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The Benton County Fair board would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Olivia Hanson as the 2024 Benton County Fair Queen, and Grayce McClintock as the 2024 Benton County Fair Princesses.A special thank you to Izzie Birker for serving as the 2023 Benton County Fair Queen and Kait Ballard for serving as the 2023 Benton County Fair Princess.

As the 4th of July rolls around, and fireworks are now being sold in town, I've had requests to ask residents to refrain from shooting them off in town. Vinton is home to several veterans who suffer from PTSD. Out of respect for them, please do not set them off in town. As I type this, someone just set some off in my neighborhood. Even without this request…FIREWORKS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE USED WITHIN THE CITY OF VINTONCity of Vinton Ordinance Chapter 41.

The Benton County Treasurer’s Office is hiring a Motor Vehicles Clerk. This position is responsible for assisting the public by accurately processing motor vehicle transactions as directed by the State of Iowa.Position Responsibilities:Provide excellent service to the public in a timely manner by assisting customers at the counter and answering telephonesAssist motor vehicle owners and dealers in processing vehicle registrations, transferring titles, issuing license plates, computing and collecting appropriate feesIssue salvage titles, junk certificates, duplicate titles, file refund claims, and perform all other record keeping consistent with State of Iowa proceduresLocate and record lien information to assist law enforcement officials, insurance companies and the Internal Revenue Service by searching recordsCollect property tax paymentsOther duties as assignedQualifications:To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

 All Charges are subject to review by the Benton County Attorney’s Office. An arrest or criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the Defendant is presumed innocent, unless proven guilty. Intrastate Warrants are issued by Law Enforcement Agencies for crimes happening in their jurisdictions. Two Adult Arrests the week of June 10-16, 2024 June 12Jonathan Allen Franklin, 45, Vinton, IAIntrastate Warrant Arrest-Domestic Abuse Assault Impeding Air/Blood Flow Causing Bodily Injury June 14​Athene Rene Darland, 39, Cedar Rapids, IABurglary 3rd Degree, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia  Zero Juvenile Referrals  Four Code Enforcement Violations- Tall Grass x 3- Parking Violation x 1  Five Traffic Citations for Offenses were issued  Seven Traffic Warnings for Offenses were issued  Two Reported Motor Vehicle Accidents For the Week of June 10-16, 2024, 81 complaints/calls for service were handled by the Vinton Police Department.

Each Summer the Iowa County Recorders Association meets for continuing education in one of the State's six Districts, and last week Okoboji was the meeting destination.As elected officials, the Recorders have a formal Certification Program which offers learning sessions that broadly impact their professional role in the County. Courses are focused on Leadership & Ethics, Open Meetings & Open Records Laws, Communication, Human Resources & Office Management, Iowa Code, Tech Applications, and Local Government/Budgeting.

By Jack O'ConnorIowa scored relatively well in education rankings among the states, but with declining test scores and on-time high school graduation rates decreasing, the state has fallen from its highs of previous years, according to a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.Sixty-seven percent of Iowa fourth-graders in 2022 were not proficient in reading, which is two percentage points worse than the 2019 pre-COVID rates, according to the Kids Count report.

On a rainy Wednesday evening, following the FFA Awards night in the Grandstands, the new Benton County royalty and her court were named. Two candidates for the title of 2024 Benton County Fair Queen had submitted their names as competitors for the race, Grayce McClintock and Olivia Hanson.  Both ladies are 2024 high school graduates and are making plans to attend college in the fall.

Local competitions are happening at the Benton County Fair this week. Judging has commenced and the winners have been chosen in many of the categories. Congratulations to the individuals below! You have been chosen to represent Benton County at the 2024 Iowa State Fair for your Static project. Izzie Birker 1624 Food & Nutrition North Eden Willing Workers Izzie Birker 1625 Food & Nutrition North Eden Willing Workers Katie Birker 1639 Food & Nutrition North Eden Willing Workers June Bodeker 1229 Photography Jackson Better Farmers Makenna Burmeister 767 Sewing and Needle ArtsEmily Cue 1659 Photography Polk 101 Lila Cue 1650 Photography Polk 101 Zachary Fix 225 Woodworking North Eden Willing Workers Alan Gibney 1145 Digital Storytelling Leroy LuckiesKenzi Gibney 1131 Citizenship and Civic Engagement Leroy Luckies Jenna Grovert 491 Photography North Eden Willing Workers Jenna Grovert 495 Outdoor Adventures North Eden Willing Workers Jenna Grovert 494 Visual Arts – Original Arts North Eden Willing WorkersNora Grovert 485 Home Improvement North Eden Willing Workers Nora Grovert 480 Photography North Eden Willing WorkersNora Grovert 481 Photography North Eden Willing WorkersNora Grovert 482 Photography North Eden Willing WorkersNora Grovert 484 Sewing and Needle Arts Olivia Hanson 1103 Food & Nutrition Bruce Boosters Bruce Boosters 4-H Club 1464 Citizenship and Civic Engagement Bruce Boosters Beckett Happel 546 Visual Arts North Eden Willing Workers Kinnick Hoeck 545 Child Development Fremont Go-Getters Gavin Kelly 739 Welding Polk 101 Evan Kolek 331 Woodworking Fremont Go-Getters Haddie Kroneman 1402 Animal Science Florence Go-Getters Gina Lutgen 895 Food & Nutrition North Eden Willing Workers Gina Lutgen 897 Food & Nutrition North Eden Willing Workers Kinze Manson 1122 Thrifty Meal Challenge Polk 101 Braden Martin 502 Woodworking Florence Hawkeyes Abigail McKenna 1353 Visual Arts Jackson Better Farmers Erika McKenna 1520 Home Improvement Jackson Better Farmers Erika McKenna 1225 Food & Nutrition Jackson Better Farmers Wesley McKenna 779 Welding Jackson Better Farmers Rya Miller 1613 Visual Arts Florence Hawkeyes Madeline Olson 1220 Photography North Eden Willing Workers Grayson Rathje 128 Science,Engineering & Technology Fremont Go-Getters Mya Refstie 912 Health Leroy Luckies Mya Refstie 913 Food & Nutrition Leroy Luckies Mya Refstie 917 Home Improvement Leroy Luckies Mya Refstie 910 Self-Determined Leroy Luckies Avery Schmitz 1280 Visual Arts Polk 101 Jacob Schmitz 1284 Conservation, Environment, and Sustainability Polk 101 Joe Stien 588 Food & Nutrition – Educational Display Florence Go-Getters Eleanor Stueck 327 Woodworking Jackson Better Farmers Cade Volesky 119 Mechanics Florence Hawkeyes Amrie Wittmer 316 Photography Jackson Better FarmersCongratulated to the selected individuals one of your Static projects has been selected at a 2024 Benton County Pride Award! Please plan to attend 4-H Night at The Grandstand tonight Wednesday, June 19th at 6:00pm to be recognized.

The Lowell Milken Center (LMC) for Unsung Heroes in Fort Scott, Kansas, an international educational non-profit, has awarded its prestigious Fellowship to Kelly Steffen, a social studies teacher at Vinton-Shellsburg High in Iowa. Kelly will arrive in Fort Scott on June 23rd for a week of collaboration with LMC staff and the other members of the Fellowship.

In recognition of the national holiday of Juneteenth, there will be no outgoing email on Wednesday, June 19, 2024. The holiday was established in 2021 by President Biden. To find out more about the holiday, click HERE.