Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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Springtime and warmer weather seem to bring everyone and everything outdoors, including that old hot rod or muscle car that has been hidden and cozy during these cold winter months. What a perfect time to start thinking of the many up and coming car shows and drags down main street in the summer sun. One car show coming up is the Kyra’s Kisses Neighborhood Show and Shine in Sidney, Saturday, May 4, at the Sidney First united Methodist Church. All donations will benefit the nonprofit Kyra’s Kisses. The show is open to cars, trucks, motorcycles a...
Two Kimball wrestlers showed grit and determination this past weekend at the Midwest Classic Nationals in Kearney. Trajan Johnson and Britton Culek both placed fifth in their brackets out of nearly 1,200 wrestlers. Johnson wrestled in the 6 and Under 52 division. He scored 10 team points and took home fifth place. Culek wrestled in the 8 and Under 52 division. He scored 16.5 team points and also took home a fifth place medal....
It’s time for a new season and hopes to bring yet another record breaking year in Julesburg, Colorado, at the drag strip. The oldest NHRA Drag strip in the USA, it’s still at the same location and a summer event that has continued to grow over the years. With the first race weekend coming up fast, crews are in full swing with just a few short days before opening weekend this Saturday and Sunday, April 13 and 14. “We are getting close and we are expecting another great year. Last year was a record breaking year. We had 320 cars in one weeke...
Kimball’s long-awaited underpass project is set to begin next Monday, April 1. “We will stay in close contact with everyone in our community regarding lane closures and restrictions,” Mayor Keith Prunty said. “We are coming down the pipeline and have hopes this project will be completed by Farmers Day this year.” Weekly updates on the underpass project will be in the upcoming editions of the Observer. Another city project in the works is the Longhorn building. As many residents noticed last week, city crews began sealing up the building...
With a large turnout yet again this year, the annual banquet for the Mile High Chapter of Pheasants Forever held at the Kimball Event Center raised over $20,000 from just the live auction. Mitch Brown of the Mile High Chapter said not all totals from the weekend event were available. However, the live auction raised just over $21,000. Not included in this total were funds raised from the games as well as the silent auction items. Youth programs will benefit from money raised. Items were not...
Local wrestlers attended two tournaments this past weekend. One Tri-State Grappler headed south to Greeley for the Junior Bulldog Wrestling Tournament. Jesse Gortney placed second in the 8U 42-45 division and placed third in the 10U 45-45 division this past weekend. Jax Thurin and Cabel Botha both attended the Huskerland State Tournament in Kearney, Thurin placed second in the 1st-2nd 59-60 division and fifth place in the 3-4 Grade 57-6 division. Brotha placed fourth in the 3-4 Grade 61-67 division. Local wrestlers will also head to Kearney...
A photo taken in the harsh winter months in the heartland of western Nebraska on a farm in Bushnell is rising to the top. Photographer Cerrina Smith of Cheyenne and her photo, "Guardian Angel," showing a young woman and a newborn calf on Todd Parson's farm in Bushnell, is a top 10 finalist in a Smithsonian photography contest under The American Experience, with nine other competitors. Finalists were picked out of 48,000 photo submissions. Nebraskans can vote for this photo on the Smithsonian's...
Mother Nature sure knows how to put a damper on Nebraska’s spring spirit, from blizzard conditions to flooding. The majority of the entire state saw school and road closures last week due to this well tracked storm. While local meteorologists are calling for a possible storm in the area at the beginning of next week, but do not believe it will produce as much snow. Drifts around Kimball county were reported as high as 10 feet tall. Then, with the warmer weather, snowmelt began Friday afternoon. There are still tens of thousands of people w...
Quickly approaching is the Mile High chapter of Pheasants Forever Banquet this Saturday, March 23. Over the past few weeks of devastating and destructive weather throughout the midwest, the Nebraska Pheasants Forever is one of the many organizations that has stepped up to support the state during this difficult time. One cause is the Hats for Habitat Relief Fund. Nebraska Pheasants Forever linked this description for the hat fund, along with a red and white Pheasants Forever ball cap with...
Concerned residents of Kimball County shared their thoughts regarding Road 59 south of Dix on Tuesday, March 19, at the regular Board of Commissioner meeting. Still no decision has come to surface about the seven mile stretch south of Dix. Discussion still continues to if it should be milled up and put back to gravel, be the first road in Kimball county to have a cold mix over top, have a double chip seal (what is currently done to the road) or use a hot mix over top with the current road being milled up to put back to gravel as well and the ho...
Yet another big weekend of youth wrestling wrapped up Sunday afternoon, March 17. The Nebraska USA State Tournament was held in Grand Island with nearly 200 teams in the state competing for titles. Kimball Wrestling Club, the Banner County MatCats and the Tri-State Grapplers all had wrestlers who qualified during the District 1 tournament March 2 in Scottsbluff. KWC took 11 wrestlers, including Able Kuhns, Laivyn Morgan, Christian Soto-Young, Britton Culek, Kaysn Snyder, Logan Paxton, Trey Cook,...
The Kimball community will celebrate the retirement of Kimball County Tourism Director Jo Caskey on March 31 and welcome newly hired Jessica Rocha to the position. Through her six years in Kimball, Jo has shined many new lights on tourism in the community of Kimball. With hospitality playing a key roll in tourism and welcoming folks to new communities, her first job in the hospitality industry was while in college while working for a pizza place and as a part-time cocktail waitress at a country... Full story
The public filled the room this past Monday, March 11, for the regular Board of Education meeting. Teachers and parents gathered to hear public comments regarding the rumors of a multiple staff positions that may not remain. Mary Lynch kindergarten teacher Cathy Flores spoke during public comments about the possibility of Kimball Public Schools cutting multiple staff jobs or not rehiring for such positions as a reading teacher, third grade teacher, fifth/sixth grade teacher, counselor, school...
Kimball Police Officer Greg Taylor was dispatched to 607 East Third St. (formerly the Arabian Motel and now Kimball Extended Stay) on Saturday, March, 2 at approximately 2:45 p.m. with reports of possible methamphetamine discovered by cleaning staff in one of the occupied rooms. According to the arrest affidavit, upon arrival Officer Taylor spoke to Teri Dryer, the owner of Kimball Extended Stay. Dryer stated that her staff had discovered several items in Room 4 that consisted of small ink pen tubes, aluminum foil with burn marks on it and a 9-...
Locals gather for a photo at Chute No. 7 in the early morning hours Friday, March 8, during the first official "late night" at bars in town that the City Council approved. Now the establishments are able to remain open until 2 a.m. if they so desire. "We will stay open until 2 a.m. if we have the business," Chute No. 7 owner Alex Engstrom said. "Otherwise, we will continue to close at normal hours."... Full story
Kimball Transit, Kimball Mayor Keith Prunty and Warren Air Force Base will be teaming up in a short time to offer veterans a tour of the Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyo., with transportation to and from the base in the coming months. Veterans must contact Prunty in a timely manner due to the need for security checks to be admitted on the base. Prunty says donuts and coffee will be provided for the trip to Cheyenne, but veterans will be responsible for their own lunch. “We are working with Warren to be able to do this as an annual or e...
Just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day without a minute to spare, Friends of the Kimball Library will host their Fifth annual Murder Mystery event, “The Irish Play: Kiss of Death,” this Saturday, March 16, at the Eagles. Because of high demand for tickets in past years, there will be two performances – a matinee from 2-4 p.m. and an evening show from 6-8. The ghost of a dead king, a vain queen and a leprechaun walk into a bar. Actually, it’s not a bar but the Eagles Lodge in Kimball. Only three of the many characters that will be on hand this...
A local man survived low double-digit temperatures overnight after using newspapers to insulate himself following a rollover accident last Thursday afternoon, Feb. 28. Kimball County Sheriff Harry Gillway said the driver, Chad Cook of Kimball, stated that he was driving back to Kimball at approximately 3 p.m. when his steering locked up and he lost control, which resulted with Cook rolling his vehicle. "He is lucky to be alive, and thank God he had good survival sense," Gillway said. According...
As the the month of February blew out, a bitter cold welcome of March came roaring in this past weekend – with nearly record freezing temperatures making its way into early this week. Monday morning, around the 8 o'clock work hour, thermometers in downtown Kimball showed minus 11 degrees – without the windchill. Local weather reports noted that frigid windchill temperatures were still in the minus 30s at 9 a.m. Monday. According to the Farmers' Almanac, Monday's low temperatures were nearly col...
A short but sweet regular Kimball County Commissioners meeting concluded Tuesday, March 5, after more talk about road conditions south of Dix. Specifically, county Highway Superintendent Dave Hottell, Randy Bymer and commissioners Larry Engstrom and Brandon Mossberg discussed maintenance of the seven mile stretch of County Road 59 between County Road 24 and County Road 10 l south of Dix. While no decision has been made, the thought of milling up the current section of the road appears to be one of the steps that will most likely take place...
A search warrant led to the arrest last Friday, March 1, of Darrell and Teresa Johnson of Dix. According to the arrest affidavit, Nebraska State Patrol Trooper Grabill and other troopers and Kimball County deputies executed a search warrant about 4:20 p.m. in the 100 block of Cedar Street in Dix. The affidavit stated that a man identified as 61-year-old Darrell G. Johnson greeted Grabill. The trooper then located a female, who was identified as Teresa Johnson. The warrant states that, in the top dresser drawer of the master bedroom, a brown lea...
This year's District 1 Wrestling Tournament wrapped up this past weekend in Scottsbluff with the three local teams looking towards the State Tournament. Kimball Wrestling Club placed fifth with 150 team points out of over 30 teams, just behind Sidney Wrestling Club's 186 team points. The Banner County MatCats were 15th with 45.5 points and the Tri-State Grapplers were 17th with 44 points. Chance Johnson of Kimball placed fifth in the PreK-K 44-48 division and scored eight points. In the 1st-2nd...
A recently posted article on Facebook from NBC Nebraska-Scottsbluff reported that poverty levels in the Panhandle and community of Kimball are relatively higher than in some other areas and the state as a whole. With that kind of information going around, questions started to rise and fingers began to point. According to Kelsey Irvine, community health planner for Panhandle Public Health District, county health rankings have shown some errors in data reporting in the past for counties with smaller populations like some in the Panhandle....
Preparations are being made for the preschool to close May 22 at the Kimball Head Start campus. Donna Jenne, director of ESU 13 Head Start Programs, thanked the Kimball community for its support as the program looks to make significant changes in the 2019-20 school year. The school section of Head Start will close its doors, but funding for the programs will be used throughout the community in different ways, she said. "The program supports the public school preschool and feels that Head Start...
Numerous items on the Feb. 19 regular Kimball County Board of Commissioners meeting agenda were tabled for additional information, but county road conditions near Dix received considerable attention. A conference call between Ted Weber of Coughlan Co., the three commissioners, Timothy Nolting, Brandon Mossberg and Larry Engstrom, as well as County Highway Superintendent Dave Hottell, was used to discuss milling seven miles of County Road 59 south of Dix. Weber discussed two different approaches for the seven-mile stretch that has seen better...