July was a busy month for our area EMS. In mid-July, the local teams worked together training with the LifeGuard Air Ambulance. Flying in from St. Lukes, the various crews learned about safety around the helicopter, operations of the air ambulance and scene safety.

Just announced-our panel of expert judges has taken this year's lineup of over 60 new foods and narrowed it down to the top three finalists for 2025.Fairgoer votes will be tallied from August 7th to the 13th and the winner of the coveted People's Choice Best New Food for 2025 will be announced on Friday, August 15.

Today, Governor Kim Reynolds announced her commitment of $5M to expand 19 child care and preschool program partnerships. The Continuum of Care grant program garnered overwhelming interest with more than 120 applications submitted.

Photo Caption:  The Best of the Best team from Benton County: Claire Schanbacher-Market Beef, Lauren Vavroch- Breeding Doe, Paige Schulte-Bredding Gilt, Kolten Lewis- Market Lamb, Joe Stein- Market Hog, Jillian Hanson- Breeding Ewe, Addy Sweeney- Breeding Heifer, Will McKenna- Market Goat.

It's time for the Iowa State Fair! There will several news releases coming in that I will share with you. For anyone competing at the fair, feel free to snap photos while you're there and share them with the rest of us back home in Vinton, your awards are always fun to share!Now to our first news release!-Choose Iowa will be highlighted throughout the 2025 Iowa State Fair by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig welcomes Iowa State Fairgoers to indulge in fun ‘Fair Sweet Fair’ experiences with Choose Iowa during the annual 11-day event slated for Aug.

Jacob Isbell the son of Sherri and Jake Isbell, and a 2014 graduate of Vinton-Shellburg, is shooting for the stars!As I coordinated with the author to share this story with you, Steve Ertel  who is  leading the team that Jacob is part of, as his supervisor and “very proud faculty mentor,” explained a bit about what an accomplishment this is.

By Randy ScheelRecently, I was at a community event when a good friend approached me to let me know he had ridden the Old Creamery Nature Trail (OCNT) and how much he liked the trail.

By: Co-Reporter, Abby McKennaThe Benton County Fair was a fun and rewarding week for the Vinton-Shellsburg FFA Chapter as members took part in hands-on agricultural education, livestock exhibitions, and community service.

We’re thrilled to announce that an accessible sidewalk has been installed at the Hannen Lake Park beach! This project is a big step toward making our parks more inclusive and enjoyable for everyone.

A well-organized storm complex is expected to impact the area tonight into very early Tuesday morning. ● This line of storms is likely to be severe in at least portions of eastern Iowa, but confidence remains low on specific timing and duration of severe.