In the hyper-over-reactive world that is the Illinois Statehouse, every move made by every major player is analyzed to death to see who is zooming whom. House Speaker Michael Madigan's Illinois Gaming Board reform plan is a case in point.

Augustana College has joined the ranks of institutions that have adopted "test optional" admissions policies. Under the new policy, recently approved by a vote of the Augustana faculty, students who apply for admission to Augustana College will no longer be required to submit standardized-test scores. The test-optional policy affects students applying for admission for the fall of 2008 and beyond. Augustana's test-optional admissions process is described in the admissions section of the college's Web site (http://www.augustana.edu/admissions/test-optional) . The Web page includes instructions for students who have already submitted test scores for admission in 2008 who would now like to proceed under the new policy.

For what seems like eons, politics in Davenport have been stigmatized by uncommon divisiveness. The current leadership would have citizens believe it is mostly the fault of Third Ward Alderman Keith Meyer. It blames Meyer for his relentless pursuit of need-to-know information that it would rather not disclose.

The 15th annual Mayors' Hunger Luncheon, "In from the Cold," will be held at noon on Thursday, November 8 at Bettendorf's Isle of Capri Convention Center. The mayors of the Quad Cities will serve a simple lunch of bread and hearty soup, reflecting the theme of "We eat simply so that others may simply eat." With the assistance of the United Way of the Quad Cities Area, "In from the Cold" has, since 1992, distributed more than $250,000 to fund services for the homeless, and at this year's luncheon, an additional fundraising raffle will give attendees the chance to win one of three Ralph Iaccarino prints. Tickets are $20 per person, with tables of 10 at $175, and more information is available at the "In from the Cold" Web site (http://www.infromthecoldqc.org) or by calling (563) 421-4343.