News

Brian Carlson, a Benton County farmer, was able to be part of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation Brazil Market Study trip in 2020. Carlson said that he has wanted to visit Brazil for decades, so he applied to be part of the trip and was selected to be included. Part of the subsidized trip agreement with Farm Bureau is that each participant shares their experience with four groups upon their return.

The local DECAT / CPPC group Flourishing Families have donated sports equipment which included footballs, soccer balls, volleyballs, basketballs, playground balls and Frisbee disks to the Benton and Iowa County sheriff’s Offices and Police Departments within the two counties.   The purpose is to encourage good relationships between the local law enforcement and the children in their community.

The George G. Luckey Post 57 American Legion held their annual flag disposal ceremony on Monday evening which was also Flag Day. All of the flags set to be destroyed were the stars and stripes except one flag for the state of Iowa. Part of the ceremony reads, “A Flag may be a flimsy bit of printed gauze or a beautiful banner of the finest silk.

Vinton Lions have paid the annual fees for the charter of Vinton Boy ScoutsTroop 47 since 1932. Over the years, many Scouts have gone on to becomeactive members of the Vinton Lions Club.Vinton Lions Club Concessions Trailer will be downtown Thursday, June 17th and at Party in the Park on Friday, June 18th and Saturday, June 19th.Vinton Lions Club invites the community to help us celebrate our 100 Years of Service on July 6, 2021, from 5-8 PM at Celebration Park.

First, we got to brag about Vinton's Nathan's Smile glow trail was the longest glow trail in the United States (maybe the world). Now Vinton can add to that popularity sweetening it up with a world record for the largest Candy Dash. With 2,160 pounds of candy, The Benton County Speedway crushed the former record set by Hawkeye Downs at a mere   The Benton County Speedway has been working on this since last fall collecting candy for all of the kids 14 and under to enjoy under the guidance of Christine Rublack.

Sunday morning the Pohlmann family who live a block north of Tilford Elementary were surprised to find a fawn resting in the shade of their garage.  After calling a neighbor called the DNR and with instructions not to touch the deer, the Pohlmann's kept an eye out for the mother to appear. It appeared that the baby deer was bleeding from its nose, but with the assurance that the mother would come back for it, the family watched and waited, and waited.

The Benton County Community Foundation announced $100,270.61 in grant funding to 19 projects of organizations serving Benton County as part of its 2021 grant cycle. The Community Foundation will not hold its annual award celebration this year. Grant checks will be mailed directly to nonprofit organizations. “The Benton County Community Foundation is proud to partner with our local nonprofit organizations and supports their work to make Benton County a better place for everyone,” said Tim Peters, chair of the Benton County Community Foundation governing committee.

Blessed Hope Church has made it a practice to lend a hand around the community for the last several summers. This week found the congregation at several locations throughout the county.Thursday and Friday, the group helped to spruce up the mini-golf course at the skate center. The group will also be taking on the Vinton-Shellsburg football and baseball fields today and tomorrow.

Benton County Disaster Recovery Coalition continues to meet each week to address recovery challenges from the August 10, 2020 derecho, one of the worst storms in United States history. The Coalition, made up of service agency representatives and volunteers, is Benton County’s long-term disaster recovery organization. The organization members work to help families and farmers get back to more normal situations and connect with agencies to coordinate volunteer efforts for cleanup.

There will be a public meeting June 10 at 6 p.m. at the Palo Community Center for us all to submit questions for NextEra to answer publicly. You can either attend in person or tune in via the zoom link in the Facebook event below.Please feel free to follow these links for more information and to submit questions. Event on Facebook --> Palo NextEra Q&A EventSubmit Questions here --> Open Ended Questions for NextEraAny question is fair game.