News

Year in Review: Remembering June of 2010

Year in Review: Palace celebrated digital age with June event.        June brought big changes, and celebrations of those changes to Vinton.      On June 2, county leaders – past and present – gathered at the site of the old LEC to celebrate the beginning of the new one. It was just two weeks shy of the two-year anniversary of the Flood of 2008. Architects from Design Dynamics joined the current supervisors as well as those who were in that office when the “old” LEC was built in the 1980s.

Winter Carnival offers fun for area youngsters

The bean bag clown game was a favorite during the VPRD Carnival. The Vinton Parks and Rec Department, aided by the Vinton-Shellsburg National Honor Society members, held its annual Winter Carnival Tuesday morning at the Skate Center. Children enjoyed a variety of games, hoping to win prizes. 

Review 2010: March to May -- an introduction

AmeriCorps Maple members arrived at about the same time Vinton Today began serving the area.        If there is one day, one moment that best describes the beginning of Vinton Today, maybe it’s this one:      Saturday morning. Spring. A 20-something lady was with a group of her colleagues, getting acquainted with her new team, her new town. They stopped for a group photograph at a local coffee shop.

Garrison Firefighter Eric Kakac with his Certificate of Life-Saving Commendation

Garrison Firefighter Eric Kakac was honored for saving a life after a car accident in 2009.      Garrison Firefighter Eric Kakac has received a Certificate of Commendation for Lifesaving Actions from Governor Culver and Public Safety Commissioner Eugene T. Meyer.     Kakac received the award for his action during the afternoon of October 8, 2009, when firefighter Kakac was at his parents’ home in rural Garrison.

2010 Year in Review: An Introduction

       Much has changed, for me and my job, this year.      But one thing is still the same.      Every year, after Christmas, I would do the same thing: I would read through the newspapers wherever I worked – according to my count, that would be six different publications in four different eastern Iowa towns – and review the stories of the past year.

Registration for Driver's Education Classes

The registration time for the 2011 Drivers Education classes ends on January 21.    Information packets are available in the V-S High School and Middle School. If you have any questions, contact Ken Huelman at 472-2291 or Steve McGrew at 436-4728 ext. 320.

White Monday after Christmas in area

Conditions were just right to cover many area trees with a thick layer of white frost. Vinton area residents awoke from the Christmas holiday weekend to find their trees covered with a thick layer of white frost.    The web site www.weatherquestions.com provides this explanation for how trees become white and beautiful like this on days like this:     Frost forms in much the same way as dew forms.

Shellsburg Post #166 Legion Riders participate in annual American Legion Legacy

Gary Bonsteel and Clarence Hill   As an unfortunate consequence of Operation Iraqi Freedom and America's  war on terror, many children of our active-duty military personnel are  now members of single parent families. In most cases, this also means  their chances to attend college have greatly diminished. The American Legion has established the "American Legion Legacy  Scholarship.

Kiwanis, Santa share Christmas with several area students

After opening their gifts, children began playing with them during the Kiwanis Christmas event.       The Vinton Kiwanis Club invited many young school children to its meeting on Tuesday. They knew Santa was coming to share gifts with all of the children there. Several students who were unable to attend the meeting received a special visit at their school. The Kiwanis also traveled to Shellsburg to share Christmas with students there.

VS Middle School choir concert postponed until Jan. 4

       The Vinton-Shellsburg Middle School Vocal Holiday Concert has been rescheduled for Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. at the Tilford Elementary Auditorium.              All of the middle school choirs will perform.  Students from the middle school and high school will help accompany the choirs along with community pianists, Nancy Jorgensen and April Ahrenholz.