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The Free Summer Lunch Program will be serving FREE breakfast and lunch again this summer. Children ages 1-18 are welcome to participate free in the program. No registration or identification is required. Children ages 5 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Anyone 19 and older may purchase breakfast for $2.00 and lunch for $3.00.At the Shellsburg school, both breakfast and lunch will be served Monday through Thursday.

Eastern Iowa Honor Flight announces flight to Washington DC. Flight #47 to include 91 veteransOn Wednesday, May 24, 2023, the Eastern Iowa Honor Flight will launch Flight #47. The mission of this non-profit organization is to provide veterans with a “once in a lifetime” opportunity to visit monuments and memorials built in honor of their service and sacrifice.

Farm families will be recognized during a ceremony at the Iowa State FairIowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig reminds eligible farm owners to apply for the 2023 Century and Heritage Farm Program through June 1.The program was created by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation to recognize families who have owned their farms for 100 years and 150 years, respectively, and to honor the strength and resiliency of Iowa’s multi-generational farm families.

Results from a new program show a significant impact on rural students and communities Kirkwood Community College’s Workplace Learning Connection (WLC) has entered into a partnership with Benton, Vinton Shellsburg, and Williamsburg Community School Districts to expand rural work-based learning opportunities in the region. As part of the partnership, a new work-based learning coordinator position has been created, which will be shared between the three school districts to expand these valuable opportunities for students.

Benton Development Group (BDG) has secured priority for funding fiber broadband projects that could serve more than 1,000 Benton County homes, farms, and businesses. The announcement of priority status for four areas in Benton County was made on Friday by the Office of Chief Information Officer for the state of Iowa. The state is poised to award grants of more than $680 million for locations without a fiber connection and homes and businesses with slow broadband access.

The annual Bike Rodeo brought teeny tiny tots and children a few years older. The event was coordinated by the Vinton Parks and Rec Department and the Vinton Kiwanis Club. Both were on hand to direct traffic. The Vinton Police Department was also on hand to perform safety checks for each of the children. Officers checked helmets to make sure they were properly worn, and making sure tires were inflated, and the bikes were ready to go.

On Friday, May 5, 2023, Harry Lyle Meader III, 49, of Cedar Rapids, was arrested following a high-speed pursuit that reached speeds of over 100 mph. Meader was wanted through Linn County on felony charges and was spotted driving a stolen Chevy Trailblazer. Meader led police on a pursuit that ended off-road in rural Tama County where he fled on foot into a wooded area and was rapidly apprehended.

Governor Reynolds has announced that applications for Students First Educations Savings Accounts (ESAs) will be accepted starting May 31, 2023. The Students First Act was signed into law earlier this year and will provide state funding for eligible students who attend accredited nonpublic schools starting in the 2023-2024 school year.   Additionally, the State Board of Education today adopted administrative rules that specify definitions for the program, eligibility requirements for participation, parameters for the application process, and program administration and accountability.

Good Neighbor RecipientsThe Palace Theatre and Vinton Unlimited are proud to announce the latest Vinton Good Neighbor recipients. The Good Neighbor project is an effort to recognize those in our community whose good deeds may go unnoticed, to encourage people to look for the positive things in our community, and hopefully prompt residents to participate and become “good neighbors” themselves.

The roundabout at the Urbana corner, on Highway 150 is now reopened for traffic