By Susan Thompson | Times Vedette

The Panora Women’s Service Organization (WSO) annual holiday luncheon will be Friday, Dec. 6. This is the 51^st year for this fundraising event. The luncheon will be held at Faith Bible Church, which is north of Panora on Highway 4.

Serving begins at noon. As guests arrive, they can purchase raffle tickets and sign up for door prizes. The meal includes ham balls, dinner rolls and a large variety of salads made by WSO members.

Tickets are $20 and will be available beginning Nov. 1. Tickets can be purchased from any WSO member, at the Panora Library, or by contacting Sue Merryman at 641-751-5956 or Barb Halupnik at 641-740-7773.

Proceeds from the WSO holiday luncheon help fund local projects and make it possible to provide a $500 scholarship to one Panorama High School graduating senior each year, which can be renewed annually for up to three years. In most years, WSO is providing $2,000 in scholarship money to four Panorama graduates.

Another major fundraising event for WSO is an annual home tour, which in 2025 will be Friday, June 6. This will be the 49^th WSO home tour. Tickets for this event will be limited, so those interested will want to contact their usual ticket seller in early May.

The holiday luncheon and home tour will secure this year’s scholarships, plus make it possible to donate to other local causes. Some of those include Tori’s Angels, Panora Library, Heritage Park, Guthrie County Historical Village, Guthrie County Food Pantry, and the Panora Garden Club Main Street petunia trees and flower pots.

Special to the Times Vedette

Guthrie County Deputy Sheriff Shane Jones reported a fatal single-vehicle accident occurring  on Oct. 14 at approximately 2:50 a.m.  Deputy Jones received a 911 call advising a vehicle had been located in a field near Frontier Road, just north of White Pole Road. The caller advised the vehicle had the airbags deployed, but no people could be found around the vehicle. Dispatch requested Adair County page out Adair Fire and Rescue, who arrived on scene a short time later.

Deputy Jones arrived on scene at 3:21 a.m. Upon arrival, he had been notified an occupant presumably from the vehicle had been located and was deceased. He observed a 2004 white Kia Optima sitting in a pasture. The vehicle was facing southeast and had extensive damage to all parts of the vehicle. No registration plates were located. The deceased individual, later identified as Ross Ingalise, 41, of Omaha, Nebraska, was lying face down approximately 30 feet north of the vehicle.

 Deputy Jones was able to locate a money clip containing $55 and a driver’s license belonging in Ingalise’s front right pocket. The accident report stated that it did not appear as if Ingalise had been wearing a seatbelt. The front driver’s airbag had been deployed, as well as the side airbag on the driver’s side. All four doors were still closed, but the driver’s door had been bent open toward the top of the door from the impact of the crash, and the window was completely broken out.

Deputy Jones stated that it appeared Ingalise was traveling northbound on White Pole Road when the vehicle left the roadway. The roadway began to curve to the east but Ingalise continued straight, entering a ditch and continuing north. Ingalise continued north through the ditch until he struck an embankment along the side of Frontier Road. Frontier Road is just north of White Pole Road, and the intersection of the two roads is just to the east of where Ingalise struck the embankment. This caused the vehicle to go airborne while still traveling north. The vehicle continued through the air for several yards and struck the top hall of a telephone pole, causing the pole to snap in two. The vehicle continued through the air after striking the pole for several more yards until landing in a fence row of a pasture. Alter landing, the vehicle traveled through the fence at some point, ejecting Ingalise as the vehicle turned back to the southeast

A medical examiner arrived on scene, as well as a local funeral home agent, who transported Ingalise to the State Medical Examiner’s Office.

Special to the Times Vedette

Nine members of Linden Chapter, Panora, Order of the Eastern Star, served breakfast for the Redfield Legion members, Saturday, Oct. 12 at the Legion Hall in Redfield. In turn, a thank you was given along with a monetary donation for Retrieving Freedom and Linden’s Chapter’s Scholarship Fund. Those serving were Joyce and Frank Keeran, Marilyn and Larry Culver, Carol and Jack Nelson, Shirley Hughes, Virginia Armstrong and Mary Jo Laughery.

Special to the Times Vedette

The Casey Service Club will be holding a Trunk or Treat event on Sunday, Oct. 27 on McPherson Street. Trunk set-up is from 3-4 p.m., and Trunk or Treating will be from 4-5 p.m. Hot dogs will be served until they are gone. 

Special to the Times Vedette

The Northern lights were in view on Thursday evening near Bagley. Photographer Betty Cooper captured these images of the lights glowing over rows of corn yet to be harvested. Northern lights, or aurora borealis, are a natural light display in the sky. The dynamic patterns of brilliant lights can appear as curtains, rays, spirals or dynamic flickers.

Photos by Betty Cooper

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

On Oct. 10, the Jamaica Public Library hosted a “meet and greet” led by Mary Porter, Guthrie County RSVP 55-plus Volunteer Program Coordinator. Porter’s co-presenter was her puppet, Suzi Q.

Porter and Suzi Q discussed the free services available through RSVP to citizens 55 or older or to citizens who experience a disability. RSVP is funded by Americorps through Boone County Hospital. RSVP offers respite companionship, in-home visits, grocery shopping and other supports.

Porter can be reached at Lakeside Village or by calling 641-431-0132. She summarized the purpose of her visit to Jamaica.

“We recruit volunteers, but we also seek people in your community who could benefit from our services,” Porter said.