09 Dec 2015

Vet Tix Distributes 80,000 tickets to Military Families across the United States for Both MLB and MiLB

By Tiffany Hoffman
Nashville, TN. (December 7, 2015) In partnership with the MLB and MiLB (Minor League Baseball), Veteran Tickets Foundation has provided nearly 80,000 tickets; which is 15% of the forecasted total of 530,000 tickets that Vet Tix will provide this year to military members from all across the country.

"Veteran Tickets Foundation has been overwhelmed by the generosity of our season ticket donors, team ticket donors and partner organizations in 2015. With their support our military, veterans and their families have been able to access more than 530,000 tickets to events in all 50 states. This is an increase of more than 100,000 tickets over last year," said Edward Rausch Chief Operating Officer, chairman & founder of the Veteran Tickets Foundation.

These donations go a long way in providing our military veterans with great memories of our national past time, peace of mind and entertainment that many don't get to experience. Our most recent online survey of more than 28,000 respondents backs this claim when it found that 79% of all members don't attend events because they cannot afford it, while 15% found that the comfort of being around other veterans in public at these events is the biggest reason for attending. In another survey it was noted a family of four spends approximately $100 at a game on team items, parking and refreshments.

For more information please visit Veteran Tickets Foundation website, visit us at MiLB Trade Show at the MLB Winter Meeting 1st year pavilion booth 1105, and/or contact Tiffany Hoffman at Tiffany.hoffman@maagcommplus.com

About Veteran Tickets Foundation (Vet Tix)
Veteran Tickets Foundation (Vet Tix) is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation supporting our military community. Vet Tix has provided over 1.6 million free event tickets to currently serving military, veterans and family members of those killed in action to sporting events, concerts, performing arts and family activities. Our military and veterans experience many difficult transitions as they reintegrate into their families, communities, and eventually, into civilian life. Attending events improves morale, strengthens family bonds through shared interests and encourages service members to stay engaged with local communities and American life. In gratitude for their service and to support their reintegration, Vet Tix is dedicated to giving back to those who gave us so much. Donations are eligible for tax deductions. Please visit our web site at www.VetTix.org Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. ###
09 Dec 2015

QCWE continues 30th season with Holiday Concert featuring the Big River Brass Band

By Quad City Wind Ensemble

The 30th season of the Quad City Wind Ensemble (QCWE) continues with a free holiday concert featuring the Big River Brass Band (BRBB).  The concert will be Sunday, December 13 at 3:00 p.m. in the Galvin Fine Arts Center, 517 W. Locust St., on the campus of St. Ambrose University in Davenport, IA.  The event is free and open to the public.  This is the 4th year the BRBB has been featured during the holiday QCWE concert.

The QCWE is conducted by Brian Hughes, who was recently named a finalist in The American Prize award for band/wind ensemble conducting.  In 2012 the QCWE was the Community Division winner of The American Prize in Band/Wind Ensemble Performance.  The QCWE was founded in 1987 by Dr. Charles B. DCamp of St. Ambrose University, and has become one of the finest adult bands in the nation.  For additional information, please visit www.qcwindensemble.org, or http://www.facebook.com/qcwindensemble.  Please contact info@qcwindensemble.org for further information about the Quad City Wind Ensemble.

The BRBB was co-founded by Ed Butterfield, retired band director for Rock Island High School and Jerry Miller, John Deere retiree.  Miller saw a picture of the Deere Cornet Band in a book about Deere's history and decided to revive a brass band using Deere employees in order to carry on the Deere tradition.  Ed Butterfield later retired as director and was succeeded by current conductor Brian Burke. Since 2006, regular concerts have been played in Aledo, Geneseo, Rock Island, Moline, Bettendorf, and at the Festival of Trees in Davenport. The BRBB plays in the style of European brass bands and draws literature from classic brass band, jazz arrangements for brass band, and continues to search for new music.  For additional information, please visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/bigriverbrassband

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09 Dec 2015

FEDERAL COURT SENTENCES HONDURAS WOMAN ON ILLEGAL RE-ENTRY CHARGE

By Kevin E. VanderSchel

DAVENPORT, IA - On December 4, 2015, Sandra Lagos Neda, age 51, a citizen of Honduras, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to 12 months and one day in prison after pleading guilty to illegal re-entry into the United States, announced Acting United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Lagos Neda was also ordered to pay $100 towards the Crime Victims Fund. After serving her sentence, Lagos Neda will be turned over to immigration authorities for deportation proceedings.

This matter was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security-Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

09 Dec 2015

FEDERAL COURT SENTENCES CLINTON MAN ON THREATENING COMMUNICATION CHARGE

By Kevin E. VanderSchel

DAVENPORT, IA- On December 4, 2015, Gerald W. Ledford, age 57, of Clinton, Iowa, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose to four years' probation, with the first six months in home confinement, after pleading guilty to transmitting a threatening communication, announced Acting United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. Ledford was also ordered to pay $100 to the Crime Victims Fund, to have no contact with the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center or any of its employees, to allow a search of his residence under certain conditions, and to restrict his possession of a computer or access to the Internet without prior approval by the United States Probation Office.

On October 20, 2014, an employee of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center (ISBCC) discovered two messages posted to the ISBCC's Facebook page. The ISBCC is located in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and is a member of the New England Muslim community. According to its website, the ISBCC is not just a mosque, but a dynamic cultural center that is designed to serve the entire community by offering a variety of educational, spiritual, and social services. The first post made derogatory statements about "Mohamed," and made threats to harm Muslims. The second post also made a threat of violence toward Muslims.

The Facebook page posting these two messages displayed the name "Gerry Ledford" and was identified with a unique account identification number. This account was deactivated on November 14, 2014. A "friend" of this account was another Facebook publically viewable page under the name of "Gerry.ledford.3," also with a unique account identification number. Search warrants were obtained for both of these Facebook accounts. Based on information obtained from these search warrants these accounts had certain personal identifiers, such as date of birth, hometown, current city of residence, educational history and digital photographs that were consistent with the same personally identifiable information about Gerald Ledford. Both accounts logged in from an identified Internet Protocol (IP) address identified to a known family member of Ledford's. Information obtained from the search warrants showed that one of these identified Facebook accounts conducted a search for the ISBCC on October 19, 2014. A day before the posted messages, one of these Facebook accounts was used to search for information about the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" and two minutes later a search for information on the "Islamic Society of Boson Cultural Center (ISBCC)." Additional searches were conducted on similar topics both before and after October 19, 2014.

Gerald Ledford admitted in his plea proceeding that he was the individual user registered to these Facebook accounts, that on or about October 19, 2014, he knowingly posted these two threatening messages, and that he individually selected this victim because of the religious affiliation of ISBCC. Gerald Ledford further admitted that he knew that these two messages would be viewed as a threat.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Clinton, Iowa, Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa and the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.

09 Dec 2015

Q&A: Prescription Drugs With U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley

By Grassley Press

Q: Why are you working to increase imports of pharmaceuticals from Canada into the United States?

 

A: Americans ought to have the ability to benefit from free markets, including when they fill their prescription medicines. It makes no sense that a woman in Ottumwa, Iowa, would pay double or triple the amount for the same medication that her sister might pay in Ottawa, Ontario, as an example.  I don't blame Americans who are fed up with subsidizing for the rest of the world the research and development costs that it takes to bring life-saving miracle medicine to market. This is a free trade issue. Imports create competition and keep the domestic industry more responsive to consumers. A healthy dose of competition results in better services, better prices and better choices for consumers. From airlines to restaurants and gas stations, consumers will spend their travel, entertainment and fuel dollars where they can stretch them for the best value.  The same goes for insurance premiums and prescription medicines.  At the same time, policymakers must protect the ingenuity of the free market system that rewards innovation and the discovery of breakthrough medicine. It's a tricky balance to enact patent and trade laws that foster innovation and keep medicines affordable and accessible to Americans. One thing is for certain. Americans are paying more than their fair share for the high cost of pharmaceutical research and development.

Q: Are Americans allowed to import drugs from Canada?

 

A: Congress passed a law in 2003 that allows the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to permit pharmacists and wholesalers to import prescription medicines from Canada. The FDA also may issue a waiver to individuals. But first, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must certify that importation would not pose risks to public health and safety. Moreover, HHS must certify that importation also would lower prices for the same prescription medicine sold in the United States.  Let's remember that American consumers have grown accustomed to the idea that "you get what you pay for." That couldn't be more important in a policy debate about importing prescription medicine. When cancer or diabetic patients pay for their life-saving treatments and medicines, they deserve to know they are getting the safest, highest quality product. That's why importation of prescription drugs needs to come from a trading partner with a regulatory regime comparable to the U.S. regime, for example.  Taxpayers and consumers are coughing up more and more out-of-pocket to pay for prescription medicine. Policymakers have an obligation to figure out the best way to keep prescription prices affordable without crippling innovation. That's why I've urged HHS to use its full authority under the law to allow for pharmaceutical drug imports if certain circumstances are met, including significant and inexplicable price hikes and that the imported drug is produced by the name brand manufacturer that originally developed the drug or by a reputable generic manufacturer that commonly does business in the United States.

Q: What other measures are you working on to address instability, affordability and accessibility for prescription medicine?

 

A: In November, I released the results of an 18-month, bipartisan investigation that took a deep dive into the pricing and marketing strategy of a name brand drug prescribed to treat Hepatitis C. The price tag for a 12-week treatment cost $84,000 or $1,000 per pill. Taxpayers have a tremendous stake in this debate as federal programs pay for a significant share of prescription drug coverage for the elderly, individuals with disabilities and veterans. That's why I'm also working to crack down on anti-competitive arrangements, known as "pay for delay" deals that abuse litigation to keep affordable generics off the pharmacy store shelves. My bipartisan Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act would help make sure consumers have access to the cost-saving generic drugs.
09 Dec 2015

Springfield Battalion returns from Afghanistan

By Illinois National Guard

SPRINGFIELD, IL (12/04/2015)(readMedia)-- A welcome home ceremony is scheduled for approximately one dozen Soldiers who deployed to Afghanistan in February. The ceremony for the 232nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion based in Springfield, Illinois will be Dec. 5 at 2:30 p.m. at Camp Lincoln, 1301 N. MacArthur Blvd. in Springfield, Ill.

The battalion assisted planning, supervising and executing logistics within Afghanistan and assisting with the drawdown of U.S. Forces and equipment.

09 Dec 2015

Highway bill enacted, Grassley welcomes predictability for road, bridge planning

By Grassley Press

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today made the following comment on a bipartisan highway bill that Congress passed this week and that the President signed into law.

"It was important for Congress to get back to regular business on transportation funding, and I was glad to help pass a five-year highway bill.  The Republican majority deserves credit for getting this done.  While there are things I would have changed in the bill, Iowa and other states need predictability in policy so they can plan transportation projects.  It's hard to get roads and bridges built when funding isn't predictable.  More needs to be done to address the long-term health of the Highway Trust Fund, but the bill I voted for continues in the right direction of providing certainty for those planning state and local projects.  This creates the environment for more jobs, enhanced safety, and the expedited completion of projects."
08 Dec 2015

Hopping in a Winter Wonderland!

By Micaela Booth

(ROCK ISLAND, IL - December 4, 2015) - The District, MidCoast Fine Arts, The ARTery & Quad City Arts present Gallery Hop! on Friday, December 11, 2015 from 6 to 10 p.m. Gallery Hop! is a fun, festive and free art open house unique to downtown Rock Island. Local and regional artists are showcased, and some provide demonstrations in venues throughout downtown Rock Island.

The "Hop Stops" stretch all the way from 16th Street to 25th Street and from 1st Avenue to 5th Avenue! Locations will include coffee shops, restaurants, retail shops, and entertainment venues. This unique group of Hop Stops allows guests to grab a quick bite to eat, have a drink, or shop for other items, all while being at Gallery Hop! Jewelry, photography, woodwork, glass, paintings, drawings, sculpture, live music, and more will be featured. Gallery Hop! is a great opportunity to check those art lovers off of your holiday shopping list. Brand new Hop Stops include : Gentry Boutique (218 18th Street), Colman Florist (1623 2nd Avenue), and Soi 2 (1825 2nd Avenue). Make sure to hop your way to the Hop Stops that are off the beaten path as to not miss anything! The Quad City Botanical Center located at 2525 4th Avenue will host three different Gallery Hop! artists, have complementary coffee and cocoa, and "Quilt Tales" will be on exhibit as well. "Quilt Tales" includes over 30 Mississippi Valley Quilters Guild members' quilts.

There will be maps and game cards at each "Hop Stop." The map will include a list of all of the stops and their exhibiting artist(s), and the game cards will include Gallery Hop! BINGO. To play Gallery Hop! BINGO just visit at least five locations, have the artist sign off, and make a straight line on your card. Completed cards can be turned in at MidCoast Fine Arts/The ARTery or Quad City Arts. The winner gets a prize basket full of fun gifts from The District including: a $50 gift certificate to Gentry Boutique, a drum from Teranga house of Africa, a Icon's Martini tasting party certificate, a $25 gift certificate to Colman Florist, a $10 gift certificate to The Original Huckleberry's Great Pizza and Calzones, and more! The winner will be randomly drawn and notified the week of 12/14/2015.

Visual arts, galleries & studios:

• Quad City Arts: Barbara Bianchi (mixed media), Zora Murff (photography), Joseph Madrigal (sculpture), and demonstrations by the Mississippi Valley Woodcarvers

• MidCoast Gallery West: Carolyn Krueger, Lisa Mahar, Laura Weinberg

• The ARTery: Karl Adlon (astro-photography), Michael Johns & Friends (pottery)

• DeSoto Arts Center: Quad Cities Wood Turners Club



Performing arts, theaters, film studio, & live music venues:

? Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse: "A Wonderful Life" Reservations required.

? The Establishment: ComedySportz- Live comedy improv show starting at 7 p.m. Rated "E" for everyone.

? Rock Island Brewing Co: Bongzilla, show at 9 p.m., $15 advance tickets

? The Speakeasy: Manny Lopez Big Band, Doors at 5 p.m. $16 cover at door

? The District Theatre: "A Christmas Carol" Reservations may be required.

 

Alternative venues - restaurants, shops, and entertainment establishments:

? The Shoppes on 2nd: Lisa Francescon (photography), Judy Heath & Teri Luke (watercolors), and Sally Gierke (ceramics with demonstrations), Spellbound will offer 10% off everything during Gallery Hop

? Skeleton Key Art & Antiques: John VandeWalle (metal sculpture), Bill Marsoun (paintings) & 60+ local artists, craftspeople & antique dealers.

? Blue Cat Brew Pub: Anthony Burton (paintings & wire wrapped pendants)

? Daiquiri Factory: Svetlana Pulliam (jewelry & clothing)

? Icons Martini: Ron Thomas (acrylic watercolor & pencil drawings), and Janelle Kerns with As You Wish Custom Designs (stained glass)

? Theo's Java Club: Ginger Herbst (Sister Hip Hats), Leslie Schenkel (lampwork beads, jewelry)

? NormaLeah Ovarian Cancer Foundation: Yoyo y Yo (acoustic music) & Bling 4 Cancer jewelry

? Teranga House of Africa: (incense, oils and gifts of diversity)

? Vivian's Vintage Varieties: Various artists (antiques & jewelry)

? Navarro Canoe Co: Bruce & Sue Peterson (Rock Island handcrafted works of art canoes), and David James Genac (photography)

? The Original Huckleberry's Great Pizza & Calzones- Connie (Corcoran) Wilson, author of Christmas Cats

? Roosters Sports Bar & Grill- Roberta Osmers (photography)

? Gentry Boutique: Sue Sambdman (Rock River Photography), Gentry Boutique will offer refreshments and hors d'oeuvres and 20% off all purchases

? Hickey Brother's Cigar Store and Hookah Lounge: Phil Force (metal sculpture), Lara Grossman (photography)

? Colman Florist: Steve Braudt (drawing, graphite & ink on mat board), Colman Florist will offer 25% off Christmas themed ornaments, containers, and silks (excludes FTD and Teleflora Holiday Containers)

? Steve's Old Time Tap: Pat Petersen (Conversation Pieces Jewelry)

? dphilms: Lori A. Granato (acrylic on canvas), Louis Granato III (photography), and Jay Stratton (refined & distinctive wood works)

? Soi 2: Jesse Mumm (ceramics)

? Quad City Botanical Center: Kimberly Miller (Celestial by Design body painting), Marjorie Franklin (photography), Jerri Crabtree-Frisk (paintings), and "Quilt Tales" exhibit Public art:

? MidCoast Fine Arts - Art 'N Alley installations, Quad City Arts' sculpture program, and several murals.

Gallery Hop! is presented by The District, MidCoast Fine Arts, Quad City Arts & The ARTery, and is sponsored by the Dispatch-Argus, WHBF, and River Cities' Reader.

The event is free. For more information and to print a map of participating locations, please visit www.ridistrict.com.

The Downtown Rock Island Arts & Entertainment District (The District) is a 501(c) 6 not-for-profit organization established in 1992 by local downtown merchants. The District's mission is to establish and manage downtown Rock Island as a creative and innovative experience by focusing on the development of the arts and quality special event management. It features retail shops, excellent restaurants, live entertainment, dinner theater, art galleries and several entertainment venues. Rock Island is located on the Mississippi River, three hours west of Chicago in an area known as the Quad-Cities which straddles the river and the Illinois/Iowa border. It is at the intersection of Interstate highways 74, 88 and 80 and is served by Quad City International Airport in Moline, IL.

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08 Dec 2015

Governor Announces Appointments 12/08/2015

By Catherine Kelly

SPRINGFIELD - Governor Bruce Rauner announced today he has appointed a new Executive Director of the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Education and arbitrators to the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission.

 

Name: Kelley Washington
Position: Executive Director - Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Kelley Washington as the Executive Director in the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development. She will work to strengthen early childhood education in Illinois through Race to the Top grants; preschool expansion; and Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting. In addition, she will work with state agencies to ensure alignment of early childhood development within current transformation efforts.

Most recently, Washington worked as the Chief of Staff to Illinois Secretary of Education Beth Purvis where she assisted with strategic planning initiatives. Her background includes consulting, business, and human resources management, which will help elevate the work of the Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development. She is also a member of the Eli and Edythe Board Residency Program. The program is part of the Eli and Edythe Board Foundation, which works to increase student success and outcomes in urban public schools. She previously worked at Accenture and General Mills.

Washington earned her bachelor's degree from Duke University and her master's degree from the University of Michigan. ?

 

Name: Paul Cellini
Position: Arbitrator - Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Paul Cellini as an arbitrator to the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission. Cellini brings 20 years of experience in workers' comp law in the public and private sectors to the position.

Currently, Cellini works for the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission as an attorney. He reviews records of cases that have been appealed and makes recommendations to the three-member commission panel. He has also worked for Travelers Insurance where he focused on workers' comp claims on behalf of the company.

Cellini is a graduate of the University of Illinois. He earned his law degree from The John Marshall Law School. He lives in Chicago.

 

Name: Gary Gale
Position: Arbitrator - Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission

Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed Gary Gale as an arbitrator to the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission. Gale is the former Executive Director of the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission and brings nearly 35 years of experience in workers' comp law to the position.

Gale has worked on behalf of employers and employees in workers' comp cases. Currently, Gale is an attorney at Maciorowski, Sackmann & Ulrich, LLP. From 1999 to 2001, he was the Executive Director of the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission, where he supervised the agency's judicial division, monitoring work flow and the arbitrators.

Gale holds a bachelor's degree from Case Western University, a master's degree from the University of Missouri and a law degree from the Chicago Kent College of Law. He lives in Elk Grove Village.

 

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08 Dec 2015

Join the Bald Eagles in the Quad Cities

By QCCVB

Plan a trip to see these majestic birds roosting in trees along the Mississippi River. Bald Eagle Days is January 8-10, 2016, at the QCCA Expo Center, 2621 4th Ave., Rock Island, Ill. Hours: Fri. 4-8 pm, Sat. 10 am-8 pm, and Sun. 10 am-5 pm. It is the largest event in the Midwest dedicated to the United States' national symbol of freedom. Thousands turn out for the annual event which includes: live eagle programs, Pella Wildlife Company Wolves, rock-climbing wall, exhibits, and activities.

Bob Motz has been hosting bald eagle safaris for more than 20 years, and has welcomed people from across the globe. During the Eagle Safaris, high-powered spotting scopes, connected to the car window, provide excellent viewing. The spotting scopes are powerful enough to see the gold of the eagle's eye, the nostrils in its beak, and the black talons extending from its toes.

The tours are 2 to 3 hours in length and run a flat rate of $20.00 per hour whether its 1 or 4 people. You can reserve a safari for family, friends with a maximum of four people. Larger groups come each winter in buses, for which the charge is $40.00 per hour. And, yes, he does guarantee eagle sightings or your money back! To make a reservation for an Eagle Safari, contact Bob Motz at (309) 269-3922 or eaglemotz@aol.com.

In 2007 the bald eagle, America's national symbol, flew off the Endangered Species Act's "threatened" list. In the winter, the bald eagles flock to the Quad Cities from mid-December through mid-February. Why do eagles like the Quad Cities? The bald eagles migrate south along the Mississippi River each winter as waters freeze in the northern U.S. and Canada. Eagles feed mainly on fish and need open waters to feed. Waters below Locks and Dams do not completely freeze over in the winter and allow eagles prime feeding opportunities. Plus the Quad Cities has many wooded river bluffs that allow eagles a prime habitat for perching & evening roosts. Click here for eagle watching tips and etiquette.

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