By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
Linden United Methodist Church will hold a freewill offering ice cream social on Saturday, July 26, 5-7 p.m. at 106 N. Evans St. in Linden. The public is welcome to come enjoy homemade ice cream, pies, cakes and beef burgers.
By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
Distracted driving is a leading cause of vehicle crashes, and electronic devices are a common cause for those distractions. Because of this, Iowa is now one of more than 30 states that have implemented laws to address the use of electronic devices while driving.
On April 2, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed Iowa Senate File 22 into law, effective July 1, 2025. The new law, commonly known as Iowa’s “hands-free driving law,” aims to make our roadways safer by prohibiting drivers from using electronics while driving, unless the device is used hands-free.
The main devices causing distracted driving are cell phones, but the law also covers the use of laptops, tablets, gaming devices and PDAs (personal digital assistant devices).
Under the law, drivers may not hold a phone, type, scroll, enter GPS coordinates, stream video, view content, or make calls unless voice activated. Options to stay hands-free include phone mounts, auxiliary cables, speakerphone features, Bluetooth and other voice command systems.
One commonly misunderstood part of the new law stipulates that, even while stopped at a red light or a train crossing, drivers are prohibited from holding or using electronic devices. Therefore, if a driver needs to interact with such a device, the law requires the vehicle to be stopped and off the traveled portion of the roadway.
Law enforcement officers will give warnings on violations through 2025 with fines set to begin Jan. 1, 2026.
Special to the Times Vedette
Lindsay Gilland resigned this week as the director of Main Street Guthrie Center, citing family reasons and a desire to be at home more. She will continue to help with the program until another director is hired.
“I am grateful for Main Street and will still be involved, as this program is very important to me,” Gilland said.
Anyone interested in applying for the director position should email mainstreetgc@netins.net or call 641-332-2674.
By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
During the July 22 meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Steve Smith asked about the county’s status on efforts to create a countywide EMS service plan.
“Either we close the book on it, or we dive in again, starting very soon,” Smith said.
Board members discussed that if they choose to actively pursue an EMS plan, there are many steps to the process with specific timelines. No formal action was taken at this time.
Guthrie County Attorney Dana Minteer provided a quarterly departmental update. Minteer said exact case counts are difficult to specify at any given moment because of the various types of cases and how they are coded.
“We have approximately 30 active district court cases, which are B felonies and above, roughly 80 district associated court cases, and then approximately 32 magistrate cases,” Minteer said. “We have 96 active payment plans. We have 33 payments plans that have prepared and sent out, and we’re just waiting for those individuals to get those back to us. We have 57 plans that have been revoked.”
Minteer talked about the value of body camera video footage for any jury trial cases. She said juries in Guthrie County seem much more likely to vote for a conviction when video evidence is available.
Minteer was asked about the most common illegal drugs seen in Guthrie County cases.
“A lot of meth. We see a fair amount of marijuana,” Minteer said. “We have had a few fentanyl cases, but not many, which is good.”
Health Services Director Jotham Arber gave a departmental update. He shared information on plans for upcoming health fairs.
“We are going to be doing a health fair at every one of our school districts this fall,” Arber said. “The goal is, one, to offer free dental screenings through Crawford County. Two, is to offer a physical. Three, to bring our own health professionals out there to talk about what resources we have.”
Jessi Heimerman, Chief Deputy in the Assessor’s department, presented a list of the various credit and exemption applications received, including the Homestead Tax Credit and other similar credits/exemptions. After discussion, the supervisors approved the applications as recommended by Heimerman.
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#.
Left to right: Jessica Davis and Cheinie Case, service club members and Stacey and Matt Wedemeyer, recipients.
Special to the Times Vedette
The 2025 Citizens of the Year for 2025 are Matt and Stacey Wedemeyer.
Matt, a Casey native, started his love of community when he was a toddler. He and his brother were in the kids parade and then later the big parade with their various organizations. His real community service projects started from 4-H membership with the Way-Out Walnuts and then when he was a member of the AC FFA group. He served in various leadership roles through both organizations.
After completing college, Matt came home to farm and sell real estate and decided to run for the Adair County Supervisor seat in his district. He won the election and has represented Adair County as a supervisor.
He and Stacey married and immediately immersed themselves in remodeling projects from their rental home business to the beautiful former funeral home. They decided to continue their entrepreneur efforts by purchasing Howard Messinger’s barber shop and turning it into Stacey’s dream of owning an ice cream shop — the Casey Creamery.
Stacey, a registered nurse, has spent years taking care of others. One of the highlights of her career were her years as the ACGC elementary nurse. She enjoyed looking after the children’s medical needs. She did it all from giving prescriptions, evaluating potential broken bones to passing out an occasional aspirin along with very special band aids. She has been available when needed for community service in her various hometowns.
Stacey has been the Casey Service Club president for the last two years and before that was willing to help with many community events. Her empathy and compassion for others is where she gained her knowledge of wanting to go into the nursing field. From a young age, she was watching out for others. At one time, she had five sets of grandparents. She loved all of them. So, in her field of nursing, she came by it naturally. With her determination and compassion, she has been the go-getter. When she moved to Casey, she found her town and made it her own.
The latest acquisition for Matt and Stacey is the former grocery store purchased from Marge Sublett. This building has been rehabilitated from top to bottom, making it a dual-purpose building with a two-bedroom apartment on the upper level and a new retail store, Hometown Basics, on the main. The apartment is furnished for extended stay or a quiet weekend getaway.
Both Matt and Stacey have embraced the history of the community. With the restoration of the buildings, they have tried to keep some of the characteristics of the original buildings intact while giving them an updated look.
Special to the Times Vedette
Guthrie County Deputy Sheriff Josh Armstrong reported a car vs. dog accident occurring at 4:40 p.m. on July 18 on Frontier Road. Elisha Brogan, 44, of Bradford, Ohio, was driving a 2021 Ford Ranger south on Frontier Road when a dog chasing a UTV ran onto the highway in front of the Ranger from the property at 2667 Frontier Road. The dog was struck and killed. Estimated damage to the Ranger is $1,501.