News

Hopefully, the days of birthday parades will soon be a distant memory. For those celebrating milestones during COVID-19 it's a small way to wish those with a special day a memorable day. Saturday, Norval Staton's family decided to surprise him with a parade for his birthday. His sister Vicky was able to convince him to sit on the porch with her to enjoy the afternoon.

In the days of COVID lockdowns, those suffering the most from confinement are our elderly who are unable to see family and friends. On Friday the Vinton Lutheran Home came up with a brilliant idea to allow families to sit next to their loved one, at the window in the dining area. A delicious cookout meal was provided to residents and guests alike. In a statement from Vinton's Lutheran Home they said, " In a time of uncertainty due to the COVID pandemic, the health and safety of those we serve at the Vinton Lutheran Home remains our top priority.

While most saw a fire on Saturday morning on the northeast corner of John's Qwik Stop block, others had a vision for something else. The Vinton Fire Department was called in to take down a house that was recently purchased by JQS. The area will be used to make room for a new car wash on the property.John's Qwik Stop has used its resources to support numerous school and community projects over the last several decades, adding a car wash will help with these efforts.

The Vinton-Shellsburg Graduating Class of 2020 probably has the most memorable senior 2/3 year. For many of the students, they are now maneuvering through various forms of online communication with their teachers to finish their assignments for the school year. For the teachers, they are dealing with eye strain from the many hours they spend on the computer each day communicating with their students.

With the help of Tharp’s Design and community and staff donations, we raised enough money to purchase yard signs for each graduating 2020 senior. VSHS has finalized plans to Distribute a yard sign to each senior. Signs will be Distributed to Seniors by their advisor. Each advisor has a 5-7 p.m. time block one day next week. 5/18 Monday: West Campus and Albritton will be the advisor groups 5/19 Tuesday: Weber and Lash will be the advisor groups 5/20 Wednesday: Hofer and Robertson will be the advisor groups 5/21 Thursday: Lough and Heeren will be the advisor groups Staff will be practicing social distancing at all times and will use proper face covering and sanitizing between students.

Food labeling to a farmer is probably the best cure for low blood pressure. As part of my conversation with Lance and Heidi Lillibridge, we touched on the topic of labels.Product of USAOne of the issues the two talked about was the various labels displayed on our food. One label is the, “Product of U.S.A.” To you and I that means the animal was raised on American soil.

The Vinton Parks and Recreation Department broke ground for the new Splash Pad construction. The new Splash Pad will be located at the Kiwanis Park located at the junction of Highway 218 and 13th St. in Vinton. On hand for the celebration were Matt Boggess, Director of the Vinton Parks and Recreation Department, Mayor Bud Maynard and several members of the Kiwanis club, as well as the staff of VPRD.

Click to view presentationLocal Scholarships:Benton County Pork Producers Scholarship ………………………………..… Payton HaefnerCarson Wealth/Farmers Savings Bank & Trust Scholarship ………………….. Raeleigh Schulte Mike Betterton Memorial Soccer Scholarship …..………….…………………. Raelyn MurrayMike Betterton Memorial Wrestling Scholarship…….

Iowa Women’s Foundation Launches ‘CAREforce for our WORKforce” in Support of Iowa’s Child Care ProfessionalsNew campaign urges public to recognize child care providers as essential workers. The Iowa Women’s Foundation (IWF) is launching a new campaign to increase the recognition of child care providers as essential, professional workers.

The Vinton-Shellsburg Senior Awards Night normally held in the auditorium will be held tonight, Wednesday May 13, online. The graduating Class of 2020 will be able to see the Awards Night on the  Vinton Shellsburg Community Schools District YouTube channel tonight at 7:00 p.m. The link will be posted on the Vinton-Shellsburg Community Schools Facebook page.