Guthrie County Times Vedette

FRIDAY, FEB. 14, 2025

Hold off on the chocolates for a moment

Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your sweetheart. Before you open your card or taste the chocolates, you may want to smell the roses, as the history of Valentine’s Day may surprise you.

Many of you may recall that St. Valentine was executed on Feb. 14, and, as unfortunate as that was, the holiday’s deeper roots are equally creepy.

Valentine’s Day dates back to ancient Rome and the festival of Lupercalia, which was created to celebrate and encourage fertility. That sounds encouraging enough, but the practices were much different than how most of us celebrate Valentine’s Day now — unless animal sacrifices are part of your festivities.

Yes, Lupercalia began with the killing of animals, a strange ritual that was an integral part of Roman culture. No bunnies or kittens, but it was a slaughter all the same. According to the Color Meanings website, goats were typically killed, and their blood was smeared on the foreheads of priests (called Luperci) who were at the celebration. Afterwards, the blood was wiped from their foreheads with wool soaked in milk. The skin of the sacrificed animals was then touched to women in order to increase their fertility. And who said the Romans weren’t romantic?

And now you also know why red — the color of blood — is the color of Valentine’s Day. The same website shares how red is also the color of heightened emotions and how, in nature, it is a color of warning. In addition, red is linked to a range of different emotions including anger, passion, love, aggression, passion and intensity.

St. Valentine is believed to have been beheaded. As a result, some say the blood-red color of Valentine’s Day is connected to the holiday’s namesake. On a more positive note, red was one of the most luxurious, rare and expensive colors for textiles in the early days. The gift of red fabric was also a special one, as it was hard to come by.

I am going with the Greek mythology explanation for the connection of red to love, as noted in the Color Meanings website. The goddess of love, Aphrodite, loved a mortal named Adonis. When Adonis was dying, Aphrodite rushed toward him and stepped on the thorn of a white rose. Her blood stained the white rose completely red, and, according to the myth, this was the first red rose on Earth. That sounds a lot better that smearing dead goat blood on people.

Now you can open that card and the box of chocolates.

Have a happy Valentine’s Day, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital newsletter
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

Guthrie County supervisors hear budget presentations

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

During the regular meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors on Thursday, Feb. 13, the supervisors heard budget presentations from two department heads.

County Attorney Dana Minteer highlighted the budgetary line items with changes from the previous budget.

Regarding the revenue from the county’s collections program, Minteer explained her projection.

“I have an estimate at the end of the fiscal year that the portion going to my office would be about $9,000,” she said.

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	Snow rules for Guthrie Center, Panora, Casey

	By Rich Wicks \| Times Vedette Although this winter season has seen little snowfall to date, that trend is changing, as seen in the snowstorm earlier this week. With a possibility for more snow this weekend, it’s a good time to review city ordinances regarding sidewalks and parking. Below are the applicable ordinances found on the websites of a few cities in Guthrie County. Ordinances for other nearby cities (Adair, Jamaica, Bagley, Yale, and Linden) were not immediately found on city websites or Facebook pages). It is the responsibility of citizens and visitors to know and comply with the applicable ordinances. Any questions should be addressed to city staff. [...]

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	Trees start small and live big for your heart

	From the Iowa Department of Natural Resources February is American Heart Month. It’s time to get back to a big, healthy life with simple steps to improve your heart health. Spending time near trees where you live, work and play can improve your overall well-being. A growing pool of research shows that trees reduce pollution, lower blood pressure and heart rate, lower stress and increase physical activity. [...]

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Leonard Automotive fire

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

Earlier this week, a fire occurred at Leonard Automotive (501 E. Market Street in Panora). Luckily, no injuries were sustained, but there was significant property damage. Dawn Shepherd, who works as secretary at the business, gave 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.”

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Monteith ‘City Council Meeting’ minutes from Feb. 11

Submitted by Barb Rees Bachman, secretary/treasurer, Monteith City Council

Editor’s note: Monteith is an unincorporated community in Guthrie County. Residents in or around the area gather monthly to share updates on projects and celebrate milestones. Following are the “minutes” from the affectionally named “Monteith City Council Meeting.” We are pleased to publish these as submitted.

Mayor J.D. Kuster brought meeting to order with Pledge of Allegiance. There were 14 members present. A few were missing due to illnesses or because they were visiting warmer weather.

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Panorama School Board reviews 2025-2026 calendar

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

During the regular meeting of the Panorama school board on Feb. 10, Cam Little updated the board about the e-sports program and its impact on students.
The board reviewed the draft of the 2025-2026 master calendar, which includes the following notable dates:

Aug. 25 First day of school
Dec. 22 - Jan. 2 Winter break
Mar. 16-20 Spring break
May 13 Seniors’ last day
May 17 Graduation
May 22 Last day of classes

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Cribbage results from Feb. 12

Special to the Times Vedette

A total of six players participated on Feb. 12. Lela Swartz had the high hand of 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.

	Robert Dean Derry

	1945-2025 Robert Dean Derry, age 79, of Menlo, passed away peacefully early Thursday morning on Jan. 16, 2025, at the Des Moines VA Hospital after a short battle with cancer. Bob, son of Everett and Elma June (Lewis) Derry, was born on Feb. 28, 1945, in Jefferson. He attended school in Bayard and graduated in the class of 1963. On June 19, 1964, Bob was united in marriage to Cheryl Binkley. Three children were born to this union: Sheri, Greg and Jeff. Through the years, they lived in the Bayard, Bagley and Monteith areas. [...]

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	Catherine R. (Arganbright) Wilhelm

	1928-2025 Catherine R. Wilhelm, 96, of Dyersville, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, at MercyOne Senior Care in Dyersville. Catherine was born on June 15, 1928, to Michael (Fred) and Anne (O’Brien) Arganbright in Guthrie Center. She was one of 11 children, though one sibling passed away in infancy. Raised on a farm east of Guthrie Center, Catherine developed a strong work ethic and an enduring faith. [...]

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