Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 4556
A team effort helped the sixth annual Casino Night benefit Kimball Health Services on Saturday at The Sagebrush. "We had lots of fun on the gaming floor and during the silent and live auction to raise money for new surgical equipment at Kimball Health Services," said Kerry Ferguson, director of community relations and foundation at KHS. Ferguson gave a "special shout-out" to the KHS staff, foundation board members and other volunteers who made it happen. They include KHS staff Nicole Snyder,...
The Kimball City/County Parks and Recreation Executive Board members tabled the only item on their agenda Monday evening under current business. They discussed but took no action on items related to the timeline, finances and budget of the operating board pertaining to a proposed land swap. Six months are left for approval from the federal government for the trade in which involves 44 acres of what is now the four ballfields being exchanged for three acres and the Windbreak restaurant property at Four Winds Golf Course. The Park and Rec...
Plans are being made for the Kimball Longhorn All-School Reunion to occur next year after a decade absence. Set aside July 4, 5 and 6 of 2025 to renew old friendships and start new relationships. Chairperson Kim Baliman is thrilled to see the diverse representation from all age groups, ensuring that everyone's voice is heard and the event is a true reflection of our community. Events that have been considered are numerous and include a 4th of July parade, car show, wine tasting, softball tourney...
The Western Nebraska Observer ranks among the top three newspapers of its class in general excellence statewide for the third time in four years. The Observer regained this distinction when winners were announced Saturday in Lincoln for the Nebraska Press Association’s annual Better Newspaper Contest. The Observer won 10 awards in Division B, its highest total during a four year run of strong showings. Publisher Jim Orr and reporter/photographer Daria Anderson-Faden both received multiple awards with some firsts sprinkled in to underline the Ob...
The search for justice is often difficult, but when a legal technicality occurs, the case doesn't always go the way some people think it should. This story begins during a time when Cory Shiflett, a superintendent at Paul Reed Construction, and company workers and equipment were working on the Heartland Express south of Alliance in Morrill County. At the Heartland worksite, a yellow 2019 John Deere 325G skid steer owned by Paul Reed Construction disappeared. When new, the skid steer was worth...
Kimball's Keith Jones was surrounded by his heroes, living donor Jennifer Kaufman and pair-exchange donor Candy Rodgers, on Monday afternoon for a Donate Life program. Six months ago, Keith and his living anonymous donor and paired exchange donor were having surgery at UC Health in Aurora, Colo. On Monday, Keith met Jennifer, his living anonymous donor, for the first time. Although his paired exchange donor, Candy Rodgers Keith, knew and had previously worked with her, Candy's interest in donati...
The Kimball City Council conducted six public hearings at its Tuesday, April 16, meeting. The hearings were to subdivide and rezone three specific areas destined for new housing. The Lighthouse subdivision, owned by Clean Harbors, Inc., located west of Highway 71 and south of Kimball’s Ninth Street, was re-platted and rezoned to include a mix of single-family and multifamily districts. The only comment received was from council candidate Austin Garner. He said that “there was a missed opportunity” because a park and a walking trail shoul...
Deb Hays and David Craig of Kimball have formed a unique family bond with their two foreign exchange students, Matias Sokas from Norway and Francesco Cagnoni from Italy, both seniors at Kimball Jr./Sr. High School. Suffering from the empty nest syndrome and a tranquil household, the couple previously sponsored foreign students and decided to renew their experience. The program's rewards are plentiful, but the primary goal is "getting to know the students themselves" and their culture and traditi...
Linn Hardware, a local business fixture in Kimball's early years, was founded in 1893 by Eric Gustav "Gus" Linn. He came to Kimball about 1886 to work for Hoagland Lumber Co. at 101 S. Walnut St. In 1893, he bought out the owners, adding a line of hardware and farm implements. The business moved to 104 S. Walnut St. in 1907, after the initial structure, measuring 50 feet by 80 feet, was erected. A few years later, the south addition was built for a shop. About 1917 or 1918, the brick section,...
On Thursday, April 18, Michael Hammond, Jr., 42 from Moorcroft, Wyoming, sought treatment at the Kimball Health Services emergency room for a stab wound to the face. Medical and hospital staff are required by law to report gunshot and stab wounds to the authorities, and the Kimball County Sheriff's Office responded to the hospital after being notified. After an investigation and questioning of Hammond, it was determined that the stabbing had not occurred in Nebraska but happened in Campbell...
The four candidates for one Kimball County Commissioners seat all replied to questions from Observer reporter Daria Anderson-Faden for this report preceding the May 14 primary election. Their answers follow, with the candidates listed in alphabetical order of their last names: Matt Bright, David R. Hottell, Carl Stander and Sarah Weisbrook. MATT BRIGHT Please provide brief background info on yourself: I was born and raised in Kimball. I have a wife and a son that we would love to continue to raise in Kimball. I have served on city council and...
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen declared a disaster declaration for Kimball, Banner, Cheyenne, Garden, Morrill and Scotts Bluff counties after the April 6-7 high winds and blizzard conditions. The damage to the affected counties is expected to exceed $5.4 million. Region 22 Emergency Management Director Tim Newman said that Scotts Bluff and Banner counties experienced "some minor cosmetic damages like roofing materials." According to Newman, "This declaration will only be for public agencies such as...
Senior Braylon Miller, a standout among Kimball's art students, showcased his exceptional works and creativity at the recent Kimball Art Show. The event was proof to the artistic abilities of students from kindergarten to high school. Art teacher Mr. Mark Jefferis explained, "The art show provides us with the opportunity to show students that we are proud of their work and to share with the community the artistic abilities of students at Kimball Public Schools." Braylon's artwork from this year...
Austin Garner and Jamie Murdoch, the two unopposed candidates to succeed Gabe Ingram and Christy Warner on Kimball City Council, both replied to questions from Observer reporter Daria Anderson-Faden for this report preceding the May 14 primary election. Their answers follow, with the candidates listed in alphabetical order of their last names. AUSTIN GARNER Please provide brief background info on yourself: I grew up in Kimball and graduated in 2004, attended college and then joined the Army as a flight paramedic. I was stationed in Germany and...
In a unanimous vote, the Kimball School Board amended teacher Christine Lewis’s employment contract from full- to quarter-time employment in a hearing conducted after the regular board meeting on Monday evening, April 8. The board deliberated during in executive session and returned from the executive session to approve the contract amendment. Superintendent Trevor Anderson presented the administration’s case to amend the contract due to the loss of distance learning students in Spanish 1 and...
Ken, left, and Bob Vincent soak up the partial solar eclipse in Kimball on Monday about midday. The duo, equipped with solar glasses, throughly enjoyed the experience. Both had experience as solar eclipse watchers as they also took in the 2017 eclipse near Scottsbluff. The image of the sun partially eclipsed by the moon, at right, was taken near the Kimball County Courthouse....
Thirty-year-old Stevn Graupensperger was confined to the Kimball County Jail in December of last year. He was twice arrested for possession of methamphetamine in four weeks. His life was out of control, and he knew it. Using meth was his excuse to cope with losses, heartbreaks and difficulties. Graupensperger mentality was "pity-poor me," or "I just wanted to escape because I didn't feel comfortable in my skin." He was "fair-warned before any ingestion" of the power of meth, "but I thought I...
The weekend storm that hit the Kimball area shut down I-80 and Highway 71, forcing double lines of trucks to wait for the roads to reopen. Winds in the area topped out at 70 mph, and then the snow created blizzard conditions. Hundreds of power poles went down. Especially hard hit were the Kimball, Banner County and Potter areas. By Monday most snow had melted in Kimball, but some people remained snowed in around the Harrisburg area. Banner County and Potter-Dix schools were closed Monday, while...
The Tuesday, April 2, the Kimball City Council meeting began with Kim Baliman providing an update on the 2025 Kimball High School All-Class Reunion. The last All-Class Reunion was held in 2015. The 2025 event is scheduled for July 4, 5 and 6. The organizers’ goal is to have 500 people in attendance for a parade, wine tasting, a craft and car show in the park, and various other events. The 2025 reunion is in honor of Karen Robinson and Harry McNees. In other business, the UNL traffic follow-up study was again on the agenda. The street d...
Sheriff Dave Hottell met with the Kimball County Commissioners to report on the first quarter 2024. He reported that 911 calls have decreased from 442 to 284 this quarter, although service calls for the sheriff’s office have increased from 370 in the first quarter of 2023 to 504 this quarter. Arrests increased from 38 in the first quarter of last year to 44 in the first quarter of 2024. Meanwhile, VIN inspections have almost tripled from 450 in the first quarter of last year to 1,230 in the first quarter of this year. Hottell introduced his s...
For the past two years the Kimball FFA Food Science team has been disappointed, but the disappointment disappeared this year as they brought home the state championship. The team consists of seniors Grace Anderson, Carlee Murdoch, Hayden Sours and Julia Winstrom. Julia expressed their two-year disappointment with, "The past two years, we have come up short on this championship. We worked hard and gave it our all last year, and unfortunately, we came up short by 7 points. It was heartbreaking."...
Leota Kant, 86, was arraigned in Kimball District Court on Tuesday morning on the offense of attempt of a class 1/1A/1/B/1/C/1/D felony and use of a firearm to commit a felony. Both Kant and her attorney, Stuart Dornan, appeared by Zoom for the proceedings. Kant’s attorney entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity for her, stating that she was evaluated on Nov 29, 2023, and it was determined that she suffers from dementia. Due to her vulnerability, Ms. Kant is safely housed in an assisted living facility at this time. Special p...
Former Kimball Chief of Police Andrew Bremer faces a May 7 arraignment. It stems from a citation issued to him on Jan. 31 from the Nebraska State Patrol citing four counts of official misconduct. Each of the charges has a maximum of six months imprisonment or a $1,000 fine or both, and there is no minimum. The complaint from Kimball County special prosecuting attorney Mirah J. Nickel cites that the incidents happened between September 16, 2022, and April 24, 2023. The charges center on “directing, encouraging, or instructing a trainee to act a...
More than 20 area kids hunted for the 30 dozen hard boiled colored eggs at the Bushnell park on Saturday. The Bushnell Lions Club and the Bushnell Volunteer Fire Department sponsored the hunt. The 30 dozen eggs were dyed with the help of the Kimball County Manor residents....