A state Senator from Bettendorf, Linda Miller, asks why we do not have a vote on banning gay marriage in Iowa. We do not need a "Defense of Marriage" act. Marriage does not need to be defended from all the wonderful, caring, loving gay and lesbian adults I know in the eastern Iowa who are in long-term relationships, many of them raising children, and simply living their lives as are heterosexuals.

River Action is hosting the second-annual Taming of the Slough Mississippi Adventure Race on Saturday, September 15, starting at 7:30 a.m. The race begins in downtown Moline at the Quad City Rowing Association boathouse at 17th Street and the Mississippi River. The canoe/kayak leg is one mile in Sylvan Slough; the mountain-bike leg continues onto Sylvan Island; and the run heads back through downtown Moline, finishing at Bass Street Landing for a post-race party. Register online at (http://www.riveraction.org), or for more information contact River Action at (563) 322-2969 or (dan@riveraction.org).

 

While the bankruptcy law that went into effect in October 2005 was opposed by consumer groups and supported by credit-card companies (and their campaign contributions), those things don't automatically make it bad public policy.

Richard Shindell With a voice that sounds a bit like Michael Stipe gone folk, Richard Shindell's songs feel instantly familiar even if you've never heard him before. Those vocals are magnetic and dramatic, and the singer/songwriter pays as much attention to melody and musical settings as he does his words. But it's his first-person narratives that have garnered him critical praise and a loyal following.

The Davenport Police Department held a ribbon-cutting for its new headquarters last week. Among the environmental aspects of the 97,200-square-foot, $20.3-million facility are geothermal heating and cooling, low-consumption plumbing, rain gardens, a roof with soil-less plants, and high-efficiency windows. A skywalk connected to the courthouse will be completed soon, and a parking ramp will be finished in April.

 

ImageGilda's Club Quad Cities Offers Expert Advice for Prostate Cancer Patients and Their Family Members

Andrew BirdThere is nobody like Andrew Bird in the world, a songwriter and a performer who makes his whistling, his glockenspiel, and his violin at home with guitars, drums, and vocals in detailed, pitch-perfect pop songs that never seem precious or forced, as eccentric as they are.

But when you're as idiosyncratic as Bird is, that means there aren't many people whose vision matches your own. That was one reason that the gestation of The Mysterious Production of Eggs - Bird's breakthrough from 2005 - took so long, with so many false starts.

Lucky Boys ConfusionIn band-speak, "indefinite hiatus" is the equivalent of filing divorce papers; it's the formal beginning of the end.

That might ultimately be true with Lucky Boys Confusion, but nearly a year after the Chicago-area band announced its hiatus, it will be visiting the Quad Cities for a show at Augustana College.

It's getting harder and harder to stomach the barrage of misinformation masquerading as journalism in the Quad Cities' mainstream media. Most especially egregious is the constant sin of omission that defines most stories and editorials.

Since the November 2006 election, the sentiment of the majority of Americans to end the war in Iraq continues to increase. A July Gallup Poll reported the highest-ever level of opposition to the war with 62 percent saying the U.S. made a mistake sending troops to Iraq.

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