15 Oct 2002

Quad Cities Interfaith Tries to Set a Different Agenda

By Jeff Ignatius

It's the political season, and all sorts of interest groups are trying to assess which candidates are going to do the most for their agendas and constituencies. Quad Cities Interfaith, though, is trying to speak for populations that don't normally get much attention during campaigns.

15 Oct 2002

Davenport Crime Climbs Again

By Jeff Ignatius

The hullabaloo last week over the announcement that crime in Davenport rose nearly 16 percent in the first six months of 2002 ignores a more troubling trend in the city: Crime in Davenport has been on the rise since 1998, and the police department to this point can only guess at the causes.

15 Oct 2002

Art Takes to the Runway

By Jeff Ignatius

People who attend MidCoast Fine Arts' ninth-annual Great Mask Auction are used to people in strange outfits and wild hair - usually elements of attendees' costumes. But at this year's event on Saturday, October 19, Storm Design Team will feature avant-garde fashion and hairstyles in its runway show, a new addition to the MidCoast fundraiser.

08 Oct 2002

Gridmo

By Jeff Ignatius

The name of the work is Gridmo, and artist Tim Prentice says it represents what you think it means. If it doesn't inspire you, "it doesn't mean anything," said Prentice, a self-described "kinetic sculptor" from Connecticut.

01 Oct 2002

LeClaire Courts New Development While Trying to Retain Its Character

By Jeff Ignatius

Editor's note: This is the third in a series of articles on new developments in Quad Cities-area downtowns. LeClaire is a community that's trying to have it both ways, maintaining its quaint and historic character while fostering growth in its economy.

01 Oct 2002

Hitting Some of the Right Notes

By Jeff Ignatius

There comes a time when a band knows that it’s ready for big things. You can tell from the packaging of and promotional materials for its newest CD that Shane Johnson’s Blue Train is ready to break out. They’re professional and polished, and they look damn good.

24 Sep 2002

Keeping Voters in the Dark

By Jeff Ignatius

Imagine you're a candidate for political office. You receive something called the National Political Awareness Test. It covers a dozen or so topics, from abortion to government reform to the environment. You're given a handful of choices - usually no fewer than seven - to indicate your views on each issue.

17 Sep 2002

Art of Business

By Jeff Ignatius

The phrases "chamber of commerce" and "bohemian" don't often belong in the same sentence. But the Illinois Quad City of Chamber of Commerce is trying to make those terms a little more comfortable together. At its annual meeting on September 19 at The Mark, the chamber will be celebrating the "Art of Business," and the theme isn't just lip service.

10 Sep 2002

Can September 11 Still Change Everything?

By Jeff Ignatius

It didn't take long for September 11, 2001, to be dubbed "the day that changed everything." But change doesn't happen by itself, and the sad fact is that we - and I'm not excluding myself - haven't changed nearly enough since the terrorist attacks of one year ago.

10 Sep 2002

Hip-Hop Artist Returns with Show, New EP

By Jeff Ignatius

The local music scene is rich with all sorts of musical styles, but hip hop is woefully underrepresented in the area. Local rap artist Commandiz Freez wants to fill that void, but he's also aiming for bigger things.

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