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Thanks to EcoVision, Inc., the authorized U.S. Cellular dealer in Vinton, and the Vinton Shellsburg School District, 40 Vinton-Shellsburg families who didn’t have internet access from home will soon have service. Kelley Lokenvitz, the business development manager for EcoVision’s four Iowa locations, facilitated the assistance for VSCSD students.

COVID-19 and Vinton In an event that our generation has never seen before, a virus called COVID-19 was discovered to have reached our shores. As a result, nearly 30 days ago Governor Kim Reynold informed us of social distancing, the need to stay home, work at home if we can, and stay at least 6 feet apart. Daily updates have been given on the numbers who have contracted the virus, those who have become sick and those that have died in the state of Iowa.

CDC is warning the general public of a new type of phone and phishing scam by criminals posing as CDC representatives, often requesting donations.  According to CDC, most of these fraudulent activities are being conducted by phone, utilizing software to "spoof" phone calls to make them appear as if they are coming from phone numbers that may look familiar.

It's National Telecommunicators Week!I'm sure most of us have called 9-1-1 before. Usually, it's at the worst time of your life. Things are desperately wrong, or someone has been hurt or there's a fire. Maybe you just saw an accident.Whatever the case, there's always a calm voice at the other end of the line asking how they can be of assistance. There's someone asking for your name and address so that they can send help to you.

We live in a time where we need heroes more than we've needed them in a long, long time. Not the kind who wear helmets or sneakers, or the kind who carry hammers or shields; no, we need the kind who carry stethoscopes and wear scrubs.Meet two heroes.Lillie Lamont and Carli Lang are right now supposed to be in the middle of the last semester of their senior years in high school, getting ready for prom, graduation, and futures at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, respectfully.

The Garrison Fire Auxiliary (Garrison Emergency Services) hosted a different sort of Easter Egg Hunt this year, during social distancing. The Auxillary cut, colored and decorated paper Easter Eggs and placed them throughout the town in windows of homes and buildings.The contest ran through noon on Easter Sunday, and participants were able to enter how many eggs they found throughout the community online, of course!The correct answer was 98 eggs and the 1st Place winner of Lost Island Water Park Tickets was Wanda Hinshaw, with 2nd & 3rd Place Winners of a Free Pizza from the Hitchin Post being Kali Decker & Christy DeGroot.

Every Wednesday several children meet at Blessed Hope Community Church for a chance to hear a Bible story, create a craft and to have a meal. Due to all of the closures, the program has been shut down for the last several weeks. Organizing a bit of Easter fun for the kids, the church figured out a way to wish the children a Happy Easter with a drive-through pickup for the kids, being sure to keep that 6 foot distance, they were able to wave to their teachers as they drove by to get a bag of treats prepared by the workers.

In light of all the kids at home, and all of the Social Distancing, Geekified decided that it would be a perfect time to help. The business put together 114 bags filled with games and activities to occupy families for hours during all of the time that they will have together. According to Steve Sauer, the bags were all distributed to area families in about 40 minutes.

COVID-19 has done quite a number on the country right now, and schools are being affected by it as well. Scrambling to find a Plan B for education to submit to the Department of Education, the schools must come up with a way to educate through the end of April.Schools have a choice of three different ways to proceed. They can provide resources for learning, which might include something like posting a list of resources, and allow parents and children to use what they'd like from the list.

Each day I hold my breath as I read the numbers coming in, especially scanning to see how Benton County is fairing in this pandemic. Cheering a little every time we get by another day without a new case, and groaning when we do have some.Hoping against hope that somehow we have a giant bubble over our small corner of the world, yet realizing we don't.