Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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Teresa Gonzalez of Kimball is facing three felony charges – including domestic first degree assault, possession of a controlled substance, and terroristic threats – and two misdemeanor charges from an incident on July 8 at the First Interstate Inn. Gonzalez is being held in North Platte on $50,000 bond. On July 8, Gonzalez took her partner, who had a stab wound in his abdomen, to Kimball Health Services. Kimball County Sheriff Dave Hottell interviewed the victim July 13 at Regional West Medical Center, where he stated that “Teresa had stabb...
On Friday, the Kimball trap team traveled to Mason, Michigan, to shoot at Nationals. The five-member squad shot 419; each individual had two sessions with 50 shots each session. Justin Klosterman had a 74, Nolan Cook with an 81, Cameron McGinnis had a 85, Cainin Sours with a 90, and James McGinnis shot 89. According to Brittany Cook, the team encountered some trouble as Klosterman's gun broke at the beginning of the second session, but another team let him borrow one of their guns....
JaLeigh Bohac is one of the girls of summer – and spring and fall – as she played softball for the Scottsbluff traveling team, the Valley Aces. Their season begins in April and continues through summer and fall. While the Valley Aces summer season has ended and JaLeigh will age out after the fall season, she and some of her Valley Aces teammates have been invited to tryout for the Cheyenne 14 and under team. Her love for softball started in Kimball as she was coached by her dad and played thr...
A few days after the July 4 holiday in 2021, Hometown Hardware in Kimball opened its doors and celebrated June as a "super" financial month. They had made it through COVID and were looking forward to the summer months. "We were never going to get rich," Marilyn Patterson said. "You just hope you can pay your wages and pay your bills. We always paid our bills." The building at 212 S. Chestnut has been a centerpiece of the downtown area for generations, but the future of Hometown Hardware and the...
On Monday evening, the Kimball School Board accepted the resignation of FFA Advisor/Ag Instructor Sally Wheeler. Wheeler had been with the Kimball Schools for nine years and accepted a position with the Pine Bluffs High School. Emily Sowards will replace her. Britni Toth took the oath of office as the newest Kimball School Board member. Board member Ken Smith was elected to the office of treasurer. Superintendent Trevor Anderson updated the board about ongoing projects, including repairs and...
In a few weeks, County Road 59 South, otherwise known as the Dix road, will receive two coats of chip seal. At the present time, the tubes or culverts have been installed, and there are about 3½ miles left to patch before the chip seal project begins. The badly needed repairs will help improve the life of the blacktop and hopefully repair potholes. Randy Bymer, road superintendent, said the packer price is set to increase for the chip seal project. In other news discussed at Tuesday’s Kimball County Commissioners meeting, Bymer said the Ro... Full story
Kimball Mary Lynch third grader Able Kuhns, 9, has been playing pool for more than half his life, and his experience is showing. The left-hander began playing when he could just sit on the table and hold the shaft of the cue, but more recently Able has entered the competitive ranks. With tons of tournaments already under his cue, Able is off to play in the VNEA Junior National Championships in Sioux City, Neb., and will compete against 45 pool players in the youth division. The tournament is Jul... Full story
The 14th annual Vince's golf tournament at the Four Winds course ran into some weather on Saturday, and six holes had to be played on Sunday along with the regular 18 holes. Topping the leaderboard for the player A division was won by Erik Eddinton, with second place going to Pete Anderson. Joel and Jay Staehr captured the one and two spots in the B player division. Jack Buddecke won the C division and second went to Brent Bauer. Pat O'Brien and Adam Leavenworth took one and two in the D...
Speculation on the location of the Northrup Grumman Work-Force-Hub site continues in the Kimball community. Northrup Grumman has yet to release the location, but representative Matt Dillow detailed a timeline at a June 28 community meeting in Kimball and gave an update on the Sentinel missile project. The Hub, much like a man camp, is expected to be operational in 2025. The Hub will be preceded by a preliminary camp known as the “Pioneer Camp.” Those at the Pioneer Camp will construct the Hub. Dillow gave a generalized timeline and thought the...
A large crowd gathered in Kimball Monday morning to see a piece of history and a showpiece of the Union Pacific, the Big Boy No. 4014. The steam locomotive was returning to its home base in Cheyenne after a trip to the College World Series. The Big Boy No. 4014 was built in 1941 and restored in 2013 to travel to special events. Onlookers included young and old, first-time viewers, Kimball residents, and train enthusiasts from across the nation. One young man carried around a miniature model Big...
The Bushnell and Oliver Lake areas were hit especially hard by the severe storm Monday night that pounded the Kimball area. A visitor to Oliver from New Mexico described her experience. Still shaken from the experience the previous night, the visitor, who identified herself as Kaitlynn, said, "It was scary." Road-tripping from New Mexico to Idaho, they stopped at Oliver just minutes before the hail began. She recalled saying, "That looks like a pretty bad thunderstorm. Hopefully, it goes the oth... Full story
Over three days –Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of last week – the Kimball City Council annexed and rezoned 150 acres of land contiguous to the City of Kimball to the south. The council conducted all three readings of the ordinance within the week. On Tuesday evening, the council met for its regular meeting. The first item on the agenda was a public hearing on Ordinance No. 821, the annexation. With no comment from anyone, the council approved the first reading of the ordinance. The planning commission previously approved the annexation. Add...
The Kimball County Commissioners split the vote on the final agenda item on June 20's Kimball County Commissioners meeting, which was to discuss and consider any action to enter into a lease for additional garage parking space for KCTS transit vehicles. Commissioners Elyse Lukassen and Carl Stander approved the contract, while Commissioner Flores voted no and refused to pen his name on the lease agreement as chairman of the board. The commissioners, in the 2-1 vote, approved a five-year lease...
Kimball veteran Gary Barker's name was read at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., along with 565 other individuals who died as a result of their injuries during the Vietnam War. It was an emotional few days as Barb Barker and her family traveled to Washington. Nearly 50 years after Gary Barker's death, Barb submitted all the documentation to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and received word that he met the qualifications to be honored. Seventeen other Nebraska names were read... Full story
Kimball Police Chief Jose Ruiz asks the public in the area of Marian Street to contact police if they have a ring camera, other surveillance equipment or information about a stolen vehicle. A 2019 Honda CRV was stolen from the 700 block of Marian Street on June 18 at about 11 p.m. Ruiz said police need public help to find the individual responsible for this crime. Other vehicles were broken into and burglarized on the same evening. In another matter, on June 19, the Kimball Police Department...
At its regular board meeting, the Kimball School Board selected former board member Chauncey Pederson’s replacement on June 12. The new member, Britni Toth, will complete the 17 months remaining of Pederson’s term. Toth was selected from four potential candidates who applied for the spot. The Toth family moved to Kimball a little over a year ago. They have three children, two at Mary Lynch and one in the Jr/Sr High School. Toth said the reason she applied for the position was because “I wanted to volunteer for the opportunity to assist in suppo...
Improvements and upgrades to the Kimball County Courthouse continue as the county commissioners’ previous approval for the purchase and installation of the chiller and boiler are currently happening. Last summer, the chiller quit and the boiler had reached the end of life for such equipment. The commissioners voted on Tuesday, June 20, at their regular meeting to move the ADA handicap-accessible ramp from the north entrance of the courthouse to the east entrance. Estimates have been provided for the move. In addition to the ramp, new parking s...
Another perfect Father's Day for the Greenwoods as they rack up another win. Jordan, Kenny, and Jeffrey Greenwood shot 59 on Saturday and 58 on Sunday for a total gross of 117 to win flight 1 of the Father's Day golf tournament. In second place, the Texas Browns shot 61 and 62 for a total of 123, followed by Greg Robinson and sons Tony and Michael with 124. Mark Daum and sons Jake and Colton were in the money with a fourth-place finish, shooting a 125. Thirty-six three-person teams kept the...
Kimball qualified 20 individuals for National Trap on July 7 and 8 in Mason, Michigan. But with the national popularity of the sport only one team and five individuals from Kimball were able to get registered. The following individuals will participate at Nationals: Nolan Cook, Cameron McGinnis, Justin Klosterman and Cainin Sours. The Kimball National team is composed of the four individuals and James McGinnis. According to Brittany Cook the national slots are filled by season average of 15+ to... Full story
The Observer received the unofficial Kimball special election results from Kimball County Clerk Cathy Sibal at about 7:40 p.m. Tuesday. Sibal said all the measures on the June 13 ballot were defeated. The voter turnout was a disappointing 18.12%. Results will not be official until the canvassing board meets to verify the results. At this time, Sibal did not believe there was a need for a recount. Both propositions 1 and 2 reflected the possible continuation of the existing half-cent sales tax... Full story
The Kimball County Assessor’s office has been busy answering questions and explaining the changes in property valuations to local residents. On June 1, letters went out to property owners showing the changes in valuation. Most residential properties increased in value, while a few were reduced. By statute, every six years, all property in the county must be re-evaluated and reviewed. Therefore, the increase in valuation is partially a result of going from the 2016 cost tables to the 2022 cost tables. Another factor that influenced the property...
After just one event on Saturday, the Kimball Ranch Rodeo was canceled due to the continual downpour of rain. About a half dozen bronc riders enjoyed the dry conditions to start the 14th annual ranch rodeo. Local cowboy Lane Wasielewski got a turn before a home crowd to ride a bronc. After grabbing the reins, Wasielewski rode the wild bronc for about three jumps, and then he had a flying dismount. But he jumped up and grabbed his hat to the cheers of his rooting section. Eight teams were able... Full story
The Yard of the Week went to 314 Walnut St., the home of Nicole Gifford and James Fraser. The family has owned the house for two years and began improvements soon after they purchased the property. With a sprinkler system there but no lawn, they dug up the entire yard and replanted grass, fixed the sprinkler system, replaced sidewalks, removed stumps and removed overgrowth. They built a backyard pool deck and are ready to enjoy their improvements over the summer. From left are James Fraser,...
Perjury charges were filed on June 7 against Kenneth D. Childs in another legal case involving the Dix resident. The Kimball County Sheriff’s Office handled the case. The charges stem from Sept. 30, 2022, and Feb. 20, 2023, when Childs completed and signed a financial affidavit and application attesting to income, cash, savings, stocks, and bonds. His wife, Lyla J. Childs, also faces perjury charges. According to the court documents from Sept. 30, 2022, “Kenneth recorded $0 in cash, savings, stocks and bonds. Based on the information obt...
New Kimball Police Chief Jose Ruiz has a wealth of knowledge not only from his years of experience with the Cheyenne Police Department but also from growing up on the south side of Denver in Adams County. Growing up, Ruiz said their family was impoverished, and the culture he was raised in centered on violence, gangs and drugs. Ruiz said his mother tried to keep "us away from as much as she could," but in the end Ruiz said he decided himself that he "didn't want to have the life that his brother...