Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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With overcrowding in Nebraska state prisons reaching a critical point, state officials are seeking ways to reform the system. According to a report by the Omaha World-Herald, Nebraska state prisons are currently resting near 151 percent capacity. As of June 30, the nine major state prison facilities throughout the state housed 4,796 inmates. However, they are only designed to hold 3,175. Other states such as Kansas, Texas, Colorado, and South Carolina, which have faced the same problem of...
The Kimball Board of Education received the Outstanding Board Award during the Area Membership Meeting at the Gering Civic Center on August 28. The award was presented to the board by the Nebraska Association of School Boards, and Board of Directors and staff. The board received the honor on behalf of their "volunteer time and commitment to education", according to a press release from the Nebraska Association of School Boards. Superintendent Marshall Lewis recalls the moment that he realized...
After 33 years serving as a teacher in Canada, Australia, Mexico, and five of the U.S. states including Alaska, local resident Carmen Perkins feels she finally knows what leads to making sure that students are successful in the classroom. "I wanted to find out just what it was, the common denominator for learning in children. It's very simple: love and discipline. They thrived on it," Perkins said. Perkins, who was born in Kimball in 1935, spent the early years of her life as a migrant worker... Full story
With the rail spur project completely stagnant and many new businesses failing to keep their doors open during tough economic times, many are pondering the question of just what has the potential to revitalize Kimball and bring new faces to the community. However, in recent years, local organizations have been turning their focus to a staple of day-to-day life in the Panhandle in hopes of jumpstarting the local economy: wind. The idea of harnessing wind energy in order to reduce harmful... Full story
Last weekend, the United States and Russia reached a deal on dismantling Syria’s chemical arms in the aftermath of a series of attacks that left some 1,400 Syrian civilians dead, including several hundred children. The agreement calls for Syria’s arsenal of chemical weapons to be removed from the country or destroyed by the middle of 2014. It also placed American plans for limited airstrikes on an indefinite hold, something that Nebraskan congressional representatives have voiced their con... Full story
Recently there have been a few changes to how properties in Kimball County have been coded for tax purposes for the 2013 tax season. Some properties previously believed to be within city limits have been rezoned to fall into the property of the county, according to Kimball County Assessor Debra Huff. "This last year I started looking at the city limits to make sure that we have everything coded correctly, because if you're outside the city limits you have less of a tax rate so I started taking... Full story
A recent update on the rail spur project that has long been in development by the City of Kimball gave little comfort to local residents who have waited years for its completion. According to Mayor James Schnell, the project, as it stands, cannot move forward as initially planned. “No matter what we do, we’re starting basically from the very start again,” Schnell said. In a statement read by Schnell at the start of the meeting, the state of the rail spur project became quite clear when considering the construction bids the city had recei...
With the sports season in full swing at the Kimball Jr./Sr. High School, local residents and young athletes alike turn their attention to the excitement on and off the field as players battle for a every yard and the fans in the stand cheer on their team dressed in red showing their Longhorn pride. However, there is one aspect of the local sports that often goes overlooked. That area being concussions. According to NSAA Assistant Director Ron Higdon, the organization has spent the past few...
Since the resignation of Jeanette Rabender from the post of Executive Director of the Kimball/Banner County Chamber of Commerce earlier this year, many have wondered what will become of the chamber and how it will move forward. According to Chamber of Commerce Board President Jennifer Provance, the chamber board has been taking time to reevaluate and reorganize the chamber. "We still are not ready to hire a director. Where we're at is trying to refocus on what our mission is. We did have a...
Looking at the grasslands along the interstate, passersby and residents alike can witness the effects of the current drought plaguing the state of Nebraska. You can see it in the brittle, wilted leaves of grass that have become completely divorced from their ideal color of green and the rest of the plains sheered in a hue of light brown, parched in the unforgiving heat of the sun to a point that would leave one questioning whether or not they could ever be resurrected. However, now with the... Full story
The City Council voted to accept the changes proposed by the Cemetery Board regarding the rules and regulations of the Kimball Cemetery at their meeting Thursday, August 22. The most noticeable change to the rules and regulations concerning the cemetery concerned the visitation hours. "It's going to open all the time with the proposed changes," City council member Ann Warner said. Kimball Police Chief Darren Huff was hesitant to support the idea of leaving the cemetery unlocked at all hours of the night because of the chance of increased...
Alan Held, Kimball Junior/ Senior High School agriculture and welding instructor, recently attended the 11th annual DuPont NATAA in Chesapeake Farms in Chestertown, Maryland in July of this year where he attended and completed the Ag academy to become one of 288 teachers to earn the title of ag ambassador. Held considers the experience to have been very beneficial but admits that it is not something he originally planned to take part in. "NATAA sends out an application form. I actually didn't fill it out to begin with just because your summer... Full story
The City of Kimball is looking to beef up security measures at local parks after a slew of summer incidents through the use of surveillance cameras with audio. According to Kimball Police Chief Darren Huff, the potential placement of the new camera system serves as a way to expand the continued efforts of the Kimball Police Department to keep crime in the city parks low. “What we’ve been looking at is a slew of vandalisms that have been going on in the city parks, both City Park and Gotte Park. Over the summer, we’ve given numerous tresp... Full story
A burglary occurred at 201 North Myrtle this past weekend at which time several firearms were carried off. “The burglary happened some time after 9:00 p.m. Friday evening. It was discovered at approximately 4:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon after the homeowner’s returned home,” Kimball Police Chief Darren Huff said. Though the homeowners, Jay and Ashley Thurin, had some concerns that someone was targeting their house and knew what items were concealed inside, Huff’s main concern rests with the items that were taken. “There were six long guns take... Full story
The walls of Vista Villa were filled with the works of Carla Goranson, Fern Yung, and Jack Lockwood this past Saturday when it opened its doors for the Canvas for Carla Art Show. Goranson's pictures hung on canvases in the hallway, depicting local wildlife, the changing of the guard at Arlington Cemetery, and various other scenes that she has come across through her travels and vacations. According to Goranson, photography has been a long held passion in her life. "I took photography with Don...
Nick Stull, recent graduate of the Kimball Jr./ Sr. High School, is no stranger to the rodeo arena, and many residents of the city have witnessed him riding on top of a bucking bronco, holding on with all he has to not be thrown. Unlike most young men in the modern world who dream of being doctors, scientists or writers, Stull seems to have always been drawn to the rodeo life, destined to ride bucking broncos. “I’ve been around it all my life, and it just always looked like fun,” Stull said....
The Kimball-Banner County Fair is a time where the focus rests on the different showmanship events, the efforts of the 4-H and FFA kids, and, of course, the rodeo which fills residents with wonderment as they watch man and beast clash in the arena. However, very few ever learn the story of the people behind the scenes that spend hours, days, and even years gathering the experience to give the public such a fine spectacle to behold: the funny clown, the man behind the voice in the announcer’s b... Full story
With Bushnell Day fast approaching on August 17, the attention of residents of Kimball County has started to fixate on the small village and the festivities that will abound. However, there are hidden gems within the village that often get looked over the rest of the year. One of those gems being Johnson’s Surplus on 2nd Street. Sally Johnson, who owns the business with her husband Mark, has worked hard over the last few years to re-model the inside of the store. “We bought it about three yea... Full story
The High Point Welcome Center has been overloaded with visitors in the first month of its existence, according to County Tourism Director Jo Caskey. "It's been relatively nonstop. After the end of the first four full weeks, we've had 942 visitors through from 42 states and nine foreign countries," Caskey said. The center maintains a relatively consistently flow throughout the week, with Caskey constantly jumping onto her feet from her desk in order to answer questions and direct visitors to destinations throughout the region. "Mondays are...
Henry Heeg, who will kick off his senior year at the Kimball Jr./Sr. High School this fall, has proven to be a vital component for the Kimball golf program this past year. Entering into the season after losing several of the seniors who had collectively carried the weight of the golf squad the previous year, Heeg knew that there would be many struggles along the way. “There are a lot of ‘ifs’,” Heeg said at the start of the season. However, Heeg wasn’t giving up, and through his hard work on t... Full story
Initial reports of an injured female and a fire at a property on 1st Street in Bushnell that originated shortly before 8:00 P.M. Tuesday night turned out to be nothing more than a series of miscommunications. The Kimball Volunteer Ambulance Service and several Sheriff Department vehicles sped down Highway 30 towards Bushnell after a call came in stating that there was a female at a Bushnell residence who had her throat slit. However, according to Kimball County Sheriff Harry Gillway, when... Full story
American Bullet, a company exclusive to the Kimball area, made their millionth round for the year this past week. The accomplishment comes on the heels of many struggles over the past year, according to Director of Sales Kim Baliman. “Hitting that million count mark before the end of the year was huge for us. It was a milestone for us this far already,” Baliman said. The company has been dealing with shortages of components in the industry over the past year. The first shortage encountered was...
Motel Kimball, which sits at 1017 East 3rd Street, has gone through some big changes since being taken over by the new management of local residents Amie Rutledge and Chris McNail. “We put in new televisions. We've upgraded. We've remodeled. We've cleaned up. We've put in new bedding, new linens, and we have a new clientele. We've done quite a bit," Rutledge said. Rutledge and McNail have been aided in renovating and maintaining the 16 room motel since they took over as owners on June 5 by Deb B...
There was a great deal of tension at the Kimball Cemetery Board meeting in the City Council Chamber the night of July 30, as residents sat in eager anticipation for their moment for their voices to be heard on how they feel about the recent maintenance at the Kimball Cemetery. Chairman Pat Sibal opened the meeting at 5:30 p.m., and after a brief statement from Mayor James Schnell, the floor was opened to the public. “I moved here just about five years ago. I’ve lived in four different states, an... Full story
Kimball Heath Services, which recently purchased the West Elementary building, is looking for individual citizens or groups that would be willing to serve as director of the planned daycare to be opened inside of the building in the near future. According to Stephanie Pedersen, Executive Assistant for Kimball Health Services, the hospital is looking for interested parties to submit business plans and letters of interest as soon as possible so they can start getting the daycare program off the...