News Headlines

The murder conviction of Tacoa Talley in the death of Jodie Bevans resulted in his sentencing trial being set for Friday afternoon. Because the defense attorney had forgotten about the hearing, there was approximately an hour and a half delay. Talley was found guilty of first degree murder by a jury in Benton County on April 14, 2023. After just a few hours of deliberation by the jury the decision was unanimous.

 The INEX Legends will take center stage this Sunday at Benton County Speedway. The Legends.Direct-sponsored division will be showcased in the $2,500-to-win Midwest Dirt Shootout on The Bullring quarter-mile Sunday, June 4. The draw/redraw event will offer $100 to start. Entry fee is $25 for the Legends. IMCA weekly racing will join the Legends as Friesen Performance IMCA Modifieds presented by Beaty Excavating, IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars presented by Christie Door Company, IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks presented by Vermedahl Trucking, Friesen Performance IMCA Northern SportMods presented by Houdek Auto Center and Mach-1 IMCA Sport Compacts presented by iHeart Radio will continue their season-long point battles.

Kelsey McWilliams would like to invite you to paint along with the residents from Windsor Manor. On June 10th, 2023, beginning at 2:00 PM the Vinton Guild for Fine Arts will be at Windsor Manor conducting a painting project. Our residents would like to invite the community to join them. I was wondering if there was any way you could write a little blurb on this.

The Iowa Cancer Consortium, in partnership with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, will distribute over 80 gallons of sunscreen through its Sun-Safety Community Project this summer. As a 2023 awardee, Virginia Gay Hospital received 2 OF THE GALLONS of sunscreen for visitors to use at our Party in Pink 5K on June 16th, at VGH Party in the Park booth on June 17th and other community events throughout the summer.

By Co-Reporter Izzie Birker On Tuesday, May 16th, the Vinton-Shellsburg FFA members attended the annual District CDE contests at Hawkeye Community College. Teams that went and participated from the Vinton-Shellsburg FFA chapter include Floriculture and Food Science. The Vinton-Shellsburg Floriculture team consisted of Pual Herger, Jordyn Williams, Andrew Pingenot, and Alana Fleming which was awarded 4th place overall with Paul Herger placing 3rd individually.

Memorial Day services could be found across the nation in honor of our fallen soldiers. Locally, Mt. Auburn who is now without an official local American Legion of their own, continued the tradition.On Thursday of last week, a group gathered to mark the graves of their soldiers with white crosses and flags. Residents then gathered on Monday for a brief service which included short presentations from residents as well as Taps being played by Chad Newton.

Relay For Life is a community of survivors, caregivers, volunteers, and participants who believe that the future can be free from cancer. Money raised from Relay directly supports members of our community by funding breakthrough research, 24/7 support for people with cancer, access to lifesaving screenings, and much more.The American Cancer Society leads the fight against cancer with some important goals:** Cancer Research – A generation of research depends on what we do right now.

Dick Kenney was drafted two weeks before his high school graduation; thankfully, they deferred so he could at least receive his diploma, but he was on a bus the very next morning at 6 am. After completing all of his Army training, he was stationed in Germany as a Combat Engineer from 1953 to 1955. His unit was mainly responsible for building bridges and setting up other infrastructure.

Join the fun at our special “community celebration” every Thursday night. Music, entertainment, games, and activities held each week. Hot sandwiches served at our outdoor café. This market showcases the best of Benton County producers of fruits, vegtables, jams, baked goods, and more! If you are interested in becoming a vendor or would like more information, call the VPRD office at 319-472-4164.

Join us for the Bacon Buddies® Show at the Benton County Fair! WHO: Persons with an intellectual and/or developmental disability age of 8 years and older are eligible. Each participant will be paired with one-two youth mentors and a pig. WHAT: Bacon Buddies® participants will have the opportunity to experience showing a pig. The judge will assess how the mentors, participant and pig work together as a cohesive unit.