Looking Back

These stories from the past first appeared in The Sidney Telegraph. Original writing is preserved, though some stories were shortened for space reasons.

100 YEARS AGO

‘Secretary Of State Warms Sidney With His Smile’

May 3, 1913

Secretary Bryan passed through Sidney last Saturday evening on his way to California and as the train made a ten-minute’s pause, he came to the platform and spoke a short time. Several hundred people were on hand to cheer his appearance. He and his pleasant family were enthusiastically greeted and the Secretary’s remarks were listened to with the greatest interest. As the great man himself said one of his heaviest duties was to keep silent, so at the end of ten minutes he said he had talked about as long a he could without saying something, and amidst the laughter and cheers of his fellow Nebraskans, the train rolled on, leaving his audience with a warm glow in each heart kindled by the magnetic personality that has moved thousands.

75 YEARS AGO

‘Three Inch Rain Soaks Sidney;

Tornado Kills Trio At Oshkosh’

April 29, 1938

Mother Nature dished up a weather pot-pour in this section of the state this week, serving a menu of dust, wind, hail and rain within a twenty-four hour period.

Following Monday night’s dust storm, the most severe of the year, rain started falling in Sidney and Cheyenne County Tuesday noon. Hail accompanied the storm, doing some property damage as it coated the ground to a reported depth of two inches in some areas.

Steady moisture continued to fall from Tuesday noon on through the night and Wednesday. At noon Tuesday .40 of an inch had been recorded; at 5 pm. the total had been raised to 1.10 inches. At 7 am. Wednesday the official gauge had recorded 2.07 inches and at 11 am. Wednesday the precipitation for the twenty-four hour period had risen to 2.22 inches.

While the rain brought additional optimism to farmers and business men, the hail was bringing misery and financial loss to several business houses. Electricians said seventeen neon signs were put out of commission in Sidney Tuesday as the hail stones, which reached the size of large marbles, peppered down. Some glass breakage also was reported in homes and buildings.

At the Parview Floral greenhouse, hail battered holes in scores of glass panes, inflicting damage to the structure and flowers estimated at one thousand dollars. Car tops were battered and roofs also felt the effects of the hail and rain and many ceilings were extensively damaged by leakage. Water seeped into a number of basements in lower portions of the city.

John Billiter, highway engineer, reported Wednesday noon that he had been informed of three bridge washouts. Several side roads also were closed by washouts, he said, but the principal highways were still open and passable. Gulleys and sand draws, carrying several feet of drainage water, caused the principal loss he reported.

East of Sidney, heavy drainage from the north table threatened to overflow Highway 30. Lodgepole Creek carried several times its normal flow through Sidney

Fields which were worked with damming machines this spring resembled huge lakes, with several inches of water covering the top soil machinery men declared.

50 Years Ago

May 3, 1963

Road And Bridge Damage By Big Equipment Is Reported In County

Board Studies Problem With Heavy Haulers

Trucks and heavy equipment being used in the construction of missile installations in Cheyenne County are damaging some roads, and light-duty county road bridges, it was brought out at a special meeting of the county commissioners on Wednesday.

Present at the meeting were representatives of some of the firms working on the construction in the area.

Three bridges in the county have been badly damaged, and at least one is in such unsafe condition that the road has been closed, county officials said.

A bridge over Lodgepole Creek, three and one half miles west of Lodgepole, is considered so badly damaged, both as to upper structure and flooring, that it has been declared dangerous for any traffic, and the road has been closed.

County officers said it has been indefinitely established that the Botsford Company is responsible for the damage to this particular bridge, and representatives of the firm who were present at the meeting Wednesday said they would report the damage to their insurors, hoping that a settlement could be effected which would relieve the county of the expense of repairing the damage at public cost.

A bridge in west Sidney Draw, and a bridge west of Gurley have been severely damaged, both as to underpinning and to flooring, it was reported. No responsibility has been placed for this damage.

The commissioners have announced that a culvert will be installed at the site of the Lodgepole Creek crossing within the next few days, so that farmers and others in that area will not be inconvenienced any longer than necessary.

Right now it is necessary for motorists in that vicinity to drive east to Lodgepole to be able to cross the creek when making trips to Sunol or Sidney.

William Behrends and Robert Dailey, farmers from south of Sunol, are among those who will be happy to see the culvert installed as it will save them several miles of driving each day. Both farm some land north of Lodgepole Creek, and have had to drive to Lodgepole several times each day to be able to get to fields to do farm work. There may be others similarly affected.

Commissioners pointed out that so far they have been able to stay ahead of road damage in pretty good shape, but that any wet weather would see county roads “cut to ribbons.”

One of the commissioners pointed out that no fault is being found with the contractors. Damage is not due to carelessness, but to the use of equipment that is too heavy for the roads and bridges, it was agreed.

Concrete mixed at the Botsford plant in Sidney must be poured within 45 minutes or it will be turned down by the government inspectors. For that reason, speed in making deliveries is essential.

One of the commissioners summed up the situation in these words: This construction work is in the interests of national defense. It is necessary; we wholeheartedly believe in it, and we are willing to do everything possible to expedite the work of those making the missile installations. However, Cheyenne County stands to take quite a financial beating on roads and bridges unless some means can be found to partially replace or repair the damage done by the heavy equipment using the county roads.

Planning committees from the Army and the Air Force met with the commissioners on Thursday to discuss the adequacy of county equipment to remove snow from county roads this winter, so the construction may not be delayed by clogged roads. While present talks are very much in the planning stage, it seems evident that additional snow removal equipment will be needed for use next winter.

25 Years Ago

May 4, 1988

New policy adopted

for boozing high

school players

A revised athletic participation policy for the Sidney Public School was adopted Tuesday, but not without considerable discussion, and suggestions that it is far from perfect.

The new policy, which deals with student athlete caught smoking, drinking or using drugs, will ban the student from participation in sports for three weeks for the first offense, three months for a second offense and the balance of the school calendar year or a third offense.

Whether a student athlete deserved a second or third chance if caught in flagrant violation of team training rules sparked much of the discussion at the Tuesday Board of Education of the Sidney Public Schools.

Mike Mitchell, SHS head football coach, said he had always been a strong believer of giving a student a second chance, but, he added, in the past two years, he has seen incidents that is making him begin to change his mind. He also observed that “the harsher the punishment (on a first offense), the less infractions.” Mitchell said that unless the coach cracks down hard on the first offence a student may feel he can get by with an infraction again without having to give up much, or any, playing time.

But, Mitchell told the board, he said the policy should include all extra-curricular activities, and not just athletics. “I think it should extend to all activities, the whole shooting match. It discriminates against the athlete.”

Bob Moderow, activities director for the Sidney Schools, said a major trouble with the policy is what to do with a student-athlete who is arrested on a minor in possession charge, but had not yet gone to trial.

“What do we do from the arrest to the time he goes to court?” he asked.

For a student-athlete to get immediate suspension, he must be observed to be in possession by a coach, or member of the administration, or admit that he has been using alcohol. When the policy was discussed at the April board meeting, it was noted that some parents tell their child to lie about being in possession.

Board attorney Jack Peetz said the student has a constitutional right that he is innocent until proven guilty.

“We understand that,” said Superintendent Ron Reichert, “and you understand that, but downtown, they don’t understand that. All they know is that so and so was caught drinking and he is still playing.” Peetz told the board that should an athlete be suspended if arrested, but before he has his day in court, the school faces an injunction from the parents to force the school to let the athlete participate. However, he said, the policy does allow the board to take action should the athlete admit he has been in violation or if the athlete is seen in violation by a coach or member of the administration.

Coleen Langdon, a parent of an athlete, said she would like to see the parents take more responsibility. She also urged a meeting between coaches and parents, and would like to see in the policy something that can get the student help if he or she is a repeat offender.

Coaches responded they already have pre-season meetings with parents, but noted may parents have not been attending such sessions. The school already has an intervention policy that can get help for a student offender.

Also questioned was whether a suspension should carry over during the summer, if a student is caught in violation during track season, or during the last days of another sport.

Moderow said he has trouble carrying a suspension through the summer, and would like each school year to begin with all students having a clean slate.

“We want to continue to improve the policy,” said Board President Steve Mattoon. “We know the issues and problems.”

10 YEARS AGO

‘Student Is Killed When Vehicle Rolls’

May 6, 2003

A foreign exchange student from Lima, Peru became the third traffic fatality this year in Cheyenne County Sunday.

The woman, whose name is being withheld by the Nebraska State Patrol until her relatives have been notified, was driving a 1992 Subaru Outback on Interstate 80 five miles west of Sidney Sunday morning.

Trooper Don Connelly, who investigated, said the driver apparently lost control of the east bound vehicle that drifted into the median and rolled two and a half times, landing in the westbound lane. The driver, who apparently was not wearing seat belts, was ejected.

A passenger, Scott Wilcox , 25, Oakland, N.J., received minor cuts and bruises, was wearing restraints, according to Connelly.

The fatality was the 82nd on Nebraska roads this year, compared with 112 on May 5 a year ago.