Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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Union Pacific's Big Boy 4014 steam engine drew quite the crowd when it passed through Kimball on its "Heartland of America" tour that continues this week in the Midwest. The iconic locomotive departed Aug. 28 from its base in Cheyenne and has passed through Nebraska and Iowa to Illinois, where it proved to be a popular attraction this week at train stations and crossings along its route. Coming up are stops in Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado. The Big Boy is the last...
I have been hearing a term a lot lately: “digital citizenship.” I wanted to understand what exactly this is and why it is important. I learned more on this subject and felt it was worth sharing with you. What is digital citizenship? Put simply, it is the way we conduct ourselves in the online community. Growing up, we were all taught the value of being a good citizen. Our words and our actions can have an impact, and through these, we support each other in the community we live in. But being a good digital citizen is also important and is mor...
Banner County School students Shawnie Mason, Makynna Boettcher, Jackson Onstott, George Teeple, Luke Olsen and Kambrie Loutzenhiser earned their way to the Nebraska State Fair to compete as a team in the Quiz Bowl and ended up receiving third place. Each student then competed in these independent tests: grammar, science, math, spelling and social studies. Shawnie Mason placed third in spelling. The students also explored Kearney, Grand Island, and all the fair had to offer. Mrs. Groves and Mrs....
Good morning! Still warm, but a little taste of Fall in the early morning and at night. I saw a post the other day that said some stores want us to put up our Christmas tree while eating turkey and trying on Halloween costumes at the same time! That pretty much describes this time of year. Here at home we have better things to do, like watch varsity volleyball here at home tonight at 5 p.m. as they take on Hemmingford and Leyton. Good luck girls! Friday the 13th there is No School. However, the middle school and varsity cross country teams...
The Observer this week again showcases grand and reserve champions from the 2024 Kimball-Banner County Fair. This is the second half of the list. Congratulations to all! Isaac Olsen • Unsighted Archery Senior – Grand Champion • Sighted Archery Senior – Reserve Champion Luke Olsen • Unsighted Archery Intermediate – Grand Champion • Dinner Rolls – Reserve Champion Tate Olsen • Western Horsemanship Intermediate – Reserve Champion O'Rourke, Jade • Poulty Showmanship Senior – Reserve Champion Theodo...
The old Kimball hospital, which is up for sale, was put to good use last week. Kimball Police Chief Jose Ruiz said Kimball police officers and Morrill County Sheriff's Office deputies participated in a crucial training session there Aug. 28 that was focused on building clearing and emergency responses to active threats. He said invitations to participate also were extended to the Kimball County and Cheyenne County sheriff's offices and the Sidney Police Department, but those agencies were unable...
Nearly a century ago, there were concerns for safety at the railroad crossing on Highway 29 (now Highway 71) in Kimball. In 1927, when George and Edna Lynch were taking their newly purchased truck to get a load of wheat, the truck was struck by a train and was totaled. Both of the Lynches were killed. The Kimball City Council agreed to ask the state of Nebraska to petition the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads for approval and construction of an underpass on May 9, 1938. Kimball was to secure the...
The Kimball County Sheriff's Office has a new deputy, Nate Lousberg. Lousberg was sworn in as an officer last week by Michele Woods at the county courthouse. He told the Observer that he grew up in the small town of Fleming, Colo, about 20 miles east of Sterling. Serving in the Marines is part of his story. "I spent about 10 years in active service to our country with the United States Marine Corps," he said. "During that 10-year period, I spent about 4 and a half years outside the U.S., mostly... Full story
The proposed 2024-25 Kimball County budget was in focus when the Kimball County Commissioners met Tuesday, Sept. 3. Josi Morgan, county budget officer, discussed the proposed budget and reviewed with the commissioners the changes and reductions that were proposed. Morgan stated that the suggested property tax levy would be .459339, a reduction of approximately 2 cents from last year. There will still need to be pink cards sent out to residents due to a proposed budgetary increase, and a public meeting held. A joint public hearing regarding...
September is here, and with it, we celebrate National Library Card Sign-up Month. Kimball Public Library invites all members of our community to sign up for a free library card. Children ages 5 and up are encouraged to have their own card. A library card can be a rite of passage for children, giving them a sense of responsibility. As library patrons, children learn the importance of caring for things that belong to others. Children take the essential early step in their development when they obtain their library card and become conscientious...
The Banner County School graduating class of 1974 gathered recently to celebrate their 50th year anniversary. Alums toured the school on Saturday, Aug. 24, as part of their weekend activities. From left to right in the front row are Jane Olsen Baker, Shirley Hewlett Shore, Bertha Bybee Webb, Diana Wyatt Freese, Steve Linn, Kenny Youngs, Brad Brown and Margie Kappen (with grandkids Reese and Ray). Back row: Steve Isom, Jeanne Larson Baltensperger, Steve Lease, Keith Youngs, Ron Brown, Rick...
The Observer this week showcases grand and reserve champions from the 2024 Kimball-Banner County Fair. Congratulations to all! Grady Autrey • People, Places, or Pets with Personality Display or Print – Grand Champion • Embellished Garment with Orginal Design – Reserve Champion • Stocker Feeder – Reserve Champion • Breeding Goat 2 years old or older – Aged Doe – Grand Champion • 4-H Swine Showmanship - Junior – Reserve Champion Joel Berger • Unsighted Archery Intermediate – Reserve Champion Luke...
Oct. 15 will be the final day of operation for the High Point Visitors Center after 11 years of operation. The Kimball County Commissioners elected to close the tourism facility. On Monday evening at a special Visitors Center meeting, Kimball County Commissioner Rich Flores explained “due to budget constraints in LB 34, thank your Governor for that ... we really had to tighten our belts.” LB 34 is the recetly passed measure to reduce Nebraska property taxes. According to Flores, “The conse...
There was no discussion at the Kimball City Council meeting on Tuesday when the council held two public hearings to rezone a parcel of land from rural residential to C-2 general commercial, and to approve a conditional use permit for storage units on this property. The land includes 2.591 acres on Kearney Street. Additional items under current business included the ratification of the new members of the Kimball Volunteer Fire Department, Jim Shoup’s reappointment as the city’s street superintendent for 2025, and the approval of an updated job...
At least one person has expressed interest in the open seat on the Kimball City Council. Mayor John Morrison told the Observer that he has one interested party and is in the process of contacting that person for an interview. Councilman Don Muench submitted his resignation on Tuesday, July 15. Muench ran as a write-in candidate for council in November 2022, took office in December that year, and served until August 2024. The mayor will make the appointment, which must be approved by a majority vote of the council. Muench’s job took him to e...
Clean Harbors, Inc. is on track to have a big September and October to celebrate its expansion projects. The projects include housing developments, workforce housing, an apartment complex and a new incinerator. The most significant undertaking, the new $215 million rotary kiln incinerator, is set to commence operations in mid-October. Originally estimated at $185 million in 2019, the project's budget has experienced a 10% to 11% cost increase due to inflation, additional features and design...
About 20 people attended a special meeting of the Kimball County Commissioners on Friday, Aug. 16, with U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer to discuss the public perception of the Sentinel missile project. Fischer spent almost an hour listening to how the project is going in the Kimball area. The senator said that her office has had "really good meetings and updates from the Air Force, also from Northrop and Bechtel." Throughout the meeting, Fischer stated that the country needs this missile project, and that...
At the Tuesday commissioner meeting, the Kimball County Commissioners voted to approve Kimball Police Chief Jose Ruiz’s request to use the former Kimball Health Services hospital for training purposes. The approval is for training on Aug. 28 that will focus on clearing buildings. Ruiz must provide a certificate of liability for the training to be conducted at the former hospital building, which is owned by the county and up for sale. In other business, Kimball County Treasurer Cindi Rahmig and Dave Hottell, county sheriff, explained the t...
The Keno Funds for the Feral Cat program this year have been exhausted in Kimball, but two individuals have stepped up to continue working to control the feral cat population in Kimball County in a humane way. Sherrie Stevenson and Dawn Hinton took 17 kitties/cats to be spayed/neutered at the Northern Colorado Friends of Feral clinic over the weekend. The Keno Funds are used only within the city limits of Kimball, but Hinton and Stevenson are accepting Kimball County, Dix and Bushnell cats for...
Westen Hottell, 16, said, “I figured I always liked to talk, so I might as well get paid to do it.” Westen had to take special course to learn the language he is speaking, the language of an auctioneer. Last weekend at the Top Hand Longhorn Sale in Rapid City, S.D., Westen used his talking skills and chant to auction off a bred Longhorn heifer. On Saturday, Westen sold Lot No. 1, designated as a youth lot with only youth bidding. This was his second opportunity to practice his skills in an actual auction setting. Westen’s first auction attem...
Kimball-Banner County Fair Rodeo queen Emily Whitney carries the American flag before the rodeo performances last Tuesday. Don't miss the full page of images from the fair on Page B8....
The Kimball School Board received an update at its meeting Monday on summer projects in the school district. The board and administration have worked diligently over the past few years to make the district grounds and buildings more attractive. Projects completed this summer include the Junior/Senior High School asphalt work on the west parking lot, scoreboard installation, flooring in the student center and auditorium foyer, LED lighting in the practice gym and locker rooms, the gym floors being recoated, and the roof on the slant wall of the...
The David Hagstrom family was awarded the Nebraska Pioneer Farm Award by AKSARBEN Foundation and Nebraska Farm Bureau at the Kimball/Banner Fair BBQ. The award is given to honor families for 100 years of farm ownership. Erick A. Hagstrom came to America from his hometown of Gastrikland, Sweden at the age of 18. He spent 2 years living in Sioux City, Iowa with his older sister and her husband. In 1900, Erick moved to Kimball County Nebraska and laid claim to a homestead within Section 30-14-55....
Ten years ago in August, Heather and Nate Entingh purchased the Wooden Keg and the laundromat from Ken and Nancy Heig, and now the Entinghs are celebrating. Living in Cheyenne and coming to Kimball for the Farmers Day celebration, Nate and Heather kept an eye on the Wooden Keg. In 2012, the Wooden Keg was advertised, but hesitant to jump into the business scene, Nate and Heather waited. By 2014, the price had dropped, and they took the plunge. They renamed the bar. Beer & Loathing was born. But...
AT LEFT: Kimball Banner County Fair had two nights of mutton busting with over 55 kids ages 4-7 trying their luck riding a sheep. Equipped with helmets and vests, the rodeo riders took to the arena to showcase their skills. Riders received a five dollar bill on Tuesday and a shiny new silver dollar on Thursday. BELOW: Although not old enough to show goats in the fair, Eliza Ferguson and Collette Deweese give a little love to these goats....