New restaurant: A reason to smile

VINTON TODAY
December 14, 2011 6:13 pm

  Jon Tafa looks up from the grill, where steaks are sizzling over an open fire, and smiles. He's been cooking -- and smiling -- in a restaurant kitchen in Vinton since the summer of 2005.

Harold Nelson remembered

ROSEMARY SCHWARTZ
December 14, 2011 1:52 pm

  Last Friday, Vinton lost a truly unique person when Harold Nelson passed away. I knew Harold had a serious medical condition but the last time I saw him at the Benton County Democratic Central Committee in November, I thought he was looking better and told him so.

How 'schizophrenic' Iowans should respond to Atlantic Monthly article

VINTON TODAY
December 13, 2011 10:42 pm

  Iowans are yelling, and we should, about an article by a University of Iowa professor that says some not-so-nice things about our state. The article, recently published in the Atlantic Monthly magazine, was written by Professor Stephen Bloom, who calls Iowa (among other things), a "schizophrenic, economically-depressed, and some say, culturally-challenged state.

Letter to the Editor: Writer criticizes resolution procedure

DARRAN SELLERS
December 13, 2011 6:02 pm

As a former resident I like to follow hometown news and Vinton Today is a wonderful place to do just that. A recent story about storm debris removal has caught my interest.

How Romney's friends are insulting Iowa voters

VINTON TODAY
December 12, 2011 8:26 pm

       "….truth embraceth truth…"      The book used in the church where Mitt Romney brags (in one of his earlier TV ads) about attending all his life includes those three words from the The Mormon "Doctrines and Covenants.

Being Anonymous isn't all that bad

VINTON TODAY
December 12, 2011 12:36 pm

   Dear Editor,   I just wanted to take a minute to write about your policy that requires folks leaving comments to attach their name.

What the Lincoln Highway has to teach presidential candidates -- and voters

VINTON TODAY
December 10, 2011 11:20 pm

       Another season in Iowa presidential politics is nearly over, and yet again, every one of the people who would be our nation's leader has missed the most important lesson that Iowa has to offer.

Cold Cases: How old and unsolved murders can still affect a community today

VINTON TODAY
December 10, 2011 3:23 am

  I had just begun working part-time in the news business, when in May of 1992, I learned some of the most important journalistic lessons from my participation in a story – one I did not write.

Pastor's Blog - Advent

PASTOR JIM BLAIR
December 8, 2011 9:32 pm

  The Christian season of anticipation and preparation just preceding Christmas is called Advent. If you choose to attend church during Advent, you will probably see candles lit each Sunday in remembrance of the coming of our Lord into our world, both as a babe and as a King.

How to survive another winter driving season

VINTON TODAY
December 6, 2011 10:24 am

      I once had the enlightening experience of working with a teenage girl who had already wrecked her car two or three times.      She did not seem to make the connection between driving decisions and unpleasant results.