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

Articles from the August 4, 2016 edition


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  • Storms wreak havoc in Bushnell area

    Aleta Pearson|Aug 4, 2016

    Last week's storms may have missed the city of Kimball but it was still devestating to many other parts of the county. Fields were leveled, full grown trees snapped in half, buildings damaged and vehicles totaled. On the evening of July 27, the first of two quick but hard hitting storms struck the southwestern part of Kimball county. These areas included Bushnell, Oliver Lake and thousands of acres of farmland. Many in the area had already finished wheat harvest. David and Shelly Norberg were lu...

  • KKB seeks stability amidst budget cuts

    Tonia Copeland|Aug 4, 2016

    Amid concerns for the future of the Kimball Landfill, Keep Kimball Beautiful (KKB) Director Larissa Binod asked the Kimball City Council to grant the $2 monthly fee originally agreed upon from each household and further asked that the fee be granted annually without future request. With a budget shortfall of nearly $100,000 due mainly to a vast reduction in sales taxes but also with 30 to 45 percent decreased utility revenues, the council is considering drastic cuts to several departments, many of which do not pay for themselves at the end of...

  • Friends and Neighbors: Amy Sapp

    Aleta Pearson|Aug 4, 2016

    Amy Sapp is Kimball's new Special Projects Coordinator for Economic Development. "I feel I'm a good fit because you could put me in a room with anybody and I'll find that common ground," she said. It's true even in her personal life, as she explains, "my friendship base is..." (extending her hands out as far as they can reach), really big." Amy grew up as the only child of Marilyn Baker and attended school in Eaton, Colo. After gradation she moved to Greeley, went to Aimes Community College,...

  • Home based businesses... bigger than we know?

    Aleta Pearson|Aug 4, 2016

    According to Forbes.com more than half of the American public work in small business and 52 percent of all small business are home businesses. That is roughly 80 million people in the U.S. alone. Although there is currently is no way to know exactly how many home businesses there are in Kimball County, we can estimate that approximately one-fourth of our population has some sort of home business. We can guess with some accuracy that every person reading this knows of at least a few people who currently run some sort of business out of their...

  • BPW considers landfill and wastewater fees

    Tonia Copeland|Aug 4, 2016

    Two area business owners dominated conversation during the recent Board of Public Works meeting, on July 26, as each business owner requested time to discuss fee and rate increases at the local landfill and the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Jerry Brown, owner of Brown Pump and Septic requested the board lower the rates for disposal at the Wastewater Treatment Plant to match those of neighboring communities. Brown has been pumping septic tanks for six years and has dumped into the Kimball pond, as well as in Bridgeport, Chappell and Gering....

  • Raymond Bruce Gilliland

    Aug 4, 2016

    Raymond Bruce Gilliland, 98, of Kimball, died at his home in Kimball on Tuesday, July 26, 2016. Celebration of Life Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at the Cantrell Funeral Home in Kimball with Pastor Christine Plantz officiating. Private family burial will be held. Friends may call at the funeral home on Monday from 1:00 until 5:00 p.m. to sign the register book and leave condolences for the family. Friends may also visit www.cantrellfh.com to view Bruce's Tribute...

  • Donna "Dee" Killham

    Aug 4, 2016

    Donna “Dee” Killham, 87, of Kimball, died at the Kimball County Manor on Wednesday, July 27, 2016. Memorial services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 3, 2016 at the Trinity United Methodist Church in Kimball with Pastor Carla Gunn officiating. Inurnment will be held at a later date. Friends may call at the funeral home on Tuesday from 3:00 until 6:00 p.m. to sign Dee’s register book and leave condolences for the family. Visit www.cantrellfh.com to view Dee’s Tribute Wall and leave messages for the family. Memorials in Dee’s n...

  • Robert E. "Bob" Christiansen

    Aug 4, 2016

    Robert E. “Bob” Christiansen, 86, of Kimball, died at the Kimball County Manor on Saturday, July 30, 2016. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 4, 2016 at the Cantrell Funeral Home in Kimball with Pastor Barry Johnson officiating. Burial will be held in the Kimball Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home on Wednesday from 1:00 until 6:00 p.m. Visit www.cantrellfh.com to view Bob’s Tribute Wall and leave condolences and messages of sympathy for the family. Memorials have been established to the family. The s...

  • Vandals continue destruction

    Aug 4, 2016

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  • Support for the local ambulance service

    Aug 4, 2016

    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...

  • Response to Supporting local ambulance service

    Aug 4, 2016

    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...

  • Raves, rants and reality

    Aug 4, 2016

    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...

  • Wolf Auto Stuffs the Bus

    Aug 4, 2016

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  • Veterans History Project

    Larry Nelson|Aug 4, 2016

    The Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. When a young man or young woman graduates high school, that person should take a personal assessment of a few things. One of the biggest questions is whether he or she is mature enough to know what they plan to do or could they use some growing up befo...

  • Photo of the Week

    Aug 4, 2016

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  • The Chamber focuses on promoting local businesses

    Dawn Fossand|Aug 4, 2016

    What does a Chamber of Commerce do? Every chamber’s missions may vary, according to the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, but they all tend to focus to some degree on five primary goals: building communities; promoting those communities; striving to ensure future prosperity; representing the unified voice of the employer community; and reducing transactional friction through well-functioning networks. Chambers have other features in common as well. Most are led by private-sector employers, self-funded, organized around boards/committees of v...

  • Final rites for Bruce Gilliland held

    Tom Southard|Aug 4, 2016

    Funeral Services for Bruce Gilliland were held this past Tuesday with a large crowd turning out to honor "Kimball's King of Golf." Bruce lived a long and contributing life passing away at his home at age 98. Without a doubt, Bruce played the major role in developing, and maintaining golf in Kimball. Born and raised in Oklahoma, Bruce migrated to Kimball with wife Wilma in year 1951 and they formed Plains Construction in 1953. The Gilliland's were active members of our community from the first...

  • Farewell Deputy Fritz

    Tonia Copeland|Aug 4, 2016

    Deputy Fritz #K971, the Kimball County Sheriff's Office canine passed away on Sunday, July 31, 2016 following a sudden illness. Fritz and Kimball Sheriff's Deputy Brandon Loy graduated their training on Jan. 14, 2012 and have been attached at the hip since, according to Loy. At nearly nine years old, Fritz was nearing retirement age when he was rushed to Prairie Animal Hospital in Kimball Sunday evening and died within minutes. "I received a call from Deputy Brandon Loy at approximately 7:20...