Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
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Are tattoos really the best way to express oneself? They started out as the trademark symbol of biker gangs, the permanence of the marking being a metaphor that members were in for life. But now, one of the first questions thrown out when getting to know someone is, “do you have any tattoos?” I don’t understand the appeal. Maybe I’m a rarity, but my interests change quite frequently, so I think I’d begin to regret getting a tattoo within a year of its completion. I also feel that if I were supposed to have something permanent on my body, I’d...
Strong winds that ripped through Sidney Friday and Saturday affected Oktoberfest crowds. “The turnout was not well,” Judy Harris said. “It was a little better than last year and we may have made just enough to break even.” Last year an early season snowstorm forced the cancellation of outdoor events, including the parade. This time around those in charge of Oktoberfest were forced closed down the tent at 10:30 p.m. on Friday due to the wind. They could not reopen it on Saturday until 6 p.m., whe...
The RGM Corporation filed a suit against the Cheyenne County Commissioners. The county, meanwhile, is involved in a counterclaim against the company. The case was sent to the board on September 20. The plaintiff, RGM, claimed that property rights were violated by the county's board of commissioners through certain ditches and roads adjacent to the plaintiff’s real estate. The plaintiff asserted the cause of action known as inverse condemnation and seeks damages from the defendant. The county denied the cause of action and further expects to s...
The Panhandle Mental Health Center (PMHC) moved to a new office just over a year ago. The staff decided that a better facility more suitable to their clients was needed. The building on 8th Avenue in Sidney has provided easier access for patients. On Thursday, the staff held a Business After Hours event, inviting the community to see the facility and meet the staff. “We just want people to know that we’re here for everybody and we’re available to serve their needs,” clinician Nichole Peralta...
It has been a busy year for the Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, as there has been quite a bit of activity in the state, according to Deputy Director Stan Belieu—although search and drilling operations have not been consistent across Nebraska. “There’s not much activity around Sidney,” Belieu explained. “Production has increased in the state, but decreased locally.” Two large wells were drilled near Potter and one west in Lorenzo. The wells have not been offset, meaning oil companies have not drilled more around them. In 2012, Ne...
This weekend marks the ninth annual Rocktoberfest in Cheyenne County. Rocktoberfest is an event for youths in 7th through 12th grades and will take place at the Youth Center on October 4 and 5 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Kids Plus is putting on the event, and they have been catering to families and young people in Cheyenne County for more than 20 years. Rocktoberfest will charge guests $3 per night, but they give 50 percent of the admission fees to SMAC. Last year, Kids Plus donated $744 to the program. The first year the event was put on, 100...
The Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare,” was signed into law in March of 2010, with the first major provision going into effect on October 1. The ACA's individual mandate requires millions of uninsured Americans to sign up for quality health coverage, with subsidies to help cover the expense for some. Those that visit the Health Insurance Marketplace and sign up now will begin to receive coverage in January. Although studies reveal that many people are not aware about the changes that acc...
My generation is jam-packed with over sharers. People use social media as outlets to express their opinions or let the world know their every move. This is especially apparent during any kind of political discrepancy. Just like the Jimmy Kimmel skit asking if people support Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act, people believe that they’re more informed than they actually are. Even celebrities express their political opinions to their Twitter followers and people adapt those views without conducting any of their own research. Procrastinating d...
The Keep Sidney Beautiful (KSB) Board awarded Ron and Jane Ahlschwede of State Farm the Community Beautification Award on Monday. The award is given quarterly to a business in Sidney. The KSB committee members nominate local businesses most often as they are the ones being constantly reminded of the honor. The committee votes a month prior to giving the award, and in each quarter, at least three businesses are nominated. The Ahlschwedes have done a number of renovations over the last 12 years....
The Dorwart Cancer Care Center reopened on Monday for the first time since the Sept. 9 storm, which caused flooding damage and knocked out power. Patient care services were temporarily moved to the Memorial Health Center. “It definitely helped out. Moving treatment was better than not receiving any at all,” Regional West Director of Cancer Services, Jeff Kriewald said. Carpet and dry wall had to be replaced in the cancer care center. After thorough inspection of the outpatient area of the building to make sure there were no contaminants tha...
Morris Hartman turned to his mother and grandmother’s self-help reflexology books in search for material more interesting than his high school course work, and in 1975, he started practicing on friends and family members as a hobby. Reflexology is defined as a system of massage used to relieve tension and treat illness, based on the theory that there are reflex points on the feet, hands and head linked to every part of the body. The practice of reflexology revolves around the idea that parts o...
In 1967, 17 year-old William Dorwart left all the familiarity of Sidney behind to join the Navy. The only boat Dorwart had ever been on before enlisting was one used for fishing. “It was a culture shock. There was a whole different language. The expression ‘talks like a sailor’ was true, and still is. Although it was a very different lifestyle, a sense of community developed and you became tight because you were isolated together,” Dorwart said. He served as an Aviation Electronics Technic...
Over the weekend, I got a few strange looks. I didn’t realize why and then it hit me—my shirt read “KOK.” I want to take a second to explain that my t-shirts are not innuendos. KOK stands for Kilroy’s On Kirkwood. It’s a bar in my college town that gives out free shirts every Thursday and on Saturdays during football and basketball season when they have breakfast club. I’d also like to say that I’m not an alcoholic either. It was a free shirt every week. What college kid is going to pass up a deal like that? I’ve never thought anything...
The Cheyenne County Commissioners approved the proposed budget for 2013-2014, and some of the line items took a significant jump. Big changes occurred in the communications center and wireless 911 services, shoot from $390,354 to $560,390 and $4,644 to $128,370, respectively. “I think they were just inflationary costs. I don’t know that there was one particular thing that made this huge jump,” Cheyenne County Clerk, Beth Fiegenschuh said. The rules governing allocation of funds are strict, with money directed toward specific projects or categ...
Peggy Makey owned a business is Greeley, Colorado, and a customer who had previously met Makey’s father asked if he had been in the war. Makey told the customer what she knew of her father’s time serving during WWII, and the customer mentioned that they should look into the Honor Flight program. Donald Larson, Makey’s father, had mentioned that he wanted to see the memorial about a year ago. Makey underwent two hip replacements and sold her store, so the plan did not start to take shape until tw...
The Cheyenne County Ladies Chamber put on a scarecrow contest in 1999, and it has since become an annual tradition. The contest judges entries on originality, color, design and construction, but must include straw, corn shucks or raffia to maintain some of the traditional appearance of scarecrows. The contest has three divisions: individuals, organizations and businesses. Prizes are given for first, second and third place in each of the divisions. Fifty dollars is given to the first place winners, $35 for second and $15 for third. Entries are...
The Cheyenne County Board of Commissioners met on Monday morning. The Board approved the budget for 2013-2014 as well as three other items from the public hearing. For the two budget years (2012-2013 and 2013-2014), the two cemeteries will receive $3,300 each and all three historical societies will be given $1,000. The Jail Medical Agreement between Cheyenne County and the Sidney Regional Medical Center was smoothed over from the last meeting and will be effective starting October 1. Payment of $20,000 per year for economic development will...
Garden County High School hosted a Round Robin volleyball tournament on Saturday. The teams making up the tournament were Garden County, Leyton, Creek Valley and South Platte. Both Leyton and Creek Valley defeated Garden County and South Platte, but when the Warriors and Storm went head-to-head, it was a battle unlike the rest of the tournament. Leyton came out on top in two games with scores of 33-31 and 29-27. The Warriors outscored the Storm in two key areas—attacking and ball handling. C...
The Leyton Warriors took on the Creek Valley Storm under the lights on Friday and stepped off the field with a 68-8 victory. The Warriors scored all their points in just two quarters—54 in the first and 14 in the third. Brennen Cruise scored 4 touchdowns, Jared Westman added 2, Rhett Dye ran for 3 and Drew Brenner cross the line, as well. Rather than kicking, Leyton went for two-point conversions. Zach Hellie, Alex Frerichs, James Rushman and Westman ran the conversions to add the eight extra p...
Beau McCoy hopes to be elected the next governor of Nebraska. He held a meet and greet at the Coffee Corner on Wednesday. The main pillars of McCoy’s campaign are to lower taxes, control state spending, create more jobs in the state and make sure schools are adequately preparing Nebraskans for life’s many opportunities. He insists revenue becomes available to cut taxes, create higher-paying jobs and provide quality education for the state’s youth when a governor controls state spending. “We’r...
Cars are the most dangerous weapons encountered on a daily basis. The Sidney and Scottsbluff Police Departments teamed up to conduct a seminar at Sidney High School on Tuesday to educate students on the dangers of not buckling up. “Airbags are engineered to work with seatbelts, not by themselves,” Officer Chuck Elley told students. The airbag deploys at 200 miles per hour and causes a body not restrained by a seatbelt to pinball around the car. This action renders the person helpless and vul...
Lately, I’ve developed a mild obsession with “The Great Gatsby.” I read the book a long time ago, but from what I remember, the movie is a fairly accurate portrayal. This infatuation is partially due to my love of Leonardo Di Caprio, but also because of a question I always ask new people to gage their interests. I can’t remember where I picked this up from, but I love asking people, “If you could spend your late teens and early twenties in any other decade, which one would you pick?” You can tell so much about a person from their response. My a...
The Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce is holding the 16th annual Newcomer’s Social on September 26th at Sidney High School. The Newcomer’s Social originated to help people new to town—due to Cabela’s, the hospital or otherwise—meet people and get acclimated. “We know that it’s a big adjustment to move to a new community,” Cheryl Jones said. The social is for those who are new to town within the last two years. Last year, around 40-50 newcomers showed up at the event. The Chamber of Commerce has sent out 300 postcards. They give the postcards...
With the fall harvest just around the corner, many are wondering what farmers are anticipating. The yields depend on when the crops were planted, but overall, this year will yield a good harvest for corn, millet and wheat. However, wheat crops are significantly below average, but the Crossroads Co-op refused to expand on that detail. Due to multiple hailstorms, a few farmers had fields wiped out, causing some fields to look healthier than others. The summer heat had an effect on the crops. “The heat didn’t help,” said Logan Snyder from Scoul...
Cultural norms in the United States are constantly evolving. One facet that has arguably changed the most is the way people dress. Women have traded in long dresses lined with petticoats for fitted mini skirts and men swapped three-piece suits for collared shirts and khakis. One example of the massive change is the Axe Body Spray commercial about the “crisis” of girls getting hotter over the decades. The pictures simply show women in tinier bathing suits. Acceptable clothing has become increasingly more casual. This change in trend can esp...
