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 2014 - 2038 of 3056
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... Full story
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... Full story
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... Full story
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...
Cabela’s continues to grow, announcing two new stores within the past three weeks. On Wednesday the Sidney-based company announced plans for a new 97,000 square-foot store in Fort Mill, S.C., a suburb of Charlotte, N.C. Construction is set to begin in 2014 with an anticipated spring 2015 opening. This will be the company’s second store in South Carolina. A Greenville location will open in spring of next year. The company is expanding in this area of the country with plans for a store in Garner, N.C., to open in 2015. Cabela’s plans to hire...
A jury of five men and seven women found Craig Johnson, 48, guilty of first degree murder, use of a weapon to commit a felony and possession of a deadly weapon by a felon yesterday afternoon in Cheyenne County District Court. Johnson was convicted for the death of April Smith, his girlfriend at the time. He could be punished with life in prison, according to Cheyenne County attorney Paul Schaub. Following closing arguments, the case was submitted to the jury just after 11 a.m. Monday and the verdict came in around 2 p.m., after three hours of d...
The jury learned of fingerprint and DNA evidence that the prosecution said pointed to the defendant during the last day of evidence in the murder trial of the State of Nebraska vs. Craig Johnson. Johnson, 48, is charged with first-degree murder, a class IA felony, use of a weapon to commit a felony, a class II felony, possession of a deadly weapon by a felon, a class III felony and habitual criminality for the Dec. 11, 2011 death of 42-year-old April Smith. Johnson and Smith were in a...
Security First Bank donated $5,000 to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Foundation last week, with funds designated to break ground and build the High Planes Ag Lab. Pictured, left to right: Clem Schumacher, Charles Hibberd, Terry Akeson, Jim Higgins and Bob Olsen.... Full story
On the third day of testimony, the jury heard about the specific injuries the victim, April Smith, suffered during the incident leading to her death, as well as the possible causes for those injuries, as the State of Nebraska vs. Craig Johnson trial continued in Cheyenne County District Court. Johnson, 48, is charged with first-degree murder, a class IA felony, use of a weapon to commit a felony, a class II felony, possession of a deadly weapon by a felon, a class III felony and habitual... Full story
Law enforcement described a high speed chase and a crime scene that suggested a violent struggle during the second day of the State of Nebraska vs. Craig Johnson trial. Johnson, 48, is charged with first-degree murder, a class IA felony, use of a weapon to commit a felony, a class II felony, possession of a deadly weapon by a felon, a class III felony and habitual criminality for the Dec. 11, 2011 death of 42-year-old April Smith. At the time of the victim’s death, Smith and Johnson shared an apartment at Sioux Meadows eight miles west of S...
At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, the Community Development Agency gave final approval for tax increment financing to pay for qualifying portions of the Cabela’s project at 13th Ave. and Illinois. Tax increment financing involves paying for a project that will increase the value of an area by recapturing the raised taxed value of the area over a time period after the project is complete. A little more than a year ago, the CDA and city council approved a redevelopment plan for 13th Ave., at the building that was formerly Cabela’s headquar...
On Dec. 12, 2011, Chief Deputy Fred Wiedeburg of the Cheyenne County Sheriff's office kicked in the door of a Sioux Meadows apartment and found the body of April Smith. Tuesday in Cheyenne County District Court a jury of four men and eight women heard opening arguments during the first day of the State of Nebraska vs. Craig Johnson. Johnson faces charges of first-degree murder a class IA felony, use of a weapon to commit a felony, a class II felony, possession of a deadly weapon by a felon, a...
Sid Dinsdale claims to be different than other Republican candidates running for a Nebraska seat in the U.S. Senate next year. “My resume is a lot longer and wider and deeper,” Dinsdale said. He spent 37 years working in community banking and agriculture and is still involved in agriculture, cattle feeding, ethanol and community banking. “I’m an unconventional person running for the United States Senate,” Dinsdale said. “People say we don’t have any political experience and I take that as an asset, because I have dealt with regulations,...
On Monday afternoon Sidney police recovered the city truck stolen over the weekend. It was located in a pasture near power lines north of town. The 2004 Chevrolet 4x4 with a flatbed was parked next to hay bales and had been disguised. Wind partially uncovered the vehicle. “We suspect the intent was to revisit the truck,” police chief B.J. Wilkinson said. The truck suffered minor cosmetic damage, but was otherwise intact. Police recovered physical evidence and have developed several leads, but the investigation is continuing. City street dep...
The city's only remaining men's clothing store and a Sidney institution, Larry's Clothing, will soon close its doors for the last time. Larry's Clothing opened almost 18 years ago on April 17, 1995. Owner Larry Fraas decided to start the business because he believed it would fill demand in the growing town. "I thought Sidney needed a men's store," Fraas said. He previously worked at Greenlee's, another clothing store in Sidney, which closed around seven or eight years before Larry's opened....
In addition to its continued growth in the Sidney area, with plans for both an expansion of its corporate campus and a housing development to serve employees new and old planned for the next few years, Cabela’s is also growing its brand throughout the rest of the country. Last week Cabela’s announced plans to open another outpost store in Bowling Green, Ky. This 42,000 foot facility, which the company plans to open in fall 2014, will be the company’s second in Kentucky, joining one in Louisville. Cabela’s plans to hire around 90 employe...
Sidney Police are searching for a missing city vehicle as well as a significant amount of city property after a weekend break in at the street department building. City street department employees discovered the vehicle was missing when they arrived at work Monday morning. In addition to the stolen vehicle, other items taken include hand and power tools, laptop computers and a portable welder. Officers are currently working the case. The stolen city vehicle is a 2004 Chevrolet 4X4 truck with a white cab and a blue flatbed, which had city of...
OSHKOSH, Neb. (AP) — A Wyoming man is facing charges after a car accident in western Nebraska that killed one woman and injured another. The Nebraska State Patrol says 45-year-old Edward Hood of Sheridan, Wyo., was arrested after the Saturday afternoon crash. Authorities say Hood's vehicle crossed the center line of U.S. Highway 26 and struck another vehicle about five miles west of Oshkosh. The driver of the other vehicle, 62-year-old Terry Hofer of Ogallala, died. Her passenger, 62-year-old Claudia Weinbender of Dix, was hospitalized in S...
