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 Banner County Wildcat Class of 2024, the 104th graduating class from Banner County School, has shown resilience. In her welcoming remarks, Superintendent Dr. Evelyn Browne acknowledged the class's struggle through the pandemic, a time period that tested their strength and determination. The 11 graduates will head off in a variety of different directions after graduation. Nathan Clement will attend Southeast Community College in Milford to study Automotive Technology in the Ford ASSET...
In a one-hole playoff, Kyler Lusche took first at the District golf meet Monday in North Platte. And with a third-place team finish, the entire Kimball golf team will play at the State meet next Tuesday and Wednesday at North Platte Lake Mahoney. The Longhorns shot 374. According to Kimball golf coach Chuck Christensen, Lusche shot an 80 on a challenging North Platte course. Christensen said it was "set up really tough." In reference to Lusche, Christensen said he would "practice 24/7. He puts...
The last week of school for the 29 graduating Longhorns in 2024 was full of many final events. Graduation is on Saturday at 11 a.m. And it will be the culmination of years of hard work, and as Longhorn senior Hayden Sours said, it will be “sad and stressful” although they are all excited to the next chapter of their lives. Grades had to be completed on Friday to have time to calculate the GPA for valedictorian, salutatorian and scholarships. Academic awards were presented on Monday at Lon... Full story
Due to scheduling needs of the Kimball County Commissioners, their May meeting was held Friday, May 3, instead of Tuesday, May 7. The second May meeting also was moved to accommodate scheduling requests from Tuesday, May 21, to Wednesday, May 22. Before the agenda items, the board was informed of an 8.7% increase in the county's health and dental insurance. Two county departments, roads and transit, updated the board on business. Randy Bymer, county highway superintendent, reported that...
The Kimball Longhorn golf team took first in both the WTC and the Kimball Invite last Friday with Kyler Lusche leading the pack. Lusche talked about the highlights: "My chipping, my wedges were the best. I couldn't really hit any good drivers but made up for it with chipping. I didn't really have any bad chips, left me short putts." He said the greens were a little slower, but he was able to land the ball closer to the hole. Lusche shot 35/38 for a 78 and first place to lead his team. Landon Nor... Full story
The Kimball City/County Parks and Recreation Executive Board members tabled the only item on their agenda Monday evening under current business. They discussed but took no action on items related to the timeline, finances and budget of the operating board pertaining to a proposed land swap. Six months are left for approval from the federal government for the trade in which involves 44 acres of what is now the four ballfields being exchanged for three acres and the Windbreak restaurant property at Four Winds Golf Course. The Park and Rec...
Plans are being made for the Kimball Longhorn All-School Reunion to occur next year after a decade absence. Set aside July 4, 5 and 6 of 2025 to renew old friendships and start new relationships. Chairperson Kim Baliman is thrilled to see the diverse representation from all age groups, ensuring that everyone's voice is heard and the event is a true reflection of our community. Events that have been considered are numerous and include a 4th of July parade, car show, wine tasting, softball tourney...
The search for justice is often difficult, but when a legal technicality occurs, the case doesn't always go the way some people think it should. This story begins during a time when Cory Shiflett, a superintendent at Paul Reed Construction, and company workers and equipment were working on the Heartland Express south of Alliance in Morrill County. At the Heartland worksite, a yellow 2019 John Deere 325G skid steer owned by Paul Reed Construction disappeared. When new, the skid steer was worth...
Kimball's Keith Jones was surrounded by his heroes, living donor Jennifer Kaufman and pair-exchange donor Candy Rodgers, on Monday afternoon for a Donate Life program. Six months ago, Keith and his living anonymous donor and paired exchange donor were having surgery at UC Health in Aurora, Colo. On Monday, Keith met Jennifer, his living anonymous donor, for the first time. Although his paired exchange donor, Candy Rodgers Keith, knew and had previously worked with her, Candy's interest in donati...
The Kimball Dead Eyes Shooters 4-H club took home gold and silver medals at the 2024 Nebraska State 4-H BB Gun and Air Rifle Championships on April 20 and 21 in Grand Island. The Sporter Air Rifle team of Julia Winstrom, Karsyn Chesley, Ainslie Hottell and Chris Foster took first-place honors with a team score of 1,999. The BB Gun team of Joseph Toth, Jalanna Krakow, Karsyn Chesley, Tallyn Chesley and Olivia Toth won silver with a team score of 2,205. “I was so proud of the kids this year,” sai...
The Kimball City Council conducted six public hearings at its Tuesday, April 16, meeting. The hearings were to subdivide and rezone three specific areas destined for new housing. The Lighthouse subdivision, owned by Clean Harbors, Inc., located west of Highway 71 and south of Kimball’s Ninth Street, was re-platted and rezoned to include a mix of single-family and multifamily districts. The only comment received was from council candidate Austin Garner. He said that “there was a missed opportunity” because a park and a walking trail shoul...
Deb Hays and David Craig of Kimball have formed a unique family bond with their two foreign exchange students, Matias Sokas from Norway and Francesco Cagnoni from Italy, both seniors at Kimball Jr./Sr. High School. Suffering from the empty nest syndrome and a tranquil household, the couple previously sponsored foreign students and decided to renew their experience. The program's rewards are plentiful, but the primary goal is "getting to know the students themselves" and their culture and traditi...
On Thursday, April 18, Michael Hammond, Jr., 42 from Moorcroft, Wyoming, sought treatment at the Kimball Health Services emergency room for a stab wound to the face. Medical and hospital staff are required by law to report gunshot and stab wounds to the authorities, and the Kimball County Sheriff's Office responded to the hospital after being notified. After an investigation and questioning of Hammond, it was determined that the stabbing had not occurred in Nebraska but happened in Campbell...
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen declared a disaster declaration for Kimball, Banner, Cheyenne, Garden, Morrill and Scotts Bluff counties after the April 6-7 high winds and blizzard conditions. The damage to the affected counties is expected to exceed $5.4 million. Region 22 Emergency Management Director Tim Newman said that Scotts Bluff and Banner counties experienced "some minor cosmetic damages like roofing materials." According to Newman, "This declaration will only be for public agencies such as...
Senior Braylon Miller, a standout among Kimball's art students, showcased his exceptional works and creativity at the recent Kimball Art Show. The event was proof to the artistic abilities of students from kindergarten to high school. Art teacher Mr. Mark Jefferis explained, "The art show provides us with the opportunity to show students that we are proud of their work and to share with the community the artistic abilities of students at Kimball Public Schools." Braylon's artwork from this year...
In a unanimous vote, the Kimball School Board amended teacher Christine Lewis’s employment contract from full- to quarter-time employment in a hearing conducted after the regular board meeting on Monday evening, April 8. The board deliberated during in executive session and returned from the executive session to approve the contract amendment. Superintendent Trevor Anderson presented the administration’s case to amend the contract due to the loss of distance learning students in Spanish 1 and...
Track season is well underway, and the practices are paying off as Longhorns are setting plenty of personal records. Kimball pole vaulters took first and second at the Western Trails Conference meet at Mitchell. Battling back and forth for top placings at meets are sophomores Trevor Fuss and Peter Russell. Fuss took first with a personal record of 14'4", while Russell PR-ed with 13'7" for second place. Another Kimball duo, Derek Russell and Wyatt Cords scored points and personal records in the d...
Thirty-year-old Stevn Graupensperger was confined to the Kimball County Jail in December of last year. He was twice arrested for possession of methamphetamine in four weeks. His life was out of control, and he knew it. Using meth was his excuse to cope with losses, heartbreaks and difficulties. Graupensperger mentality was "pity-poor me," or "I just wanted to escape because I didn't feel comfortable in my skin." He was "fair-warned before any ingestion" of the power of meth, "but I thought I...
The Tuesday, April 2, the Kimball City Council meeting began with Kim Baliman providing an update on the 2025 Kimball High School All-Class Reunion. The last All-Class Reunion was held in 2015. The 2025 event is scheduled for July 4, 5 and 6. The organizers’ goal is to have 500 people in attendance for a parade, wine tasting, a craft and car show in the park, and various other events. The 2025 reunion is in honor of Karen Robinson and Harry McNees. In other business, the UNL traffic follow-up study was again on the agenda. The street d...
Sheriff Dave Hottell met with the Kimball County Commissioners to report on the first quarter 2024. He reported that 911 calls have decreased from 442 to 284 this quarter, although service calls for the sheriff’s office have increased from 370 in the first quarter of 2023 to 504 this quarter. Arrests increased from 38 in the first quarter of last year to 44 in the first quarter of 2024. Meanwhile, VIN inspections have almost tripled from 450 in the first quarter of last year to 1,230 in the first quarter of this year. Hottell introduced his s...
For the past two years the Kimball FFA Food Science team has been disappointed, but the disappointment disappeared this year as they brought home the state championship. The team consists of seniors Grace Anderson, Carlee Murdoch, Hayden Sours and Julia Winstrom. Julia expressed their two-year disappointment with, "The past two years, we have come up short on this championship. We worked hard and gave it our all last year, and unfortunately, we came up short by 7 points. It was heartbreaking."...
Leota Kant, 86, was arraigned in Kimball District Court on Tuesday morning on the offense of attempt of a class 1/1A/1/B/1/C/1/D felony and use of a firearm to commit a felony. Both Kant and her attorney, Stuart Dornan, appeared by Zoom for the proceedings. Kant’s attorney entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity for her, stating that she was evaluated on Nov 29, 2023, and it was determined that she suffers from dementia. Due to her vulnerability, Ms. Kant is safely housed in an assisted living facility at this time. Special p...
Former Kimball Chief of Police Andrew Bremer faces a May 7 arraignment. It stems from a citation issued to him on Jan. 31 from the Nebraska State Patrol citing four counts of official misconduct. Each of the charges has a maximum of six months imprisonment or a $1,000 fine or both, and there is no minimum. The complaint from Kimball County special prosecuting attorney Mirah J. Nickel cites that the incidents happened between September 16, 2022, and April 24, 2023. The charges center on “directing, encouraging, or instructing a trainee to act a...
On April 1, the Kimball Police were dispatched to a residence on the 500 block of Walnut Street in Kimball for a disturbance call. The investigation led to evidence of child abuse, and an arrest was made. Garret Goodwin, 25, was arrested and taken into custody and charged with one count of felony child abuse and one county of misdemeanor child abuse. In other Kimball police matters, Chief Jose Ruiz discussed some upcoming plans for the department. He said the plans reflect his goals of maintaining professionalism, building relationships within...