Special to the Times Vedette

Maddox Hammerstrom, a student at Northwestern College in Orange City, earned a spot on the Academic Dean’s List for the fall 2024 semester.

The Dean’s List is comprised of students who have achieved a semester grade point average of 3.50 or above while carrying a minimum of 12 graded hours. This semester, 524 students qualified for the Dean’s List. Of them, 322 students earned a GPA of 3.75 or higher and are considered Collegiate Scholars, designated with an asterisk.

Hammerstrom is a junior majoring in business administration/finance from Panora. 

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

For anyone mourning the loss of a loved one, an upcoming class/workshop is available at First Presbyterian Church in Jefferson.

“Understanding Your Grief – Ten Essential Touchstones for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart” will be facilitated by Carla Kem of LBSW Hospice of the Midwest and Bill Kem and Wendy Pittman, pastors at First Presbyterian Church in Jefferson.

The 10-week program will begin Wednesday, March 5 and run through Wednesday, May 7. The time will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the location will be First Presbyterian Church, 208 W. State St. in Jefferson. The cost is $30 cash or check at the first session for the book and journal. Financial assistance is available.

Registration is limited to 15. Call 515-386-2514 weekdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to register.

Special to the Times Vedette

Allen Pierce and Sandt Rumelhart each got two 16s, Dick Ellis got a 16, and Jane Barcus was all smiles with 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

On Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9, football fans and non-fans alike will be busy organizing meals and snacks to enjoy during the big game that evening. For lunchtime, here’s an easy option. Casey United Methodist Church is offering a “Grab and Go” lasagna meal that includes bread stick, side salad, dessert and a bottle of water. The cost is $12 with $1 from each meal going to the Adair Casey Food Pantry. Call or text Chelsi at 641-740-1302 to reserve your meals. Pickup will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

From the Iowa Department of Natural Resources

The Iowa DNR will be holding one training opportunity for people interested in becoming  volunteer bald eagle nest monitors. The workshop will be held via Zoom on Sunday, Feb. 9 from 1-4 p.m., and seats are limited. Participants are welcomed statewide but be aware that most known nests in Polk, Johnson, Linn and Story counties are covered so volunteers in these counties may need to travel some distance to monitor a nest.

Community science volunteers have been helping to monitor Iowa’s eagle population since 2006. In 2024, they monitored almost 400 nests. Prospective monitors who attend a workshop will learn about this program and how to get involved and monitor a nest in their area of the state.

To be a bald eagle nest monitor, you must have a good pair of binoculars and preferably a spotting scope. DNR staff will try to match you up with a nest near your home base. The time commitment for conducting the survey and submitting data is roughly eight hours total between March and July each year, depending on travel time, and will require multiple visits to a nest.

The workshop has limited seats available, and the registration fee is $5, which covers the cost of materials and postage. Registration for this workshop will close on Thursday, Feb. 6 or whenever the attendance limit is reached.

Have questions? The VWMP webpage may help answer them.  If you wish to be placed on a waiting list for this workshop or a notification list for future workshops, email Stephanie Shepherd at vwmp@dnr.iowa.gov.

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

During the regular meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 28, a public hearing was held regarding the proposed Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Budget Amendment No. 1.

County Auditor Dani Fink summarized the budget amendment data.

“In total, the total expenditures to be amended is $446,729. And with the offset of revenue, it would be General Basic taking a hit of $277,899,” Fink said.

Supervisor Brian Johnson asked how much the county has in General Basic Reserves and how this would impact that amount.

Fink said the General Basic Reserves would drop from $2.9 million to a projected $2.4 million.

The supervisors approved the budget amendment as presented.

Eric Reinhart, chair of the Guthrie County Compensation Board, reported on the board’s most recent meeting. He reported that the board reviewed the compensation requests from the county’s various departments and also looked at data on how Guthrie County pay compares to other similar counties.

“We had a good discussion,” Reinhart said. “The general consensus is, our population rank was 67^th, but our pay is usually seven to 10 spots behind that, as far as county rank. So, when we looked at that, we came up with a number of 7% as our recommendation.”

Reinhart also pointed out that because other counties will also be implementing compensation increases, this would only be a first step in getting “caught up” pay-wise.

Board Chair Maggie Armstrong thanked Reinhart and the compensation board for their work and recommendation. No action was taken by the supervisors at this time.

As part of the county’s budgeting process, the supervisors heard proposed budgetary information from three departments (Auditor, Recorder and Treasurer).

The next meeting of the supervisors will be Tuesday, Feb. 4 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#.