Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
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Karen Hewitt achieved her dream when she opened Karen’s Kitchen in September 2019, but her husband’s health motivated her to sell her restaurant and take care of him. “I was not ready to give it up, but, you know, I have to,” she said. Now the business is sold. The new owners, all family members from Colorado, will begin making some changes as soon as this week, she said. Reflecting on her time at the restaurant, Karen said, “I loved my time here, I loved all my people, I loved all my customers. The main reason I opened the restauran...
On Friday, June 21, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission met in Ogallala and agreed to approve the staff recommendations for a 2025 mountain lion hunting season. The commission endorsed a first time hunting season in the Wildcat Hills. The commissioner created the Wildcat Hills Unit joining the existing Pine Ridge Unit and Niobrara Unit. The Wildcat Hills Unit will include parts of Scotts Bluff, Morrill, Cheyenne, Garden, Kimball and Banner counties. An additional change was the Niobrara Unit...
A garage sale is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 29, at 807 S. Washington St. in Kimball. The wide variety of items includes a Blackstone Grill. corn hold boards, a snowplow for a Craftsman mower and more.... Full story
While a world-wide pandemic raged in 2020, towns, cities and countries were shut down and borders were closed. Yet a simple comment on a Facebook photography group from a young woman in Argentina – "I'm bored" – would eventually lead to a connection across continents, an online marriage and her eventual relocation from Argentina to a rural Nebraska community. It was July 2020 and Argentina was experiencing its longest pandemic shutdown, 10 months. At 1 in the morning, Daiana Congett was sim...
The appraisal for the former Kimball Health Services hospital building was accepted at the June 18 county commissioners meeting. Brandt Appraisal Co. determined that the former hospital building and parking lot adjacent to the property should be appraised at $395,000. The commissioners held a public hearing to allow comments from any interested parties to speak for or against the sale of the former hospital at 505 South Burg St. Sheriff Dave Hottell talked about the possibility of the county keeping the generator that is located at the former...
For the next week, the first National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in 83 years will travel through Nebraska on the way to meet up with three other pilgrimage routes in Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress. The St. Junipero Serra Route, which passed through Kimball and St. Joseph's Catholic Church last week, began in San Francisco on Pentecost Sunday. When those on the journey reach Indianapolis, they will have traveled for 60 days spreading the word of the Eucharist. The route from the...
In 1966 and 1967, Australian foreign exchange student Ewan Vickery called Kimball his home, and it appears that after almost 60 years Kimball is still very much home to Ewan. "The people were lovely, and the town was just a fantastic place," he recalled. "I was a novelty in the town." Ewan made quite an impression on Kimball and vice versa. During his visit last week, he estimated that this was his 12th or 13th return trip to Kimball to see friends and attend many class reunions. On Friday,...
A construction bid from Anderson-Shaw Construction totaling $473,569 for two sewer extension projects on Nadine Street (a duplex) and 7th Street (Clean Harbors apartments) was denied by the City Council due to concerns about the cost at the June 4 Kimball City Council meeting. Olson Engineering, the city’s engineering firm, recommended that the council deny the bid for the sewer extensions. It was decided that the City of Kimball could handle the project internally at a much lower cost. Estimates of the costs for doing it internally were e...
Kimball’s first-year agricultural education teacher’s resignation letter was accepted at the June 10 Kimball School Board meeting. After accepting Emily Sowards’s resignation, the following action item was the approval of Monica Jenson’s contract as the agricultural education teacher for the 2024-25 school year. Jenson, formerly Monica Wasielewski, is a Kimball Public Schools graduate. With finances always a concern, it was noted that they saw an increase in receipts from the courthouse, SPED money and state aid that helped the June budget...
After visiting St. Joseph Catholic Church in Kimball on Wednesday this week, the National Eucharistic Procession planned to travel through Nebraska. On Thursday, June 13, the procession will stop in Sidney at St. Patrick’s Church for Mass at 10 a.m. From Sidney, they will stop in Colton, then Ogallala, and move on to North Platte. As part of the procession’s western route, the pilgrimage stopped at St. Joseph’s Church in Kimball from 6-7 p.m. June 12 for a procession followed by a potluck supper. The journey began on May 17 and will end July...
The imminent resignation of long-time Kimball County Attorney Dave Wilson surprised many June 4 at the regular county commissioners meeting. His resignation will become effective July 31. Wilson has served as Kimball County attorney for 37½ years – and according to one of his sons’ calculations, Wilson has served as county attorney for 27% of the time that the county has existed. Wilson said he would like to slow down and move closer to family, and “that it had been an honor to serve.” He said has met a lot of great people. He advised the commi...
Officials at the Kimball city-county joint meeting Tuesday voted to move forward with plans to form a committee to study and research countywide economic development. The discussion focused on learning from Keith and Dawes counties. The future of the Windbreak restaurant property at Four Winds Golf Course was the other item up for discussion. No decision was made whether to purchase the Windbreak for use as a golf pro shop, as has been discussed as a possibility, but a committee was formed to investigate purchasing the property. Mayor John...
A pretrial is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Aug. 14 in Kimball County Court in a legal case involving former Kimball Police Chief Andrew Bremer. On May 24, Bremer was arraigned in County Court on four misdemeanor charges of official misconduct. A plead of not guilty was entered by the Court and the amended complaint was not read out loud. Bremer’s attorney entered a Motion to Quash – which means “putting an end to” – but Judge Aaron Conn denied the motion and Bremer was arraigned. Bremer is represented by North Platte attorney Terrance Waite, an...
Work began May 30 to set Clean Harbors apartments on their foundations across from Kimball County Manor in Kimball. Manor residents anxiously watched the progress and provided a variety of opinions on the process and method. Clean Harbors sponsored an ice cream social for their neighbors at the manor as the new apartments were put in place....
The Kimball Board of Commissioners conducted three executive/closed-door sessions at the May 22 meeting on Wednesday afternoon. The first session required the commissioners to deal with an employee/personnel matter. The second and third executive sessions centered around the strategy and terms regarding the sale of real estate involving the former Kimball County Hospital and the strategy and disposition of real estate involving the Kimball County Annex building. When the commissioners emerged fr...
The Kimball County Board of Commissioners met May 22 with appointed heads of department Randy Bymer, highway superintendent; Matthew Meyers Veterans Service officer; Monica Todorov, interim building and grounds superintendent; and Christy Warner, administrator of KCTS; along with elected official Sheriff Dave Hottell. Bymer explained that while he was on vacation, an unfortunate incident occurred at the county shop. An inexperienced individual was servicing the 2018 CAT 120M long block when due to miscommunication he put all the oil into the tr...
The spring morning Monday was perfect for the local Memorial Day ceremony. John Beatty, vice commander of the Kimball VFW, opened the ceremony and Randy Bohac provided the opening and closing prayers honoring veterans. Two Kimball High School graduates, Emma Patterson and Jasmine Gawith, honored the veterans with the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner and playing of Taps. Marine Corporal Noah Thomas of Cheyenne was the speaker. Accompanied by his wife and two children, he referenced the bond...
Down in the deep end of Kimball's community pool, city employees remove sandblasted material from the pool Tuesday. Repairs to the pool are progressing. It has been sandblasted and soon it will have concrete holes repaired, and the entire pool will be repainted. The paint for the pool must cure for 5-7 days and requires a night time temperature of 50 degrees. A company from Ogallala is completing the work. Inside plumbing repairs on showers and faucets has been completed. The city is looking at...
After being rained out last year, the 15th annual Kimball Ranch Rodeo will see action again on Saturday, June 1 beginning at 5:30. Seventeen brave bronc riders will step aboard the Barnhart Rodeo Company broncs and eight ranch rodeo teams will give the crowd something to cheer for. Team events include trailer loading, roping and doctoring, team tying and wild cow milking. Food, vendors and a beer garden will highlight the experience. The Kimbal trap team is running concessions (burgers and hotdogs) from 4 to 9 pm. The event will conclude in...
At the Kimball City Council meeting on Wednesday, May 15, the City of Kimball announced a settlement with Hometown Hardware, Inc., regarding an incident involving a waterline break that occurred July 12, 2021. As a result of the incident, Hometown Hardware claimed property damage. The city’s insurance company settled in the amount of $210,000 through mediation. State law requires notice to the general public of any municipal settlement. No council action was required. In a variety of action items for the council, the new playground equipment or...
Jeffrey Barborak has been sentenced to be incarcerated in a facility to be determined by the Nebraska Department of Correction for a term of 18 months after an incident in April. Barborak was arrested for a bond violation, then was arrested for terroristic threats when he refused to comply for a urine analysis. During the booking process, Barborak told the deputy and staff that “I’m going to come in here and shoot you guys up.” He told the deputy that he was going to come back and after he gets out that he would blow the deputy’s head off. Ba...
Two Kimball City Council agenda items on May 15 were discussed but no action was taken on either a salary increase for the city clerk or an interlocal agreement for a proposal in which the city would purchase the Windbreak Restaurant from Kimball County. The discussion of the Windbreak purchase prompted council member-elect Austin Garner to read this prepared statement: “The progression of the ballpark/land swap and Windbreak transaction to most seems to be convoluted and veiled in secrecy. The lineage of this idea is cloudy and details are vag...
This Kimball County Courthouse waiting area is hallowed ground to salute those who died while serving their country. Below: The Gold Star Lapel Button, left, is issued to family of U.S. service members who have died in armed conflicts since World War I. The Next of Kin Lapel Button, right, is issued when service members die while on active duty but outside of a qualifying conflict....
The Gold Star Lapel Button and Next of Kin Lapel Button are awarded to families of military personal who died while in military service. In Kimball, a number of families have received these pins. The pins are issued to recognize U.S. service members who have died in armed conflicts (Gold Star pin) or while on active duty (Next of Kin pin) since World War I. Leading up to Memorial Day 2024, or at anytime in the year, there's a revered place in Kimball to salute some of this area's war dead. On a...
Today known as the E-Free Church, the Log Cabin building was constructed in 1946 for veterans but has served many valuable purposes for the city of Kimball. Located at 101 S Walnut St., the building known as the Log Cabin was built for such veterans as the American War Dads and those in the American Legion. It was a recreational place for servicemen. In 1946, the 105-foot-long and 65-foot-wide building was estimated to cost $20,000, with $12,000 raised "by popular subscription." The facility had...