News

Benton County 4-Hers Excel on National Stage

Steiger Manson, Josh Wiley, Olivia Hanson and William Kroneman place 3rd in the Nation in 4-H Competition Four 4-H members from Benton County recently represented Iowa on November 14 the National 4-H Livestock Quiz Bowl competition, placing third in the nation.Team members Steiger Manson, Olivia Hanson, Josh Wiley, and William Kroneman qualified for the contest by winning the state 4-H competition in April. They traveled to Louisville, Ky. for the national contest, which was held in conjunction with the North American International Livestock Exposition.

Kirkwood’s Workplace Learning Connection speaks to Lions Club

Kirkwood’s Workplace Learning Connection (WLC) presenter, Laura Miner, the Work-Based Learning Coordinator, spoke to the area Lions Club about WLC’s mission, purpose and impact in our region. WLC, a department of Kirkwood Community College, works to serve as the central connection piece between schools and businesses for real-life, in-time, workplace experiences.

VFW Presents Stephenson with Voice of Democracy Certificate

The Veterans of Foreign Wars members Dale Henry and Jerry Huffman presented Grace Q Stephenson (Senior at Vinton-Shellsburg High School) with a Certificate for her Voice of Democracy essay and a monetary award.She has entered an essay for the competition the last two years. Last year Grace placed fourth place at the Department of Iowa Voice of Democracy out of ten Districts.

Santa will be visiting the neighborhood

Greg and Jenn Svoboda made special arrangements for Santa to stop and visit on Friday and Saturday evenings, December 8th and 9th and also the following weekend, on December 15th and 16th. Santa will be stopping in their front yard at 103 9th Ave. in Vinton from 5-7:00 p.m. on these evenings. Families are invited to drive by and say hello to S

Support your local hospital

Honoring and remembering those who have had a significant impact on our lives as part of a gift to our community has been a lasting tradition. Your donations to the Tree of Lights campaign, no matter the size, come together to make a world of difference for so many. Place your donation online at https://myvgh.org/vgh-foundation/tree-of-li

VGH Angel Tree ready for Santa's Elves to stop by

Virginia Gay Hospital Home Health Agency is pleased to host the annual “Angel Tree” for their clients.  We were overwhelmed by the outpouring of giving by members of our community last year and we are excited to help our clients have another joyful, meaningful Christmas again this year!  Many of our clients, who all live in Benton County are low income, lack the support of close family/friends, and have unfulfilled needs.

VRD announces new Open Skate Hours and other events

Parks and Recreation Director Matt Boggess put a video out announcing several new and exciting changes in the Parks and Recreation Department.A new reservation policy and procedure will take place beginning January 1, 2024. You will now be able to rent the facilities online on the website which can be found at www.vprdzone.com. There will be new Skating Hours will be from 1-3:00 p.

Benton County Courthouse is ready for Christmas

This year the local FFA Chapter decorated the Christmas Tree on the 2nd floor at the Courthouse This year, the Vinton/Shellsburg FFA students decorated the Benton County Courthouse Christmas Tree on 2nd Floor.  "Every year a different group or organization from the county uses their own ideas to do the decorating!" said Lexa Speidel, Benton County Recorder.Organizations in the community who might be interested in decorating the tree in the upcoming years, can contact Lexa at lspeidel@bentoncountyia.

Week 1 winner of the Holiday Lights Punch Card drawing is Julie Lindahl!

Julie shopped locally in Vinton and won $50 in Vinton Value Dollars! Every week between now and Christmas, Vinton Unlimited will be drawing a winner in their Holiday Lights Punch Card Buy Local shopping incentive. Cards can be picked up at any of the participating businesses, shoppers will receive one punch on their card for every $10 they spend at those stores, when they fill in a card (10 punches) their card is placed in the weekly drawing.

Raising Holiday Spirit!

 Volunteers helping organize the roping into piles to be delivered to storefronts. By: Co-Reporter, Juliana LuisOn November 10th, 11th, and 13th chapter members volunteered to help set up the lights and roping all around town in cooperation with the GoVS Scholarship Committee. November 10th consisted of organizing the roping, lights, and bows to be put out on the storefronts in the back parking lot to make the following day’s events run smoother.