During last year’s Christmas and New Year’s Eve holiday season, the Iowa Department of Transportation reports five motorists were killed in our state and two of those deaths were alcohol related. Guthrie County Sheriff Marty Arganbright urges residents to have a sober designated driver and warns that his deputies will be actively looking for impaired drivers this holiday season. “Our department will be out looking for impaired drivers, as we do every holiday season, and throughout the entire year, really. But, the holidays are a time that we especially look for impaired drivers.”

The Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau reports that a first-offense OWI is punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of $1,250.

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The 15th Annual Festival of Trees is taking place this year at Guthrie Center’s Mary J. Barnett Memorial Library.

Director Pat Sleister says the event displays dozens of community-decorated trees for everyone to enjoy. “This year, I think there’s over twenty trees out there. It’s a fun thing and if you drive by at night, the lights through the library on those trees is just spectacular.”

The trees at the library are on display until January 2nd

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The Guthrie County Library Association is seeking increased funding from the Board of Supervisors.

Member Mike Klein says the Association is requesting $5,000 to improve the important public services that area libraries offer to their communities. He says that outside of checking out books, libraries also help residents apply for unemployment, proofread their resumes and provide one-on-one storytime for children.

The funding would pay for computer upgrades at the Bagley library, purchase e-books at Bayard’s library, enhance programming and workshops at the Casey library, invest in technology at the Guthrie Center library, add a computer to the libraries in Jamaica and Panora, provide high speed internet to Menlo’s library and purchase 20 new large print books for the Stuart library.

The Board of Supervisors have made no decision on the funding request.

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Area Casey’s General Stores will help raise money to support local art installations on the Western Skies Scenic Byway.

Project Coordinator Brenda Windmuller says from January 3rd-23rd, customers at Casey’s will be given the opportunity to donate a dollar to the Byways of Iowa Foundation. Local participating stores include locations in Stuart, Panora and Guthrie Center.