News : Remembering October 2010

One woman was seriously injured in this accident near Garrison in October.

Hundreds attended the Union Fields of Faith event Oct. 13.

Demolition of flood-damaged houses in Vinton concluded in the fall of 2010.

Supervisors begin regular tours of the new LEC, observing its progress.

The Palace got a new look in October.

Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: VSHS choir members met Simon Estes in October.

The month of October brought a variety of “firsts” and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to area residents.

Autumn began, however, with a temporary closing of the Benton County landfill, the closure was the result of a delay in the inspection process for the new cell at the landfill south of Blairstown. But at the same time, county leaders were responding to a Notice of Violation from the Iowa DNR. That issue was resolved in December when the county agreed to correct the errors – mostly related to failure to cover the landfill at the end of each working day – and to pay $10,000 from its sanitary disposal fund to environmental funds for the county.

Fire Prevention Week

Vinton Firefighters welcomed elementary students to the fire station for the traditional Fire Prevention Week tours. Many students also had their chance to ride atop a fire truck.

Fiberight

In more promising news about solid waste, the Benton County Supervisors continued their discussion with Craig Stuart-Paul of the Fiberight company. Fiberight bought the empty ethanol plant near Blairstown and is completing its transformation of the facility. Soon, Stuart-Paul plans to begin converting regular garbage from homes in the county into ethanol.

LEC Tour

The Law Enforcement Center began taking shape; officials took more tours. See photos of an early tour here: http://www.vintoniowa.org/articles/Opinion/article102480.html

Message in a bucket: http://www.vintoniowa.org/articles/News/article101815.html

Division 1 rating for VSHS band

The VSHS Band performed songs from the musical “Titanic” for its 2010 show, and earned another Division 1 rating – as well as another invitation to play in the 2011 Washington, D.C. July 4 Parade. See photos and a story about the band’s successful show here: http://www.vintoniowa.org/articles/News/article101846.html

October traffic accidents

One accident in southern Benton County near Keystone killed 6-month-old Lincoln Jacobs. A few days later, one person was injured when a school van stopped at a railroad crossing was rear-ended by a truck. No students were on board the van.

Lottery prize

Dan Boddicker, the owner of Mickey’s Bar in Vinton, won $100,000 in an Iowa Lottery game in October. He bought the ticket just down the street, at Roy’s.

Accident

A woman sustained serious injuries when a dump truck pulled in front of her near Garrison. She was taken by helicopter to a hospital.

Fields of Faith

More than 500 young people and adults from several school districts met at the Union High School football field for a Fields of Faith event. One of the speakers at the event in LaPorte City was Aaron Thomas, the son of the Ed Thomas. See that story here: http://www.vintoniowa.org/articles/News/article101883.html

E-85

The Fast Stop in Vinton installed new pumps and held a celebration to introduce its new variety of fuels, including E85, to the Vinton area. The Vinton Police Department issued a press release stating that its vehicles will be using E85.

V-S wrestling labor auction

The Vinton-Shellsburg wrestling team held its first labor auction, raising more than $8,000. See that story here: http://www.vintoniowa.org/articles/News/article101978.html

Retired judge Van Zimmer spoke at the Vinton-Shellsburg National Honor Society Induction ceremony. See that story here: http://www.vintoniowa.org/articles/News/article101977.html

World shooting championship

Dave Coots of rural Vinton will be part of a team representing the USA in a World Benchrest Shooting event in France in 2011. He earned that by qualifying in the top 12 in events throughout 2010, and earned a spot after a successful event in October. See that story here: http://www.vintoniowa.org/articles/News/article101963.html

Simon Estes

Vinton-Shellsburg choir members enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime experience – learning from and singing with Simon Estes, the world-renowned singer who grew up in Iowa. Estes spent Thursday with VSHS students, and then performed a concert Saturday in the VSHS auditorium. See that story here: http://www.vintoniowa.org/articles/News/article101987.html

Flag Retirement

The Vinton Scouts continued their working relationship with local veterans, assisting in a flag retirement ceremony at the Vinton Legion Hall late in October. See that story here: http://www.vintoniowa.org/articles/News/article101999.html

Level 4 Trauma Facility

Virginia Gay Hospital was recertified as a Level 4 Trauma facility. See that story here: http://www.vintoniowa.org/articles/News/article102030.html