Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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As of Monday of this week, the Panhandle jumped into the middle of the severe COVID-19 spread range, and the Panhandle is also making national headlines as the cases and spread of COVID-19 have skyrocketed in this area. Kimball County has certainly faired better to date than other Panhandle counties, but the season appears to be just getting underway and the numbers change daily. Since the beginning of COVID-19 Kimball County has recorded 135 cases with 77 people recovered and currently 58 active cases. Cheyenne County had 173 active cases but...
Two properties, 123 Front St. and 605 S. Myrtle St., were determined to be "unsafe properties" at the Oct. 20 Kimball City Council meeting and will require some attention by the owners. At left is 605 S. Myrtle....
Members of Trinity Methodist Church in Kimball help unload USDA Farmers to Families food boxes from the delivery truck this past week. The program offers boxes of fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy products for Kimball residents. The boxes are distributed on Thursdays at the church with the only requirement, these days, being to wear a mask....
Mary Lynch Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Ben Ferguson and some of his students explain at a recent Kimball School Board meeting why they like the new program “Beyond Textbooks....
The Kimball Junior High Invitational Wrestling Tournament went off as scheduled this past Monday although the numbers were down considerably, according to Kimball Activities Director Ken Smith. Smith said that due to the COVID-19 situation, none of the Wyoming schools who usually attend, and at least four more Nebraska schools, did not attend because of the same reason.It ended up with 7 schools and a total of 85 wrestlers competing. "This is about half of our usual participation," Smith said.... Full story
The Nebraska rifle season for deer hunters opened this past Saturday and will run through this Sunday with one big change this season. There will be no check-in locations this year, and hunters will report their kills via the internet! The Nebraska Game Department has reported this season should be good with a lot of deer in almost every area and including a good report on 3-year-old bucks with size and show antlers. I went looking for pictures from our area hunters who filled their permits the...
Nate and Heather Entingh of Kimball are looking for used shoes, any kind of shoes or boots, this includes work boots, high heels, gym or tennis shoes, any type and any brand, except shoes with wheels. Although used, the shoes must be in a salvageable condition. Nate and Heather are collecting shoes for their fundraiser. Known as Positive Spaces Shoe Drive the shoes are collected at Beer and Loathing or the laundromat, within the next 4-6 weeks the shoes will be paired, tagged, sorted, bagged... Full story
A large grass fire erupted between Kimball and Dix last week. Along with the Dix Fire Department, the Kimball Volunteer Fire Department helped stamp it out. The fire started just north of I-80 and the wind swept the fire north almost to Highway 30 consuming about 300 acres, according to Mark Miller of the Dix Volunteer Fire Department. Smoke surrounded the house and building at the Arrow Diamond Ranch, but they were saved. Miller said the cause was determined to be a set of truck dual wheels... Full story
Rising COVID-19 cases in the area have Kimball Health Services introducing a set of new guidelines. The clinic requests that if you have been exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms, call and receive instructions and an appointment before coming to the clinic, so no walk-in COVID-19 patients are being accepted. In addition, the Kimball hospital allows one visitor per patient per stay while visitors to the clinic and outpatient are limited to only those accompanying a minor patient. As of Tuesday, Kimball County had 31 active recorded cases of...
Kimball Fitness Center hosted Business After Hours in conjunction with its grand opening Nov.6 in the renovated Longhorn Building. The event included food, drinks, live music and door prizes with over 125 people in attendance. The new fitness center has 60 different machines working all different parts of the body as well as a tanning booth. Entry into the fitness center is with a key fob so it is open 24 hours a day. Above the fitness center are brand new apartments. According the owners Shane...
As “Shop with a Cop” approaches its 10-year anniversary change is coming according to organizer Erin Heidemann. Erin said the “big changes” include a name change. The event will now be called “Holiday Heroes.” The name Holiday Heroes reflects all the people and agencies involved in the event, such as police, ambulance personnel, fire departments, the sheriff’s office, state patrol, the ladies auxiliary, businesses and donors. The change is a result of COVID-19, of course, but also the closing of Shopko and the need to include all agencies. The...
Maintaining a six-foot distance, the practice gym was the setting for the Kimball School Board regular monthly meeting on Nov. 9 at 6:30 p.m. Board members were stationed six feet apart while most other attendees had masks or face coverings on. Highlighting the meeting was a short presentation about Beyond Textbooks. Beyond Textbooks was recently adopted and is used in the third to sixth grades. Mr. Ben Ferguson along with four of his fifth-grade students described why they like Beyond...
A long standing Halloween tradition continued this year as Mary Lynch elementary students from pre-K through the sixth grade walked across the street to show off their costumes to the residents at Kimball County Manor. As the manor continues to be on COVID-19 lockdown, the students went along the outside windows and waved to the residents....
The Western Trails Conference has announced their All Conference selections for volleyball and football and Kimball has six athletes to receive recognition from all conference coaches. In volleyball, senior Megan Spicer was named All Conference and senior Sydney Biesecker and sophomore Jayden Paxton were given honorable mention. Bridgeport had 4 players on the all conference team plus 2 honorable mentions and the Lady Bulldogs were the conference champions. Mitchell and Gordon-Rushville both had 3 all conference selections plus 2 HMs, Morrill... Full story
Unofficial results of the 2020 election have been tabulated and recorded by the Kimball County Canvassing Board. Locally, Kimball City Council and Kimball School Board have drawn the most attention with a variety of candidates. Winning four-year seats on the city council are newcomer Gabriel Ingram and incumbent Kim Baliman. Six individuals were vying for three school board seats. Albert Hargreaves, Chauncey Pedersen and Lanny Little were the top vote-getters for school board, with those... Full story
Recovering from COVID-19, Kimball County Commissioner-elect Carl Stander of Kimball said, “I was flat on my back for 12 days, sleeping 20 hours a day, getting up only to drink lots of fluids, use the bathroom and check my temperature and oxygen level.” He continued, “I have never been that sick in my life.” Prior to getting COVID-19, Stander thought he was being careful by using sanitizer, social distancing and sometime wearing a mask, but it wasn’t enough and he has no idea where he picked up the virus. Stander’s words of wisdom are: “Every...
COVID-19 took a backseat to Halloween as the first ever "Kimball Trick or Trunk" was a huge success, according to organizers Sarah Stull, Amira Moore and Dawn Hickman. With 27 individuals or groups handing out treats and goodies, hundreds of kids and parents attended the event. The outdoor event took place at the high school parking lot. Some groups had elaborate decorations, while others just passed out candy from a simple setting. Sarah Stull said, "We had a huge turnout. The Dairy Queen made...
In 2018, the Nebraska Unicameral passed LB657 (Nebraska Hemp Farming Act) and in 2019 Governor Rickett's signed LB 657 into law thus legalizing plant hemp as an alternative crop. The Nebraska Hemp Farming Act addressed the cultivation, handling, marketing and processing of hemp. Medical marijuana and recreational marijuana are illegal in Nebraska. Only CBD oil and other products made from hemp are legal for possession and consumption according to the Farm Bill of 2018. The finished hemp must tes... Full story
Prairie Animal Hospital in Kimball saw more than 100 cats and dogs during the two days of the Halloween Vaccine Clinic. Prairie Animal Hospital has been running the Halloween Vaccine Clinic for the past seven years. The only rule to participate in the clinic was for cats and dogs to be in costume. The reward for dog owners was discount shots for their pets. Rabies shots were $10, distemper/parvo $10, and distemper/parvo/lepto $15. Cat owners also benefited from the dress-up days. Their pets...
The Longhorn Building topped the list of agenda items under current business at the Oct. 20 Kimball City Council meeting. The council approved Mayor Keith Prunty’s signature on the Quit Claim Deed and other ownership documents to SK Hays Companies LLC. Council members Kim Baliman, Creg Pike and James Shields were in attendance. Matt Bright was absent. A number of Business Facade Improvement Grants were approved, including those for Karen’s Kitchen and Kimball Fitness Center, and a Business Infrastructure Improvement Grant was approved for Sin...
The Winter Sports season is underway, at least for the Kimball Junior High. They participated in a junior high wrestling tournament at Harrisburg this past Saturday and I will hopefully have some results from that event by next week. Kimball was scheduled to host their own junior high wrestling tournament this past Tuesday but that got postponed to November 16th. The Shorthorn wrestlers will be at Hemingford on November 12th. Kimball Junior High Girls Basketball will also tip off today (Thursday) with the Kimball girls going to Bridgeport and...
Kimball County’s most recent active COVID-19 case number is 7, but the Panhandle remains in the middle of the high spread category on the risk dial. Last week, the case count was 42. This week, as of Tuesday afternoon, Kimball County has experienced 48 cases of COVID-19, but 41 have recovered, according to the Panhandle Public Health District, therefore leaving 7 active cases. On Monday, Gov. Pete Ricketts held a press briefing explaining the future plan to deliver the COVID-19 vaccines available. The vaccines is expected to be limited early o... Full story
At 3 pounds, 13 ounces, the tiny newborn Rayah Dye was sent home from a Denver hospital on hospice. Rayah's mom, Tiffani, said the medical personnel repeatedly told her and her husband that Rayah "would never live" and therefore "we were not prepared to bring her home at all." They had no car seat, no clothes for the baby, no diapers, not even a blanket. Tiffani admits that emotionally "they had completely detached themselves from her," but that wouldn't last. Hospice wasn't a total surprise to...
The recent fire on Horseshoe Hill created a little excitement for a couple of horses in an adjacent pasture. Owner Krystal Moody wanted to assure everyone that “the horses were moved to safety shortly after the fire started. They are safe and sound.” The horses appeared to be a bit confused when the flames got close. Krystal said that she was worried they were going to run into the fire for a bit. She is very thankful that it wasn't worse and that a fence separated the horses from the fire. The...
Children will still be able to celebrate Halloween on Saturday, Oct. 31, even with COVID-19 circulating in the Panhandle. Kimballites Dawn Hinton, Amira Moore and Sarah Stull have organized a “trick or trunk” located in the high school parking lot on Saturday from 5-7 p.m. Setup for the “trunks” is at 4 p.m. Everyone is welcome and all ages are invited to participated. At last count about 30 vehicles will be spread throughout the parking lot. Local businesses have also donated candy for the event. The usual downtown business Halloween Parade... Full story