By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
On Saturday, Sept. 13, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the ACGC FFA car, truck and tractor show will be held at Mitchell Park in Guthrie Center, just east of the fairgrounds. Prizes will be awarded in various categories. Registration for vehicles to be displayed in the show will be from 8:30-11 a.m.
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On Aug 20, a total of eight players participated. Chet Vaughan, Dick Ellis and Robert Klever each got a 16; Rhonda Titus got a 20; and Allen Pierce played a 20, 17, 16 and 16.
The Guthrie Center cribbage players generally meet at Guthrie Center Library, 400 Grand St., on Mondays at 8 a.m. and at the New Homestead independent living dining hall, 2306 State St., at 8 a.m. on Wednesdays and at 1 p.m. on Fridays. Organizers say there is always room for more, and they will be glad to teach you how to play. They play for quarters on Wednesday and Friday.
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The Panorama West Men’s Golf League held its annual shootout on Aug. 19.
In the A flight, Jay Ganske took first place, Chip Hansen placed second, Trent Crawmer came in third, and Ben Carr fourth.
In the B flight, Jerry Armstrong was first with Ted Ericson second and Dan Hagan third. Lyle Hansen placed fourth.
The C flight had Tim Rickert in first, Steve Roe in second, John Muenzenberger third, and Jeff Houston fourth.
The Panorama West Men’s Golf League banquet will be Aug. 26.
Deadlines. We all have them. Some of us have more than others, but, yes, we all have them.
Most of us learned about deadlines when we were in school. We had to finish a paper that was due by Monday or complete a class project by Wednesday or study for a test on Friday. If we missed any of those, there were direct penalties, often showing up in our grades.
That’s not the case in some classrooms today. Don’t turn a paper in on time? No worries. Just get it in by the end of the semester. Didn’t complete your class project? That’s OK. You can get an extension. Flunked a test? Relax. You can retake it. Some administrators and teachers think they are helping students by allowing these exceptions to deadlines. They aren’t. Deadlines are important — and inevitable — in the working world.
I recognize that meeting deadlines is more difficult for some people. We all have friends or family members who are continually late with seemingly everything in their lives. They are the folks who think deadlines are merely suggestions. Despite this ongoing tardiness, a few of them are still successful in life, as their strengths compensate for this weakness. Most others aren’t so fortunate, as their inability to meet deadlines hampers them for life.
We also know those who thrive in a world of deadlines. It gives them extra motivation or drive to complete a task. They not only want deadlines, they request them. These folks perform better when having the discipline of deadlines.
A few decades ago, I managed a commercial printing plant. We would create our press schedules and line up press operators and assistants each week to cover the workload. Our customers would tell us when they needed papers back, and we would work in reverse and tell them when we would need files by. Most customers understood this. Some didn’t. I had one customer in particular who was not only hours late but sometimes days late. He would bring his files in randomly and say he would wait at the plant to pick up the printed copies. I would explain that he missed his press time and that we are printing for other customers now. He would reply, “That’s OK. I will wait.” I would clarify that he would need to wait a couple days, and he would then look at me with dismay. This happened almost every month. He simply could not — or would not — meet a deadline.
Now that I am back on the other side of the printing press, I am now the one working to meet those deadlines. The popular movie phrase “STOP THE PRESS” simply doesn’t happen, at least not in today’s world. Even this digital newsletter has deadlines, and many of you let me know when you think it is sent out late. That adherence to deadlines is a good thing, because, in the real world, there are no do-overs, retakes or extensions. And that’s the way it should be.
Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707
By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
During the Aug. 19 meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors, discussion was held on the county’s proposed severe weather policy.
“There’s been discussion around essential and nonessential worker compensation. We reached out to all department heads to request a list of essential workers or essential positions who would respond in the event of a severe weather emergency, so we can identify who is expected to report in that event,” Board Chair Maggie Armstrong said.
Armstrong went on to share information on efforts to streamline the pay plan for times when the courthouse may be closed due to severe weather.
“If the courthouse closes, all county offices close. So that means those nonessential workers would get an eight-hour workday of pay,” Armstrong said.
The supervisors then discussed how to address the essential workers who would be expected to work during the severe weather event. The consensus was that those essential workers would be paid regular time, unless the event required overtime work, in which case those workers would be paid overtime.
Armstrong also suggested how to handle situations in which a non-essential worker was unable or unwilling to report to work during severe weather when the courthouse was still open.
“If there’s somebody who feels uncomfortable, can’t get out, doesn’t want to drive, they would need to use time from a bucket, whether that’s vacation or comp time or personal time, if they’re going to choose not to come to work,” she said.
Supervisors Steve Smith and JD Kuster said if this becomes the policy, it will need to be clearly communicated to essential workers to avoid surprises.
No formal action was taken on the issue at this time.
Facilities Director Brandon Thompson shared information about the proposed War Memorial expansion and sidewalk repair project outside the courthouse. The supervisors approved the plans as presented.
The supervisors appointed Beth Watson to serve as Guthrie County’s representative on the Region XII Housing Authority Board of Directors.
Health Services Director Jotham Arber was scheduled to address the supervisors but had a conflict arise, so the supervisors tabled his report to the Aug. 26 meeting.
The supervisors meet regularly on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. The public is welcome to attend in person or via remote technology. To join remotely, call 323-792-6123, then use meeting code 547029216#.