News

Urbana Residents Rally Behind Police Chief

Urbana Police Chief with a few of the area children There is nothing like picking on a good man to bring out all the mama bears and the folks that he has helped. Several Urbana residents have been quick to have the Police Chief's back. The community of Urbana has banded together to show support for their Chief, and had a ton of good things to say about the man/As I read all of the words said about this police chief I noted one thing, there wasn't anything bad said about him.

APRIL 16TH, NATIONAL HEALTHCARE DECISIONS DAY

(NHDD) WHAT IS IT? NHDD is a day that was founded in 2008 by a healthcare lawyer, Nathan Kottkamp. This was founded to provide clear, concise, and consistent medical information for one’s healthcare decision-making. This is a day that exists for advancing our care plans and empowering the public and physicians to know the importance of the care plans.

Notice of Intent to fill Vacant City Council Seat by Appointment

Notice of Intent to fill Vacant City Council Seat by AppointmentThe Council of the City of Vinton, Iowa intends to fill the 4th Ward Council position, which will be vacant as of May 1, 2024 due to the resignation of the current 4th Ward Councilperson, by appointment. The Oath of Office will be administered during the regularly scheduled City Council meeting on May 9, 2024 at 7:00pm, held in the City Council Chambers, Vinton City Hall.

Veteran's Affair under new leadership in Benton County

One of the state-mandated departments funded by Benton County is the Benton County Veterans Affairs Department. This office serves veterans of every age. It doesn't matter if you're young, middle-aged, retired, or years past retirement, you really should stop and talk with Courtney Long. You might recognize Courtney from seeing her in the Auditor's Office over the last four and a half years.

IA Senate approves bill on arming school staff, providing immunity to districts

By Robin OpsahlThe Iowa Senate approved a bill Wednesday that would create a permitting system for Iowa school employees wanting to carry firearms on school grounds.House File 2586, approved on a 30-14 vote, would allow school employees who meet training requirements to receive a permit through the Iowa Department of Public Safety for carrying a firearm on school grounds.

Gates submits resignation from 4th Ward Council Seat

The Vinton City Council received a recognition letter from 4th Ward Councilwoman, Bethany Gates. She will be moving away from the area, and her resignation will take effect at the end of April. Gates was appointed to fill the 4th Ward seat following the sudden passing of Councilman Nathan Hesson in January of 2021. With the blessing of Nathan's wife Ashley, and his family she took the oath of office the following March.

Benton County releases possible road and bridge projects for 2024 and 2025

This map shows the proposed plans for roads and bridges in Benton County for 2024 At Tuesday's Supervisor meeting, Benton County Engineer spoke to the supervisors. Along with the budget discussion, he shared with them maps of some of the proposed road and bridge projects that the county might see over the next two years. I have attached the maps below for drivers to consult over the next few months. (The maps are much clearer to read if you hit the three dots to the top right of the images below and download the file to your computer, and then open it.

Secretary Naig Invites Students to Enter the 2024 Choose Iowa Calendar Contest

Contest winners to be honored at the 2024 Iowa State FairIowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is encouraging school-aged Iowa students to participate in the 2024 Choose Iowa Calendar Contest hosted by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Choose Iowa is the state’s signature brand for Iowa grown, Iowa raised and Iowa made products.

Operation Quick Find

UPDATE:The Benton County Sheriff’s Office reports that missing Rhiannon (Rainy) Walter, age 11, was located in Keystone IA at about 310 PM on 4-11-24.  She was found unharmed but is being medically evaluated at this time.A large number of State, Federal, and local agencies, along with a substantial number of volunteers assisted in a prolonged search.

During Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Iowans Must Stand with Victims

by Rob Sand, Iowa State AuditorLots of topics get swept under the rug because they’re not comfortable for us to confront. Sometimes we’d rather pretend the problems don’t exist or couldn’t happen in a place like Iowa. But they do, and it can happen anywhere—even in our great state. It is our obligation to confront them in order to solve them.
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