Dear Editor, My granddaughter, Olivia, and I had a great time last Thursday night for a presentation on the American Bison and their relationship with the American Indian tribes, held at the Benton County Nature Center.

For anyone as old as the Super Bowl or the Ford Mustang, Christmas can be a sentimental, even sad, at times, celebration. While we rejoice in our faith with the ones we love and thrill at the joy our children and grandchildren have when they help decorate the tree or see the lights or open their gifts or fumble their lines in the Christmas pageant, we also remember Christmases past and those who are no longer here to celebrate with us.

At a rally last week, where a famous Hollywood personality used the word “murderer” to describe police killings of black people, that man read the names of 250 or so black men and women  who have been killed by police this year.

While I cannot vote in the city election and I did not submit a question, I attended the debate. I am associated with a business in downtown Vinton so what you decide by your vote has an effect on what we pay in city services, etc.

My name is Drew Sallee, and I am a proud Vinton resident. In fact other than my 5 years serving our country in the U.S. Army, I have lived here in Vinton for almost my entire life.

Dear Editor, Until very recently, Iowa’s population overwhelmingly lived and worked in small communities. What’s referred to as “Iowa nice” is probably the result of the social relationships fostered while living in those tight-knit groups.

I am voting “yes” on November 3rd for the formation of a city telecommunications utility.  I don't have any big complaints or any burning issues that I want to address.

I feel it necessary to make some comments distancing the lovely town of Vinton (and the majority of kind, considerate, and tolerant citizens who live and work here) from the actions of a few students at Vinton-Shellsburg High School this week.

This last week I looked at our outbound email and some days it was pretty slim. Today there is a weeks worth of news in one day! Most of the weekend was spent covering events, snapping pictures, getting the stories, and posting them.

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING September 22, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. Benton County Board of Supervisors Room   1.       9:00 A.