News

Emily Rose Ingalls the daughter of Loren and Patti Ingalls of Newhall, is no stranger to being royalty. In 2022 Emily reigned as the Benton County Fair Princess. This past weekend, she was crowned the 2023 National Cattle Congress Fair Queen.She said that she ran for this contest "because I wanted to be a role model for young girls in the community.

The State Library of Iowa has announced that the Vinton Public Library has met the conditions for state accreditation as outlined in “In Service to Iowa: Public Library Standards Sixth Edition.”Achieving accreditation requires a significant, ongoing local commitment to high quality library services. The Vinton Public Library has been recognized for its efforts in all areas of library operations including governance and funding, staffing, library collection, services, public relations, access, and facilities.

The premier agritourism destination in eastern Iowa and one of the state's largest child welfare agencies are partnering to celebrate Four Oaks' 50th Anniversary. Later this fall the Bloomsbury Farm, Four Oaks and Chelsea's Dream Foundation will host a Foster Family Day. The event will also serve as Four Oaks' anniversary celebration event for staff.

By: Co-Reporter, Izzie Birker The Benton County Fair took place on Tuesday, June 20th - Sunday June 25th. But for the Vinton-Shellsburg FFA and many others it all started way before the fair week. In addition to preparing their exhibits in the months leading up to the fair, FFA members started the week by cleaning out the FFA Barn area, laying down wood chips, and putting the displays and pens together for the animals in the petting zoo.

No silly, not on its own power of course. If you are like me, you pulled up to the stop sign on 3rd St. and thought, "Has that mural ALWAYS been on the west wall of the Benton County Sheriff's Office and I'm JUST noticing it? I don't THINK it has, but if not, where was it!"If you thought that, you're right. The fire station was considered for the mural Melody Snow of Vinton Unlimited said, but the walls were too short for the mural.

It was another blue ribbon, er blue ribbon  AND purple ribbon day for Angie Wittmer at the Linn County Fair. Wittmer from Of Vinton entered her photography at the fair bringing home Linn County Fair's Best of Show and Reserve Best of Show in photography as well as several other first-place wins. Congratulations Angie! 

With the kids out of school, we thought it would be a good time to post the City of Vinton Curfew Ordinance. 46.01   CURFEW.The Council has determined that a curfew for minors is necessary to promote the public health, safety, morals and general welfare of the City and specifically to reinforce the primary authority and responsibility of adults responsible for minors; to protect the public from the illegal acts of minors committed after the curfew hour; and to protect minors from improper influences and criminal activity that prevail in public places after the curfew hour.

By JAY WAAGMEESTER AND KATHIE OBRADOVICHThe Republican-controlled Iowa Legislature, in a daylong special legislative session, passed legislation late Tuesday to outlaw most abortions in Iowa after six weeks of gestation.The House adjourned just after 9 p.m. Tuesday after sending House File 732 to the Senate with a vote of 56-34.

Director of the Vinton Parks and Recreation Department, Matt Boggess has had a project on the back burner of his mind for a long time. He said for the last four or five years he's been tossing around ideas for ways that he could improve the Veterans Park in Vinton.Using some of those ideas, the department has begun to renovate the park. There will be a new bridge replacing the old one, as well as new displays holding the names of area veterans.

(Note: This agency assists Seniors in Benton County.)Help seniors experiencing abuse and neglect stay alive and learn to thrive with the dignity and independence they deserve. Your donation supports the work of our Elder Rights Specialists, who provide 1-on-1 help to almost 150 older adults experiencing abuse every year. They coordinate life-changing in-home care, connect seniors with reliable nutrition programs and more - even testifying in court when needed - from the senior's lowest point until complete recovery.