Citizens' anger over garbage and stormwater fees imposed by the Davenport City Council is fueling efforts to recruit candidates to oppose incumbent members of the council in the municipal election this fall, according to interviews conducted by the River Cities' Reader.
Thanks to the dozens of area writers who continue to flood us with their really short stories. We received roughly 120 pieces in this year's contest, and here present a dozen of the very best. Before we begin, though, an apology: To anybody who was confused about the contest rules, we screwed up.
This Saturday's show featuring the local metal band From the Wreckage offers one of the most unfortunately ironic - and appropriate - uses of a band name. On September 3, 2004, the band was driving home from a gig in Kankakee when its vehicle was rear-ended by a truck and pushed into a lane of oncoming traffic.
• Without a doubt, the hottest record auctions on eBay fall into two categories: homegrown psychedelic LPs and Northern Soul 45s. If you're not familiar with the passion of Northern Soul and the collecting of these seven-inch singles at jaw-dropping prices, don't feel left out; not many of us Yanks passed through this legendary dance scene in the north of England in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Governor Rod Blagojevich's proposal last week to more than double the number of gaming slots at riverboat casinos in Illinois will require an enormous amount of leadership to become a reality. Here's the rundown of the pitfalls: • Almost all gaming bills eventually become giant legislative Christmas trees, and then usually perish because of their gross obesity.
Horacio Gutierrez demonstrated his talent on the piano, creating beautiful music with each touch of his hands to the instrument. But he wasn’t the only pianist lauded by the audience at the Quad City Symphony Orchestra concert on Saturday.
In designing our third photo contest, we decided to suggest - but not require - a spring theme. While it wasn't a criterion in our judging, several of the winners did indeed follow our advice - most clearly seen in Linda Ortiz's second-place-winning photograph in the "people" category, showing a young girl in field rich with green and accented by violet and a small dab of yellow.
• Fantômas, the enigmatic band helmed by Mike Patton of Faith No More, is taking a new direction this Tuesday with the release of Suspended Animation on Ipecac Records. While the collective has previously noodled in science-fiction fancies, the new CD is described as a lavishly designed project that dallies in all the sound effects and manic energy of cartoon music.
She'd give him a real run for his money. Illinois Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka has a new poll that shows her trailing Governor Rod Blagojevich by just three points in a head-to-head matchup. Using just about any test, the numbers are real.
• Rounder Records has just re-issued a lost gem from 1972, Mountain Moving Day, by the Chicago & New Haven Women's Liberation Rock Bands. Now re-mastered under the title Papa Don't Lay That **** on Me, the CD features six previously unreleased tracks and two bonus songs by modern rockers Le Tigre.

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