By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

At the joint meeting of the ACGC school boards on March 20, each board set the dates for upcoming public hearings.

For Adair-Casey, a public hearing will be held on March 27 at 7 p.m. for the proposed property tax rate.

For Guthrie Center, the proposed property tax rate hearing will be April 3 at 7 p.m.

For both schools, the certified budget public hearing will be April 17 at 7 p.m. at the high school in Guthrie Center. A joint school boards meeting will immediately follow the hearing on April 17.

Superintendent Josh Rasmussen gave a legislative update regarding Gov. Reynolds’ efforts to increase teacher salaries.

“Today, I got an email…that said they came to an agreement today. It’s going to the floor tomorrow, and they’re going to vote on it,” said Rasmussen. “With that is going to come some changes to AEA, a little more local control.”

Rasmussen explained further how the AEA change will impact ACGC Schools.

“We’re going to have to use AEA support at the beginning,” he said. “We don’t have those tools or those resources within our own system, so we have to go out and find that somewhere.”

Board member Blair Carney noted an upcoming event.

“The Boys and Girls Club primary fundraiser is this weekend. Anybody that can attend, we’d greatly appreciate it,” said Carney.

FFA students gave an update on recent events of the FFA club, including the state and national conferences.

The board formally approved out-of-state travel for the DECA club to attend the national convention in Anaheim, California.

The next regular meeting of the ACGC boards will be April 17. The public is welcome.

The group is as much a social event as a competition.

Martha Davis, Charlotte Holle, Roma Stetzel and Kay Phippen focus on the game.

By Rich Wicks | Guthrie Center Times

For the past 15 years, a group of bridge players has been gathering weekly at the meeting room in the library in Guthrie Center to play cards. But the card game is only part of what they do.

Becky Carico explained how the group is as much a social event as a competition. She said it is a fun way to get out and connect with others while playing a game that keeps the brain active. Bridge is played with a standard 52-card deck, and the game involves bidding based on the cards in a person’s hand, as well as their partner’s. Although the basic rules are fairly quick to learn, strategies and tips come with experience.

“It’s a thinking game. Every hand is different,” said Kathy DeLucca.

Carico agrees, saying, “It’s good for your math, it’s good for your brain, and it’s social.”

Carico said she’s served on the library board for 30 years, and she recalls that, when the new building was being planned, she didn’t initially see the need for a meeting room. But she now admits that the room was a wise addition, because so many groups make use of the space.

Attendance fluctuates between six and 12 players. On this particular morning, seven bridge players showed up (Carico, DeLucca, Martha Davis, Charlotte Holle, Roma Stetzel, Kay Phippen and Patsy Goss). 

“We haven’t missed very often. If the weather gets really bad, we’ll cancel,” said Carico. 

The bridge players stressed that everyone is welcome, including those who have never played before but are willing to learn. Carico said, over the years, she has often sat with a newbie and taught the basics of the game.

In order to keep things simple and free, food is not brought in, and only coffee is served. Although the group is mostly women, men are also welcome, as are all ages. 

“We do have one gentleman that plays, but he’s in Florida right now,” said Carico.

The group plays from 9-11 a.m. every Wednesday.

The members do not hold any special events, focusing instead on a regularly scheduled routine of getting together with whoever is available. However, members told of the Women’s Service Organization (WSO) Bridge Marathon fundraiser that plays once a month from September through May.

Becky Carico, Kathy DeLucca and Patsy Goss play three-handed bridge.

Special to the Times Vedette

Midwest Partnership, an economic development group serving Guthrie and Adair counties, is partnering with The Guthrie County Extension to offer a course called “Stay Independent: A Healthy Aging Series.” This is for adults aged 60-plus. The final program will be at the Stuart Library, 111 Front St. in Stuart, on Thursday, March 28 and is called “Spot, Stop, Avoid Fraud.” Attendees will learn how to protect themselves and others from being a victim of fraud and will be educated about common scams and warning signs and how to take action to protect against theft of money, property or belongings. A light lunch will be served at noon with the class from 1-2 p.m. Register by contacting the Stuart Public Library at 515-523-2152. For more information, visit https://go.iastate.edu/AOOG.

Special to the Times Vedette

Several Iowa state parks are still looking for campground hosts for the 2024 season. If you enjoy the outdoors, camping and meeting new people, consider becoming a volunteer campground host and spend your summer in a park. Campground hosts volunteer 20-40 hours per week, including weekends and holidays, while living in a free campsite in the park or forest. 

Campground host positions are available at:

• Backbone
• Clear Lake (May 1 – July 8 and Aug. 1 – Oct. 31, due to renovations that will close the campground in July)
• George Wyth
• Maquoketa Caves
• McIntosh Woods
• Springbrook

Learn more about how to apply on the DNR’s volunteer page. Or for more information, email or call Elizabeth Thacker: Elizabeth.Thacker@dnr.iowa.gov; phone number 515-444-9164.

Special to the Times Vedette

It’s 10 p.m. on a summer night along a gravel road anywhere in Iowa. In the farm pond next to the road, a raucous chorus of male frogs are making themselves heard as they vie for mates. A volunteer stands clipboard in hand, ear cocked, mentally sorting out each of the calling species that are using this seemingly ordinary pond.

All across the state of Iowa, community scientists are making enormous contributions to wildlife conservation. The volunteer was trained through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Volunteer Wildlife Monitoring Program (VWMP).

“With more than 1,000 wildlife species in the state, we just don’t have enough staff in the DNR to adequately monitor all the vulnerable species that we need to,” said Stephanie Shepherd, wildlife biologist and coordinator for the VWMP. “This is where community scientists play a crucial role.” 

The DNR and the Montgomery County Conservation Board are partnering to host a workshop at the Wolfe Nature Center at the Anderson Conservation Area, on April 3, from 6:30- Help track frog and toad populations in Iowa

9:30 pm, and with the Mitchell County Conservation Board to host a workshop at the Mitchell R. Owen Nature Center, on April 10, from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. There is a fee of $10 to participate.

So, what are these critical wildlife species?

Amphibians have been of concern to scientists all over the globe because these vulnerable critters appear to be declining. In Iowa’s frog and toad call survey, volunteers are trained to listen to and recognize the 16 species of frogs and toads in Iowa based on their breeding calls. Over the 30 years the survey has covered, volunteers have collected data on over 2,000 wetland sites.

“The frog and toad surveyors are particularly special because to perform the surveys they have to drive back country roads at night along a specified route with only their ears to collect data with,” Shepherd says. “I think most feel that exploring the Iowa wilds at night is a unique experience and opportunity.”

If you are interested in getting involved, volunteers must register for one training workshop. The workshops are most appropriate for adults and teens.

For more information about the survey and to register, go to www.iowadnr.com/vwmp.