Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
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Sidney City Council member Aaron Barnes has regretfully informed the council that he will be stepping down from his position as council member this month, with his last meeting being Jan. 20. In a letter Barnes wrote to City of Sidney Mayor Wendall Gaston he said that he must resign because of employment changes and his family’s relocation out of Sidney. Barnes said that he was honored to hold his position and that he will miss the town and the people of Sidney. “I am very honored to have bee...
Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors joined Doug and Tammy Hays at the ribbon cutting ceremony for their business, Bushido Mixed Martial Arts, as the business united with the chamber yesterday at 11 a.m. The ribbon cutting took place at the Youth Center (located on 14th and King St.). Bushido Mixed Martial Arts has officially been open for business since Feb. 4. The Hays have been working in different areas of martial arts for years. Tammy said she started out learning Tai Chi, which...
WASHINGTON (AP) — A bitterly divided Senate panel on Tuesday voted to approve President Barack Obama's nomination of Chuck Hagel to be the nation's defense secretary at a time of turmoil for the military with looming budget cuts, a fresh sign of North Korea's nuclear ambitions and drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The Armed Services Committee voted 14-11 to send the nomination to the full Senate, with all the panel's Democrats backing the president's choice to succeed Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. The committee's Republicans were u...
Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Director Mike Linder has announced the awarding of $1,765,776 in 55 grants for litter cleanup, recycling, and public education programs and activities. Funds for the Litter Reduction and Recycling Grant Program are generated from a fee charged to certain manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers of products that commonly contribute to litter. “Recycling and litter reduction are important issues to all Nebraskans,” Linder said. “These grants to local programs and communities will help us all meet...
LINCOLN (AP) – A bill inspired by Omaha billionaire Warren Buffett that would increase state income tax rates on the rich and bring in more than $42 million in its first year was brought before lawmakers Friday. Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln asked lawmakers to consider creating a new state income tax bracket for the less than 1 percent of tax filers making more than $400,000. The Nebraska and Lincoln Chambers of Commerce opposed the bill, while the Nebraska State Education Association supported it. Her bill comes up for discussion after G...
As of Jan. 27, 2013 business owners are now allowed to charge customers with a surcharge fee of up to 4 percent extra when customers use a credit card to pay for their products. Whether or not to charge the extra fee is up to each individual business retailer and although using a credit card may result in the surcharge, debit cards will remain untouched. According to a Reuters article by Atossa Araxia Abrahamian, this surcharge can apply in 40 U.S. states – California, New York and Texas are among those outlawing the charge. The state of N...
The three individuals who currently stand accused of murder in Cheyenne County — Craig A. Johnson, Larry G. Martinez and Jason W. Custer — each have hearings scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, with Johnson facing new enhanced charges. Cheyenne District Judge Derek Weimer will preside in each hearing. Here’s a breakdown of each defendant’s status: • Johnson, 47, Sidney, is charged with felony Class 1B second-degree murder and Class II felony use of a weapon to commit a felony, in the Dec. 11, 2011 beating death of April Smith. Upon arrival t...
Lara Herboldsheimer stays in shape by not only teaching a total body conditioning class at the Cheyenne County Community Center but she also teaches the popular class of kickboxing there. Total body conditioning occurs Monday and Wednesday mornings from 5:15 a.m. to 6 a.m. and kickboxing class is on Tuesday nights at 5:30 p.m. at the center. While Herboldsheimer has been teaching kickboxing at the center on and off for seven years, this is the first year that she has been teaching total body... Full story
LINCOLN (AP) — State forecasters expect modest economic and employment growth in Nebraska this year and a drop in farm incomes from their all-time highs, according to a report released Friday. The Nebraska Business Forecast Council said in its latest long-range report that many sectors of the state economy were primed for solid progress in 2014, predicting accelerated job and income growth for Nebraska workers. “Weather conditions and uncertainty about the national fiscal situation will limit economic growth in Nebraska during much of this yea...
Sidney West Elementary School fifth grade student Salena Petluri came out on top once again at the Cheyenne County Spelling Bee held at West Elementary. Petluri beat out 23 other contestants and not only correctly completed her word (renegade) in the fifth round but also spelled the championship word, Olympian, correctly and confidently. Two rows of boys and girls sat patiently waiting to see who would be victorious in a war of words Wednesday afternoon with an audience consisted of parents,...
Their business started out in a two bay shop and had already been established, owned by Don Hoffman, but it is Roger and Betty Sauder who, on July 14, will celebrate the 27th anniversary of the business that brought their family so much success. Back in 1986 Roger Sauder was doing as most of us do, working for someone else, when his boss, Hoffman, decided he was ready to pack in the chips. Sauder seeing his chance to work for himself in an industry he knows well made a very smart move – he j... Full story
Sam Jacoby of Bridgeport Dental Clinic awarded a certificate from the Great Navy of Nebraska to Tom Von Seggern on Jan. 30. Von Seggern was presented this honor due to his courageous efforts saving two little boys from drowning in a pond at Sidney’s Legion Park Jan. 4 at around 3:30 p.m. One of the boys had slipped into the pond while chasing his dog across the iced-over pond. The other fell in attempting to rescue his submerged sibling. Von Seggern and four other city workers came upon the scen...
City of Sidney officials may be issuing a Snow Emergency either later today or early Saturday morning because of recent weather forecasts, according to John Hehnke, City of Sidney Public Services Director, in a press release this morning. A winter storm is forecasted for this weekend and city officials would like to alert residents and ask them to pay attention to local media sources for future alerts from the National Weather Service or the city. “The City of Sidney is closely monitoring forecasts provided by the National Weather Service f...
LINCOLN – Members of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) supported Gov. Dave Heineman’s proposed tax reform bill in a press conference Wednesday morning. In a unanimous vote Jan. 26, the VFW voted to support LB405 that would eliminate income tax on all forms of income, including Social Security benefits, military retirement and all pensions. John Hilgert, director of the Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs, said he thinks the bill will help the future of Nebraska. “I don’t know a single soldier who...
SIDNEY – The Sidney Elks will host Way Out West Community Theatre as it presents an Evening of One Acts Feb. 8, 9 and 15, 16 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 10 and 17 at 2 p.m. Both shows are by Christopher Durang and have been a growing experience for all involved. “It has really stretched my skills as an actor. It has allowed me to try different acting techniques and get rid of my boundaries,” Erin Huddleston said. Huddleston was last seen in “Steel Magnolias” as Shelby, but is stepping outside h...
Sidney’s Legion Baseball Association was honored by the Cheyenne County Lady’s Chamber as February’s Dress Down Day recipients. This is not the first year the Association has received Dress Down Day funds in the past the board members for the Legion Baseball Association have used the monies to upgrade the home team’s concession stand and press box. This year, board representative Clay Phillips said the funds would be used for, “the overall maintenance of the baseball team, uniforms all the w...
Gov. Dave Heineman recently along with members of the Governor’s Youth Advisory Council announced seven vacancies on the council with members from Districts 2 and 3 especially needed. The council is facilitated by Nebraska Children and Families Foundations. “I want to applaud the interest these young people have taken in civic issues,” Gov. Heineman said. “These students are the future leaders of our state. I want to encourage more young people to be involved in public service.” Members meet quarterly to review pending legislation, discuss issu...
Dana Reese, right, was recently honored for his outstanding service to the Lodgepole Valley Youth Camp by receiving the Ivan Award from youth camp president, Gary Hawkins, left....
Cheyenne County Attorney Paul Schaub indicated this morning that he is amending information regarding murder charges against Larry Martinez, and will not pursue the death penalty in the case. During today’s suppression hearing requested by defense attorney Kelly Breen, Cheyenne County District Judge Derek Weimer accepted Schaub’s motion for leave to amend information. Originally, Schaub had intent to move forward with Class I first-degree murder and Class IC use of a firearm to commit a fel... Full story
Depositions are piling up in a pair of cases before Cheyenne County District Judge Derek Weimer, who presided over both status hearings Wednesday. The cases of Nancy Gipfert, 55, Sidney, (Class II felony charge of intentional child abuse) and Corey Lundgren, 22, Sidney (three Class IIIA felony counts of driving under the influence of alcoholic liquor – causing serious bodily injury) are moving toward trials. However, getting there is going to take more time, according to attorney Donald Miller, who is representing both defendants. G...
A Sidney man faces three drug-related felony charges following his arrest Tuesday during a police “knock and talk” incident. According to an arrest affidavit, authorities took Valente A. Acosta Simental, 51, into custody and charged him with Class III possession of marijuana with the intent to deliver/distribute, Class IV possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) and Class IV possession of drug-related money. Cheyenne County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Nebraska State Patrol, WING Drug Task Force and Sidney City Police Depar...
Sidney native, Mark Zalesky returned to Cheyenne County in 2011 after years of serving in the U.S. military. Pastor Mark has not only made a homecoming but was also voted in by members of the First Christian Church in Sidney to be their pastor after the retirement of their previous pastor Jan. 6. “I was born and raised in Sidney and I just moved back and am the new pastor, in all sense of the word, new. I had lived in Florida for 25 years in the military and then I moved back here in June of 2...
Third in a series . . . By the late 1880s and early 1890s Sidney’s boom was over and before long Cheyenne County would become mainly agricultural, an industry that had already established itself even before the major events of the boom. After the need for protection against Native Americans along the railroad was no longer needed, the last major fight being the Battle of Wounded Knee and the rush to the Black Hills was all but over, therefore cargo coming to and from miners was no longer in grea...
MIDLAND CITY, Ala. — As FBI and police negotiators sought for days to coax an Alabama man into freeing a kindergartner held hostage in an underground bunker, the captor was planning for violence, authorities say. He rigged the bunker with explosives, tried to reinforce it against any raid, and when SWAT agents stormed the shelter Monday to rescue the boy, Jimmy Lee Dykes engaged in a firefight that left the captor dead, the FBI and officials said. After the nearly weeklong hostage ordeal, relati...
Second in a series . . . Cheyenne County was carved out of a larger previously established county by the name of Shorter County in 1870 with Fort Sidney as the county seat and took up about half the Nebraskan panhandle. Established originally by soldiers and railroad workers Sidney saw its first real boom in the late 1870s and early 1880s. During this time, Sidney’s first recorded “hay day,” it truly was a Wild West town with lynching, outlaws, brothels, saloons, gambling and a murder rate that would amaze people these days. Fort Sidney’s rapid...
