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 1228 - 1252 of 1718
Dear Editor: Ya know, I’ve been thinking, and I got a question I would like the city attorney to answer. Let’s see, now if I got this right, we have five council members, three who work for Cabela’s, including the mayor. My question is could we have the possibility of collusion here or a threat of repercussion in the workplace if one did not vote for the mayor’s personal agenda? If the city attorney answers “yes,” and with the people wanting up-and-up and straight and narrow government here in Sidney, we would need another resignation...
Dear Editor: I find the Nebraska legislator, Ken Haar’s proposal to dissolve the Nebraska Oil and Gas Commission and spread its responsibilities around to a variety of other organizations very interesting, but baffling. At a time when it’s clear there is too much government and too much government spending, why not dissolve a small, efficient commission that takes nothing from the Nebraska General Fund? Why not ignore the fact that regulating one of the most important industries to our Country requires substantial expertise? And above all, why...
“Life is a lot like jazz,” said George Gershwin. “It is best when you improvise.” During the 2004 political debates, the radio host Don Imus described the two vice presidential candidates Dick Cheney and John Edwards as “Dr. Doom and the Breck Girl,” because Cheney appeared glum, dour, like a bulldog, whereas Edwards appeared well coiffed, “like a pretty girl in a shampoo ad.” A journalist in Florida named Roy Peter Clark then riffed on Don Imus’s comment. Riff is a jazz term that describes im...
Dear Editor: Until this year, Nebraska’s home-grown oil and gas industry has been largely out of sight and out of mind of the public and state policymakers, and for good reason. Nebraska operators are small oil and gas companies, not giant oil companies. We are a well-regulated industry that contributes significantly to the rural economies of southwest Nebraska and the Panhandle. Ever since Nebraska’s first long-term producing oil well was drilled in Richardson County in the 1940s, Nebraska producers have been generating income for inv... Full story
“Miss! Miss! Why do you keep calling this a school?” asked Ashley. “This is not a school!” It was an awkward moment, at an assembly, in November 2002. Because a fight had broken out that morning, the school’s new principal, an angry Linda Cliatt-Wayman, called all the students and staff to the auditorium where she hoped to present her expectations for the students’ behavior and for their achievement. Ashley, a student, interrupted her with the chilling words, “This is not a school!” Fast...
Dear Editor: I want to speak of some items concerning Sidney Police Chief B.J. Wilkinson’s treatment and situation at the hands of the city manager and almost, by the members of the city council, which meets Tuesday evening. The director of Public Works broke the law and was issued a citation to appear in court by the Police Department. By city policy, he (John Hehnke) had to report what happened to his boss, the City Manager (Gary Person). The two of them must have talked the situation over and came up with an action plan (what to do). One o... Full story
On Saturday afternoon, July 18, President Barack Obama and his two daughters, Malia and Sasha, were pleased to attend the new musical based upon Alexander Hamilton’s life, Hamilton. The popular play moved to Broadway, to the Richard Rodgers Theater, on July 13, after it received rave reviews off-Broadway. It is the brain-child of the gifted lyricist and hip-hop musician Lin-Manual Miranda, 35 years old, of Puerto Rican descent, who wrote the songs and stars in the lead as Alexander Hamilton. M...
Dear Editor, I and a lot of other people agree 100 percent with Larry Nelson’s letter from Monday, July 20 titled “Jail time for chief is way out of line.” I would venture to say every police officer in the country (including Sidney) has at one time or the other used his discretion or authority to scrap a possible citation for a friend, family member or someone of importance, or even just to give someone a break. Even judges have been known to rhow citations and charges out of court. One hundred percent enforcement of the law could get prett... Full story
Dear Editor: The headline in The Sidney Sun-Telegraph read “Chief gets jail time.” The Chief of Police. Who would make such a complaint that would result in such a sentence? Was it the city of Sidney official who was out of control? I doubt it. Was it the city manager who wanted this energetic man to be gone in such a short time? I doubt this too. When all this took place, Chief Wilkinson had been on the “job” for a little over six months when one of his officers responded to a call about suspicious activity. The officer did the best he coul... Full story
In the spring of 1594, 26 London actors joined together to create an acting company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. These actors included London’s leading dramatic actor at the time, Richard Burbage; plus Will Kempe, London’s leading comic actor; as well as Richard Cowly, William Slye, John Heminges, Alexander Cooke, Henry Condell, and the 30-year-old actor from the small town Stratford-on-the-Avon, William Shakespeare. He, as well as the others, were most fortunate, because this acting compa...
In 2002, multi-millionaire Jay Walker designed and built his Library of Human Imagination. Located in Ridgefield, Conn., Walker’s 3,600-square-foot home stores and displays his collection of books – more than 50,000 volumes – plus his myriad of museum-quality artifacts. It is both library and museum. Wired magazine wrote that “it is the most amazing library in the world,” and after seeing pictures and videos of it, I agree. First, Walker drew his inspiration for the library’s floor tile from t...
Dear Editor, This could get interesting. The county can’t afford to hire a man to grade the roads and then the sheriff says we need a new $16 million jail. Meanwhile, we still have that school bond issue lurking out there. Mike Hartzler Sidney... Full story
On Sunday, June 25, 1950, North Korean bombs fell on Seoul, South Korea’s capital, and the civil war began. It ended three years later, on July 27, 1953, with the same division as it had begun, with the Korean peninsula divided into two parts at the 38th parallel, communist to the North and a democratic-republic to the South. South Koreans now call the war, “the 6-2-5 Upheaval,” but the North Koreans call it “the Fatherland Liberation War,” even though no fatherland was ever liberated. In 2011, Suki Kim, a Korean-American woman, then 41 years...
Dear Editor, With the repeal of the death penalty and ensuing referendum, we have been asked if we have a position on that issue. From its inception in 1973, National Right to Life and its 50 State Affiliates, of which we are one, has had a single issue focus. Our mission is to bring as many people together from all walks of life to work to restore legal protection to innocent human life from conception through death. That does not include a position on the death penalty or any other unrelated issues. We welcome people on both sides of the... Full story
Dear Editor, The Iraqi Army has a history of moving to the rear and exposing their back sides to attacking forces. The Iraqi Army melted like butter when we attacked them in 2003. They faded away when ISIL attacked them, and then lost Mosul and most of northwestern Iraq along with large quantities of U.S. equipment. Recently they turned tail and abandoned U.S. military equipment when they ran from Ramadi. The Iraqi Army cannot be relied upon to fight ISIL or any other insurgent groups, and we should not supply them with weapons we could... Full story
Fred and Wilma Flintstone lived in the past, George and Jane Jetson will live in the future and Ralph and Alice Kramden live in the present. Although “The Flintstones” and “The Jetsons” were animated, the three fictional sitcoms, including “The Honeymooners,” follow similar story lines. The husbands work at jobs: Fred on a rock pile, George at Spacely’s Space Rockets and Ralph as a bus driver. Their wives – Wilma, Jane and Alice – stay at home. The comedy occurred in the characters’ home,...
Dear Editor: It just feels great to know that our “Red Raiders” high school track and field team are Nebraska’s Class B state champs! The early-season goal setting, dreams of improvement, setting personal records, winning districts and, finally, securing dibs on winning the state title, well, that’s just terrific. I’m sure that I am speaking on behalf of all of our hometown fans in exclaiming, “We are so proud and happy that you guys are the mantra in helping make this sport so much fun.” Have a good summer of healthy and easy running. Stan... Full story
Dear Editor: With the current fiasco in Iraq and Syria, the President is telling the Coast Guard and the American public that the real problem we are facing is “global warming.” The mess in Iraq is his problem and he can no longer blame it on G.W. Bush. Tell this fable to those families who have lost loved-ones or who are living with service men who have been injured for life in the Iraq war which was won only to have been foolishly abandoned by our Commander in Chief over the objections of his military advisors, and even now is attempting to c... Full story
Pedro A. Noguera teaches education and sociology at New York University. The son of Caribbean immigrants, he has a Spanish name, but he is black. In 2008, he published his book, The Trouble with Black Boys, and within its pages, he lists the difficulties that young black males face in America. Noguera writes, “African-American men lead the nation in homicide, as both perpetrators and victims. Their incarceration, conviction, and arrest rates have been at the top of the charts in most states f...
Dear Editor: The Obama administration finally listened to our military leaders, and they are now planning on leaving 9,800 troops in Afghanistan through 2016 and probably beyond. Originally they were going to draw down to 5,500 troops. The Taliban continues to pose a threat in Afghanistan and ISIS could rear its ugly head. Our troops could be needed to quash enemy attacks in the region. Compared to our prior strength of 100,000 troops, the U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan might not have the numerical strength to counter the Taliban... Full story
Fifty years ago, on the night of May 7, 1965, in a Florida hotel room, Keith Richards strummed his guitar while a cassette recorder taped a phrase that he had dreamed, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.” The next day he asked Mick Jagger to listen, and days later the Rolling Stones recorded the song. Mick and Keith had no idea what they had done. That song catapulted their band into superstar status, laid down one of the greatest pop hooks of all time, and now The Rolling Stone Magazine ranks that...
Dear Editor, “With Malice Toward None” is the title of Jack Levin’s new book. This quotation is from Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address when the termination of the Civil War was in sight. “With firmness in the Right as God gives us to see the Right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in: to bind up the nation” wounds: to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphans – to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.” These are words of Abr... Full story
Dear Editor, Stateliner’s Extension Club would like to thank Sidney High School student Kade Price for demonstrating strong leadership and citizenship by expressing his concerns about Road 8 to the Cheyenne County Commissioners at their April 20 meeting. Our club members are quite familiar with the decaying condition of Road 8 since we travel it, or part of it going to and from home, shopping or working in Sidney, visiting neighbors and attending Stateliner’s meetings. The opening question at any meeting along the Road 8 route the past few yea...
At a TED conference on March 18, in Vancouver, Bill Gates said, “If anything kills over 10 million people in the next decades, it is most likely to be a highly infectious virus, rather than war; not missiles, but microbes. We are not ready for the next epidemic.” Gates pointed out that the Ebola virus killed 10,194 people in three west African countries this past year, but it could have killed far more. Gates said, “we were lucky that the Ebola virus did not spread through the air, and that...
The Nebraska Legislature is on the brink of raising the gas tax and Nebraska families will pick up the tab for the poor management of our tax dollars across the state. Nearly $240 million in new taxes would be generated by the end of the decade from the tax increase. That is on top of what Nebraskans already pay in gas taxes, vehicle registration fees, wheel tax and other taxes. The projected state biennial budget is more than $8.6 billion. With this tax hike state senators are implying they can’t find 2.8 percent of that huge budget to fund i... Full story
