For the past two years, Scott County's mental-health and developmental-disability advisory committee has outlined proposed cuts to services. For Fiscal Year 2008 (which ends June 30), the budget reductions totaled $1.7 million. For Fiscal Year 2009, the proposal is just under $1 million.

Deann Thoms, president of Quad City Arts, last week announced the appointment of Carmen Darland as executive director of the organization. Most recently, Darland served 18 years as vice president of marketing for Heart of America Restaurants & Inns and was previously with Davenport Bank & Trust Company (now Wells Fargo). The Des Moines native currently serves on the boards of DavenportOne, Goodwill of the Heartland, and North Scott Educational Foundation. Quad City Arts serves six counties in eastern Iowa and western Illinois. For more information, visit (http://www.quadcityarts.com).

Piano Celebration, hosted by Piano for a Richer Life, raised more than $31,000 for the Ronald McDonald House. This year, more than 400 local celebrities, student pianists, and piano enthusiasts performed at NorthPark Mall in Davenport on three Yamaha Conservatory grand pianos with a dual purpose: to raise funds to support the local Ronald McDonald House and to emphasize that piano study enhances brain development. Iowa City Ronald McDonald House serves the families of thousands of children suffering from critical conditions. The event took place on Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20.

Amtrak has released a study on behalf of the Iowa Department of Transportation concerning the feasibility of passenger-rail service from the Quad Cities to Iowa City on a route originating from Chicago. Annual ridership on the full route is estimated at approximately 187,000 passengers, based on two daily round trips and track improvements being made to allow maximum speeds of 79 miles per hour. The states of Iowa and Illinois would share the capital-investment costs, and the estimated annual Amtrak operating-contract expense of roughly $6 million. The estimated cost to upgrade the railroad infrastructure in this example is $54.9 million. Reports and maps concerning this study are available at (http://www.iowadot.gov/amtrakstudy/).