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ACGC sixth and seventh grade girls win league championship 

Jul 10, 2025 | Sports

Front: Lilly Policky, Pryce Gettler, Brystol Huss, Camdyn Coffman, Hadlee Morey, Harper Dinkla. Back: Coach Jessica Sheeder, Valia Roen, Clair Lane, Monroe Fagan, Dakota Sheeder, Jaylon Embree, Coach Ashley Smith, Coach Joni Coffman. Absent: Sidney Follman, Khloe Riley, Skylar Letty, Claire Wahl, Ruby Cate Marso, Niyah Fees, Emma Martens.

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

The ACGC sixth and seventh grade softball team recently emerged as league champions, besting nine other teams in their league tournament at Kimballton. Coach Ashley Smith shared her thoughts on the season.

“The girls knew from the beginning of the season they would have to show up not only physically, but, mentally to every single practice and game with there being 18 girls on our team. The competition for a starting nine spot was thick. The amount of growth across all of our players this year was outstanding! Not only did we see their skill set develop, their mental game improved drastically as well,” Coach Smith said. “These girls fought hard all season and most definitely deserved their 1st place medal at the end of it all. I was continually impressed at how part of the team would start to get down, the other part would pick them up. You could feel their support for one another radiate through the dugout.”

Coach Smith shared appreciation for the work done by coaches Jessica Sheeder and Joni Coffman.

“We had a really nice balance with three coaches and each of us bringing our own knowledge and skill set to the team,” Smith said. “Hands down, this has been my favorite season of coaching thus far. I am proud and honored to have been a coach for this team and wish them nothing but the best as they continue in their sports endeavors.”

Check out the Adair County Fair 

Jul 10, 2025 | News

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

The Adair County Fairgrounds (900 N.E. Elm St., Greenfield) welcomes everyone to come out and enjoy the Adair County Fair, running now through July 13. Daily admission costs $10 for adults and $5 for kids ages 5-12.

Some highlights for spectators include:

  • Friday, July 11 at 7 p.m.: Impact Pro Wrestling
  • Saturday, July 12 at 10 a.m.: Baby contest
  • Saturday, July 12 at 8 p.m.: Demolition Derby
  • Sunday, July 13, noon to 3 p.m.: Antique tractor and car show
  • Sunday, July 13 at 6 p.m.: Figure 8 Races

Pheasant hunters bagged more than 460,000 Iowa roosters in 2024

Jul 10, 2025 | News

From the Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Iowa’s 2024 estimated pheasant harvest was the second highest in nearly two decades, coming in at more than 460,000 roosters last fall, surpassed only by the 2023 harvest of 590,000.

This is the best back-to-back pheasant harvest years since 2007. Only South Dakota had more pheasants harvested last year.

The 2024 August pheasant survey showed a population decline of 14% from 2023, likely due to ill-timed spring flooding across northwestern Iowa.

“The roadside counts were confirmed in the small game harvest hunter survey, but overall we had a really good fall and are looking forward to this year’s August roadside survey to see where the bird numbers are ahead of the 2025 season,” Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, said.

The statewide August roadside survey is conducted by Iowa DNR staff between Aug. 1-15, who drive 225, 30-mile routes on gravel roads at dawn on mornings with heavy dew. Hen pheasants will move their broods to the edge of the gravel road to dry off before they begin feeding, which makes them easier to count.

Bogenschutz estimated more than 77,400 hunters pursued pheasants in Iowa last fall, down from 83,600 in 2023.

Iowa’s quail hunters harvested 27,500 birds or 2,700 fewer than last year. Iowa’s rabbit and squirrel harvest both increased over 2023; rabbits by 13 percent to an estimated 77,000, squirrels by 32 percent, to more than 124,300. Iowa mourning dove hunters harvested an estimated 143,000 doves, down from the 195,000 in 2023.

 

A century of pheasant hunting

The Iowa DNR and Pheasants Forever are celebrating 100 years of pheasant hunting in the Hawkeye State. The first season was held Oct. 20-22, 1925, when 13 counties in north central Iowa were opened to pheasant hunting. Hunters were allowed a three-rooster limit, for a half-day of hunting. An estimated 75,000 hunters participated.

Hunters can commemorate the 100th anniversary by purchasing a hard card featuring Iowa Pheasants Forever Print of the Year when they purchase their 2025 hunting and fishing licenses.

Information on places to hunt, the August roadside survey results and more is available online by clicking the 100 Years of Pheasant Hunting link at www.iowadnr.gov/pheasantsurvey.

Hansen and Harre tie for low score with 29

Jul 10, 2025 | Sports

Special to the Times Vedette

On Tuesday, July 8, a total of 30 men played league at Panorama West Golf Course. Chip Hansen and John Harre tied for low score with 2 over par 29. Cliff Wendel made the long putt. John Harre was closest to the pin. Trent Crawmer needed only 13 putts. With a score of 3 under par, Chip Hansen, John Peters, and Jason Wolf won the scramble. 

A smorgasbord of smart apps

Jul 10, 2025 | Publisher's Column

I have security cameras installed at work and at home that I can access from my phone. I was a bit late to the game on this technology, but I finally bit the bullet and made the purchases. The instructions were short, as was my patience while waiting for the firmware to update, but I eventually made my way through the QR codes, usernames and password resets.

I had a doorbell camera on a previous house I owned, but I became annoyed by the constant notifications it sent each time the wind blew or a bug crawled in front of the camera. I discovered better camera positioning this time around, and I have been surprised to see how many people are snooping around in my yard. 

While recently waiting to download yet another app on my phone, I decided to count how many total apps I have that manage smart devices. I had to take a sock off. 

I remember when having an electric garage door opener was a big deal. Now, I don’t need any openers, as I have an app on my phone to open and close the door. It works great… until it doesn’t. A reboot usually does the trick, but I can’t help but wonder what I will do when the power goes out for an extended time.

I have some of those smart plugs connected to my phone, too. I even hooked up the Christmas tree to one this year. These would work really great if my wife would use the app instead of physically unplugging the devices and making my app worthless. 

Our daughter, Samantha, lives with her husband and child in a nearby community, but she still shares our app she set up when she lived at home that runs the smart plugs. So, I can access her devices at her home, and she can access mine. It makes for some fun pranks when I turn her lights on and off at her house. Since she is the one who bought me the smart plugs to begin with, it serves her right. 

I realize there are ways to manage many of these devices with a single app from one company. I am just not sure I want to do that, despite my smart TV continually reminding me how it can “help” if I give it access to other devices in the house. I don’t trust Big Tech, and allowing any of them to have all my eggs in their basket makes me, well… chicken. 

Like many of you, I do use a password manager, but it makes me uncomfortable as well. Somehow that piece of paper with passwords that I used to keep in my desk drawer at work seems a whole lot safer than posting anything in the cloud. But, I keep trying to be high tech.

So, I will continue with this smorgasbord of apps and usernames and passwords for now, and I will keep chuckling to myself whenever I turn my daughter’s lamps on and off — at least until I realize she is watching me do it on one of the cameras I installed. 

Have a futuristic Friday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707