News
VALERIE CLOSE, EDITOR - December 10th, 2018 7:16 am

Friday and Saturday evenings saw Santa visiting the children in the small town of Brandon...well, Santa and Mrs. Claus I should say. Along with a couple elves that were there to help, they had visits from all ages. The festival included a mini Christmas tree auction, wreath, gift basket and tree auctions.
There were also gingerbread house judging and tree decorating contests for the community to enjoy.
VALERIE CLOSE, EDITOR - December 10th, 2018 7:15 am

One of the area’s latest holiday traditions is back for a fifth time!
The Vinton Presbyterian Church will be holding its 5th-annual Community Christmas Dinner on Tuesday, December 25 from 12 noon to 2 p.m. in the church’s Fellowship Hall at 608 1st Avenue in Vinton. There is no charge for the dinner, however free-will donations are being accepted.
VALERIE CLOSE, EDITOR - December 10th, 2018 6:39 am

Each year, on the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Alex Vasquez puts together a tribute recognizing the anniversary of that day. This year the students read the accounts of some that were there on that day. As the students read the thoughts and feelings of those there. Also on display at the tribute were items from that era including uniforms and a piece of the ship the USS Arizona, one of the ships bombed during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
VALERIE CLOSE, EDITOR - December 10th, 2018 6:07 am

Just a typical Saturday morning means sleeping in, and lounging around in pj's and watching cartoons for some, but not for the kids wanting to see Santa! Santa brought breakfast and a gift bag for each child that came to see him at the Vinton Skate Center. Pancakes were a hit as well as coloring and smiling for a picture with Santa. To
VALERIE CLOSE, EDITOR - December 10th, 2018 5:58 am

On November 28, Farmers Savings Bank & Trust Heritage Club Director, Melanie Davis, entertained 155 club members at their annual Thanksgiving Banquet at the Vinton Skating Rink. They enjoyed a full Thanksgiving feast. The Heritage Club members contributed 1100 pounds of canned food and paper products to the Vinton Food Pantry.
Speakers were John Mossman, Mossman Law Firm; Russ Nieland, Carson Wealth Investment; and Nichole McKenna, Farmers Savings Bank & Trust.
VIRGINIA GAY HOSPITAL - December 10th, 2018 5:35 am

Virginia Gay Hospital was pleased to accept a 2018 CBJ Workforce award at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, December 6th. The award was given by the Corridor Business Journal after a review process involving Iowa Workforce Development and Kirkwood faculty and staff. Virginia Gay’s award was in recognition of their efforts to recruit exceptionally qualified healthcare employees for the hospital, and its family medical clinics located throughout Benton County.
VALERIE CLOSE, EDITOR - December 8th, 2018 9:06 pm

We want to thank all those who helped us last year in collecting over $25,000, which 80% stayed in the county. This year 90% will stay in Benton County to help those in need.
Our bell ringing this year will end on December 22, we still have openings for the final two weeks, days and times available are Monday-Saturday, 8:00am-9:00pm. If you and/or your organization would like to sign up please contact us.
VALERIE CLOSE, EDITOR - December 8th, 2018 9:06 pm
The Vinton Police Department wants to spread holiday cheer to community children in Vinton. The Vinton Police Deparment will be hosting our first ever Holiday with a Cop! With the help of the schools, the police department will select a number of children from the local schools to participate in the program this year.
Officers will be paired with children for a little holiday shopping.
VALERIE CLOSE, EDITOR - December 8th, 2018 9:06 pm
This year's Angel Tree, currently has 235 children signed up to receive gifts this Christmas. Rick and Yvonne Zimpfer have agreed to loan the use of their building, the former McClure office next to the Ron-Da-Voo, to be used for the program. If you are interested in helping with this project, you can get a tag with needed clothing ideas at either US Bank or Farmers Savings and Trust.
VIRGINIA GAY HOSPITAL - December 6th, 2018 10:24 pm

The Virginia Gay Hospital laboratory has been named a top 200 lab by Bio-Rad Laboratories for quality and timeliness of result testing. Bio-Rad specializes in life science research and clinical diagnostics and operates in 36 countries with annual sales of approximately $2.1 billion.
“Like many hospitals around the world, we buy products from Bio-Rad Laboratories to do quality control testing in our lab,” explains Tracey Herink, Virginia Gay’s Director of Laboratory Services.