Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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I want to RANT about friends, not just my friends, but ALL friends. Do you appreciate the close friendships that develop in a small town? I’ve lived in Kimball around 30 years but I’ve spent a good bit of time living outside of our fair town as well. Making friends in a city can be tough. It can take years to make real friends and then you may not always get a closeness that you can develop in a small town. Small towns do, thankfully, force us to be nice. Nice to more than just our neighbors. Nice to our postmen, waitresses, bartender, gro...
After searching high and low for months for “pink camo” seat covers, my mom had all but given up. She searched at all of the Big Box stores; she hunted at the name-brand outdoor store, she even had me search online at every outlet imaginable. In the (almost) end, it became clear that unless she wanted to spend $300+ for custom made seat covers, she was just not going to find what she wanted. Mom has never been one to give up easily (she is as stubborn as the day is long), and I could tell many stories of her determination (read stubborn). In...
I need the sun, it’s like I’m a sunflower or something, I need the sun for its dose of Vitamin D and to keep from getting seasonal affective disorder. So I do, truly, love summer but I am seriously RAVING about the recent trend towards cooler nights. I do not have AC and I just don’t sleep well when it’s too warm at night, so I am truly grateful to mamma earth and the turning of the seasons that we are heading into autumn. I look forward to evenings cuddled on the couch with my cats and great dane, sipping a cup of hot cocoa and a snackin...
4 Years I think that this is a good time to recognize excellence in education. 40 years ago this teacher began her career straight out of NU as a 1st grade teacher in Kimball. She taught alongside a veteran that helped her grow into the teacher she would become. She has had large classes and not so big classes. She watched so many of her “little darlings” grow into fine students and adults. It’s not uncommon for her to see some of her past students that come up to her and give her a big hug, chat for a bit and give her an update on their...
For the past few weeks our community is being brought up to speed on how the City Budget is in dire straights. I attended the City Budget meeting held a couple weeks ago, and was so glad to see many people from all around our City and County attending. There was some discussion and several suggestions made on how to possibly cut back and balance the City of Kimball’s different departmental budgets. This is one way to work towards the goal of being back on track financially for our community. What I did not hear was how the City A...
Just last week I had to go get my son to complete a project here at the office. When I picked Mr. up, well after noon, he was just beginning his chores and was still only half dressed, which reminded me of our recent back-to-school shopping trip. I had one weekend to get everything Mr. needs for the coming school year, one day really, and sadly, it seemed that shopping was not high on his priority list. He. Was. Not. Thrilled. Still, we left the house that Saturday before nine, fueled up, and picked up Grandma (the one bright spot in the day...
I was sadly disappointed to read the story on the direction of the Chamber. I mean no offense to anyone but I am having a hard time seeing any benefit in dropping so many programs that brought good to our community. I realize that the coloring contests and yard of the week are minor and not money makers in the long run but if you look at them with an open eye they really are and can be. And what is wrong with a little community pride, supporting our youth and being a believer and promoter for the area. And with the sidewalk sales—ok well not so...
In the midst of all the confusion surrounding money to support Kimball County, I thought of “The story of B” by Daniel Quinn. In this book the author talks about how a group of animals survived depending on the amount of sustainable resources they were given. Groups of rats were given enough food to feed only that specific number of rats and they maintained that balance on their own. When the scientist added more food more rats birthed more pups and the population would increase to that controlled amount; the old would die off…Likely so when...
I have a really interesting RANT this week. I actually had another rant all prepared in my head and then a little mouse told me that a certain city official was out at the dump, going thru trash, taking pictures and complaining about how a local family had not separated their trash correctly and mentioned huge fines. Now, this was not your normal dump deposit, this was a local farming family that was devastated by a tornado. Yes, a tornado. Their lives were turned literally upside-down. Now, there are a lot of truly good and compassionate peopl...
We are writing this letter with questions and concerns regarding the possible change in ambulance service for Kimball County. Is giving up local control for something as important as the ambulance service a good idea? We currently have two ambulances available in case of a multi-person accident call or if two calls come within a short time of each other. Would a provider out of Scottsbluff provide the same level of service? With increasing ambulance calls over the last two years, and with the interstate, highway and county road traffic that...
Editors note: The above letter was addressed not just to Western Nebraska Observer, but also to each of the Kimball County Board of Commissioners. Commissioner Tim Nolting asked that we also share the letter that follows in response to the above letter. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson Thank you for copying me on your letter to the Western Nebraska Observer. I understand your concerns and appreciate your willingness to come forward with valid questions. I hope I can answer your questions, as well as the questions that others may have. As I stated in a...
I wish you all a wholehearted “Hey there and welcome to my little corner of the paper.” We’re going to have a lot of fun here, I promise. Please email me at [email protected] with any of your own raves, rants or reality issues that you want to share. I will do my best to look into all the suggestions you send me and then I’ll post my opinions here. Except pokemon; I’m not searching for your pokemon. Pretty much anything else you want me to look into is open for consideration. I’m sure many of you remember me from growing up here...
I wish to let the community know what a great restaurant and important business they have in The Diner. I moved to town recently and eat at The Diner often because my house is not ready yet. The food is always delicious, I am blown away by the food. The Diner makes the best corned beef hash I’ve ever had and some of the soups they make... it is just delicious! Going to a busy restaurant, one would expect a dirty knife or fork, but not there, everything is always so clean and the dining room is clean. But the service is the best. The ladies t...
On June 9th I had the privilege of accompanying the Western Nebraska Honor Flight from Chadron to Denver and on to Washington, D.C. Our trip took us through Kimball where we received a warm welcome and ice cold water to drink. We didn’t get the names of the family who brought water, but please know how much we appreciated you! Our welcome and reception did not go unnoticed. When we arrived in Washington, D.C., both the Chairman of the Lone Eagle Veteran’s Honor Flight and the man who started Honor Flight told us they had heard about our tri...
Why can’t Kimball attract better neighbors? Is it because our apathy is so contagious that they fit right in? In the many years I have made this city my home I have watched it steadily deteriorate with seemingly no effort to stop the blight. We have abandoned storefronts and homes. Dirt lots are overrun with weeds. Broken down homes and a desolate church are owned by careless Kimball residents who haven’t an ounce of civic pride. All these and more ruin the landscape of a once vibrant community. I implore the city attorney, mayor, city cou...
We wanted to express our great appreciation for the services offered at the Information Center on Interstate 80 and we would like to have the people in your area know what a gem your community has in the Nebraska Visitor Center but also in the outstanding person that you have as the “face of your community”. We recently had the opportunity to be traveling through and were able to stop and visit with Jo Caskey at the Information Center. We had planned on stopping only a few minutes but we had to pull ourselves away and could very well have sta...
This past weekend I read news stories about several tragedies involving young children. And you can bet that Facebook was alive with people ready to sling blame. Dozens of memes and posts popped up on my news feed blaming the mothers, specifically, for not watching these youngsters closely enough. Some went way too far, regardless of how neglectful, or not, a parent may have been. I’m unsure how many of these people have ever had their hands full with two toddlers and an infant, but I can tell you it is no easy task. There are countless o...
I’m writing this to tell the people in Kimball what a Wonderful group of people they have in their Sheriff’s department and also their Police department. On the 20th of May, my sister and I were on our way to Colorado to attend my great-granddaughter’s graduation service in Eaton, Colo., when I developed car problems just as I got to Kimball. One gentleman stopped and helped with something (I’m not sure what it was) and Chief Deputy Marla Knigge stopped to see if she could help. Anyway, before long we had several gentlemen who pushed my car...
I’m writing this letter because I am so amazed at the town of Kimball and all they have done for my dad, Whitey Westby, before and after his death. If it were not for all of you, I don’t know what I would have done. I want to thank Heather and Nate at Beer and Loathing for all they did for us and I want to thank MiSue Westby for all her help. I also want to thank Ernie Westby and Billie Thomason, Jim and Gretchen Westby for all they did and Doyle and Sharon and their kids for their help. There were so many that helped and I can’t thank you e...
As the weather got warm, then cold, then warm again, my Darling Significant Other (DSO) and I began considering a patio set. After much discussion about what we wanted, I began the process of pricing sets. I traveled here and there for various reasons, and while I was away I stopped in a BigBox Superstore (which shall remain nameless) and I looked at my favorite Close-out Special store too. While the prices seemed reasonable when compared with one another, I just couldn’t imagine spending that much money on a set that would be used just a f...
I am responding to the article on the city council meeting and the discussion on dog issues in the community. Let me just start by saying there is a huge problem with dogs not being properly contained and running at large. However, I would like to focus more on the discussion of kennel licenses and the issues regarding those residences. I have a kennel license and was the “problem” kennel being referenced at the council meeting. We have a kennel license not to make money or breed dogs, but in order to be fosters for an animal rescue. We hav...
Mother’s Day is just around the corner and each year around this time I think back to my childhood and all that my mom taught me, maybe without even knowing it. She tried to teach me how to sew, explaining tension and showing me how to thread a machine, choose a stitch and use a seam ripper (sometimes endlessly). Though I can barely sew a straight seam, in this she taught me patience through endless arguments with a stubborn ten-year-old, perseverance and the pride that comes with a job well done and a fight hard won (mostly with the bobbin b...
I had the opportunity to attend a conference last week in Denver and I must be honest, I knew I would learn a lot, but I didn’t expect to have any fun (well, except for the shopping, the food, and the people-watching). With a conference name like Innovation and knowing so many of our extended team (specifically our own Patrick Cossel), I should have known that it would be anything but boring! Little did I know, however, that I would be meeting with some of the brightest, most creative and all-around greatest people in the industry. They are p...
The editorial staff of the Observer knows very little about showing animals. At least, that was the case before last week’s Kimball-Banner County Fair. After a crash course, a baptism by fire of sorts, both members of the editorial staff can safely say they know a great deal more about everything that goes into this process. With this understanding comes a great deal of respect for everything that these young men and women represent at the fair each year. They all stand for values that, at times, have fallen to the wayside in today’s soc...
It doesn’t happen here, right? The rise of drugs in rural America is one of the most pressing issues facing small towns today, especially with the alarming increase in the use of methamphetamine. In 1998, rural areas in the United States reported 949 meth labs. Five years later, that number had increased to 9,385. Meth used to be considered a “party state” problem. California, for the large part, was believed to be the host to the majority of meth users. This is not the case anymore. In 2009, Nebraska, as a whole, saw 32 meth lab busts. Now, th...