school board’s work session Tuesday, Supt. Jay Ehler reported the District is down 53 students since the start of the school year. “We know that we will have a significant number leaving this spring and summer so we will continue to have discussions based around appropriate staffing and making cost effective decisions regarding facilities,” Ehler s...
It isn't often a person can experience time in two places at almost the same moment, as if sideways instead of backward or forward. That happened recently when I had the opportunity to participate in a weeklong mission trip to Panama. Panama is a unique area with its own vacation attractions including white and black sand beaches perfect for swimming, surfing or time to imagine beach music and a classic writer in front of his keyboard. It has bicycle races through amazing mountains and valleys....
