By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

Anyone interested in becoming trained by the National Weather Service as a storm spotter is welcome to attend an upcoming session. There is no cost. Available sessions include:

• Monday, March 16 in Adams County, 7-8:30 p.m. at 905 David Ave., Corning
• Tuesday, March 24, 1-2:30 p.m. (virtual)
• Thursday, April 2 in Audubon County, 6:30-8 p.m., at 106 N. Jefferson St., Exira
• Tuesday, April 14, 1-2:30 p.m. (virtual)
• Tuesday, April 14, 7-8:30 p.m. (virtual)

To attend a virtual session, registration is required beforehand on the National Weather Service Des Moines website, or click this link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8839590155738495576

For in person sessions, registration beforehand is not needed.

Special to the Times Vedette

The Iowa Cattlemen’s Association (ICA) looks forward to welcoming leaders of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) back to Iowa. Colin Woodall, NCBA CEO, and Ethan Lane, NCBA senior vice president of government affairs, will join ICA in late March for a series of farm visits, industry partner tours and an evening producer meeting on March 31 at 5:30 p.m. at the Story County Fairgrounds Community Building.

ICA invites cattle producers and industry stakeholders to join in this informational meeting to hear from Woodall and Lane as they share their unique perspectives on the U.S. cattle industry and the political landscape in Washington, D.C. They will share a straightforward discussion of the key policy priorities and red flags that have their attention. From past events, one of the most valuable components of these meetings has been the candid question-and-answer session.

 “We are fortunate that NCBA prioritizes visits and engaging with producers across the U.S.,” said Bryan Whaley, ICA CEO. “This is an opportune time for Iowa cattle producers to come out and learn about what is happening at the federal level, but more so, share their perspectives so that our NCBA team can go back and more effectively lobby for us based on firsthand interactions.”

The NCBA team in D.C. has been hard at work. They use real input from cattle producers across the U.S. to influence and drive their lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill. ICA wants to ensure that Iowa cattle producers’ voices are represented. We encourage cattle producers to join us for the producer meeting to help elevate our members’ policy priorities and issues, and create a stronger narrative for NBCA to use in their efforts.

 “Our advocacy in Washington is only as strong as the voices behind it, and Iowa cattle producers are an essential part of that effort,” said Ethan Lane, NCBA senior vice president of government affairs. “Every conversation we have on the ground helps shape the policies we push for in D.C. We’re grateful for the opportunity to hear directly from producers, understand what’s working, and tackle the challenges they’re facing head‑on. These visits ensure that when we walk into a meeting on Capitol Hill, we’re bringing real‑world experience and real producer priorities with us.”

Producer meeting details: Tuesday, March 31 at the Story County Fairgrounds Community Building (90 I Ave, Nevada, Iowa). The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a social, followed by dinner at 6:00 p.m. Free for ICA members, $20 meal cost for non-members. While an RSVP is not required, it is appreciated. RSVP to ICA at 515-296-2266.

Special to the Times Vedette

On March 11, a total of eight players participated. Dick Ellis got two 16s; Robert Klever got a 16’ Sandy Rumelhart got an 18 and a 20; and Dave Richter got a 20.

The Guthrie Center cribbage players generally meet at Guthrie Center Library, 400 Grand St., on Mondays at 8 a.m. and at the New Homestead independent living dining hall, 2306 State St., at 8 a.m. on Wednesdays and 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

The Guthrie County Board of Supervisors met in regular session March 10. No citizens addressed the supervisors during the Public Comments portion of the meeting.

Public Health Director Jotham Arber provided an update on Guthrie County First Responders.

“We have First Responders now in our northern parts. We have Bayard now responding fully; we have four responders in Bayard. We have two in Bagley, we have two in Jamaica, and there are four in Yale,” Arber said.

Arber also provided an update on First Responder classes ongoing.

“We’re doing that in Adair and in Bayard. We meet on Monday and Wednesday nights in Bayard, and then they’re meeting on Monday in Adair,” Arber said. “As of February, our students had the highest grade point average and the highest pass percentage, so kudos to them.”

Arber shared that these efforts are helping to decrease response times for those in need of medical assistance.

“The goal is to help the ambulances, and I think we’re seeing that,” he said. “Our ambulances are working really well with the First Responders.”

Supervisor Steve Smith asked about availability of First Responders in the west central portion of the county, since that is an area with generally longer response times.

“Yes, we have two First Responders that are west of and in what I would call the dead zone. So they would be able to respond directly to patients,” Arber said.

County Auditor Dani Fink also shared information during the budget workshop session.

The supervisors meet regularly on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. The public is welcome to attend in person at the courthouse or via remote technology. To join remotely, call 323-792-6123, then use meeting code 547029216#

By Shane Goodman | Times Vedette

The board of directors of the Panorama Community School District met at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, March 9 for two public hearings and the regular board meeting. Although several items were on the agenda, the one of most interest to those in attendance was the approval of the 2026-2027 School Calendar, which included the proposed change to a four-day school week.

Approximately 20 people were at the meeting, and discussion became somewhat heated in the public hearing that was related to the topic. Ultimately, the change was approved by a 4-1 vote with directors Deb Westergaard, Clint Deardorff, Damon Crandall and Heidi Clark voting in favor and Mark Cates voting against. 

See our normal coverage of the Panorama School Board meeting in Friday’s Times Vedette.