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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“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” On Sept. 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention, signed the framework of their new country. On Aug. 15, 2022, the Cheyenne County Commissioners sig...
The Sidney City Council in its Aug. 9 meeting approved continuing the Joint East Sidney Watershed Authority (JESWA) with the South Platte Natural Resource District. City Manager David Scott said the partnership with the SPNRD has been successful through the creation, construction phase and completion of the project. Scott proposed the City Council approve formation of the Sidney Watershed Coalition (SWC). The loan payment would continue as with JESWA at an 80-20 percent split of the semi-annual...
The Cheyenne County Commissioners discussed an Engagement Letter with Lutz & Company for consulting services regarding American Rescue Plan Act funding. The commissioners have discussed projects they would like to use the funds for, but sought clear definition of how the ARP funds can be used. Lutz & Company evaluate what projects can be funded by ARP dollars and provide the audit as required by the Federal government. Lutz & Company bills at a rate of $200 per hour and up, with the required...
What would your home town look like if you weren't concerned about your checkbook, an investor who could absorb some of the risk? Would you be big and bold? Would you have live music in the park seven months of the year, a sports complex that would draw attention from east Nebraska and three neighboring states, or would you be tempted to restrict your dreams to what you think can be accomplished? On Aug. 2, a community meeting was held at the Sidney Elks Lodge to discuss what Sidney could look...
It's cast as a personal crime in the movies, and it is, and often as a web with more arms than can be imagined, which is also likely. Human trafficking is defined by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services as a form of modern day slavery. It is viewed in primarily one of two areas: sex trafficking and labor trafficking. The DHHS defines sex trafficking as “recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing, or obtaining a person for a commercial sex act that is induced by force, f...
It is one thing to have a fund of “free” money and a list of projects to spend it on. It is another to have that list and be uncertain what the funds can be used for. Cheyenne County is among the local entities to receive American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) funds. The challenge is finding a framework of how the funds can be used, by what date, and what kind of accountability. The Cheyenne County Commissioners are considering allocating some of the funds for a heating and air conditioning upgrade at...
SIDNEY — Sidney Regional Medical Center (SRMC) received confirmation from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development approving financing for 40 years at 2.5% interest to fund a new extended care facility in Sidney. “There are many steps to a project of this size and the USDA Rural Development approval for financial support is a major step toward ensuring SRMC’s goal to build a new state of the art extended care facility for our community,” said Jason Petik, Chief Executive Officer for SRMC. “Building this new facil...
A public meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug. 29 at Sidney High School's Performing Arts Center on trafficking. The community conversation will include Glen Parks , Nebraska Attorney General’s office Coordinator of the Nebraska Human Trafficking Task Force. Glen Parks graduated from UNL law school in 2001, clerked at the Nebraska Supreme Court, and worked as a civil litigator. He spent nine years in India, where he worked on projects addressing human trafficking. He and his family returned to Lincoln in 2015. Parks has been the task force c...
When talking about economic growth, the big three are frequently jobs, housing and quality of life. The Sidney community is in the early stages of a process that could promote quality of life, and economics, in an artsy way. The City of Sidney is applying for the Creative District Program offered by the Nebraska Arts Council, with legislation passed by the State of Nebraska. The legislation will show arts as an economic driver, support communities in the state in telling their stories and...
Sidney voters will get to decide in November whether to continue a ½ cent sales tax, a “Local Option Sales Tax Proposal.” The Sidney City Council held a public hearing July 12 prior to approving the measure. As written, the ballot question asks whether or not to continue the tax that increases city taxes from 1.5 percent to 2 percent for an additional 10 years. The current ½ percent sales tax expires in 2023. As presented in the public hearing, 50 percent of the funding would go towards stree...
For some people, the attraction to the rural lifestyle is the distance between you and your neighbors. Measuring distance by time has a unique relevance. The disadvantage to the rural lifestyle is the same: distance between neighbors... or help when something suddenly goes wrong. On Tuesday, July 5, representatives of the Cheyenne County Sheriff's Department, Regional West first-responders and representatives of the Helmsley Trust met with the Cheyenne County Commissioners. “About a year ago, t...
The discussion started as an effort to designate a printer for post cards, and evolved into a debate on a legislative bill. In the Cheyenne County Commissioners July 5 meeting, the agenda included a line item on designating a printer should the county need to conduct a special meeting. The meeting would involve all local taxing districts that went above a certain growth percent. The requirements are defined in Nebraska's LB644. LB644 creates the “Property Tax Request Act.” “The Property Tax R...
In 2010, Rebecca Napier took a job promoted as part-time. Now about 12 years later, she admits the time commitment was not always 20 hours, but it was fulfilling. “It's been a great job,” Napier said Wednesday, June 29. Some jobs, occupations focus on the mechanics of service — paperwork, deadlines, reports — while others are more about the people. Working in the Veteran Service Office (VSO) is a balance that can change the tipping point at any given moment. At its simplest definition, it rema...
While much of Sidney was preparing for the official fireworks display Sunday night and backyard barbecues were heating, a group of people made their voices known from Legion Park north to Illinois Street and back. The primary chant, call to action, heard in the march was “Our Body, Our Choice.” The march was organized by Kelsey Hauge of Sidney. “We marched today (Sunday, July 3) in support of women's rights, after the overturn of Roe vs Wade,” Hauge said after the march. The march include...
An officer with the Sidney Police Department responded to a call pertaining to an 18 year-old male who sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Regional West Medical Ambulance arrived and transported the male to the Sidney Regional Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at the hospital June 29. The Cheyenne County Sheriff’s Office and the Sidney Police Department continue to investigate the matter....
It wasn't a million dollar lottery win, although it might have felt like it. There weren't any well-known celebrities followed by clowns and confetti celebrating the lucky draw of the family's name. This “lottery” cost more than a $2 ticket, and therefore is best said as a “Thank you for your service.” Benjamin Carter and his family are the recipients of a home through the Military Warriors Support Foundation. The presentation of the keys to the home was made Tuesday, June 21, in Sidney,...
There are specific events that define a community, including the aroma of fresh popcorn colliding with cheesy nachos and the presence of livestock in the same area. County fairs include a variety of entertainment and purpose from 4-H members seeking reward for their work to children and adults alike enjoying the lure of the carnival attractions. In the June 20 meeting of the Cheyenne County commissioners, Fair Board member Kip Miller met with the commissioners to provide an update on the annual...
In November 2021, the Sidney City Council approved contracting with Five Rule Rural Planning to conduct a blight and substandard study. In his report, City Manager David Scott said the City is now in the process of that study, and presented maps for the council's review. Scott said the last full blight study of the city was done in 1994. The Nebraska Department of Economic Development requires a blight study be conducted every 10 years, he said. According to Nebraska Revised Statute 18-2103,...
The Sidney City Council met in a work session June 6 to discuss renewing the City's ½ cent sales tax. In the work session, City Manager David Scott said the proposal was first brought before the city council in 2012, and approved by voters in November of that year. Scott asked council members how the tax revenues should be divided among city projects, if the tax is approved by voters. Scott stated that ten years ago, 50 percent of the funds went to street, 30 percent went to the pool, 12...
JUNE 19, 2022 (SCOTTSBLUFF) — Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested a New York man following a crash that claimed the life of a Scottsbluff woman late Saturday evening. At approximately 11:15 p.m. MT, NSP was called to a report of a fatality crash at mile marker 83 on Interstate 80. Preliminary investigation shows that a Dodge Caravan was traveling westbound when it was struck from behind by a truck tractor/semi-trailer. The collision caused the Caravan to roll, ejecting a front-seat passenger. That passenger has been i...
How does a person move from an idea, a dream, to a successful business? That is one of the challenges “E3” is researching. E3, Energizing Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, evolved from Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (E2) with roots in Kansas. “e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems helps communities and regions connect, learn, and share best practices for building sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems across North America. With more than 25 years of field experience, particularly in rural America, e2 is the p...
Philosophers say you can't cross the same place in a river twice because the water is always moving. The same can be said about society, and the economy. It doesn't stand still. It moves forward or backward. When Cabela's was assumed by Bass Pro, the Sidney community changed. People outside of Sidney changed their view of Sidney. However, this isn't the first challenge Sidney has seen, and returned. The better question might be how to stay the course and move toward a positive future. A group...
JUNE 14 (SCOTTSBLUFF) — Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested a Chappell woman following an investigation related to purchases at the Deuel County Clerk’s Office. The case was initially referred to NSP by the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office. Investigators developed information that Polly Olson, 59, who serves as the Deuel County Clerk, had purchased more than $18,000 worth of personal items from various retailers using an official Deuel County credit card. An arrest warrant was issued for Olson on Tuesday, June 14. Troop...
Cheyenne County offers health insurance for its employees, but not all need or want the plan. In the June 6 meeting of the Cheyenne County Commissioners, County Clerk Beth Fiegenschuh proposed a cash-in-lieu program where employees who are insured by another option can choose a cash payment in place of the health insurance program. In place of health insurance, an employee who chooses to opt out will receive an additional $500 per month, taxable. Fiegenschuh stressed that employees leaving the...
The journey started about two months ago, more than a year before that with the planning. It is a monumental goal with several objectives, and more that developed as he made his way down the road. Gregory Maassen, a Dutch cyclist from Washington, D.C., decided to relive American history from a little less than a century ago, bring awareness and funding to a disease and along the way get a true education of America. Maassen is a senior executive manager of large regional and complex USAID...
