Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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The history of adult coloring is longer than one might first expect. Although the first adult coloring book was published in 1961, it was far from the likes of what we are seeing on the store shelves today. That first venture into adult coloring entertainment was actually created by a couple of advertising executives who were poking fun at the corporate world. The pictures were accurate, portraying what looked like a coloring book aimed at children explaining what daddy did at work, however the captions were complete adult satire. One page of t... Full story
Edgar Allen Poe was born on this day, January 19, 1809 in Boston, MA. I don’t remember how old I was, whether I was in high school or college, but I do remember the first time I read, “The Raven.” I can equate the experience to being forced to attend what I expected to be a boring pot luck dinner, instead discovering that they were serving a devilishly dark chocolate truffle with raspberry sauce that no one else wanted, so I was happily allowed to devour it slowly, one bite at a time, savoring each delicious morsel at my leisure. Even now,...
The Kimball County Board of Commissioners held their first meeting of 2017 at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 5. Re-organization of the board is a routine event the first of the year, however the commissioners unanimously agreed to retain all seats and policies that had been in place for the previous year. The issue of the new no smoking rules for all county properties was quickly discussed. Nolting reported that signs would be placed soon. Commissioner Daria Faden commented about the confusion about how the non-smoking rule applies to the recreational area...
The first meeting of the Board of Equalization for 2017 was short and sweet. As is the custom, yearly re-organization of the board is set during the first meeting of the year. The board retained the same offices, with Larry Engstrom as Chairman and Tim Nolting as Vice-Chairman. All meetings will continue to be held at 8:30 a.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. Following the boards re-organization, Sherry Winstrom, County Assessor was called to the meeting. After years of difficulties with the county’s assessed valuations, c...
According to the government website, stopbullying.gov, nearly half of children in grades 4-12 reported that they had been bullied at least once a month. Not many people would be terribly surprised by this information. Anti-bullying campaigns are not new and are often showcased in schools all over America. Not only are teachers and parents supporting awareness but now even the kids themselves are invested in educating, protecting and supporting other children from being bullied and preventing others from becoming bullies. The measures we take...
Although this huge quonset traveled only five miles, it traversed both dirt and paved roads, skimmed under the Interstate 80 overpass, inched up and over a hill of pasture and trudged through a field of cornstalks before coming to rest in its temporary site until spring. Chris Haack purchased the 30x60 quonset from an auction southeast of Kimball recently but because the size was so large, Z & S Construction had to weld a frame and wheels onto the building for stability and moving purposes. The...
If you were to run into Andy Bremer when he was off duty, you might not realize he has been in law enforcement for nearly fifteen years. The consensus around town is that Bremer is not just an exceptional cop, he's a great guy. Husband, father, son and friend to everyone he meets, this man has a good-natured character coupled with integrity. Bremer grew up on the family ranch in the northern panhandle with the dreams of becoming a Catholic priest, thanks to his grandmother's influence. When he w...
For approximately the past decade, Sheriff Harry Gillway has been Kimball County’s Emergency Management Director. Although Sheriff Gillway has successfully fulfilled his duties as emergency manager, he has recommended to the Kimball County Commissioners that they look into joining either Region 21 or Region 22 emergency management association. According to Gillway, he has no preference to either region, liking and respecting both directors equally, stating that he could work well with either. Gillway also remarked that he can and will c...
Sherri Winstrom, Kimball County Assessor, told the Kimball Board of Equalization during their last regular meeting of the year, on Tuesday, Dec. 20, that Stanard Appraisal Services will complete the physical aspect of measuring and assessing all of the county’s rural residential, commercial and residential buildings by the end of the year. She added that after the first of the year, the assessor’s office will continue entering the information into the system. When the board closed the Board of Equalization meeting and reconvened as Kimball Cou...
Will the upcoming changes to the current ambulance service and the money needed to accomplish this, be worth it for Kimball county residents? That is a question that has been on the minds of many Kimball residents in recent weeks. In the past, the Kimball Ambulance Service was a basic life support service. Carla Goranson took over the ambulance service in November 2011. Among the many changes made, upgrading the crew became a priority. Currently, the Kimball County Ambulance employs a staff of three drivers, eight EMRs, seven EMTs, one A-EMT...
Several weeks ago when I was arranging the Observer's Letters to Santa, the elf whom I'd been speaking with had to put me on hold while she found the contract to email me. As I was on hold, a sweet lady picked up and after a minute of confusion, I realized I was talking with Mrs. Claus. After my initial shock wore off and I was able to compose myself, I hurriedly asked if she would be willing to give me a short interview over the phone. The following is my once in a lifetime interview with the...
The Banner County Board of Education held a quick and efficient meeting, ending both the semester and the year. On Dec. 12, during their regular meeting, the board approved Lana Side’s superintendent’s contract, extending it through the end of 2019 and approving her 2017-18 salary of $103,000 plus an additional $270 per month for transportation supervisor duties. Congratulations went out to the One-Act play cast, crew and coaches Rebecca Lashmett and Brandi Tallmage for the amount of time and dedication that went into the production. Three stu...
This time of year has always been incredibly magical for me. It’s not just Christmas that makes me feel this way, as it is also the month of my birthday, as well as, the month my first child was born. Even if you were to take away all of those momentous occasions, there is still something about this time of year that just mystifies me. It starts off with the ba-zillions of individual snowflakes falling from the sky, twinkling and glistening with their unique happiness despite the cold temperatures that accompany them. Who can be a grinch w...
A full room of attentive people shared lunch and learned more about the Kimball Area Foundation (KAF) and the Nebraska Community Foundation (NCF) at the Kimball Library on December 14. Several KAF board members and NFC representatives were on hand to share their passion and knowledge of helping Nebraskans take their dreams and turn them into reality. KAF is a local non-profit organization designed to help build community abundance, preventing small towns from disappearing by building up the leaders, skills and confidence of residents. Partnersh...
Although residents of Kimball and the surrounding areas may not notice an immediate change in the ambulance service, significant changes are planned and will continue for several months to come. Though the ambulance service has been working well within their budget and despite having 21 dedicated, qualified employees that have been praised by locals and county officials alike, Kimball County Ambulance Service will be be transitioning into a service that more closely resembles that of a larger city’s ambulance service. Earlier this year, R...
The Kimball Area Foundation (KAF) is a non-profit charitable organization located in Kimball for the benefit of providing financial assistance to qualified people, groups and businesses from the Kimball and Banner County areas. Formed in 2005 with the intention of preserving and enhancing the quality of living in Kimball and the surrounding communities, KAF is funded solely through donations. There are four funds that donors may choose to donate towards. An endowment fund was created, which allows for donations to be received and held in the...
Following her own path and time schedule, Regan Hinton is a woman on a mission. A lifelong, multigenerational resident of Kimball, Regan is the oldest daughter of Regina Hinton and Bob Hinton, sister to seven siblings and auntie to several. When talking with her, one has no doubt that her love of family, children, and school have all played major roles in shaping her dreams of becoming a teacher. It's unclear if Regan's work ethic is genetic or learned from her parents, either way, she has...
By the time you read this, the temperature should be past its first dip into single digits and making its way back up for slightly more pleasant, if not still blustery, seasonal weather. Weather, it’s what most polite people converse about when they don’t know what else to say. Don’t have anything in common with your neighbor other than the street you live on? Talk about the weather. Run into that ‘friend’ you actually cannot stand but feel you need to be polite to, bringing up the weather will give you something to bond over. Is there any...
First item on the agenda for the Nov. 22 Board of Public Works meeting, was the quick and unanimous approval of the city’s proposed amended landfill agreement between the City of Kimball and Kimball County. The only changes made to the contract being a raise in the landfill charge from $15.00 per month to $17.25, the date of the contract and resolution number. The remainder of the meeting continued to focus on the landfill. Jim Shulte reported his findings from researching other landfills in regards to other city’s brush and burn policies. Acc...
County Commissioners will look into two new community improvement opportunities in the coming months. Although both concepts are only in the discussion stages, there could be great possibilities for citizens in Kimball County, and even surrounding areas, if they come to fruition. During their most recent board meeting, Commissioner Daria Faden shared her initial findings concerning increasing services of the community shuttle bus. There is a possibility that the Kimball Shuttle may be able to cross county lines and possibly even state lines....
What is wind? For those of us in Western Nebraska, that’s a superfluous question as even the youngest child has experienced what the National Center for Atmospheric Research describes as, “moving air that is caused by differences in air pressure within our atmosphere,” by the time they are a month old. For the very young, the blistering cold winds may take their breath away in a nanosecond if their faces are not covered. We complain much this time of year, when constant twenty mile per hour winds gust across our streets relentlessly for seemi...
Carla Goranson, Kimball County Ambulance Director and Kim Schildhauer presented the September and October financial and statistical reports to the Kimball County Board of Commissioners during their regular meeting on Nov. 15. According to the financial report, over the past four months the ambulance has charged $167,809.28, with their expenditures for the same time frame reaching $99,614.09. However, as it often takes anywhere from three to five months to receive payment from insurance companies, they have only had deposits for $50,423.88 in...
Thomas Merriam, known simply as Tom to his friends, grew up in Banner County and attended school in Harrisburg. His family still have a ranch in the area and he fondly remembers his younger years growing up running along the rocky hilltops and chasing white tail deer down through the canyons. Of his favorite childhood memories, he shared a long kept secret that he enjoyed tricking his buddies by sitting camouflaged in the pine trees during hide and seek. One autumn, when he was young, he was nea...
Happy Thanksgiving! There are so many multitudes of joyful people and things in life to be grateful about and yet, as I write this, I am so very distracted. My intention for the past several weeks leading up to this issue was to write a lovely and positive editorial about thankfulness. A lyrical composition that would prompt my readers to dig deep into their souls, feel the compassion that is innately available for all of us and in turn light the candle of gratitude in us all. And yet, here I am, thoroughly distracted by the actions of others,...
The Banner County School Board met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. In the past month, the school has made some exciting and needed purchases. Five new HP ProBooks, a new surveillance camera, miscellaneous computer hardware and an Adobe software package were one of major purchases. The laptops will be used mostly by the teachers who were in need of upgrades. The Adobe software has multiple programs, one of which is the Photoshop program that will be utilized by the...