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  • Sidney Police Department awarded grant for radar units

    Ryan Hermens|Jan 6, 2016

    The Sidney Police Department will soon receive two new radar units for patrol vehicles, with half the cost covered by a state grant. Sidney Police Assistant Chief Joe Aikens said the devices will replace aging equipment. The $1,800 grant that will help with the expense was awarded by the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety. Fred Zwonechek, Nebraska Highway Safety administrator, said the grant – and radar units – will help Sidney police officers maintain traffic safety in the city. "The Sidney Pol...

  • Roundball back in session

    Ryan Hermens|Jan 6, 2016

    Schools throughout the region resumed this week after winter break. Along with classes, sports are also back in session. On Tuesday, the Creek Valley girls' and boys' basketball teams hosted Peetz. In girls' varsity action, Creek Valley won, 35-30. The Peetz boys topped the Storm, 37-41....

  • Bulldogs edge Storm in turnover fest

    Ryan Hermens|Jan 6, 2016

    CHAPPELL – In a game mired by turnovers and missed shots, the Peetz High Bulldogs (5-2, 1-1) eked out a victory over Creek Valley (5-4, 1-2) on Tuesday night, 41-37. The non-league game was the first of 2016 for both schools. "Obviously, we have to go to work," Peetz coach Sean Fehringer said. "We're a turnover machine right now. We have to buy into running our offense a little bit and have a little more patience." After Peetz senior Jordan Nelson put up the first points of the game, the S...

  • Creek Valley survives ferocious late Peetz rally

    Ryan Hermens|Jan 6, 2016

    CHAPPELL – After controlling most of the game, the Creek Valley High girls' basketball team withstood a fervent fourth quarter comeback attempt by Peetz to win a non-league game on Tuesday, 35-30. The Lady Storm (5-4, 1-1) took an early lead, ending the first quarter up, 10-3. In both teams' first game since school resumed after winter break, shots were off the mark most of the night. However, Creek Valley's dominance under the net allowed the Storm multiple opportunities. "We boxed out much b...

  • Potter-Dix holds spelling bee

    Ryan Hermens|Jan 5, 2016

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  • County to apply for 'Livestock friendly' designation

    Ryan Hermens|Jan 5, 2016

    Cheyenne County will seek to join all five of its neighboring Nebraska counties – and three dozen counties throughout the state – in being designated "Livestock friendly." A public hearing on Monday when county commissioners considered applying for the designation was packed with supporters. A motion to submit the application passed unanimously. Tyson Narjes, a county resident, first approached commissioners about the Nebraska Department of Agriculture program eight months ago. The vol...

  • Holiday season comes to a close

    Ryan Hermens|Jan 5, 2016

    Tom Von Seggern, Sidney parks superintendent, takes down the Christmas tree on Tuesday morning that had stood in Hickory Street Square since November. Throughout the holiday season, the square – which was closed to vehicle traffic – was the site of festivities and events....

  • Christmas storm stranded motorists in county

    Ryan Hermens|Jan 5, 2016

    The latest snow storm that swept through Cheyenne County at the end of December led to a few stranded motorists on county roads. Cheyenne County Sheriff John Jenson said all travelers were eventually dug out and no injuries were reported, but the episode highlighted the importance of being prepared when driving in the winter. "We had a few people that were going from Point A to Point B and got stuck," he said. While attempting to reach the stranded motorists, deputies also became stuck in the sn...

  • No business like snow business

    Ryan Hermens|Jan 4, 2016

    After days of freezing temperatures throughout the region, Monday's high was forecast to reach 36 degrees Fahrenheit in Sidney. Temperatures are expected to remain in the high 30s and low 40s until Thursday, when snow returns to the forecast....

  • Commissioners reaffirm boards, appointments

    Ryan Hermens|Jan 4, 2016

    At the first Cheyenne County Board of Commissioners meeting of the year on Monday, appointments and committee memberships were reaffirmed. By unanimous votes, Darrell Johnson will remain chairman of the board of commissioners and Philip Sanders will continue his tenure as vice chair. Steve Olson is the third commissioner. The commissioners' roles as county representatives on boards of various regional governmental agencies were also reaffirmed. Johnson serves as a board member for Region 21...

  • Pancake feed, 5K run and walk to benefit Deuel Co. deputy

    Ryan Hermens|Dec 31, 2015

    The Cheyenne County Sheriff's Office is hosting an event to benefit a deputy shot in early December in nearby Deuel County. Sheriff John Jenson said his office wants to do what it can to support Deuel County Sheriff's Deputy Mike Hutchinson. "We understand what a family goes through when somebody is injured," Jenson said. A pancake feed and 5K walk and run will be held on Saturday, Jan. 16 at the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds, with all proceeds going to the Hutchinson family. Pancakes, scrambled...

  • YEAR IN REVIEW: Favorite photographs from 2015

    Ryan Hermens|Dec 30, 2015

    As 2015 comes to a close, the Sun-Telegraph is publishing photographs taken during the past 12 months. Some of the images have appeared previously in the paper while others are being printed for the first time. Last year was busy. In the spring, two local high school basketball teams – Sidney and Peetz – made trips to their respective state tournaments. And then during the summer in Cheyenne County, numerous community events were held – Lodgepole Old Settlers' Days, Potter Days and the Dalto...

  • SNOW DAY

    Ryan Hermens|Dec 30, 2015

    Nicholas Balandran, 11, middle, sleds down a slope in Legion Park in Sidney on Wednesday afternoon with his cousins, Samantha and Malachi Balandran, 11 and 7....

  • Tax credit notices confusing some county residents

    Ryan Hermens|Dec 29, 2015

    Postcards sent to Nebraska property owners announcing their 2015 tax credits are causing some confusion for taxpayers. Cheyenne County Treasurer Diane Scott said the tax credits are not new but this is the first time postcards have been mailed. The notices were signed by Gov. Pete Ricketts and Galen Hadley, the Nebraska Speaker of the Legislature. "We have fielded many phone calls about how the taxpayer is going to receive their refund," Scott said in a media release. Since 2007, when the tax cr...

  • On the other end of the line

    Ryan Hermens|Dec 28, 2015
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    They often only hear part of the story – how it begins. When interviewing potential new dispatchers, Heidi Gillespie said she reminds them they will be talking to people on the very worst days of their lives, and they won't always learn how the story ends. Traffic crashes, medical emergencies, fires, violence. Those are the things they will hear on the other end of the line. From Potter to Lodgepole, Dalton to Lorenzo, when something bad happens, Gillespie or one of the dispatchers she o...

  • Sidney students take first at cultural expressions competition

    Ryan Hermens|Dec 23, 2015

    A group of Sidney High School students took home a pair of first-place finishes at a cultural expressions competition in Denver earlier this month. The Metropolitan State University of Denver Chicano/a Studies Department Journey through our Heritage Program hosted the competition Dec. 11. Brett Avila, a teacher at Sidney High School, said it was the first time the school attended the event and the group participated in the skit and mural categories. Avila said he learned of the program while on...

  • Celebrating the season

    Ryan Hermens|Dec 22, 2015

    Sidney elementary school students sang Christmas carols in Hickory Street Square last week....

  • Make sure to keep your home safe while out of town

    Ryan Hermens|Dec 22, 2015

    With Christmas just days away, many people may be traveling out of town for the holidays. Local law enforcement officials are reminding residents to take a few steps to reduce the risk of becoming a burglary victim while away. Both the Cheyenne County Sheriff's Office and Sidney Police Department offer house watches, which are free of charge. Joe Aikens, Sidney Police Department assistant chief, said it only takes a phone call to set up the watch, and it ensures someone is keeping track of your...

  • Public defender appointment tabled

    Ryan Hermens|Dec 22, 2015

    A decision on who will be Cheyenne County's first public defender in at least two decades will wait until the New Year. A public defender policy board, created last summer, reviewed four proposals from attorneys interested in the position and one for a guardian ad litem – a person appointed by the court to represent the interests of a juvenile in court proceedings. All of the applicants were qualified for the positions, Tom Oliver, a member of the three-person policy board, told Cheyenne C...

  • UP train collides with semi, derails

    Ryan Hermens|Dec 21, 2015

    A Union Pacific train collided with a semi truck 10 miles west of Sidney early Monday morning. The two crew members aboard the train and a driver and passenger in the truck were not injured, Cheyenne County Sheriff John Jenson said. "But they were shaken," he added. The collision occurred at about 1 a.m. near mile marker 45 on U.S. Highway 30. UP spokeswoman Calli Hite said the train collided with the semi at a grade crossing, where the truck was stuck. Three locomotives and seven rail cars...

  • Cheyenne County Commissioners raise their salary

    Ryan Hermens|Dec 21, 2015

    Beginning in 2017, Cheyenne County Commissioners will receive a bump in pay. On Monday morning, the commissioners approved a resolution increasing their annual salary to $24,500. They currently receive $17,232. The $7,000 raise is the first adjustment to the elected officials' pay in 12 years, Cheyenne County Clerk Beth Fiegenschuh said. In addition to the salary, commissioners receive the same benefits as county employees, including health coverage. The resolution also includes a 3 percent cost...

  • Fort Sidney Road bridge reopens

    Ryan Hermens|Dec 18, 2015

    The Fort Sidney Road bridge has reopened to traffic. A section of the road between Pole Creek Crossing – formerly Toledo Street – and Virginia Lane had been closed since June while the previous bridge was demolished and then reconstructed. While the bridge was originally scheduled to be completed in October, delays in the relocation of utilities near the site led contractors to construct the bridge at Pole Creek Crossing prior to the bridge on Fort Sidney Road. Ben Dayton, City of Sidney zon...

  • Christmas at Creek Valley Elementary

    Ryan Hermens|Dec 18, 2015

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  • To bee, or not to bee

    Ryan Hermens|Dec 17, 2015

    Students from West and North elementary schools in Sidney participated in a spelling bee on Wednesday. Sixth-grader Rishi Krishna won the event. The top six finishers will compete in the county spelling bee on Thursday, Jan. 28, at West Elementary. Representing North and West schools will be Krishna along with classmates Daniel Bashtovoi and Koda Herrod, fifth graders Grace Bowcut and Anna Lenzen and fourth grader Pranitha Pemmariju. The winner from the county spelling bee will be eligible to...

  • State traffic fatality toll rises to 219 for year

    Ryan Hermens|Dec 17, 2015

    Twenty-six fatalities were recorded on Nebraska roadways in November, bringing the year-to-date death toll to 219. According to data released by the Nebraska Department of Roads, fatalities have increased 14 percent over the previous four-year average. Among the deaths in November, 80 percent of vehicle occupants killed were not using safety belts, up slightly from the year-to-date average of 77 percent The vast majority of November crashes, 21, occurred in rural locations, and eight were...

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