News
BENTON COUNTY FARM BUREAU - June 17th, 2025 3:56 pm

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!
FFA - June 17th, 2025 8:55 am

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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IOWA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION - June 17th, 2025 8:54 am

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.
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY’S OFFICE - June 13th, 2025 12:09 pm
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.
FFA - June 13th, 2025 12:08 pm

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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VINTON TODAY - June 12th, 2025 5:42 pm

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!
FFA - June 11th, 2025 10:25 am

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.
IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH - June 11th, 2025 9:57 am
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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VINTON TODAY - June 11th, 2025 9:26 am

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 - June 10th, 2025 2:36 pm

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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