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Get out of bed

Mar 12, 2026 | Publisher's Column

The words in the above headline create some great advice for people of all ages but especially for those of a younger generation. 

Des Moines entrepreneur John Ruan, Sr., who died in 2010 at age 96, said his business success wasn’t because he was so much smarter than other people, but rather that he simply got out of bed earlier and, as a result, accomplished more each day. Great point. 

Cyd Koehn, owner of Cyd’s Catering, told me that some of the most important decisions are hammered out over early breakfasts that she caters while the majority of people are sleeping. She’s correct. 

Michael Gartner once suggested that I sleep in as much as I could while I was young because the older I would get, the more I would be staring at the ceiling at 5 a.m. Bingo. 

Getting out of bed earlier does seem to get easier the older I get, and it was certainly a challenge when I was younger. Regardless, it is a good habit that we can all form if we put our minds to it. 

In a 2014 article in the Huffington Post, Mike Fishbein wrote 11 ways to get out of bed faster and have more energy in the morning. Some are wonderful ideas, like opening your blinds before going to sleep so you wake up with the sun, placing your alarm clock away from your bed so you can’t hit the snooze button, exercising when you wake up, and simply being accountable to others. Others are just awful ideas, like drinking water before going to sleep, eating before bedtime, and setting the alarm clock to play your favorite music. 

Some people claim to be the most productive at night. It’s possible, but research says that less than 1% of the population are actually genetically programmed to work best later in the day. The rest of us need to simply get out of bed. 

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading. 

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305

Guthrie County Supervisors hear updates on First Responders

Mar 10, 2026 | News

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

The Guthrie County Board of Supervisors met in regular session March 10. No citizens addressed the supervisors during the Public Comments portion of the meeting.

Public Health Director Jotham Arber provided an update on Guthrie County First Responders.

“We have First Responders now in our northern parts. We have Bayard now responding fully; we have four responders in Bayard. We have two in Bagley, we have two in Jamaica, and there are four in Yale,” Arber said.

Arber also provided an update on First Responder classes ongoing.

“We’re doing that in Adair and in Bayard. We meet on Monday and Wednesday nights in Bayard, and then they’re meeting on Monday in Adair,” Arber said. “As of February, our students had the highest grade point average and the highest pass percentage, so kudos to them.”

Arber shared that these efforts are helping to decrease response times for those in need of medical assistance.

“The goal is to help the ambulances, and I think we’re seeing that,” he said. “Our ambulances are working really well with the First Responders.”

Supervisor Steve Smith asked about availability of First Responders in the west central portion of the county, since that is an area with generally longer response times.

“Yes, we have two First Responders that are west of and in what I would call the dead zone. So they would be able to respond directly to patients,” Arber said.

County Auditor Dani Fink also shared information during the budget workshop session.

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#

Panorama School Board approves 4-day school week

Mar 10, 2026 | News

By Shane Goodman | Times Vedette

The board of directors of the Panorama Community School District met at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, March 9 for two public hearings and the regular board meeting. Although several items were on the agenda, the one of most interest to those in attendance was the approval of the 2026-2027 School Calendar, which included the proposed change to a four-day school week.

Approximately 20 people were at the meeting, and discussion became somewhat heated in the public hearing that was related to the topic. Ultimately, the change was approved by a 4-1 vote with directors Deb Westergaard, Clint Deardorff, Damon Crandall and Heidi Clark voting in favor and Mark Cates voting against. 

See our normal coverage of the Panorama School Board meeting in Friday’s Times Vedette. 

Panthers compete at Dickinson Relays

Mar 10, 2026 | Sports

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

The Panorama boys track and field team sent several athletes to compete in the Dickinson Relays on Monday, March 9 at UNI. More than 100 schools attended the early season track and field meet.

Hunter Kempf (8.15), Court Vogel (8.20) and Connor Deardorff (8.60) ran in the 60-meter prelims. Syler Shaffer had the highest placement in a race for Panorama, placing 56th in the 60-meter hurdle prelims. Corbin Deardorf (1:00.38), Adrian Leone (1:04.40) and Bennett Allen (1:08.11) competed in the 400-meter. Cristian Monrroy-Nunez placed 49th in the shot put with a 43-07.75 toss after recently committing to the University of Dubuque for the same event. The Panthers sent one relay team, with Kempf, Vogel, Shaffer and Deardorff placing 56th (1:44.08) in the 4×200-meter relay.

More than just books

Mar 10, 2026 | MJB LIBRARY NEWS

By Karen Kelly | Special to the Times Vedette

The MJB Library has planned a family-friendly event for Peep-le of all ages. On Saturday, March 21, the MJB Library invites patrons to join us from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to build a diorama featuring Peeps marshmallow characters.  

The challenge is to construct a shoebox-sized diorama featuring at least one Peep, inspired by a family-friendly book, movie, TV show or creative theme of your choice. Using recycled materials, magazines, paint, pipe cleaners and other craft supplies, teams should bring their Peep-sterpiece to life. 

Here are the rules:

  1. Diorama must include at least one Peep Marshmallow candy.
  2. Entries must be family-friendly.
  3. Diorama base must be no larger than a shoebox and must be free-standing. 
  4. Dioramas must be either constructed at the event on Saturday, March 21, or constructed at home and submitted to the library by close on Friday, March 20. 
  5. Teamwork is welcome. This is an all-age contest. We encourage families and friends to work together. 
  6. Entries will be displayed from March 23 to April 2. The winner will be selected on April 1.
  7. Please pick up your entry between April 4 and 11.  Unclaimed entries will be discarded. 

Teams who come to the library on March 21 should bring a shoebox and any other supplies they would like. The library will provide some craft supplies and Peeps for participants to use. Preregistration is appreciated. 

Plans are underway for our summer reading program. This year’s theme is Plant a seed, Read! The reading program will take place in June.  Registration is now open to sign up for all the fun.  

Some highlights that are planned for participants include several programs that are paid for with funds received through Communities 4 Children and Community Partnerships for Protecting Children’s neighborhood/Community Network Mini Grants. Those programs include Science Heroes on Monday, June 8; Mesozoic Adventures by Toby Kid Funny Farm on Thursday, June 18; and the Summer Reading Program Prize Party and Mega Foam Cannon by Absolute Science on Friday, June 26.

Upcoming library events include a program presented by New Opportunities about behavioral health services on Thursday, March 12, at 2 p.m.  The program will be in the Taylor Meeting Room. 

Community members are invited to join any of the MJB Library’s ongoing programs and groups. Weekly adult groups include Cribbage on Monday from 9-11 a.m. and bridge class on Wednesday from 9-11 a.m. On Monday from 4-6 p.m., Craft and Connect meets to work on craft projects and socialize. 

For preschool, weekly story hour meets each Friday at 10 a.m. In March, the themes will include St. Patrick’s Day on March 13, spring on March 20, and bunnies on March 27. Join us for a craft and stories. 

Remember to add the library’s monthly events to your calendar as well.  On the second Tuesday of each month, the afternoon book club, Between the Covers, meets at 3 p.m. The fourth Tuesday of the month, the Reads Well With Others evening book club meets. On March 24 at 5 p.m., the group will be discussing Sandwich by Catherine Newman.  Books for book clubs are available for checkout at the front desk. 

Card-making class, which takes place on the third Thursday of each month from 9-11 a.m., will be on March 19. Remember that all materials are provided for a $5 fee to cover the cost of supplies needed to design one-of-a-kind greeting cards. Also, on the third Thursday at 6 p.m., the cookbook club meets to sample and discuss recipes from the cookbook chosen for the month. The March cookbook will be “Taste of Home: Pizza, Pasta, and More.” Stop by the library to select a recipe to make and bring to the meeting. 

The regular monthly events for youth include Creation Corner, which will be on Wednesday, March 18 at 2 p.m.  Registration for the event is appreciated. Youth of all ages are welcome. 

To register for events, visit the MJB Library website calendar at www.guthriecenter.lib.ia.us

A reminder that the Friends of the Guthrie Center Library are having a membership drive. Those who pay their $25 membership dues by March 31 are entered in a drawing for a bag of literary treats valued at $100. 

Rich Monthei is sharing part of his collection of Fenton Glass with the MJB Library on loan during the month of March.

These creative youth built leprechaun traps at LEGO Mania Day on March 4.

Sheri Wetzel’s Country Quilt is on display at the MJB Library during the month of March. Stop in and take a look at her lovely work.

Participants of the LEGO Mania challenge proudly show off their leprechaun traps. Logan (center) won the prize for best trap, which was a copy of the book “How to Catch a Leprechaun.”