Classmates of a Guthrie Center teen killed in a truck accident last month have set up a memorial fund to benefit the county fairgrounds. The Zach Meacham Memorial Fund will help to fund the new poultry barn at the Guthrie County Fairgrounds. Meacham was an active member of the Guthrie Center FFA and an annual participant at the county fair. Memorial donations can be added to the fund at Guthrie County State Bank in Guthrie Center.

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Nodaway Valley senior Mark Baudler, of Fontanelle, was recently honored at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. Baudler was named one of Iowa’s top youth volunteers in 2015 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. He was congratulated and was presented with the award by ‘Good Morning America’ co-anchor Robin Roberts. Baudler was recognized for leading a project to plan and construct a greenhouse for his high school. He received $1,000, a silver medallion as well as an all-expense paid trip for him and his family to Washington D.C. to attend the award ceremony.

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As Avian Flu lands in central Iowa, legislators are looking at the possible long-term societal effects of the disease. State Representative Clel Baudler says the more the flu spreads, the more expensive it will get. “If that keeps moving forward, it’s going to be expensive. We don’t have any clue how deep that will get into the state’s budget. These producers are going to be hurting. There’s a chance it could get into the wild birds. If it gets into the wild birds, there goes our pheasant season and there goes millions of dollars of hunting licenses.”

The Avian Flu has infiltrated Rose Acre’s egg farm in Winterset. The company is taking measures to protect their farms in Stuart and Guthrie Center.

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The Guthrie Center School District is losing two of its longtime staff members to retirement at the end of the school year. Ken Rasmussen has worked many different jobs for the District over the years and will be retiring from his current position as alternative classroom teacher. Elementary school maintenance engineer Randy Mains will also be retiring. The District expresses gratitude and well wishes for a happy retirement to both men.

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The Guthrie County Supervisors met with the three owners of xIst, LLC on Thursday. XIst is a service agency based out of Adel, which currently provides support and rehabilitation programs to intellectually disabled individuals in Polk and Dallas Counties. They are looking to expand into Guthrie, Greene and Audubon Counties and are eyeing the Country View Estates property as a location to lease. Chairman Tom Rutledge told the xIst representatives that he thinks it would be a win-win deal for the County to lease the unoccupied facility and property to them for $1/yr. Both sides will check with their attorneys on specific items they want in the lease agreement before the discussion becomes more formal.