Don Sharp and Patrick Cossel Observer Staff KIMBALL – Brandon Overlin, 28, 509 East Second Street, was shot and killed at approximately 4 a.m. Sunday Sept. 14, officials said. Overlin was allegedly shot and killed by Kimball law enforcement on his back porch at 509 E. Second Street. Investigating officers at the scene confirmed the shooting death, but gave no other details. According to the Kimball County Attorney’s Office, Overlin was armed when officers arrived to remove him from the property. “During the course of the contact, shots were fired resulting in the death of Mr. Overlin,” wrote David Wilson, Kimball County Attorney. Friends of the family who spoke with Stevenson Newspaper on the condition of anonymity say Overlin had been drinking earlier that night and that the officers were called to remove him from the property after an argument with a family member. Neighbors at the scene reported being wakened by sounds of gunfire around 4 a.m. It is unknown at this time if Overlin fired a shot. According to Wilson, once he has the autopsy results, his office will file the appropriate documents for the appointment of a special prosecutor to conduct a grand jury investigation as required by Nebraska Statutes. Wilson said the names of the officers were not given because he will not be the prosecutor for the grand jury. Information from the grand jury is not open to the public. An application can be made to the judge to open those files once the grand jury is complete. Overlin was a long-time resident of Kimball, where he was a cook at Pizza Hut. He worked the morning shift at the restaurant on Saturday. Overlin had three children, ages 8-, 6- and 2-years-old. Klark Byrd, Stevenson Newspapers contributed to this article. |
Don Sharp Observer Staff KIMBALL COUNTY – One case of West Nile disease has been confirmed in Kimball County officials said. Becky Corman with the Panhandle Public Health District office in Bridgeport said the case was identified in late August and involved a person in the 26-to-50-years-age bracket. The symptoms of West Nile Disease are usually mild and flu-like. Fatigue, muscle weakness and nausea may occur. Corman said. “About one out of 150 people bitten by infected mosquitos will actually show any symptoms of West Nile disease.” The disease can appear in forms as serious as meningitis or encephalitis. It is spread by infected mosquitos which have had contact with diseased birds. The birds most commonly carrying the disease are blue jays, crows, hawks and owls. Kimball does not have alarming populations of these birds but does have a very large starling population this fall. Corman said good ways to minimize the prospect of mosquito bites are to use a repellant containing DEET, wear long trousers and sleeves and stay indoors at dawn and dusk. Other prevention methods include eliminate standing water in the community, unclog roof gutters, empty unused swimming pools, change water in bird baths and get rid of old tires or other potential “water holders.” Panhandle Public Health Service has “mosquito count” stations in Dawes, Garden and Sheridan counties. There have been single cases reported in Dawes, Morrill and Kimball counties in the panhandle. Statewide, about 25 cases have been reported in Nebraska. The disease is not normally spread by contact between humans. However, it is possible to contact West Nile disease through blood transfusions, organ transplants, intrauterine exposure and breast feeding. U. S. blood banks now routinely screen for West Nile disease. JENNA PROVANCE and Charles Ferguson were crowned the 2008-2009 fall Homecoming King and Queen at the football game versus Bridgeport Firday night. Provance was attended by Kali Autrey and Julie Novotny. Ferguson was attended by Brock Tjosvold and Brad Weisbrook. Crown bearers are Carly Keller and Scott Hunsaker. (Patrick Cossel/Observer) An anti-West Nile vaccine is available for horses but not for humans The disease showed up in the U. S. in 1999, starting in the New York City area. The U. S. variety closely resembles West Nile found in Israel in 1998. There were 124 deaths from the disease in the U. S. in 2007. |
Patrick Cossel Observer Editor Despite losing to the Mitchell Tigers in straight sets the first round, the Kimball Longhorns rallied to defeat the Potter-Dix Coyotes in their first home games of the season. Mitchell swept Kimball 25-23 and 25-18. Mitchell then swept Potter-Dix 25-21 and 25-15 to win the triangular. The Longhorns took on the Coyotes in the third game of the night and won in two straight sets, 14-25 and 19-25. Kimball jumped out to a quick 3-11 lead against the Coyotes in the first game. Seniors Jenna Provance and Michelle Snyder combined for three straight spikes to give the Longhorns a 10-point lead, 8-18. Provance finished the first game behind the serving line with an ace and a volley that ended when the ball bounced around in the rafters, confusing the Coyotes. Potter-Dix took control of the first game as they established a 4-point lead, 6-2. The Coyotes held loosely on to their lead as the Longhorns began a slow crawl back. Senior Jaclyn Christensen had back-to-back spikes to pull the Longhorns within two. A bad spike by Potter-Dix tied the game at 18. Kimball followed suit with a bad serve, returning the lead to the Coyotes, 19-18. With the game knotted at 19, Snyder drilled a spike past the Coyote offense, giving her Longhorns the lead. With Provance serving, the Longhorns repeated their efforts from the first game. She led the ladies to four straight points to end the game. The final point of the game came from a spike by Christensen that bounced off a Coyotes players arm and into the crowd. Kimball will hit the floor again on Sept. 16 in Gordon. The Longhorns will take part in another triangular that includes Gordon and Hemingford. The match is schedule to begin at 4 p.m. |
