• The Cities of Bettendorf and Davenport, together with the Bi-State Regional Commission (BSRC), are conducting two open houses for the Iowa Quad Cities Transit Alternatives Analysis. The open houses will provide citizens an opportunity to identify potential solutions for transportation problems using enhanced transit services.
• The Quad City Health Initiative (QCHI) was recently awarded the 2005 Iowa Dietetic Association Gem Award for its work on wellness through its Wellness Warriors team. The award is given to individuals or groups in the private, public, or business community who have made significant contributions to the profession of dietetics in Iowa.
• Trinity Regional Health System and Genesis Health System will provide healthier environments for patients, employees, and visitors by becoming tobacco-free health-care organizations starting May 1, 2006. Tobacco use will no longer be permitted in the buildings or on the grounds of Quad Cities hospitals.
• Quad Cities-based filmmakers and University of Iowa juniors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, both 21 years old, have been selected as two of the five finalists in MTVu's Best Film on Campus: Trailer Challenge competition, in which college filmmakers across the nation create a two-minute film trailer.
• The Channel Cat Water Taxi recorded 35,578 riders from Memorial Day to Labor Day this year for a 10-percent increase over the previous season. The taxi service runs two boats between five docks in Moline, Davenport, Bettendorf, and East Moline.
• Officials at Augustana College held a groundbreaking ceremony last week to mark the official beginning of construction of a new residence hall. The three-story building will be located at the northwest corner of 38th Street and 11th Avenue in Rock Island and will open in the fall 2006, in time to welcome students for the new academic year.
• The Family Museum of Arts & Science in Bettendorf is now offering WiFi access to its guests. Visitors to the museum can take advantage of the wireless-Internet capabilities in the museum's Great Hall. Connecting to the Internet through the Family Museum's WiFi is as simple as going on-line with your PDA or laptop computer; no password is necessary.
The City of Davenport and its Abandoned Housing Task Force are soliciting proposals to rehabilitate abandoned houses located primarily in the central city. The concept for the HAPPEN program is to protect, preserve, and revitalize established central-city neighborhoods.
• The City of Rock Island has received a $1.9-million Lead Hazard Control grant from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. Funds will be used to reduce lead hazards in 140 privately held homes over a three-year period.
• WQPT, the Quad Cities' PBS affiliate, has added streaming video to its Web site at (http://www.wqpt.org). The videos can be viewed from any computer with an Internet connection and the Quicktime application (standard on most computers).

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