Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Sorted by date Results 2011 - 2035 of 3067
The planning commission approved a conditional use permit for Verizon Wireless to construct a 184 foot communication tower at 11720 Road 18, east of Interstate 80 to improve Verizon’s services there. The decision was made on Monday night. “The reason it’s conditional, just because it’s allowed on a certain parcel, there might be mitigating circumstances that you have to take into account from surrounding property owners or whatever that may have concerns,” said city manager Gary Person. Jeff Skinner, a representative for Verizon, informed...
Two persons traveling from out of state on Interstate 80 in Cheyenne County were arrested last week and were each charged with four drug related felonies. On the night of Jan. 16, a Nebraska State Trooper arrested driver Joshua Feyes, 36, and his passenger Melissa Janssen, 36, after allegedly finding almost 10 pounds of illegal drugs within the vehicle in which they were traveling. The trooper stopped the eastbound vehicle for a speeding violation near mile marker 52 on the interstate. Once the vehicle was pulled over, the trooper learned that...
Some state senators see drawbacks in Gov. Dave Heineman’s proposals dealing with tax cuts, health care and reforming “good-time” practices in state prisons, three major goals he said he wanted the Legislature to accomplish this session. Sen. Health Mello of Omaha, chairman of the Appropriations Committee, said he is especially worried about the long-term effects of Heineman’s tax plan, which would lower income taxes by 6 percent and and lower agricultural land valuations by 10 percentage points. With the governor in his last year in office,...
Nancy Gipfert, who filed an appeal directly after being sentenced for negligent child abuse last week, officially withdrew that appeal, according to court documents. Gipfert also informed the court on Jan. 9, the day after she was sentenced, of her intent to submit to the Cheyenne County Sheriff to begin serving her sentence. Gipfert was sentenced to 24 months of probation, the first 90 days to be served in Cheyenne County jail, for her part in an incident which led to the permanent brain injury of an infant in her care. Gipfert will serve her...
The two people involved in a Thursday, Jan. 9, pursuit near Alliance have been located. Around 9:15 a.m., Sunday, Jan. 12, Ryan Riddle, 30, Greeley, Colo., and Rebecca J. Melzo, 22, Greeley, Colo., were taken into custody at a convenience store in Hay Springs. After being taken into custody, both Riddle and Melzo were taken to the Chadron Hospital to be examined. The pair was involved in a pursuit and subsequent search that began Thursday morning, after a trooper attempted a traffic stop on a black four door vehicle for speeding on Highway 385...
Jonathon Jackson, 19 and his father William Jackson, 44 both of Dalton were charged with terroristic threats and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, for an incident that occurred in late December. Arrest warrants were issued in Cheyenne County for the Jacksons on Dec. 28 and both were subsequently arrested and bonded out. Bond was set at $250,000 each. According to a Cheyenne County sheriff's office report, Jeremy Reimers was walking to Jessica Cook's residence in Dalton on Dec. 26 with James Goeman and Camden Grasnick when the group...
Multiple thefts occurred in rural areas of Cheyenne County in the past two weeks. Cheyenne County sheriff John Jenson urges residents to be on the look-out for any suspicious activity. The sheriff’s office is currently investigating five incidents, which recently occurred at abandoned farmsteads and outbuildings. Items taken from these locations included power tools, miscellaneous hand tools, electrical wiring, pipe and small farm equipment. Jenson asked the community to watch for suspicious vehicles, persons or activity particularly in r...
As of Friday morning, Jan. 10, the driver and passenger of a vehicle that led troopers on a Thursday pursuit near Alliance have not been located. Just after 7:00 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 9, a trooper attempted a traffic stop on a black four door vehicle for speeding on Highway 385 on the west side of Alliance. The vehicle failed to stop and a pursuit ensued. The vehicle traveled east of Alliance on Highway 2, before leaving the roadway and entering a pasture. The vehicle continued heading through pastureland in a northeasterly direction. Troopers,...
Nancy Gipfert was sentenced to 24 months of probation, the first 90 days to be served in Cheyenne County jail, for her part in an incident which led to the permanent brain injury of an infant in her care. In November a jury of six men and six women found Gipfert guilty of negligent child abuse, a class I misdemeanor. The two-month-old victim in this case became seriously ill after his first visit to Gipfert's daycare on Sept. 13, 2011. It was later confirmed that he suffered from bleeding...
The Cheyenne County commissioners discussed how to fit raises for elected county officials into an increasingly tight budget at Monday’s meeting. The commissioners agreed on a base pay of $55,000 per year starting in 2015 with a 3 percent cost of living increase for the following three years. This decision was based on recommendations from the Nebraska Association of County Officials. Additionally, NACO advised that the county attorney and county sheriff should receive 150 percent and 120 percent respectively of the base pay, to which the c...
Cheyenne County Commissioners appointed Donald Brush of Panhandle Land Surveying as temporary county surveyor at yesterday’s meeting. “What I’m needing is the duties of a county surveyor in Cheyenne County,” Brush told the commissioners. “I’ve had some clients that have requested some surveying.” Most of the time during land survey work, monuments marking the corners of property are in place and there are records which establish the edges of a property. Sometimes the corners of the property aren’t properly marked, Brush explained. “Whe...
Three seats are up for re-election this coming year on the South Platte NRD board of directors. The terms of James C. Johnson of Dix, Subdistrict 2; Paul Hutchison of Sidney, Subdistrict 4; and Tom Biggs of Sidney, Subdistrict 6 expire on Dec. 31, 2014. The NRD directors are elected or nomininated within subdistricts in Cheyenne, Kimball and Deuel counties. Subdistrict 2 comprises the northeastern half of Kimball County including northeastern Kimball, and part of western Cheyenne County. Subdistrict 4 is in southwestern Cheyenne County, and...
Filing deadlines for upcoming local elections are fast approaching. Up for election this year are Cheyenne County attorney, sheriff, clerk of the district court, treasurer, assessor and county clerk. Cheyenne County commissioner seats in district two and district three are scheduled for election this year, as well. These offices all hold four year terms. This year, there are three four-year term seats up for grabs on the Sidney School Board, as well as one opening for a two-year term due to the previous resignation of Tanya Lewis. Creek...
University of Nebraska at Kearney researchers hope to catch the endangered swift fox in its natural Western Nebraska habitat and to determine how the creatures use the landscape, specifically the Heartland Expressway corridor. Although Sidney is not in the direct line of the Heartland Expressway route, Dr. Marc Albrecht, biologist at UNK, and his graduate student Sara Ray will be visiting Sidney in the near future to speak with residents about their swift fox study. The research will focus on how the expressway, which runs approximately north...
Although Nebraska has fallen behind the rest of the nation in cutting back on youth incarceration numbers, recent policy changes put the state on a path toward significant improvement over the coming years. According to a recent report from the National Juvenile Justice Network and the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the number of youths currently detained in state and county facilities nationwide declined sharply in 2011, due to reforms in many states. In the ten years between 2001-2011, the number of young people in detention facilities dropp...
I read an article that was on the front page of the Sun-Telegraph about a month ago. The story spoke about a local man and his battle with his drug addiction to methamphetamine. As I read the article I found myself being able to identify with the things that he spoke of all too well. I am a recovery methamphetamine addict of almost seven years. As I went through the article my heart became heavy many different times, for I could understand all too well how this gentleman felt. He spoke of all...
The Nebraska Supreme Court upheld a ruling last week made in the state of Nebraska vs. Nathan Brauer, a sexual assault of a child case originally heard in Cheyenne County. The only issue raised in the appeal was whether there was enough evidence to conclude, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the touching that occurred constituted sexual contact. Sexual contact has to be reasonably construed to be for the purpose of sexual arousal or gratification. The justices were divided in their ruling. Four judges ruled in favor of upholding the district cour...
LINCOLN (AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is accepting donations of new and used hunting gear and clothing. The donations will go to the commission's mentored youth hunting program. Organizers say many youths who participate don't have access to appropriate clothing and gear. The commission is requesting camouflaged and blaze orange hunting gear. The commission says it will accept insulated bibs, parkas and insulated coats, hooded sweatshirts, insulated boots, shooting sticks, game calls, gloves, facemasks and new wool socks, a...
Continued development is planned in the east Sidney expansion area, including one project anticipated through a partnerships between Cabela’s and a property belonging to Tim and Virginia Reganis. The couple own land adjacent to the area where Cabela’s plans to expand its corporate offices, next to the company’s current corporate headquarters. The Planning Commission held a public hearing last week regarding a preliminary plat of the Reganis land on the 14 acres next to the Cabela’s land on the South side of Old Post Road. The commiss...
All the development planned for the area around Greenwood Road in the upcoming years is attracting even more business interest to the area. The planning commission held a public hearing last week to discuss the re-zoning of a section of Greenwood road from multifamily residential to heavy commercial. Re-zoning was for a portion of the area containing almost three acres located on the east side of the road approximately 300 feet south of Highway 30. This area is where Source Gas wishes to relocate its facility. City manager Gary Person...
Police are searching for persons of interest in a burglary and truck theft at the city street department building earlier this month. City street department employees discovered a break in when they arrived at work on the morning of Dec. 9. The stolen city vehicle was located later in the day on Dec. 9 in a pasture near power lines north of town. On Dec. 11, another vehicle was reported stolen from a residence in Sidney. This second vehicle was located and recovered in an unrelated incident in Greeley, Colo on Dec. 13. Police have identified...
The following people appeared in Deuel County Court on Tuesday, Dec. 17, before the Honorable Randin Roland: Elizabeth Fricke, age 47 of Chappell, appeared for a pre-trial conference on a charge of DUI 2nd Offense, a class W misdemeanor. She pled guilty to an amended complaint of DUI 1st Offense, which is a class W misdemeanor, and received 12 months of probation and a $600 fine. Winfield Copley III, age 33 of Ogallala, did not appear for a status hearing on a charge of DUI 4th Offense, (class IV felony), but he was represented by counsel. His...
Bountiful baskets of goodwill and holiday food filled the Legion Park shelter house yesterday where the Wide Awake Circle of the King’s Daughters gave away Christmas baskets to needy families. The local charity presented 125 baskets in total to area residents, including those delivered to Cheyenne Villa and Sioux Villa, with help from the city street department. Dola Witters, current member and former president of the group thanked the members of the street department who use their trucks to deliver the food to the two locations. “They lov...
A life friends and family saw as full of generosity and selflessness was cut short Dec. 11, 2011 when 42 year old April Smith was murdered. “She was fun to be with, she was a caring person,” said Ed Smith, April Smith’s husband. “Always went out of her way to help others. Of course I always backed her up on it. She’d do anything for anybody.” Although they were technically separated at the time of April Smith’s death, the Smiths still kept in close contact, talking or texting daily. The couple met 22 years earlier in a truck stop where April S...
After a conviction of first degree murder (a class IA felony) Craig Johnson, 48 faces a guarantee of life in prison, according to Cheyenne County attorney Paul Schaub. Following a weeklong trial in Cheyenne County district court Johnson was found guilty for the Dec. 2011 death of his girlfriend, April Smith, in her apartment eight miles west of Sidney. Johnson was also found guilty of use of a weapon to commit a felony, (a class II felony) which come with a possibility of 50 additional years in prison and possession of a deadly weapon by a felo...
