Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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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...
The Kimball County Fairgrounds was a destination spot last weekend for families and youth on the progress show circuit. People from all over the Panhandle, Colorado and Wyoming converged on Kimball for the 21st annual Father's Days Progress Show. A small but mighty group of Kimball FFA Alumni run the show, which has grown to become a major stop on the traveling youth progress shows. The FFA Alumni have the details down and the show runs like clockwork. Amber Wilke said they strive to make it...
Banner County's Wyatt Reichenberg is the two-time Nebraska High School Rodeo Steer Wrestling Champion. Wyatt competed at the state finals June 10-12 in Burwell. The Harrisburg cowboy had a total of 132 points. State finals was two rounds and a short go. Wyatt had a time of 6.07 in Round 1, but broke the barrier in the second round with a 14.03. In the short go, Wyatt won the round with a 4.42. All the points from the top 15 rodeos of the season and the state points earned him his championship....
The Men's Thursday Night Golf League had a great turnout, great scores, and beautiful weather at the annual Father's Day golf tournament. League president Randy Bohac announced prizes and winners. Kenny, Jordan and Jeff Greenwood won the championship division with a 113. The Greenwoods are not new to winning the tournament. According to their calculations, they have won seven of the last 10. Both Greenwood boys played high school golf in Kimball and went on to play in college, Jordan resides in...
In 1966 and 1967, Australian foreign exchange student Ewan Vickery called Kimball his home, and it appears that after almost 60 years Kimball is still very much home to Ewan. "The people were lovely, and the town was just a fantastic place," he recalled. "I was a novelty in the town." Ewan made quite an impression on Kimball and vice versa. During his visit last week, he estimated that this was his 12th or 13th return trip to Kimball to see friends and attend many class reunions. On Friday,...
A construction bid from Anderson-Shaw Construction totaling $473,569 for two sewer extension projects on Nadine Street (a duplex) and 7th Street (Clean Harbors apartments) was denied by the City Council due to concerns about the cost at the June 4 Kimball City Council meeting. Olson Engineering, the city’s engineering firm, recommended that the council deny the bid for the sewer extensions. It was decided that the City of Kimball could handle the project internally at a much lower cost. Estimates of the costs for doing it internally were e...
Kimball’s first-year agricultural education teacher’s resignation letter was accepted at the June 10 Kimball School Board meeting. After accepting Emily Sowards’s resignation, the following action item was the approval of Monica Jenson’s contract as the agricultural education teacher for the 2024-25 school year. Jenson, formerly Monica Wasielewski, is a Kimball Public Schools graduate. With finances always a concern, it was noted that they saw an increase in receipts from the courthouse, SPED money and state aid that helped the June budget...
After visiting St. Joseph Catholic Church in Kimball on Wednesday this week, the National Eucharistic Procession planned to travel through Nebraska. On Thursday, June 13, the procession will stop in Sidney at St. Patrick’s Church for Mass at 10 a.m. From Sidney, they will stop in Colton, then Ogallala, and move on to North Platte. As part of the procession’s western route, the pilgrimage stopped at St. Joseph’s Church in Kimball from 6-7 p.m. June 12 for a procession followed by a potluck supper. The journey began on May 17 and will end July...
The second annual Red/White Classic Golf Tournament on Saturday June 8 raised more than $40,000 for the Kimball Longhorns athletic programs. Of the 25 teams, first place went to Kimball Auto Parts with a 51 total score, Team Tolstedt came in 2nd with a 55. Third place went to Kimball Insurance with a 56. A variety of games add to the fun at the Classic. The games include closest to the basketball, closest to track shoes, hit ball off the water bottle, wearing football helmet, and Kyler Lusche...
The imminent resignation of long-time Kimball County Attorney Dave Wilson surprised many June 4 at the regular county commissioners meeting. His resignation will become effective July 31. Wilson has served as Kimball County attorney for 37½ years – and according to one of his sons’ calculations, Wilson has served as county attorney for 27% of the time that the county has existed. Wilson said he would like to slow down and move closer to family, and “that it had been an honor to serve.” He said has met a lot of great people. He advised the commi...
From Germany to Argentina and then north to Alaska. Two German college students, Antonia Staacke and Laura Moller, have shown remarkable resilience on their journey from Germany to Argentina and then north to Alaska. They embarked on their bicycle trek in Patagonia, traveling through South America and Central America, and now they are biking through North America. This journey that has spanned almost eight months since October 2023. Antonia Staacke, 27, and Laura Moller, 28, have demonstrated...
Pulling up the rear of the parade on Banner County Historical Day last Saturday is the hit of the parade, Banner County's famous Lawnmower Ladies. Linda Barret started the group more than 10 years ago to add a little spice to the parade. The group is open to anyone and everyone with a riding lawnmower and a Hawaiian shirt....
The weather cooperated for a great Saturday evening for the 15th annual Kimball Ranch Rodeo. The rodeo, which returned after being rained out last year, started with wild bronc riding. Sixteen riders tried their hand at staying atop the broncos with 10 individuals staying on until the buzzer. Ty Fenster won the contest with an 86, followed by Wes Aragon in second with an 82 and Beau Lake in third with a 79. Eight ranch rodeo teams competed in four timed events, from trailer loading to wild cow...
The Kimball Board of Commissioners conducted three executive/closed-door sessions at the May 22 meeting on Wednesday afternoon. The first session required the commissioners to deal with an employee/personnel matter. The second and third executive sessions centered around the strategy and terms regarding the sale of real estate involving the former Kimball County Hospital and the strategy and disposition of real estate involving the Kimball County Annex building. When the commissioners emerged fr...
The Kimball County Board of Commissioners met May 22 with appointed heads of department Randy Bymer, highway superintendent; Matthew Meyers Veterans Service officer; Monica Todorov, interim building and grounds superintendent; and Christy Warner, administrator of KCTS; along with elected official Sheriff Dave Hottell. Bymer explained that while he was on vacation, an unfortunate incident occurred at the county shop. An inexperienced individual was servicing the 2018 CAT 120M long block when due to miscommunication he put all the oil into the tr...
The spring morning Monday was perfect for the local Memorial Day ceremony. John Beatty, vice commander of the Kimball VFW, opened the ceremony and Randy Bohac provided the opening and closing prayers honoring veterans. Two Kimball High School graduates, Emma Patterson and Jasmine Gawith, honored the veterans with the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner and playing of Taps. Marine Corporal Noah Thomas of Cheyenne was the speaker. Accompanied by his wife and two children, he referenced the bond...
At the Kimball City Council meeting on Wednesday, May 15, the City of Kimball announced a settlement with Hometown Hardware, Inc., regarding an incident involving a waterline break that occurred July 12, 2021. As a result of the incident, Hometown Hardware claimed property damage. The city’s insurance company settled in the amount of $210,000 through mediation. State law requires notice to the general public of any municipal settlement. No council action was required. In a variety of action items for the council, the new playground equipment or...