McCausland, IA / May 7th, 2012 - Peaceful River Trading Co. will feature the work of Rita Templeton on May 17th, 2012 with a Gallery Opening from 4-7pm.  The gallery will feature some of Rita's latest photography work with images focusing on the natural beauty of our surrounding area.

Rita has always enjoyed nature and taking pictures; so it was only natural she took her passion to the next level when she received a SLR camera from her husband. Photography is not her fulltime career, although she hopes it will be some day.  "I love to capture nature at her best.  You only have a split second to achieve that perfect picture.  Many times you have to wait for what seems like hours." says Rita. "I feel it's an honor that God has provided me the beauty and I have been able to capture it." And capture it she does. Rita's work ranges from stunning close ups of animals to beautiful pieces that juxtapose man and nature. When asked what she wants her viewers to get from her work, Rita said, "Life is not measured by breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. That is how I want people to feel when they look at my photos."

When she wants that perfect shot, timing is everything. Sometimes Rita can capture her shot in an instant and sometimes it can take hours. One particularly long wait she can remember was when photographing a crane (see below). Rita found the perfect framing for this image, but the bird was not quite in the place she wanted, so she sat in the weeds and waited. The whole time she was swatting bugs and hoping her batteries wouldn't die. Her secret to capturing the perfect image is patience and it sure pays off.

Peaceful River brings visitors back to a simpler time and is housed in a beautiful, circa-1916 bank building, formerly the home of McCausland State Bank. They carry many items from arts and crafts to antiques, gifts, and collectibles. Peaceful River Trading Co. is open from 10am to 5pm Wednesday through Saturday and 11am to 4pm on Sundays.  McCausland is located about 20 miles northeast of Davenport, just off Utica Ridge Road on F33 and 5 minutes north of Scott County Park.  Explore Peaceful River Trading Co. at www.peacefulrivertradingco.com.

 

###

 

ISU installing Student-Funded Green Roof atop Memorial Union

Project illustrates the student body's commitment to sustainability

 

AMES, IA / April 9, 2012 - Students are helping turn Iowa State University's Memorial Union's roof green, both literally and figuratively.  In a bold move that echoes the origins of an Iowa State University landmark student center, ISU's Government of the Student Body (GSB) has agreed to allocate funds from the mandatory student activity fee to help install a green roof that had been planned for the center, but had not previously been funded. On April 13th, volunteer students from ISU's Landscape and Horticulture Clubs and the Green Umbrella organization will install an 855-square foot green roof under the supervision of LiveRoof® Certified Installer Central States Roofing of Ames.  The project promises to be both educational and functional:  providing hands-on experience with a leading green technology, while reducing the university's operating expenses and storm water runoff.  In addition, this LiveRoof® Hybrid Green Roof System project, grown by Roof Top Sedums of Davenport, Iowa, will instantly add a beautiful habitat to what until now has been a barren rooftop.  ISU's Memorial Union was built in the 1920's entirely through private donations from students, alumni and other supporters as a memorial to Iowa State students and alumni who died in World War I.

The Memorial Union project was the brain-child of ISU senior Miles Thompson of Cedar Rapids, who studies green roof technology under ISU Horticulture Lecturer Jennifer Bousselot, of DeWitt, IA.  Thompson so enjoyed working on another green roof on campus that he sought out and advocated for other suitable green roof sites at ISU.  When he learned that a green roof had been planned for the Memorial Union, but funding hadn't been approved, he took it upon himself to bring the issue to the GSB, which allocated funds from student activity fees to finance what MU couldn't.  "I just really wanted to make a difference and turn this into a teaching opportunity for fellow students and a lasting testament to the importance that ISU students place on sustainability."   Lecturer Bousselot adds, "The passion these students have for this project is powerful.  I'm so impressed with what they've been able to make happen for ISU."

The colorful mix used in ISU's latest project features hardy, drought-tolerant groundcover plants, which display a variety of colors and textures, even during the fall and winter months.  Besides being beautiful, the green roof's vegetation soaks up rainfall and reduces storm water runoff.  The green roof helps reduce rooftop temperatures during summer, thereby protecting and extending the life of the roof membrane.  Green roofs are estimated to double the life of roofing materials and they work as insulation to reduce heating and cooling costs.  In addition to using plants that are well-established in soil specially engineered for the extremes of a rooftop environment, the LiveRoof® System also features a patent-pending hybrid design combining the best features of all green roof systems. The LiveRoof® System reduces labor costs to maintain compared to most systems, and because the established plants thrive  as their own living mulch.

This project is particularly meaningful to Roof Top Sedums founders Roxanne Nagel and Teresa Nelson.  Both are ISU alums; Nagel graduated with BS in Horticulture ('99) and Nelson with a Bachelors in Landscape Architecture ('87).  Nagel adds, "We're honored that the institution that helped instill our passion for the environment will now use this product to teach the next generation about green roof technology."

About Roof Top Sedums: Roof Top Sedums was established in 2007 and is a Regional LiveRoof® Licensed Grower servicing Iowa, Western Illinois, Eastern Nebraska, Eastern Kansas, and most of Missouri.  The business is 100% women-owned and certified nationally as a Women's Business Enterprise as well as an Iowa Targeted Small Business.  For more information on projects previously grown by Roof Top Sedums or information about the LiveRoof® System, visit www.rooftopsedums.com.

Quad Cities, USA (February 17, 2012) -March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month and staff from Digestive Disease Center, Gastroenterology Consultants, Digestive Disease Specialists and Trinity Medical Center have joined forces, once again, to form the Colon Cancer Free QCA Coalition.  This group consists of Gastroenterologists and other health care professionals who have come together to promote one simple message, Colonoscopies save lives.  The physicians will be meeting with various groups and family physicians this month to discuss the important role colonoscopies play in the early detection of colon cancer.

"Colon cancer is easily preventable by the removal of precancerous polyps during a screening colonoscopy.  If cancer is detected during a colonoscopy, it is easily curable in the early stages, as opposed to cancers that are detected at later stages which are often lethal.  These two facts make screening colonoscopy a no-brainier in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Please make sure you and all of your loved-ones get screened, since everyone is at risk of developing this common cancer," says Dr. Arvind Movva, Gastroenterology Consultants.

In addition to spreading general awareness, Colon Cancer Free QCA will be working with Good Samaritan Clinic in Moline to provide free colonoscopies to a number of uninsured patients. Doctors, nurses, and support staff, from each practice, have volunteered their services to make this free screening possible.  The exams will be performed free of charge for patients who have been previously identified as being at a high-risk for colon cancer by the Good Samaritan Clinic.

Each year, over 140,000 Americans are diagnosed with colon cancer making it the third most common cancer diagnosis in the United States. "Colorectal cancer is the 2nd leading cause of cancer death among men and women in the U.S.  However, if we can raise awareness of the role a colonoscopy can play in the prevention of colon cancer, we can decrease the mortality from colorectal cancer significantly in our area", says Dr. Linda Tong of Digestive Disease Specialists.

Dr. Sreenivas Chintalapani of The Center for Digestive Health states, "The need for colorectal cancer screening is obvious with 150,000 new cases a year and 50,000 deaths. The technology and skills to detect and prevent colon cancer are available to most of us. It's just that that we need to get ourselves to your gastroenterologist and get your colonoscopy."  Colon Cancer remains among the top three cancer killers, even though it is also the most preventable form of deadly cancer.

The most effective means of preventing colon cancer is a colonoscopy.  In this procedure, pre-cancerous polyps are removed before they turn to cancer and early cancers are seen and biopsied, often before they cause symptoms.  If this cancer is detected early, often before symptoms appear, a person's chance of survival is about 90 percent; however, if a person waits until symptoms develop, this percentage drops dramatically. People with an average risk for colon cancer should be tested at age 50.  However, screenings should begin at age 40 if you have a family history of colon cancer or other high risk factors.   Colon cancer affects men and women equally, crossing all socio-economic lines.

 

####

Bettendorf, IA / January 13, 2011 - Quad-City dieters looking for a low-cal treat that won't blow their diet can now enjoy Country Style Ice Cream at Bettendorf's Hy-Vee cafeteria!  The first cones of the "Taste Like Homemade" soft-serve product were served up last month.  Country Style's original rich vanilla and new dark chocolate flavors are being served separately and in twist cones or cups and are being very well received.

Hy-Vee Dietician Stacy Mitchell, a long-time fan of Country Style, was surprised to see how healthy a choice Country Style is, compared to other frozen confection.  "Talk about a really satisfying treat that can fool you!  I've even said to my family, 'I don't want to know how many calories are in this stuff.'"  Both Country Style flavors, even if consumed in a one-cup serving is 100 calories less and about half the fat of regular soft serve.  It also has 2-3 grams less of saturated fat.   Country style is also gluten-free, kosher and contains no high-fructose corn syrup.  According to Mitchell, even diabetics can enjoy Country Style, as a single carbohydrate exchange, if they savor a half-cup serving.  Customers at the Bettendorf Hy-Vee can now package quart-size containers to serve at home.  Country Style is also available in the Milan Hy-Vee.

Country Style Ice Cream was founded in 1947 when Wayne Lindgren and his brother Chester "Whitey" Lindgren collaborated to produce a quality soft serve mix and opened the first Country Style on 23rd Avenue and 43rd Street in Moline, Illinois. Wayne eventually bought out Whitey's share of the business. Committed to quality, Wayne and his wife, Desyl, set out to establish Country Style as the finest quality soft serve ice cream in the country. Kent Kindelsperger took on the Country Style tradition and purchased Country Style on February 8, 1988 and continues to head the company today.

###