Special to the Times Vedette

The Guthrie Center and Adair Lions Clubs after-prom committee is again organizing an After-Prom party for the ACGC High School. The After-Prom activities will take place on Saturday, April 18 at IncrediBowl Family Fun Center. At the event, students play games such as bowling, billiards, horse races, card games, darts, foosball and bingo.

Students also enjoy food and a lot of prizes.

The committee’s goal is to make prom night an enjoyable evening for students while providing an opportunity to create lasting memories in a safe environment. They are asking community individuals and businesses to assist in the effort to make sure their students have a memorable and safe night.

Donations may be given to any committee member* or mailed or dropped off to Guthrie County State Bank, P.O. Box 8, Guthrie Center, Iowa 50115, where an account has been established for this event. In-kind donations of goods and services at local businesses are also acceptable. Gift cards seem to really be a hot item for the students. The clubs request that all donations be submitted by Friday, April 5.

*Lions Clubs ACGC After Prom Committee: Steve Smith, Josh Rasmussen, Kristen Crouthamel, Roger Underwood and Larry Brandt.

Arber shares details on recent dog bite incidents.

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

During the regular meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors on March 12, the item generating the most discussion was a salary increase for county employees for the upcoming fiscal year. Supervisor Brian Johnson suggested an increase of 3.2%, saying he preferred to stay “conservative.” Mike Dickson pointed out that staying conservative eventually leads to salaries no longer being competitive.

After lengthy discussion, Supervisor Steve Smith proposed a compromise.

“We could sit here for another hour and continue to beat the bush, but I’m going to throw out… to have their raises at 3.5 (percent),” he said. Johnson seconded the motion, and it passed on a three to two vote, with JD Kuster and Dickson voting nay. Kuster and Dickson stated that they felt 4% would have been feasible.

Health Director Jotham Arber addressed the supervisors with a departmental update. He spoke of recent dog bite incidents in which dogs have left their home property and bitten neighboring farmers.

“At our next Board of Health meeting, I’m going to be bringing an Animal Bite Ordinance recommendation,” Arber said.

Arber explained that there are dogs that have been repeat offenders, leaving their home property and biting people on neighboring properties. He said currently, unless victims press charges, there is little the county can do. The proposed ordinance would help give the county more ability to deal with these situations.

The next meeting of the supervisors will be a regular meeting on Tuesday, March 19. The public is welcome. Attendees may participate in person or by calling 323-792-6123 and inputting conference ID 547029216#.

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

The Panorama School Board met on March 11 in regular session. Following a public hearing on the issue, the master calendar was approved for the 2024-2025 school year.  

The board amended the current school calendar, adding four additional school days to the end of the year to make up for days canceled due to weather. The days added are May 23, 24, 28 and 29.

Teachers McKinsey Druivenga and Rachel Downing presented on the School of the Wild project that will be coming up for their fifth-graders. The program is a collaboration with the University of Iowa, and the students will spend a week learning at Springbrook State Park.

The board set a public hearing for the proposed tax notice, per new state guidelines. The public hearing will be on April 8 at 6:30 p.m.

The hiring of Natalie Jones as a new special education teacher was approved.

The board’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be Tuesday, April 8 at 6:30 p.m. The public is welcome.

Water Plant Supervisor Brent Christofferson provides a tour of Panora’s water treatment plant.

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

The Panora City Council meeting on March 11 began at the city’s water treatment plant. The city’s water plant supervisor, Brent Christofferson, led the council in a walk-through of the water plant as he explained plant operations and maintenance. He also shared data on the plant’s capacity and production numbers.

“We pumped 52 million gallons last year,” Christofferson said, although he added that the plant has the capability to pump much more if needed.

Following the water plant tour, the council reconvened at city hall for the remainder of the meeting. The council approved the second reading of the water ordinance and a resolution for grant support for the grant application to put electric lines underground.  

The council’s next regular meeting will be Monday, March 25 at 5:30 p.m. The public is welcome. Interested persons may attend in person or electronically by visiting the website https://meet.goto.com/cityofpanora or by phone 1-312-757-3121 (Access Code 295-099-701, Audio PIN 220#).

Panora Fiber staff, Shane Murphy, Mike Moore, Curtis Thornberry, Geri Thompson, Andrew Randol, Nathan Van Zee, Dave Garland, Andy Carson, Paul Brewster, Kevin Baldwin, Zach Davis, Pam Klinkefus and Bill Dorsett.

Company rolls out Fiber TV+ streaming alternative

By Shane Goodman | Times Vedette

Panora Fiber held its annual business meeting on March 11 at the Panora Community Center, starting at 6 p.m. This was the formal business meeting for the two corporations, Panora Communications Cooperative and Panora Cooperative Cablevision Association, Inc. Both companies are served by the same board of directors. Ron Reynolds serves as the board president of Panora Communications Cooperative and Dave Ryan serves as the board president of Panora Cooperative Cablevision Association, Inc. 

Two board members, Lynnea Andersen and LeRoy Oxley, were recommended and re-elected by the membership at the meeting. Oxley has served on the board for 12 years and Andersen for nine years.

Andrew Randol, general manager/CEO, provided financial updates on both companies, also giving recognition to the staff, which he said provides “269 collective years of employment, which translates to 19 years per person.” 

Randol commented how the managed Wifi continues to grow and that texting services will be added for those who prefer paperless billings and electronic appointment notices. 

Randol also noted how the number of cable TV subscribers continues to decline, dropping from 572 in 2022 to 510 in 2023. He said the subscriber count was more than 1,500 at its peak.  He also shared how programming costs continue to increase, now accounting for 80 cents of every dollar.  Randol shared how the company will be replacing its traditional cable TV offerings with a new streaming program called Panora Fiber TV+.

Curtis Thornberry, technology development director, provided a demonstration on how the Panora Fiber TV+ application works and addressed questions from those in attendance. He explained how Panora Fiber TV+ is the streaming alternative to cable TV service, noting how subscribers can watch Fiber TV+ using the streaming devices already connected to their TVs, such as Amazon Fire TV, Roku or Apple TV. Thornberry noted how those without streaming devices can purchase them in the Panora Fiber Tech Center and will receive help from staff on how to get started. Both Randol and Thornberry assured those in attendance that staff will assist subscribers through the transition. More details can be found at www.panorafiber.com. 

Panora Fiber board of directors, front row, Lynnea Andersen, Chris Arganbright and Trudy Hastings; back row, Dave Ryan, Ron Reynolds, LeRoy Oxley and Kelvin Hafner