Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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We can close the door on one more Fall Sport for Kimball High School with the completion of the 2020 Nebraska State Cross Country races held at the Kearney Country Club Golf Course this past week. As reported last week, Kimball had two state qualifiers in sophomore Matt Johnson and junior Chantel Malson, but Malson ended up being the Longhorns' only participant at state due to a health issue that prevented Johnson from competing. Matt was unable to compete due to being informed his blood sugar... Full story
The Kimball Junior High football season came to a close this past week with a win over Morrill. Here we’ll look back to cover the final 3 games on the schedule. Kimball 32, Bayard 6 The Shorthorns won 32-6 over Bayard on the road. Kimball led 24-0 at halftime with the line doing a great job of pushing the young Tigers around and the Kimball backs running Tough, according to coach Dane Wurdeman. “The best part of this game was seeing all of our young players get quality experience. This was a game in which the inside run was working well. It is...
As I was writing stories on the Kimball High girls golf team qualifying for the State Tournament this past week, I was curious as to just how many Kimball High girls teams had experienced this honor. I knew for sure that the Hager sisters were involved with state tournament play so I called on their dad Rollie, thinking that would save me a lot of time going back through old files etc., and it certainly did save me time as Rollie, with a lot more technical savvy than this old scribe has,...
Panhandle Geotechnical and Environmental began working at the stoplight area in Kimball on Monday morning. According to Mayor Keith Prunty, PGE has contracted with the state to drill about 30 wells in the immediate area to remove petroleum that was discovered in the soil and groundwater when underground petroleum tanks were removed about 30 years ago. Prunty said it will take about six weeks to drill all the wells and then four years, at least, to remove the petroleum from the soil and groundwat... Full story
The Panhandle Public Health District’s risk dial has move further into the orange area this week due to the fact that Nebraska and Panhandle COVID-19 cases have increased. According to information from PPHD, Kimball County has 14 active cases as of Tuesday afternoon. Kimball County has experienced a total of 42 cases, and 28 have recovered. Based on the past three weeks of information, the risk level is a combination of data including positivity rates compared to population and the total number of tests given in each area. The risk level a...
As COVID-19 increases in Nebraska, the assistant director of Panhandle Public Health District, Jessica Davies, helped answer some informational questions about the pandemic. Davies told the Observer that the Panhandle is in a spike and backed that up with numbers. She reported that from March to May the Panhandle had 100 cases total. From Monday Oct. 12 through Thursday the 15th, the Panhandle registered 131 cases in that four-day period – which is a huge increase in cases throughout the Panhandle. Davis responded to comments in reference to t...
A selection committee appointed Rich Flores on Wednesday to fill the vacancy on the Kimball County Board of Commissioners created by Commissioner Brandon Mossberg’s resignation when he moved out of the county. The term will end in January 2023. Following is the original report on the commission vacancy in the print edition of the Observer, which went to press before Flores was appointed: Interviews for the vacancy on the Kimball County Board of Commissioners were planned for Wednesday, Oct. 21. The interviews were open to the public, b...
The Eagles Auxiliary is planning a fundraiser for the Tiffani and Broc Dye family. The spaghetti supper fundraiser is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Eagles. Tiffani and Broc have two daughters, Braelynn, 4, and Rayah, 1. Rayah was born with a chromosomal deficiency a year ago on Nov. 3. Multiple trips to Denver, medical equipment, surgeries and respiratory infections are just a few of the hurdles the family has encountered this past year. More of Rayah's story will appear in the Observer... Full story
Jerry Darnell the VP of Agriculture for Western Sugar of Scottsbluff said as of Monday morning 60% of the beet harvest has been completed in the area. He was very pleased with the sugar content from the Kimball piling site as it is 19.86 percent. Darnell said that is "tremendous sugar" and they have "great tonnage" from the Kimball piling, which is a swing pile as it will either be processed in Fort Morgan, Colo., or Scottsbluff. The Kimball site will eventually handle 110,00 tons of sugar...
Nebraska’s Governor Pete Ricketts has updated the directed health measures that will be effective from Oct. 21 to Nov. 30 in response to the increase in COVID-19 cases in Nebraska. In addition, the governor has also initiated a new campaign to stay safe from COVID-19: “Avoid the Three C’s.” The “Avoid the Three C’s” campaign is intended to slow the spread of the virus. The campaign includes avoiding crowded places, avoiding close contact and finally avoiding confined spaces. The governor’s new directed health measure will focus on elective pro...
A year to remember for the 2020 Kimball High Girls Golf Team as they qualified as a team for the State Tournament and Payton Wise earned her third consecutive state medal, and also lowered her own school record when she shot a new career personal best round of 76! This year's team was made up of 2 seniors, 2 juniors and 2 sophomores and the pair of seniors who will graduate will be missed for certain. Maddie Cook was a four year contributor who saw her Kimball High career end on a sad note when... Full story
The fall Sports season is fast drawing to a close as the girls state golf was completed last week, along with the football season for Kimball. District cross country was held at Bridgeport last Thursday and Chantel Malson and Matt Johnson both qualified for the state meet being held tomorrow (Friday) at Kearney. The only thing remaining for Kimball is volleyball subdistricts. Subdistrict play for the Lady Longhorns is set for Monday (October 26) at Big Springs where South Platte is the number 1 seed and will play number 4 seed, and number 2...
The Kimball High Cross Country Team will be represented at the Nebraska State Cross Country Meet in Kearney tomorrow (Friday) in both the Class D girls and boys race as Chantel Malson and Matthew Johnson emerged as individual qualifiers from the District race in Bridgeport. For junior Malson, this will be her 3rd time to run in the state meet and for Johnson, a sophomore, this will be his first state meet. The Kimball boys finished 5th out of 11 teams at District led by Johnson's 14th...
A grassfire burned about 20 to 30 acres on Horse Shoe Hill, south of 9th Street on Wednesday, Oct. 7, according to Kimball Fire Chief Andrew Bohac. A worker was in the area of County Road 43 and was either using a welder or grinder, which produced a spark. No structures were damaged, although the fire came close to a few buildings owned by Brandon Mossberg. "It just burned up the grass," Mossberg said. "Everything else for the most part was good." According to Bohac, the department had a "busy... Full story
The COVID-19 Risk Dial has inched its way into the orange or high spread category for the week of Oct. 12 to 19 for an additional six counties in the Panhandle, including Kimball County. Five counties remain in the yellow zone. Box Butte County had previously been in the orange category. Panhandle Public Health District reported on Oct. 12 that Kimball County has one new case in the age 19 and under bracket and no new reported cases in adults. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kimball County has had 31 confirmed cases, with 23...
Long time Kimball School Board member Lynn Vogel submitted her letter of resignation at the regular board meeting on Monday, Oct. 12. Vogel and her husband will be moving out of the area. Vogel stated in her letter: “I am proud of our collective achievements and the significant progress the Board has made toward improving our Kimball Public School system. As a board and as individuals, your commitment toward maintaining the Board’s Level of Excellence is commendable, i.e. Policy 203.09. I feel lucky to have volunteered by your side these pas...
This article includes responses to an Observer questionnaire from the six candidates seeking four seats, including that of departing Lynn Vogel, on the Kimball School Board in the Nov. 3 general election. The order of their responses is presented alphabetically, according to the first letter of each candidate's last name. The candidates are: Jennifer Griebel Albert Hargreaves Lanny Little Heather Norberg Tom O'Brien Chauncey Pedersen This full article can be read in the Observer print edition or by subscribing to the Observer online digital... Full story
While working in the kitchen at the Potter-Dix Elementary School, cook Shirley Skaja heard about the Small Towns Matter contest. She and her associate Teresa Loghry both filled out nomination forms. Shirley's nomination was the winning entry, which was announced at the ceremony. Shirley is originally from Denver and has only been in the Panhandle a few years, but she loves the area's small towns. "I went to a really big school," she said. "I now just love the small town atmosphere." She also...
The Kimball Volunteer Fire Department Annual Open House was Oct. 7 at the Kimball Fire Hall. The department worked with all the COVID-19 rules, had a drive-thru lane and seating was spaced out throughout the fire hall. People were encouraged to check out the equipment and the building updates. Although reports indicated the numbers were down due to the COVID, the department still had a good showing....
Another outstanding finish for Kimball junior Payton Wise as she wound up 6th in the final standings of the 2020 Class C Nebraska State Golf Tournament at Elks Country Club in Columbus. Payton slipped a bit on Day 2, shooting a round of 82 to finish overall with a two-day total of 166. Brodersen of Boone Central won individual honors at 155, followed by Becker of Cozad at 157, Colby of Minden at 159, Lovegrove of Lincoln Christian at 162 and Mesti of Heartland at 164 – the only five girls to f... Full story
The feature spotlight on Kimball High athletic events this week is of course the girls state golf tournament of which Kimball qualified for by placing 3rd at the District Tournament reported last week. The Kimball team departed from Kimball High School at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, headed for Columbus, the site of the Class C Tournament. On Sunday they got in a practice round, battling some wind, like what’s new? By the way, they got a nice sendoff with the Kimball Fire Department escorting them out to the interstate with a string of well wishers...
A tough test for the Kimball High Cross Country Teams this past week as they competed in conference competitions on back-to-back days. The Longhorns were at Grant on Thursday to run in the SPVA Conference event, and the very next day they ran at Bridgeport in the WTC Conference race. The Horns fared the best at the SPVA meet where the boys finished 3rd led by Matthew Johnson's 7th place individual finish with a season personal best time of 19:59. Freshman Joseph Bremer also ran an all time...
Mary James of Dix said, "I am just going to sit back and enjoy my party." And party they did on a beautiful Saturday afternoon Oct. 3, they partied on the front and side lawns of Mary's home just across from the Potter-Dix Elementary School. There were tents and tables, and Mark Whetham had BBQ brisket and pork, salads and birthday cake. There was music and beer and about 100 guests. Mary continued to express her appreciation. "It was really good of these kids to do this." For two years, Corey... Full story
Thursday, Oct. 1, Kimball County residents discovered that COVID-19 has revisited the county with Panhandle Public Health District reporting two cases – one community spread and one close contact. Local rumors had proceeded the official COVID-19 numbers from PPHD, and then on Monday, Oct. 5, another five cases of COVID-19 were reported to have infected the county through the community spread method. According to Jessica Davies at PPHD, “Community spread just means we were unable to determine where they contracted COVID as opposed to close con...
Brittany Cook, the president and founder of Kimball H.E.L.P.S. is originally from Crook, Colo., and attended Caliche High School. Caliche School was a tight-knit school system with a huge support system, key ingredients were volunteerism and a strong parent-teacher organization. When Brittany and Travis Cook’s oldest son started school Brittany knew she wanted to help create support for the Kimball School and her own children. The Kimball H.E.L.P.S. motto is “be the change” and “be a part of...