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 2228 - 2252 of 3076
Sidney's electric department officials are working to bring the city one step closer to a more flexible system offering more power. The city received bids for a new electrical distribution tie line Sept. 11. The low bid was from Ward Electric Company in the amount of around $230,000. Public services director John Hehnke recommended approval for the bid at Tuesday's city council meeting. A few years ago the electricity department placed a larger transformer at the north substation, which has the capability to supply more power to town,... Full story
Environmentally conscious Sidney employees recently gained state-wide recognition. Two city officials were awarded with the Nebraska Outstanding Community Conservation Award at the Nebraska Association of Resources District's annual fall conference Sept. 23. These prizes are awarded to those who take part in outstanding community conservation efforts and promote community conservation projects in Nebraska. Both Bill Taylor, water superintendent and Tom VonSeggern, parks superintendent were...
The city hopes to end its fiscal year in fine health. Sidney's fiscal year ends at the end of September. Tax collections, which were a mixed bag in August this year, might be the only hitch. "The property tax came in a little short, but the sales tax is coming in better than anticipated," said city clerk Geri Anthony. "So that helped a lot." Although property tax collections were lower than anticipated, collections in October are usually pretty substantial, she added. The city is pleased with the sales tax numbers at this point. September...
Anyone in Sidney with a broken-down car in the front yard should expect to hear from police sometime soon. At Tuesday night's city council meeting, Sidney Police Chief B.J. Wilkinson asked the council to accept a bid for a towing contract between the city and Affordable Towing for the removal of abandoned and unlicensed vehicles illegally stored on private property. The police department received only one bid on Sept. 9. "We had lots of interest, we only had one bid returned," Wilkinson said.... Full story
The Cheyenne County Commissioners approved the proposed budget for 2013-2014, and some of the line items took a significant jump. Big changes occurred in the communications center and wireless 911 services, shoot from $390,354 to $560,390 and $4,644 to $128,370, respectively. “I think they were just inflationary costs. I don’t know that there was one particular thing that made this huge jump,” Cheyenne County Clerk, Beth Fiegenschuh said. The rules governing allocation of funds are strict, with money directed toward specific projects or categ... Full story
The Tax Increment Finance plan for the Cabela's Corporate Campus Expansion received final approval Tuesday night by the Community Development Agency and the city council. After a referral back from the planning commission with assurance that the master plan for redevelopment of the 27 acre tract of land owned by Cabela's and the 14 acre tract of land owned by Tim Reganis was in line with the city's 2012 comprehensive plan, the CDA and then the city council both approved TIF for the project. This area is considered blighted and Cabela's asked...
A shortage of lawyers means a lack of justice. While in some areas, the legal market is oversaturated, the number of qualified attorneys in rural areas is shrinking rapidly. Many counties are underserved at the moment, according to the Nebraska State Bar Association. When there are few lawyers available, this limits access to justice for rural dwellers. In some cases, people must travel up to 200 miles for legal help. In Nebraska, there are 12 counties that have no lawyers at all. According to the NSBA there were 18 lawyers in Cheyenne County... Full story
Those living in Sidney are constantly told that the populations has grown, is growing and will continue to grow into the future. Sidney's 2012 comprehensive plan predicts a population of 7,800 by 2030, compared to 6,700 in the 2010 census. Predictions topping 10,000 are also heard. The Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce sees this first hand and will be welcoming some of that new population at the annual newcomers picnic later this week. The number city tours given out by the chamber rose quite a bit this year. "The increase was substantial," s...
McCook Cross Country Invite Results @ Heritage HIlls Golf Course Team Scores Girls results 1. Sidney 28 2. Holdrege 61 3. McCook 64 4. North Platte 74 5. St. Pat's 92 6. Dundy County 92 7. Perkins Clounty 105 8. Ogallala 130 9. Chase County 143 10. Sutherland 154 Boys Results 1. Sidney 28 2. North Platte 29 3. Dundy County 59 4. McCook 74 5. Chase County 79 6. Ogallala 99 7. Holdrege 112 8. St. Pat's 118 9. Sutherland 168 10. Perkins County 189 Individual Results Girls 1. Molly Sughroue McCook...
Construction work at the intersections of Illinois St. and 13th and 14th avenues is nearly completed. The entire intersection is now open to through traffic. Construction cones delineate the lanes at this point because lane-stripe painting has not started. Depending upon weather, the city hopes to get the stripes done at the beginning of this week, according to public services director John Hehnke. The new stop light signal controllers are already installed, but the sensors won't be working at full function until the stripe painting is... Full story
Peggy Makey owned a business is Greeley, Colorado, and a customer who had previously met Makey’s father asked if he had been in the war. Makey told the customer what she knew of her father’s time serving during WWII, and the customer mentioned that they should look into the Honor Flight program. Donald Larson, Makey’s father, had mentioned that he wanted to see the memorial about a year ago. Makey underwent two hip replacements and sold her store, so the plan did not start to take shape until tw... Full story
Camp Lookout, one of Sidney's oldest buildings, was once owned by the army and also served as a brothel during the seedier days of Sidney's history, but in the future it will serve as a pictorial museum chronicling the city's past. "It'll be kind of the history of Sidney," said Kathy Wilson, chairperson of the Boot Hill Restoration Committee. The Boot Hill Restoration Committee purchased Camp Lookout in 2010. This building is located on the corner of 10th and Elm on the north side of town....
The city of Sidney is still working to cleanup after the Sept. 9 storm. Many power lines throughout town were damaged during the storm. Some of these lines were already slated for underground conversion, so officials decided to go ahead with the project on the lines at Pine and Dorwart, as well as others, instead of repairing the existing above-ground network. Some city employees worked for close to 36 consecutive hours to ensure that the city was back on track in the hours and days after the storm, according to emergency manager John Hehnke.... Full story
Sidney's planning commission denied Werner Construction's conditional use permit for a mobile asphalt plant at the Kielian gravel pit one half mile south of the intersection of Roads 20 and 117, east of Sidney. The city attorney, J. Leef, who was not present at the Sept. 16 meeting, informed commission chairperson Jerry Spiker that the city should not issue a conditional use permit to anyone besides the land owner, which is the Kielian Family Trust, according to Spiker. The Kielian family trust was given nine months, at the same meeting, to...
After record-setting floods in Colorado last week, floodwaters are currently moving up the South Platte River and well into Nebraska. Sidney was hardly immune to storm water issues last week. Flash flooding on Sept. 9 made navigating the city difficult and sometimes dangerous. Region 21 emergency manager Ron Leal helped those in Big Springs prepare for flooding earlier this week. Leal brought Command One, the RV that serves as the Emergency Operations Vehicle for region 21—which includes Deuel, Cheyenne, Garden and Morrell counties— to Big Spr... Full story
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — State officials are urging outdoor recreationalists to stay away from flood waters in western and central Nebraska. The warning came after Nebraska Game and Parks officials rescued a man from the South Platte River earlier this week. Authorities say two brothers from Colorado launched a canoe into the swollen river on Wednesday. The canoe capsized about a mile east of the Nebraska-Colorado state line. Authorities say 48-yearold Joseph Schneiderwind, of Conifer, Colo., r...
The city Planning Commission found Monday that the Cabela’s corporate expansion plan was in line with city’s overall vision for the future. This redevelopment plan had already been reviewed by the Community Development Agency, who referred it to the Planning Commission. The commission’s role was to refer it back to the CDA, after ensuring that it conforms with the 2012 comprehensive plan and the overall goals and strategies of the community. “It does over time look at the development of this ground as being commercial,” said Dennis Armstrong, C... Full story
Taking tests is rarely fun, but for some high school kids, scoring well on the ACT is the boost they need to jump start a college career. Sidney High School is one of eight school districts across the state of Nebraska participating in a pilot program in which 100 percent of students take the ACT. Nationally only about 54 percent of kids participate in the test. It usually isn't required for high school, but ACT scores are necessary for most college applications in the Midwest. Schools in the eastern and central part of the state participating... Full story
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Floodwaters from Colorado quickly filled the South Platte River in western Nebraska Wednesday and began to spill out onto the rural land nearby. Flooding is expected to continue as the surge moves east down the South Platte and into the larger Platte River over the next several days. But much of the land at risk initially is pasture or cropland with little development, and the cities along the river for at least the first 75 miles don't sit directly on the South Platte, so officials are optimistic. "We're hoping that the c...
A city planning commission meeting Monday night was marked by frustration, confusion and lengthy discussion in an attempt to understand and work toward solving issues with a tract of land currently occupied by a sand and gravel pit. Representatives of the Kielian Family Trust owns the ground in question. The gravel pit is located east of Sidney one half mile south of the intersection of Roads 20 and 117. Representatives with Kielian Family Trust met with the planning commission to appeal the... Full story
The Cheyenne County Board of Commissioners met on Monday morning. The Board approved the budget for 2013-2014 as well as three other items from the public hearing. For the two budget years (2012-2013 and 2013-2014), the two cemeteries will receive $3,300 each and all three historical societies will be given $1,000. The Jail Medical Agreement between Cheyenne County and the Sidney Regional Medical Center was smoothed over from the last meeting and will be effective starting October 1. Payment of $20,000 per year for economic development will... Full story
A man who exposed at least one child to illegal drugs entered into a plea agreement with the state earlier this month. On Sept. 6 Justin Warren, 30, of Kimball pled no contest to possession of methamphetamine, a class IV felony and child abuse, a class IIA felony. The court accepted the pleas and ordered sentencing for October 15 at 9 a.m. According to the court's factual basis for accepting Warren's plea, law enforcement served a warrant to the residence of Justin Warren and Shirley Brewer in March of this year. Officials found marijuana and m... Full story
Cancer patients in Sidney who need radiation treatment have to travel to receive it, at least for the time being. Sidney's Dorwart Cancer Center closed last week due to storm damage and won't open until the beginning of next week at the earliest, according to Jonanne Krieg, marketing specialist at Regional West Medical Center. Due to water damage during the Sept. 9 storm, patients of the Dorwart Cancer Care Center will have to travel to Scottsbluff to receive radiation treatments. The storm caused significant water damage to the facility. Power... Full story
Boot Hill, which has been a Sidney establishment since the 1800s, has fallen into disrepair, but the Boot Hill Restoration Committee plans to work this year to patch it up. The original Sidney Cemetery, otherwise known as Boot Hill, has existed since 1868. It was first created to bury soldiers of Fort Sidney. Mike Hartzler, a member of the committee met with the city council earlier this summer to discuss the budget for improvements. "I know right now it's kind of a mess up there," Hartzler... Full story
The rollover bus crash that resulted in multiple injuries last Thursday northeast of Potter was caused by a driver's failure to stop at a stop sign. A Ford Ranger pickup truck, driven by Robert Hilpert, 55 of Potter, was traveling west on County Road 40 and struck a Potter School District bus, driven by John Herboldsheimer, 73, also of Potter, that was traveling north on County Road 83. According to accident reports filed by the Cheyenne County Sheriff's office, Hilpert failed to stop at the stop sign at the intersection of these roads and... Full story
