Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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On the surface, Kimball appears little different now than a year ago. The farms and ranches still bear the scars of a long and drought-parched season, but the buildings, homes and roads are almost unchanged. Patches of blackened grass will recover from the summer’s wildfires. The controversial fence around Kimball’s old high school is still just a row of skeletal posts. A clean up promised for the former Corner Bar lot has yet to be fulfilled. Although Pamida left, Shopko filled the void sea...
The Kimball Volunteer Fire Department had a relatively busy year according to Fire Chief Rick Wynn’s year-end report to the City Council at their meeting on December 19. In total, the Fire Department had 55 calls putting in 1,068 volunteer hours which consisted of 11 city calls, 38 rule board calls, four mutual aid calls to Dix and two mutual aid calls to Bushnell. According to Wynn, the number of rule board calls, which include Interstate calls, could have been much higher if the state had not taken preventative measures in recent years to c...
The Plains Historical Society which has worked to put a fence around the old high school on highway 30 here in Kimball has set a date for the project’s completion. The fence is scheduled to be completed by June 13. The reason for the process taking longer than usual is the fact that the fence is being put up by volunteers according to Glynn Felkins, President of the Plains Historical Society. “All the material for the fence is there. All the work is being done by volunteers so we have to work around their schedule. Weather can also slow tha...
It may seem as if 2012 passed quickly into the history books--and thankfully so. Remember, it was a year of drought and parched earth. Wildfires blazed through the scorching summer, farmers and ranchers struggled with the lack of moisture, the price of hay soared. But 2012 was also a year when talk of an oil boom fueled by new drilling technology into Niobrara shale stirred--subdued talk, to be sure. As in any year, the community suffered through difficult moments and celebrated wonderful occasions. Despite the drought, Kimball’s Farmers Day d...
Elisha Hunt Rhodes kept a diary during his time in America’s Civil War. It was later published under the title “All for the Union.” As a graduate student studying military history, I thumbed through a modern edition of the book rather perfunctorily--until, that is, I came across one passage. “Dec. 31/62—Well, the year 1862 is drawing to a close. As I look back I am bewildered when I think of the hundreds of miles I have tramped, the thousands of dead and wounded that I have seen, and the many strange sights that I have witnessed. I can truly th...
As we celebrate the season of giving and spending time with friends and family, I want to highlight some of the efforts made by state workers this year who have also chosen to give back to their communities. Every year, the Nebraska State Employees Charitable Giving campaign gives employees wherever they work the opportunity to donate to a network of charitable organizations across the state. Participating employees can make cash or check donations or set aside a portion of their earnings to organizations across Nebraska. This year, more than...
I am writing this letter regarding the hiring of a tourism director for Kimball County. I think our administrators have gone nuts. Kimball as a tourist destination? Let’s see--a broken down Wheat Growers Hotel and a few mills. Yep, that will put us on the map. What a waste of your tax dollars. By the way, what has our economic development director done toward getting businesses to relocate here? That’s one other waste of your hard earned dollars. Let’s get rid of both of these ridiculous positions and maybe this will result in lower taxes...
Traffic TR12-484 Christina Bell, Salt Lake City, UT. Speeding TR12-485 Angela Deaver, Kimball, NE. No Valid Registration TR12-486 Shaun Schuman, Windsor, CO. Speeding. TR12-487 Samuel Eller, Johnstown, CO. Overweight single axle- group of axles 5% or less TR12-488 Devin Vernon, Sterling, CO. Overweight single axle- group of axles more than 20% TR12-489 Frank Perez, Pine Bluffs, WY. Speeding TR12-490 Drew Findley, Gering, NE. Speeding TR12-491 Aaron Kath, Torrington, WY. Speeding TR12-492 Edward Martinez Erie, CO. Speeding TR12-493 Adan...
Over the course of the last few months, I have had the opportunity to write several articles pertaining to agriculture in our daily lives. As those months went by, I notice, regardless the topic, there was always one thing that had major adverse effects on almost any agriculturally based topic I could think of. This issue isn’t something you would think of in a split second. It isn’t the drought, or cost of production, or supply and demand. The factor that is constantly playing a role in the agricultural industry is the media. When an eve...
As I sit down to write this last newsletter of 2012, I cannot help but remember when we on the brink of the new century, back in 1999. Some folks were pretty sure that the world was coming to an end. And most recently of course all of the hoopla about the Mayan calendar and the same fear in the hearts of some folks once again. And here we are!! Ushering in 2013--it just doesn’t seem like twelve years have passed this this century began. The time just keeps going faster and faster. I for one am really in the need of this Christmas break from s...
The swearing-in ceremony for the new Kimball and Banner County elected officials will be held Thursday, January 3 at 8 a.m. in the District Court courtroom. This is open to the public, so feel free to come and support your representatives. The bookstore hours will be revamped in January, but we haven’t finalized the details yet, so please call or email to find out if we’re open before you come. That’s all I have for now – talk to you again in 2013! If you have news, announcements, information about events happening nearby, or anything else yo...
Sitting Bull, his son Crow Foot and fourteen other Sioux, had been killed in a botched attempt to arrest him on December 15, 1890. Stunned by his death and fearful of reprisal approximately 200 of his Hunkpapa band left the Standing Rock Reservation to join the Miniconjou Sioux at the Cheyenne River Reservation. The Miniconjou band was under the leadership of Chief Spotted Elk. The attempted arrest was based on the false assumption that Sitting Bull was a leader and instigator of the recent Ghost Dance religion. The Ghost Dance was a ceremony...
By the time you read this Christmas Celebration of 2012 will be past. And we look forward to New Year 2013, hoping it will be more peaceful. The library staff wishes everyone joy, peace, goodness in life and prosperity. I hope you all are more prepared than I am. My letter is typed and the cards and addresses are sitting there, so will get them in the mail right after Christmas As the New Year arrives, plans are being made to schedule computer classes, Kindle classes, painting classes, potentially ‘Gun Safety for Women’, a crafting class or two...
Chadron State College conferred degrees to 181 graduates during two commencement ceremonies Friday, December 14. Graduates from the region: Travis Harrison, Harrisburg, Bachelor of Arts. Kristen Juelfs, Potter, Bachelor of Science in Education. The 114 bachelor’s degrees were conferred in the Armstrong Physical Education Building, and the 67 master’s degrees were presented at Memorial Hall. The commencement speakers were Dr. George Griffith, CSC professor of English and humanities, and Dr. Ron Hull, senior adviser to Nebraska Educational Teleco...
A warm and grateful thank you to Kimball Ambulance Service, KPD and Dr. Jay and Dr. Bush, plus the Kimball Health Services Staff. for the exceptional care. Dale “Arkie” Pruett and Family...
We started out the year in Pasadena riding in the Rose Parade as part of RFD-TV’s 100 Palominos entry. I came home with flowers in my hair! It was one of five speaking programs I did (out of 65 in 2012) that were in California. The National Western Stock Show in Denver has been a big part of our lives for years. I see a lot of friends walking the barns and signing books and often do a program somewhere in town. We lived in Colorado for many years before moving to Arizona. January-February also included two events I never miss, the Cowboy P...
‘Twas the morning after Christmas, and all through the Mule Barn truck stop’s philosophy counter … “Happy Boxing Day!” said Herb, settling in and flipping his cup to the upright and fillable position. “Boxing Day?” said Steve. “It certainly is,” Herb said. He’s like that … a lot. We looked at each other. Doc put down the crossword puzzle he was working on. “You think there’ll ever be another Mohammed Ali?” said Dud. “The best,” Doc said. “How about Sugar Ray Robinson?” Steve said. “A toast to the great ones!” Cups were raised. “Guys?” said Herb...
I hope everyone is able to spend the holidays with friends and family spreading good cheer throughout our region. We have the results of our cover crop biomass sampling back and the cover crops performed about like we thought they would. I think we could justify the cost of planting the cover crops with the benefits we’ll see from producing them, but I do have some concerns with producing cover crops. Our sampling from the cover crop field showed some interesting results. We sampled a square yard of the field that we felt was pretty c...
Fruit and vegetable growers, both large and small, are becoming increasingly aware of the food safety issues related to field-grown produce, and the importance of food safety to consumers. The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, signed into law in 2011, enhances the traceability of fresh produce grown in the United States, and creates greater responsibility for food safety to producers. The bill requires producers to evaluate hazards to their products, take steps to prevent contamination and to develop written food safety plans. The University...
Sashimi in Cheyenne, good Southern-style fried catfish in the heart of downtown Fort Collins, even an all-American burger in a joint once praised by Buffalo Bill Cody--it has been another interesting year dining across the region. Over the course of 2012, I visited everything from Thai restaurants to everyday mom and pops. Here is what stood out during my culinary travels over the past 12 months: Best Dining Destination: Bridgeport The little community--it is smaller than Kimball--supports...
Some people really, truly want to splurge on New Year’s Eve. Whether they’ve won a chunk of change in some 50-50 fundraiser or cashed out their bank account in anticipation of a Mayan apocalypse, they have money to burn and vintage French Champagne on their party menu. Of course, the greatness of vintage Champagne often eludes novices. The wines are natural and intricate, capturing the essence of terrain, weather and even the hand responsible for fermentation. Armand de Brignac’s Brut Gold is a whisper of wind on the nose, carrying with it fa...
Critics now refer to the Bourne series as a “franchise”--the Hollywood equivalent of McDonald’s or Walmart, with a few more plot twists. In The Bourne Legacy, they’ve introduced a new hero, forced to deal with events triggered by the original trilogy. Jeremy Renner’s work in the lead role will make even the staunchest Damon fans marvel, but the script looks for involvement and tension for the mere sake of involvement and tension. It’s a fun and often thrilling film, if you revel in the heroic and don’t ponder too much the narrative det...