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Vinton is participating in the 2023 Iowa's Living Roadways Community Visioning Program. Community Visioning is a transportation enhancement planning process that serves Iowa communities under 10,000 in population.The program helps community volunteers envision aesthetic and ecological improvements along roadsides and related landscapes by blending environmental stewardship with community improvement projects.

Following the flood of 2008, the city of Vinton lost homes near the river's edge in Vinton. A few homes along second street that were so badly damaged that they were eventually torn down and the lots empty. In 2010, with the help of the Vinton Parks and Recreation Department and Americorp, the empty lots began producing. By turning some of that floodplain into community garden space, kids and area residents learned to grow their own food.

 On March 2, the Area Substance Abuse Council (ASAC), Benton County Sherriff, Ronald Tippett, Benton County Attorney, Ray Lough, and Megan Hall, spoke with Iowa Attorney General, Brenna Bird, to discuss the Substance Use and Mental Health efforts in the county. The group was able to discuss substance use trends, the prevention services that are offered, and the need for expanded substance use and problem gambling services in Benton County.

Friends of the Center Point Library sponsored a BlueTone Jass Collective performance at the Center Point Library on Thursday, March 23. Getting down with the tuba at a jazz concert, in the library? Yes! The four-person band, plus a stand-out vocalist, performed nine different instruments and a range of tunes from Louie Armstrong to the Beatles, much to the delight of the spring concert crowd of about 20 attendees.

On Saturday, 40 Vinton-Shellsburg FFA members competed at the District Contests at Beckman Catholic High School. Here are their results:Conduct of Chapter Meetings: Will McKenna, Wes McKenna, Eli Ollinger, Ben McGowan, Ben Buhr, Andrew Allsup, and Cooper McClintock - SilverJob Interview: Kelcie Appleby - GoldParliamentary Procedure: Alana Fleming, Megan Schlitter, Izzie Birker, Grayce McClintock, and Rachel Rollinger - GoldPrepared Public Speaking: Annabelle Newton - 2nd Gold - Advance to StateAg Broadcasting: Jazmyn Dods - SilverCreed Speaking: Cal Christenson - SilverFarm Business Management: Kaelyn Pettyjohn, Kail Evans, and Kate Timmerman - .

The Kids Krusaders of the First Christian Church in Vinton is made up of youth grades 1-6. The kids meet every Wednesday after school from 3:30-5:00 p.m. where they make crafts, have a Bible story time, snacks provided by the church members, music, games and a prayer time. Each month, the group has a special theme. This month, the theme was "giving.

The following arrest as well as a little of the story shared by a local mother is a reminder to parents and their children that the internet is not a safe place.Roshaun Demetrius Collins, 21, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin was arrested on February 15, 2023, in Milwaukee after abducting a 13-year-old girl from Benton County. According to the mother, neighbors witnessed the child entering a silver or gray SUV early on Monday morning, February 13.

Reflecting on the last 13 years of Vinton Today always leaves me amazed. Every time. The idea was to have a central location where anyone so inclined to write, organizations wanting to share, and any bit of news could find its way to anyone anywhere. And it could happen from Vinton. For three months before launch, I spent a lot of time contacting organizations, sending out the email address, asking for information, meeting notices, etc.

By Clark KauffmanAn Iowa emergency medical technician who drove ambulances, fired for a history of drunken driving arrests, is not entitled to unemployment benefits, a state fact-finder has ruled.Despite two drunken-driving convictions and one recent drunken driving arrest, Derek Ealy’s state license as an emergency medical services provider remains in good standing with no history of any public disciplinary action, according to the Iowa Bureau of Emergency and Trauma Services.

Farmers Savings Bank & Trust, in conjunction with Community Bankers of Iowa (CBI) is sponsoring the 2023 CBI Money Smart Week Poster Contest to motivate elementary school students to learn about personal finances. Money Smart Week was designed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago as part of a financial literacy public awareness campaign.To enter the Poster Contest, elementary students in 2nd through 6th grades can submit poster designs to Farmers Savings Bank & Trust, with imagery answering the question: “Why is it important to know about money?”.