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 51 - 75 of 173
Dear Editor, The city council is going to vote at the next council meeting on borrowing money to pay for the water park. They want $4 million but by the time they add everything in and to it, it will probably be over $5 million. Question? What right does the mayor and council have putting the city of Sidney that far in debt by trying to float a bond or borrowing money without voter approval? They need to check with the city attorney to see if they are breaking any laws. What the mayor and council have done is dug themselves a hole and wants... Full story
Dear Editor: It appears that the city council will have an opportunity to rehire the best city manager that this city has ever known since he has applied for the position. In contrast to other of his predecessors his performance increased steadily year after year while he was in that position. He is not only respected throughout the state but revered by all that showed their trust in him. Let’s not miss this opportunity. – C.J. Cornelius Jr., MD Sidney... Full story
Dear Editor, So many people from the Sidney area have contributed to the success of Cabela’s. They must be very proud to have been a part of Cabela’s amazing story. One would assume that Cabela’s knows and appreciates the help they received from this caring workforce. Can you imagine the way these people must now feel as they watch Cabela’s potential death spiral as a major player in the Sidney area economy? What a terrible payback for these people and the Sidney community and area! Jim Northup Raleigh, North Carolina Former Sidney residen... Full story
Dear Editor, I see that the city is having trouble finding funds for the aquatic center, which now is being called the new swimming pool. Before they float a bond or go in debt $4 million by borrowing the money and wanting the tax payers to pay the bill, they need to see if any laws are involved. There are some things that can’t be done without voter approval. I know a lot of taxpayers don’t want their taxes to go up over council mistakes. If council does not have the money to pay for the water park, they need to cut their losses and stop const... Full story
Dear Editor, In the “interest of shareholders,” Cabela’s seems ready to destroy a vibrant town and negatively impact the lives of thousands of hard working residents. Always sad to see what can happen when a great company goes public. The Cabela family and board should review the impact on Sidney from the closing of the Sioux Ordnance Depot. Jim Northup Raleigh, North Carolina Former Sidney resident and 1956 SHS graduate... Full story
Dear Editor: I was totally appalled by the self back patting article in Thursday’s paper (Sidney mayor highlights success of city and business partnerships). The statement by the mayor, “Regardless of what happens in our near future, we’ve got a positive foundation in place,” sounds pretty close to what City Manager Tom Coffey said just before the Sioux Army Depot closed years ago. All the talk about street improvements, utility upgrades, recreational amenities, housing developments and business developments over the years and not a word ab... Full story
My wife and I were traveling from the San Francisco Bay Area to Omaha for Thanksgiving. We stopped in the Safeway Starbucks on our way to Omaha and we struck up a conversation with a random customer and her two kids. They were the nicest family and were so enjoyable. At random, she and the two kids bought us a Starbucks gift card and wished us safe travels and a happy holiday. I have never witnessed such generosity – and it happened in Sidney, Nebraska. Bryan Krajeski San Francisco... Full story
Dear Editor: I have watched the city’s boom and bust cycles since the closing of the Army depot but am not liking the trend that currently exists. We have lost the best city manager we have ever had, the most qualified police chief in memory, the disapproval of the Keystone-XL pipeline and now the prospect of losing Cabela’s would seem to be more than we deserve. Let us pray that our largest employer will remain in the city. If not, our prospects for a replacement does not appear likely. I wish that I had reason to think otherwise, don’t you?... Full story
Dear Editor, I have read the letters from Larry Nelson and Rita Hart and agree with both of them. I have heard the walking trails along 11th Avenue (which nobody knows how that got approved) and around Cabela’s new pond was paid for with tax dollars. If that is the case why does Cabela’s benefit from our tax dollars? I heard that the road that connects road 20 and Ft. Sidney Road and the new bridge is being paid for with the half-cent sales tax money. That is not what the money is supposed to be used for; it is to repair our deteriorating stree... Full story
Dear Editor, Disclaimer: I am not a bridge builder nor do I claim to be one, but I’ve worked in manufacturing long enough to know when I see progress, or lack thereof. Since I am unemployable, I’ve had plenty of time to walk the dog past the Fort Sidney Road Bridge down the walking trail. I’ve also had the inconvenience of finding an alternative route when I want to go to Bomgaar’s. I read in the newspaper where construction had to be halted on the bridge because of unforeseen fiber optics cables. I’m not an expert, but when I want to do som...
Dear Editor: Just have to wonder, is Sidney getting too big for its britches? Seeing and hearing about all of the turmoil that Sidney has been through in the last six months makes me wonder. First we find out that our “new” police chief is getting in trouble over something that happened almost right after he was hired. And the “good ol’ boys” who got him in trouble decide they don’t want to play the game anymore, so they leave their positions and throw him under the bus so that he has no choice other than to leave his position. This man wa... Full story
Dear Editor, Since early July, there has been much concern among the good citizens of Sidney about the treatment of our chief of police, B.J. Wilkinson. He received an outrageous sentence for his plea. The mayor and city council wanted to assure the good people of Sidney that they would conduct a thorough investigation. They would hold executive sessions and get to the bottom of it all. The mayor was sent emails and had public requests to support B.J. Wilkinson. Council members were sent similar emails and had to have taken input from citizens... Full story
Dear Editor, In 1979, Tammy Wynette won a Grammy for her fabulous song entitled “Stand By Your Man.” I know that the title of this song applies to the situation regarding Sidney’s Chief of Police. To the good people of Sidney – and to the not-so-good as well – this letter is a request for your support of Chief B.J. Wilkinson. I’ve met so many new folks and friends who have agreed with me regarding this mess that was created by people – two of whom no longer work for our city. There have been many fist-bumps, many handshakes, many more words of... Full story
Dear Editor: The City Council will be selecting a new city manager soon. I hope they will pick one who will listen to the people and taxpayers of Sidney and stop this wasteful spending and overspending on projects. In 2012, the voters approved a half-cent sales tax to help pay for our streets, pay for a swimming pool, upgrade the irrigation system and park improvements. So far, the city officials and city council have overspent on every project except for our deteriorating streets. The so-called swimming pool was to get $3 million, and now it... Full story
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...
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
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
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
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
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
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
