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 2454 - 2478 of 3067
The price of gasoline may never be at $1.50 a gallon again. But midwestern corn is shaving the cost by a noticeable margin. Corn is changing the cars people drive and the type of fuel they choose in Sidney. Before the 1980s it was simple to fill up. Drivers just pulled in and selected the grade, measured by octane. Today the type of car often decides for its owner, because of ethanol blends. Some stations even offer E85 fuel, containing 85 percent ethanol. Older vehicles can burn 10 percent but prolonged use can cause difficulties with gaskets... Full story
Starting plans for a new elementary school this year could save Sidney big money in the long run. At a public meeting at Sidney community center last night, Sidney public schools superintendent, Jay Ehler emphasized how important it was to get community input before moving ahead with possible plans for a new elementary school. The plans presented during the meeting were put together by Project One, a construction management company that the school board plans to use for the building, if it is approved. The board of education wishes to start... Full story
An outbreak of equine infectious anemia that was confirmed in northwestern Nebraska last week has been quarantined. EIA is a blood born disease that only affects horses, mules and donkeys is most often passed on by insects that bite. It is usually fatal, according to state veterinarian Dr. Dennis Hughes. The Nebraska Department of Agriculture found out about the outbreak in the end of May. It occurred in north west Cherry County, said Christin Kamm, public information officer with the NDA. As far as the department knows, the outbreak is...
It's not easy finding an apartment to rent in Sidney, especially if your income falls between...well, that's where the difficulty starts. Since the 1940s, many apartment complexes developed in the city have been dependent upon tax credits to reduce rental cost to help ensure occupancy and provide opportunities for middle to low income dwellers. This process became especially important during periods of growth, such as the wartime Sioux Army Depot era and the past decade, when the city's buidling permit valuation crested above $10 million on... Full story
Cheyenne County is looking for a new appraiser. County attorney Paul Schaub received a copy of a cease and desist notice from the Nebraska real properties appraisal board in the end of April addressed to Jerry Knoche regarding the appraisal services he was providing to the county. "I don't know what took place, except I don't have an appraiser now," said Cheyenne county assessor, Louella Pippitt. A copy of the letter read, "It is the Board's opinion that you may be engaged in real property appraisal activity in the state of Nebraska, and... Full story
As settlers took their place in the plains gold was discovered in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Sidney would become a jumping off point to the gold fields. The town—and its railroad—was considered the closest transportation link to Deadwood. “This was a modern gold rush, people could take a steamship to St Joseph, Missouri, traveling by train to Sidney then by foot, horse or wagon to the gold fields of the Black Hills on the Deadwood Trail,” said Sidney resident and historian Gordy Wilkins... Full story
Road construction in and around Sidney isn't coming to a halt anytime soon. Work on Illinois street from 13th Avenue to 14th Avenue, including the intersections of both of those streets with Illinois is set to begin at the end of the month, said Sidney public services director, John Hehnke. Initial construction is on track to start the last week of June with the replacement of some storm drains on Illinois. Traffic patterns at those intersections will start to change that week. Major construction will begin July 1. The project will involve... Full story
On the business side, Cabela's shareholder meeting was one positive after another. Earnings in the billions, 25 new stores planned by the end of 2014, all proxy votes affirmend, a successful transition at the top—each round met with applause. But the meeting was also a chance to celebrate. A gigantic, inflatable open-mouthed fish greeted shareholders as they entered Cabela's annual meeting Wednesday at Sidney High School. Employees were lined up in a lengthy row inside the school Wednesday morni... Full story
Nicholas Schmit, a Utah man, died Wednesday morning on highway 30 about a half-mile west of Lodgepole. It is estimated that the 27-year-old from Grantsville was traveling by motorcycle when he ran into a sign and died of resulting blunt force trauma at approximately 1:30 a.m. Lodgepole residents discovered the accident at 5:10 a.m, according to Cheyenne county attorney, Paul Schaub. The body was taken to a local funeral home and blood was drawn for analysis, but result won't be in for approximately four to six weeks. "At this point there is... Full story
The Cabela's stockholder meeting, which started in earnest today, will be filled with music, food, recreation and celebration. The annual meeting kicked off last night with a special concert featuring Luke Bryan and John Pardi, held for the company's employees and shareholders at the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds. Thousands attended the event, despite threatening clouds. "The festivities are getting bigger and better every year," said Joe Arterburn, Cabela's corporate communications manager. The... Full story
The need for housing is on the increase with the posibility interest of more companies moving to Sidney. Rentals are at a premium and the area has not built a new major apartment complex in the last 50 years. Existing apartment complexes in Sidney were built in the 1940s through the 60’s, and the majority of these are rent controlled. At a time when the city was in slow growth, developers were given assurances through government incentives that they would produce revenue from the project. One i... Full story
Concern for livestock grew as the Nebraska Department of Agriculture confirmed 12 cases of equine infectious anemia June 4 in Northwestern Nebraska. According to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, EIA is dangerous only to horses, mules and donkeys. "It's an insect-born pathogen that affects the central nervous system," said Sidney veterinarian Dr. Kenneth Cook. "They can get pretty sick." EIA is typically transmitted by insects that bite, such as horseflies and deerflies, but can also be passed if the same needle is used on multiple... Full story
Cheyenne county commissioners discussed new developments in the county's civil suit against Pine Bluffs Gravel & Excavating, Inc. at the County Commissioner meeting June 3. On May 10, Cheyenne County filed a restraining order against Pine Bluffs Gravel & Excavating, as well as Raymond Kuehn and Teresa Kuehn, ordering them to cease and desist all activity on their property which violates zoning laws. "It's basically an action that the county is entitled to take against an entity that is violating zoning laws," said county attorney, Paul Schaub.... Full story
Cyclists spreading a sense of community and camaraderie passed through Sidney June 3. Riders taking part in the 33rd annual Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska started their trek from Kimball on that day and will end their 467 mile journey in Omaha June 8. Some riders viewed this scenic route across Nebraska as a vacation of sorts. "It's a great time to be with family," said Don Sweat of Syracuse, Neb. "Plus you get to meet a lot of neat people." Sweat was riding with his sons Ben Sweat and Alex... Full story
Sidney's 2013-14 budget is so dense, the City Council had to first weigh when to discuss the matter before turning to the actual details. At the council's May 27 meeting City Manager Gary Person said that this budget is going to have “a lot of pretty major projects already incorporated into it. Some carry over from this year, then those major projects we have to plan for. In addition to that, if there are things you want to see accomplished that will affect the budget we should identify those early on before our staff put their respective p... Full story
LINCOLN -- A legislative committee would be formed to study the tax system in Nebraska under a resolution advanced by lawmakers Thursday. LR155, introduced by Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, would create the Tax Modernization Committee to examine the state’s tax structure and submit recommendations to the governor and the Executive Board of the Legislature by December of this year. Chambers said the committee would look at sales, income, property and other taxes and solicit input from the public to determine the best tax structure for the state....
By Christine Scalora and Joseph Moore, Nebraska News Service LINCOLN - Disabled veterans would get a preference on state contracts under a bill state senators advanced Thursday. Sen. Charlie Janssen of Fremont introduced the bill. As amended, it would give resident disabled veterans a preference for bids on state contracts, if all other factors were equal. Helping Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans establish their own businesses is one of the best ways to reduce the unacceptably high unemployment rate of that group, Janssen said. The 2011...
The Sidney Chief Building Official Brad Rowan appeared before the members of the city council on May 28 for the second reading of the proposal to adopt the 2012 edition building, plumbing and mechanical/international fuel and gas codes 1694, 1695 and 1696. Rowan said during the May 28 meeting that he has received only positive responses from people about raising the fees and some people even asked why it hadn’t been done before. He added that “everybody thinks that we ought to raise them, also thinking we didn’t raise them enough.” At the May... Full story
During the week of May 29 through June 4 the Scottsbluff Troop E Officers of the Nebraska State Patrol will be conducting the following enforcement activities at the listed times and locations. The intent of this is that drivers will become more aware of their driving habits and surroundings thus reducing the incidents of traffic crashes. The intent of the enforcement is to increase voluntary compliance with the rules of the road, which in turn will make the highways safer for everyone. Impaired Driver Enforcement Highway 19 on June 1 from 10:0... Full story
At the height of Tuesday night's thunderstorm, Sidney Public Service Director John Hehnke spotted very little in the way of damage. In fact, he spotted very little at all. "It was a wall of hail and water," he reported. "You couldn't see out of the windshield, even with the wipers at full blast." The storm front dumped almost an inch of precipitation on Sidney in just a few hours. The National Weather Service identified possible rotation in the clouds 10 miles south of town, spurring tornado... Full story
The local sales tax increase voters approved in November becomes a pocketbook reality on July 1. State Tax Commissioner Doug Ewald issued the announcement on Tuesday, confirming that Sidney's local sales and use tax will increase to two percent, with funds going toward city infrastructure improvements. Sales tax receipts "are distributed to the communities where they were collected," Ewald explained in a prepared statement. Half of the funds collected from this tax will go toward street repair and construction projects. Sidney plans to extend T...
Annexation with Potter of the old Sioux Army Depot was the topic of conversation at Tuesday evening's City Council meeting—in between bouts of thunder and tornado warnings. Eventually the council approved an interlocal agreement between the communities. City Manager Gary Person explained that Potter was the only city in Cheyenne County that had completed a comprehensive plan, one of the items that must be in place in order to start the redevelopment project. He went on to say that as a result, there will be an area at the site that is d...
The Sidney Volunteer Fire Department held its annual awards banquet on Friday evening, with dozens applauding presentations to Firefighter of the Year Dave Sanders, longtime veteran Dean Starr and others. Award winners represented some 175 years of cumulative service to the city. Sanders, who works for D & D Roofing, earned the top honor following a vote by department members. "There is no better award to receive than to be honored by your peers," said Sidney City Manager Gary Person in his... Full story
DILLER, Neb. (AP) — Officials began a damage and site survey on Tuesday to confirm whether tornadoes or straight-line winds battered houses and farm buildings and ripped up trees and road signs in south-central and southeast Nebraska. Funnel clouds were reported in rural areas 11 miles north of Kimball and a few miles north of Dix, apparently causing no damage. Clay County emergency manager Loren Uden said two minor injuries were reported after a storm that struck Edgar a little after 7:30 p.m. Monday, including a driver whose car was lifted o... Full story
