Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First

Articles from the April 9, 2015 edition


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  • Burglaries, thefts hit Kimball city, county

    Tonia Copeland|Apr 9, 2015

    A number of burglaries and thefts are reported to have hit Kimball in the last few days. Kimball County Sheriff Harry Gillway said many vehicles have been broken into over the past week. “Many vehicles have been broken into in the past week in both the city and county,” Gillway said. “I urge everybody to lock their cars and the doors to their houses. Don’t leave valuables in your cars.” Gillway reported that at least one burglary was committed in the county with some items stolen, and firearms have been stolen out of vehicles. “A vehicle was...

  • Celebrating 50 years: Hartung's, now LorRon, has been a downtown Kimball mainstay

    Tonia Copeland|Apr 9, 2015

    Local shop keeper Lorna Evelyn of LorRon Department Store in downtown Kimball has seen her fair share of changes in the last 50 years. Many local businesses have changed owners more than once, some have changed the business entirely and even more have closed the doors since Lorna and her late husband Ron Evelyn came to town a half century ago. Through the years, the Evelyns saw changes in their life, their home, their store and their hometown. Ron and Lorna met at Scottsbluff Junior College....

  • Friends and Neighbors: Levesque helps Mary Lynch Elementary with receipts for cash program

    Tonia Copeland|Apr 9, 2015

    Local woman Jan Levesque is limited in the ways she can volunteer, but she has found a way to make a big difference in small ways - closing in on $1 million dollars in receipts pennies at a time. Levesque, whose neighbor is Mary Lynch Elementary second grade teacher Amy McManigal, tallies all the totals from the Main Street Market receipts for the school. "I can't exactly go to the school and help the kids read or anything, so this is just a little way to help them," Levesque said. "I can't go...

  • Roscoe brings attention to wounded warriors through bike ride

    John Verser|Apr 9, 2015

    Randy Roscoe is on a mission. The El Paso, Texas, resident is riding his bicycle across the country to bring awareness to the Wounded Warrior Project. He has ridden more than 12,000 miles in the last two years, going from California to Florida and many states in between. Roscoe made his way through Kimball County Monday afternoon after starting the day in Stoneham, Colo. "I'm not a veteran, but it's my way of saying thank you to all veterans, especially Vietnam veterans," he said. "I grew up...

  • Commissioners look at improving courthouse

    Apr 9, 2015

    The Kimball County Commissioners discussed making improvements to the county courthouse at Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting. Commissioners heard a preliminary report from architect Jerry Berggren of Berggren Architects in Lincoln about space utilization improvements and energy saving measures. Berggren toured the courthouse last month and used a previous energy efficiency report to present preliminary information Tuesday. Berggren said some offices, such as the county sheriff’s office, are overcrowded. Very little of the courthouse spa...

  • Wesley M. Phillips

    Apr 9, 2015

    Wesley M. Phillips, 88, of Bushnell, went to be with the Lord on March 31, 2015 after having complications with pneumonia. Friends may stop at Cantrell Funeral Home on Thursday, April 2, from 4-6 p.m. to sign the register book and leave condolences for the family. Please join us in celebrating Wes's life at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 3, at Calvary United Methodist Church, located at 209 3rd Street in Bushnell. Burial will be at the Kimball Cemetery with military honors performed by Kimball VFW...

  • Donna Ione Jeck

    Apr 9, 2015

    Donna Ione Jeck, 92, passed away Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at Holiday Resort in Emporia, Kan. She was born Jan. 30, 1923, in Madison, Kan., the daughter of Harry and Mamie Clopton Derbyshire. As a child the family moved to Boulder, Colo., where Donna attended grade school. Donna returned to Madison and attended Madison High School and graduated with the Class of 1941. She went on to receive a degree from the Emporia School of Business. Donna was joined in marriage to Lawrence H. Jeck on Sept. 19,...

  • Paul Mockett

    Apr 9, 2015

    Paul Mockett passed away peacefully on March 30, 2015 surrounded by his loving family. Paul was born in San Francisco, Calif., but moved to Kimball at the age of 12. In Nebraska, he learned to run the family wheat farm along with his two siblings, Jane and John. The wheat farm created a family bond that has spanned generations and continues today. Paul attended Reed College and went on to earn a PhD in physics from MIT. Paul moved to Seattle in 1972 to accept a research position in the physics department at the University of Washington and...

  • Cleanup set for Saturday

    Apr 9, 2015

    The 2015 community cleanup, sponsored by Keep Kimball Beautiful, will begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 11, at the Kimball-Banner County Chamber of Commerce. Tasks will be assigned for areas of litter collection at that time and there will be a short informational meeting, according to Larissa Binod, director of Keep Kimball Beautiful. Binod asks participants to bring gloves, water bottles and snacks if needed, though lunch will be provided for volunteers....

  • Bogert, Hicks to attend boys state

    Apr 9, 2015

    Sam Bogert of Dix, sponsored by Dix American Legion Post 292, will join nearly 400 high school juniors from across Nebraska by participating in the American Legion Cornhusker Boys' State, which will be held May 31 through June 6 at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. The annual citizenship program, sponsored by the Nebraska American Legion, is designed to provide youths with a better understanding of how city, county and state governments operate. Each boy is sponsored locally by an...

  • Gingerich selected to attend girls state

    Apr 9, 2015

    The Potter American Legion Auxiliary Unit to Potter Post #291 has selected Sara Gingerich, a Potter-Dix High School junior, to attend the 2015 American Legion Auxiliary Girls State Session in Lincoln from May 31 to June 6. Sara is the daughter of Sam and Tina Gingerich of Dix. School activities that Sara participated in were: swing choir, choir, volleyball, track, speech and art. Organizations supporting Sara to attend Girls State include the American Legion Auxiliary Unit #291, Clara Barton...

  • Local students named to NSAA academic all-state

    Apr 9, 2015

    Several Kimball, Potter-Dix and Banner County students were named to the Nebraska School Activities Association’s Academic All-State awards, the organization recently announced. Six Potter-Dix students, five Kimball students and three Banner County students were named to the prestigious list. Since 2006 this NSAA Award Program has recognized students who meet the criteria for nomination by their school in the season of their activity. Each year the NSAA and the NCPA recognize students during fall, winter and spring seasons who are nominated b...

  • Plover Festival in Kimball adds contest for bird, landscape art

    Apr 9, 2015

    Artists of all ages are being invited to enter the inaugural Kimball Mountain Plover Festival Art Contest on Saturday, May 9, at Gotte Park in Kimball. The deadline to enter is May 1. The entries must portray one or more of three themes: mountain plovers, other birds and the western Nebraska landscape. Both 2-D and 3-D works from a wide variety of mediums, with certain restrictions, may be entered. The contest’s three age divisions are 13-and-under, 14-18, and 18-and-over. Three award winners will be named for each age division, as well as a b...

  • Unemployment rate jumps in Kimball County

    Apr 9, 2015

    Unemployment in Kimball County saw a slight jump in February, while unemployment in Banner County saw a slight decrease. Recently released unemployment numbers from the Nebraska Department of Labor showed that Kimball County’s unemployment rate increased from 2.8 percent in January to 3 percent in February. Numbers showed that there were 2,190 people employed in Kimball County in February with 68 unemployed. In January, there were 2,191 employed and 62 unemployed. The unemployment rate in Banner County improved from 5.2 percent in January to 5...

  • The egg-citement of the big hunt

    Apr 9, 2015

    Egg-citement filled the air Saturday in both Kimball and Bushnell with Easter egg hunts in both towns. Youngsters filled City Park Saturday morning in Kimball for the Easter egg hunt sponsored by Cantrell Funeral Home. The Easter egg hunt Saturday afternoon at Hammond Park in Bushnell was co-sponsored by the Bushnell Lions Club and the Bushnell Fire Department....

  • Coyote 4x800 relay team breaks Class D meet record

    John Verser|Apr 9, 2015

    The Potter-Dix boys 4x800 meter relay team broke the Class D meet record at the Bayard meet held last Thursday. The team of Jake Johnson, Samuel Bogert, Cameron Purcell and Cooper Hicks won the event with a time of 8:40.92. The old record of 8:49.6 was set by Southeast (Wyoming) in 2000. The Coyotes also came close to beating the overall meet record in the event, which is 8:40.8. "The boys 4x800 relay team themselves have set the bar very high this year, in that they want to return to state and...

  • Kimball scores strong at Bayard C-D meet

    Tom Southard|Apr 9, 2015

    The Kimball High Track Team had their strongest showing in the field events at the Bayard C-D Track Invite this past week with both boys and girls bringing home gold medals. Trent Rutledge won his third consecutive first place finish in the boys pole vault with a winning height of 12'0," and Jaden Withrow captured his third straight top finish in the boys triple jump with a winning leap of 41'2.5." Ali Hunsaker had her best day so far in the girls vault winning the event at 8'0" and Madison...

  • Bridgeport boys, Bayard girls win team titles

    Tom Southard|Apr 9, 2015

    The Bridgeport boys and the Bayard girls took top team honors at the Bayard C-D Track Invite this past week. With a total of 17 schools scoring points, the Bayard girls tallied 64 points to capture the team title on their home grounds. Bridgeport was runnerup in the girls division with 56 followed by Burns with 54, Pine Bluffs 50, Crawford 44, Kimball 42, Lingle-Ft. Laramie 41, Potter-Dix 38, Gordon-Rushville 37, Southeast 27, Morrill 19.5, Leyton 18, Creek Valley 11.5, Cody-Kilgore 8, Hemingford 6, Sioux County 6 and Banner County 2. In the...

  • Dahlgrin wins hurdles at Bayard C-D meet

    Apr 9, 2015

    Tyson Dahlgrin won the 110 meter hurdles to lead Banner County at the Bayard C-D meet last Thursday. Dahlgrin won the 110 meter hurdles in 15.88 and finished third in the 300 meter hurdles in 42.80. It was his second strong showing in the hurdles after winning the 300 meter hurdles and finishing second in the 110 meter hurdles at Kimball the week prior to Bayard. Courtney Knisley led the Banner County girls with a strong distance performance. She finished fifth in the 3200 meter run. In the...

  • Seay to give program on folk music at Friends of Library meeting

    Jan Sears|Apr 9, 2015

    The Friends of the Kimball Library invite the public to come to the library at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 19, and enjoy a program by David Seay of Avoca, Nebraska. The program David will present is the “Tradition” in Traditional Folk Music. This program examines how over the generations folk traditions of different cultures have merged to become our own traditions as immigrants have found their way to Nebraska. The presentation features demonstrations and stories of folk instruments such as harmonica, penny whistle, Indian flute, ocarina, pan pip...

  • A 300 game

    Apr 9, 2015

    Steve Kauffman, during regular league competition on Thursday night, April 2, bowled his first perfect game - a 300 game. He also had a 718 series (his first 700). A 300 game is 12 consecutive strikes...