Jack Schlesselman attends Lions Club International convention in Germany
By THADDEUS MAST Star Press Union intern Jack Schlesselman, the soon-to-be vice governor of the Northeast Iowa district of the Lions Club International, took a trip to Hamburg, Germany, in the...
View ArticleCandidates are listed for school board election
The Benton County Auditor’s Office recently released the names of candidates filing for the Sept. 10 school board election. Belle Plaine has two seats up for election, and Benton Community has four...
View ArticleCrystal Ball, Aug. 7, 2013
Losing it I’ve always taken pride in my ability not to lose stuff. At any given time, if I need a particular item around the house, I can usually find it with a minimum of fuss and searching. I’ve been...
View ArticleBenton County Letters, Aug. 7, 2013
Christian precepts To The editor, For decades, atheists, secularists and liberals have complained about Christians forcing their morals on them. As a result, the courts have made rulings against...
View ArticleGUEST EDITORIAL: Thaddeus Mast
From Ames to Belle Plaine By THADDEUS MAST Star Press Union intern When I found out I would be interning at the Star Press Union in Belle Plaine after living in Ames for three years, I was a bit...
View ArticleSour Grapes, Aug. 7, 2013
Shoes I walk in running shoes. Every year I get a new pair at Drahos Shoes. Each year I get the new pair, the old pair goes into rotation, but is used again for walking, at the Benton County Fair. It’s...
View ArticleObituary – Richard Dean Cernin
ELBERON – Richard Cernin, 70, died Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2013 at the Virginia Gay Hospital in Vinton following an illness. Services are 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, 2013 at the Hrabak Funeral Home, Belle...
View ArticleOBITUARY: Marshall Burrell “Skip” Freeman Jr.
Marshall Burrell “Skip” Freeman Jr. Marshall Burrell “Skip” Freeman Jr., 80, Luzerne, died Tuesday August 6, 2013, at the Belle Plaine Nursing and Rehab Center in Belle Plaine after a long illness....
View ArticleFoundation awards over $96,000 in grants
Several grants were awarded on Wednesday, July 24, at the Benton County Fair by the Benton County Community Foundation. The foundation is an affiliate of the NE Iowa Community Foundation, and was...
View ArticleCounty gets cities’ input on direction of landfill
Survey is read by supervisors By JIM MAGDEFRAU Star Press Union editor VINTON – Who should run the landfill? Cities this winter became very interested in this when the county raised its landfill rates...
View ArticleDOT hears from public on new plan for U.S. 30/218 intersection
Hearing held in Blairstown Aug. 7. By JIM MAGDEFRAU Star Press Union editor BLAIRSTOWN – In a proposal that could save $6 million and 40 acres of land, the Iowa Department of Transportation sought...
View ArticleCity council begins looking for Iowa Hotel demolition bids
By THADDEUS MAST Star Press Union intern The Belle Plaine City Council will begin looking for a contractor to demolish the Iowa Hotel on 13th St. Jim Jacobs of VJ Engineering, Coralville, was present...
View ArticleApplications for ISU Extension Master Gardener being accepted
Are you an avid gardener, but would like to know more about gardening, plants and horticulture? Would you like to meet people who share your interest in gardening? If so, you may be interested in...
View ArticleBenton Community High School wrestling team participates in Luther’s Team...
DECORAH – The Benton Community High School wrestling team participated in the 2013 Luther College Team Wrestling Camp in Decorah, Iowa. The 2013 Luther wrestling camps, directed by Luther head...
View ArticleRegional workforce needs detailed in new study
Planning underway to support future industry growth Economic development leaders in Iowa’s Creative Corridor will combine information in a new study released today with upcoming focus groups to help...
View ArticleTwo are charged in triple fatality on Highway 30
On Saturday, Aug. 10, at about 7:30 p.m., the Benton County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a motor vehicle accident on Highway 30 at 16th Ave., approximately three miles south of Keystone....
View ArticleFUNERAL NOTICE: Gary W. Cohrt
VAN HORNE – Gary W. Cohrt, 60, died Sunday, Aug. 11, 2013, at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids following an extended illness. A Celebration of Life Service will be held from 5 to 8 p.m., Friday,...
View ArticleSour Grapes, Aug. 14, 2013
Back to school This job, and this whole area, is geared to the school year. The first signs of dew and cool nights are the sure signs that school is about to begin. It not only affects the maturation...
View ArticleBenton County Letters, Aug. 14, 2013
Adjournment Congress has adjourned for five weeks. Five-weeks vacation while so many Americans do not have a job and many children do not have enough food and no healthcare. The U.S. House has voted 40...
View ArticleSiek has steer auctioned at governor’s auction
Governor’s Charity Steer show raises $185,338 Records were broken as the 31st annual Governor’s Charity Steer Show raised $185,338, the highest selling auction to date, for the Ronald McDonald Houses...
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