News

Over and over, Vinton-Shellsburg football coach Jim Womochil repeats a mantra that defines his goal of citizenship for his players: Our team will be its best when our school’s best students are our best players. By this, Womochil is referring to excellence in the classroom, and in the community, as well as on the football field. To accomplish this goal, Womochil and the Vikings participated in two extra projects this week, while preparing for the upcoming season.

After much planning, things are really moving along in creating the Prairie Forest Trail in Shellsburg.   The trailhead is located at the north end of Pearl Street and provides a link to an already existing trail through the woods and a restored prairie just east of the Shellsburg Elementary School.   The Shellsburg Area Community Group (SACG) raised funds for this project through a quilt raffle last fall and successfully applied for a grant from the Keep Iowa Beautiful Foundation.

Something is missing at the Benton County Courthouse: The clock.  Workers from Smith's Bell and Clock Service of Mooresville, Ind., used a crane to access the clock and bell tower this morning, and removed the clock mechanism, piece-by-piece. The project, funded by private donations and a State of Iowa historical preservation grant, is expected to be completed before the end of the year, perhaps as soon as Thanksgiving.

For the 15th straight year, Rick Murphy and his family have shared some of the proceeds of the Murphy Memorial Golf Tournament with Virginia Gay Hospital. This year, Murphy presented $11,500 to VGH Administrator Mike Riege and VGH Foundation Director Mike Timmermans, along with Foundation Board member Don Eells. That amount is identical to the amount donated in 2013.

On Sunday, August 17th the Vinton Country Club held the annual Men’s Club Tournament. Matt Martin won the VCC Club Championship in a 3 hole play-off with Rick Murphy, who played well until he found trouble on the 18th hole allowing Martin to sneak into the playoff.  Both Murphy and Martin finished 18 with one over par 71’s.

We met several students this morning, accompanied by their parents, heading into Tilford Elementary for their very first day of school, either at Tiny Vikes Pre-School or Kindergarten. We asked the children the same questions, and received, from them the same answers: Are you excited?  Are you scared? Are you sad? Every child we spoke to answered YES! No! and No! Then we asked the mothers.

Don’t ignore those nagging aches and pains! Too many times people experience long term, chronic, aches and pains in their knees, hips, wrists and shoulders and figure they’ll get better over time. In some cases patients do improve, but there are times when the aches only get worse and it’s during those moments that your healthcare provider may refer you to an orthopaedic surgeon.

Eighty-two county volunteers, including Greg Svoboda of rural Vinton, and two state level Iowa 4-H volunteers were inducted into the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame during the 2014 ceremony at the 4-H Exhibits Building at the Iowa State Fair on Sunday, Aug. 17.   About Greg's involvement in 4-H Greg Svoboda has been an amazing asset to Benton County 4-H and to the youth in Benton County.

4-H and FFA judging teams and individuals from across the state competed in the Youth Livestock Judging competition Sunday at the 2014 Iowa State Fair. Complete results below: TEAM Junior 1) CGMS (Cole Moeller, West Point, Gavin Banderhorst, Prairie City, Mitchell Harken, Pleasantville, Shae Lynn Becker, Keota) 2) Benton County (Brock County, no hometown given, Brady Ortner, no hometown given, Will Schmidt, Watkins, Isaac Wiley, Walker) 3) Hancock County #1 (Andrew Baumgard, Garner, Brielle Smeby, Klemme, Erik Goll, Garner, Jade Pringnitz, Garner) 4) Pencils (Blake Moeller, West Point, Tanner Henningsen, Ames, Tate Boysen, Columbus Junction, Jake Schlutz, Letts) 5) Hancock County #2 (Jace Pringnitz, Garner, Joe Pringnitz, Garner, Andrew Furst, Garner) Senior 1) Washington County (Macy Marek, Riverside, McKenna Brinning, Keota, Jack Carter, Washington, Logan Sieren, Keota) 2) Muscatine (Grace Seaba, no hometown given, Sam Burmeister, Muscatine, Cori Bates, Muscatine, Alyssa Scholz, Muscatine) 3) Carroll Area FFA (Jacob Wallace, Carroll, Matt Dentlinger, Arcadia, Ben Dentlinger, no hometown given, Tucker Vonnahme, no hometown given) 4) Scott County 4-H (Taylor Duckett, New Liberty, Evan Dietz, Walcott, Dylan Golinghorst, Walcott) 5) Davis County FFA (Baxter Knapp, Bloomfield, Nick Prevo, Ottumwa, Sam Knapp, no hometown given) INDIVIDUAL Junior 1) Shae Lynn Becker, Keota 2) Leremy Jackson, Unionville 3) Jack Willemsen, Pella 4) Tate Boysen, Columbus Junction 5) Gavin Branderhorst, Prairie City 6) Isaac Wiley, Walker 7) Blake Moeller, West Point 8) Cole Moeller, West Point 9) Brock County, no hometown given 10) Jade Pringnitz, Garner 11) Andrew Baumgard, Garner 12) Karragan Whitman, Calamus 13) Jake Pringnitz, Garner 14) Kale Whitman, Calamus 15) Nick Deppe, Maquoketa 16) Kylee Brown, Earlham 17) Erik Goll, Garner 18) Brielle Smeby, Klemme 19) Andrew Furst, Garner 20) Quinton Schwager, no hometown given 21) Mitchell Harken, Pleasantville 22) Brady Ortner, no hometown given 23) Jackson Sterle, Roland 24) Joe Pringnitz, Garner 25) Samuel Lane, Mediapolis 26) Will Schmidt, Watkins 27) Erik Beckman, Danville 28) Tanner Henningsen, Ames 29) Miranda Peters, no hometown given 30) Jake Schlutz, Letts 31) Riley Bruns, Calamus 32) Lauren Sieren, Keota 33) Ashley Kahler, Cambridge 34) Bryce Greiner, Keota 35) Olivia Marek, Riverside 36) Roy Carter, Washington   Senior 1) Macy Marek, Riverside 2) Anna Brooks, Blue Grass 3) Dylan Golinghorst, Walcott 4) McKenna Brinning, Keota 5) Sam Burmeister, Muscatine 6) Corina Bates, Muscatine 7) Taylor Duckett, New Liberty 8) Ben Dentlinger, no hometown given 9) Grace Seaba, no hometown given 10) Logan Sieren, Keota 11) Nick Prevo, Ottumwa 12) Trenton Kemp, no hometown given 13) Connor Conrad, Hillsboro 14) Tucker Vonnahme, Carroll 15) Jacob Sterle, Roland 16) Matt Dentlinger, Arcadia 17) Michael Peters, no hometown given 18) Tyler Wellman, West Point 19) Baxter Knapp, Bloomfield 20) Andrew Dornbier, Garner 21) Sam Knapp, no hometown given 22) Dale Schlutz, Letts 23) Caleb Weddle, no hometown given 24) Burke Surkrow, no hometown given 25) Evan Dietz, Walcott 26) Jacob Wallace, Carroll 27) Andrew Peters, no hometown given 28) McKenzie Von Rentzell, no hometown given 29) Jack Carter, Washington 30) Maddy Schroeder, no hometown given 31) Alyssa Scholz, Muscatine 32) Eileen Clausen, no hometown given 33) Sam Peters, no hometown given "Nothing Compares" to the 2014 Iowa State Fair, August 7-17.

D. McCall of Albuquerque, N.M., won the Grand Champion Bull banner in the Miniature Hereford show Friday at the 2014 Iowa State Fair. KLD Mini Hereford of Louisburg, Kan., captured Grand Champion Heifer honors. The Reserve Grand Champion Bull was exhibited by Splitt Creek Ranch of North Platte, and Rolling Hills Miniature Herefords of Blakesburg showed the Reserve Grand Champion Female and the Iowa Champion Female.