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 2363 - 2387 of 3067
A state bill's affect on budgets and a last minute hire were cause for a special school board meeting on Monday. Nebraska Legislative Bill 407, the major school finance bill in front of the Unicameral this year, restricts the amount that public school districts can increase their budgets on an annual basis. "This is really the reason for the special budget meeting," said Sidney Schools Superintendent Jay Ehler. School board member Tom Von Seggern and Ehler learned about a helpful provision in this bill at a Nebraska Association of School...
On Monday, the Cheyenne County Court sentenced Leland Blake to intensive probation for 60 months for distribution of a controlled substance. As part of the decision, he must testify in a case against Larry Martinez. In August Blake witnessed Martinez shoot and kill Mandy Kerschman, age 30 of Sidney, according to court documents. The incident took place at Blake's home. Kerschman was reportedly a friend of Blake. Charges against Blake step from a WING Task Force investigation that culminated in his arrest. On June 29, 2012, WING officer Justin L... Full story
Harvest crews travels hundreds, perhaps thousands of miles over the course of a summer. Their journey often begins in the south, where crops mature with the early warmth. They eventually make their way to Nebraska. Minnesota native Reed Lundy and his crew of five started cutting in June, somewhere in Oklahoma. Before reaching the panhandle, they worked fields in Kansas. The end of their road will come in North Dakota, up near the Canadian border. Theirs is a life of hotel rooms, wide open spaces...
James Russell of Sidney was caught with some sweet evidence after allegedly stealing candy from the Legion Park concession stand. Sergeant Joe Rieken of Sidney Police was called to Legion Park on the morning of July 16 after a burglary was reported at the concession stand, the second in as many months. Bonita Dickinson told police that someone apparently climbed in the window and took candy and soda, according to the arrest affidavit. Rieken deduced from evidence found at the scene that the burglars pried open metal plates around the concession... Full story
The Illinois Street construction project recently hit a few snags. "It's progressing," Sidney Public Services Director John Hehnke assured. "There have been a few twists along the way." The construction crew discovered some underground utilities that weren't in their expected location. These extra shallow gas mains have to be placed more deeply underground so the road can be properly installed. So far, the crew has the curb and gutter in place on Illinois and have replaced the storm drain. They... Full story
Every year a hundred or more abandoned bicycles are found by city and law enforcement officials. On any summer day, the Sidney Police Department stores 50 to 75 bicycles in their bike rack, outside of the station. The majority—90 percent—go unclaimed. “We get bikes that are left leaning against the swimming pool fence, just laying out in the open,” interim Chief of Police Joseph Aikens reported. “We chain them up where we find them.” Some of these may have been left behind after an unreported th... Full story
After reports of rabies in northeastern Colorado over the past few weeks, the virus has now been confirmed in the panhandle of Nebraska As of July 15, 25 Nebraska animals have tested positive for rabies, according to officials at the Panhandle Public Health District. This number includes seven skunks. Across the entire state, the virus has been discovered in bats, cattle, cats, one llama, one horse, and a dog. In Nebraska, skunks and bats most commonly carry and spread the disease, according to the health district. "Some humans in the... Full story
Probation officers working out of Cheyenne County are revving up services and trying to find more space. The state government passed Legislative Bill 561 in June, a new juvenile probation plan being piloted in Omaha and Nebraska probation districts 11 and 12. This law will expand the organization's current juvenile services. "We'll need more employees," said Linda Buehler, chief probation officer for district 12. Probation district 12 encompasses all of the counties in the panhandle. At this point, Buehler is trying to put together...
Step after step, mile after mile brings Rolla Joyce closer to Washington D.C. His zeal pushes closer to his destination, day after day. Joyce, from Richland, Wash., passed through Sidney Thursday afternoon on a near cross country walk. Earlier this summer he felt a calling to leave his family, catch a ride to Salt Lake City, Utah and begin his trek across the heartland for the sake, he says, of his country. As Joyce sees it, Americans are in a state of isolation. The thought of individuals helpi... Full story
Balancing planned construction against the current needs of Sioux Villa residents caused Sidney's Housing Authority to reconsider their schedule and workload. The board spent part of Wednesday's meeting discussing a proposed cut in their meeting time, but an increase in their commitment. Rather than gather once a month, debate centered around a bi-monthly meeting schedule, with a lot of work in between. Executive Director of Sidney Housing Authority Nancy Bentley will need more time in the future, if the authority ever finds funding for a... Full story
Drought, late winter storms and vicious summer heat makes for an uncertain harvest. Even among local farmers, there is some disagreement about expected quality and yield of this year's winter wheat crop. Logan Snyder, merchandiser at Scoular Grain, thinks it's still too early to speculate about the quality. "The stuff coming off right now is from drier areas," he said. Once the portions still containing moisture are cut, then farmers might have a better idea about the specifics of this year's crop. "It'll be interesting to see what the wetter a...
One trip to the concession stand apparently couldn't satisfy an alledged burglar with a sweet tooth. James Russell, a 20 year old Sidney man, was arrested in connection with a break in that apparently took place sometime on the night of July 15 at the Legion Park concession stand. Russell was previously arrested and charged with theft of candy and soft drinks from the same location in June. At around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Sidney Police responded to a report of a burglary at the Legion Park baseball... Full story
Nebraska ranks in the country's top five states in two polls for quality of life and business-friendliness. Nebraska was named second most business friendly state by Pollina Corporate Real Estate, Inc., a national leader in corporate site selection. The state was also named number four for quality of life by CNBC because of its low crime, clean air and stress free lifestyle. "I think we're one of the leading business-friendly communities in a leading state," said City Manager Gary Person. Sidney and the state of Nebraska work in conjunction to... Full story
The board of commissioners met on Monday with Cheyenne County Treasurer Diane Scott to compare the county's current fiscal situation to figures from a year ago. "2012 tax collections are at 62 percent, and last year at this time they were at 60 percent," Diane Scott said. The biggest concern in Scott's mind was a drop in inheritance tax collections which were $32,000 less than last year and seems to be on a downward trend, she said. Last year collections were $46,000 less than the year before. "... Full story
The county is looking for some help, in the form of community donations, to make the fairgrounds more hospitable. Connie Hancock of the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds Association spoke with county commissioners at yesterday's meeting about potential upcoming fairgrounds projects. The plans call for new facilities and upgrades, perhaps even a catering set up. Hancock assured the commissioners that there were no final plans and reminded the group that everything was still up for discussion. "As we think of the future of the fairgrounds and the... Full story
Budget cuts in Washington may again affect funding of the Western Nebraska Intelligence and Narcotics Group (WING). In 2005, the interagency task force received $229,546 in grant funds. A year ago, that amount had been slashed to $70,000. With current cutbacks on the federal level, some fear this year's allocation may fall short even of that mark. “It’s petty tough—we have to buy equipment and pay the salary for an officer,” said Joseph Aikens, Sidney's acting police chief. A significant portion of the funds used by local departments to inve...
On an overcast summer day, with a cool breeze—rare of late—blowing through their windows, 200 tourists in 80 old cars pulled into Sidney on Saturday. The group is from Norway, Denmark and Sweden. They are driving across the U.S. on the Lincoln Highway, in celebration of the storied road and its centennial. The column of American and foreign makes left New York's Times Square on July 1, bound for San Francisco. Norwegian Morten Ruud, traveling with his wife Annstine and his father Jan-Erik transp...
On July 7, 41 year old Draven Watson of Hudson, North Carolina was charged with second degree assault and disturbing the peace for a fight that took place in the Sidney McDonald's parking lot. Around 3 a.m., Sidney Police Officer Scott Tobler witnessed two men fighting near a Semi truck with its lights on in the lot. He observed a younger male he later identified as Tory Stacy punching an older male, later identified as Draven Watson, to the ground. Tobler then witnessed Watson get up and hit Stacy on the side of the head, according to the arre... Full story
There's more than one reason to scurry from a nearby skunk. At Tuesday's city council meeting, Sidney Mayor Wendall Gaston announced reports of rabies in towns close to Sidney. Communities in northern Colorado have discovered the disease in their feral cat and skunk populations, Gaston said. With the number of people and animals that travel between Sidney and Sterling, Colo., the mayor expressed concern the issue could spread. No cases have been confirmed so far in Cheyenne or any of the... Full story
John Hehnke knows what to do in case of disaster. Sidney's Emergency Manager and Public Services Director is prepared for flooding—rain sometimes falls—tornadic storms and even chemical spills. When a problem arises, he takes charge of the situation. “We use an emergency plan almost every day for something,” Hehnke said. Major issues are covered by the Local Emergency Operation Plan, a guide approved by the state every five years and implemented at the county and city level. Representatives from government, healthcare, first responders and oth...
The French Door Antique Mall is just one of the businesses in Sidney that is helping to keep the city beautiful. Mary Jo Putman, opened the store two and half years ago in a rented space off of Toledo Street. She just moved the mall to its current location, on 10th street, in May. Because of its stellar outward and inside appearance Putman's store has been honored with the Community Beautification Award by Keep Sidney Beautiful. "The Community Beautification Award is given out quarterly to an... Full story
Ben Sasse worked to turn around companies in crisis for 20 years. Now he's considering putting that skill set to work in the U.S. Senate. Sasse is currently traveling around Nebraska on a listening tour—including a stop in Sidney on Thursday—to help him decide whether or not he wants to run for Congress. After a series of discussions, he believes that three major concerns are at the forefront of most Nebraskans' minds. To begin with, many agree that there's a crisis of work in the United Sta... Full story
The city is preparing to begin spraying against mosquitoes. More people are spending time outdoors. It's the time of year when people turn to Diethyl-meta-toluamide, otherwise known as DEET. Despite its popularity and repeated calls by experts to use repellants with DEET to prevent bites, many are concerned about its safety. Some attribute eight deaths to the chemical since 1961—including three from ingestion and three children who reportedly succumbed to over-application. Veronica Phelps owner of KISST Organics said, “Anytime you're put...
Pilots and passengers flying in and out of Sidney will finally have a place to relax and take a load off before and after air time. After many years of operating without one, the Sidney Airport Authority is planning to add a terminal building. The group hopes that construction will begin in spring 2014 for completion in fall of the same year. The price is estimated at around $600,000 and the committee expects the Federal Aviation Administration to pay for 95 percent of the construction. The Sidney Airport Authority will fund around 3 percent... Full story
Relief is on the way for those worried about West Nile or suffering from itchy bites. Mosquito spraying in Sidney starts this weekend. "They're not too bad recently because there hasn't been water," said superintendent of Sidney parks, Tom Von Seggern. But he predicted that the volume of mosquitoes will soon rise because of the recent rain. "I expect there to be a surge," Von Seggern said. The city uses a spray process called ultra low volume. This means that about 1.5 oz of the pesticide is used on an area around the size of a football field....
