Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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In an unprecedented election in Banner County, write-in candidates determined the outcome of the election. Both incumbent Banner County commissioners lost their bid for re-election to write-in candidates Robin Darnall and Laif Anderson. Anderson had 254 votes and Darnall had 221, while Commissioners Sandberg and Post had 113 and 108, respectively. All totals are unofficial until the canvassing board meets. County Assessor Bernice Huffman lost to Kacy Krakow, 80-292. County Clerk Lisa Cross lost her position to Katie West, 138-230. Recently...
Temporary construction easements, new permanent easements for utility corridors, and fee acquisitions for towers sites were the topics of discussion when Lt. Col. Eric Green from the U.S. Air Force was before the Kimball County Commissioners at their regular meeting on Nov. 15. In January, landowners should be aware that the Army Corps of Engineers will begin negotiations, appraisals and surveying for the missile project. Currently, the Air Force has a 16½ feet easement for utility lines, but they may need up to 100 feet for temporary...
The ballots have been counted, the election results are in and the local races – in Kimball County – have been decided.But until Nov. 16 when the county canvassing board meets, all results are unofficial. In the City of Kimball mayoral race, John Morrison, with 480 outpaced city Councilwoman Christy Warner with 312, to lead the city for the next four years. With only one individual on the ballot for two positions on the Kimball City Council, Creg Pike was elected to a four-year term with 612...
The Nov. 1 Kimball City Council meeting opened with a postponement of a public hearing and a postponement of a vote on Ordinance No. 807 – for the proposed annexation of the Warner/Substation Property south of Horseshoe Hill area. The ordinance is expected to be voted on at the Nov. 15 meeting. The council switched to current business, which included a discussion of Ordinance No. 811 regarding the discharge of firearms. City Attorney Matt Turman told the council that the changes would clean up language and make the ordinance more up to date. C...
Retired Col. Tony Baker is this year's keynote speaker for the 21st annual Kimball Jr/Sr. High School Civics Class Veterans Day program. In 2000, Baker completed a deployment to the Bosnia and Kosovo NATO mission. In 2001, he deployed to Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia Theater of operations helping train the Ethiopian Army. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 2001. In 2004 he deployed to Iraq, where he helped develop the targeting systems needed to catch bomb makers. In late 2004,...
The feral cat problem was once again on the Kimball City Council agenda. Tiffany LaBeau, the founder of Kimball's Trap Neuter Release, said the City of Kimball approved her fund request to help 30 feral cats. The council approved $2,500 of Keno Funds for this program. From Nov. 12-14, volunteers from Northern Colorado Friends of Ferals will trap 30 cats and have them spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and treated for fleas, wounds and infections. These adult cats will be returned to Kimball with a...
At 1 p.m. Friday, the Kimball Dispatch Center went from using paper and pencil to recording calls into the 21st Century using a web-based computer program. With Kimball County now into the 21st Century, only four other agencies in Nebraska – including Banner and Sioux – are operating with paper and pencil and written reports. So what used to be recorded in notebooks and on paper will now be logged on the computer with an easy retrieval. According to Nick Conley, product manager for EFORCE, the...
The Kimball County Commissioners approved and signed a letter of support Tuesday for the Kimball Housing Hub for the GBSD (Ground Based Strategic Deterrent) Deployment and Minuteman III Decommissioning project. The prepared letter stated: “As Northrop Grumman works with the U.S. Air Force to prepare for and implement this project, the City of Kimball within Kimball County is uniquely poised to provide the ideal location for a housing hub.” The letter continued, “The City of Kimball has experience with the challenges such a hub create, and i...
Here's a look back at the Fall 2022 seasons to build on for the Longhorns football, volleyball and cross country teams. Lady Longhorn volleyball coach Jeri Ferguson said if she could change anything about the season, it would be the record, 4-22. She feels they did everything right, including volleyball time over the summer, worked hard all season, and had great senior leadership. She continued to explain that there were so many sets and games right where they could have gone either way....
The Kimball City Council heard the first and only reading of Ordinance No. 809 – Barking Dogs and Chasing Dogs – at the Oct. 18 meeting. The ordinance states that an individual will be fined no greater than $250 for the first offense of a loud and howling dog that disturbs the peace, but the second offense in a year is more expensive and the third offense may cost up to $1,000. The ordinance includes any person harboring a dog who molests, attacks or snaps at people. The previous dog ordinance was dated 1992 and was antiquated. According to...
The Banner County Museum's 1922 Case steam engine tractor is 100 years old this year and remains operational. The Case 65 H.P. steam engine tractor in Harrisburg is one of only a few in the area that actually runs and is certified. The steam engine tractors must be certified because they have a boiler. Legacy of the Plains Museum has a steam engine, but it is no longer certified. Another is located in Crawford, but the man who worked on it has died, and another steam engine tractor is located...
By the Spring of 2023, the Legion Hall in Dix will be restored and available for public events, according to Joe Bayura, Jr., who purchased the building in June 2022. After the purchase, Bayura and his crew immediately got to work on the building. The first thing that was done was to re-paint the American flag on the south side of the building. In addition, they have hauled loads of trash out of the building and put over 600 lbs. of mortar on the inside, both on the sides of the building and in...
Sealed bids were opened at the Oct. 18 Kimball County Commissioners meeting to purchase two 14-passenger vans for the Kimball County Transit Service. None of the submissions met all the specifications due in part to the requirement of excluding diesel engines. All bids were rejected. The bidding process will start over again with new specifications. The intent of acquiring two vans is to make the Denver International Airport trips that will bring in enough income to subsidize regular rides and keep fares low. Multiple bids for vans were...
On Nov. 25, the Presbyterian Church in Kimball will officially be dismissed, and on Dec. 4, church members will celebrate their new name and church. Although still a Presbyterian church, it will be changing its denomination from PCUSA, Presbyterian Church of USA, to ECOP, Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians. It will be known as Cornerstone Community Church. According to Pastor Alan Foutz, "The congregation has really, over the years, tried to stay very conservative theologically. As...
Fire Prevention Week 2022 marked the 100th anniversary of the week, which began in 1922. Each year from Oct. 9 to 15, Fire Prevention Week is observed to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, which started on Oct. 8, 1871. Kimball Volunteer Fire Department visited and shared safety messages and materials with pre-schoolers and elementary students. The children were educated on the fire trucks, ways to prevent fire and "stop, drop, and roll." KVFD concluded its day with a Fire Hall Open House on...
The Kimball Lady Longhorns are heading toward subdistricts with a 3-20 overall record and a district record of 0-4 as of Tuesday afternoon. On Tuesday, the ladies played Perkins County. On Thursday (today), Kimball will play Minatare/Hemingford at 4 p.m. Then subdistrict competition will begin on Monday, Oct. 24. Team leaders for the season were Charlotte Hargreaves with 17 blocks, 34 ace serves for Jayden Paxton and 3.7 digs per set for Hannah Kilgore. The Horns fell in SPVA conference play to Sutherland 2-0 and to St. Pat’s 2...
In retirement, former Kimball County Commissioner Tim Nolting decided he wanted to build caskets, which is not the typical retirement activity, but if you know Tim, building caskets fits him. For many years Nolting spearheaded the Plains Historical Museum and authored books about the Western way of life. His experience building caskets has an emotional background, as he made both of his parent’s caskets. He built a casket for his mom about eight years ago, then he and his brother built an old-st...
State, county and city candidates were represented at the 2022 Political Forum on Saturday at Kimball High School.. The evening began with Alliance's Larry Bolinger as the first speaker at the forum sponsored by the KHS Class of 2023. Bolinger from the Legal Marijuana NOW party will face off against Republican Mike Hilgers on Nov. 8 for attorney general. Hilgers was not present at the forum. In an uncontested general election race for Public Service Commissioner District 5, Kevin Stocker explain...
In a well-organized and business-like presentation, a group of juniors and seniors presented the possibility of having a school-sponsored extra-curricular activity known as an e-Sports team. E-Sports continues to grow in Nebraska. There are 71 schools in Nebraska, including regionally, Bridgeport, Banner County, Hemingford and Leyton. The proposal and presentation fell under Principal Danielle Reader's report. According to the students, the benefits of the program include greater student...
Clean Harbors' senior vice president of facility engineering, Paul Whiting, addressed the vendor partners, Clean Harbors employees, city and county officials, and citizens monitoring committee members at the Oct. 7 Milestone Recognition Event of the setting of the first steel columns for the second incinerator at the Kimball facility. The second incinerator is projected to be a $180 million investment expected to be completed by 2025 and create more than 100 permanent jobs for the area. The rota...
After numerous challenges, including COVID, Brian Howard from the Kimball VFW is excited to get the bricks on the Veterans Memorial Wall in Gotte Park. By the end of this week, the 169 bricks purchased are expected to be laid by Bob and Larry Ash. Howard said, "It is finally coming together. We wanted to be patient and do it right." Howard said the VFW will be selling bricks for the project again soon and expect to have them next spring. They will be added to the wall....
On October 4, the Kimball City Council returned to the two-meeting-per-month format. In the first action of the evening, the Board of Public Works recommended approval of the Water and Sewer Study. According to city administrator Annette Brower, “This would be a full study of the water and sewer collection systems.” Brower continued, “They will basically tag manholes, everything. And build a working model for the city.” The Water and Sewer study was passed. The council approved the hiring of a secondary counsel from the Omaha area to assist...
Blake Wagner from the Kimball Wastewater Treatment plant truly believes the saying, "Water is not yours to waste. We only borrow it from our children and grandchildren." In the treatment method used at the Kimball facility, future generations will be able to use the water that goes through the facility. While raw sewage goes into the plant, after a 20-day treatment clean water is returned to Lodgepole Creek. The current wastewater treatment plant was built in 1979 and activated in 1981. It is...
The Kimball County Board of Commissioners met for its first October meeting on Tuesday Oct. 4. Natasha McFaul from the High Point Welcome Center of Western Nebraska topped the agenda items. After a report on the center, McFaul was appointed interim county Tourism Director. McFaul said that the center still averages 30 visitors a day, with weekends being a few less. New hours for the center will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Paint classes continue at the center, and the souvenir and gift shops are still open....
As the fall sports season draws to a close, the Longhorn cross country runners participated in two meets in less than a week – Thursday at Gothenburg followed by the WTC meet on Monday. Kimball junior high girls received second place in the Western Trails Conference championship meet in Hemingford. WTC highlights include Emmaline Tabor’s 10th place finish and Trey Cook’s 8th place. Other highlights include Braxton Miller’s 8th place finish at WTC. In Gothenburg, Shannen Acheson placed 62nd with a time of 31:24. Leading the pack of Kimball...