02
Aug
2005
• The Rock Island Housing Authority (RIHA) recently purchased the Hickman Community Center located four blocks from the Martin Luther King Community Center. The Hickman Center will be restored and used as the primary RIHA maintenance distribution and warehouse facility. The concrete-block building was originally built in the 1960s as a community center by Earl Hickman, who was a strong advocate for young people and wanted them to have a safe place off the street. The single-story structure features an impressive open-air design with a 30-foot vaulted, heavy-timber post-and-beam ceiling and terrazzo floors. Over the years, the center was home to hundreds of basketball games, Boy Scout troop meetings, Saturday-night dances, weddings, and church services. In its prime, the Hickman Center represented the heart and soul of the neighborhood in which it rests. RIHA intends to maintain the integrity of the overall design features of the building while restoring the exterior. All of the maintenance for the RIHA properties will be conducted from the facility.
• Registering for activities with Rock Island Parks & Recreation just became easier. Beginning August 1, you can register online for recreation activities. The department offers activities such as sports, fitness classes, swim lessons, cooking classes, horticulture, and crafts. Go to (http://www.rigov.org) and look under "Recreation Services" for "ePark." If you have questions, call (309)732-7275.
• Iowa State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald has announced that the August issue of Money magazine named College Savings Iowa, the state's tax-advantaged college-savings plan, one of its five nationally recommended 529 college-savings plans. The beneficiaries of 529 plans can use their accounts to pay for tuition, fees, books, room and board, and supplies at any eligible postsecondary school. According to the Money article, tuition and expenses at public institutions average $11,354 a year, while private institutions average $27,516. College Savings Iowa was established in 1998 and offers plan participants 12 investment choices and flexible contribution options. Enrollment is free, and investors can get an account started by going to (http://www.collegesavingsiowa.com) or by calling (888)672-9116. A minimum investment of $25 is required for each contribution. Contributions do not have to be made monthly or yearly. Investors can contribute to the plan on whatever schedule they choose.
• The Family Museum in Bettendorf just released its fall class catalog, listing the wide variety of classes being offered beginning in September. Learners from 18 months to adult can participate in classes at the museum. Registration for Family Museum members begins August 6, and regular registration begins August 13. Series classes for early childhood include Toddler Times, Busy Bodies, Music in Motion, and Kinderclay. Classes for kindergarten through sixth grade include Treasures in Clay, Crystal Calamity, and A Diligence for Dots. For information or registration, contact Julie Klein at (563)344-4170 or visit the Family Museum and pick up a catalog.
• The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) reports that the battle over the USA PATRIOT Act has reached a critical point. The organization says the House has already passed a bill to renew many the law's most privacy-corroding provisions without meaningful safeguards to prevent abuse. The Senate could be taking action soon. The current Senate bill, S1389, contains new checks on two notorious PATRIOT provisions: Section 215 (the "library records" provision) and Section 505 (which allows FBI-issued National Security Letters that a federal court has already found unconstitutional). But there's no guarantee that these checks will survive debate on the floor. In addition, there's no guarantee that the Senate won't include additional language to expand PATRIOT even further. For more information about PATRIOT sections 215 and 505, as well as other "sunset" provisions, visit (http://www.eff.org/patriot/sunset/).
• Thirty yards in the City of Rock Island have been recognized for residential beautification by the Rock Island Beautification Commission. These awards were a result of the 31st annual "Tell on Your Neighbor" contest, which was sponsored by the Rock Island Beautification Commission during July. This awards program recognizes residents who have made the extra effort to beautify their yards and is an opportunity for people to recognize their neighbors. The Beautification Commission believes these citizens should be honored for their efforts and for encouraging others to keep well-groomed yards that are an asset to the city. All winners will receive a certificate of recognition during the August 8 city-council meeting. Beautification Commission member Bob Towler and Mayor Mark Schweibert will present the awards.
• The Drug Reform Coordination Network reports that U.S. Representative Ron Paul, the libertarian-leaning congressman from east Texas, has introduced the Industrial Hemp Farming Act (HR 3037), which would remove federal restrictions on the cultivation of industrial hemp, the low-THC, high-fiber cannabis cultivar used in products from candy bars to auto-body parts to sneakers. The introduction of Paul's bill marks the first time a hemp bill has been introduced at the federal level since the federal government outlawed hemp farming in the 1930s. (That ban was temporarily lifted during World War II as part of the "Hemp for Victory" program.) Currently, some 30 countries, including neighboring Canada, allow for hemp cultivation for industrial and nutritional purposes. Six U.S. states have already voted to remove barriers to research on hemp production, while legislation is pending in 20 more. Support for industrial hemp also comes from the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, which "supports revisions to the federal rules and regulations authorizing commercial production of industrial hemp." And a farm organization, the National Grange, also "supports research, production, processing, and marketing of industrial hemp as a viable agricultural activity." For more information, look at (http://www.votehemp.com).
• Registering for activities with Rock Island Parks & Recreation just became easier. Beginning August 1, you can register online for recreation activities. The department offers activities such as sports, fitness classes, swim lessons, cooking classes, horticulture, and crafts. Go to (http://www.rigov.org) and look under "Recreation Services" for "ePark." If you have questions, call (309)732-7275.
• Iowa State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald has announced that the August issue of Money magazine named College Savings Iowa, the state's tax-advantaged college-savings plan, one of its five nationally recommended 529 college-savings plans. The beneficiaries of 529 plans can use their accounts to pay for tuition, fees, books, room and board, and supplies at any eligible postsecondary school. According to the Money article, tuition and expenses at public institutions average $11,354 a year, while private institutions average $27,516. College Savings Iowa was established in 1998 and offers plan participants 12 investment choices and flexible contribution options. Enrollment is free, and investors can get an account started by going to (http://www.collegesavingsiowa.com) or by calling (888)672-9116. A minimum investment of $25 is required for each contribution. Contributions do not have to be made monthly or yearly. Investors can contribute to the plan on whatever schedule they choose.
• The Family Museum in Bettendorf just released its fall class catalog, listing the wide variety of classes being offered beginning in September. Learners from 18 months to adult can participate in classes at the museum. Registration for Family Museum members begins August 6, and regular registration begins August 13. Series classes for early childhood include Toddler Times, Busy Bodies, Music in Motion, and Kinderclay. Classes for kindergarten through sixth grade include Treasures in Clay, Crystal Calamity, and A Diligence for Dots. For information or registration, contact Julie Klein at (563)344-4170 or visit the Family Museum and pick up a catalog.
• The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) reports that the battle over the USA PATRIOT Act has reached a critical point. The organization says the House has already passed a bill to renew many the law's most privacy-corroding provisions without meaningful safeguards to prevent abuse. The Senate could be taking action soon. The current Senate bill, S1389, contains new checks on two notorious PATRIOT provisions: Section 215 (the "library records" provision) and Section 505 (which allows FBI-issued National Security Letters that a federal court has already found unconstitutional). But there's no guarantee that these checks will survive debate on the floor. In addition, there's no guarantee that the Senate won't include additional language to expand PATRIOT even further. For more information about PATRIOT sections 215 and 505, as well as other "sunset" provisions, visit (http://www.eff.org/patriot/sunset/).
• Thirty yards in the City of Rock Island have been recognized for residential beautification by the Rock Island Beautification Commission. These awards were a result of the 31st annual "Tell on Your Neighbor" contest, which was sponsored by the Rock Island Beautification Commission during July. This awards program recognizes residents who have made the extra effort to beautify their yards and is an opportunity for people to recognize their neighbors. The Beautification Commission believes these citizens should be honored for their efforts and for encouraging others to keep well-groomed yards that are an asset to the city. All winners will receive a certificate of recognition during the August 8 city-council meeting. Beautification Commission member Bob Towler and Mayor Mark Schweibert will present the awards.
• The Drug Reform Coordination Network reports that U.S. Representative Ron Paul, the libertarian-leaning congressman from east Texas, has introduced the Industrial Hemp Farming Act (HR 3037), which would remove federal restrictions on the cultivation of industrial hemp, the low-THC, high-fiber cannabis cultivar used in products from candy bars to auto-body parts to sneakers. The introduction of Paul's bill marks the first time a hemp bill has been introduced at the federal level since the federal government outlawed hemp farming in the 1930s. (That ban was temporarily lifted during World War II as part of the "Hemp for Victory" program.) Currently, some 30 countries, including neighboring Canada, allow for hemp cultivation for industrial and nutritional purposes. Six U.S. states have already voted to remove barriers to research on hemp production, while legislation is pending in 20 more. Support for industrial hemp also comes from the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, which "supports revisions to the federal rules and regulations authorizing commercial production of industrial hemp." And a farm organization, the National Grange, also "supports research, production, processing, and marketing of industrial hemp as a viable agricultural activity." For more information, look at (http://www.votehemp.com).
