Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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After a second motion to review the bond for manslaughter suspect William Shane Serrano on Friday, Aug. 19, District Court Judge Derek Weimer ruling said, “The court has considered the defendant's most recent motion for bond review. The bond continues as previously set.” Serrano appeared in person in Kimball District Court on Aug. 19 for the review bond hearing. Serrano stands accused of five felony counts, including manslaughter, attempted first degree murder, and attempted terroristic threats. He is accused in the shooting death of his girlfr...
Kimball County Commissioners, along with County Clerk Cathy Sibal and County Budget Officer Josi Morgan, began last week working, reviewing and cutting the budget for the 2022-23 year. Early in the week, it was determined that just under $1.2 million was the amount needed to cut in order to retain the same mill levy, which was the ultimate goal, according to officials. As of Monday evening this week, nothing has been finalized, but thousands of dollars have been cut from the budget. Officials said they have gone through line by line and...
The season has begun for the Kimball cross county high school and junior high school teams. Coach Tiffany Culek Johnson said, “We are very proud of how our runners started the year. They have been working hard in practice with positive attitudes. It is always nice to get the first contest under our belts so that the kids can see where they are at and what they want to work towards.” The first meet was on August 25 at Scottsbluff. Junior Shannen Acheson covered the Panhandle Classic 5K run in just over 30 minutes, 30:46.52. Acheson placed 64t...
The Kimball girls golf has been busy with four meets already completed by Thursday this week. Last week, Kimball competed in Sidney and Bayard. Tuesday they were at home in Kimball, and Thursday was a date at Creek Valley. At the Sidney Invite, Scottsbluff took the top four spots with Scottsbluff's Anna Kelley shooting a 71 to win the tournament. In Bayard, at the Chimney Rock Golf Course, Keara O'Brien shot a 113 and chalked up ninth place, Grace Anderson took 12th place with a 116, Aubrey...
Kimball Public Schools started the 2022-23 school year on Friday, Aug. 19. Mary Lynch students were treated to a fun-filled day that included a water slide, slip-n-slide, a bounce house, games and treats to get the year started off right. The 68-degree temperature did not deter the fun for the Pre-K through sixth-graders. Kimball H.E.L.P.S. sponsored the activities and worked the event. Superintendent Trevor Anderson said the enrollment for Pre-K to 12 is 396, seven more than at the end of last...
The Kimball City Council discussed yet tabled a .5% increase in city sales tax at the Aug. 16 meeting. The discussion centered on the use of the added sales tax – either infrastructure such as streets or curbs or swimming pool and whether to place it on the Nov. 8 ballot or have a special election. The sales tax issue may be addressed again at the budget session on Aug. 30, as of Tuesday, Aug. 23, the item had not been placed on the agenda, but it could be added. A sales tax increase must be placed on the ballot for the voters to approve or r...
Pastor Lorri Kentner's first career was not in the ministry, but when the opportunity and vision presented itself, she took the giant leap and became a United Methodist minister. After 22 years in the ministry, she is now the Pastor of Bushnell United Methodist Church and Kimball United Methodist Church. Having served in many towns in Nebraska, Pastor Lorri said she "loves small churches." "I hadn't really realized that God was calling me to ministry until ... someone said having Lorri at our ch...
The Kimball Concert Association has announced the kickoff of its membership campaign for the 2022-23 concert season. The association has also released names of concert appearances for the season. In a bold move, the Kimball Concert Association has decided to make student memberships free for the 2022-23 concert season. The action encourages youth to attend the four concerts and be exposed to various music and performances. Concert tickets can be purchased at the Kimball Public Library as well as from individuals. To purchase tickets, contact...
After a week of long, hot days and lots of activities, the 2022 Kimball-Banner County Fair was brought to a close with the livestock sale on Monday morning. With a few days rest, the 4-H youth will head back to school. The Kimball and Banner County 4-H and FFA youth entered everything from photography, food and sewing to fair animals and more. The Dead Eye Shooters, comprised of BB and air rifle, compete in the fall and winter, while the summer is reserved for national matches. According to...
County Weed Superintendent Rick Wrangler explained at the Kimball County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday that it has not been a “good year for weed spraying.” He fought the wind, 90-degree plus weather and the wreck, which put one of the vehicles out of commission while the spray motor locked up on the other vehicle. Repairs on the spray motor will be upwards of $700. Wrangler also felt that the weeds are becoming resistant to Roundup and 2-4-D because it is taking two different actions to kill the weeds. About a year ago a lengthy dis...
Kimball Health Services acquired the Best Plumbing, Heating and Cooling building just to the east of the site of what will become the new Kimball hospital. On Aug. 1, Kimball County Hospital dba Kimball Health Services purchased Best Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling Lots 9, 10, 11 and 12, Block 1, Clarkson's Addition to the City of Kimball, for the purchase price of $300,000. The doc stamp on the building was $675.00. Ken Hunter, CEO of Kimball Health Services, said the building will be used for...
The public hearings for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent Deployment and Minuteman III Decommissioning and Disposal began in Ft. Berthold, N.D., on July 19 and continued in Minot, N.D, Great Falls, and Lewiston, MT, until July 28. Kimball, New Raymer, and Cheyenne had public hearings on Aug. 2, 3 and 4. Virtual hearings were held on Aug. 8 and 9. Individuals have until Aug. 15 to submit written comments on the project. To submit comments: go to the website www.gbsdeis.com. In Kimball, after a meet and greet with public officials, Lt. Col....
The Kimball Airport runway will soon be closed for 280 days. During those 280 days, the 6,199 feet of the only runway will be getting a facelift. The runway and taxiway will be closed, however the helipad will remain open. According to Ryan McElroy, the chair of the Kimball Municipal Airport Authority Board, the runway will get a 6-inch overlay of concrete, which will be the full length of the runway and 75 feet wide. To match the new runway, the taxiways and runway lights will be raised 7 inches. A grant was secured from the FAA for $3.9...
As a member of Sweet Stitches 4-H Club, Ember White, 8, calmly and confidently waited to meet with the judge for an evaluation and ribbon placing of the dress she sewed as her project. Ember explained her project, saying, "It is a simple dress, so I didn't do any buttons or anything. I have worn it to make sure that the seams won't break." After Ember's conference with the judge as the Kimball-Banner County Fair got going Monday, she explained that the judge asked her where she got her fabric,...
Supply chain issues continue to plagued the HVAC project at both Mary Lynch and the Kimball Jr/Sr High. The Kimball School Board heard at its regular August meeting that neither building is expected to have air conditioning by the start of school, although according to Jacob Hurla from Community Building Solutions, Labor Day is the next target date for the arrival of key components for some of the HVAC systems. Aug. 31 will end the school’s fiscal year and Superintendent Trevor Anderson’s financial update reported that 70.38% of the budget has...
After being stepped on by a bull and suffering a broken femur (thigh bone) in January, River Mossberg staged a comeback and received a winning score of 87 on his ride at Pine Bluffs Trail Days Rodeo. His dad, former Kimball County Commissioner Brandon Mossberg, said River has "only been on a handful of bulls since" his accident. After winning Pine Bluffs, River travelled to Kiowa, Colo., and won the bull riding at that rodeo. River has completed his high school bull riding as he graduated as a j...
With six years of 4-H experience under her belt, Dakota Vrbas, 14, has set her goals and looks forward to a successful Kimball-Banner County Fair. Beginning Aug. 8, 119 exhibitors from 66 area families will be ready to compete at the fair. Dakota shared that she is “hoping to win several grand championships.” According to Dakota, 4-H has taught her a multitude of things, including “leadership, confidence, and how to work with others.” Her 4-H talents range from sewing to photography and sheep, p...
Bushnell Volunteer Fire Chief Klent Schnell explained the process that the fire department personnel used to secure a $5,000 grant for the fire department from Plains All-American. Schnell said that for 90% to 95% of the grants he has looked at, they needed to become a 501-C3, but "We never were.. Schnell said he got busy and prepared and completed all the paperwork and they got approval as a 501-C3, "so we are non-profit". The grant money from Plains Pipeline is designated to "update wild land...
In 2000, the first grade classes at Kimball's West Elementary School filled and buried a time capsule which was to be opened in the year 2025. No one knew that before the time capsule would be opened in 2025, elementary classes would be moved out of West Elementary and the building would be sold to Kimball Health Services. Eventually, Kimball Health Services would plan to build a new hospital on the area, so that time capsule has been moved. The time capsule was unearthed before the recent...
Kimball County Tourism Director Jessica Rocha submitted her resignation to the Kimball County Commissioners at the August 2 regular county board meeting. Rocha will continue until August 12 as the County Tourism Director. She has been in the position for three and a half years. According to Rocha, she has accepted a job as the executive secretary for the superintendent for Pine Bluffs Schools. The commissioners approved the Master Human Resources Outsourcing Agreement between Zelle, LLC and Kimball County to provide HR Services. County...
The Kimball Women’s Golf Association league play has three more weeks to complete its regular season. On July 13, Week 7 was match play on the front nine, with Shellon Anderson taking home the winning honors with a 47. Phyllis Greenwood earned the top net score with a 34, and both Nora Robinson and Sally Plover won the least putts with 15. Flag prizes in their respective handicap were won by Phyllis Greenwood, Sally Plover, and Laura Noah. Payton Wise shot a 43 in Week 8 to take home bragging rights. Stroke play on the back nine helped Daria A...
The Kimball City Council members met with a packed house on Tuesday, July 19. The crowd patiently waited for the reason they came- – discussion and consideration of noise ordinance #806, which was two-thirds through the agenda. Once Mayor Keith Prunty said the next issue was "Discuss and Consider a Noise Ordinance," he added that "nothing was written in stone" and asked for people to come to the podium, state their name and make their comments. Kathy Porter spoke first followed by Sonny P...
It's a family affair. The Coleman family – dad Mike, mom Jenn, and children Anna, 14, Sophie, 13, and Luke, 7 – have an unusual hobby and business of raising and selling ball pythons. The ball python is a constrictor snake, but he/she has no venom. When you mention the snakes, everyone in the family gets a little gleam in their eyes and a grin on their faces. They really enjoy their snakes. According to Mike, when people come over, they all want to go down and see them, "even those that don...
Kimball's proposed noise ordinance was a major focus of the City Council's July 19 meeting, but other important issues were addressed. Two agenda requests from council members were addressed early in the meeting. Christy Warner asked for an updated comprehensive plan and blight study. The previous one was done in 2016, but is still effective. The staff was directed to investigate a new comprehensive study and blight plan with bids for the cost. Warner's also requested to discuss the option of hiring a consulting service for assistance with...
Last weekend, Halligan Agency held the Little Daddy Ranch Sorting at the Kimball-Banner County Fairgrounds. The two-day event, held in advance of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Big Daddy Ranch Sorting event, boasted 362 first round teams and 180 second round teams. According to event organizer Cody Halligan, "It was a lot, a lot of work." While local riders were not in abundance, Texas had the most sorters. Halligan explained that the Texans can stop here and "get warmed up on northern cattle"...