Another Year In The History Books By Jessica Kaiser jkaiser@suntelegraph.com SIDNEY - The Sidney Sun-Telegraph will continue giving you the tour of our history books as we take peek at what transpired from April through June 2008. These months proved to be no different than January through March as several stories hit the front page - more than once - and Dick, Mary and Jim Cabela celebrated Cabela’s 40th anniversary as reported in the April 2 edition of The Sidney Sun-Telegraph. “Community To Honor Dick, Mary And Jim Cabela” The Sidney/Cheyenne County community will honor Dick, Mary and Jim Cabela by commemorating Cabela’s 40th anniversary of its association with Sidney. The annual Sidney/Cheyenne County Business & Industry luncheon on May 21 will give community leaders and citizens an opportunity to say “thank you” for the tremendous contributions and impact the three Cabela’s founders have had on the region. Cabela’s was not the only item of interest in early April as city council faced the issue of where and when skateboarders would be allowed to ride as seen April 8. “Right Of Way Ordinance Amended After Second Reading” The second reading of an ordinance to amend the bicycle right of way ordinance to include skateboards and scooters took place in the expected manner, but thanks to nine concerned skateboarders, the ordinance was amended once again. Appearing to show support for their hobby was Sean Vera, Thomas Fischer, Breanna Chance, Hayden McCall, Dustin Nightingale, Jeff Applebee, Allysa Shipman, Nolan Lines and Anthony Trombetta. Also appearing to show support for the young adults was local businessman Frank Trombetta, Charlotte Sanders and Alicia Ginther. City Manager Gary Person promised the skateboarders that the city would work with them to make sure skateboarding has a bright future in the city. He reminded them that several years ago a previous generation of skateboarders worked with the city to create the skate park. For taking a stand to make sure the skateboarding hobby remains a part of the city, the skateboarders earned the respect of council members. “I admire you all for coming,” Gaston said. Other news was not so amicable as seen by the ebb and flow in court. The April 11 issue reported Sidney men arrested for charges of attempted murder and the other assault. “Attempted Murder Case Moves Forward” A Sidney man arrested on the suspicion of attempted murder and later charged with the felony appeared in Cheyenne County Court on Wednesday where he waived his right to a preliminary hearing, officials said. Joshua Beutler, 27, is accused with running over his girlfriend with a Chevy pickup in the early morning hours of Feb. 24. According to the Sidney Police Department, officers responded to a person screaming at the entrance of Village Way Apartments around 2 a.m. where they found Beutler’s girlfriend, Sara Rose, after she was struck and subsequently run over by the truck. “Sidney Man To Appear For Arraignment On Domestic Assault” A 50-year-old Sidney man accused of hitting his girlfriend over the head with a metal bucket is tentatively scheduled for arraignment on two felony charges today at 10 a.m. in Nebraska’s 12th District Court in Cheyenne County. Zacarias Alvarado appeared on Wednesday in Cheyenne County Court before Judge Randin Roland for a preliminary hearing regarding the felonies. Alvarado is charged with second-degree domestic assault and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony. The school board also had a busy year as The Sun-Telegraph reported April 16 that the Cheyenne County School Board voted to close Lorenzo school for good. “School Board Votes To Close Lorenzo And Consolidate” The Cheyenne County School District No. 1 Board of Education made the difficult decision to permanently close Lorenzo School in a three-to-two vote on Monday. At the regular meeting of the board, president Tanya Lewis and board members Randy Flamig and Steve Mattoon voted to close Lorenzo while vice president Lori Geiger and board member Tom Von Seggern expressed their desire to see it remain open. Sixth board member Jeff Townsman was not present at the meeting to vote. Lorenzo School has functioned as an attendance center incorporated into District No. 1 for the past few years because of state legislation eliminating Class 1 school districts. LB 126 was enacted by the Legislature in 2005. It required that all Class 1 schools be merged into a K-12 school district beginning in the 2006-2007 school year. The schools were among other entities facing decisions on growth and development. Sidney’s selection as one of four communities to receive funding for the new neighborhood initiative appeared in the April 22 edition. “Sidney Enters Phase II Of New Neighborhoods Initiative City Receives $400,000 NAHTF Funding To Begin Implementation” Last year Sidney was selected as one of four communities to serve as a pilot test for a new state funded project to help growing communities provide affordable housing. This year the homes have been built and are ready to be sold. The Nebraska Department of Economic Development announced Monday that Sidney has completed the initial planning phase for its New Neighborhoods project and will now receive $400,000 in Nebraska Affordable Housing Trust Funds to take it to the next level. City Manager Gary Person received approval earlier this month from council to sign and submit the grant application to the state that would allow the city to begin drawing funds to help with down payments and infrastructure costs. Sadly, this transpired about the same time as a damaging fire hit a Sidney business as reported on April 24. “Commercial Resin Loses Building, Equipment In Fire” A fire that destroyed a building and some equipment broke out at Commercial Resin on Tuesday night and sent at least one person to the hospital, officials said. Fire Chief Keith Stone said a Potter firefighter was sent to the hospital for observation after fighting the blaze. The name and condition of the firefighter remain unknown. Commercial Resin employee Randy White Sr. was hospitalized at Memorial Health Center after the fire, reportedly sustaining injuries while helping remove equipment from the burning building. He was released on Wednesday. The school continued plans for a new building, and after a few failed attempts at passing a school bond for a new high school, the district finally broke ground after passing a school bond in September 2007. This appeared on May 14. “Sidney High Breaks Ground For New High School” Ground for Sidney’s new $17.43 million high school was broken on Tuesday afternoon as students, board members and residents picked up shovels to mark the beginning of the construction for the new learning center. The SHS choir sang an excellent rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” acapella as the crowd saluted the American flag. Cheyenne County School Board members were present for the ceremony, along with Sidney Mayor Wendall Gaston and Cabela’s Chief Financial Officer Ralph Castner. School board President Tanya Lewis and Chamber of Commerce’s Gene Lienemann spoke to the crowd expressing their appreciation for their support. Part of an ongoing drug investigation ran in the Sun-Telegraph’s May 15 issue. “Bravo, Dickey Sentenced For Drug Charges” Two of the four men arrested in connection with a five-month drug investigation spearheaded by the Sidney Police Department were sentenced Tuesday in Nebraska’s 12th District Court in Cheyenne County, officials said. Octavio Pintor-Bravo, 30, of Sidney and Donald Dickey, 37, of Sidney appeared before Judge Kristine Cecava for the sentencing. They both accepted plea bargains offered by County Attorney Paul Schaub earlier this year, but will still serve time for the crimes. “The plea agreement involved reducing the penalty of the charges,” Schaub said. “It was done with the agreement of law enforcement.” While the court system was dealing with drug issues, city council was dealing with dog issues. The council’s approval on an ordinance concerning dangerous dogs got a front page mention on May 31. “Police To Actively Enforce Dog Ordinances” After city council’s approval of the ordinance to amend sections of the dangerous dogs and dogs-at-large ordinance, Police Chief Larry Cox wants the public to know that his department will be working to ensure all pet ordinances are followed. In addition to enforcing laws against dangerous dogs, Cox said his department will be making sure residents have no more than three dogs, of at least five months of age, that are kept in a building, structure or premises, unless that premises is a kennel or an animal hospital. That’s the law under the codified ordinance 1240.03 paragraph 51. As summer approached so did the reality of the cost of building permits. This June 4 story filled readers in on the permits issued during the June building activity report. “Permit For New High School Totals $979,000 Building Activity In May Totals $1.7 Million” Let the building commence! Building activity numbers have remained low in Sidney so far in 2008, but coming through in a big way to improve those numbers was the permit to build the new high school approved by voters last year. A whopping $979,000 was spent on the permit to get the construction underway, according to the building activity report from the desk of City Inspector Jim Pelster. Some new residential home building and a $15,000 government building in Legion Park helped pave the way to bring the city over $1.7 million in May alone. The total falls $274 shy of achieving the same amount brought in by building in May 2007. This story was reported on June 5 in The Sidney Sun-Telegraph after a Kimball man died in an auto accident in May. “Kimball Man Arraigned On Homicide Charge” A 20-year-old Kimball man accused of causing the death of Joshua Cooley in a one-vehicle rollover accident May 24 was arraigned in Kimball County Court on Tuesday, officials said. Kyle D. Anderson now faces a felony charge of motor vehicle homicide for unintentionally causing the death of 22-year-old Cooley, but also is accused of tampering with evidence. The second felony charge was added to the complaint by special acting County Attorney Paul Schaub after he reviewed the information in the case. Anderson is suspected of drinking and speeding when the accident occurred. Those mourning the loss of loved ones decided to take action as the Angel of Hope Project began unfolding as seen in this June 24 article. “Angel Of Hope, A Project Of Remembrance” The Living Memorial Gardens at Sidney’s Legion Park were created more than 25 years ago to be a place of remembrance for those who have lost friends and family. Soon, there will be a new addition to the gardens, an Angel of Hope, for all to share. Standing 4-feet, 3-inches tall with a wingspan of 5-feet, the angel will represent a place of solitude and peace for friends and family. Inspired by the Richard Paul Evans’ book “The Christmas Box,” the angel will be one of dozens that have been installed across the country. The drug investigation of several meth related offenses continued as this duo faced sentencing as part of a 5-month investigation by city officials as reported on June 25. “Portillo, Cagle Plead Guilty To Drug Charges” In what many would consider a victory in the war on drugs, the final two suspects arrested in connection with a five-month drug investigation spearheaded by the Sidney Police Department have each pleaded guilty to drug charges and now face up to 50 years imprisonment, officials said Tuesday. Juan Portillo, 29, of Gurley, was the first person arrested in the investigation. Portillo was a night janitor at North Ward Elementary School when he was arrested. He was accused of dealing methamphetamine and cocaine from within the school. Police said no children were around when the investigation occurred and school authorities said Portillo worked the night shift. Jimmy Cagle, 27, of Lodgepole was the fourth suspect arrested in the investigation. Cagle pleaded guilty on Tuesday to delivery of methamphetamine, a Class II felony. Cagle could be facing up to 50 years in prison for the charge. Sentencing for both men was scheduled for Aug. 26 at 10 a.m. Schaub said Portillo is under an immigration detainer since he is not a U.S. citizen. The other two men arrested in the investigation, Octavio Bravo and Donald Dickey, both of Sidney, pleaded guilty to drug charges earlier this year. While meth was a popular headline at the time, this tobacco related tragedy appeared in the June 27 issue. “Fatal Fire Caused By Cigarette” An early morning fire in a Gurley residence that is believe to have been started by a burning cigarette has left one man dead and one little girl hospitalized, officials said Thursday. According to County Attorney Paul Schaub, deputies of the Cheyenne County Sheriff’s Office responded to an 8:48 a.m. report of smoke coming from 426 Lincoln Street. Deputies arrived in 13 minutes, entered the residence and located the body of 48-year-old Frank Ortivez, who was pronounced dead at the scene. See Tuesday’s edition of The Sidney Sun-Telegraph for PART III of 2008 In Review: Another Year In The History Books.