Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Sorted by date Results 351 - 375 of 4069
A Pennsylvania brother/sister pair who were arrested before Christmas on I-80 with a suspected 50 pounds of marijuana are still in jail. Brett Donohue, 22, waived his preliminary hearing and the case has already been moved to District Court. He was scheduled to be arraigned 1 p.m. Jan. 3. He is being held in Kimball. Meanwhile, Diamond Donohue, 19, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 10:45 a.m. Jan. 25 in Kimball County Court. She is being held in Garden County. Both Brett and Diamond are charged with three felonies: possession with...
On Jan. 1, the inheritance tax that Nebraskans pay was reduced from the highest category of 18% to 15% – but the actual final percentage one pays depends on the relationship to the deceased. The closer the relative, the lower the rate. And 15% is the cap. The Unicameral also increased the exemption amount from $10,000 to $25,000. Additional changes include anyone under 22 years old will not pay Nebraska’s inheritance tax at all. Nebraska is one of only five states that still have a state inheritance tax. According to CEO Jim Vokal of the Pla...
At the Kimball City Council meeting Dec. 20, Mayor John Morrison reported that he is trying to learn and "read as much as possible." He said the city had been run well over the past years, and he stressed that an excellent job was done clearing the streets after the first blizzard this past month. The council approved the renewal of the liquor license for the Panhandle Cooperative Association/Main Street market in a 2-1-1 vote. Council members Gabe Ingram and Christy Warner voted aye to approve...
The Nebraska State Patrol arrested a brother/sister duo Dec. 18 on I-80 at mile marker 20. The two, Brett A. Donohue and Diamond A. Donohue, have been charged with three felonies: Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Possession of Marijuana (more than 1 pound), and No Drug Tax Stamp. The affidavit by a Nebraska state trooper observed a black 2021 Jeep with Texas plates traveling 82 mph in a 75 mph zone at mile marker 18. When the vehicle was stopped, the driver, Brett A....
The new, long-awaited Dollar Tree/Family Dollar combo store in Kimball plans a soft opening Jan. 5 with a grand opening to follow. The new manager, Michelle Renter, said trucks with products will begin arriving this week at the store along Highway 30. Renter said at this time time some employees have been hired, but the company is always looking for more. She said the employees have been working and gaining experience at other stores and are pretty excited about "finally" get the Kimball store...
While most Kimballites were hunkered down in their houses during the recent weather events, ranchers were out in the elements trying to feed, water and take care of their livestock. Each individual rancher has their story – some were fortunate to have moved their stock home to their corrals, while others were in the pasture or out on cornstalks. "It was tough," local producer Doug Lukassen said in reference to the recent blizzard, then the extreme cold snap and raging winds of last week. L...
Highway Road Superintendent Randy Bymer summarized the effects the recent blizzard had on Kimball County roads. He started his report with the phrase, "We're pushing snow," then explained that one plow is down while there is trouble with another one, but they are busting through drifts as high as 13 feet in certain areas of the county. On Tuesday, crews were still widening out roads in the wake of the blizzard. Real troubled spots are generally a result of trees planted years ago south of Dix, south of Kimball and near County Road 46. A disaste...
Known throughout the Kimball area for her cooking and baking, Judie Martin reflects that she started cooking "out of necessity." In 1974 when they, her husband Bob and herself, bought the A&W in Kimball, Judie said she wasn't very interested in cooking but began making the hamburgers at the A&W on west Highway 30. Judie explained that things were off to a good start because Boeing was still in Kimball – "We thought we had a goldmine" – but when Boeing began to leave, reality set in and Jud...
When an airplane skeleton was recently unearthed at the old Castronics facility on the east side of Kimball, many individuals speculated on how it came to be buried there. The plane, considered a Vultee BT-13 Valiant, was built and used in the second phase of pilot training during World War II. After World War II, all of those planes were sold as surplus for a few hundred dollars. In 1951 the BT-13 sold for $700. The mid-training plane required the student pilot to master the two-way radio and...
Family Dollar/Dollar Tree appears to be moving forward with its Kimball Store #33191. On Tuesday night at the Kimball City Council meeting, Family Dollar applied for and received a Class B liquor license for beer. Family Dollar agent James Balli said the store will be like a "small grocery store". Balli stressed that Family Dollar will do training, have a scanner to check ages and have video surveillance. According to Balli their violation rate is .004%. Balli was the only speaker at the 12...
The trial for William Shane Serrano on five felony charges was set on Dec. 12 for March 13-16. According to the entries of record, jury selection will begin on March 13 at 8:30 a.m. The pretrial is scheduled for March 7 at 9 a.m. The charges include: • Count 1 – manslaughter. • Count 2 – attempted first-degree murder. • Count 3 – attempted terroristic threats. • Count 4 – attempted terroristic threats. • Count 5 – possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Until recently, Serrano was held in the Kimball County Jail, but no...
A reception for Kimball County employees Larry Engstrom, Linda Williams and Harry Gillway was held at the KCTS building on Friday. On Dec. 31, Linda Williams will be done working in the Kimball County Jail, and she said she is "looking forward to it, but a little nervous." After 37 years she said her retirement plans include "doing things she has never had time to do." Her retirement will start with cleaning closets and drawers, walking and riding her stationary bike more, and more importantly v...
Two individuals considered armed and dangerous that attempted to burglarize Woody's Liquor and broke into about 20 vehicles on Madison and Monroe Streets in Kimball were apprehended in Arapahoe County, Colo., on Thursday. Arapahoe County is southeast of Denver and includes Littleton, Englewood, Cherry Hills, Greenwood Village, and parts of Aurora and Centennial. The suspects are being held in Colorado. Charges against them have been filed in Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming. The individuals, one...
Kimball County Commissioner-elect Elyse Schlake Lukassen attended the December 6 meeting and will be sworn in along with the other elected officials on January 5, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. in the District Courtroom. The Kimball County Board of Commissioners reorganizational meeting was set for 9:30 am. With Chairman Larry Engstrom unable to attend the meeting due to illness, Vice Chairman Carl Stander stepped into the role as chairman for the meeting. When outgoing Sheriff Harry Gillway gave his last...
On Monday, the final preparations were made. On Tuesday, the Kimball hospital began a new era. The hospital conducted the first ever knee and hip replacement surgeries in Kimball. The two patients are from Burns, Wyoming, and Kimball. The replacement surgery started about 10 a.m. Dr. Jeffrey MacMillian, who is new to Kimball Health Services, explained that the surgical team is much like an orchestra, with the Microport representative as the conductor and he, the doctor, is the soloist. Chloe...
The City of Kimball Mayor-elect John Morrison will take the mayoral reins on Dec. 6 at the next City Council meeting. Morrison said, "I want to see Kimball prosper, and it is going to take everyone that wants to help in town to do it. I can't do it by myself. It will take many, many people working together to get us to where we need to go." He confided in the Observer interview that he is excited about the opportunity but is a bit overwhelmed. He is in the process of gathering ideas and...
In an ongoing investigation into a rash of storage unit thefts, Kimball police would like to identify a male suspect caught on a security camera. Police told the Observer that the individual drove a silver Dodge Ram 1500 Crew Cab with Wyoming plates. According to police, on Thanksgiving Day at approximately 4:30 p.m., the man was caught on security cameras at Freedom Storage and Blue Sky Storage in Kimball. These were the most recent scenes of the storage unit break-ins. Police Chief Andy...
The Kimball City Council met in a special session at the council chambers on Monday, Nov. 21, to continue the discussion on subdivision Ordinance #812. The Planning Commission recommended the ordinance, and it was approved by the council in a 4-0 vote. Council suspended the three readings of Ordinance #812. The ordinance made changes to rules and regulations for new subdivisions. In other business, Alica Downey from the Kimball County Sheriff’s Office explained that the cost per unit for the Mobile Dispatch license was $400, so a total of $...
A joint search warrant from Kimball and Sidney police was issued on a residence in Sidney. On Nov. 8, the Kimball Police were dispatched to 608 South Washington in Kimball. The victim reported the theft of a drone and accessories, including remote control, three battery packs, two Micro SD cards, and a wall charger with a value of approximately $1,000. The drone had the required FAA sticker with identification numbers. The victim also advised police that the drone had not gone active, but the air tag gave a location, which was 819 Linden...
Kimball City Council’s vote to approve Ordinance #812 – which includes amendments to the city’s Subdivision Regulations Section of Chapter 11: Zoning Regulations – was delayed at the Nov. 15 council meeting because councilmen Matt Bright and Gabe Ingram said they were uncomfortable voting on the ordinance because they had not received sufficient time to read and digest the information. They received the amendments on Tuesday afternoon and were expected to vote on the amendments at the 6 p.m. meeting. A special meeting to further discuss...
On Nov. 15, the Kimball County Commissioners returned in the afternoon after the morning portion of their meeting for a session with the Kimball County Transit Service. An update from administrator Christy Warner reported that KCTS has had 175 phone calls about the DIA trips, known as the Red Line. KCTS has 40 rides currently booked for DIA. The board approved the advertising agreement form for the transit. Sponsorship levels begin at $5,000, which includes a logo on the website, $500 worth of checkpoint passes for distribution, social media...
The second annual food pantry contest between the employees of Kimball Health Services and Kimball High School will benefit local families. Kimball Health Services won the previous year and the contest was repeated once again as Kimball Health Services whooped up on the teachers and staff. According to Stephanie Pedersen, Kimball Health Services asked their participating employees to bring one item a day for the length of the contest, which is 17 days. Once the items were delivered to the food...
After 28 years at Panhandle Coop and Main Street Market, Jeri Rutledge is moving on. Jeri has worked in many departments, including meat, deli and produce, but primarily in the grocery department. Additional duties included customer service and doing the books. Her plan is to take a couple of months off, relax, spend time with her grandkids and her husband, and then perhaps get a part-time job. She is looking forward to not working holidays. For the past 28 years, her holidays were spent at the...
"Ferals cats are responsible for most of the cats that end up in the shelters because most people get their domestic cats fixed. Feral cats do not and just reproduce by the gazillions. Knowing they are the problem, that's why so many cats are killed in shelters," co-founder Leslie Vogt of the Northern Colorado Friends of Ferals in Fort Collins explained. The program started because Vogt had been on a humane board but realized that they were not doing anything for feral cats, so when she termed...
After a weekend trip to Fort Collins, 25 Kimball cats and kittens have been returned to their colony. The cats were trapped on Saturday evening. Sunday is clinic day in Fort Collins, where they were spayed/neutered and vaccinated by four volunteer veterinarians and a host of other volunteers. Monday morning, the cats were returned to Kimball – all with volunteer labor. Trapping in Nebraska was a first for the Northern Colorado Friends of Ferals. Hannah Knox and Katie Evans, both volunteers, spen...