Articles written by Jim Orr
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Broomfield Has Medical Emergency In Mexico
Dr. James Broomfield, a familiar name in Kimball healthcare circles, is recovering after suffering a medical emergency while on vacation in Mexico, according to a statement from his clinic.... Full story
Late 2023 Completion Still Expected
Kimball Health Services still expects its new $43.5 million hospital to be completed in late 2023, but this winter's severe weather has slowed construction work that's now past the halfway point, KHS...
Bob Pinkerton Dies
Bob Pinkerton, a giant in the world of community newspapering and a pillar of his own community in Kimball, has died. The former Western Nebraska Observer editor and publisher died at the age of 90... Full story
Another Midweek Storm For Kimball
Here we go again. Another midweek dose of severe winter weather was forecast for Kimball County and surrounding areas this week. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning and forecast on Tuesday that 6 to 9 inches of snow could hit... Full story
Getting There
Construction carries on as Kimball's new $43.5 million hospital continues to take shape, but this area's harsh winter weather may have slowed the development a bit. "The project has experienced about... Full story
Longhorns, Coyotes, Wildcats Ready To Return In 2023
The 2023 portions of the high school and junior high winter sports and activity seasons open next week. That means the Kimball, Potter-Dix and Banner County basketball players, wrestlers and cheerleaders are getting back at it. And let’s not...
NWS: Wind Chills Life-Threatening
And now Round 2. Following last week’s ferocious blizzard has come this week’s deep freeze. Temperatures were forecast on Tuesday to plummet from the mid-30s to minus 21 on Wednesday and on Thursday range from minus 7 to minus 15. Coupled with...
Winter Whiteout
The blizzard that clobbered Kimball and the Panhandle on Tuesday lived up to the hype. The relentless winter storm bashed the area with gusts up to 65 mph, wickedly swirling snow that caused whiteout... Full story
Tom Southard In Journalism Hall
Now it's official. Tom Southard, the longtime Western Nebraska Observer sportswriter and columnist, is a member of the Nebraska Journalism Hall of Fame. Southard was inducted posthumously Saturday nig... Full story
Third Place Longhorns Have A Chance Friday
Another step forward in the Kimball Longhorns football program's comeback is within reach this Friday night at Hemingford. A road win. "We've obviously had our struggles, but I think we've been... Full story
Pain At The Pump Lessening, But It's Still There
The heart of summer travel season for drivers ended Labor Day weekend with gas prices quite lower than as recently as July 4 but still way higher than a year ago. In Kimball, the Observer found that prices at the pump for regular unleaded averaged... Full story
New Look For Observer
Readers will notice a change in this week’s Observer. It’s bigger. Physically bigger. We’ve changed printers, moving to the press operation in Douglas, Wyo., in an effort to improve service – which includes getting the paper to you on time... Full story
LET THERE BE LIGHTS
Kimball electric departent workers were quite visible moving around downtown in late August, replacing brackets for the strings of lights that illuminate the tops of businesses in the commercial... Full story
First Game Back A Learning Experience For Horns
Kimball High School's resurrected Longhorns football team travels to Leyton this week after opening its new era last week with a challenging matchup against Hyannis. Game time for the non-conference...
Millers Do Well At Mike Trader's Basketball Camp
Here's some news that could bode well for Longhorns basketball in coming years. Young Kimball basketball players Braxton Miller and MacKenzie Miller recently participated in Mike Trader's Mid-America... Full story
The Banner County News Is Here; Make Yourself At Home
Welcome to “The Banner County News!” This page, at least the upper portion of it, is meant to look like a newspaper’s front page. There’s a story behind this that I’d like to share with you. During my time as editor at the Harvey County...
For Sale: Wheat Growers Hotel
Kimball's landmark Wheat Growers Hotel, a treasure chest of local history and lore, is on the market. Wheat Growers devotee Ed Avila, a former owner who reacquired the property 1½ years ago,... Full story
TAKING AIM AT NATIONALS
Kimball Longhorns trap team members and a travel partner from Potter-Dix are competing this week at Nationals in Mason, Mich. The Longhorns are Justin Klosterman, Nolan Cook, James McGinnis, Kambree... Full story
ROADWORK AT THE UNDERPASS
Street repairs that began last week required the roadway to be narrowed to one lane at First and Chestnut streets on the south side of Kimball's underpass. Residents were urged to use caution when... Full story
THE MAY 2 SNOWSTORM
Semis forced off of the closed Interstate 80 on Monday morning clogged Kimball roadways, included this stretch of 3rd Street in front of the Kimball County Courthouse. The powerful spring storm... Full story
Kimball's Observer Wins 8 Awards
KEARNEY – The Observer won eight statewide awards Saturday at the Nebraska Press Association's 2022 Better Newspaper Contest Awards Presentation at Younes Conference North/Crowne Plaza Hotel in Kearney. The honors included third place for overall... Full story
POWER OUTAGE DAY 1
Vehicles navigate the corner of Third and Chestnut streets in Kimball during the power outage Monday, April 11. Stop signs replaced traffic lights at Kimball's busiest intersection, which Western...
Football Longhorns To Return Vs. Hyannis
The local high school sports calendar soon turns to spring sports – girls and boys track, boys golf and trap shooting – but it's never too early to talk some football. And there's some football... Full story
2 Horns All-WTC, 8 MORE honored
Two Kimball High School winter athletes were announced this week as members of the Western Trails Conference 2022 All-Conference teams – and another eight Longhorns earned honorable mention recognition. All-Conference honors went to senior Chantel... Full story
County Cracks Small Biz Top 10
A new study from a financial planning organization lists Kimball County among the Top 10 counties in Nebraska with the strongest small business presence. To be precise, Kimball County checks in at No. 8. The study measures IRS data on the number of...
