By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette
The ACGC boys and girls track and field teams host the West Central Activities Conference meet on Tuesday, May 5. The Chargers welcome Des Moines Christian, Earlham, Interstate 35, Madrid, Ogden, Panorama, Pleasantville, Van Meter, West Central Valley and Woodward-Granger for the event.
By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
During the May 5 meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors, County Engineer Josh Sebern summarized the bids received on the bridge replacement project BROS-C039 (103)-8J-39.
“This is for the bridge near Sutcliff Woodland in Bear Grove Township. It is currently closed. We received three bids with the low bid of $599,652,” Sebern said. He noted that the three bids were similar, and he recommended approving the low bid from Herberger Construction (Indianola, Iowa).
The supervisors voted to award the project to Herberger with the project expected to begin this summer.
Sebern also shared information on bridge replacement project L-CA226-73-39.
“This is for a bridge on the north side of Bays Branch. It’s a smaller timber structure right now,” Sebern said. He noted that the replacement will be “a prefabricated type of structure” and will be 24 feet wide.
“So, these are final plans. We are estimating $290,000 for the cost to replace. We are anticipating a bid letting date of May 26,” Sebern said.
The supervisors voted to approve the final plans and put the project out for bids.
Supervisor Brian Johnson was approved to join the First Responders Board.
The supervisors went into a special closed session to discuss a matter with legal counsel.
The supervisors meet regularly on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. The public is welcome to attend in person at the courthouse or via remote technology. To join remotely, call 323-792-6123, then use meeting code 547029216#.
By Karen Kelly | Special to the Times Vedette
As the weather is warming up and many of us are having spring fever, consider resources from the MJB Library that can make spring more interesting. The MJB Library has a seed library that allows patrons to take flower, vegetable and herb seeds for gardening; after harvest, if patrons want to donate saved seeds from their harvest, the library will add those to the seed library.
With warmer spring nights, patrons might wish to check out the telescope to enjoy the night sky. Several books about astronomy and the planets are also available to check out.
The MJB Summer Reading Program (SRP) theme is “Plant a Seed, Read!” The artwork for the SRP features characters that might look familiar to families with young readers; the characters are from “The Bad Seed” series by Jory John. There are displays in the youth area of these books as well as some nonfiction books about nature. Stop in and check them out to share with your young readers.
Registration for the Summer Reading Program is now open. Go to the MJB Library website to sign up interested youth. The program begins on Monday, June 1, at Riverside Park, beginning at 4 p.m. with our special SRP Kick-off party. Check the June calendar on the website to see the many exciting events that are planned to fuel our youth to continue to read through the summer.
In addition to the SRP, MJB Library is partnering with Masonic Lodge, Orange Lodge No. 123 to promote academic success through a reading program entitled Bikes and Books. Registration is required for children pre-K through sixth grade who want to participate. See our website or call the library to register. For each book a child reads between June 1 through July 31, they will get an entry for the drawing for a bike donated by the Masonic Orange Lodge No. 123.
In addition to these opportunities, the library has several books about gardening, landscaping and outdoor pursuits like bird watching. Our cookbook section features books about grilling and outdoor cooking.
For patrons who are feeling like they are in a reading rut, the library is offering book bundles. Patrons can sign up at the website by answering a few questions about what they like to read. Library staff will then put together a bundle of books by authors the patron has not checked out before. We are excited to offer this new service to help patrons discover even more wonderful authors.
In addition to these opportunities, the MJB Library continues to offer the usual programs as well. Cribbage players meet Mondays from 9-11 a.m. to play. Bridge Class meets each Wednesday from 9-11 a.m. Canasta Class meets at 1 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of the month, so the May dates will be May 4 and May 19. Card players of all skill levels are invited to join these events.
LEGO Mania day will be Wednesday, May 6, at 3:30 p.m. Creation Corner is Wednesday, May 27 at 4 p.m. Both events are open to youth of all ages. Story Hour at 10 a.m. each Friday is available to preschool children and their caregivers.
Remember for those creative folk, Craft and Connect meets each Monday from 4-6 p.m. Patrons are welcome to bring whatever project they are working on and have a work time that allows them to visit with other creative people.
Between the Covers Book Club meets on Tuesday, May 12 at 3 p.m., and Reads Well with Others will meet on Tuesday, May 26 at 5 p.m. Books are available to check out for both book clubs.
Remember to plan and get library materials checked out in advance for the Memorial Day holiday since the library will be closed Monday, May 25, in observance of the holiday.
Lieutenant Governor Chris Cournoyer and MJB Library Director Jerri Hawkins stopped to look at the Iowa 250 Display. The display celebrates influential Iowans through history and is intended to shine a spotlight on our state for the 250th Birthday of America. The display will be up at the library through the summer.
The MJB Library youth area has a puzzle table where young people can work on a community puzzle. The library has added puzzles for youth to check out.
Lieutenant Governor Chris Cournoyer toured the Mary J. Barnett Library on Wednesday, April 29. Library Director Jerri Hawkins discusses library programs with Cournoyer.
“In the April issue (Guthrie Center Times, April 2026), you celebrated the killing of an innocent buffalo 50 years ago. This is extremely insensitive and is not something to celebrate. These people should be ashamed of not finding a more humane way to assist the animal. Shame on you for posting it as something to celebrate as a success.” – Kelsey Storey Eischeid
Editor’s note: This was not something we “celebrated,” but it is a piece of local history that was published 50 years ago. Like much of history, there will be some things people agree with and some things people don’t.