Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Sorted by date Results 226 - 250 of 1129
Scam suspect Abraham Espinoza of Miami, Florida, was bound over from Kimball County Court to District Court on Friday morning after a preliminary hearing. Judge Randin Roland said that "based on the totality," a crime was committed. Espinoza faces three charges and will be arraigned in District Court on Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. The charges include theft-deception more than $5,000, conspiracy to commit a Class 2 felony, and abuse of a vulnerable adult. When Espinoza couldn't get Zoom to work for the...
A Miami, Florida, man is charged with three offenses in Kimball County Court, including theft by deception of more than $5,000, conspiracy to commit a Class 2 felony, and abuse of a vulnerable adult in Kimball. Abraham Espinoza has been released on 10% of $100,000 bond. His preliminary hearing will be held Oct. 13. According to court records, he may appear by telephone or Zoom. Espinoza is represented by Scottsbluff attorney Audrey Long. The apparent victim had withdrawn $20,000 from a local bank, then another $10,000, according to court...
At the "topping" ceremony for Clean Harbors' Kimball expansion, company CEO Eric Gerstenberg said Tuesday that the construction phase of the new Kimball incinerator will be completed by 2024 and the incinerator operational by early 2025. "With the addition of this new incinerator and the jobs it brings, our commitment to Kimball and Western Nebraska will only deepen," he said. "Today is not just about acknowledging a milestone; it is about instituting a brighter and more prosperous future in...
Carlee Murdoch, a Kimball High School senior, is the 2023 Farmers Day queen. Carlee, who is Jamie and Dwain Murdoch's daughter, is active in band, choir, show choir, track, student council and FFA, where she serves as the student advisor. After graduating from high school in May, Carlee plans to attend Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff and transfer to a four-year university. Carlee hopes to pursue a degree in special education with hopes of returning to the Panhandle. The...
Long-time residents and community minded citizens Jerry and Sharon Williams were selected as grand marshals for the 2023 Farmers Day. The Williams belong to the Methodist Church and help with church projects and Christmas events. Jerry has worked for years on the Farmers Day hamburger feed. The Farmers Day volunteer award was presented to Craig Markum for his time and effort to the community's youth. He is involved in the youth basketball, baseball, and softball programs, including coordinating...
The Kimball County Commissioners accepted two resignations at their Tuesday meeting on October 3. The first was from Zeb Brown, assistant county buildings and ground superintendent. Brown gave his two-week notice on Sept. 27. He has performed custodian services at the courthouse since November 2022. He has accepted a position in the Kimball County Sheriff’s Office. Brown’s employment in the sheriff’s office will be as a dispatcher and jailer. The other resignation was for the recently filled veteran’s service officer position that was held by...
Kimball Health Services CEO Ken Hunter told the Kimball County Commissioners on Tuesday that he anticipates an announcement for his replacement to happen in the next couple of weeks. Kimball Health Services representatives attended the commissioners meeting to give an update on the building and to discuss any action concerning the future of the existing county hospital building. Hunter gave an overview of hospital financials. He said two challenges are occurring, with one being the continuing inflation and the other the continuing pressure...
The KCHS Class of 1973 will gather Farmers Day weekend for its 50-year high school reunion. The 1973 graduating class had 92 members, with 45 set to attend the reunion, according to Sue Maxted. Fourteen graduates are deceased, and those buried in the Kimball Cemetery will be adorned with Class of 1973 grave markers. Seven classmates were not able to be located. Locals heading up the celebration have been working on the events since last fall. Committee members include Sue Maxted. Dennis Deboodt, Mike and Mary Moehr, Dave Lukassen, Leo...
Gov. Jim Pillen addressed a group of Kimball County residents on Monday afternoon during a town hall meeting at KCTS headquarters. Pillen said he wants to be the governor of everyone in Nebraska, all Nebraskans. He stressed that Nebraskans all have to live within their means, and a high priority for the state is to be more financially responsible. Pillen explained that four things are what he has focused on throughout his life and continues to focus on as governor: kids, taxes, agriculture and...
The Kimball County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday to adopt the 2023-24 Kimball County Budget. In addition, the final 2023-24 Property Tax Request for $3,786,671 was approved and adopted. No members of the public other than county employees were in attendance Tuesday, but a large crowd packed the KCTS meeting room for the Joint Public Hearing on Sept. 19. The Joint Public Hearing was required because the county proposed to increase its annual property tax revenue by more than 2%. Property owners had received a...
On Monday, October 2, the Longhorn cross country team will host the WTC meet at the Four Winds Golf Course. The day should be perfect for catching a glimpse of the runners, with the high expected to be 79 degrees and sunny. The meet starts at 11 a.m. Personal records were set by Braxton Miller, Trey Cook, Eddie Duran, and Kip Gillming at the Ogallala Invite. Coach Johnson said the kids “continue to work hard and improve from meet to meet.” The cross country team competed with a variety of larger schools at the Ogallala Invite on Thursday, Sep...
The Remote Control Airshow on Sunday of Farmers Day weekend is set to happen, according to organizer Rick Kirby. The Kimball Kamakzee Club Flyers R/C Airshow is at the Kimball Airport at 10 a.m. The airshow was "up in the air" for some time because the FAA had instituted a new rule that required drones and RC aircraft to have a remote ID number. Each craft needed to have its own digital license plate. The deadline for obtaining the remote ID was 12:01 a.m. Sept. 16. With only four manufacturers...
Pine Bluffs Gravel and Excavating is doing a resurfacing project for the Minuteman Missile access roads. Heavy truck traffic is expected to continue south of Kimball, although the work will only take place during daylight hours. More than 40 gravel trucks are hauling gravel from the gravel pits just west of Kimball to the missile base roads in Laramie County, Wyoming, at the present time. Sites in Weld County have been completed, and they will start on the missile roads in Kimball County by the...
The Kimball County Commissioners went into two executive sessions Tuesday, Sept. 19, regarding deployment of security personnel and devices and the purpose of discussing confidential employee and personnel matters. On Tuesday evening, the commissioners held a joint public hearing regarding the increase in the tax request, and on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at 9:15 a.m. the commissioners will hold the 2023-24 county budget hearing. For more information about the county’s proposed budget and its notice of budget hearing and budget summary, see the public...
A full Farmers Day is in store for the Kimball area on the weekend of Sept. 29 to Oct. 1. Highlighting the events will be the parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, followed by the first-ever “Pie A City Guy” event at 2 p.m. at the downtown stage in Kimball. Tickets for “Pie A City Guy” can be purchased at the Kimball Public Library. Various city officials have volunteered to be the pie target, including Mayor John Morrison, City Administrator Annette Brower, library Director Amber Sweetland and many more. The Friends of the Kimball Library are sponsor...
Banner County's Andie West participated in the Area 1 Range Judging Contest on Tuesday, when more than 150 FFA students from 14 different Panhandle schools visited Kimball County to participate in the event. Site 1, shown above, was at Oliver Reservoir. The students had to identify 24 range plants, provide information about them and determine if they were grasses, forbs or shrubs. Students scored three ecological sites, looking at what kind of conditions they were in and what soils they were...
The Kimball boys cross country team placed third at the Run at the Rocks-Bridgeport Invite after the Kimball Invite. The team was just 2 points out of first place. Following that nice showing, Kimball XC has a meet today (Thursday) at Ogallala, then next week at Gothenburg, and Oct. 12 at the D-6 district meet. In Bridgeport, Braxton Miller ran to seventh place, followed by Braylon Miller in 17th and freshman Trey Cook in 19th place. Eddie Duran captured 23rd and Conrad Kaminski was 26th. Other...
From Alaska to Nebraska, Pastor Ellery Steffensen of St. John's Lutheran Church is settling into life in Kimball. He was ordained and installed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor two months ago. Pastor Steffensen said, "It has been a joyous two months." Excited to finally do what he has been trained to do and what he always knew he wanted to do, Pastor Steffensen said, "So you spend all this time at seminary cramming lots of knowledge into your head. Are you going to be able to share that with...
Kimball's Titan II missile in Gotte Park is being removed. According to Annette Brower, city administrator, "The missile has deteriorated to the point that it is no longer considered being safe in a public environment." On Monday, military and city officials met to look at the missile in Gotte Park, and Brower explained, "The decision has been made to remove the missile from the public park. All parts of the missile will be returned to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, where they will...
Kimball City Council approved a $ 1,000 Keno request on Tuesday evening, Sept. 5, to help fund the Farmers Day celebration. Josh Enevoldsen, Farmers Day treasurer, said it usually requires about $10,000 to put on Farmers Day. The request stated that Farmers Day brings people into town, and the community is showcased by the activities. “We have a food fair, parade, hamburger feed, and other events throughout the day that other local organizations put on,” the request said. The council meeting continued with a lengthy discussion on past cha...
Thirty Panhandle veterans – one from World War II, four from the Korean War, and the rest from the Vietnam War – stopped in Kimball on their way to fly into Baltimore and then tour the monuments in Washington, D.C. This was the Lone Eagle Honor Flight. John Oliver, 90, was one of the Honor Flight veterans. John was accompanied by his daughter, Rene Keller. Not mincing words, John said about being picked for the trip to Washington, D.C., "Surprised the hell out of me." After serving in Korea in t...
Kimball Public Schools Superintendent Trevor Anderson presented the 2023-24 budget information on Monday at the budget hearing. According to the presentation, the valuations in Kimball County are up 9.3% from last year but the Kimball Public Schools property tax rate will decrease by 13%. The property tax rate last year was 0.951276, in 2022 the tax rate was 1.04, and for 2023-24 the proposed tax rate is .0900000. This is due in part to the increase in Kimball Public Schools state aid. State aid for Kimball will be $615,620 up from 2022 figure...
The Kimball Invitational Cross County meet had teams from across the region, including the Panhandle and Wyoming. The meet was held on a beautiful day, Friday, Sept. 8, at the Four Winds Golf Course. Shannen Acheson was the lone Kimball participant in the girls 5 K. She placed 21st with a time of 27:16.24 and scored 16 points. On the boys side, the team placed 5th with 39 points. Braxton Miller placed 9th, running the 5K course in 20:17.49 minutes. In hot pursuit was his brother Braylon Miller,...
Kimball County Highway Superintendent Randy Bymer met with the Kimball County Commissioners on Sept. 5 at their regular meeting to provide an update on the road department. Bymer said the department is out graveling and that the roads had received a sizable rain north of Bushnell. A discussion ensued about a complaint that the clerk’s office had received stemming from the gravel trucks on Road 37. Bymer explained that there is “not a whole lot we can do.” The complaint mentioned the volume of trucks, noise, speed and dusty roads. Pine Bluff...
Potter Days packed in a crowd on Saturday, and the day was full of events from dawn till dark. After the crowning of Miss Potter and Amanda Waggoner on Thursday, the Saturday events began with the Color Run. The parade theme was "Getting' The Band Back Together" and crowds filled the sidewalks for the event. Other notable events included a craft show, free inflatables for the kids, a co-ed sand volleyball tournament, and open bowling at the Duckpin Bowling Alley. Entertaining the crowd were...