Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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Two Kimball citizens have launched a petition drive to recall Mayor Keith Prunty. In November 2014, Prunty was elected mayor. He was re-elected in 2018. The recall process requires strict adherence to the Nebraska state statutes 32-1303 through 32-1309. Kimball County Clerk Cathy Sibal confirmed that Ashley Sisk and Mary M. Laughlin filed the recall petition filing forms on April 2. Laughlin, daughter of city council member Kim Baliman, wrote on the petition that this was the reason for the recall: “Not having the community’s best interest in...
Kimball Health Services presented its proposal Tuesday for a new hospital to the Kimball County Commissioners. The primary portion of the funding ($23 million) for the new hospital would come from a 40 year fixed interest USDA loan. The USDA requires a letter of support from the governing body, which is the Kimball County Commissioners. The commissioners' boardroom was crowded with six presenters from Kimball Health Services explaining different facets of the project. The facility would not be...
Friendly and entertaining, Kimball resident Bev Wilson laughs and chuckles when she tells stories about her 60 years of attending the state bowling tournament. On March 29, Bev Wilson, 88 was presented an award that less than five women bowlers in the state have achieved. Bev has attended and participated in 60 state bowling tournaments. In 1960, Bev went to the state bowling tournament in Scottsbluff, then in 1961 and 1962 tournaments in Grand Island and Omaha, but a snowstorm prevented her...
The recent cold and snowy weather took a toll on the handicapped-accessible dock at Oliver Lake west of Kimball. Galen Wittrock from the South Platte Natural Resource District said, "Ice shoved the dock east, support cables broke, and the dock and the approaches jack-knifed." Although overall damage is "not too severe," the dock and all the pieces have been placed on the shore with the help of volunteers and neighbors, such as Alan Adamson. There will be no fishing off the dock until repairs...
The new owner of the former Shopko building, Jeff Lepp, confirmed to the Observer this week that he purchased the property. Lepp owns and operates Specialty Sports & Supply in Colorado Springs, Colo., and also owns Chadron Ace Hardware and Annex. Lepp's Colorado store is advertised as the "largest gun store in Colorado" and "is the premier retailer of knives, firearms, ammunition, and accessories on the Colorado front range." The Chadron location also has a wide selection of guns for sale. Lepp...
Operating in a 70-year-old building and facing rising patient numbers, Kimball Health Services is looking to build a new hospital. Hospital officials say the new facility would enhance patient care, comfort and privacy, replace the current facility that's at the end of its useful life, and expand services to meet current demand and future needs. The increase in services and patient numbers as reported by Kimball Health Services: • Hospital discharges up 24%. • Rural health clinic visits up 10%...
Panhandle Public Health District reported no new COVID-19 cases in Kimball County for the past week, and the county is in the yellow or moderate risk category. All of the Panhandle counties are in the yellow or green category. One year ago, on March 29, the first case of COVID-19 appeared in the Panhandle; that case was in Scotts Bluff County. Almost 32% of Panhandle adults have received their vaccination, and COVID doses regularly arrive in the area. This week 2,700 doses, plus the required second doses, will arrive. Anyone over the age of 18...
Mayor Keith Prunty, Kimball City Council and the Board of Public Works conducted one interview last week for city administrator position. The candidate, John Walz, a mechanical engineer from Hastings, was interviewed. Since Dan Dean retired in May of last year, the post has been vacant. Mayor Keith Prunty told the Observer on Monday afternoon that due to “lack of support from the city council, the individual that was interviewed would not be pursued....
Potter-Dix Public Schools are not rushing a decision on whether to switch to a four-day school week or stick with the traditional five-day week. When the Observer contacted Potter-Dix Schools Superintendent Adam Patrick via email, he responded with this statement on March 25: "A decision to slow the time frame on approaching the four day school week has been made. “Providing a high-quality education for all students is the number one priority of the district. We want to ensure whatever decision is made aligns with that goal, and we do not w...
After being canceled last year due to COVID-19, the popular Easter Egg Hunt in Kimball is back and will occur on Saturday, April 3 at 11 a.m. The event will be at Gotte Park, and the New Hope Youth group has taken over the event from Bob and Dawn Hinton. Since the beginning of March, Katharine Roberts, Pastor Roberts' wife, and about 10 youth group members have been working on the Easter Egg Hunt. According to Katharine Roberts, "The eggs are stuffed, all the prizes are ready, and we have a bunny." With the help of church members, they plan to...
Editor's note: Kimball Health Services has completed a feasibility study for a new hospital. But this article is about the early days of old Kimball County Hospital as reported in the Western Nebraska Observer from August to November 1950. On Aug. 21, 1950, the "modern, new" Kimball County Hospital opened for business with beds and furnishing borrowed from St. Mary's Hospital in Scottsbluff, according to the Aug. 24 edition of the Western Nebraska Observer. Almost immediately, patients began...
Rick Craig has a soft spot in his heart for Harrisburg and Banner County. Craig was raised in Harrisburg and would have graduated from BCHS in 1994 if he hadn't moved his senior year to the eastern part of the state, but Banner County still holds a special spot, and he knows many of the area people. "I love that town," he said. Now living in Seward, Craig and his partners, Bob and Dez Viger, are owners and operators of Lite Em Up Custom Burning, Inc., which they started in 2012 with just one...
The area snowstorm postponed the regular school board meeting for Potter-Dix Schools from Monday until Friday, March 19. The agenda was full with regular items, but under new business/discussion items, the matter of a four-day school week created the most discussion of any item. The school board conducted a work retreat session and the four-day school week came up in that session. At the meeting, Superintendent Adam Patrick relayed information that he had collected from some schools that adopted the four-day school week: Wynot, Randolph, and...
Kimball County recorded one new COVID-19 case this past week. This statistic is part of a wider trend as the pandemic’s grip on the region appears to be easing. All Panhandle counties were in the single digits for new COVID-19 cases except for Scotts Bluff County, which reported 40 new cases. In vaccine news, 28% of Panhandle adults have been vaccinated. “People will likely be surprised how quickly they are being scheduled to get their COVID vaccine now. Communities are moving to persons aged 30 and older if they are not already at that poi...
Kimball Volunteer Fire Chief Andrew Bohac addressed the City Council on March 16 in regard to a mutual aid agreement. According to Bohac, this agreement encompasses everything from Big Springs to the Wyoming line. Mutual aid has always been done, but according to Bohac, now they are just "putting it on paper." One phrase sums up the agreement: "We pledge our assistance to each other in the use of fire apparatus, firefighters, medical or rescue emergency or natural disaster – whatever may be i...
Locally, Mark and Bryce Halstead from the EH Ranch, LLC approached Karen Hewitt of Karen's Kitchen in Kimball to promote "Meat on the Menu Day." They said that they wanted to purchase the first 20 prime ribs on Saturday at her restaurant to "support the beef industry and her business." Karen said the customers appreciated it, and it "went great." She said that she cooked four prime ribs and only had four end pieces left. Karen did mention that another beef employer purchased 40 meals for their...
The National Weather Service in Cheyenne reported that Kimball received totals of between 18-20 inches of snow on Saturday and Sunday. Cheyenne received 30.8 inches of snow during the same period, which, when melted, proved to be 3 inches of moisture in the Cheyenne area. Region 21 Emergency Management Director Ron Leal said his concerns during the storm were Deuel and Kimball counties. He reported that vehicles went around the barricades at Big Springs and were stranded, causing some problems....
The recent snowstorm caused absences and postponements on the agenda for the Kimball County Commissioners Tuesday meeting. Chairman Larry Engstrom was unable to attend, leaving Vice Chairman Carl Stander to run the meeting. Agenda items not considered at this meeting will appear next month. Ken Hunter, CEO, and Cassie Gasseling, CFO, Kimball Health Services and Jim Cederburg, chairman of the Kimball County Hospital Board of Trustees, were to give an update on Kimball Health Services, provide...
One year ago this week, the toilet paper aisle at Dollar General in Kimball was stripped empty, area schools closed for two weeks only to eventually switch to online classes for the remainder of the year. School activities were canceled, the school food service director Danessa Terrill began preparing and delivering breakfast and lunches to students. The Kimball County Manor began a mandatory lockdown period with no physical visitation. Kimball Health Services restricted patients to using the main door with all other entrances locked, and some...
The heavy snow made it difficult for downtown businesses to get their sidewalks scooped, but Beer and Loathing had extra help from Kaylie Neveah, Aubrie Grace and Alaska Wayne Entingh. In the background, Thersa Lockwood shovels Shear Images' sidewalks. On Tuesday morning, city employee Mark Nelson finished the job here and on sidewalks throughout downtown....
The unsung heroes of small-town America are the volunteers who sit on boards, committees, and commissions; they help run the town and make it a great place to live, work and play. Unbeknownst to many residents of Kimball are many volunteers that give their time to run these boards. One such volunteer board is the five-member Airport Authority Board which meets on the third Monday of every month. Ryan McElroy is the chairman, and he has served four years of his six-year term. Unlike most boards,...
According to Panhandle Public Health District, five new cases of COVID-19 were reported since March 1 in Kimball County. The PPHD’s risk dial remains in the yellow or moderate category for the Panhandle. However, Kimball, Scottsbluff, Box Butte and Sheridan counties are in the high-risk level category. Last week, Kimball County had no new cases of the virus and other countries also experienced a drop in numbers; PPHD Director Kim Engel said, “How quickly things can change.” As of Monday, 21.3% of Panhandle adults have received the COVID...
Students from across the Panhandle attended the District 12 FFA contest in Kimball on Wednesday. Over 180 students from 20 different schools participated in various competitions, including Meat Judging, Livestock Judging, Biotechnology, Nursery/Landscaping, AgriScience, and Agronomy. First-year teacher Kortni Burnett brought 15 students from Bridgeport. She would have had an additional 20 students, but the Bridgeport basketball team made it to State and those other 20 students went to Lincoln...
On Friday, March 12, and Monday, March 15, the City of Kimball will have its regular power source, Western Area Power Administration, shut off for updates. Still, the City’s power plant will operate its generators to power the city, although the power may not be consistent throughout the day. The city has requested that businesses and residents prepare for possible disruptions, fluctuations and outages. The city is urging people to protect sensitive equipment by unplugging it. The Kimball County Transit building at Chestnut and Highway 30 w...
The Kimball Volunteer Fire Department was called out to a grassfire just off the south lanes of Highway 71 on Monday afternoon. They contained the flames quickly despite the warn, dry conditions over several days prior....