News Briefs

• Unified Command Confirms more COVID-19 Cases

The Unified Command announced there are four more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Panhandle area. The four include a woman in her 50s in Deuel County (Community Spread), a man in his 60s in Morrill County (Community Spread), a woman in her 50s in Scotts Bluff (unknown origin) and a man in his 20s (unknown origin).

The Panhandle Public Health Department also announced a community exposure site at Cedar Lanes in Sidney. The PPHD encourages anyone who was at the business between 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. July 8 to monitor for symptoms and get tested if you begin experiencing any symptoms. The PPHD release says the community exposure site is announced because the positive case is not able to identify all close contacts while at the business.

Since March 2, the Panhandle area has tested 6,298 people with 374 positive cases and 298 recovered and 71 active cases for a 5.9 percent cumulative positivity rate. The Panhandle area has 81 percent of its ventilators available and 53 percent of hospital beds. There are two active hospitalizations and 38 cumulative hospitalizations.

To date, Cheyenne County has had 22 cases with one still active as of July 17, Deuel County has one active case, Kimball County has had 15 cases with 12 recovered and three active, Morrill County has 53 cases with 51 recovered and two active, Banner County has two cases recovered, Box Butte County had four cases (one active and three recovered), Dawes County has four recovered cases, Garden County has four recovered cases, Scotts Bluff County has 244 cases (56 active, 183 recovered and five deaths), Sheridan County has eight cases (one active and seven recovered) and Sioux County has had six recovered cases.

• Gold Rush Days Suspends 2020 Event

The annual community event commemorating the early days of gold miners, Lakota residents, soldiers and cowboys intermixed with present day cooks, musicians and home businesses will be taking a year off. Organizers of Sidney Gold Rush Days decided first to postpone the summertime event to September. According to the Sidney Gold Rush Days website, the organizers “are still not confident that we could host a safe and successful festival so our committee has made the decision to cancel” the 2020 event.

The committee tentatively plans on a June 11-13 2021 event.

• Oktoberfest Committee Suspends 2020 Event

In a statement released Friday, the committee announced it is “extremely saddened and heartbroken to make the decision that the 2020 Sidney Oktoberfest has been cancelled.”

The committee met nearly every month to discuss the guidelines and regulations in place regarding the COVID-19. The statement says the committee does not feel it can ensure the safety of the attendees, volunteers and vendors. The cancellation includes events from the parade to the Wiener Dog Races.

The Oktoberfest Committee is looking forward to 2021 with a tentative date of Oct. 1-3.

• Two Sidney Girl Scout Volunteers Recognized by Nebraska Girls Scouts Spirit of Nebraska

Omaha— Merica Weber and Desirae Bruner were recently recognized by Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska.

Weber and Bruner were recognized with the Volunteer of Excellence awards which recognizes individuals who have contributed outstanding service while partnering directly with girls or adult members. Girl Scout volunteers are out in Nebraska’s communities delivering the Girl Scout Leadership Experience and directly impacting girls’ lives. They devote their time and talents to mentor Girl Scouts who are developing courage, confidence and character, and who are making the world a better place.

This year the annual Girl Scout Volunteer Awards Ceremonies normally held across the state had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Girl Scout volunteers are so creative and resilient. Even now, during a global pandemic, they are finding ways to connect with and support girls,” said Fran Marshall, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska.