By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
In honor of American Heart Month, First Christian Church (105 N. Fourth St. in Guthrie Center) is hosting a blood drive by LifeServe Blood Center on Thursday, Feb. 20 from 2:30-6 p.m. To schedule a donation, call 800-287-4903 or go to www.lifeservebloodcenter.org.
**Denotes a 4.0 GPA
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The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office was notified on Feb. 11 by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office about an active sex abuse investigation and authorities believe the crime occurred in Guthrie County.
It was alleged that on Feb. 3, a 14-year-old female ran away from home in Des Moines and was approached by an unknown adult male near QuikTrip. The male offered to buy the female alcohol and drive around, to which the female agreed to.
The female became intoxicated throughout the night and eventually lost consciousness.
When the female awoke, she was in the male’s residence where the two had sexual intercourse.
The next morning, the male dropped off the female at or near her high school, and the female reported the incident to local law enforcement.
Due to the help of license plate readers and security footage, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office was able to identify a vehicle and suspect of interest.
The 14-year-old female positively identified the suspect as being Max Pierce, 39, of Panora. She also identified his vehicle.
The female explained Pierce’s residence in detail and shared her observations.
The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Pierce’s residence on Feb. 12 at 12:20 p.m. Evidence was seized pursuant to the search warrant.
Pierce was present and interviewed. He admitted to having sex with the female and taking her to school the next morning.
Pierce was arrested for sex abuse third degree and transported to the Guthrie County Jail. Additional charges are pending.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
“Oh, what a beautiful mornin’, oh, what a beautiful day. I’ve got a wonderful feeling, everything’s going my way.”
My friend Jim brightened my morning by singing that song during a vacation our families spent together a few years ago. I told him I loved his attitude. His son, Jack, gave an eye roll and told me his dad sings that song every morning. Why not?
Some of you know “Oh, what a beautiful mornin’ ” is the opening song for the “Oklahoma!” musical and premiered on Broadway in 1943. It was written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and sung in the original musical by Curly McLain. Personally, I prefer Jim’s version. Regardless, you are likely going to struggle to get this song out of your head for the remainder of the day, and that’s a good thing.
One of my original goals in creating this newsletter was to bring a smile to the faces of our readers. Meanwhile, I receive orders from a handful of you telling me I need to tackle contentious subjects locally and from around the world. On a rare occasion I do, but, more often than not, I simply want to make you smile with something other than political banter, federal funding cuts, or Aaron Rodgers updates. There is enough anger and division in the world today, and you have hundreds of news sources to find that — with more on the way. We might all do better by listening to the words of author and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar: “A positive attitude will have positive results because attitudes are contagious.”
How about you? Do you have a song, phrase, prayer or meditation that starts your day off right? I hope that you do and that you will join my friend Jim and me and have a beautiful day. I have a wonderful feeling everything will go your way.
Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707
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A total of eight players participated on Feb. 14. Sandy Rumelhart, Rhonda Titus and Robert Klever each got a 16. Richard Ellis had two 16s, and Bill Sheeder won the kitty with a 16 and an 18.
A total of 10 players participated on Feb. 17. Rhonda Titus and Dennis Betts each got a 16. Sandy Rumelhart got a 17. Joanne Zeiser had a 16 and a 20.
The Guthrie Center cribbage players generally meet at Guthrie Center Library on Mondays at 8 a.m., at the New Homestead independent living rec room at 8 a.m. on Wednesdays, and at the Guthrie Center Activity Center 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.
By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
Earlier this week, a fire occurred at Leonard Automotive (501 E. Market St. in Panora). No injuries were sustained, but significant property damage occurred. Dawn Shepherd, who works as secretary at the business, provided an update on behalf of owner David Leonard.
“Monday evening, Tuesday morning, the police department knocked on the back door and told David that his building was on fire,” Shepherd said. “He ran to the front of the building, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and realized how bad it was.”
“Panora Fire Department responded, and Guthrie County Sheriff’s Department, and Panora Police Department,” Shepherd said. “We lost a substantial amount in the shop.”
Leonard plans to continue working in a temporary location and to rebuild the business.
“We will be rebuilding, hopefully in the same location,” Shepherd said. “We are looking for an empty shop that we could rent for a couple months while the rebuilding takes place. Right now, we’re waiting to hear the cause of the fire.”
Shepherd said the community has been supportive.
“It’s just devastating, but a lot of our customers have been dropping off gift cards or pizza during our clean up. They’ve been really good,” Shepherd said.