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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The Sidney Airport Authority Board continues toward construction of new hangars at the airport. The board has been working toward adding new hangars at the facility with the goal of drawing more air traffic and pilots who would house their aircraft at the airport. The challenge is the funding; even more so with prices increasing in recent months. The board met with Jeff Wolfe of McSchaff and Associates on Thursday, Oct. 14, to discuss updates on the hangar plans. The plan is for construction of...
When Charlotte & Emerson opened, the vision was to offer a place where female shoppers felt comfortable and had a wide variety of accessories and fashion for a friendly price. The concept has expanded to include what could be called boutique shopping. Above the Charlotte & Emerson store is a setting that teenage dreams are made of with a variety of dresses for proms and formal events, and the attention to ensure the dress fits the customer. The atmosphere is a balance of history and elegance....
LINCOLN — One of the nation’s first collective pandemic memories is the clamor to buy and store as much toilet paper as possible. Shelves around the country were cleaned out as the supply chain struggled to keep up. The situation last March inadvertently highlighted one of the parties responsible for getting those shelves re-stocked: the trucking industry. And as the nation dealt with this shortage, a different shortage within the industry — labor — was one of the factors contributing to a slower replenishing of toilet paper and other househo...
The Panhandle Public Health District reported 227 cases of COVID-19 between Sept. 27 and Oct. 4. The number equates to 263 cases per 100,000 people. The Centers for Disease Control reports 2,180,150 vaccines administered at a rate of 112,704 per 100,000. The PPHD reported Most of the new cases are a result of Community Spread, followed by Close Contact. The confirmed cases by gender are almost an even split with 79 female and 72 male. By age, the 50 to 59 age bracket Cheyenne County reported 24...
Sidney's three-night concert series Downtown Sounds received high praise Wednesday, Oct. 6, at the Visitors Committee meeting. McCailie Carnahan-Kuhns, President and CEO of the Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce, said the concert series went really well. The first concert of the season, July 9, featured Luke Mills. Kuhns estimates Mills' concert drew about 450 people in attendance. Mills is a singer/songwriter and performer from Holdrege. In 2017, he was nominated for Album of The Year for his...
The Sidney Police Department and Cheyenne County Sheriff's Department have additional assets in their toolboxes. Both departs were awarded Automated External Defibrillator (AED) units The Office of Emergency Health Systems was responsible for the project oversight of a Helmsley Charitable Trust $6.4 million grant, which was used to equip law enforcement agencies statewide with next generation "connected" Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). The Helmsley Nebraska First Responder AED Project...
The Sidney City Council okayed a path in the Sept. 28 council meeting for the Sidney Park Project to apply for more grants. The council was presented with a resolution requesting approval of a letter of development as required by the Nebraska Game and Parks to apply for the Land and Water Conservation Fund Application for this year. Madi Wilkinson, president of the Sidney Park Project board, explained to the council the resolution is part of the grant process for Nebraska Game and Parks. The Sid...
The Sidney City Council reviewed a proposal to possibly increase funds earmarked for trails improvements. The City has about $700,000 in taxes collected by Cabala's for the purpose of trail projects within and adjacent to the dedicated Enhanced Employment Area, generally just north of the Cabela's retail and corporate complexes. In the City Council's Sept. 28 meeting, the council was presented with the idea of using the funds to seek larger grants. City Manager David Scott proposed the City...
One of the highlights of the NRA Women’s Leadership Forum Luncheon & Auction is the presentation of the annual Lifetime Achievement Award. And although the 2021 recipient was honored in the same manner as many events worldwide since 2020 — virtually, through Livestream — the heartfelt sentiments given by Mary Cabela during her acceptance were received as if we had gathered as planned for the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Houston. Her remarks were replete with the love, selflessness and c...
Days are counting until the Oktoberfest returns to Sidney. The 2021 Oktoberfest is scheduled for Oct. 1-3, returning to the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds after a year absence. This year Sidney's Oktoberfest starts Friday, Oct. 1, with a Dedication Ceremony at 12 p.m. under the tent. Following the Dedication Ceremony, the stage will be alive with entertainment, starting with “Sidney State of Mind” at 12:15 p.m. The Sidney High Advanced Vocal is scheduled for 12:45 p.m., and the Sidney High Com...
The Cheyenne County Commissioners on Sept. 20 approved a permit for Pit Acres, LLC. Prior to approval of the Conditional Use Permit, the commissioners held a public hearing for public input in favor or against the permit. In discussion between company representatives and the commissioners, the question was proposed to allow a one-day use of Cheyenne County Road 99. “I don't have a problem with it,” said commissioner Phil Sanders. The petition for a one-day use of CR 99 is to save travel rel...
The Sidney City Council held a public hearing Sept. 14 on the proposed 2021-22 budget. The hearing included review of a resolution setting property tax different than the previous fiscal year, increasing restricted funds by 1 percent, appropriation of the 2021-2022 fiscal year budget and designation of depositories. Following the hearing, the council approved setting the property tax at a mill levy of .586371. Of that amount, .334086 mills is budgeted to generate $1,432,850 for general purposes and .252285 to generate $1,101,156 for bonded inde...
The Cheyenne County School District No. 1 Board of Education approved the 2021-2022 District Budget in its Sept. 13 meeting. The 5-0 vote was held in the regular session following the 5:15 p.m. public hearing on the budget. The board noted the budget increased from about $19.4 million for the General Fund in the 2020-2021 budget to $20.3 million in the proposed 2021-2022 budget. The mill levy increased from 1.015094 generating almost $7.1 million for 2020-2021 for the General Fund, to 1.05...
The Leyton Board of Education approved its 2021-2022 fiscal year budget with a reduction to the building fund. During the public comments portion of the meeting, several residents spoke against the concept of one principal overseeing both the high school and elementary school. All of the speakers supported the role of a principal at each site, from the amount of administrative duties performed to the support and contact with staff and students. The board voted unanimously to approve the...
The Cheyenne County Commissioners approved a mill levy of .406647 in their Sept. 7 meeting. The mill levy will generate an estimated $5,686,095. Commissioner Randy Miller said the mill levy has remained the same for the last seven years. The mill levy reflects a slight increase, but a decrease in requested tax revenue. Miller said it is the seventh year in a row the county has lowered the mill levy. In 2018, the commissioners approved a mill levy of .409000 with a total county valuation of...
Since the announcement of the coronavirus and the resulting pandemic, life has changed, to say the least. Some businesses have had to depend on emergency assistance to stay open, also changing their business plan to stay in line with health directives. Meanwhile others work harder with fewer employees, and still others have emotional struggles resulting from different family dynamics and fear of the virus itself. That is where Nebraska Strong comes into play. Nebraska Strong Recovery Project is...
On Thursday, Sept. 2, the Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce hosted representatives from the Nebraska Enterprise Fund (NEF). The meet and greet was held at The Pedalers Corner patio with Sam & Louie's catering the pizza. The NEF serves a target market of traditionally disadvantaged small businesses, including those owned by people of color, low-income people, women and veterans. The Nebraska Enterprise fund envisions a vibrant small business eco-system where every small and micro business has...
Kechi Okwuchi was a normal teenager in Nigeria. She was born in 1989 and in 2005 her life changed. Her life changed when she became one of two survivors of an horrific plane crash that killed 107 people. She was traveling between Abuja and Port Harcourt when the commercial flight crash-landed at Port Harcourt International Airport. At one point, official reports said all on board the plane had died. She suffered third degree burns on more than 65 percent of her body. She moved with her family...
Sometimes the best way to promote what you have is to offer to host an event. That occurred Aug. 25-27 when Sidney hosted the Nebraska Economic Development Association (NEDA)'s annual meeting. NEDA is an association of professional economic developers dedicated to the prosperous growth of Nebraska's business climate. It's purpose is to foster economic development in the state, encourage the advancement of the expertise of its members, foster cooperation among economic development professionals...
The City of Sidney is focused on revamping and updating downtown, specifically areas that have lacked attention. To complete the goal, the City needs funding. One funding source is the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). The CDBG program provides annual grants based on a formula to states, cities and counties for the development of viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, primarily for low and moderate...
Sidney City Manager David Scott presented the 2021-2022 budget before the council on Aug. 24. The proposal shows expenses totaling $33,584,440. Capital Projects is at almost $3 million, the City's share of the 17J Link cost. The General Fund expenses total $9,980,243. The Electric Department shows expenses totaling $11,951,301. Scott said the amount reflects budgeting for the generation project. The Electric Department is taking 36 percent of the budgeted expenses, followed by the General Fund....
Developing a community has at least two factors: employment opportunities, and available homes. Employers have their signs out seeking additional staff. The challenge now is where will they live. RDG Planning and Design, who was also contracted to updated the City of Sidney Master Plan, recently presented findings on its housing study. The study defines the types of households in Sidney, costs of houses, income levels of people seeking and purchasing homes and types of homes needed. “Melissa N...
The Cheyenne County Commissioners were given a new challenge in managing wildlife in the area. On Monday, Aug. 16, the commissioners were told each county will have to finance the full cost of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife specialist that had been a shared cost. Wildlife Specialist Matt Anderson and Jerry Feist met with the commissioners on Aug. 16 to discuss the contract with the USDA. Feist said procedures are changing in the USDA, and the cost-sharing program...
The Sidney City Council and department managers met Aug. 17 to discuss the 2021-2022 budget. The meeting included a presentation by City Manager David Scott on the two recent years. “The last few fiscal year's budgets have been challenging. In fiscal years 2019 and 2020 there were large budget cuts across the board as property tax revenue was reduced due to large decreases in the city's full value determination (assessed value),” Scott said in his presentation to the council. He added that som...
Of the many changes that occurred with the announcement of the coronavirus in 2020, the need for children to have an advocate in the court system remains. Krista Bruns, director of PlainsWest CASA, met with the Cheyenne County Commissioners on Aug. 16 to update the board on the program. She said the need for volunteer advocates has not changed; how the services were delivered sometimes involved creativity. “We were really creative with COVID,” Bruns told the commissioners. The creativity is a r...
