Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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The City of Kimball has parted ways with Economic Development Director Larissa Binod. Binod, who has worked as Economic Development Director for the City of Kimball since November 1, 2011, was terminated from her position on February 13. “I went in to the office to have a discussion to formalize the agreement to move forward with the rail spur process. In the discussion and conversation, the hand writing was on the wall, and by the time I left that office, I no longer had a job,” Binod said. According to Binod, her termination stems from a diff...
The Board of Education has started the process of finding a replacement for departing Superintendent of Kimball Public Schools Troy Unzicker. The board held a meeting in the DL room of Kimball Junior-Senior High School Friday, February 15, in order to decide upon a search firm to do the leg work in lining up candidates for the position during which time they were given a presentation by Don Hague and Jeff West of McPherson and Jacobson, LLC. Hague and West emphasized the benefits of hiring a local firm for the job. “We’re right here. We...
The wind turbine that was placed at the Kimball High School is now up and running. According to teacher Alan Held, since the turbine was officially turned on February 6 at 7:00 a.m., it has produced a modest amount of electricity for the school, more specifically Held’s shop which is located right beside the turbine. “It’s produced 122.1 kilowatt hours. This building alone uses about 8,000 kilowatt hours a month. It’s not going to power the entire building, but all the electricity will be used in this building,” Held said. Though the electrici...
A public hearing was held at the Board of County Commissioners meeting the morning of February 19, to decide whether or not to approve the Conditional Use Permit Application from High West Energy to add a communication tower within the HWE substation located on County Road 54 in Kimball County. The primary concern of the board was whether or not the communication tower met the regulations in place for a conditional use permit. “One of the stipulations in a conditional use permit for communication towers is that the height of a communication t...
Nebraska’s open records statutes are designed to tread the treacherous ground between the public’s right to know and a governmental entity’s need for privacy in certain circumstances. It is a narrow and tricky path, indeed. The state prevents city officials from releasing the reason Kimball’s economic development director was sacked last week. Indeed, they cannot even confirm that City Administrator Daniel Ortiz dismissed Larissa Binod from the post she held for just over a year. This seems a bit strict. We understand the need to keep probati...
Last week produced so much fodder I hardly know which direction to look for inspiration. There was the moment when cowardly politicians opted for a spot of vacation rather than confronting sequestration head on—a topic especially worthwhile, since the damaging automatic cuts that make up sequestration were intended to force a cowardly congress into action. North Korea apparently tested a nuclear warhead, a fascinating prospect for a nation as yet incapable of mastering electric light, internal combustion engines or the simple act of feeding i...
I have often heard warnings in my time about the obvious dangers of the world. Don’t walk alone at night in a strange neighborhood. Don’t play with fire. Don’t give out personal information on the internet. If a stranger offers you candy, don’t get in the van. Some warnings I have ignored (the candy was worth it by the way), but there is one danger that often gets overlooked: complacency. Too often I hear people say the words “good enough.” Some of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever seen made by friends, acquaintances and even myself have all star...
Traffic: TR13-93 Trevor Brown, Kimball NE. Barking dog-1st offense TR13-94 Brian Evertson, Kimball, NE. Speeding TR13-95 Stevi Broussard, Kimball, NE. Violate stop sign, No operator’s license Criminal: CR13-11 Shannon N. Moore, No proof of insurance CR13-12 Randy Hall, No registration, no proof of insurance CR13-13 Travis Wendt, No registration, no insurance CR13-14 Jessica Scheenen, No registration CR13-15 Viginia Diaz-Coxwell, Sell alcohol to minor CR13-16 Jacob P. Klein, Terroristic Threats CR13-17 Billy M. Clark, No CMV-HOS log CR13-18 M...
With Valentine’s Day behind us and a few days off from school it sure has been nice to just enjoy being home. We (I) have under taken a re-modeling project that I am getting really tired of and will be glad to have completed. Hopefully that will happen this week! The blizzard type weather we had last Sunday closed all of our local Churches, and although we hated that, it was necessary and better to be safe. On top of all of that we have had a lot of flu in the community, some with severe symptoms, and the swine flu has also been diagnosed a f...
The village meeting was pretty short again this month, but some helpful reminders were mentioned. The landfill fee is increasing by two dollars a month, to $13. The postal service meeting to gather input on preferred window hours will be held Tuesday, February 26 at 1 p.m. in the community center. The village board meetings will be held at 7 p.m. starting in March (because of Daylight Savings Time). And the annual pet clinic will be held April 16 from 6-7 p.m. in the fire hall – shots will be provided at a reduced fee and pet licenses may be re...
“The Gap” threaded through the wind-cut spires and time-worn edifices of nature’s carved cathedrals in the towering sandstone walls of Scott’s Bluffs. North of the bluffs, reaching to the banks of the Flatwater (Platte), lay a rugged expanse of land known as “The Badlands,” an area of deep-cut ravines and gullies that no team of horses or oxen, pulling an overloaded immigrant wagon, could possibly traverse. And so, about five miles east of the gap, the trail would leave the nearby banks of the river and strike more westerly toward the imposing...
It was nice to have a long weekend. I took advantage of the time and went to Lincoln for a quilting class by a favorite teacher and visited my grandchildren (and their parents). It was very windy driving back to Kimball. A few of us enjoyed the visit and talk by C.M. Wendleboe. He has a great sense of humor and is very relaxed. He has another book coming out in June and working on two more. He wants to come back in a year or so. There are 49 entries in the HighPoint ShutterBug photography contest and they are all great photos. Now the photos...
The process of getting the old oil derrick put back up has gotten one more step closer to reaching its completion. The Parks and Recreation Executive Board met February 13 to discuss whether or not to move forward with the location set aside for the oil derrick. City Council member John Morrison, who has been active in getting the oil derrick put back up, opened the conversation with a brief history of events that have taken place in the past few months concerning the oil derrick. The process to get the derrick put back up started with a...
The Board of County Commissioners has approved to authorize their signatures on the Memorandum of Understanding between the State of Nebraska Department of Verteran’s Affairs and Kimball County for the implementation of the VETRASPEC program at the request of Kimball County Veterans Service Center. The VETRASPEC program is a secure web-based application that will potentially make the process of obtaining benefits easier for military veterans. It contains every form for State and Federal Veteran’s benefits and will enable Veterans Service off...
Trout amandine prepared by a skilled chef almost melts in your mouth. So what if gourmands are dismissive of the old-school restaurant classic? Jean Giono once complained “never with butter, never with almonds—that’s not cookery, that’s cardboard-making.” But I’ve experienced delicate, mellow and rich brook fish prepared in the despised manner. And when I spotted a twist on Nathan Detroit’s menu, I couldn’t resist. Nathan Detroit’s is a cavernous, worldly pub and restaurant on the northern edge...
Samuel Adams never met a season it couldn’t match to a limited run beer. Since the original Boston Lager hit the market in 1985, the popular brewery has produced Holiday Porter, Summer Ale, Oktoberfest and so on. The most recent addition to their regular line up, Alpine Spring, combines the crisp breeziness of a lager with the richness and heft of a cool weather beer. It approaches with creamy malt sweetness, dry orange peel, other citrus notes and a touch of honeyed spice on the nose—an aro...
“Based on true events” is generally the set up for a long, hard fall, as Hollywood plays roughshod with a story that would sell itself if left alone. Not in this case, however. Argo chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans who escaped and found refuge during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis--the truth of which was unknown by the public for decades. A CIA specialist named Tony Mendez (played by actor-director Ben Affleck) hits on a rescue plan so ridiculous it could onl...
February 21 Fort Collins, Colo.: Dance performance, “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”, Lincoln Center (7:30 p.m.) $ Denver, Colo.: Further in concert, Ogden Theatre (8 p.m.) $ February 22 Cheyenne, Wyo.: “Exit the Body”, Godfrey Playhouse (7:30 p.m.) $ Fort Collins, Colo.: Dance performance, “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”, Lincoln Center (7:30 p.m.) $ Fort Collins, Colo.: Savoy in concert, Aggie Theatre (8 p.m.) $ Broomfield, Colo.: Further in concert, 1stBank Center (8 p.m.) $ Stapleton, Colo.: Comedian Pauly Shore, Improv Comedy Club (8...
Almost everything Jordon Berger tossed toward the net on Tuesday night fell through, leaving behind just a swish of nylon. “I found my offense again,” the senior guard said with a laugh after slapping 15 on the board, including a trio of three-pointers, to pace the Longhorns on their way to a 69-26 shellacking of Gordon-Rushville in the subdistrict opener. His timing couldn’t have been better—almost. “I wish it was against Chadron,” he added. Kimball expected to cruise through the first round...
It’s an old story. For the fourth consecutive year, Chadron put an end to the Longhorns’ season, outgunning Kimball 57-29 in the subdistrict final. The last time Ken Smith’s squad escaped was in 2009. Since then the Longhorns have been battering a black and red wall with little effect. “You’re supposed to feel bittersweet,” Taylor Wismer said, commenting on an otherwise remarkable 14-6 senior season. “But I can’t really find the sweet in bittersweet.” The top seeded Cardinals entered the game...
For much of the year, cheerleaders rely upon seven or eight standard rallying cries and a few halftime routines. Charitable home crowds follow along with enthusiasm, forgiving the little mistakes performers make almost every game. The Nebraska state cheerleading competition is different—very different. Eight professional judges study every movement, delivery and beat, eager to knock off points. Girls from other competing schools watch with rival skepticism. Anxious coaches note each misstep. ...
Mike Daum In the regular season finale at Mitchell, Mike Daum led the Longhorns with 23 points and 13 rebounds--another double-double--while blocking two shots. At Alliance in the subdistrict opener, Daum hauled down 9 boards and tacked on 13 points in limited playing time. Shelby Vogel Although Kimball suffered a loss in subdistrict play, Shelby Vogel stood strong against Chadron, the state’s number one team. She tallied a team high 10 points and grabbed 6 rebounds, second to Darbi K...