News

Candidate Forum Summary Sheriff Candidates - Paxton & Upah

There are two candidates running for Benton County Sheriff. Below are the statements made by our candidates. Questions were asked by the public. If the name was clear on the audio recording of those w...

Shellsburg Man Enters Guilty Plea

Huston William Danker, 26, entered a guilty plea to first degree murder in connection to the death of Ryan Cooper. Cooper was a resident of Traer in 2021 when he was killed. The plea was entered befor...

Students go into summer with something to read

Vinton-Shellsburg fourth graders were the grateful recipients of books for their summer reading pleasure. An incredible collection was donated last week to help them leap into summer reading! John Arn...

Kindergarten students hatched chicks!

We played Hatching BINGO for our last lesson as a review of everything the students learned over the past four weeks! Farm Bureau partnered with ISU Extension & Outreach to offer a unique, up-close experience to kindergarten classrooms in Benton County! Tilford and Keystone Elementary were our first participating sch...

Iowa Auditor’s Election Training Program Receives National Clearinghouse Award

One of 32 Programs Honored by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission for Innovation, Sustainability and Replicability The Iowa State Association of County Auditors (ISACA) announced it was recog...

Benton County Approves the hiring of new assistant to the HR Director

Following a discussion on the hiring of an assistant in a closed session last year, the Benton County Supervisors approved a new hire in the HR Department almost a year later. It appears that the plan...

Belle Plaine water has been as clear as mud

Water in Belle Plaine has looked like this prior to the much needed rain.  Photos by Whittney Stoddard Due to the drought conditions, the City of Belle Plaine has been under water restrictions for the last month or so. Because of the look and smell of the water, citizens had been restricting its use ev...

LaPorte City man sues police after a series of encounters with officers

By Clark KauffmanA LaPorte City man who has been engaged in a long-running dispute with the police department is now suing the city for malicious prosecution and false arrest.John Grote, a 44-year-old...

Secretary Pate joins election security partners for Iowa’s 2024 Primary

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate and state and federal election security partners convened at the Iowa Department of Homeland Security’s Emergency Operation Center to assure voters they are prepare...

County Training in Open Meeting Laws held on Wednesday

As part of a settlement with the Iowa Public Information Board, Benton County held training for open meetings and laws on Wednesday morning and into the afternoon. The group met in the Supervisor...