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Farm families will be honored on August 15 at the Iowa State FairThe June 1 deadline for eligible Iowa farm owners to apply for Century or Heritage Farm recognition is quickly approaching, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is encouraging farm families to apply today.The program, which was created in partnership by the Department and the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, honors families who have owned their farms for 100 years and 150 years, respectively.

Auditor of State Rob Sand released an agreed-upon procedures report on the City of Shellsburg, Iowa for the period July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.  A copy of the complete report is below:

Vinton Today - Samanatha Bevans Trial: Day 1Mr. BevansIn the second day of testimony in the murder trial of Jodie Bevans, Bevans' husband Mike continued his testimony. Upon his entry into the courtroom yesterday, his daughter, the accused, Samantha briefly turned her face away from him hiding behind her attorney's back.Establishing the family, Assistant Iowa Attorney General, Monty Platz, asked him to identify his children.

Vinton Today - Samantha Bevans Trial: Day 1Vinton Today - Samanta Bevans Trial: Day 2, Part 1 (Family Testimony)WitnessJayson Wells a native of Center Point was called to testify next.He first met Samantha Bevans at a rest area between Cedar Rapids and North Liberty. He was living in his car at the time, believing that he couldn't go home to family.

When you think of our local Salvation Army service unit, you may think about financial assistance, providing meals for the homeless, providing snacks and hydration for first responders at a scene, or the Bell Ringing Campaign around the holidays. Those things are what most people think of about the Salvation Army. But the local Salvation Army does more than those things.

The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB) is partnering with law enforcement across Iowa to support the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Click It, Don’t Risk It high-visibility enforcement effort. The national seat belt campaign, which coincides with the Memorial Day holiday, is May 20-June 2, 2024. It is perceived everyone wears a seat belt, but data shows that’s not true.

All Charges are subject to review by the Benton County Attorney’s Office. An arrest or criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the Defendant is presumed innocent, unless proven guilty. Intrastate Warrants are issued by Law Enforcement Agencies for crimes happening in their jurisdictions.Five Adult Arrests the week of May 6-12, 2024May 6 Deshawn Markeal Reed, 28, Vinton, IAIntrastate Warrant Arrest- Trespass 1st OffenseMay 7 Kimberly Sue Spencer, 39, Vinton, IADomestic Abuse Assault With Injury 1st OffenseMay 7 Robert Eugene Lane, 46, Cedar Rapids, IADriving Under RevocationMay 8 Alfred Malinowski 48 Vinton, IAIntrastate Warrant Arrest-Violation of ProbationMay 12 Tyler Kurtis Stanley, 20, Coggon, IAOperating Under the Influence 1st OffenseZero Juvenile Referrals for the week of May 6-12, 2024Thirteen Code Enforcement ViolationsTall Grass and Weeds x 11Placing Debris on Street x 2 Four Traffic Citations Twenty-two Traffic Warnings for Offenses Two Reported Motor Vehicle Accidents 89 complaints/calls for service were handled by the Vinton Police Department.

The Benton County Fair will once again host Bacon Buddies® in the Swine Arena on Friday, June 21 at 3:00 p.m.Persons with an intellectual and/or developmental disability up to age 23 are paired with one or two youth mentors and a pig. The Bacon Buddies® participants will have the opportunity to experience showing a pig. The judge will assess how the mentors, participant and pig work together as a cohesive unit.

Draft FY 2025-29 Iowa Transportation Improvement Program presented to the Iowa Transportation Commission Today.-The Iowa Department of Transportation presented the Iowa Transportation Commission with the draft Fiscal Year 2025-2029 Iowa Transportation Improvement Program at its meeting today. The draft Program documents investments in Iowa’s multimodal transportation system covering aviation, public transit, railroads, trails, and highways.

Day one of the Samantha Bevans trial began with opening arguments from the Assistant Iowa Attorney General, Monty Platz and seated with him was Benton County Assistant Attorney Tim Dille. Representing Samantha Bevans was attorney, Lindsay Garner. It was a he said, she said.The state opened its case to convict Bevans by presenting key pieces of evidence against Bevans.