• St. Ambrose University has formally launched a $12.4-million capital campaign to build a state-of-the-art center for health-sciences education at the Genesis Medical Center West Central Park campus in Davenport.
• The Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau (QCCVB) is starting the second season of bike rentals at its downtown Davenport, 102 South Harrison, and downtown Moline, 2021 River Drive, offices/visitor centers.
• Left Bank Art League has announced the grand opening of its newly acquired art gallery at 1629 Second Avenue in The District of Rock Island. The league shares the space with MidCoast Gallery West. On April 1, the gallery will be the site for special activities to commemorate the opening as well as the league's presence in the city's cultural plan.
• At its annual meeting last week, the Quad City Development Group launched a new marketing campaign and theme for the Quad Cities. The "Engineered for Success" regional theme is meant to "attract high-wage, high-value business investments," according to a press release.
• Work will begin soon on the Rock Island side of the Sylvan Slough Trailhead. Instead of the traditional "dig and haul" cleanup method of excavating contaminated soil and depositing it in a hazardous-waste landfill, the City of Rock Island has hired EnviroNET Inc.
• The Davenport Community Schools Board has extended an employment offer to Bernard Oliver, one of four finalist candidates for the superintendent position. According to President Patt Zamora, the board last week entered negotiations with Dr.
• The Davenport Fire Department will receive $227,629 in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to increase the effectiveness of fire prevention and to support firefighter safety. Specifically, these grants help Iowa communities fund firefighting equipment, firefighter-health and -safety programs, enhancements to emergency-medical-service programs, and fire-prevention and -safety programs.
• The Iowa Department of Transportation reports that Iowans have achieved a major milestone in highway safety, with preliminary data indicating 380 fatalities occurring in 2004. This is the lowest number of fatalities since 1945.
• The Putnam Museum & IMAX Theatre will receive $4,000 in grant funding from Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area to design and install a new interactive program in the museum's Black Earth/Big River exhibit hall.
• The Quad City International Airport has announced that 2004 set a new annual enplanement record of 442,737 passengers, an increase of 34,968 passengers over 2003. December 2004 was the 11th month in a row with a new monthly enplanement record.

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