News
Belle Plaine man faces federal child porn charges
James Byers, age 56, from Belle Plaine, has been charged with three child pornography offenses. The charges are contained in an Indictment unsealed Oct.11, 2011, in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids.
The Indictment alleges that, between May 2007 and February 2009, Byers knowingly distributed child pornography, received child pornography, and possessed a computer containing child pornography.
New Program Helps Students with Autism Succeed in College Classes
As the number of people diagnosed with Asperger’s and Autism continues to grow, Kirkwood Community College is beginning a program specifically designed to help students with this diagnosis be successful as college students. The Focused Skill Training program (FST) has been developed by staff in the Kirkwood Learning Services department over the past year and it was launched at the start of fall semester.
Cooling Dance Center Receives Donation
Steve and Kathy Young of Garrison presented a check on Oct. 12 for $500 to Joan Cooling Noeller of the Cooling Dance Center of Vinton. The donation was given in memory of the Young’s late daughter Rebecca, who was an accomplished student at the dance center in the 90’s, and sadly passed away five years ago of a sudden illness. Applications for Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program (LiHEAP) begin Oct. 1
Applications for elderly and disabled persons will be taken starting October 1, 2011 for the 2011-12 Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program (LiHEAP). All other applications will be accepted starting November 1, 2011. This program is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services through the Iowa Department of Human Rights/Department of Community Action Agencies, and has been established to help qualifying low-income Iowa homeowners and renters pay for a portion of their primary heating costs.
Cold Cases: Five murders remain unsolved in county; four between '77 and '81
Between Jan. 1, 1977, and Aug. 2, 1981, four men were murdered in Benton County.
Their killers were never caught.
According to the Iowa Cold Cases web site, there are five Benton County murders that remain unsolved, dating back to September of 1925 (six if you count the skull that was found in 1997).
Third annual Lighted Veterans Christmas Parade planned
The Veteran’s Lighted PATRIOTIC Christmas Parade, will take place again this year in Vinton, just before the first arrival of Santa for the holiday season.
Line up begins at 5:30 p.m.Thursday Evening, Nov. 17, east and south of the MethodistChurch, on 6th Streetand Second Avenue. The parade begins at 6.
New Century FS makes donation to Garrison Fire Department
New Century FS recently made a $2,000 donation to the Garrison Emergency Services Relief Fund to assist the Garrison Fire Department and First Responders with their ongoing recovery efforts from the July 11 windstorm that leveled the Garrison Emergency Services building and damaged or destroyed most of the department's equipment.
Pictured are Garrison Fire Chief Steve Meyer and Steve Girard; Safety, Environmental and Regulatory Director for New Century FS. The field where sports don't come first: Athletes share their faith at Union HS
Several hundred people -- most of them high school athletes -- filled the gym at Union High School Wednesday night to hear college football players and professional body builders tell them that sports should not be the most important thing in an athlete's life.
"You need to make Jesus first in your life," said UNI Panther L. School reports: VSHS principal discusses his homework
As parent-teacher conferences conclude at Vinton-Shellsburg High School, Matt Kingsbury is still finishing his papers before the deadline.
Like the students at VSHS, where Kingsbury became principal this year, there are many reports to finish.
Principals must report to the Iowa Department of Education how well the students are doing in classes and on test scores.
Students visit fire station, ride trucks
The rain stopped just in time Tueday afternoon to allow the first grade students their ride on the fire trucks. School leaders had just decided to cancel the traditional Fire Prevention Week event when the rain ended, allowing the students the chance to see their school and other parts of Vinton from atop a fire truck. Three trucks full of first graders made their way from the school to downtown Vinton.