Special to the Times Vedette

A total of 12 players participated on Feb. 10. Kathy Feilmeier and Bill Sheeder each got a 20. Rhonda Titus, Clint Malbon and Allen Pierce each got a 16. 

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.

Special to the Times Vedette

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reported multiple car burglary and theft reports, involving stolen wallets, cash and debit/credit cards at Diamondhead Lake occurring on Feb. 4. 

The Sheriff’s Office received home security footage of the suspects and the vehicle and also lifted fingerprints off one of the victims’ vehicles, presumed to be that of one of the suspects.

A press release from the Sheriff’s Office stated they discovered that one of the stolen credit cards was used at the Wal-Mart and Lowes stores in West Des Moines. Security footage from both stores were provided to the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office showing the suspects committing the transactions. The suspects were identified as being the same individuals from the victim’s residences and could be seen entering and leaving the stores in the same vehicle.

The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office was requested to assist, and their license plate readers confirmed that the registered owner of the vehicle was located in Kansas. It was discovered that the vehicle’s registered owner admitted his son and his son’s girlfriend had taken his vehicle approximately 30 days prior and he has not seen them since.

When running a driver’s license check through Kansas, the suspects can be 100% identified and confirmed as being the suspects in the Lowes/Wal-Mart security footage. The suspects are believed to be out of the area and continuing their crime spree in the same manner.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reminds residents to lock vehicle doors and to not leave items of value in vehicles overnight.

Criminal charges are pending.

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

At the Feb. 10 meeting of the Panora City Council, City Administrator Lisa Grossman provided details about a Subaward Agreement with the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for the Renewable Energy Mobile Microgrid Project.

“This is the $414,500 grant that we were awarded. We are responsible for 15%, so it’s about $70,000 or a little less than that,” Grossman said.

The council unanimously approved Resolution 25-07, which is the agreement for the project. The description of the proposed project includes: “The proposed mitigation activity will create an innovative, versatile, and scalable solution that will greatly increase the resiliency of the community and provide several substantial benefits, both in terms of operational reliability and environmental sustainability. The project will be comprised of a stationary photovoltaic (PV) solar array and a portable battery trailer that will be placed at the city’s Wastewater Lagoon to provide backup power to the aerators and allow continuous operation of the facility even when power is not available from the grid.”

The city received a letter from the Lake Panorama Association (LPA), stating that the LPA has set a water rate of $9.31 per thousand gallons for the two-year period beginning July 1, 2025.

Council member Roger Dorr said he attended the recent meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, and there are plans to replace the “entrance signs” welcoming visitors to Panora.

The next regular meeting of the Panora council is set for Feb. 24 at 5:30 p.m. The public is welcome. Interested persons may attend in person or electronically by visiting the website https://meet.goto.com/cityofpanora or by phone 1-312-757-3121 (Access Code 295-099-701, Audio PIN 220#).

Curtis Nickel is enjoying a brief trip back to Guthrie County.

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

For most anyone who has moved away, coming back home can be a special joy. But, for some, that is a much longer trip than others. Curtis Nickel, a 1983 graduate of Guthrie Center High School, recently came back to visit family, and he took the time to tell the story of where life has taken him.

Nickel is a U.S. Navy veteran who now lives in Thailand.

“I work in the oil and gas industry, driving what they call a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) in the water,” Nickel said. “We do underwater construction, and we do the inspections on drill rigs. We do a lot of pipeline inspections.”

On this homecoming trip, Nickel has been able to visit his parents (Janet Clark and Wayne Nickel) and his sister (Alicia Ciesielski), but he’ll soon be heading back to Thailand. Moving there was not something Nickel had planned.

“I’ve been working in the Gulf of Thailand for the last five years. Prior to that, I was working worldwide,” Nickel said. “As far as how I got to Thailand, I was working in Cypress, and some people from Thailand came and worked on the boat I was on, and they said I should come to Thailand, so I did. That was in 2013.”

When Nickel is working, he is out at sea for weeks at a time, working shifts on a “12 hours on, 12 hours off” rotation. But he says he enjoys the job and has adjusted well to life in Thailand, although there were numerous challenges.

“It’s nice, but I had to get used to driving on the opposite side of the road,” Nickel said. “And the food is different — the spiciness of the food.”

The biggest challenge for Nickel was the language.

“The communication is the hardest part, but most people there speak English to some extent,” Nickel said. “I’m not fluent, but I’ve I studied the alphabet. There are four different consonants and 33 vowels. I can recognize them.”

Nickel also had to adjust to an urban setting, living in a city with a population of 1.2 million.

“Everybody drives a motorbike or a scooter over there,” he said.

Nickel says he has enjoyed the climate in Thailand.

“Thailand is warm year-round. I usually golf about three days a week, even though my score doesn’t reflect that,” Nickel said.

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

On Thursday, Feb. 6, No. 12 ACGC girls basketball (18-1) defeated Coon Rapids-Bayard (14-4) at home in a close contest. Coon Rapids-Bayard led by the end of the first quarter, 9-6. ACGC had the best quarter of either team in the second, scoring 18 points, giving the Chargers a 24-18 lead into half. ACGC was able to extend its lead in each of the last two quarters by one point to give the Chargers the eight-point win. ACGC makes a quick return to the court when the team travels to Pleasantville tonight, Friday, Feb. 7. The Chargers won last year in dominant fashion, 66-11.

By Lilah Heinz | Special to the Times Vedette

ACGC FFA prides itself on having 207 members receive the Iowa FFA Degree. During the month of January, the chapter added 10 more members to the wall of fame displayed in the school. The Iowa FFA Degree is the highest rank that can be conferred upon active members by the Iowa FFA Association. Those who receive the degree are selected for nomination by the State Committee according to provisions in the Iowa FFA Constitution.

Students in the chapter must meet the following requirements to be eligible for the Iowa Degree:

• be an active member for the chapter for 24 months or more
• have completed 360 hours of instruction in the Agriculture classroom while in high school.
• have earned and invested $1,000 or more than 300 hours in excess of scheduled class time or have a combination of both of these
• have served 25 hours of community service

The following members who qualified this year will be recognized at the Iowa State FFA Leadership Conference April 15, 2025.

Bryce Betts is a senior member with a beef production SAE project where he manages his cow/calf operation on his family farm. He keeps track of the profit brought in from selling calves from his herd each year.

Emmarae Ellis is a senior member of the chapter with a beef production SAE where she purchases a market steer and feeds it out on her family’s farm before selling to the packing plant. She also held an agriscience research project that she conducted during her freshman year. She keeps track of the profit made off her market animals each year.

Gracie Hodges is a junior member of the chapter and holds a beef production SAE project. Here, she maintains her cow/calf herd on her family farm. She keeps track of the finances of the operation as well as profit brought in from selling her calves.

William Kading holds a beef production SAE project and is a senior member of the ACGC FFA chapter. He is actively growing his cow/calf herd that he started with his grandfather when he was a freshman. He keeps track of his hours worked on the farm and the profit made off selling calves from the herd each year.

Lucy Knutter is a junior member of the FFA chapter and works in agriculture service with her placement SAE project, keeping track of the hours she has worked at Pioneers Pub and Grub, which is a local restaurant in Casey. She is also currently serving as the chapter’s secretary.

Chase Slaybaugh maintains an agriculture service SAE project working at Guthrie Livestock Auction house throughout the year. He keeps track of the hours that he works there and tracks the profit based on his income. Chase is a junior member of the chapter. He is also currently serving as the chapter sentinel.

Blaise Tallman is a senior member of the FFA chapter and is currently serving as the chapter treasurer. He holds an agriculture service SAE project working at a Prime Time in Guthrie Center, which is a local restaurant. He keeps track of hours worked and profit made from his efforts.

Tyler Thomas holds a beef placement SAE project where he works for Bull Sheeder Farms just outside of Guthrie Center. Here, he helps to maintain their cow/calf operation throughout the year. He is a senior member of the FFA chapter. He keeps track of his hours worked and profit made.

Irelyn Wirt is a junior member of the chapter and holds a beef production SAE project. She runs a cow/calf operation on her family farm from the breeding heifers she showed the previous year. She keeps track of her animals in her herd and profit made from selling the offspring.

Casey Young is a junior member of the chapter and holds a turfgrass management SAE project where he works for the Lake Panorama National Golf Course as a groundskeeper and maintenance worker. He keeps track of his hours worked and income made.