Niabi Zoo has openings for volunteers. An informational meeting on Thursday, January 17, at 7 p.m. will answer questions about the volunteer program. The meeting will be held in the Kohler Discovery Center on the zoo grounds. Zoo volunteers help with educational programs, landscaping, diet preparation, and special events, among other things. No experience is required. Volunteers must be 18 years of age. Individuals who cannot attend the meeting can also volunteer by submitting the volunteer application, which is available at (http://niabizoo.com), or by calling the zoo education department at (309) 799-3482.

 

The Illinois Arts Council encourages all Illinois schools and eligible not-for-profit organizations to apply for the Fiscal Year 2009 Arts-in-Education Residency Program. Grants provide support for artist residencies in schools and communities statewide. The application deadline is March 1. This cycle includes projects taking place between October 1, 2008, and August 31, 2009. Applications are reviewed by Illinois Arts Council staff or an advisory panel. The Illinois Arts Council Web site (http://www.state.il.us/agency/iac/) now offers online versions of the Arts-in-Education guidelines, application, and artist roster.

 

The American Cancer Society's Discovery Shop in Bettendorf in Cumberland Square on January 10 will debut an assortment of cruise clothing and accessories. Regular shop hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 

On January 16 at 7 p.m., WQPT will air a Wild Chronicles program featuring local environmentalist Chad Pregracke. The episode addresses a number of conservation issues, as well as highlighting Pregracke's work cleaning the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C.

 

Community organizations, schools, gardening clubs, senior centers, and other groups interested in fostering gardening within their community are invited to apply for a Fiskars 2008 Project Orange Thumb Grant. To promote sustainable agriculture, horticultural education, community involvement, and neighborhood beautification, 10 grants will be offered in 2008. Awardees will receive up to $1,500 in Fiskars garden tools and $800 for plant materials to cultivate their garden visions. The deadline for grant applications is February 15, and winners will be announced March 15. For grant application materials or additional information, visit (http://www.fiskars.com) or call (800) 500-4849.

 

Secondary-school teachers from the Quad Cities and the surrounding region are invited to participate in a National Consortium for Teaching About Asia seminar offered through the Asian Studies program at Augustana College. The 34-hour seminar will meet from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on January 12, 19, and 26, and February 2, 9, and 16. Designed for secondary-school teachers of geography, history, and literature, the seminar will explore those topics in the context of east Asia. Space in the 2008 NCTA seminar is limited to 20 teachers from the Quad Cities area. Registration closes when the course is filled. To register or receive more information, contact Marsha Smith at (309) 794-7270 or (marshasmith@augustana.edu).

 

The Moline Commercial Club, located on the second floor of the Moline Club complex, is offering artists an opportunity to display and/or sell their work. The organization is looking for a variety of artists to submit and will be rotating works roughly every three months, with an opening event for each rotation. The first rotation will be a short one, starting the second week in February and lasting until the end of March. For more information, contact Heidi M. Sallows between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at (309) 762-8547, or via e-mail at (heidimolineclub@sbcglobal.net).

 

For the third consecutive year, Trinity Regional Health System set a record for the number of babies delivered. Trinity BirthPlace delivered 1,629 babies in 2005, the most ever for the health system at the time, according to Jane Wiggins, Trinity's nurse director of women's services. Trinity reached the 1,696 mark in 2006, and in 2007 had 1,845 babies delivered at its Seventh Street and Terrace Park campuses.

 

Animals may now be included in orders of protection in Illinois under a law that went into effect on January 1. The petitioner may be given exclusive custody, care, and control over the animal, and the judge can order the respondent to stay away from the animal and forbid the respondent to take, transfer, encumber, conceal, harm, or otherwise dispose of the animal.

 

Eleven percent of eligible Iowans under the age of 30 participated in the last week's caucuses, according to preliminary analysis by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement. The youth turnout rate was 4 percent in 2004 and 3 percent in 2000.

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