Q: Where can I properly retire a tattered American flag locally?
A: A flag disposal box is located inside the Panora Library. Bring your worn-out American flag to the library or place in the book return slot after hours. Boy Scout Troop 153 will collect the flags and conduct a flag retirement service throughout the year.
If you choose to retire your American flag yourself, these steps are in accordance with the United States Flag Code (4 USC Sec 8 Para (k), Amended July 7, 1976).
Build a medium-sized fire in a safe, approved location. The fire will need to have reached a proper size and level of heat so it will fully burn the flag without leaving any remnants of the flag intact.
If the flag is currently flying, respectfully lower the flag and remove it from the pole. Fold the flag in the traditional triangle fold.
Place the folded flag on top of the fire, being careful to not injure yourself. Watch the flag to make sure it is fully incinerated
While the flag is in the process of being burned, observe the flag with respect and reverence.
While the flag is being incinerated, recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Once the process of burning the flag is complete and no part of the flag remains, safely put the fire out completely.
Q: When do the local farmers markets begin?
A: The Panora and Guthrie Center farmers markets will alternate weeks, meaning that each Saturday through Sept. 20, shoppers can easily find local produce. The season kicked off on Saturday, June 7 at the Panora farmers market (held every other week at the Guthrie County Historical Village, 206 W. South St.). Hours are 9 a.m. to noon.
On the opposite Saturdays, beginning June 14, the Guthrie Center farmers market will run from 9-11 a.m. in downtown Guthrie Center.
Q: What is going on at the airport with all the construction equipment?
A: We asked this question to Matt Pearey, the airport board chair, and he provided details.
“The current construction project is the re-paving of the airport apron,” Pearey said. “The timeline, weather permitting, is to have the project completed by the end of July.”
An airport’s apron (also known as the ramp or tarmac) is the area where aircraft can be parked, loaded and unloaded, and serviced.
The total cost of the project, including design and construction, is expected to be around $1.6 million. Pearey explained why the project was needed.
“It began as just fixing the existing ramp, as that concrete was getting to a point where it could be hazardous for smaller aircraft,” he said. “We are actually extending the ramp area further to the south to move the fuel pump station.”
The project is 90% grant-funded, with the airport receiving three federal grants through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Q: I have what appears to be an abandoned deer in my yard. What should I do?
A: The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says fawning season has officially arrived, and from now until late June, DNR field staff across the state receive many phone calls and emails regarding “abandoned deer.” In reality, the DNR field staff say most of the wildlife reported are not abandoned at all. And they say while the people who attempt to “rescue” these babies have the best of intentions, they are doing more harm than good. Does are secretive about the birthing process and will venture out from normal use areas looking for a secluded spot to deliver this year’s crop of fawns in peace.
“These spots can be anything from an open hayfield to a field terrace to the flowerbed in your backyard,” Jim Coffey, forest wildlife research biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), says. “This seclusion process is a driving force in protection for the lanky, wavering fawn. Fawns will be left alone while the doe returns only to nurse. This is normal deer behavior,” he said.
“The doe searches out an isolated location where she feels safe and, on occasion, those places may leave us scratching our heads wondering what the doe was thinking. But she chose that location because it made sense to her,” Coffey said. “The worst thing someone can do at this stage is to ‘rescue’ the fawn. The mother is likely nearby and watching you. Leave it be, or if you did handle the fawn, return it to where you found it and walk away.”