19
Feb
2002
• Because of reductions in revenue streams such as the hotel/motel tax, local-option sales tax, and interest, the City of Bettendorf is contemplating a levy increase of 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. This would be an average increase of 2.65 percent for residential property and 0.58 percent for commercial property and would be the first levy increase in the City of Bettendorf in 12 years. The 25-cent levy increase would offset increased costs in liability insurance and employee health insurance. Bettendorf has reduced its operating budget by approximately $191,000 (7 percent) from the prior fiscal year and will reduce capital purchases and funding for vehicles and electronic equipment. The budget allows for the addition of one firefighter and honors all union contracts with a cost-of-living increase of approximately 3 percent. The City of Davenport is proposing a 34-cent levy increase, part of which would help the financially troubled Trust & Agency fund.
• The American Heart Association on February 23 will be offering training in both adult and child/infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the Isle of Capri Convention Center. The course will provide basic instruction in this life-saving technique but is not a certification course. A special educational luncheon is also offered and will showcase local survivors. A $5 donation is required for each session, or a $10 donation for both morning sessions and the educational luncheon. The course is open to area residents eight and older. To register, call (563)441-4100 or (888)336-3907. When performed correctly, CPR can double the chance of survival for a sudden-cardiac-arrest victim and add critical minutes to a patient's life until emergency medical care arrives.
• Because of a second grant from the Scott County Regional Authority (SCRA), the Junior League of the Quad Cities has received all the funding needed to build a universally accessible playground in Bettendorf's McManus (Rocket) Park. The SCRA announced the $30,000 grant to the Junior League on December 5 and has donated a total of $70,000 to the project. Other funding has come from the City of Bettendorf ($30,000) and a benefit concert by Chip Davis & Mannheim Steamroller ($30,000). Community volunteers will be needed to help construct the playground in mid-April. Contact Teresa Gordon at (563)449-8102 or (563)349-3743 for volunteer opportunities.
• Elderly, low-income, or disabled homeowners who don't have the resources to fix their own homes can get free repairs by the volunteers of Rebuilding Together Quad Cities, formerly Hearts & Hammers QCA. Homes selected will be worked on during the group's spring workday in May or in the fall workday in September. Additional home repairs are being made possible by a recent grant from the Riverboat Development Authority. Applications are available from city offices, public libraries, community organizations, or social-service agencies. You can also obtain an application by calling Rebuilding Together Quad Cities at (563)322-6534. All information supplied by applicants is confidential.
• The Pentagon is asking the White House for authority to set up a Homeland Commander-in-Chief, giving a single four-star general authority over U.S. domestic operations. This could make the military a permanent fixture in U.S. domestic law-enforcement. The 1878 Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the military from seizing property or searching or arresting anyone within the United States. Exceptions have been made for suppression of insurrections and "domestic disturbances." You can inform yourself by looking at a copy of the plan at (http://www.nssg.gov/phaseIII.pdf).
• A new Web site offers free access to a collection of integrated lobbying tools. At the site, you can find your legislators and examine current legislation. Direct links allow easy e-mailing to lawmakers. The site also includes online applications for voter registration, a chat room, and automatic compilation by issue of all e-mail through the Web site to help lawmakers judge public opinion. Each state has a site; Iowa's can be found at (http://www.iademocracy.com), while Illinois' is located at (http://www.ildemocracy.com). An affiliated Web site (http://www.Ezquestionaire.com) offers do-it-yourself polling via e-mail using a simple template with responses automatically returned and compiled. Another affiliated site (http://www.Weblobby.com) helps organize like-minded citizens into grassroots lobbying campaigns.
• The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City have a Quad City component, with MetroLINK loaning 10 compressed-natural-gas buses and two mechanics to help transport passengers and athletes. The Olympic Organizing Committee invited MetroLINK to participate in the Olympic Transportation System, which is expected to handle 80,000 to 100,000 athletes, trainers, media, officials, sponsors, and spectators at the Olympics. The buses will also serve the Paralympic Winter Games that will be held immediately after the Olympics. When the buses return to service in the Quad Cities in April, they will carry plaques commemorating their use in the Winter Games.
• Council 10 of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is accepting scholarship applications for students entering their first years of college. The deadline is March 31. For an application or more information, contact a high-school guidance counselor or one of these LULAC Scholarship Committee members: Perry Ramirez at (563)391-6436, Henry Vargas at (563)323-4088, Jack Cacari at (309)786-5025, Robert Mata at (563)355-1416, or Ernest Rodriquez at (563)323-5409. You can also find more information about LULAC and its scholarship at the group's Web site at (http://www.geocities.com/lulac10_2000/LULAC/Page_1x.html).
• The American Heart Association on February 23 will be offering training in both adult and child/infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the Isle of Capri Convention Center. The course will provide basic instruction in this life-saving technique but is not a certification course. A special educational luncheon is also offered and will showcase local survivors. A $5 donation is required for each session, or a $10 donation for both morning sessions and the educational luncheon. The course is open to area residents eight and older. To register, call (563)441-4100 or (888)336-3907. When performed correctly, CPR can double the chance of survival for a sudden-cardiac-arrest victim and add critical minutes to a patient's life until emergency medical care arrives.
• Because of a second grant from the Scott County Regional Authority (SCRA), the Junior League of the Quad Cities has received all the funding needed to build a universally accessible playground in Bettendorf's McManus (Rocket) Park. The SCRA announced the $30,000 grant to the Junior League on December 5 and has donated a total of $70,000 to the project. Other funding has come from the City of Bettendorf ($30,000) and a benefit concert by Chip Davis & Mannheim Steamroller ($30,000). Community volunteers will be needed to help construct the playground in mid-April. Contact Teresa Gordon at (563)449-8102 or (563)349-3743 for volunteer opportunities.
• Elderly, low-income, or disabled homeowners who don't have the resources to fix their own homes can get free repairs by the volunteers of Rebuilding Together Quad Cities, formerly Hearts & Hammers QCA. Homes selected will be worked on during the group's spring workday in May or in the fall workday in September. Additional home repairs are being made possible by a recent grant from the Riverboat Development Authority. Applications are available from city offices, public libraries, community organizations, or social-service agencies. You can also obtain an application by calling Rebuilding Together Quad Cities at (563)322-6534. All information supplied by applicants is confidential.
• The Pentagon is asking the White House for authority to set up a Homeland Commander-in-Chief, giving a single four-star general authority over U.S. domestic operations. This could make the military a permanent fixture in U.S. domestic law-enforcement. The 1878 Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the military from seizing property or searching or arresting anyone within the United States. Exceptions have been made for suppression of insurrections and "domestic disturbances." You can inform yourself by looking at a copy of the plan at (http://www.nssg.gov/phaseIII.pdf).
• A new Web site offers free access to a collection of integrated lobbying tools. At the site, you can find your legislators and examine current legislation. Direct links allow easy e-mailing to lawmakers. The site also includes online applications for voter registration, a chat room, and automatic compilation by issue of all e-mail through the Web site to help lawmakers judge public opinion. Each state has a site; Iowa's can be found at (http://www.iademocracy.com), while Illinois' is located at (http://www.ildemocracy.com). An affiliated Web site (http://www.Ezquestionaire.com) offers do-it-yourself polling via e-mail using a simple template with responses automatically returned and compiled. Another affiliated site (http://www.Weblobby.com) helps organize like-minded citizens into grassroots lobbying campaigns.
• The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City have a Quad City component, with MetroLINK loaning 10 compressed-natural-gas buses and two mechanics to help transport passengers and athletes. The Olympic Organizing Committee invited MetroLINK to participate in the Olympic Transportation System, which is expected to handle 80,000 to 100,000 athletes, trainers, media, officials, sponsors, and spectators at the Olympics. The buses will also serve the Paralympic Winter Games that will be held immediately after the Olympics. When the buses return to service in the Quad Cities in April, they will carry plaques commemorating their use in the Winter Games.
• Council 10 of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is accepting scholarship applications for students entering their first years of college. The deadline is March 31. For an application or more information, contact a high-school guidance counselor or one of these LULAC Scholarship Committee members: Perry Ramirez at (563)391-6436, Henry Vargas at (563)323-4088, Jack Cacari at (309)786-5025, Robert Mata at (563)355-1416, or Ernest Rodriquez at (563)323-5409. You can also find more information about LULAC and its scholarship at the group's Web site at (http://www.geocities.com/lulac10_2000/LULAC/Page_1x.html).
