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Benton County Farm Bureau Sponsors Rodeo at the Fair

Benton County Farm Bureau Vice-President Samantha Petersen presenting a $1,000 sponsorship to Brian McNutty Benton County Farm Bureau is proud to be a gold sponsor of the rodeo at the Benton County Fair this year. The Board of Directors is always looking for a way to give back to the community and this was the perfect opportunity. Benton County Farm Bureau hopes their sponsorship allows friends and family to get together to enjoy this great event!

Vinton-Shellsburg FFA Hosts Creative Kids Ag Days

Sophia Newton guiding the kids through a farm equipment bingo. By: Co-Reporter, Abby McKennaOn Tuesday, June 10th and Thursday, June 12th, 2025, members of the Vinton-Shellsburg FFA Chapter led two exciting Creative Kids FFA Days, bringing agriculture education to local elementary students through fun, hands-on learning experiences. The first day took place at Tilford Elementary, where FFA members set up a variety of interactive stations to teach students about topics like rabbits, farm equipment, and cuts of meat.
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Roadside Chat - It's Bike Season - Be Nice Look Twice

Bicyclists are not easy to spot – especially youth riders. The average youth bike height is four feet and length is only 20-24” often making their little outlines invisible against a backdrop of intersections, vehicles, trees, and structures. That’s why we should steer our nice toward looking twice during bike season. Young riders are even harder to see if they ride in your blind spot and don’t wear bright clothing or helmets.

La Porte Police Department assist in take down of Mexican Money Launderer

A Chicago‑area man who acted as a money launderer for a Mexico‑based drug trafficking organization was sentenced June 11, 2025 to nearly five years in federal prison.  Jose Eladio Medina Valenzuela, age 45, from Cicero, Illinois, received the prison term after a January 6, 2025 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Vinton-Shellsburg FFA Officers Attend 2025 COLT

Vinton Shellsburg FFA officer team that participated in COLT: Bri Dulin, Zoey McClintock, Ciara Dods, Cole Birker, Abby McKenna, Will McKenna, and Levi Lutz.  By: Co-Reporter, Abby McKennaOn Friday, June 7th, 2025, the Vinton-Shellsburg FFA officer team attended COLT (Chapter Officer Leadership Training) at Hawkeye Community College. This annual event brought together FFA chapter officers from across the Northeast District to build leadership skills, connect with one another, and prepare for the year ahead.
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Clean-Up Crew: FFA Strong!

Braedon Hepker, Will Kreutner, Abby McKenna, and Madeline Pingenot helped clean up cans. By: Co-Reporter, Bri DulinOn Saturday, June 7th, Vinton-Shellsburg FFA members helped to clean up cans after the Hairball concert in Vinton. Thank you to H2 Pizza for providing pizza to eat prior and Brian Halstead for taking the cans to redemption after the clean up!

Wrapping Up the Year in V-S FFA with the Awards Banquet!

2025-26 officer team: (Top Left) Advisor, Gabby Power, Secretary Sophia Newton, Treasurer Levi Lutz, Vice-President Ciara Dods, President Will McKenna, (Bottom Left) Co-Reporter Bri Dulin, Officer at Large Cole Birker, Sentinel Zoey McClintock, Co-Reporte By Co-Reporter, Izzie BirkerThe annual Vinton-Shellsburg FFA Awards Banquet was held on Saturday, March 3rd. President Andrew Pingenot opened the evening by welcoming guests and thanking them for their support. Officer at Large Bri Dulin gave the blessing, and the meal was catered by Merchant's Grilling with cupcakes from Susan Meyer, and soda bar run by the Alumni & Supporters members who also conducted a silent auction during the dinner to raise funds for chapter activities.

Lawsuits over alleged fuel-pump conspiracy are settled out of court

By Clark KauffmanA lawsuit accusing Casey’s General Stores and an Iowa Board of Regents member of colluding with others as part of an illegal conspiracy to limit competition at fuel pumps has settled out of court.The lawsuit was filed 10 weeks ago in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa by a JF Acquisitions, a North Carolina company that builds and installs gasoline pumps found at convenience stores.
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Susan (Ervin) Judkins Named 2025 Leadership for Iowa Award Recipient

Leadership Iowa, Iowa’s premier issues-awareness program provided by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) Foundation, has named Susan Judkins from Clive, Iowa, as the recipient of its annual Leadership for Iowa Award. Susan will be honored on June 12 at ABI’s Taking Care of Business Conference in Council Bluffs.The daughter of Keith and Kathie Ervin, Susan grew up in Vinton and graduated from Washington High School as a member of the class of 1976.

Eastern Iowa Honor Flight Honored with Governor’s Volunteer Award

Prestigious award recognizes significant contributions through volunteer service across IowaCedar Rapids, Iowa – On June 4, 2025, Eastern Iowa Honor Flight board members were honored with prestigious Governor’s Volunteer Award in Des Moines, Iowa. The honor recognized the organization’s outstanding commitment to honoring Iowa’s military veterans through volunteerism.
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