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 Cheyenne County Commissioners in their Jan. 4 meeting approved extending benefits related to COVID-19. County Attorney Paul Schaub said the county was contacted by the Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association (NIRMA) regarding the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The Act requires employers to provide 80 hours of sick leave in relation to the coronavirus. The Act was required through Dec. 31, 2020. However, it can be continued at the discretion of the employer. “The b...
Regardless the size of community, the question Chambers and economic development promoters face is how to keep people shopping in the local stores. There are people who plan day trips around a certain store, sometimes to learn later there was a better price at home. One of the most challenging struggles of communities is maintaining a healthy economy. The struggle is in knowing what people are seeking and how best to provide it. The Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce is encouraging Cheyenne Cou...
The COVID Risk Dial continues to slowly move back to a safer zone. The Risk Dial for Sidney was recently just within the Severe category, the highest of the four levels. In the time since then, the Dial has continued to return toward the Moderate range. As of Dec. 28, the Panhandle Public Health District (PPHD) reported 7,708 positive cases from 30,052 people tested, and 114 deaths related to the COVID-19 virus. In the days between Dec. 14 and Dec. 28, there were 350 additional cases. As of...
The blustery nearing of Christmas and trace of snow reminded us it is still winter even though the moisture has been missing. Winter officially started Tuesday, Dec. 22 with winds reported up to 12 mph from the southwest in the early morning to negligible and increasing to a high of 54 mph from the northwest at about 9:53 p.m. Winds continued into Wednesday morning with gusts reaching 67 mph with 71 percent humidity at 5:53 a.m. Winds continued throughout the day from the north and northwest...
There are people who just stand out in the world. They don't lead armies or research medicines. They take the harsh or bitter ingredients of life and make something sweet. Bertha Mueller, known locally for her chocolates, has a story of adapting to what life gave her family. She was born in 1930 in Byron, Wyo., moving to Topeka, Kan., when she was a child and moving back to Wyoming a year later. Her mother died when Mueller was 14 years old. Then she lost her dad when she was 16. She and her two...
CHEYENNE —The Cheyenne Veterans Affairs Healthcare System will begin COVID-19 vaccination with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine today, following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Use Authorization for this vaccine. “Cheyenne VA is eager to offer the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to health care personnel and community living center residents,” said Sam House, public affairs officer. “Receiving the vaccine is like having hope delivered. As vaccine supplies increase, our ultimate goal is to...
The hallways have the inviting appearance of newness while work rooms are overwhelmed with supplies to be put in their place, and the scent of industrial adhesives are still lingering in the air. Meanwhile, the former building is becoming increasingly vacant as the Educational Services Unit (ESU) 13 staff make their move to the new location. Offices are gradually filling with staff, followed by the computers and reference books for them to do their job working with regional schools and...
Two Sidney residents were recently arrested on drug-related charges following the execution of a search warrant recently. Sidney Police announced Dec. 16 that a search warrant was served at 1229 Jackson St. with the assistance of Cheyenne County Sheriff's Officers, the Western Intelligence Narcotic Group (WING), and the Nebraska State Patrol on Dec. 14. Thomas G. Clark, 34, and Brittany Swanson, 27, were arrested on charges of Possession With Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance, Possession...
While many people are gratified with a career in one occupation but several locations, others have interests that develop into careers, including “volunteer careers.” Steve Mattoon is closing his 36th year of service to one “career” and location — Sidney Public Schools. “I am concluding my 36th year and ninth four-year-term,” he said recently. He said he considered not running prior to the last two elections. He decided to stay on the board because of the instability related to the changes a...
The Sidney City Council has a change and a continued leadership. In the Dec. 8 Zoom council meeting, the council approved the verification of votes cast in the Nov. 3 election. The Sidney City Council approved the purchase of a new fire truck for just less than $500,000. The vote came during the Dec. 8 meeting of the city council. County Clerk Beth Fiegenschuh's certified count shows1,695 votes for Joe Arterburn, 1,896 votes for Burke Radcliffe, 1,089 for Loren Hoekema and 19 scatterings. For...
The COVID-19 testing station in Sidney is staying busy, according to Sidney Regional Medical Center CEO Jason Petik. “We're seeing roughly 75 people per week,” Petik said. The number equates to about 1,300 since the testing unit opened in July. Petik said the Sidney location has had to address a couple of transportation issues. "Otherwise, the testing site is working well", he said. “Overall, I think the program is working really well,” he said Thursday, Dec. 3. Petik said the length of quarant...
A Sidney man was arrested recently based on documentation presented by a group independent of law enforcement. On Wednesday, December 2, Sidney Police Officers arrested Jamie Daniels, 45, of Sidney, for the offense of Child Enticement, according to a release from the Cheyenne County Attorney's office. A team that calls themselves “Predator Poachers” was involved. Messages were exchanged between Daniels and an 18 year old female, who represented herself to be 8 years old. During these mes...
If you want to know where you're going, you need a plan. You need to have an idea of where you are, where you want to be and how to get from where you are to where you want to be. On Nov. 24, the Sidney City Council was presented with an update of the City's Master Plan. The update was conducted by RDG Planning and Design. Economic Development Director Melissa Norgard said the last Master Plan update was in 2008. “The whole premise to doing a Master Plan — we should do an update every 10 yea...
The southwest corner of 10th Avenue and Jackson Street is filled with fun and delightful items for shoppers from the creative to the unique, and delectable drinks and snacks in the coffee shop to follow. But Brand New Items and Coffee Shop wouldn't be where it is without the community support. And that is why Janette Ford and the store staff rolled out the banquet table to express her thanks. "Without the community, I wouldn't have a business," she said. She decided to offer the community her th...
Business or building owners within the Expanded Historic District of Sidney are eligible for a grant to improve the exterior appearance, the facade. On Nov. 24, the Sidney City Council approved updating the program, making more funds available to property owners. The facade enhancement program was first approved by the city council in 2005. Prior to the Nov. 24 meeting, the program offered up to $5,000 per building with the property owner providing a 50 percent match for a maximum of $10,000. El...
The Sidney City Council approved on Nov. 24 the purchase of mowers for the golf course and for Parks/Cemetery. Parks Superintendent Tom Von Seggern addressed the city council with a request for two front deck mowers. During the 2020 budget sessions, $68,000 was budgeted for the Parks and Cemetery Department to purchase two mowers, one for the cemetery and one for parks. The parks department is replacing a 2015 Kubota front deck mower with attachments, and the Cemetery is replacing a 2012 John...
On Nov. 17, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and the State's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gary J. Anthone, M.D., held a press conference regarding the increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases in the state. By Friday, Nov. 20, Panhandle Public Health District reported COVID-19 related deaths had increased to 47 with the addition of five more deaths. The new Panhandle deaths include a Cheyenne County man in his 70s, two Morrill County men ( one in his 60s and one in his 90s), a Scotts Bluff County man in his 60s and a Sheridan County man in his 90s. “This i...
Sometimes the best business card is a craftsman’s work displayed. That is the hope of Josephine Marie who recently completed a mural on the south wall of The Rock. “I love putting art in public places,” Marie says. She has been in Sidney about four months, moving here from Key West, Fla. She has a 22-year history in art, starting in a business not directly related to art. “I had an antique shop,” she said. “I ended up selling more art than antiques.” Since coming to Sidney, she’s been se...
Sometimes life isn't fair. The job didn't work out. Medical bills are claiming much of the paycheck. The cost of food is increasing. Some families just need to know they have help when life seems a little stormy. That is the role of Table of Grace. The organization offers discount clothing, various furnishings and household items, and on the other side of the facility a food pantry for people struggling to feed their families. The shelves are stocked with essentials for families in the Sidney...
The news breaks interrupted the day like a thunder clap on a still day. Yet another fire was announced. This one generally between and west of the Cameron Peak Fire near Fort Collins, Colo., and the Mullen Fire in Wyoming near the Colorado border. The Mullen Fire is 97 percent contained after burning nearly 177,000 acres. However, the East Troublesome Fire, in Grand County of Colorado, is near 194,000 acres and as of Nov. 12 was only 60 percent contained. The high country of Colorado has a...
The Cheyenne County Commissioners Monday approved a policy addressing COVID-19 and the increasing number of positive cases in Cheyenne County and the Nebraska Panhandle. The policy addresses county employees, staff or elected official, and the public. The policy states that if a person has tested positive for COVID-19, they must self-isolate at home until at least 10 days have passed since the date of the positive test, or at least 10 days have passed since the onset of symptoms, your symptoms...
As of Saturday afternoon, the Associated Press announced former Vice-President Joe Biden had reached the 270 votes needed to clinch the presidency. The count as of 3:18 p.m. MST Saturday was 290 Electoral College votes for Biden to 214 electoral votes for President Donald Trump. Nebraska voters made their voices heard and favored keeping President Donald Trump in office. With 94 percent of votes counted as of mid-day Nov. 4, 58.8 percent of returns, 542,398 votes, were in support of President...
Voters returned Joe Arterburn and Burke Radcliffe to their seats on the Sidney City Council Tuesday. Voters faced three choices for two seats: Arterburn, Radcliffe and Loren Hoekema. Hoekema, the challenger, garnered 1,073 votes, to Radcliffe's 1,880 and Arterburn's 1,680. Hoekema ran on the platform of adding technical and engineering experience and expertise to the council. Arterburn has served on the city council since 2012 and has lived in Sidney since 1993. Radcliffe is a Sidney High...
Some towns are small enough, quiet enough, that when two departments meet outside of a cafe, the occasion gets attention. Shades are opened, the cafe staff drop their towels and even the banker takes notice. That is when the real story is told. The officers aren't in town after a fugitive or retrieving stolen property. They are part of a cross-county chain of recognition for fallen officers, called "Flag for the Fallen.” The flag is in memory of Capt. Tyler Erdman of Pennsylvania who died F...
The cumulative positivity rate for the western Panhandle has reached 15 percent, according to Panhandle Public Health District. Unified Command announced Thursday, Nov. 5, 338 more cases of COVID in the Panhandle region. Scotts Bluff is seeing the highest number of cases at 184, followed by Morrill County at 33, Cheyenne County at 30, Box Butte at 29, Dawes at 25, Sheridan County at 20 and Kimball County at 12. Garden County reported three cases, Grant two, and Banner, Deuel and Sioux Counties h...
