Panora woman says she owns approximately 170 pairs. 

 

By Rich Wicks | Panora Times, December 2025

Throughout her adult life, Linda Wendl has enjoyed earrings. She noted that while she never chose to purposely start a collection, she now owns approximately 170 pair, so she admits the term “collection” probably fits. 

Wendl recalled when she first started wearing earrings.

“It started when I pierced my ears in high school. I pierced my own. And then, when I got to college, one girl wanted me to pierce her ears, so I did,” Wendl said. “From then on, I’d get knocks on my door at all hours of the night with girls asking if I could pierce their ears. It’s one of those things that I probably shouldn’t have done, but I did.”

Although her method was neither high-tech nor sterile, none of Wendl’s “patients” suffered infection or other problems.

“I used a bar of soap behind their ears, and just a needle and thread, and I would put it into the soap and then pull it through,” she said.

With her ears pierced, Wendl gradually started accumulating earrings that she liked. Many of the items in her collection have been purchased from her travels within the USA and abroad.

“Most of my earrings, I’ve gotten when I travel. They’re fun to buy, and they don’t take up much room, so I’ve got earrings from a lot of different countries, and I have a lot that have been gifts,” Wendl said. “And, I’ve got seasonal earrings — Halloween, Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day.”

 As Wendl looked through her assorted earrings, she recalled how, when and where each was acquired. She showed a few unmatched earrings that have lost their mate, but Wendl has kept the singles for sentimental reasons — and in case the matching earring would show back up.

“I love turquoise and American Indian jewelry,” Wendl said. “I gravitate toward turquoise a lot. Anytime I see someone wearing American Indian jewelry, I notice it right away.”

Wendl’s collection is all about the memories and meaning behind each pair rather than any monetary value.

“Nothing is really valuable; they’re just fun,” she said.

Over the years, as Wendl’s collection grew, she began to need a convenient way to keep them all organized. Luckily, she found an easy solution with a commercial earring display rack. 

“When Younkers sold out, they had this display for $25, so I put this on my dresser with the earrings I wear the most,” she said.

When asked to point out her favorite pair of earrings, Wendl said she does not have one. Instead, she simply looks for a pair that matches well with whatever clothes she wears on a certain day.

While the majority of Wendl’s earrings are for pierced ears, she showed a few pairs of clip-on earrings, which are among the oldest items in her collection. She said she seldom wears those, because they simply are not comfortable.

“After a while, they pinch,” Wendl said. 

Wendl said she doesn’t purposely set out to add to her collection, but it just happens naturally. She explained with a smile that a familiar pattern has emerged.

“Every once in a while, I’ll go shopping with a friend and I’ll realize I forgot to put on earrings, and I’ll say, ‘Oh, I’ll have to buy some… darn.” n

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

During the Dec. 30 meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors, discussion was again held regarding the county’s interest in pursuing EMS as an essential service. Supervisor Steve Smith shared his opinion that the supervisors should allow the EMS committee (once it is formed) to handle most matters, including the specific makeup of an ad hoc committee.

“This is the committee’s task, not ours,” Smith said. “Number one, we’ve got to decide how many should be on the committee, and number two, make sure that everybody has some kind of representation. And, after that, it’s like, it’s yours.”

No formal action was taken at this time.

Supervisor Brian Johnson explained Mike Webb’s inquiry about purchasing Parcel 0000711800, which is adjacent to Webb’s property. The parcel is .63 acres. Supervisor Mike Dickson suggested County Engineer Josh Sebern should be consulted to see if there is any expected need, such as widening the adjacent roadway at some point.

“We’ll check with Josh,” Johnson said.

No action was taken at this time.

County Auditor Dani Fink shared data on the county property valuations and outlined the fiscal year 2027 budget process. Fink shared that while Guthrie County supervisors have traditionally held a second weekly meeting during budget season, some counties have the budget meetings all within one or two weeks. After discussion, the supervisors plan to hold budget meetings with department heads the week of Jan. 26. The meetings will be scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon.

The supervisors discussed how best to hold performance reviews for county employees. Smith shared his opinion that if the review includes only one or two supervisors (rather than all five), employees are more likely to engage in productive conversation. Chair Maggie Armstrong agreed.

“I think changing it to just two people leads to more fluid conversation,” Armstrong said.

The supervisors suggested getting feedback on this idea from department heads. Armstrong will contact department heads to ask their preference.

The supervisors will hold a special meeting on the first business day of the new year, Jan. 2 at 9 a.m. 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#

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

During the Dec. 29 meeting of the Guthrie County Hospital Board of Trustees, the trustees voted to appoint officers for 2026. Cheryl Marks will serve as board chair with Doug Kent as vice chair. Dana Tews will be the board secretary, and Mike Underwood will be the treasurer.

Chief Human Resources Officer Mary Anderson reported on recent staff hirings.

“We hit the employee count of 150, and we’re still going. I’ve not seen that since I’ve been here,” Anderson said. “That’s fantastic. We’re getting the workplace built up.”

Chief Operations Officer Travis Martin reported on the cardboard clinic space mockups at the Big Green Umbrella Media building in Guthrie Center.

“We’ve been working on the mockups. We have one more department left to do. That is respiratory therapy, and hopefully that will be done this week and we can get that team out there to review that space,” Martin said.

The board set a public hearing regarding the proposed purchase of the Panora clinic (103 Southeast 13^th St.) by issuing revenue bonds or borrowing, not to exceed $3 million. The public hearing will take place at the January board meeting Jan. 22.

Foundation Director Dennis Flanery reported the employee appreciation campaign was successful. He also noted the annual Handbags and Bingo event is set for April 10.

“Registration for that opens up tomorrow,” Flanery said.

The next regular meeting of the trustees is set for Thursday, Jan. 22 at 4 p.m. The public is welcome.