Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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After a break in the action this past week, the Kimball Longhorns, Potter-Dix Coyotes and Banner County Wildcats are getting back at it. The Longhorns returned to track and field competition Tuesday this week in the Tri-State meet at Creek Valley High in Chappell. Field events were scheduled to start at 9 a.m. and running events at 11:30. Results will appear in next week's Observer. Also upcoming for Kimball track and field are the Bayard Invitational C-D Meet on Saturday, April 10, and the... Full story
As Banner County School's four-day school week moves through the final quarter of its second year, enrollment numbers appear to be adding up in its favor. Superintendent Evelyn Browne told the Observer that enrollment at the rural Harrisburg school increased 22 percent from 124 in the 2019-20 school year to 151 through the second week of March in the 2020-21 school year. "Our four-day week is very successful," she said. Option students account for much of Banner's enrollment. The February...
Here comes the Kimball spring sports season – a year after COVID-19 wiped out the track and golf seasons and two years since the last competitions. "After taking last year off, all schools will have a lot of work to do to make up for lost time so we will all be on an equal playing field," Longhorns activities director Ken Smith told the Observer. For Kimball, March 20 is go time. That's when the boys and girls track teams open their seasons at the Chadron State indoor meet. About 25 s... Full story
The Potter-Dix High School speech team is heading back to State. The Coyotes, five-time State champions since 2002, qualified for the D1 state competition at Kearney High School on March 19 after winning this year's District and Minuteman Activities Conference championships. Potter-Dix's speech pedigree is most impressive. Since the turn of the century, the team won D1 state titles in 2002 and 2012 and D2 titles in 2011, 2016 and 2019. For good measure, they were D1 runners-up in 1998, 2010 and...
Kimball Longhorns wrestlers will be tested in four meets the rest of January following a Garden County Invite in which James McGinnis placed third at 126, Connor Cluff third at 132 and Trey Schindler fourth at 145. Next up for the Horns is SPVA wrestling today, Jan. 14, at Hershey, the Chase County Tournament on Jan. 16, and trips to Hemingford on Jan. 22 and Mitchell Jan. 30. Their scheduled meet Jan. 23 at Chadron was canceled. “It has been a challenging season for us with COVID,” Kimball coach Bob Culek told the Observer. “We were able...
Local high school sports returned this week with some basketball games rescheduled in recent days due to virus safety precautions. On Monday, the Potter-Dix basketball teams travelled to Morrill, where the boys won, 57-53, and girls lost, 62-14. See next week’s Observer for the reports. And on Tuesday, the Kimball basketball teams visited South Platte. Results of those games also will appear in next week’s paper. Here are the latest updated schedules, as of Tuesday, for Kimball, Potter-Dix and Banner County winter teams over the next two wee...
When several inches of snow fell on the Kimball area overnight last Monday and Tuesday, city road crews were out and about clearing streets before many people woke up. In the photo, a plow clears snow near the corner of 2nd and Chestnut streets just before dawn....
Kimball County Commissioner Daria Anderson-Faden, right, receives thanks and gifts during her last meeting Dec. 15 from commissioners Rich Flores, next to Faden, and Larry Engstrom. Anderson-Faden, the first woman to serve as a county commissioner, is stepping down after more than five years on the board. She was presented with a plaque and coaster set featuring the county seal, among other gifts. Commissioner-elect Carl Stander will be sworn into office Jan. 7 and fill the seat that she held....
Nebraska School Activities Association executive director Jay Bellar on Monday, Dec. 14, announced that the NSAA has decided to remain until Jan. 4 in the Orange Phase of safety measures regarding the coronavirus although the state has shifted to the less restrictive Yellow Phase. Here is Bellar’s statement: “To continue to support our NSAA member schools and their efforts to keep kids in school and participating in NSAA activities, the NSAA has decided to stay with the Governor’s Orange Phase of the Directed Health Measure regarding fan atten...
Last year, back in the late summer of 2019, the Observer was in need of a sportswriter. Tom Southard, the face of Observer sports since 1964, wanted to finally retire. Or at least scale back his writing a good bit and stay out of the cold covering football. So the search was on. The search for someone to succeed Tom. Not replace Tom. Succeed him. Nobody replaces a legend. As it turned out, nobody succeeded him. The job remained open as football season was kicking off. So Tom did what he had... Full story
The young Kimball Longhorn wrestlers next compete Friday, Dec. 11, at North Platte St. Pats after showing improvement in their first two outings this year, coach Bob Culek told the Observer. Kimball opened the season Friday, Dec. 4, at Bayard and wrestled in the Mullen tournament the next day. In Bayard, Kimball had Aaron Gillming at 113 pounds, James McGinnis at 132, Connor Cluff at 145 and Trey Schindler at 152. “We wrestled OK for the first meet out this year,” Culek said. “We had some things to work on, but overall I thought we wrest...
Third- and fourth-grade Kimball boys are starting out strong in the Sidney Community Center League. They just had their first games this week and expect the season to go through January. Kimball beat Sidney Red, 14-2, and Haxtun, 22-7. Against Sidney Red, Lucas Tabor scored 6 points and four teammates had 2 points each: Mason Brown, Cooper Kasten, Kolt Hottell and Jacob Buento. In the Haxtun game, Cooper Kasten scored 6 points and Kolt Hottell 4, while each of these guys had 2: Mason Brown,...
Here we go. The winter sports season opens this week under a number of coronavirus safety precautions for Kimball, Potter-Dix and Banner County high schools. For the Kimball Longhorns, it's time for wrestling and a new basketball era with first-year coaches Jaclyn Burks leading the girls and Chad Miller the boys. In Potter-Dix, it's all about Coyotes boys and girls basketball. And in Banner, the Wildcats are competing in wrestling and JV basketball. Here are the multi-sports schedules, as of...
Potter-Dix High School's talented student actors have brought home yet another Minuteman Activities Conference championship for play production. Their devoted hours of daily practice paid off during the MAC competition Nov. 17 at Leyton High School with their commanding performance of playwright Don Zolidis' "A Christmas Scarol." Two of the three judges gave the Coyote thespians perfect scores and all three judges placed them first. Potter-Dix also shined in terms of individual performances.... Full story
Christmas in Kimball 2020 activities begin Thanksgiving week, kicking off the local holiday season. This year's theme is “Believe in the Magic of Christmas.” Like just about everything else this year, COVID left its mark on the planning. For one thing, Santa won't be taking part in these activities in the name of safety. “We've worked real hard to come up with ideas to keep our community safe and for people not to have close contact, and hopefully this will provide Kimball with some Christmas spirit,” Sharon Williams of the Santa's Helpers... Full story
The wooded lake grounds don't get splashed with this much color every fall. Maybe just one of every 10 falls, some say. What caused it? What caused the leaves this year to wrap Oliver Lake in a golden ring? The drought? The cold snap a few weeks ago? The heat that preceded and followed that cold snap? Whatever caused it, something good came of the weather this year. At Oliver Lake.... Full story
In an abundance of caution due to close contact with an infected individual, the Observer office will be closed to the public for a time to be determined. The Observer plans to continue publishing, but office doors will be closed and business mainly will be conducted by mail, email and phone at 308-235-3631. Subscribers, advertisers and readers can continue to email the Observer as usual and use the mail slot near the front entrance. Thank you for your understanding during this time of increased spread of the virus across the Panhandle. We... Full story
The process is in place to swiftly fill the sudden vacancy on the Kimball County Board of Commissioners. Just a few days after former Commissioner Vice Chairman Brandon Mossberg submitted his letter to resign Sept. 22 for “family reasons,” the timeline was set to find his replacement. Here’s the plan: • Letters of interest from potential candidates are due to County Clerk Cathy Sibal by 4 p.m. Oct. 16. • Public interviews of the candidates will take place beginning at 9 a.m. Oct. 21 in the commissioners meeting room. “We hope to make the ap...
The Sept. 24 grand opening of Kimball Transit Service's gleaming regional headquarters building in downtown Kimball drew quite a crowd of dozens of visitors and dignitaries for the ribbon cutting, above, and a day of festivities. KCTS administrator Christy Warner, at center in the white shirt, and county Commissioner Larry Engstrom, in the blue and white plaid shirt, were among those delighted that the facility, funded mainly with government grant money, was a reality. Engstrom credited Warner...
Millie Dee Brown, Sharleen Kaysig Graham and Graham Holz are the up-and-coming supermodels in the division for newborns to 11 months old in this year's Farmer's Day Baby Photo Contest. You can also find images of winners in the divisions for 12-23 months and 24-36 months in the Observer print edition. The print edition also offers much more on Kimball's grand annual Farmer's Day celebration, including the latest full updated schedule. A number of traditionally favorite events – such as the f...
Even in a year of coronavirus challenges, the Kimball Community Health Fair went on as planned last Friday and Saturday. “Everything went very smoothly,” said Kerry Ferguson, the hospital’s director of community relations. “We had 101 participate on Friday and 96 on Saturday, many of which made appointments beforehand. “That number is about two-thirds of normal, which is understandable considering the COVID-19 restrictions.” Normally a semiannual event in Kimball, the spring health fair was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. Conducted by Wyomin...
The Nebraska Press Association has honored Tom Southard, who started writing sports for the Western Nebraska Observer in 1964, with a career achievement award. The NPA welcomed Southard on June 25 into the prestigious Golden Pica Pole Club, which recognizes those who have devoted 50 years or more "of faithful service to the newspaper profession in Nebraska." The announcement was made during the Nebraska Press Association Virtual 2020 Better Newspaper Contest & Awards Presentation, which is on...
The Kimball area Red Knights were supposed to head to Deadwood, S.D., for the Red Knights International Western Rally, but due to the COVID-19 situation it was canceled. According to Mark Whetham, the guys and gals had "already gotten time off of work and had their cabins rented," so they decided to head north anyway. Their plan was to have a mini-rally as many other area Red Knights were headed to Deadwood despite the cancellation. Membership in the Red Knights International is open to...
Here is the nomination column I wrote for Tom Southard to be considered for induction into the Nebraska Journalism Hall of Fame's Class of 2020, which will be named later this year. During the process, I became aware of the Golden Pica Pole Club award, which Tom received last week, and nominated him for that as well. Congratulations, Tom! Even if I didn't know Tom Southard, I would consider him a "slam dunk" selection for enshrinement in the Nebraska Journalism Hall of Fame. But I am privileged... Full story
The coronavirus interruption behind it, construction work is back on and heading to mid-June completion at the new Kimball County Transit Service headquarters. Project architect Ryan Stearns said the pandemic break put the $1.16 million renovation project about a month behind schedule, but everything is again “moving forward.” That’s good news for downtown Kimball’s major facelift of 2020. The transit building at 3rd Street is one of the two bookends on the Chestnut Street business district’s east side undergoing an extreme makeover, the other...