Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 175
It has been almost a month since Keith Prunty took over as mayor of Kimball. For some in the community, Prunty is no stranger, and for others it will be a name to become familiar with. The latter is something Prunty encourages. "I came to Kimball in '96 and I married in '98. I live here now with my wife and granddaughter. I used to work out at Clean Harbors, but now I work for Western Sugar and I have for the past eight years," Prunty said. Prunty served on the Kimball Board of Public Works, and...
The Kimball County Commissioners asked Sheriff Harry Gillway about the use of vehicles during the Dec. 16 meeting. Commissioner Tim Nolting expressed concern for a subject that had been brought to his attention several times recently regarding the use of sheriff’s office vehicles. “I have had a few people call me telling me that the sheriff’s vehicles were at Cabela’s and that they were unmarked. They want to know why that was the case,” Nolting said. Gillway was invited into the commissioners meeting to explain the issue to the commissioners....
The student center at the high school was packed, Christmas decor was everywhere and the murmur of excited children about to go on their winter break filled the room at the annual Holiday Festival Dinner held at the Kimball Junior/Senior High School on Friday. Roughly 300 students, teachers, administrators and guests were present to partake in the holiday meal prepared by the school's cooks. "It's generally either ham or turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, and dressing," Principal Eugene "Mo"...
Kimball is a town that really enjoys doing things well in the Christmas cheer arena. The hard work begins with the Kimball Banner County Chamber of Commerce, which promotes shopping locally plus other contests to keep up the Christmas spirit. There is also the "Parade of Lights" committee that puts many hours to kick off the season each year. Then there is the efforts of all the businesses around town that try to boost that Christmas cheer. Each year, many businesses all over Kimball decorate...
One man's trash is another man's treasure. However, sometimes that trash is still just trash and that means someone has to take care of it. Kimball is fortunate to have a landfill a mile away from the city. The perks of having its own landfill mean that Kimball does not have to pay to send trash to a neighboring community with a landfill, such as Sidney or Scottsbluff, said City Administrator Daniel Ortiz. "As a small community, we are very fortunate to have a landfill. It does away with trash...
Children bundled in coats were ushered into the fire hall before the sun had a chance to rise last Saturday morning. The children and their parents were greeted by warm smiles and a hot breakfast that would serve as their fuel for their morning of shopping. These children participated in the annual Shop with a Cop program. The idea of Shop with a Cop is to help children and families in need during the Christmas season. On the day of the shopping adventure, the children's parents take them to...
One of the newest members of City Council is Christy Warner. She was elected to the position in November. Warner was born and raised in Kimball and her family owns OFP Services. She did leave when she was 18 and travelled a lot while being "married to the military." She has lived in places such as Washington and Hawaii. Warner said her time in large cities has led her to appreciate small town nuances that others might take for granted. Warner has three children - one in college, one in high...
The Kimball Board of Education meeting Monday touched on the use of funding for the benefit of the district. The district was audited by Rauner & Associates. Julie Peetz, of Rauner & Associates, presented that the district had a deficit of $166,153. She also noted that last year the deficit was over $200,000. “What the numbers show is that you have been conscious of your finances and had a good year, despite the deficit. It’s a much better year than the year prior, and while there is certainly still room for improvement, you are most def...
Upon entering Points West Bank in Kimball, one will see a display of small silver gift boxes topped with bows. These boxes are a part of the Manor Tree program the bank is hosting. During the holidays many are looking for ways to help and assist others. Some do this by donating time or money, others donate presents. The Manor Tree program is one that helps get gifts for the senior residents of the Kimball County Manor. Stacy Lonsdale, employee at Points West Bank and the bank's coordinator for...
The Dec. 2 Kimball City Council meeting brought in a new mayor and council members while other said their farewells. The meeting was called to order by then-Mayor James Schnell. Schnell presented an award to City Councilwoman Ann Warner in appreciation for her eight years on the council. Warner did not run for re-election in the November election. "It has been a privilege and an honor to serve this community, it has been a wonderful experience," Warner said. Warner spent eight years on the...
Kimball County Commissioner Larry Brower was honored at the Dec. 2 meeting. Brower was awarded a plaque for his 20 years of service. Kimball County Highway Superintendent Dave Hottell asked the commissioners if they had heard any complaints about the roads. “I feel like we’ve been handling things all right and I just want to make sure we aren’t overlooking something because we just don’t know about it,” Hottell said. While the commissioners had heard no complaints, Commissioner Larry Engstrom mentioned the need to look at County Road 50. “We’l...
The Kimball board of public works discussed various upkeep projects during its Nov. 25 meeting. One topic of discussion was the growth of trees in the city. Many trees in the city are growing at a rapid rate. While they are beautiful, these trees can become quite a nuisance to power lines. The solution to caring for these trees in a responsible and safe manner is to contract with an arborist, said City Administrator Daniel Ortiz. “Our guys just don’t have the time to trim the trees in a way tha...
The month of December is a festive time of year, and the Kimball-Banner Chamber of Commerce and its members have some contests planned to keep everyone on their toes this holiday season. The chamber has a couple fun and creative ideas for getting people to browse local chamber businesses. The ‘Hidden Gingerbread Man’ is a returning contest, in which anyone can participate. Participating chamber members will have a sign in their window notifying the public that they are participants in the Hidden Gingerbread Man Contest. Within the par...
With so many in the spirit of giving during the Christmas season, it Is no wonder that children along with adults want to get in on the giving action. Thanks to the Bushnell Calvary United Methodist Women and the Kimball Trinity United Methodist Women, Kimball will have a 'Quarter Store' once again this holiday season. In the past, the Quarter Store has found a home in the building across the street from FirsTier Bank. However, this year, the store has found a new home. It is now in the old...
The Kimball sports seasons tends to be flooded with the excitement that surrounds football, basketball and volleyball, just to name a few sports. However, in the hustle and bustle of the "Longhorn Pride," it is sometimes easy to overlook those who put forth the effort to make sure there is cheering in the stands - the cheerleaders. The Kimball High School cheerleaders are responsible for keeping up the crowd's spirits and encouraging that ever motivating cheering for the Longhorns. The...
The Kimball County Commissioners heard from Kimball Health Services about its affiliation agreements at a lengthy meeting held Nov. 18. Ken Hunter, CEO of Kimball Health Services, along with Jim Cederburg, Chairman of the Kimball County Hospital Board of Trustees, were present to discuss the Kimball Health Services affiliations. “As a critical access hospital, we are required to have a referral relationship with a tertiary, larger hospital. We had that with Cheyenne Regional and we want to work to switch that to Regional West out of Scottsbluff...
The Kimball city council received an update on the event center roof at its Nov. 18 meeting. After the meeting was called to order the current business included Keno grant applications from both the chamber of commerce as well as Shop with a Cop. Chamber director Jennifer Provance was present to request funds for the Kimball Banner County Chamber of Commerce. “The funding we are requesting will go toward promoting the holiday season in Kimball. So the parade of lights, prizes for different contests and promotions, ads in the paper, that kind o...
Photographs that represent the community is what Panhandle Coop wanted for its photo contest held over the spring and summer. That is what they got. Anyone in the area was welcome to enter so long as their photos met the entry specifications. There were categories for professionals and amateurs. The winners of the contest would be honored by having their picture hung in their local Coop Marketplace. In Kimball, three members of the Highpoint Shutterbugs Group won that special honor. Kim...
The lords and ladies of Kimball were encouraged to attend this year's America Recycles event at Mary Lynch Elementary held last Friday. The elementary school eco club, which has played a big role in recycling this past year, was rewarded by an educational celebration. Staff members from the Kimball Recycling Center collected large boxes, from appliances such as dishwashers and refrigerators, in order to create a large cardboard castle. On display at the event were the up-cycled sculptures that...
Gambling can be a fun recreational pasttime and proves to benefit the community in different ways. However, due to the nature of gambling, the risk and the possibility of reward, some people become addicted. Three percent of Nebraskans have a gambling problem. Three percent may not seem like a large figure, but the actual number represented by that percentage is 56,070. With that many people being affected adversely by gambling, Nebraska has set aside money from the gambling dollars produced in order to provide help to those who need it....
There was a low rumble of chatter in the High School auditorium Tuesday - the kind of rumble that can be associated with many of Kimball’s community events. This event was different in that students gathered in their best attire to put on a program to honor the veterans of the community. Young and old gathered together in reverence as the honor guard performed the presentation of colors. This followed with With the entire auditorium on its feet, Christianne Kerr performed a stunning rendition o...
Veterans pepper careers of all kinds throughout the country. One career in particular where a lot of veterans can be found in the law enforcement field. The Kimball Police Department has three officers who are veterans. They are Captain Andy Bremer, School Resource Officer Ryan Smith and Officer Noah Thomas. Smith served in the Navy as a personnel officer. “I usually say I was a glorified pencil pusher,” Smith said. Smith recounts that traveling the world gave him a different point of view on life and how to be appreciative of what he had. Smi...
The Kimball City Council discussed ongoing projects at its Nov. 4 meeting. Mayor James Schnell introduced the first topic for discussion, which was the landfill’s permit renewal. City Administrator Daniel Ortiz talked about the recent inspection and the scope of work proposal prepared and submitted by Golder Associates. “This first inspection went well. We were supposed to have two inspectors but we ended up with five and they went around looking at everything, and so far everything has been fine,” said Ortiz said. Golder Associates provi...
Daria Anderson-Faden and Larry Engstrom won election to the Kimball County Commission, and Keith Prunty will be the new mayor of the City of Kimball after Tuesday's midterm election. The proposed tax levy for the Plains Historical Society passed, while the proposed tax levy for the Kimball County Agricultural Society did not pass. Results of all races are unofficial until votes are officially canvassed on Thursday. In the race to become Kimball's mayor, Prunty defeated City Councilman John...
A month ago the Kimball High School civics class received $6,000 in KENO funds to bring motivational speaker and best selling author Sam Glenn to Kimball. On Oct. 30 in the high school auditorium, everyone was able to see what all the fuss was about. Glenn spoke three times in Kimball on that day. He spoke once for the junior high students, once for the high school students and for the community that evening. The high school auditorium was about three-fourths full for his evening presentation....