Another Year In The History Books By Klark Byrd kbyrd@suntelegraph.com SIDNEY - Happy New Year from the staff of The Sidney Sun-Telegraph! Over the next few days, we will be taking a look back at 2008 and highlighting some of the many stories covered by your local hometown newspaper throughout the year. The first stop on trip through time is January. One of the Top 10 stories of 2007 continued to make headlines in 2008, as it did on Jan. 3 when the Sidney Police Department lost one of its members. “Sidney Police Officer Resigns” City officials announced on Wednesday the resignation of Officer Dale E. Miller from the Sidney Police Department following several weeks of administrative leave after his police cruiser slammed into a SUV, sending two females and himself to the hospital on Nov. 10. The case continues into 2009 as both injured parties have submitted tort claims to the city council. Both claims are asking for $1 million from the city for pain and suffering, loss of income and medical expenses. It was also back in January when the Cheyenne County School District No. 1 Board of Education was questioning the new high school design plans. This story ran Jan. 17. “School Design Plans Tabled” Exercising caution and calling for more information, the Cheyenne County School District No. 1 Board of Education tabled the resolution to approve the schematic design for the new high school building presented at the regular meeting Tuesday evening. The plans were quickly brought back to the board’s attention, though, as reported on by The Sidney Sun-Telegraph Jan. 24. “School Design Clears Hurdle” The design committee of the Cheyenne County School District No. 1 Board of Education met on Monday and has approved the schematic design for the new high school. Committee members will recommend that the full board accept the proposal in a special meeting to be held on Jan. 31. That meeting resulted in the designs being tabled once more, as followed up on Feb. 1. “Questions, Discussion Bog Down New School Design Approval” The meeting of the Cheyenne School District No. 1 Board of Education on Thursday to approve the schematic design for the new high school resulted in the matter being tabled - again. The problem was questions surrounding the heating and cooling systems of the new school. Other big stories in January included the arrest of a famous boxer/Playboy model on Jan. 23 with one of the largest drug busts of the year, according to authorities at the time. “Boxer Model Arrested On I-80” The Nebraska State Patrol on Thursday announced a routine traffic stop on Interstate 80 near Dix in Kimball County resulted in the seizure of nearly 60 pounds of marijuana and the arrest of 27-year-old Ava Fiore, an adult model and female boxing champion. Even back in January, economic analysts and federal officials were seeing the beginning of what’s become the recessed American economy. This story topped The Sidney Sun-Telegraph on Jan. 31. “Feds Try Boosting Economy Again; Hacks Interest Rate Half-Point” The Federal Reserve delivered powerful new relief to people and businesses squeezed by the ailing economy Wednesday, cutting interest rates even deeper in an effort to avert or at least soften the blow of a recession. Big headlines continued into February. That was the month the school board approved the new high school design plans, the ban on indoor smoking was passed by state legislators and the Democrats held their historic caucus. These and more are the stories that made headlines in February, starting with Feb. 1. “Democrats Making History With Caucus Rather Than Primary” Members of the Nebraska Democratic Party will experience a different way to choose their candidate on Feb. 9. For the first time in state history, the Democrats will hold caucuses instead of participating in the traditional presidential primary in May. The caucus, rather than the traditional state primary, will determine who the Nebraska Democratic delegates will support at the ’08 Democratic National Convention. On Feb. 12, The Sidney Sun-Telegraph was there to inform the public on the winners of that caucus. “Clinton Wins County, Obama Wins State” Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama declared victory in Nebraska after the Democratic caucuses on Saturday, but party members in Cheyenne County put more support behind Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York. The state tally was 68 percent for Obama compared to 32 percent for Clinton. The county’s race was closer with 53 percent for Clinton and 47 percent for Obama. The much-questioned design of the new high school was not resolved until a meeting of the Cheyenne County No. 1 School District Board of Education in February. The Sidney Sun-Telegraph reported the following story. “Board Approves School Design” A special meeting for Cheyenne County School District No. 1 Board of Education was held Wednesday night. It was the third time the board met with the approval of the schematic design for the new high school on the agenda and - after much deliberation - the design was approved. Not all projects planned for construction in 2008 were so lucky. On Feb. 14, The Sidney Sun-Telegraph reported that the Sidney Housing Authority’s highly-debated project failed to receive funding. “Senior Housing Project Stalls” An update at Sidney’s City Council meeting on Heritage Estates, the much-debated low-income senior housing project proposed by Sidney’s Housing Authority, quickly turned into a plea to save the project. Councilman Larry Hiers became visibly irate during the update and request for land option extension because the Housing Authority was aware that funding fell through three weeks prior to Tuesday’s meeting but had not informed city council. The city faced other challenges in February, especially when it lost a section of street due to the weather. The timing couldn’t have been better, as earlier in the month, a nearby metropolis experienced a similar situation - on a bigger scale, of course. This story was reported on Feb. 23. “Sidney Loses Section Of Country Club Drive” The freeze and thaw cycle of Mother Nature is to blame for a water main pipe burst that lead to a “sinkhole” on Country Club Drive on Thursday, officials said. “I figured we needed a sinkhole like Denver,” said Sidney’s Public Works Director John Hehnke, jokingly. Smokers found little to celebrate in February as legislators discussed a statewide ban on indoor smoking, even in bars. Many smokers waited for word of a decision after reading this article on Feb. 16. “Smoking Ban Bill Closer To Passing” Lawmakers amended and re-advanced a bill Thursday proposing a statewide smoking ban in indoor public places. The bill, LB395, was changed to eliminate the ability of individual towns to opt out of the ban. The follow up smokers were waiting for came in the Feb. 27 edition of The Sidney Sun-Telegraph. “Smokers Kicked To The Curb” Many business owners statewide, especially those operating bars and restaurants that allowing smoking, are up in arms about a new law signed by Gov. Dave Heineman outlawing the habit in most public places. “I think it should be up to the business owners to decide,” said Connie Nielsen, owner of Jimmy’s in Sidney. “Tobacco is not an illegal drug.” Tobacco may not be an illegal drug, but drugs were the concern with drinking water supplies on March 11. “Drinking Water Tainted By Drugs” A vast array of pharmaceuticals - including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones - have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows. While this may be a crisis in metropolitan areas, Sidney is in no eminent danger. Water Superintendent Bill Taylor said that Sidney relies on an entirely different water source. Also of note was a pigeon poo problem, skateboarders running amok and city council helping out with the construction of the new school. The Sidney Sun-Telegraph reported March 13 on council’s decision to help the school with its request of fee waivers. “Council Meets School Halfway” After tabling a request from Sidney Public Schools on Feb. 25 to waive approximately $40,000 in building, mechanical and plumbing permits, Sidney City Council approved to waive half of the fees at Tuesday night’s regular meeting. It was also in March that a resolution to a complicated situation was nearing between local government officials and the South Platte Natural Resources District. This headline topped The Sidney Sun-Telegraph on March 15. “Water Plan In Final Stages” After three-and-a-half years of research, discussion and some dissension among interested parties, the South Platte Natural Resources District and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources has presented the final draft of the Integrated Management Plan to maximize water conservation in Kimball, Cheyenne and Deuel Counties. In the end, March left the community wondering how it was going to get rid of pesky pigeons and their poo, and at what time skateboarders, bicyclers and scooterists could ride the sidewalks in historic downtown. Both of these stories can be found in the March 27 edition of your local hometown newspaper. “Politicos Ponder ‘Pigeon Poo’ Problem” As requested by Councilman Dalan Hiett, discussion about the increasing trouble with pigeons congregating downtown was on the agenda at Tuesday night’s regular city council meeting. Several downtown business owners appeared at the meeting to voice their concerns that the problem was not only their responsibility, but one shared by the city. “Skateboards, Scooters Target Of Amendment” Skateboarders beware! You could soon find yourself the proud owner of a police citation if you’re caught skateboarding between 13th Avenue and 8th Avenue from Hickory Street to King Street. During the regular Tuesday night meeting of the Sidney City Council, council approved an amendment to include skateboards and scooters in an ordinance that prevents bicyclers from riding on the sidewalk in the “congested area” of town. In response to the pigeon poo problem, the city began a trapping program. That’s what was reported on March 29. “Pigeon Response Needed” City Manager Gary Person has announced plans are moving forward to trap the pigeon population of Sidney. The success of the program will hinge on the volunteers who will be responsible for trapping the birds. See Saturday’s edition of The Sidney Sun-Telegraph for PART II of 2008 In Review: Another Year In The History Books.