News

Vinton Fire Department receives new equipment

"Equipment has heart, human heart, inside it." Ichiro SuzukiChristmas came a bit early to the Vinton Fire Station in the form of 20 brand-new MSA Fire G1 Self-contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) and 40 new "45-minute" bottles purchased through Sandry Fire Supply and Darren Bierman. This purchase was a long process and involved a tremendous amount of work on the part of Chief Garwood, Training Officer Boisen, and Captain McKenna with input from the department members.

Area Homeschool Students Celebrated at Graduation

Vinton-Shellsburg and Benton Community held a graduation ceremony for the graduating seniors in the Class of 2023. Those celebrated included the following students:Nash ArbuckleLord Boone Alexander Asher*Nicolas BaysingerCaleb BrownGrace BrownLeah BrownNichole Elizabeth BrunssenWilliam Angus Buchanan IV*Caleb Weston FranckDanica GossettVeronica Lynn JudasRaegan JungeJoseph KoopmanKaden Wallace*Denotes graduating with honorsThe class was welcomed by Mrs.

New Garbage Service to begin July 1 in Vinton

S&J Sanitation out of Marengo will be taking over for the previous garbage pick-up service beginning on July 1st. Garbage pick-up days will be on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.  If customers currently have a Monday or Tuesday pick-up there isn't a change.  Current Wednesday customers will be serviced on Friday. New garbage and recycling cans will be delivered to every household the last week in June.

Petting Zoo visited Shellsburg Elementary

The Animal Science class enjoyed sharing their projects with Shellsburg Elementary. By: Co- Reporter, Izzie Birker On Friday, May 19th, the high school 5th period Animal Science class brought their end of the semester animal projects to visit the students at Shellsburg Elementary for a petting zoo. This was a very big hit for the students at Shellsburg and Tilford Elementary, during FFA Week in February. Animals at the petting zoo were rabbits, sheep, ducks, a goat, cow, and chickens.

Vinton Parks & Recreation to open Riverside Park on Friday Night

After more than a year of being out of commission, Riverside Park will be open for all kinds of fun on Friday night! With the many volunteers and the crew at the Vinton Parks & Recreation Department, the playground will be ready to be!Sending out a special thanks to all of you who put your blood, sweat and tears into creating this special place

BREAKING NEWS: County Department to reduce hours and costs due to efficiency

In news that you rarely see, a government agency said, "Hey, this could be done cheaper by cutting my hours and benefits."20 hours per week reflects the actual needs of the county veterans, according to Cara Martin, director of Benton County Veterans Affairs. In a refreshing move, Martin decided that the county should reduce her hours. Because of that, she will lose the full-time pay and all the benefits, vacation time, paid time off, sick days, paid holidays as well as any other government benefits.

FFA delivers flower pots to area businesses

Rachel Rollinger and Ben Buhr placing flower pots in front of the Benton County Courthouse. Flowers for VintonBy Co-Reporter, Juliana LuisOn Tuesday, May 30th, the Vinton-Shellsburg FFA chapter helped the Cottage Garden Society deliver flower pots to local businesses. The day included a quick meeting at the Benton County Fairgrounds to set an action plan before members split up to load flower pots into trucks and trailers. The chapter split up into groups and tackled the job at hand.

Luzerne City Council Member involved in a Crash Saturday afternoon

On Saturday, Francis Potter, 84 of Luzerne was driving a 2012 Ford Focus and towing a 1997 Home motorcycle ridden by Lorin Potter, 81. The motorcycle was being pulled by a rope. The two vehicles were traveling at a very slow speed traveling west on 77th Street at approximately 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 10, 2023. Near the 18th Ave. intersection, a third vehicle, a 2015 Volkswagen Passat, driven by Stacia Mewes, 45 of Blairstown, was also traveling west on 77th St.

Accident on B Avenue Results in fatal injury

In a press release from Vinton Police Chief Ted Paxton, he stated that on "June 9, 2023, at around 3:05 PM, Vinton Police Officers were dispatched to the 1300 Block of B Avenue for a male subject that had been injured involving construction equipment. 61 Year old male, Ronald Dean Preece of Cedar Falls, Iowa, had been crushed between the rear of a dump truck and the back end of a tracked skid steer.

Benton County Fair Book Released

The Benton County Fair is underway! It takes many, many people to pull off the events at the fair. The displays are now in the Open Class Building (off to the left as you enter the fairgrounds) and judges have begun to award ribbons in the entries. There are numerous categories that have had entries submitted. See the Fair Book below for all of the details!Both adults and youth are in competition for the blue ribbon entries.