Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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Coming off a year that saw one of the worst droughts in the past thirty years, farmers received news late last month that relief does not seem to be on the horizon. According to the latest seasonal assessment from the National Weather Service, “drought persistence is likely across California and the northern intermountain West due to a dry summer climatology.” While the western part of the state has seen scarce improvments in the dry conditions, many eastern portions of Nebraska have imp...
A Kimball man was stabbed at Lake Minatare shortly before 10 p.m. on the night of July 3. Michael Kudebeh, 38, of Kimball sustained a knife wound to the chest, which was non-life threatening. According to Kudebeh, a 17-year combat veteran of the United State Navy, a white Honda Prelude pulled up near him at Lake Minatare while his wife was at the store picking up some supplies for the holiday weekend, when two men got out of the vehicle. Both occupants of the vehicle were male, one Hispanic passenger and one African American, who was in his... Full story
Don’t expect the storied underpass in Kimball to be renovated any time soon. According to officials from the City of Kimball, the project, which has been an ongoing debate for over a decade, is caught up in regulations that come with the designation of funds from the federal government. “As I understand it, funds came mostly from the feds,” said Daniel Ortiz, Kimball City Administrator. “When you’re dealing with federal funds, there’s all sorts of hoops we have to jump through to get them to... Full story
Last week, President Obama delivered one of his first major policy speeches in some time, focusing on climate change when much of Nebraska is anticipating a final decision on the Keystone XL pipeline. “This is more than a war on coal and energy, it’s a war on family budgets and American jobs,” Nebraska U.S. Senator Mike Johanns said. “By imposing costly regulations, the President is in effect raising electricity costs for every home, small business and manufacturing company in America, who all...
For the second time in their life together, Peggy and Loran Kramer have won the lottery. The first time came back in 2000, when the couple won $100,000 on a ticket they purchased at the co-op store. Last week, a ticket from Vince’s Corner made them millionaires. “Peggy usually goes down on Sunday and buys for the whole week,” said Loran. “It’s part of our routine.” June 13 was just another day for the Kramer family, until Peggy heard Loran from the other room after she read off the numbers fro... Full story
Another incident involving natural gas pipelines operated and owned by TallGrass Energy took place earlier this month, leading to several homes being evacuated near the Nebraska – Wyoming border, and the closure of Highway 26 for an hour. “The evacuations were precautionary,” said Kevin Philbrick, the TallGrass Energy Operations Manager for the Rocky Mountain Region. “There was no immediate danger.” The rupture took place near Henry, NE, on the evening of June 6, and led to the need of relight operations for 64 SourceGas, LLC, customers...
As Nate McDonald and his brother Brennan headed out last weekend to get photographs of the intense storm system that passed through the area, they had no idea what they were about to experience. “This was probably one of the stronger storms I’ve ever shot photos in,” said McDonald. “I’ve never seen one change directions like this before.” The duo headed out of Kimball towards the W Ranch, and believed they were a safe distance from the worst of the storm, when suddenly the situation changed. “A...
Fifty-nine years ago, Miss Marie Goodhand opened the doors of the Goodhand Theatre for the first time. The style and luxury offered by the structure were matched by none in the area, drawing the ire and admiration of people throughout Kimball. “More seats could have been put in the theatre, but the rows were spaced 36 inches apart, three more inches than usual, so the patrons would have plenty of room,” read an article in the February 25, 1954 edition of the Observer. “The large lobby is taste... Full story
Three rattlesnake dens have been reported in the city limits of Kimball in the past two weeks, according to local authorities. Two of the dens were located on Howard Street and the third in the 700 block of Berg Street. A bull snake was also killed on Vista Drive, and afterwards, a baby rattlesnake was found inside the larger snake, indicating the presence of young rattlesnakes in the area, possibly the aforementioned locations on Howard Street and Berg Street. “There are a lot of snakes in the... Full story
A June 7 report by the Associated Press and Lincoln Star-Journal pointed to an Australian oil company, Black Star, reportedly finding oil in Banner County. According to a news release from the company, the find in Banner County could account for between 4.3 million and 23.3 million barrels of oil between the two wells. “This is a fairly large area, that comes down into the northern part of Kimball County,” said Bill Sydow, director of the Nebraska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. “It... Full story
Kimball County Commissioner Timothy M. Nolting was a victim of computer hacking early last Friday, with his personal email account breached by an unknown individual who then began to implement a solicitation scheme that sought financial assistance from many listed on his contact list. “I’m just trying to recover right now,” said Nolting when asked about the events of Friday morning. According to Kimball County Sheriff Harry Gillway, he was made aware of the situation around 6 a.m. Friday morning by local resident Dawn Fossand, who also attempte... Full story
Editor’s Note: This is the final segment of a three-part series on the Wheat Growers Hotel, located in Kimball, NE. There will be coverage of any new developments concerning the property. “The Wheat Growers has enjoyed good times, survived bad times, adapted with changing times, and projects a link from the past to the future.” The Wheat Growers Hotel, fondly nicknamed the “Grand Ole’ Lady”, closed its doors for the final time to the public in 1983. Since that time, many dreamers have come t... Full story
In a crucial step for the continued economic development of Kimball and the western Nebraska region, as a whole, the High Point Welcome Center for Western Nebraska is set to open no later than July 4. “This building was chosen because of its location and our demographic,” said Caskey. “The majority of our visitors come from the Front Range, which means they’re coming west to east.” Caskey went on to say that with the building located to the right of the eastbound highway lanes, studies show that drivers are much more likely to pull off and s...
With the sun fading in the western Nebraska sky, people from the area packed into the stands at the Kimball Fairgrounds to take in the sights, sounds and tastes of the Fifth Annual Kimball Ranch Rodeo. Eight rodeo teams from several states competed in five events Saturday night: saddle bronc riding, trailering, team-tying, branding and doctoring and wild cow milking - all vying for an array of prizes ranging from cash to an impressive set of belt buckles. For the fans present, the event lived up... Full story
The bright lights of New York City may be thousands of miles away, but this weekend, anyone who attended “A Salute to Broadway” would have never known. Entering the room, there were hardly seats to be found - in fact, I stood at the back of the room for most of the performance, in order to make room for the countless young volunteers, who although were not on stage, played an integral role - serving dinners, getting drinks and accomodating guests. The ornate ceiling flowed across the room bef... Full story
Editor’s Note: This is the second segment of a three-part series on the Wheat Growers Hotel, located in Kimball, NE. The final segment will run in early June. “After more than 40 years, are the memories put to rest--or will they continue with me?” - Betty Bouck, Western Nebraska Observer, Thursday, March 1, 1979. After the fall of Frank Cunningham’s empire and the initial closing of the Wheat Growers Hotel, the building stood vacant, much the same as it does now. The only difference being that t... Full story
Surrounded by her family, local resident Jeanette Rabender watched news coverage of a severe tornado that ravaged suburbs of Oklahoma City, with countless thoughts and emotions flooding into her mind. “It went right over my oldest son’s area,” said Rabender. “When I saw the devastation on the tv, I immediately panicked. Being with my parents, I tried to constrain myself, to try and not scare them.” Her son, Rick Kitchens, his wife Jennifer and their three sons - Gabriel, Elijah and Noah - all li... Full story
U.S. Senator Deb Fischer will be meeting with the Kimball Banner County Chamber of Commerce next Tuesday at the Plains Historical Society Downtown Museum from 1:30 to 2:00 p.m. “This doesn’t happen very often, said Jeanette Rabender, Executive Director of the Kimball-Banner County Chamber of Commerce. “I’m hoping the community realizes that it’s a great thing that she’s coming here to listen to us.” According to an email sent out by the Chamber of Commerce, Senator Fischer will be updating local residents and officials on her time in the S...
Before storm clouds with thunder and lightning gathered in Nebraska last weekend, the best of the best in Nebraska high school track and field put on a show in Omaha, as they all vied for the top honors in the state. The three local schools - Potter-Dix, Kimball and Banner County - all competed. Kimball, as a member of the Class-C classification, and Potter-Dix and Banner County as Class-D teams. For Kimball, Caleb Reuter placed tenth in the first section of the 800 meter run, before placing... Full story
Dozens of Kimball residents, including high school students, Kimball High School leadership, fire department members, U.S. veterans and current members of the Civil Air Patrol were all in attendance at a flag disposal ceremony last Saturday at Kimball Cemetery. With four barrels lined in front of where members of the American Legion stood, the ceremony began, with Bud Klaassen leading the event by welcoming everyone to the ceremony. The look on his face made it plain to see that he was excited...
According to several reports, the United States Justice Department secretly obtained two months’ worth of telephone records of Associated Press (AP) reporters, as well as an editor, in what AP chief executive officer Gary Pruitt called a “massive and unprecedented intrustion” into the inner workings of a news-gathering organization. “There can be no possible justification for such an overbroad collection of the telephone communications of the Associated Press and its reporters. These records potentially reveal communications with confide...
With the various local meets in the rearview mirror, track and field athletes from across Nebraska have a new goal in sight: the State Competition. In the 4x100 meter relay, Shelby Vogel, Madison Biesecker, Brooke Hager and Kelly Green finished second by 0.3 seconds to Bayard, but qualified for state, nonetheless. Biesecker also qualified for state in the 300 meter hurdles for Kimball. Caleb Reuter of Kimball qualified for state in the 800 meter dash and Ali Hunsaker made the cut for the 400... Full story
“This new hotel is a great addition to Kimball, and it is safe to say that Kimball people appreciate it. The furniture, carpets and in fact the hotel as a whole, is equal to those of the large cities.” – The Western Nebraska Observer, Thursday, January 9, 1919. The brick-covered Wheat Growers Hotel has long since been vacated, and is devout of any of its former glory that was detailed over 90 years ago. This iconic building was a marvel to the public when it first opened in early 1919 under... Full story
Last weekend’s WTC Conference Track and Field meet at Bayard didn’t go according to plan for the Kimball Longhorns, as they finished fifth overall, as well as in both the male and female team scores. However, 13 teams or individuals place in the top three of their respective events, which kept the Longhorns in competition throughout the day. The varsity women’s 4x800 meter relay team placed third with a time of 12:12.70, coming in behind Gordon-Rushville and Bridgeport. The four girls who make...
At least 100 detainees at Guantanamo Bay are now participating in a three-month old hunger strike, and President Obama has recently reiterated his disapproval of the facility while blaming Congress for the lack of action by his administration. “I think it is critical for us to understand that Guantanamo is not necessary to keep America safe,” said Obama at a White House press conference last week. “It is expensive. It is inefficient. It hurts us in terms of our international standing. It lessens...