On March 30, 2005, the Davenport Civil Rights Commission (DCRC) filed a motion "to strike the March 28, 2005, order setting hearing on petitioner's petition for judicial review." The petitioner is Dr. David Botsko; the petition for judicial review is Botsko's appeal of the DCRC's Final Determination against him in Nabb v.
Last Wednesday, June 1, Davenport's City Council voted 7 to 3 to approve a $43-million development agreement between the City of Davenport and the Isle of Capri Davenport (IOCD) for the construction of an 11-story casino hotel with an attached five-story parking ramp within downtown Davenport's riverfront floodway, adjacent to Lock & Dam 15.
This Wednesday evening the Davenport City Council will be voting to establish three public hearings for Tuesday, May 31, all related to the financing, leasing, and development proposal by the Isle of Capri (IOC) for a 10-story hotel and five-story parking garage on Davenport's signature downtown riverfront.
Last week's Waterfront Workshop saw close to 600 attendees at three meetings over two days. Ostensibly the goal of these meetings, hosted by the City of Davenport and facilitated by consultants Hargreaves & Associates and Chan Krieger & Associates, was to gain public input for design and usage alternatives for Davenport's 15 acres of waterfront property from the Lock & Dam 15 west to Harrison Street, south of River Drive.
Consider this a call to action for all Quad Citians, and especially tax-paying businesses and residents of Davenport who wish to weigh in on the future of downtown Davenport's riverfront. The forum for influencing such a milestone development opportunity will take place next Monday and Tuesday, May 2 and 3, at the RiverCenter in downtown Davenport.
Please read the "Letters" section of this week's Reader on page 6, which has an epistle in heavy support of the Isle of Capri's proposed 10-story hotel and five-story parking ramp for Rhythm City Casino along Davenport's number-one downtown waterfront.
Every community has its special people who make a true difference, contributing beyond measure. St. Anthony's Father James Patrick Conroy was one of ours. He passed on to glory on February 13, 2005, leaving a void in the Catholic community that will never be filled.
The Isle of Capri (IOC) continues to lobby city officials for their support to build a 10-story casino hotel on downtown Davenport's city-owned riverfront, using taxpayer financing and Riverboat Development Authority subsidy for nearly half of the cost.
The more one delves into the misinformation that abounds relative to the proposal by Isle of Capri (IOC) to build a 10-story hotel and five-story parking ramp on downtown Davenport's scarce riverfront, the more outrageous the whole concept becomes.
I happened to watch Monday's briefing with the White House press corps and Bush Press Secretary Scott McClellan. The focus was on the Iraqi vote that took place over the weekend. At first, McClellan's responses to what, for the most part, were innocuous, typical questions appeared positive, even uplifting, rooted in the spirit of freedom and democracy.

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