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 excitement is plausible as Theo, 9, and Elizabeth Perry, 6, describe their upcoming Kimball-Banner County Fair projects. “I am more excited than I can explain,” Theo said. Yet the excitement for Theo was curtailed a bit when he required surgery on his foot from a BB gun incident just days ago. A BB from someone else’s gun was embedded in the bone of his big toe. With surgery a few days behind him, he is not letting it stop him from working his steer, although carrying buckets of feed are off limits. He limps around while his mother cauti...
The late May freeze and the drought conditions throughout the spring and summer had a huge effect on the wheat crop, according to officials at Frenchman Valley Coop. On Tuesday, they stated that 90% of the wheat crop is in and by the end of the week harvest in the area will be done. The yields were found to be 50% of last year with an average of less than 30 bushels an acre although the quality was good. Irrigated wheat was OK, but not as well as it should have been. Frenchman Valley officials...
The Sentinel missile program, hoped to boost this area’s economy, will continue with an increase in costs and a delay in construction, the U.S. Department of Defense announced. The department, Congress and Pentagon determined that the Sentinel program is essential to national security and there are no alternatives to the program at a lesser cost, according to information that the department released. Other reasons for the certification of the Sentinel program were listed as: The director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation agreed that n...
A special meeting of the Parks and Rec Operating Board was held on Wednesday, July 10, to accept the resignation of Four Winds golf pro Edward Tamsett. Tamsett, from Australia, took the Four Winds golf pro job in the spring of 2023 after long-time golf pro Chad Wise left. The operating board’s newest appointed member is Jenna Miller, and the chairman is Henry Heeg. Other members include John Morrison, Rich Flores, Jaclyn Burks and vice chairman Pat O’Brien. O’Brien was absent from the July 10 meeting. The second order of business on the agend...
Kimball's new Heritage Cafe has been painted and remodeled, the kitchen has been rearranged, and it is open for business at 214 S. Walnut St. Right now, it is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, but the owners anticipate additional days and evenings. They are getting acclimated to Kimball and their new business. Owners Doug Mallett and his daughter, Deborah O'Connor, have made the place a family affair with her daughter and son-in-law adding to the business. Deborah has already...
Twenty golfers at the 15th annual Vince's Corner Golf Tournament won the chance to chip from 100 yards out on hole 16, and the winner of the contest would take home a golf cart donated by the Panhandle Auto Group. Jeff Greenwood chipped within 3 feet of the cup to take home the golf cart. The Vince's tournament is comprised of 36 teams and players, who come from California, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming and all over Nebraska. Here are the results of top finishers in each of the four divisions: A...
The Kimball School Board began tackling a sensitive issue or, as board President Travis Cook put it, "a heavy topic" at its July 8 meeting – whether school employees should carry firearms. With state Sen. Brian Hardin in attendance, Hardin explained that the Unicameral passed legislation allowing school employees to carry a firearm, either concealed or open carry. The discussion addressed Board Policy 702.11 as it pertains to firearms in schools. The board, along with local law enforcement, d...
The Kimball City Council voted unanimously to add a second K-9 unit to the Kimball Police Department at the council meeting on Tuesday, July 2. The unit’s dog, a Belgian Malinois named Trudy, will cost $7,000, significantly less than the going rate of $25,000, Police Chief Jose Ruiz said. Trudy will be trained along with the city’s other police dog, Lucy, at Ragnar Defense in Casper, Wyoming. Trudy will be trained as a dual purpose dog, detecting narcotics and performing apprehension or bite work. A loan has been secured from a local bank to...
The Kimball City/County Park and Recreation Executive Board met on July 1 with one item to discuss – 200 new sprinklers for the Four Winds Golf Course. Chairman of the Park and Recreation Operating Board Henry Heeg and course Superintendent Jeremy Williams explained the problem. The current sprinklers are 25 years old and at the end of their life and still working, but parts are difficult or impossible to find for them. Last summer when the big water well went down, gravel and rocks were p...
It was all smiles for Kimball's 12 and under baseball team members as they won their league championship last week. They put up 31 runs in two games. In Game 1, they played Mitchell and racked up 15 runs opposed to 9 for Mitchell. In Game 2, the bats were on fire again as Kimball scored 16 runs against 7 for Gering. Leading the team in hits was Kasyn Snyder, who went 5 for 6 at the plate. Knox Hottell went 4 for 4, Barrett Brown went 4 for 5 and Nash Burback and Blayden Serrano both went 3 for...
Julia Winstrom of Kimball is a team member of the 4-H National Shooting Sports Champions for Air Rifle. She also put up top 10 performances in multiple individual categories. She was selected as one of four Nebraska youth to participate in the 4-H National Shooting Sports Championship at Grand Island. The competition was held the last week of June. Competing against 21 teams, the Nebraska team became the national champions. Julia placed fourth in the 3-position sporters, seventh in all standing...
Two Kimball youths are competing in national and international pool tournaments and a special event thanks to their sponsor, McDermott Pool Ques. Able Kuhns, 10, and Ashlynn Kuhns, 16, will play in the Junior National Tourney in Quincy, Illinois, from July 8 to 13, then travel to be spoiled by McDermott Pool Ques. The brother and sister will have a photo shoot, experience time with the design team, and attend a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game in Wisconsin. After that, Able and Ashlynn will play...
Carla Gorenson and Greg Robinson know the impact and understand the legacy of Larsen's Jewelry Store and its 98-year history in Kimball. Carla and Greg are the great-grandchildren of store founder O.C. Larsen. They are emotional and reflective about the end of the 98-year-old business. This coming Christmas will be the first time in a long time that either Carla or Greg have been able to do much of anything as far as Christmas with their families. Greg said, "It will be difficult because they wi...
KCTS and the City of Kimball have joined forces to provide rides throughout town for the summer months. There are 10 bus stops that will be serviced on a 30-minute loop and five stops used on request. The stops run from 7 am to 5 pm. KCTS Administrator Christy Warner said, "We will still pick people up at their door if they have a situation that doesn't allow them to get to a stop, such as age or disability." Warner stressed that KCTS still does reservation rides in town before 7 a.m. and after...
Four Winds Golf Course pro Edward Tamsett has given 30 days notice of his resignation, the Observer learned Monday. Kimball Park and Recreation Board Chairman Henry Heeg on Monday confirmed that Tamsett resigned. Tamsett, a professional golfer in his native Australia before arriving at the Kimball golf course, was in the second year of his contract with the Park and Rec Board....
Matthew Brown, director of building and grounds for Kimball Public Schools, said he is pleased with the progress on the Mary Lynch Elementary School playground – where students have received some welcome additions. Construction was completed on June 22 for the new structures, and the kids could not be more excited. As noted by Kimball Public Schools Superintendent Trevor Anderson, "It is a much needed update for our students at Mary Lynch Elementary. We are happy to see the finished product a...
High School bull rider Cody Brinkman is headed to the National High School Rodeo finals in Rock Springs, Wyoming, from July 12-21. Cody's third place finish in the Nebraska State Rodeo finals qualified him to ride at the national event. For the second year in a row, Cody has qualified for nationals, and last year he placed fourth at state. Going into his senior year at Kimball High School, Cody has one more year of high school rodeo. He will participate in the fall and spring seasons. Cody's...
After two public hearings, the Kimball City Council voted to approve and adopt the new zoning ordinance and the new comprehensive plan at the June 18 meeting. John Shepherd from Marvin Planning said they had been working with the City of Kimball and the planning commission for over a year, updating the comprehensive plan and zoning regulations. Marvin Planning held a town hall meeting, conducted surveys and got people’s opinions to develop the plans. According to Shepherd, the comprehensive plan is the strategic plan for the city, and it is the...
Two bids were accepted by the Kimball City Council on June 18 for a chip seal project and concrete repair projects. Areas affected include the site of the new Clean Harbors apartments. The chip seal project includes parts of High School, Marion and Cedar streets, while the concrete repair projects include the 7th and Vista intersection, 6th Street pavement repair near Chestnut, and Evergreen pavement repairs near 8th Street. Timing was perfect for the 7th and Vista intersection project because the sewer and water lines for the Clean Harbor...
Karen Hewitt achieved her dream when she opened Karen’s Kitchen in September 2019, but her husband’s health motivated her to sell her restaurant and take care of him. “I was not ready to give it up, but, you know, I have to,” she said. Now the business is sold. The new owners, all family members from Colorado, will begin making some changes as soon as this week, she said. Reflecting on her time at the restaurant, Karen said, “I loved my time here, I loved all my people, I loved all my customers. The main reason I opened the restauran...
On Friday, June 21, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission met in Ogallala and agreed to approve the staff recommendations for a 2025 mountain lion hunting season. The commission endorsed a first time hunting season in the Wildcat Hills. The commissioner created the Wildcat Hills Unit joining the existing Pine Ridge Unit and Niobrara Unit. The Wildcat Hills Unit will include parts of Scotts Bluff, Morrill, Cheyenne, Garden, Kimball and Banner counties. An additional change was the Niobrara Unit...
Tough news for the girls basketball and volleyball teams for next year as Addison Olsen tore her ACL while playing basketball in Texas a few weeks ago. The Longhorn standout had surgery on Tuesday in Fort Collins, Colo., and her estimated time of recovery is six to eight months. Good news, according to Addison, is that this won’t be her senior years, and the injured foot isn’t the one that she high jumps off of. She will miss the volleyball and basketball seasons for sure, but she will be rooting for the team from the bench....
While a world-wide pandemic raged in 2020, towns, cities and countries were shut down and borders were closed. Yet a simple comment on a Facebook photography group from a young woman in Argentina – "I'm bored" – would eventually lead to a connection across continents, an online marriage and her eventual relocation from Argentina to a rural Nebraska community. It was July 2020 and Argentina was experiencing its longest pandemic shutdown, 10 months. At 1 in the morning, Daiana Congett was sim...
The appraisal for the former Kimball Health Services hospital building was accepted at the June 18 county commissioners meeting. Brandt Appraisal Co. determined that the former hospital building and parking lot adjacent to the property should be appraised at $395,000. The commissioners held a public hearing to allow comments from any interested parties to speak for or against the sale of the former hospital at 505 South Burg St. Sheriff Dave Hottell talked about the possibility of the county keeping the generator that is located at the former...
For the next week, the first National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in 83 years will travel through Nebraska on the way to meet up with three other pilgrimage routes in Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress. The St. Junipero Serra Route, which passed through Kimball and St. Joseph's Catholic Church last week, began in San Francisco on Pentecost Sunday. When those on the journey reach Indianapolis, they will have traveled for 60 days spreading the word of the Eucharist. The route from the...