Good Old Days 01-16-15

Compiled By The Sidney Sun-Telegraph Staff

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

50 years ago

Jan. 18, 1965

'Youth is Still Critical After Collision'

Four Lodgepole youths are hospitalized, one of them in critical condition, and two cars are complete wrecks, following a head-on collision early Saturday morning. The accident occurred on Highway 30 in Lodgepole in front of the Rainbow motel.

Listed as critical is Dale W. Florke, 21, who received severe head injuries and was still unconscious at noon Monday. He was a passenger in a car driven by John Hixon, 20, who is in satisfactory condition after sustaining face and chest injuries and losing a number of teeth.

Also listed as satisfactory are the driver of the other car, Mike Markel, 16, and his passenger, Jerry Frerichs, 15. Markel received cuts and bruises and injury to his left arm. Frerichs suffered cuts and bruises.

Trooper Del Shipley of the Nebraska State Patrol, the investigating officer, said the accident occurred in the east lane of traffic. From all indications the Hixon car, a 1965 Pontiac, was westbound and was swung around to face east after the impact. The Markel car, a 1960 Chevrolet was eastbound.

The injured youths were cared for at the motel until the ambulance arrived.

25 years ago

Jan. 15, 1990

'Flu Bug Causes St. Pat's to Close'

Flu symptoms hit hard at the St. Patricks High School facility this week, causing St. Pat's to close the school for today. Superintendent John Weitzel said that four faculty members were out Wednesday with two more out today.

The probability of having six of 15 temporarily out of the classrooms led to the decision to close the school for today, Weitzel said. In addition, 20 students were out yesterday with six to 12 more were "hanging on by a thread."

10 years ago

Jan. 12, 2005

'Schools Have Expensive Repair Problems'

Here's the problem.

It's no secret that the Sidney Board of Education wants to build a new high school. But twice in the past two and a half years, it has seen bond issues rejected by the voters.

While the board has not said it will make a third try for approval of a nod issue later this year, it as not indicated that it won't.

The board must decide if it's willing to spend what could be millions of dollars to make repairs on the high school building that is more than 70 years old; the middle school, 50 years old, and on four elementary buildings, the newest which is more than 40 years old.

Or, should the board hold off and make just the absolutely necessary repairs on the high school and middle school and hope a their try at a bond issue is successful?

"It's pretty clear the public wants us to maintain old buildings," board member Mike Namuth said at Monday's board meeting.

Being discussed were the most pressing maintenance needs that at this point are major roof repairs at the high school and middle school that could cost up to $150,000 or more, and possibly as much as $10 million to $12 million to do all necessary work on all buildings in the district – "money that we don't have," said one board member.

The district has under $900,000 in the bank for maintenance.

"We need to get a cost at what we are looking at," Namuth said.

That look may come at next board meeting on Feb.14 when George Leach, a maintenance supervisor, is to present a report on how much it could cost the district to do all the necessary repairs on all the buildings. He will meet with the board's building and facilities committee.

5 years ago

Jan. 13, 2010

'16 Train Cars Derail Near Kimball'

A Monday afternoon train derailment involving one car containing hazardous material had Kimball County emergency crews responding to an area approximately six miles east of Kimball at 4 p.m. to shut down U.S. Highway 30 and contain the situation.

Mark Davis, Union Pacific Rail Road corporate relations director, said Tuesday that UP trains were moving on a second main line in the area.

"Our crews worked throughout the night to clear cars from the scene," Davis said. "We had trains moving again as of 5:30 [Tuesday] morning."

Kimball county sheriff Harry Gillway said Tuesday that both lanes of Highway 30 were reopened at 8 p.m. Monday after being shut down for hours by the Nebraska State Patrol. Due to the presence of a hazardous material, Gillway said an evacuation took place.

"We evacuated a one-mile radius area, which included three homes," Gillway said.

He confirmed there were no injuries as a result the derailment.

Of the 16 cars that derailed, Davis said seven contained soybean meal, three contained plastic pellets, two contained corn and one car each contained sale, oat flour and anhydrous ammonia. One car was empty. Anhydrous ammonia was the hazardous material involved in the derailment. Davis said there were no leaks detected and that no one was injured in the derailment.

Anhydrous ammonia is a chemical used as an agricultural fertilizer made up of one part nitrogen and three parts hydrogen. It's a colorless gas with a sharp penetrating odor contained under high pressure to maintain it in liquid form. An anhydrous ammonia leak at Farmer's Elevator Coop in downtown Sidney in July 2007 caused the evacuation of several city blocks.