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Articles from the February 16, 2013 edition


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  • Opponents denounce call for anti-gay prom in Ind.

    Associated Press|Feb 16, 2013

    SULLIVAN, Ind. (AP) — A quiet Indiana community known for its parks and corn festival has become the latest setting for the debate over gay rights and bullying after several area residents, including some high schoolers, proposed holding a non-school sanctioned “traditional” prom that would ban gay students. School officials and many residents of Sullivan, a city of about 4,200 near the Illinois border, have scrambled to distance themselves from the controversy caused by the group’s plans and some strong, anti-gay remarks made by one of its...

  • Jesse Jackson Jr., wife charged in federal cases

    Associated Press|Feb 16, 2013

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. was charged Friday with scheming to spend $750,000 in campaign funds on personal expenses. His wife was charged with filing false income tax forms. Federal prosecutors filed a charge of conspiracy against the former congressman and charged his wife, Sandra, with one count of filing false joint federal income tax returns for the years 2006 through 2011. Both agreed to plead guilty in plea deals with federal prosecutors. The charges represent a dramatic fall from political prominence for the c...

  • Hagel delay gives opposition time to hone attack

    Associated Press|Feb 16, 2013

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The weeklong Senate recess gives outside interest groups opposed to Chuck Hagel’s nomination to become defense secretary more time to sharpen their attack against President Barack Obama’s choice. And they’re not wasting any of it, promising to redouble their efforts to scour Hagel’s record and to pressure senators to vote against him. While Senate Republicans have succeeded in delaying a confirmation vote on Hagel’s nomination, they signaled that they would eventually...

  • Harvey comes through at the end

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Feb 16, 2013

    Perhaps among a few fans, some doubts were cast about Lane Harvey’s ability to deliver in the clutch. Not any more. The Sidney High School sophomore point guard, with time ticking down — and his Raiders trailing Alliance by a pair of points late Friday night at Cabela’s Athletic Facility — was fouled while launching a 3-point attempt in front of the SHS bench. With .9 seconds remaining, Harvey went to the line and buried all three shots, enabling Erik Kohl’s club to eke out a 61-60 victory a...

  • One Raider still alive in state wrestling; Wintholz advances to the medal rounds

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Feb 16, 2013

    OMAHA — Sidney senior 195-pounder Tanner Wintholz is the lone Red Raider remaining in the state wrestling finals at Omaha’s CenturyLink Center. Wintholz won both three bouts in today’s wrestlebacks, while both Scott Kelsey (220) and Michael Muggli (132) were eliminated. Wintholz (21-4) pinned Schuyler’s Tyler Brabec in his first-round consolation bout, getting the stick in the final seconds of the second period. Wintholz then came back and decisioned Nate Meier of Pierce, 5-2, earning a berth in the quarterfinals opposite Alliance freshma...

  • Lady Raiders draw away from Alliance, 56-50

    John Roark, Sun-Telegraph|Feb 16, 2013

    Even though his team wasn’t setting the world on fire at the free-throw line, Sidney High School girls basketball coach Tyler Shaw had to appreciate how they were getting there. Despite making a deplorable 10 of 27 foul shots, the Lady Raiders (16-6) closed out the regular season with a 56-50 victory against Alliance (10-11) at Cabela’s Athletic Facility. Sidney ran off a 9-2 run midway through the fourth period to settle an issue that probably dragged on for way too long, considering SHS...

  • Life without Jesus

    Jan Knicely, Associate In Ministry, Emeritus Holy Trinity Lutheran, Sidney|Feb 16, 2013

    Many of us are shaking our heads in disbelief at how quickly time passes! It seems only yesterday we were celebrating Christmas and New Year’s. Now, we are already into the Season of Lent and Valentine’s Day is behind us!!! How can that be? With the business of the day and swift passing of time, it is so easy to forget to keep Jesus in our life. During the past fleeting weeks, so much has happened. Some of us have witnessed the loss of dear friends and loved ones, illness, surgery, loneliness, or loss of a job. Some have experienced an eng...

  • It's Mines

    Tina Mines, Sun-Telegraph|Feb 16, 2013

    I was once told that in life one must wear many hats to truly appreciate the full affect life has upon any one given person – in other words wearing many hats gives a person a true understanding of empathy. In my life I have found this to be overwhelmingly true and with honesty if it wasn’t for all the things I have seen in my short life or been a part of I do not think I would have half the empathy I contain today. And as it is with all aspects of life the journey does not stop in one place, it is us who gets stuck in that place whether or not...

  • How smart is my dog? Smarter than I am ...

    Peter McKay, Syndicated Columnist|Feb 16, 2013

    You know how something isn’t really news, but suddenly, everywhere you look, there’s a story about it? I felt like this last week, when I saw headline after headline asking me whether I know how smart is my dog. This is all sparked by a new book called “The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs are Smarter Than You Think,” a groundbreaking work that provides evidence dogs are really, really good at reading their owners’ gestures and learning words. (When you write a book about it, it’s called a “groundbreaking work.” When you just look at your dog, wonde...

  • Looking Back

    Feb 16, 2013

    subscribe online at www.suntelegraph.com & These stories from the past first appeared in The Sidney Telegraph. Original writing is preserved, though some stories were shortened for space reasons. 100 YEARDS AGO ‘Parks Barred’ February 15, 1913 Fred Parks, Sidney’s popular boxer, went to Denver to take part in the tournament held there this week. He went to the ring Monday night and knocked out his opponent with neatness and dispatch. A repetition of the success of the boy was forestalled by the powers that be who ruled him out of the amate...

  • Heineman: Farm focus key for new regent

    Associated Press|Feb 16, 2013

    LINCOLN (AP) — Gov. Dave Heineman says he plans to fill an open seat on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents based on the person’s views on agriculture, college affordability and the university’s role in spurring economic growth. The new board opening has drawn the attention of abortion opponents, who want Heineman to fill the seat with a candidate who opposes embryonic stem cell research. Heineman said Friday that the stem-cell issue is important to him as well, but he plans to focus on a broader set of factors when making his decis...

  • Woman recovering after crash with semi

    Associated Press|Feb 16, 2013

    COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — It’s about the little victories, right? Traci Wickham’s small win was being able to make it up the short flight of stairs leading to Scotus Central Catholic’s gymnasium where her daughter was playing in a basketball tournament recently. The Columbus Telegram reports (http://bit.ly/VmBWIJ ) that making it up the steps is actually a pretty huge step for Wickham, whose van was T-boned by a semitrailer at the junction of highways 81 and 30 the morning of Dec. 11. Wickham had just dropped off her children when her vehicle...

  • More mountain lions prompt calls for hunting

    Associated Press|Feb 16, 2013

    HASTINGS — Reported mountain lion sightings in Nebraska are far more common than actual sightings. Much like UFOs, a good percentage of the sightings are simply a case of mistaken identity. A mangy coyote, stray dog, or even a bobcat can look uncannily like a big cat from a passing car. But spotting one isn’t out of the question. The Hastings Tribune reports that just last week, a landowner in Pine Ridge in northern Sheridan County shot and killed an 88-pound female mountain lion after he and his family unsuccessfully tried to scare it awa...

  • Battle over gun control goes to Colorado House floor

    Associated Press|Feb 16, 2013

    DENVER (AP) — A Democratic gun control package began its lengthy and emotional route through Colorado’s Legislature on Friday, with the House approving limits on the size of ammunition magazines after hours of fiery debate on gun violence and how to stop it. The Democratic chamber was poised to stay late into the night giving preliminary approval to other parts of the Democrats’ gun agenda, including expanded background checks for gun purchasers and a new ban on concealed weapons on college camp...

  • Leyton High School graduate Peters receives Sidney P.E.O. scholarship

    Hannah Van Ree, Sun-Telegraph|Feb 16, 2013

    Leyton High School 2012 graduate Justine Peters was awarded the Sidney P.E.O. Chapter’s FR and BO 2012 scholarship award. The award is given annually to a graduating senior at a Cheyenne County high school who applies and goes through the selection process. The criteria used in selecting a candidate for this award are whether or not the student exhibits excellence in academics, leadership, extracurricular activities, community service and has potential for future success, according to Sandy W...

  • Face recognition technology aiding Lincoln police

    Associated Press|Feb 16, 2013

    LINCOLN — Lincoln police can now search for bad guys using the state’s face recognition technology. The state has used the technology for years to prevent people from getting multiple driver’s licenses under different names, said Tom Casady, the city’s public safety director. The Lincoln Journal Star reports (http://bit.ly/XKmK6n ) that now local police trained by the state can use the same database, Casady told the Lincoln City Council last week. Police can compare video images from a crime — someone passing a bad check or using someone e...

  • Public urged to attend city pool planning sessions

    Special for the Sun-Telegraph|Feb 16, 2013

    Water Technologies, Inc., the swimming pool consultants that have been hired by the City of Sidney to conduct a feasibility study regarding updating or replacing the Sidney Swimming Pool, will be leading additional public meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 19 and Feb. 20. The public is invited and encouraged to attend any of the three sessions. Water Technologies, Inc. will incorporate the information that they have gathered to date, including the information received from their initial visit last month. The first of the three sessions is...

  • Library ramping up schedule for February

    Hannah Van Ree, Sun-Telegraph|Feb 16, 2013

    The Sidney Public Library is a busier place than usual this February. Not only is the library hosting art from Panhandle high school students and holding their fourth annual Library Lover’s Month, but the library is also teaming up with Western Nebraska Community College instructors to hold free computer classes at the library. This is the first year that the library is offering the classes and the classes will be taught by college instructors, according to Doris Jensen, the library’s dir...