News

This year’s Holiday Lights event concluded with a big win for Kristie Davis, whose name was drawn as the Grand Prize winner! Kristie’s entry was selected from an impressive 5,185 completed punch cards submitted at locations across Vinton.The punch card program not only brought holiday cheer but also kept $518,500 circulating within our community—a testament to the power of shopping local.

Vinton-Shellsburg Community School District has been selected as one of the recipients of Governor Kim Reynolds' Teacher & Paraeducator Registered Apprenticeship (TPRA) grants. This award is part of the $3.4 million in new Registered Apprenticeship grants announced by the Governor to expand education careers across Iowa. The Teacher & Paraeducator Registered Apprenticeship Program (TPRA) is an innovative pathway for current high school students and adult paraeducators to earn credentials while learning and working in the classroom.

UnityPoint Health - St. Luke’s Foundation is accepting applications for its Rural Healthcare Grant Program, which provides matching grant funds towards healthcare services for rural residents living in Benton, Buchanan, Cedar, Delaware, Iowa, northern Johnson, Jones and Linn counties. The maximum grant request is $6,000. St Luke’s Foundation Rural Healthcare Grant Program can help with funding for these needs:Equipment for emergency care in the pre-hospital environmentTraining for emergency personnel to gain or enhance their skillsBasic life-supporting training equipment such as hands-only CPR and Little AnneMileage reimbursement for transportation programs Eligible entities include:Ambulance ServicesParamedicsFire and Rescue DepartmentsTransportation ProgramsFirst Responder Since 1980, St.

“Being of service to others is what brings true happiness.” – Marie OsmondThe box office was filled with cries of "Are you not entertained?!" as Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix took moviegoers back to ancient Rome in "Gladiator", Barry Bonds made history as the first MLB player to hit a home run into San Francisco Bay (granted with some "help"), and GPS was released to public use after creation by the US military.

Virginia Gay Hospital prioritizes the safety, dignity, and privacy of all our patients and staff. A recent event at the hospital involves a confidential patient matter. Consistent with our commitment to patient confidentiality and compliance with federal regulations, no specific details will be released regarding this incident.Virginia Gay Hospital has established protocols and internal controls to address challenging situations swiftly and effectively.

By: Co-Reporter, Izzie Birker On November 9th and December 7th, the Vinton-Shellsburg FFA chapter got to send  kids to the Ignite, Amplify, and Transform Leadership Conferences and Teach Ag and State Officer Candidate Workshops at the FFA Enrichment Center. These members got the opportunity to learn more about how they can learn by example, advocate for themselves and their chapter, and had fun meeting new people, doing group activities, and ice breaking games.

 Join us in wearing blue on January 11, 2025, for National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. As blue represents the international fight against trafficking, your participation helps spark vital conversations about this crime in Iowa. Since January 11 falls on a Saturday, we encourage businesses and organizations to wear blue on Friday, January 10.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and the Department of Public Safety are warning Iowans to be aware of a new wave of “grandparent scams.” Several Iowa communities throughout the state have recently reported efforts by criminal groups to swindle predominately older Iowans.This scam is not new – the Attorney General’s Office has been warning Iowans about the grandparent scam since at least 2008.

Thursday, January 2, 2025 was the first official day of the new term of Benton County's elected officials. Judge Christopher Bruns swore in the local elected officials including Sheriff Dave Upah, Auditor Hayley Rippel, County Supervisors Ronald Tippett, Bruce Volz and Tracy Seeman.Judge Burns mentioned that he swore in then Sheriff Tippett the first time and was honored to now administer the oath to Tippett as a supervisor.