Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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It did not take students long to learn design skills and more at last week's Maker Space Camp at the Kimball Public Library. Students learned design work and more at the camp, and their designs were printed out on the library's new 3D printer. "I think it went pretty well," said Jamie Carpenter, cataloging and technical services librarian and camp director. "I wasn't prepared for how quickly they would move through everything. Overall, they did a great job designing and using TinkerCad, and...
The Kimball County Commissioners voted to send a warning to the county’s veterans service committee at Tuesday’s regularly scheduled commissioners meeting. The commissioners unanimously voted to have board attorney Audrey Elliott draft a letter to the committee about violations of the open meetings act and warn them not to meet Thursday under the posted agenda. A copy of the letter to the veterans service committee was not available by Tuesday night’s deadline. If the veterans service committee meets at 2 p.m. Thursday, July 23, under the p...
The Kimball County Veterans Service Committee looked at budgetary concerns and talked about recent issues with the county commissioners at a special-called meeting last Thursday afternoon. The meeting was also attended by county commissioner Daria Anderson-Faden, county clerk Cathy Sibal and county budget officer Josi Morgan. Shaun Evertson, veterans service officer, started the meeting with a history of the hiring process for part-time help, which began in February, to July 9 when he was called into an emergency meeting of the county...
The Kimball County Ambulance Service had its busiest month in a long time, the Kimball County Commissioners were told at Tuesday’s meeting. “We had a very, very, very active June,” said Carla Goranson, county ambulance director. “I’d have to go back into the records quite a ways to see if we’ve done this many calls in a month before.” The county ambulance service had 59 calls that month. The number of calls is defined as the number of people helped, not the number of times the ambulance went out. “For a part-time service, that’s a lot,...
The Kimball County Commissioners called an emergency meeting last Thursday after receiving notice of an inflammatory-worded meeting notice put out by the Kimball County Veterans Service Officer Shaun Evertson. The original notice sent by Evertson called for an “emergency” meeting of the county’s veteran service committee to be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 16. The notice said the meeting was to “discuss and take action regarding the ongoing disruptive and damaging activities of the Kimball County Clerk and the Kimball County Board of Comm...
What connects a Russian Orthodox priest, a police department in Wisconsin and an organic farmer? The answer - Paul Fallon. Fallon, a 60-year old Massachusetts resident, has been riding across the country on his bicycle for just over two months as part of a year-long journey. What makes his trip different than the standard cross-country cycling trip, however, is the time he spends talking to a wide range of individuals in order to learn about the country and its future. Fallon blogs about his tri...
The Kimball County Commissioners declined to join the Western Nebraska Economic Development Group and looked at a potential plan for ending smoking on county property at the July 7 meeting. After a brief discussion, the commissioners voted unanimously to not join the WNEDG at this time. Commissioner Tim Nolting said he spoke with several individuals about the effort, and there were many concerns with the group. “Their opinion was that it was a duplication of effort, no real clear direction of what they’re going to do for all these other ind...
Smiles and laughter dotted the faces throughout Harry McNees Auditorium Saturday night - the only appropriate place for the program of the Kimball High School All-Class Reunion. More than 560 KHS graduates were in town for the weekend to attend the reunion, which was first held in 1994. Events included individual class get-togethers, cruise night, a 5K, a golf tournament, fireworks and a picnic and concert in the park. The crowning event, though, was Saturday's musical affair in the auditorium n...
After spring floods devastated a nursing home in Deshler, employees at the Kimball County Manor turned to a 'penny war' as a fun way to help out. May floods caused the evacuation of residents from the nursing home in the small town southeast of Grand Island, with a population of about 800. Although they have returned, there is much work to do. Patty Watson, human resources official at the manor, said the floods caused about $250,000 worth of damage to the nursing home. Bev Schnell, manor...
The Kimball County Veterans Service Office is busy with three new initiatives. The first is the Stuff-A-Shirt program, which is designed to give the homeless and transients a clean shirt and other hygiene items. Sheana Hendrickson, KCVSO administrative assistant, said the program was first discussed a few weeks ago when Chad Werner of SW-WRAP (Southwestern Wyoming Recovery Access Programs) was in town helping with veterans issues, However, it was when Hendrickson was researching how to implement the program that it became a reality. “We had a...
The issue of homeless veterans may not appear to be a problem throughout rural parts of the country, but Chad Werner said it is a bigger problem than it appears to be. Werner, resource specialist for Southwest Wyoming Recovery Access Programs (SW-WRAP), is one of three members who started the Panhandle Veterans Resource Network earlier this year to help area veterans with a variety of issues. The network includes a variety of organizations and groups that offer many services to veterans. “Before in the panhandle, there wasn’t much out the...
The Kimball County Commissioners tabled a request to purchase a new ambulance and did not act on a proposal to join a new economic development group for the time being at last week’s regularly scheduled meeting. After an hour-long explanation of upcoming regulation changes from Jody Staehr of FireFox Rescue Equipment of York, the commissioners received information on the potential purchase of an ambulance from two companies. At the previous meeting, the commissioners voted to waive the normal bidding regulations if an ambulance could be f...
Main Street Market in Kimball has undergone many changes recently. The store has installed new freezers and undergone a change in management. The store's new walk-in freezers were installed in a week and ready to go by last Friday. The freezers cost about $100,000. "We started that (last) Monday, tearing (the old ones) out," said Jack Goldrick, co-assistant manager. "By Wednesday, they were all completely in. It took us about till Friday to get them all filled up. It's quite the process." Susan...
As the summer warms up, Kent Matsutani hopes to be able to replace the toilet paper more often in the Oliver Reservoir restrooms. Matsutani, who recently retired from the National Resources Conservation Service, spends four days a week at the site as summer help employed by the South Platte Natural Resources District. During his first 50 days on the job, he has done everything from cleaning, mowing and more to make the park a more useful and friendly place to those who use it. "I enjoy this,"...
The Kimball County Commissioners spent a lengthy amount of time discussing the best way to purchase an ambulance in a timely fashion at Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting. After a discussion on the topic lasting almost an hour, the commissioners voted 2-0 to suspend normal purchasing procedures in order to buy an ambulance. Commissioners Larry Engstrom and Daria Anderson-Faden voted for the measure. Commissioner Tim Nolting left prior to the vote to attend an out of town meeting. Under state law, commissioners are allowed to suspend n...
The Kimball County commissioners agreed to purchase new communication equipment for the sheriff’s office at the May 19 regularly scheduled meeting. The new logger, at a cost of $14,590, will replace one which is seven years old and is malfunctioning. The logger records phone calls for the county’s 911 system. “I feel it’s time that we do this. It will coincide with everything else that we’re doing right now,” Sheriff Harry Gillway said. The logger currently in place records the information on DVDs. Both of the DVD drives currently need repair...
Rowdy Keller spent more time preparing Saturday's co-valedictorian speech than any in high school, he said. The roughly two-minute speech at the Kimball High School graduation ceremony bookended a 13-year journey in front of classmates, friends, family, school officials and others Saturday morning. "It has been a fast four years with my classmates," Keller said of his time at KHS. "It seems like just yesterday we were creating havoc in freshman PE. Through those many things, we learned many...
"This place will always be home," said Dalton Jordan, valedictorian for the Banner County High School class of 2015. Jordan was one of three speakers at Saturday's commencement that said farewell to the class of 2015. The ceremony opened with a photo slideshow with music before the 13 members of the class walked into the gym and onto the stage. After an invocation from class member Christina Grubbs, school superintendent Lana Sides took the audience on a trip down memory lane. "It seems like...
Kimball High School will be represented by a trio of co-valedictorians for the graduating Class of 2015. Colton Stull, Jessica Hanks and Rowdy Keller were named the top students of the graduating class. Commencement ceremonies will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, in the KHS Gym. Stull and Keller have attended school in Kimball their entire lives, while Hanks moved to town in the fifth grade. Stull, the son of Stephen and Vicki Stull, said his favorite high school memory comes from the su...
Dalton Jordan has a unique approach to school. His favorite period of the day is lunch. The Banner County senior was named valedictorian for the Class of 2015, while Michael McKown III was named salutatorian. The two headline the 13-member class whose graduation ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday at the BCHS Gym. Jordan, who was raised by Hope Wurdeman and Gregg Wurdeman, plans to attend the University of Nebraska-Omaha after graduation to study electronic engineering. He has been a studen...
Kimball County taxpayers have paid a hefty price in the second Vencil Ash murder trial. The weeklong trial in late January and early February has cost the county more than $78,000 as of claims paid in late April. Ash was found guilty in the 2003 murder of Ryan Guitron. He was sentenced to life in prison in late March. Claims provided by the county clerk’s office show that the cost of the trial this fiscal year alone has more than doubled its budgeted amount. The county budgeted $30,000 for the trial this fiscal year, which began July 1, 2...
Scott Brandt first saw the Oliver Reservoir 32 years ago, and he believes the changes being made to how the lake is run will hopefully restore its former glory. “I came to Kimball 32 years ago…32 years ago was the most vibrant I’ve seen this lake,” he said. “I was amazed. The whole community was involved, young folks to everybody. Everybody took pride in it and it was something everybody got involved in.” Brandt, a Nebraska game and parks officer, sees the South Platte Natural Resources District taking over the management of the lake as a s...
The Kimball County commissioners approved an intersection change at Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting. After a public hearing in which no members of the public spoke, commissioners voted unanimously to remove the curve at the intersection of County Road 44 and County Road 37 north of Kimball. County Highway Superintendent Dave Hottell said the intersection was dangerous due to its shape. In addition to the regular intersection of the two roads, there is a curve on the northeast side that also connects them. Hottell said Tim Baxter of N...
The Friends of the Kimball Library's first-ever mystery murder dinner theater was a smashing success. The two-night fundraiser netted more than $1,350 to go to the library's carpet fund, said Kimball Public Library Director Jan Sears. "I think it went very well. We were very pleased with the turnout and the support," Sears said. The play in the two-night performance was the "Sour Grapes of Wrath." The murder mystery was set on the Killingsworth Farm winery in California. It was owned by...
The Kimball County Commissioners approved the hiring of additional help for the veterans service office at Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting. The commissioners agreed to hire a part-time administrative assistant for the veterans service office for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends in June. Veterans Service Officer Shaun Evertson has already advertised for the position and interviewed candidates. He hopes to make a hire by the end of the week and hopes the person can begin work next week. The probationary position would be for 2...