Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Sorted by date Results 628 - 652 of 3076
In 2003, life changed suddenly for John Bahr. His active lifestyle stopped suddenly when he had a motorcycle accident in a motocross event near Sunol in May. He hit a jump wrong, landing on his head. He was transported to Scottsbluff where he was diagnosed as a quadraplegic, resulting from his injuries.He then spent 3 ½ months in rehabilitation. "The first month was really rough," Bahr said. His daughter Brooke was about nine or 10 when the accident happened. She essentially grew up...
The Sidney City Council Announced tonight (Tuesday, June 23) their choice of David Scott as the new City Manager. Scott has been serving as the interim city manager following the retirement of former City Manager Ed Sadler. Following the public announcement, Scott thanked the council for their time and commitment in research of a new city manager. Following Scott's comments, council members commended him as the new city manager. "I think he was our most qualified candidate," said councilman Bob...
LINCOLN – The state case total, as of 5:45 p.m. Central Daylight Time today, is 17,591, marking an increase of 1,078 from last Friday. During the past seven days, the total number of COVID-19-related deaths in the state increased by 28 to 244, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) data dashboard. Local health departments are reporting deaths and cases in their jurisdictions. In the event of a discrepancy between DHHS dashboard data and deaths or cases reported by local public health officials, data reported by...
The annual report of the county's Wildlife Specialist got a little heated when the discussion turned to prairie dogs. Wildlife Specialist Matt Anderson was on the Cheyenne County Commissioners agenda Monday to present his annual report. In his report, Anderson addressed the concern of prairie dogs, noting a lawsuit in Colorado against the federal government. “Right now, Nebraska is the only state where the USDA is working on prairie dogs,” Anderson said. Commissioner Randy Miller said the age...
The Sidney City Council reviewed two more business appeals, then granted approval in the June 9 council meeting. In the previous council meeting, the council approved $5,000 in LB840 funding for Brushed Salon. The decision came with the objection of City Attorney J. Leef who said the business does not fit within the parameters of LB840 as accepted by voters. In the June 9 meeting, she said the council set precedence and therefore had little choice but to approve the appeals. The appeals were...
“Mother nature is at it again!” were the words of the Operations Manager at Wheat Belt PPD explaining the widespread outages throughout our service territory due to downed poles and lines. Saturday’s storm damaged 47 poles from Redington to Lewellen, and Monday’s storm damaged an additional 46 poles from Sidney to north of Lisco. Both storms covered a significant area of our service territory, resulting in widespread outages. Our on-call linemen were dispatched Friday night to repair outages...
Cars, bikes, food and entertainment take center stage as the Potter community rolls out the carpet for Carbowl 2020. The event starts Friday evening, June 26, with the day-long event set for Saturday, June 27. The community of Potter will be busy with a variety of classic cars and vehicles on display, a BMX bike display, entertainment, barbecue competition, food vendors, beer and wine tasting, a silent auction and much more. In recent years, the weekend has included a melodrama. It is stage...
The sounds of auctioneers announcing the next animal and its handler will be quiet this year, only a memory of past fairs. There won't be any pulled-pork sandwiches or grilled hamburgers and cold soft drinks. The lights of the rides will be dark and the entertainment stages will be quiet. The annual event is the latest social casualty of the coronavirus. The Cheyenne County Fair Board met 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 1. After careful review of the latest guidelines published by Gov. Pete Ricketts'...
The 2020 primary is officially in the books. Members of the Board of State Canvassers reviewed and approved the results of the statewide election. No problems were noted in the Canvass Board review, and no state races qualified for an automatic recount. Secretary of State Bob Evnen opened with a few remarks regarding the success of the primary election in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic. “The May 12th primary was historic in a number of respects. More Nebraskans voted in our 2020 primary in the history of our state.” Evnen added, “Ne...
The proposed water park and pedestrian attractions on Hickory Street Square have been stalled indefinitely. Sidney Economic Development Director Melissa Norgard announced in the May 26 meeting of the Sidney City Council that the project has run its course. “At this time, the project is no longer moving forward,” she said. The City was awarded $250,000 in 2018 through the Civic and Community Center Financing Fund. The contract was signed in May 2018 for development of Hickory Street Square. The...
The coronavirus hasn't completely stopped interest in the Sidney Community. In the May 26 meeting of the Sidney City Council, Economic Development Director Melissa Norgard updated the city council on economic development in the area. She said UST Global has 113 people on staff with projections of adding as many as 100 new positions in the near future. Most of the staff are currently working from home, she said, a result of the coronavirus social distancing directives. While Sidney and Cheyenne...
Fun in the sun - Madelyn Douglas enjoys the new-found freedom of playing in the park recently, taking her turn on the playground at Legion Park. She and her mother Erin were able to take advantage of a warm afternoon after the playground was reopened....
The Cheyenne County Commissioners Monday approved the purchase of a new drug-detection dog for the sheriff's department. The dog will be purchased from IronHeart High Performance Working Dogs, Inc. The challenge, according to Sheriff Adam Frerichs, has been to procure a dog trained according to the latest political policy. He said with decisions made in neighboring states regarding marijuana and debate in Nebraska on legalizing marijuana products, he waited to see what the state would do. “Once you train a dog to detect marijuana, you can't un-...
Every crisis has new heroes. During the 9/11 attacks, they were the first responders running into burning and crumbling buildings as others ran out. Now, during the Coronavirus pandemic, the most visible heroes are the health care professionals, who are saving others and risking their own lives while doing so. As we celebrate the selfless and untiring performances of the healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, it brings to mind the military medics, doctors and nurses who sacrificed thei...
Deliver the message, make sure lawmakers know there is a need. That is the message of the Eagle Riders and their ride to raise awareness for Children's Mental Health. The Eagle Riders stopped in Sidney Thursday, May 21, on their way to the Nebraska State Capitol. "[The Ride] started 13 years ago," said event coordinator Holly Stevens. "The mission of the ride is to carry the letters across the state to the capitol." The ride focuses on the message that mental health is fundamental to overall...
Stepping out of high school, diploma in hand, the next decision is often more education or a fulfilling occupation. Sometimes, in sifting through that stage, an unexpected opportunity occurs that sets the springboard for adult life. When Monty Worster graduated high school in 1981, he looked toward the oil field. It was a time that when the industry was good, it was really good, but when it soured, things were dire. It wasn't long before the tight economy encouraged him to reconsider military...
When Nebraska's Directed Health Measures (DHM) set in place social limits, it also restricted typical court proceedings, and court officials learned quickly how to adapt. On May 18, the Cheyenne County Commissioners Zoom meeting included a discussion with court officials on purchasing equipment to allow for more virtual conferencing. Cheyenne County Sheriff Adam Frerichs, Deputy Ron Kissler, and Judge Wiemer met with the commissioners with a proposal to purchase equipment for virtual...
On Tuesday, May 12, 2020 the South Platte Natural Resources District (SPNRD) Board of Directors (Board) hosted their monthly meeting at 5:00 p.m. at the South Platte NRD Conference Room (551 Parkland Drive, Sidney NE) and through a Zoom meeting. Rod Horn, SPNRD General Manager, discussed bids/proposals to select a contractor to replace missing riprap that is exposing the underlying filter fabric near the Principal Spillway Intake Structure at Oliver Reservoir. The Board approved a bid from R&C Welding Fab Trucking & Crane Services, Inc. out of...
With all nine precincts reporting, voters favored challenger Matt Innis defeated incumbent US Senator Ben Sasse 1,299 votes to 737. Statewide, voters chose to keep Sasse in office 75 percent (213,806 votes) to almost 25 percent (70,406 votes). On the Democratic side, Chris Janick lead a narrow field with 30.70 percent of votes, followed by Angie Phillips with 23.82 percent and Alisha Shelton with 22.69 percent of votes. Janicek earned 117 votes in Cheyenne County, followed by Philips with 88...
About seven years ago, Jessica and Cody Renkoski began offering a service in Sidney and the surrounding area. The service is simple in explanation, not so much in delivery. They help keep a company's property looking presentable, so the company can do what it is in business for. They provide the landscaping and vegetation service to keep an agency or organization looking presentable, offering services including spraying, mowing and planting. “They've been a company here in Sidney since 2...
The lights are returning to favorite locations in Sidney. Those favorite hangouts offering the coffees, delectable delights, and conversations with wait staff that have been put on hold for weeks are beginning to return. On April 24, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts announced easing of the Directed Health Measure (DHM) that suspended dine-in options restaurants. As of May 4, restaurants were allowed to seat up to 50 percent of their capacity. Some Sidney businesses were quick to roll out the welcome...
On May 4, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts. gave restaurants and cafes the go-ahead to offer limited dine-in seating, relaxing the previous Directed Health Measure (DHM) that had closed restaurants except for delivery, carry-out and curbside pickup. The relaxing of the DHMs also allows massage parlors, hair and nail salons to reopen. Since the change in DHMs, the State has also activated the Nebraska National Guard to assist in mobile COVID testing sites. Mobile testing was held in Sidney Saturday....
Two vehicles collided at the intersection of Seventh Avenue and Linden Street at 12:40 p.m. May 7. The collision occurred when a 1997 Acura sedan traveling east on Linden Street failed to stop for a 2015 Kia Soul traveling north in the 1200 block of Seventh Avenue. The Acura then collided with a fire hydrant and the Kia collided with a parked and unoccupied 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse sedan....
Few if any who offer their services to military service. Their experiences are unique to their duties. The uniform has an implied risk, a risk that sometimes results in injuries that follow service men and women the rest of their lives. A Claims Clinic is scheduled for June 25 in Sidney to assist veterans. The clinic will be held at the Cheyenne County Community Center. The clinic is conducted by QTC (Quality, Timeliness, Customer Service) who is subcontracted to conduct mobile clinics for...
In late March, the Cheyenne County Commissioners unanimously decided to close the courthouse offices to public access. Services were limited to use of the dropbox on the north side of the building, by phone call, email or through a department's website. Office visits were by appointment-only. The restrictions were set in place as a result of the State's Directed Health Measures (DHM) set in place in response to the COVID-19 virus. In Gov. Pete Ricketts' last announcement, restrictions were...
