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 2347 - 2371 of 3076
Upgrades to the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds will depend on the charity of the community. A charity account set up specifically for donations to improve the fairgrounds was approved in late July. Two donors have already stepped up for the initial donations. These donors will be honored for their contributions at 1 p.m. today at the livestock arena, before the auction. Both are significant contributions, Connie Hancock of the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds Association said. She admits that it still won't be enough to pay for all the upgrades her...
For Ray Thompson, hypnotism isn't just a gimmick, it's a way to change bad habits. Thompson, of West Des Moines, Iowa will perform his hypnotism show at the Cheyenne County Fair grounds at 7 p.m. at the grandstands. He of course hopes to entertain the crowd, to make people laugh. But Thompson isn't just a sideshow, he has a clinical background in hypnotism. "I started using it as a mental health therapist in 1974," Thompson reported. He originally intended to become a clinical psychologist. But...
Casey Diedrich was arrested on July 30 by Sidney police for the alleged theft of an automobile form 1900 Ash St. Police received a report of the missing 2000 Kia Sportage from its owner, Linda Dickey. When Officer Curtis Hofrock arrived, Dickey informed him that two female neighbors watched Diedrich enter her apartment and run back out. According to police reports, the witnesses informed Officer Hofrock that Diedrich waited for them to re-enter the building. They added that they did not see him take the vehicle. One of the witnesses also...
Steve "Snorkel" From's rodeo adventures have taken him all over the world and to performances throughout the west. But soon he'll be ready to give up bull fighting and comedy to focus on farming in his hometown of Lodgepole. The 52-year-old, who served as clown at the Cheyenne County Fair Rodeo has been a part of the rodeo scene as a rider and comic for the past 26 years. He explains his transition into the career simply. "I was in Australia riding bulls and I was broke," From said. "I turned...
Seatbelts save lives and everyone knows it, yet people still suffer when they fail to buckle up. Deaths in motor vehicle accidents are up this year, according to Bob Grant, highway safety manager at the Nebraska Department of Roads. There have been 122 fatalities on Nebraska roads this year. At this time last year, there had been 110. Although around 80 percent of drivers obey the safety law, well over half of those who die in auto accidents aren't wearing seatbelts, Grant said. For instance, in June 22 people died in vehicle accidents on state...
The Cheyenne County Fair is one of the largest summertime gatherings in Sidney. On some nights thousands will converge on the grounds for rodeos, concerts, food and carnival rides. Crowds also create a need for additional law enforcement. County Sheriff John Jensen reports that crime is down this year, compared to past fairs, though he and his deputies have encountered the usual minor violations. Daytime events are smaller and more family oriented. The rodeo crowd was also relatively quiet before and after the events. But, Jensen assured, deput...
A new doctor joins the staff of Sidney Regional Medical Center this week. Dr. Rebecca Allard will begin seeing patients at SRMC on August 1. "Dr Allard's focus is toward providing care for the entire family," said SRMC director of public relations Evie Parsons. "She is dedicated to serving all ages and needs." The incoming doctor was most recently employed at Cheyenne County Hospital in St. Francis, Kans. Because she spent the last five years working at this small town hospital, she is familiar with the unique challenges patients face in a...
Road construction projects will continue to jog traffic across the city of Sidney for the foreseeable future. The Illinois Street project is well underway, which is evident to anyone who lives on the north side or who travels across town on Highway 30. City officials hope that work on this roadway will be complete by Oktoberfest. "It's progressing," said Sidney Public Services Director John Hehnke. "There have been afew twists along the way." The portion of the Illinois Street project which...
A Nebraska State Trooper received a big surprise during what he first thought was a routine traffic stop last Thursday: a vehicle stuffed with around $500,000 worth of marijuana. "It's one of the bigger [finds] we've made in a year or two," said Lieutenant Jamey Balthazor of the Nebraska State Patrol. Nebraska State Trooper XXXX Reed was traveling south on L17C, which links Interstate 80 with highway 30 west of Sidney, when he spotted a grey vehicle parked on the wrong side of the road. Reed was working with other troopers at a nearby drug...
A Sidney family called to court because of their son's absences from school contends that Nebraska's attendance law is unreasonable. Under the initial version of this law, every child who missed more than 20 days whether excused or unexcused, would be reported to his or her county attorney who would then file a petition with the court regarding the absences. There was quite a bit of parental backlash after children with cancer and other diseases were reported to their county for excused absences. Brenda Vosik, of the Nebraska Family Forum, an...
Zach and Jeff Deal, both Eagle Scouts, know the importance of community service as well as the value of having a good time. Although the Deals finally achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in December of last year, they received praise from scout leaders in a court of honor for their accomplishments at the end of last month. "To become an Eagle Scout there's several requirements and one of them is to plan, develop and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious...
Cabela's continues to grow at an exponential rate. On Thursday, the Sidney based corporation announced plans for four additional new stores in 2014. Cabela's is scheduled to open two new stores in Georgia, one in Montana and one in Ontario, Canada. The Acworth, Ga. location will span 100,000 square feet and will employ around 200 people. The store in Augusta, Ga. will be 42,000 square feet and will employ around 90 people. "We are thrilled to bring Cabela's to a state with such a great outdoor tradition," said Cabela's CEO Tommy Millner in a...
The Sidney Police Department, in conjunction with WING/HIDTA Drug Task Force made quite a few drug related arrests Thursday.Trevor Franklin, 19, of Sidney was arrested for deliver of a controlled substance within 1000 feet of a school which is a Class Id felony.Cordell Relerford, 18, of Sidney was arrested for delivery of Marijuana, a class III felony.Joshua Pilger, 23, of Sidney was arrested for delivery or distribution of hydromorphone, which is a class III felony. He was also charged with delivery or distribution of fentanyl, a class III...
On the day before his 27th birthday Sam Bass, along with several of his gang, walked intothe general store in Round Rock, Texas for a fresh pouch of Bull Durham. The local Deputy Sheriff A. W. Grimes recognized the group and approached them, demanding their surrender. In response, Deputy Grimes was shot and killed. As the gang attempted their escape, Texas Rangers George Herold and Richard Ware shot and fatally wounded young Sam Bass. Although he escaped, Bass was later found in a nearby...
At 9:20 Thursday morning, Nella Tucker of Lodgepole pulled into the Sidney Perkins parking lot. As she did so, the accelerator reportedly stuck on her 2008 Kia Sedona mini van, sending her vehicle hard into the restaurant's wall, according to Police Chief Joe Aikens. The incident resulted in a sizable dent in the side of the building, causing insulation to spill out into the interior of the restaurant. Approximately $6000 worth of damage was done to the building. The vehicle received about...
An update to the city's energy conservation code was cause for debate at Tuesday's city council meeting. Troubled by an incomplete understanding of its requirements, the body looked for more information—and time—before making a decision. Sidney's Chief Building Inspector, Brad Rowan, introduced Ordinance 1700, adopting the 2012 edition of the International Energy Conservation Code. This code would regulate and govern energy efficient building practices and the installation of energy efficient mechanical lighting in the City of Sidney and in...
Between the federal government and international bodes, the organic farmer faces a unique set of regulations. South of Sidney along the Colorado border, however, three families are navigating the challenges with success. Fresh Wind Farms on County Road 8 has found a market for organic eggs, selling them to a small but growing number of people in the Sidney community. To meet the requirements, their chickens must receive organic feed—an often expensive prospect. Fortunately, a neighboring farm s...
Authorities say two Pennsylvania men have been arrested and 127 pounds of marijuana has been seized along Interstate 80 in the Nebraska Panhandle. The Nebraska State Patrol says the two were taken into custody just off the Sidney exit on Thursday evening. The patrol says a trooper reported smelling marijuana when he was checking on a sport utility vehicle that had stopped. The patrol says the pot, a pound of hashish and a small amount of cocaine were found during a search of the SUV. Troopers arrested 23-year-old Kenneth Turner, of Pittsburgh,...
Many people who work 9 to 5 have trouble racing downtown in time, when most shops close their doors at or shortly after 5:00 p.m. Starting last week, however, some of Sidney's downtown stores joined together, staying open until 7 p.m. on Thursday nights. The city is helping to promote these idea with advertising in print, radio spots and social media. Community Development Director Megan McGown said, "We want to create a buzz as well as help generate traffic downtown,” observed Sidney's C...
Plans for the new hospital are going so smoothly that city officials consider it something to brag about. "I just think you need to be out there tooting your horn a little bit," Sidney Mayor Wendall Gaston told hospital CEO Jason Petik during Tuesday night's City Council meeting. "This is a pretty impressive looking facility." Still, while the initial design process for the medical center is already complete, architects and hospital officials are ironing out some kinks and are open to changes. "I know we are still working on some concepts and s...
The city found itself in a difficult lie on Wednesday and the long planned golf course project appeared to stall. After lengthy planning with city officials and Project One, Staples Golf Design only received one contractor bid for municipal course improvements, set to start this fall. Both Staples Golf and the city council deemed this bid unsatisfactory. The city contracted Staples Golf to design, plan and coordinate the irrigation project at Hillside Golf Course. This project includes an...
Harvest is in full swing and at the Scoular elevator trucks have been rolling in steadily. But this season has a distinct character. “It's been a different type of year with the late rains that we had,” reported Scoular Merchandiser Logan Snyder. “There is a lot of wet stuff out there right now.” As every farmer knows, weather is a big factor in determining when to harvest, as well as the quality of a crop. While trucks loaded with grain arrive at Scoular's elevator day and night, Snyder...
Cuffed at the hands and ankles, Dale Robertson was escorted into the Cheyenne County District Court by a deputy. Dressed in orange he sat quietly at the table, waiting for Judge Derek Weimer to enter the room. His lawyer, William Madelung, said in an aside that Robertson's life had been “tainted with drug abuse.” Judge Wiemer sentenced the defendant to two to four years in jail, with a possible chance for probation after one year. This sentence runs consecutively with a term of one year in the county jail. Robertson was charged with sel...
Nebraska farmers who've been dealing with drought for the past few years now have a new pest new pest to worry about. Wheat stem sawfly is a small wasp that lays eggs in the growing plant. The sawfly's feeding reduces crop yield, but the real damage is done when the larva scores a line in the stem. When this happens, wind can easily knock flatten damaged crop, an event called lodging. Once the wheat is knocked over, combines generally skim over the grain, without picking it up. "It's been a growing problem in the last three years," said Jeff...
