Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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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. Broomfield most recently has practiced at Hometown Medical Group in Kimball, formerly known as Arrow Medical before a recent change of direction, and before that he was at Kimball Health Services. In a statement provided to the Observer, Hometown Medical said Broomfield would be “out of clinic for an u... Full story
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 told the Observer. "Due to extreme cold and snow, construction crews were unable to work for seven to 10 days in the last few months, said Troy Kurz, KHS facilities director and project manager. The new structure fills much of the city block that was home to West Elementary School for so many...
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 in Anthem, Ariz., where he lived in retirement. Mr. Pinkerton owned the Observer from 1962 to 1993, when he sold the Kimball paper to his daughter, Sherry. Under his direction, the Observer was a force in the glory days of print journalism, winning seven national newspaper awards and 71 state... Full story
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 the area. Some other forecasts called for more snow. The City of Kimball made changes Tuesday morning in anticipation of the storm, canceling its 5:30 p.m. Tuesday City Council meeting due to the forecast – and also a lack of quorum of council members available to attend the meeting. In p... Full story
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 a week's delay due to the snowy conditions this winter," Kerry Ferguson, Kimball Health Services director of community and foundation, told the Observer on Monday. "Hopes are we can make up this time later in the project." Prior to the weather delay, hospital officials said construction remained on... Full story
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 forget about students in speech, band and FFA. Here’s a look at sports and activity schedules through January for the Longhorns, Coyotes and Wildcats. Kimball Longhorns Jan. 4, 3 p.m., HS BB @ South Platte Jan. 7, 4 p.m., HS BB vs Banner County Jan. 8, 2 p.m., HS BB vs Chase County Jan. 8, 9 a.m., HS WR...
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 severe gusts and life-threatening wind chills of 50 to 65 below zero, the National Weather Service on Tuesday issued a Wind Chill Warning for noon Wednesday to 11 a.m. Friday for Kimball and nearby areas. NWS warned people that wind chills of this magnitude can cause frostbite in less than 5 minutes if...
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 conditions for hours on end. By the time the worst of the storm was forecast to end late Wednesday, perhaps 12-18 inches of snows was expected to accumulate. A Panhandle Alert was issued late Tuesday afternoon urging people to stay off icy, snowpacked roads that should be used by emergency vehicles... Full story
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 night during a ceremony at the Graduate Hotel in Lincoln. Family members traveled across the state to attend and occupied a table directly in front of the podium during the dinner and ceremony. The hall's Class of 2022 included Southard, who passed away nearly two years ago, and five other inductees on... Full story
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 improving slowly but surely," coach Darrell Howitt told the Observer. "With Hemingford, we have an opportunity to continue moving in the right direction." Howitt said he considers Kimball, Hemingford and Morrill to be "in the same boat" this season, young teams looking to gain experience. He said... Full story
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 $3.70 on Sunday. That was 7 cents higher than the Nebraska average and 9 cents lower than the national average, according to the GasBuddy, which monitors gas prices and offers the data to motorists. At Conoco, near I-80 Exit 20 in Kimball, staff told the Observer on Sunday that business from... Full story
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 whether you get it at home or buy it over the counter. As a side benefit, the press in Douglas uses a larger size of paper for printing newspapers that you will notice. The news and advertising area is about 1.5 inches wider and 2 inches taller than before. That space really ads up and gives us more space f... Full story
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 district. In the photo above, the electric department's Bobbie Muench, Brock Nollette and Luke Hessler work Monday on light brackets lining the Observer building on East 2nd Street.... Full story
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 game is 6 p.m. Friday at Leyton's field in Dalton. The Warriors are 1-0 on the young season after a 49-10 victory at Hemingford. For the 0-1 Longhorns, it's another formidable opponent as the football program re-establishes itself under new coach Darrell Howitt after missing last season due to lack...
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 Basketball Camp and earned multiple awards. The camp ran July 17-20 at Central Community College in Columbus. In the Boys Major League, Braxton was an All-Star, won the Hustle Award, played on the three-on-three champion team with Michael Anderson of Geneva and Christian Conley of Friend, and was... Full story
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 Independent in Kansas, that paper actually featured three “front pages” on inside pages. To me, this was – and is – one of the greatest features I’ve ever seen in a newspaper for both how the pages look and what they contain. You see, the Independent was the product of three papers that merged – the Halste...
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, told the Observer that he seeks a buyer dedicated to revitalizing the the once grand inn across from the railroad tracks at the corner of East 1st and South Oak. "Now is the right time," he said. Avila said he and his sister, Mitzie Johnson, have served as stewards of the iconic property since it was... Full story
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 Hottell and Cameron McGinnis. Representing Coyote Nation is Dawsen Monheiser. Brittany Cook, one of the Longhorn coaches, told the Observer that Thursday, July 7, is a practice day for the Panhandle delegation. Then it's down to business. The Longhorns will shoot as a team Friday. Next, on Saturday,... Full story
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 approaching. The new week opened Monday morning, above, with evidence of the project still evident. The street department expected to have the work done as soon as possible.... Full story
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 pummelled parts of Kimball and Banner counties with more than a foot of wet, heavy snow and disrupted life. Local schools and the city landfill were among the closings, and a power outage hit the Kimball area for exactly an hour from 9:41 to 10:41 a.m., according to electric and digital clock times at... Full story
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 general excellence among Class B newspapers in 2021, one year after the Observer placed first in this prestigious category. Only the top three judged papers are recognized in this competition. The Observer also placed first in Class B for its classifieds section, improving from last year's second p... Full story
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 Area Power Administration (WAPA) scheduled for service work. The outage had been announced to last two hours from 8 to 10 a.m., but it lasted about 4 hours and 10 minutes from 9:18 a.m. to 1:28 p.m. The Observer left a message with WAPA seeking comment. WAPA planned another outage for 7 a.m. to 5 p.m....
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 to talk about. The Nebraska School Activities Association has released football district assignments and schedules for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The Kimball Football Longhorns, expected to return with a new head coach after a year off from competition due to low roster numbers, are assigned to Dis... Full story
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 Malson of the Lady Longhorns basketball team and junior Trey Schindler, who competed at 152 pounds on the wrestling squad. Wrestlers receiving honorable mention were junior Matthew Johnson at 106, freshman Cody Brinkman at 120, and juniors James McGinnis at 132 and Justin Klosterman at 138. On the g... Full story
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 small businesses operating in each county, how much income they generate and what they pay in taxes. The study was conducted and released by the SmartAssett financial planning marketplace. Kimball County’s small business index is 61.32. Here are Top 10 counties and their indexes: Saline 77.41, C...