News

The Vinton Parks & Recreation Dept held their annual Turkey Coloring Contest for 3rd grade and under. We would like to thank everyone who participated. The following is a list of the contest winners. Preschool & Under Division 1st – Raelynn Sondag 2nd – Gregory Svoboda III 3rd – Wesley Van Ree Kindergarten & 1st Grade Division 1st – Nicala Higdon 2nd – Erika Graton 3rd – Jadyn Annis 2nd & 3rd Grade Division 1st – Carleyre’ Smith 2nd– McKenzie Mosher 3rd– Chloe Bena The top three winners in each division will be awarded prizes, presented with their laminated contest entry and ride the fire truck with Santa.

This week we lost a member of Benton County. Tamie Matheny, a NRP (Nationally Registered Paramedic with a Critical Care Endorsement) who worked over 10 years with the Van Horne First Responders, was lost in an accident this past week. As soon as word was out, the community began to rally around her family.   One of her friends said of her, "Tamie’s first and foremost priority was as a mother.

The Virginia Gay Hospital Health Care Foundation (VGHHCF) is pleased to announce receiving a Theisen’s More for Your Community Grant of $1,600 to support the Reach Out and Read program. Foundation board members Don Eells and Don Logan joined Foundation director Robin Martin to accept the check from Vinton Theisen’s Store Manager, Tim Tietz on Monday, November 12.

The 2019 Sesquicentennial Committee is partnering with the Benton County Historical Society to gather information on the last 150 years of Vinton’s history!   When:  Tuesday, November 13                 Open House from 6:30 to 8:00pm                 Where: 2019 Headquarters                 303 1st Ave (Governor Sherman bldg.

During the week of November 12 to 18, 2018, the Benton County Community Foundation (BCCF) joins more the 795 other community foundations across the country for Community Foundation Week to raise awareness and bring individuals and families, nonprofits, and communities together. In 2005, a group of local individuals established the BCCF, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa (CFNEIA), to allow Benton County to benefit from State of Iowa legislation that distributes a percentage of gaming revenues to counties without a state issued gaming license and are affiliated with a community foundation meeting national standards for U.

Theisen's More For Your Community grant and an award celebration awarded area organizations with donations from the Theisen's company. Local groups that were awarded funds, were: Benton County Volunteer Program, $1,500, for Food Distribution   Benton County Volunteer Program, $1,500, for Food Distribution       Blairstown Amublance Service, $2,250 for Volunteer Emergency Medical Service             Families, Inc.

On Sunday, Nov. 11, at about 5:17 p.m, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a single vehicle accident on 61st Street Lane, east of Vinton. Deputies found that a westbound 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche had left the roadway, going into the ditch and rolling. The driver, Patrick Ferry, age 29, of Vinton, was found at the scene.

Although we call it Veterans Day now, for the first 28 years of celebrating Nov. 11, Americans called it Armistice Day, a commemoration of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Great War (Later called World War 1) ended. Yesterday was the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1, and local veterans and history teacher Alex Vasquez were among the Americans marking the anniversary with special ceremonies and services.

During World War I, several local residents and natives had a significant role in the "Great War." Among them was Everett Warner, who was born in Vinton to a father who had lost an arm in the Civil War. Warner spent the first few years of his life in Vinton. The family later moved to Washington, D.C. and Warner would eventually travel the world and spend much of his artistic career in Connecticut.

A semi vs. car crash took the life of an area resident on Friday evening. A reported vehicle-semi collision happened at about 10:30 p.m. on Highway 30 east of Tama which resulted in the roadway being closed. The crash was still under investigation on Saturday afternoon. The Iowa State Patrol, Tama County Sheriff's deputies and Tama and Toledo police responded to the accident.