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Will the 2024 Iowa Teacher of the Year hail from your school district? One thing is sure: She or he won’t if you don’t nominate a teacher for the honor.And that’s the beauty – anyone can nominate a teacher: administrators, colleagues, students, parents, college faculty and associations.The Teacher of the Year award provides an opportunity to recognize an Iowa teacher who motivates, challenges, and inspires excellence; who is respected by students and peers; who is a dedicated professional that helps nurture hidden talents and abilities; who is a creative, caring individual; who takes teaching beyond textbooks and blackboards; and who is an exceptional teacher helping to redefine American education.

Holiday donations to The Cedar Rapids Salvation Army (TSA) have set a new record for the social services nonprofit with more than $860,000 raised - shattering their goal of $811,000. "Our prayers were answered," said TSA Captain Shawn DeBaar. "From all of us at TSA, we want to express our sincere gratitude to all those in our community who included our organization in their holiday giving plans.

When you support your local fire department's fundraising activities, It's so much more than just a soup supper or a pancake breakfast. If you have a fire, you call 911 and the calvary shows up in the form of the local fire department. The department puts the fire out and you thank them profusely. The department returns to the station, takes care of all of the gear and sets everything up for their next call.

Scottie Wirth of Vinton spoke to the Vinton Kiwanis Club sharing his experiences at the Vinton Parks & Rec. As he explained, if you aren't familiar with who he is, "Do you remember Wirth Jewelry that used to be downtown?" and for those of us who are Vinton natives over 50, you'll say, "Ah, yes, I know them!" Scottie is the grandson, but also the son of Mike and Heidi.

On Saturday, January 21, Vinton-Shellsburg High School will be hosting, for the very first time ever, an IHSSA District Large Group Speech Contest. Approximately 30 schools and hundreds of students, family members, and literally TONS of set pieces and costumes will be at this event - allowing us to showcase our school, our community, and the amazing talents of the students in the area.

Story updated:In a world where we expect things instantly if not sooner, there are a few things I expect to take longer. One would have been the new Casey's location. When I had a press release that said in two days the former John's Qwik Stop would be changed into a Casey's I thought that would be a pretty fast turnover. But Casey's came in and is well on its way to establishing the new location.

New Early Literacy Initiative Aims to Deliver Books to Children Across Benton and Tama Counties Better Tomorrows Early Childhood Iowa is launching a new, ambitious early literacy initiative to bring the joy and pride of book ownership to children across Benton and Tama counties. Through a partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, this initiative will provide one age-appropriate, high-quality book every month to children from birth to age five at no cost for families enrolled in the program.

As 2023 begins, Human Trafficking Prevention and Awareness Month is in full swing. During this time, I'm encouraging all Iowans to take a moment to educate themselves on the signs of trafficking so we can help prevent this terrible crime and support survivors as they work through the healing process.Important Dates to Remember:January 11 - Wear Blue DayWear Blue on January 11 to raise awareness for human trafficking and uplift survivors of this horrible crime.

We've wrapped up December, we've wrapped up 2022, and we've wrapped up another year of the Holiday Lights Punch Card event! THANK YOU to everyone for proving once again what a great community we live in! You stayed local, shopped local, and supported businesses that do all they can to support you! And through it, you helped keep $237,600 in Vinton just over the holiday alone with the punch cards! But that's just one side of the equation! A huge THANK YOU also goes out to all those businesses that saw us coming, offered a helping hand as we shopped, extended their business hours, came in on Sundays, and even opened their doors during a blizzard to make sure we had the things we needed .

In a Facebook post this weekend, John's Kwik Stop said, "Our time is coming to an end at JQS. We want to thank each and everyone one of you for supporting us and making our job enjoyable. We wish the best to everyone and we will miss all of you. Just a small thank you to all, we will have FREE coffee tomorrow our LAST DAY of business and will be closing at 8:00 pm.