News

Planting Hope grants up to $5,000 are now available for tree planting projectsTrees Forever is announcing that funding is now available to derecho affected communities in Iowa and Illinois through a new grant program called Planting Hope. Funding up to $5,000 will be awarded for tree planting and distribution projects and will assist in replanting areas that saw major canopy loss as a result of the August 2020 derecho.

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The Benton County Conservation Board (BCCB) has received a tremendous opportunity to support and expand ongoing projects by stockpiling mulch debris from the August 10, 2020 derecho on two conservation properties. The wood cuttings will be piled and compacted to a height of six feet. In keeping the height at six feet or less, it has been determined that the risk for fire is extremely low.

Virginia Gay Nursing and Rehab is proud to announce that they are the recipient of Pinnacle Quality Insight’s 2021 Customer Experience Awards TM listed below. Overall SatisfactionNursing CareDining ServiceCleanlinessIndividual NeedsLaundry ServiceCommunication from FacilityResponse to ProblemsDignity and RespectRecommend to OthersActivitiesProfessional Therapy ServicesAdmission ProcessSafety and SecurityOverall Customer Experience Virginia Gay Nursing and Rehab displays a continued dedication to providing Best in Class senior healthcare services.

Cub Pack 47 spent some time together enjoying a day of bowling. The kids were happy to compete with each other and share in the fun.Enjoying the day were: Left to right: Henry Halstead, Will Geiger, Bryson Cripe, Vinnie Bowen, Mackenzie Thomsen, Zaviah Cooper, Noah Hesson, Zeb Cooper and Max Terc.

By Annabelle Newton, Co-ReporterOn Tuesday, February 16, the Vinton-Shellsburg FFA chapter had 5 of their 8 chapter officers attend the Legislative Symposium. They headed to Ankeny early in the morning, where they visited the FFA Enrichment Center on the DMACC campus. While at the Enrichment Center, the state officer team prepared the 200 FFA members both present and virtually attending for the day ahead.

Update on the bill:At this time, the Subcommittee recommends the indefinite postponement of this bill. It's been almost a year since iVinton officially went live. In that year, the city has added over 800 customers to its service. The network has been put to work during this last year with many people working from home and students learning from home.

Union HS Musical Theatre Named All-State Again!-The tradition continues The Union High School Fine Arts Department has again achieved the highest honors possible with Iowa High School Speech Association. All three Union musical theatre entries have been named All-State Honorees. The three groups are “How To Succeed in Musical Theatre without Really Trying” with performers Sunshine Gray, Audrey Kline, Sophie Winkelpleck, Grace Johnson, Kylea Neuendorf, and Joe Bistline; Chicago with performers Laura Rempe, Cora Klein, Carlie Spore, Cybil Timm, Sarah Roberts and Jacob Hill; and Scrubs with performers Tyson Fleshner, Elle Hookham, Madelon Rathe, Rebekah Dickerson, Matt Carlson, and Hayden Spore.

Virginia Gay Hospital will not be making any changes in our patient screening, masking or visitation protocols in response to the enhanced public health measures effective Feb 7th through March 7, 2021. In keeping with a commitment to patient safety, we will continue to follow CDC and IDPH guidelines. While we have seen hospitalization numbers decrease, visitation in Nursing & Rehab is not allowed if the county positivity rate is 10% or above.

Josh and Kari Burkhart of Urbana suffered a house fire on Sunday afternoon. Josh is one of the county employees that clears our roads during the winter. Kari provided daycare in their home that they share with their 3 children. In a recent post the couple thanked the community for their love, prayers, donations. "Every single donation is being used for necessities like replacing medications, personal hygeine and immediate clothing needs.