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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LINCOLN – University of Nebraska-Lincoln student Paige Kniep didn’t know she wanted to return home until completing her Nebraska Community Foundation (NCF) Hometown Internship in 2021 – now she plans to build a life in Deshler. Kniep, who served as Deshler Community Fund’s Hometown Intern in 2021, said the experience was among many factors that inspired her to make the choice to return to Thayer County after college and start a business in her hometown. Her intern coordinator and the community made sure she knew she would always be welcome...
On Thursday evening, May 26, the Elevate Program hosted guest speaker Rhianna Brand, a suicide attempt survivor, to discuss and educate the community on mental health issues with the goal of elevating and enhancing knowledge, concerns and resources to combat suicide. The event started with Pastor Chad Rademacher of Holy Trinity Church in Sidney, and he gave a brief explanation of the program, and his involvement since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020 and the increased amount of isolation...
The Sidney City Council gave their approval for guidelines related to the Nebraska Affordable Housing Trust Fund grant the City applied for. The City applied for a $500,000 grant, with the City committing $100,000 of matching funds. In August of 2021, the City completed an updated Housing Study. The housing study was done to assist in assessing community need and for future housing grants. The Nebraska Affordable Housing Trust Fund (NAHTF) was established by the 1996 Nebraska Affordable Housing...
Suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States. In 2020, 45,979 Americans died from suicide, from an estimated 1.2 million suicide attempts. The elusive questions are what leads suicide, what can be done to stop it, and are we doing enough. On Thursday, May 26, Rhianna Brand, a suicide survivor, will share her story and her journey. Brand is a loss survivor, and a three-time suicide survivor. She has been diagnosed with Complex PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome) and...
The room is deliberately dim. It's easier on the eyes. The duties from the outside appear to be simple, but can change at any give moment, or one phone call to the next. Responding to a moment of distress is more than calling 911 and waiting. It is the middle-man, the link between the incident and the first responders. It is how the dispatcher asks for information, how the caller relays the information to the dispatcher, and how the dispatcher communicates with numerous departments he or she...
The normal casual start of a Thursday morning was briefly interrupted last week when a group of motorcyclists entered Sidney from West Highway 30. The interruption of normal was not an invasion, but rather an attention-grabbing method for a social issue: the mental health of children. Volunteer motorcyclists rode across Nebraska from May 18 through May 21 for the 15th annual Pony Express Ride, an effort to raise awareness about children’s mental health. The ride will finish at the Nebraska S...
On May 9, downtown Sidney's typical traffic of workers busy in the duties, the lunch crowd hurrying to their favorite menu and people out for an afternoon walk were suddenly interrupted by the site of numerous trucks, busses and RVs making their way into town from the west. The blaring horns and American flags flying proudly told observers this was not a random lineup of vehicles, but a deliberate assembly. The Peoples Convoy stopped for the night at Sapp Brothers where an assembly was held....
A few months ago, Kevin Howard announced his retirement as tourism director for Cheyenne County. After extending his exit date by more than a month, Cheyenne County has a candidate to step into his shoes. She is known from several positions in the county, many of them in a service capacity; from carrying on the Tin Roof Sundae tradition to firearms and restarting a coffee shop, and her involvement with the Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce. Kendra Mitchell was confirmed as the next Tourism...
Jim Hansen, Company Outreach Coordinator for Sandhill Global, was at Adams Industries in Sidney on Friday for the unveiling of the new Mobile Pantry for Table of Grace. Sandhills Global partnered with Adams Industries to build a Mobile Pantry to service households in need in the Panhandle. Hansen said Sandhills Global's employees were donating money and time to Table of Grace in Sidney, which helps over 500 families in Cheyenne, Kimball and Garden Counties with food and basic supply needs....
Cheyenne County voters chose the next Clerk of the District Court. With all 10 precincts reporting, 696 voters cast votes in favor of Mindy Wiegand, and 662 votes were cast for Debra Hume. "I am humbled and amazed to have been elected your next Clerk of the District Court. I am honored to have earned your support and your confidence. Words cannot express my gratitude to all of you who have supported me," Wiegand said. "I will continue to serve the citizens of Cheyenne County to the best of my...
The Sidney City Council recently approved a land purchase by Table of Grace. The property is a 3.2 acre tract on east Elm Street at a cost of $21,440. The agreement calls for $1,000 to be deposited in escrow and the balance to be deposited on the date of closing on the property. In his presentation to the City Council, City Manager David Scott said Jim Hansen of Sandhills Global secured a donation to construct a new Table of Grace facility in Sidney. After researching the several locations,...
The Cheyenne County Board of Commissioners faced a decision that resulted in a vote, then a move to rescind the vote and vote a second time. A regular meeting of the board of county commissioners became a debate over state authority versus local control when the commissioners met as the Board of Equalization May 2. At issue was two tax list corrections related to 2019 homestead exemptions. County Assessor Melody Keller said the during the meeting of the Board of Equalization that the two Tax Lis...
On April 30, Sidney businessman and inventor, former city councilman, and former newspaper owner Robert “Bob” Van Vleet died at the age of 87. Van Vleet was born in Redfield, S.D. After graduating high school, Van Vleet enlisted in the USAF at Aberdeen, S.D. and entered the service in 1952. Basic Training was at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. He spent three months at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, then a brief stop at Camp Stoneham, San Francisco, Calif., in 1953, prior to his...
Sidney voters will to choose between five candidates for three seats on the Sidney City Council. The ballot has Paul Strommen, Brad Sherman, Marva P. Ellwanger, Brandon Bondegard and Tony Jones as seeking city council seats. There are three four-year terms to be decided and one two-year term created with the resignation of Joe Arterburn. City Manager David Scott said recently the deadline to apply for the two-year term is July 15 of this year. Ellwanger was appointed to fill Arterburn's seat...
The city of Sidney is in a dilemma, a conundrum if you will. When Bass Pro purchased Cabela's, real estate became a buyer's market. In many instances there was a house or more on nearly every block with a for sale sign. That was then. Since that time, the housing market has tightened and prices have increased. The dilemma is the city is also seeking economic development, which is a challenge without housing for the potential workers, and the existing residents of the Sidney area. In the April...
The United States missile defense system that dots the rural terrain north to Montana and North Dakota, including western Nebraska, and Colorado has been in the ground and at the ready for several years. Some of the systems have been in place since the 1960s. The United States Air Force has decided now is the time to upgrade the system. The question is what that will mean for local residents. The new system, the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent, named the Sentinel, is the Air Force's program to...
F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. – The U.S. Air Force is holding town meetings and community engagements in Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska to inform the local public and landowners about Ground Based Strategic Deterrence activities planned in their areas from April 18 to 27, 2022. The Air Force has started the process of determining real estate and utility easements needed for the new intercontinental ballistic missile system expected to break ground in 2026. During these meetings, the Air Force will explain the new GBSD system mission and p...
In late 2021, Theresa Thibodeau stepped away from the Charles W. Herbster campaign. On April 20, 2022, she stopped in Sidney to meet voters. Thibodeau is in a field of nine seeking the top office in the state. She stopped at the Coffee Corner in Highby Outdoors Wednesday for a question and answer session with voters. Thibodeau calls herself “an experienced entrepreneur who knows what it is like to work hard, build a business from the ground up, and navigate the complexities of government b...
The Cheyenne County Commissioners approved on April 18 an agreement with Paul Reed Construction for a conditional use permit to stockpile soil, aggregate, concrete and asphalt. The conditional use permit will include crushing and staging for the Interstate 80 Brownson East Project. The permit is for a tract of land owned by Beyer Farm, Inc. The commissioners also accepted the 2023 Community-based Juvenile Services Aid Grant award in the amount of $40,000. The grant helps finance the salary of...
What is the best, most equitable tax and accountability system for food vendors, specifically for those who don't anticipate significant presence or revenue in town? That is a question the Sidney city council has been debating since it was first approached by a man who wanted to start a hot dog cart, but was frustrated by the daily fee requirement. On April 12, the Sidney City Council met over an agenda including a proposed annual fee schedule for food vendors. City Manager David Scott proposed...
In downtown Sidney, about a block from the Cheyenne County Courthouse and near the business district is a clinic designed to serve a specific population, the veterans who have served the United States and often have specific health needs resulting from their service. There is also discussion of closing the clinic, a location defined as an “Other Outpatient Services (OOS) clinic. OOS clinics are for veterans to receive services that do not meet the criteria to be classified as a health care c...
For much of its history, the Sidney community has had a some degree of military presence. Recently, a part of the past resurfaced in another part of the country to tell its story, and thank those who served. In August 1956, the U.S. Army delivered a 1956 Chevrolet 150 sedan to the Sioux Army Depot northwest of Sidney. The Army green in color 216 CI six-cylinder sedan with a “three-on-the-tree” looked like what it was commissioned for: use as a staff car. It served its duty at the Depot unt...
In a little less than a month, Cheyenne County voters will cast their choices on the few contested races on the Primary Ballot. Races that are not contested will not appear on the Primary Ballot. They will, however, be on the General Election ballot in November. The one contested race is for Clerk of the District Court with Incumbent Debra Hume and Mindy Wiegand competing for the seat. Both are Republican and the decision will be made in the Primary Election. Also new to the ballot are Paul Stro...
There's a quote that when you have a good job, keep an eye out for the next one. Likewise, some business managers live by the principal of advertise when business is good, and advertise more when business is struggling. The same can be said about economic development. When things are going well, look for the next opportunity, and when the community is struggling, work even harder. Economic Development starts with believing in your community, according to Sidney City Manager David Scott. Scott...
On Friday, April 8, students in the Sidney School District who may often be seen as vocal, even bubbly, chose to be silent. Their silence, they admitted later, caused some awkwardness throughout the day. But they did it for a cause, for the Day of Silence. Day of Silence is promoted by GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), which according to the organization's website, was formed by a group of teachers in 1990. “We conduct extensive and original research to inform our e...
