Articles Tagged: Benton County

For about 50 years after the Stonewall Riots, most Pride events in Iowa were consigned to larger cities. Now, small towns are bringing a new definition to “hometown pride.”

The Urbana police chief claims in a lawsuit Urbana is violating Iowa law by allowing a city clerk, acting as the city administrator, to supervise him. The city clerk also wouldn’t approve his comp time and illegally altered his timesheets, the suit asserts.

Family members of Jodie Bevans, 58, of Palo, who was killed in 2022, gave heartfelt victim statements during Samantha Bevans’ sentencing on a first-degree murder charge Friday in Benton County District Court in Vinton. Samantha Bevans and her boyfriend, also convicted, suffocated Jodie Bevans with a pillow. Both have been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Hand-painted sign initially advertised Gold Medal Flour

Samantha Bevans showed no visible reaction when she heard the jury’s verdict, convicting her of first-degree murder for suffocating her stepmom, Jodie Bevans, in July 2022. She faces a life sentence without parole.

Samantha Bevans, accused of suffocating her stepmom in 2022, took the stand Thursday in her defense and denied taking part in the killing of Jodie Bevans, 58, of Palo. She blamed the slaying on her boyfriend, who was convicted of first-degree murder last year. But a rebuttal witness said Bevans demonstrated how she put the pillow over her stepmother’s face and used her foot to apply pressure.

A Palo woman accused of killing her stepmom in 2022 is on track to start May 13 in Benton County District Court. She is accused of suffocating her stepmom while her boyfriend choked her.

One person died and one person was seriously injured Friday in a head-on collision in Benton County, according to a crash report from the Iowa State Patrol.

Former members of the Benton County Board of Health are suing the supervisors and county over their termination in October. The petition contends the firings are connected to disputes over county-based medical system restructuring.

A photo essay that delves into the world of caring for a child with multiple medical conditions.

AJ Gale of Keystone was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, Down syndrome and a host of other health conditions. Now, at 8 years old, he is healthy and thriving, but his day-to-day life — and the day-to-day life of his family — still looks quite different from that of other kids his age

Benton County has paid a $250,000 settlement to a former deputy over claims of harassment. A video shows the chairman of the county Board of Supervisors talking with the woman, and when she turns to walk away, he pats her on the bottom. The woman has a disgusted look on her face as she leaves.

Belle Plaine is scraping the bottom of its water reserves and is searching for reprieve and solutions. It’s not the only Iowa town suffering amid the record drought.

99 Counties, a local meat company in Keystone, is sparking a movement to change agriculture across Iowa.

History and unique identities bring life to Iowa’s small communities, the historic Preston’s Station brings life to Belle Plaine’s community and economy.