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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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...
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...
