11 Dec 2015

Senate Clears Bill to Enhance Mental Health Assistance for Incarcerated Individuals

By Grassley Press
WASHINGTON - A bill to help address the treatment of mentally ill offenders by the criminal justice system cleared the Senate last night.  Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley shepherded the bill through the committee in April.  The bipartisan bill was sponsored by Senator Al Franken and was cosponsored by Grassley along with Judiciary Committee members John Cornyn, Patrick Leahy, Richard Durbin, Sheldon Whitehouse, Amy Klobuchar, Chris Coons, Lindsey Graham, Richard Blumenthal, Orrin Hatch and Dianne Feinstein, as well as 20 other senators.

"Mentally ill offenders make up a large part of the people in the criminal justice system.  This bill takes into account the needs of this community in the prison system and works to support their unique health requirements in an effort to reduce the likelihood that they will reoffend," Grassley said.  "Importantly, the bill also includes accountability measures to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used in the most effective and efficient ways possible."

The Comprehensive Justice and Mental Health Act:

Reauthorizes the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act;
Supports mental health courts and veterans treatment courts;
Enhances identification of offenders with mental illness so as to provide better health services;
Enhances efforts to deal with mentally ill offenders who are incarcerated;
Includes accountability measures to ensure that resources are used appropriately.

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11 Dec 2015

Give the Gift of a Smile on Christmas Morning!

By Sarah Hite
Quad Cities, USA: The Salvation Army is desperately seeking enough toys to save Christmas for thousands of less fortunate children in the Quad Cities.  The 2015 Angel Tree Toy Drive was planned to conclude on Dec. 14th. Due to the lack of toys, Angel Tree donations will be extended through Tuesday, December 15th!  

The Salvation Army encourages people to add just one more child to their Christmas list...a child living in poverty.

ANGEL TREE Toy Collection sites are located at all four Quad City Wal-Marts, NorthPark Mall (JCPenney Court) and SouthPark Mall (near JCPenney Court) and ends December 15th. Mall times are 11am - 8pm daily, and 11am -- 5pm on Sunday.

Major Gary Felton, Quad Cities Coordinator for The Salvation Army, states that "Close to 1,500 families are depending on us.  Every child in our community should wake up Christmas morning to a new toy. This final week's hard work will hopefully be enough so we can let children know they are special on Christmas morning!"  

Last year, thousands of toys were displayed at The Salvation Army's Toy Shop on the Christmas Assistance distribution days.  Parents are able to "shop" for their child's gift, and also receive a food box with the ingredients for a Christmas dinner
11 Dec 2015

Pack All Night 2015

By Sarah Hite
Quad Cities, USA: The Salvation Army of the Quad Cities will hold its Fifth Annual "Pack All Night" Event on Friday, December 11h.

Fifty volunteers made up of groups from the John Deere Neon Group, and Girl Scouts will pack 1,800 food boxes filled with a Christmas dinner.

TIME:  5:30pm - 8:30pm  
DATE:  Friday, December 11
PLACE:  The Salvation Army Corps Community Center
2200 - 5th Avenue, Moline, IL 61265

The food boxes are part of The Salvation Army's Christmas Assistance Program where Quad Cities families and individuals will receive large boxes of food and toys for their children.  1,800 families signed up for Christmas Assistance which takes place December 17th and 18th.
11 Dec 2015

Q&A: New K-12 Education Law With U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley

By Grassley Press

Q: What is the Every Student Succeeds Act?

 

A: In the first rewrite of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) since 2001, the Republican-led Congress restored a much greater degree of local control and decision-making authority to parents, teachers and local school board members in December with bipartisan passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act. It replaces the troubled No Child Left Behind Act. President Bush's proposal for that law called for greater local control over teaching in return for more accountability in terms of student achievement outcomes, but the degree of local freedom many had hoped for didn't materialize. What we did get was a detailed one-size-fits-all assessment and accountability system that prescribed interventions for schools not making progress toward all students being proficient in reading and math by 2014. That date has now passed so schools across Iowa face increasingly onerous top-down interventions. Since the No Child Left Behind Act was supposed to last only until 2007, there should have been plenty of time to adjust the goal, but until now, Congress has not been able to come up with a replacement.

The Every Student Succeeds Act was a bipartisan compromise, which was necessary to pass the Senate. It does not go as far as I would like in reducing federal involvement in local schools, but it is a big improvement over the status quo. Schools serve as the lifeblood of neighborhoods across the country. It makes sense that parents, taxpayers, elected school board members and educators living and working in these neighborhoods are best able to identify problems, solve challenges and remove learning barriers in the classrooms where students are attending the schools in their communities.  I believe that our local schools can do more when the Washington bureaucracy does less and this new law will allow key decisions to be made closer to the parents and students they affect.

Q: What provisions did you secure in the new education law?

 

A:  As founder and co-chair of the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth, I work to give a voice to foster kids at the policymaking tables in Washington. Too many foster youth face a lifetime of uncertainty and interminable transition. Many times, schools are their only lifeline to stability and haven for a sense of belonging. That's why I worked to strengthen connections between child welfare agencies and state and local education institutions so that foster youth aren't allowed to fall behind or face an endless cycle of being shuffled from one school to the next.  Also included were key parts of a bill I introduced to fix federal incentives that were preventing gifted and talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds reaching their fullest potential. Beyond that, I worked on provisions to ensure states are free from federal coercion in setting content standards and I ensured that a civic education grant program the bill's authors included kept a focus on teaching the history and principles of the Constitution. These founding principles have guided America's prosperity for more than 200 years. It makes sense that younger generations develop a keen understanding and appreciation for the bedrock values of liberty, freedom and justice.
11 Dec 2015

Clayton R. Lee Announces Candidacy for Circuit Court Judge

By Dick Potter

East Moline Attorney Clayton R. Lee will formally announce his candidacy for the office of Circuit Court Judge in the upcoming Rock Island County Democratic Primary on March 15th, 2016. Mr. Lee will hold a press conference from 5-7 p.m. on Monday, December 14th at Laborer's Union Local 309, 2835 7th Ave., Rock Island Ill. 61201.

The press is invited to attend and the event is open to the public.

Mr. Lee currently is president of Lee & Lee Attorneys, East Moline. Mr. Lee began his practice in 2003 with his father, Graham J. Lee. Mr. Lee is a general practitioner with experience in contracts, real estate, civil litigation, collections, landlord/tenant law, probate, estate planning, municipal law, felony and misdemeanor defense and juvenile law, among other legal areas.

An East Moline native, Mr. Lee earned his undergraduate degree from St. Ambrose University. He earned his law degree from Northern Illinois University. Mr. Lee is married to Lindsay Lee. They have three children: Andynn, 5, Grayson, 3, and Elynn, 14 months.

Mr. Lee currently represents six local municipalities, sits as a board member of the Illini Hospital District and serves as Social Chair of the Rock Island County Bar association.

Candidate's Statement

"I believe my extensive general legal practice, coupled with my experience as a small business owner, husband and father, along with my years-long service to many local communities has given me a powerful set of credentials, which combine to qualify me for the position of Circuit Court Judge," Mr. Lee said in making his announcement. "If elected, I promise the citizens that they will be treated with dignity, respect and fairness - no matter from what walk of life they come. "In my courtroom, I guarantee that what matters to the people will matter equally to me,"  Mr. Lee continued. "It is my real-world experience and expertise in myriad areas of the law that has driven my decision to enter the race for Circuit Court Judge."

Contact Information: Dick Potter / 309-235-1630 / cleeforjudge@gmail.com

11 Dec 2015

Bipartisan Legislation to Combat Nuclear Terrorism and Proliferation Clears Committee

By Grassley Press
WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee has passed bipartisan legislation that would strengthen the United States' national security laws by ensuring that the government can successfully investigate and prosecute nuclear terrorists.  The bill was introduced by Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and cleared the Judiciary Committee by a sweeping 17-3 margin.

The bill implements three changes to federal criminal law that had been requested by both the Bush and Obama administrations on multiple occasions, most recently in 2011, but were not acted on by the committee until now. They were also omitted in House-authored legislation passed earlier this summer that created new offenses involving nuclear and maritime terrorism.

The first provision of the bill would allow the Department of Justice to go to court and obtain a wiretap if there is probable cause that a defendant is committing one of the new offenses.

The second provision would allow the newly-created offenses to be predicates for the separate crime of material support for terrorism.  The provision helps to ensure that all who help plan, finance and aid terrorist attacks can be brought to justice.

The third, and final provision, would permit the Department of Justice to seek the death penalty, in appropriate cases, for terrorists who commit acts of nuclear and maritime terrorism that kill Americans.

"The recent terrorist attacks in the United States and abroad show just how vulnerable our country is.  These are complex attacks that are planned for months or even years," Grassley said.  "Nuclear terrorism isn't just theoretical; it's a very real threat.  The government needs the ability to seek the death penalty for nuclear terrorists under the appropriate circumstances.  It's also common sense that we provide the government the ability to prosecute those who provide material support to these terrorists, including by financing them.  And, it's important that authorities have the capacity to seek lawful wiretaps, authorized by a federal judge, to investigate these terrorists.  These are tools that were requested by both Presidents Bush and Obama that will help keep Americans safe."

Two amendments expressing a "Sense of the Senate" were also added to the bill.  The first recognized that excluding people from coming to America solely on the basis of their religion is contrary to the country's founding principles.   The second amendment recognized that the United States was not founded on religious liberty alone, and depriving Americans of other core constitutional rights, like the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, is also contrary to the country's founding principles.

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11 Dec 2015

Illinois Army National Guard Awarded Cyber Protection Team in Partnership with Wisconsin

By Illinois National Guard

SPRINGFIELD, IL (12/10/2015)(readMedia)-- SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A unique team of Army National Guard warriors whose mission is to protect U.S. and state interests within the cyber world will be based in Illinois and Wisconsin, the National Guard Bureau announced on Dec. 9.

"This is a win for both Illinois and Wisconsin. This is a win for the Midwest," said Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner. "This is bringing unique military capabilities under the command and control of the states, who are on the front lines of cyber defense."

The Cyber Protection Team, with approximately 40 Soldiers, will have its headquarters in Illinois along with two cyber sections?. Likely locations for these sections will be Springfield, the Bloomington-Normal area and Chicagoland. Wisconsin will house the team's remaining three sections.

"This team will give us critical assets to defend our nation, region and state against cyber attack regardless of where those attacks originate," said Maj. Gen. Richard J. Hayes Jr., the Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard. "The partnership with Wisconsin makes both states stronger within the cyber domain."

The Illinois National Guard works hand-in-hand with multiple state and federal agencies as well as nongovernmental entities in domestic emergency operations and has participated in cyber protection exercises at the state, regional and national level.

Partners within Illinois slated to support cyber operations include DuPaul University, Illinois State University, the University of Illinois at Champaign, the University of Illinois at Springfield, Lincoln Land Community College, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Illinois State Police, and the DuPage County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

"There are no borders in cyber-warfare," Hayes said. "Adversaries will target industry, energy, infrastructure, communications, academia, government and military. Our defense needs to be united and coordinated."

As part of ongoing growth of cyber forces throughout the Department of Defense, the National Guard announced plans to activate 13 additional cyber units spread throughout 23 states by the end of fiscal year 2019. The current roll out of Guard cyber units is part of laying out a larger foundation for future cyber forces scheduled for activation.

11 Dec 2015

Association of the United States Army Rock Island Arsenal Chapter Awards $10,000 to Veterans Groups

By Jamie Lange

This holiday season will be a little brighter for ten veterans' organizations thanks to local members of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Rock Island Chapter. AUSA provides support for Soldiers and is the voice for the US Army. Awarding much needed funding to these organizations is at the core of our mission.

The list of organizations receiving donations includes:

  • Adonai Community Support Services - $1,000

  • Disabled American Vets - $1,000

  • Honor Flight of the QC - $1,000

  • Humility of Mary Valor Program - $1,000

  • Jason's Box - $2,000

  • New Kingdom Trail Riders - $500

  • Quad Cities Vet Center - $500

  • SGT Audie Murphy Club (RIA)- $1,000

  • VA Homeless Outreach Center - $500

  • Veterans Assistance Commission - $500

  • Vietnam Veterans Association - $1,000

Funds for these donations were raised by AUSA chapter members through special events and donations and support from local veterans organizations.

About the AUSA RIA Chapter:

The local chapter is a relevant and respected organization representing and supporting Soldiers, Veterans, Retirees, DA Civilians, and Army families to the United States Army. The chapter provides educational opportunities and informational programs that inform area citizens and leaders of the value the Army brings to the Nation and advocates for the strengths of the US Army.

About AUSA:

AUSA is a private, non-profit educational organization that supports America's Army - Active, National Guard, Reserve, Civilians, Retirees, Government Civilians, Wounded Warriors, Veterans, and family members. AUSA provides numerous Professional Development Opportunities at a variety of events both local and national. AUSA is made up of 120 chapters worldwide. Made up entirely of volunteers, their mission is to support our Soldiers and the civilians and families who work alongside of them in the local community.

###
11 Dec 2015

LeClaire Chamber of Commerce Friday Announcements - 12/11/2015

By LeClaire Chamber of Commerce

ANNOUNCEMENTS - 12/11/2015

Congratulations to Artswork, the Winner of the First Annual Holiday Decorating Contest sponsored by the LeClaire Chamber of Commerce! Artswork was awarded $200 in Chamber Bucks as the winner chosen over Christmas in LeClaire weekend.  Thank you to all who decorated - there were so many wonderful store fronts and windows, it was not an easy choice for the judges, so great job everyone! Same time next year!

CHAMBER MEMBERSHIP

It is time to renew membership with the LeClaire Chamber of Commerce for 2016! Membership letters and forms are in the mail. If you do not receive one, please contact the Chamber, LeClaireChamber@gmail.com or 563-289-9970 and one will be sent to you. Or, you can go to www.LeClaireChamber.com and renew online using PayPal. Thank you for your membership, and we wish everyone a great 2016!

 

CHAMBER NEWSLETTER

The December Issue of the Chamber Newsletter has been mailed out to over 2500 recipients in the 52753 zipcode area!  Go to www.leclairechamber.com to view it online.

 

CITY COUNCIL VACANCY

Due to the results of the recent City elections a vacancy will occur on the City Council effective as of January 1, 2016. At this time the LeClaire City Council intends to fill this vacancy by appointment. All persons interested in being appointed to this vacancy and to be considered for such must submit a standard City committee membership application form (available at City Hall or on the City' website, "Board & Committee Membership Application", along with a general letter of interest (resume) to the City Clerk at 325 Wisconsin Street, LeClaire, Iowa 52753 by the close of business (5:00 p.m. local time) on Thursday, December 31, 2015. Notice is further given that this appointment shall be for the period until the next pending election (November 8, 2016). Prospective candidate/applicants review and interviews have been tentatively set by the City Council for their Committee-of-the-Whole meeting to be held on Monday, January 4, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.  This appointment is expected to be formally considered at the Council meeting to be held at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, January 18, 2016. The electors of the City of LeClaire have the right to file a petition requiring that the vacancy be filled by a special election. A valid petition requesting a special election to fill the vacancy must be filed with the LeClaire City Clerk within fourteen days after the publication of the official "Notice of Vacancy" or within fourteen days after the appointment is made, whichever is later. If you have any questions, please contact the LeClaire City Clerk's office at 563-289-4242.

 

CALENDAR

Now Through January 3rd - Enright's Le Claire Super Wash Annual Holiday Promotion Has Started! Automatic carwash tokens on sale 5 for $20, each token a $6.50 value. Tokens may can be purchased with cash, check, or credit card and make Great Holiday Gifts!  Sign up to win car washes and the "Blue Super Wash Wagon".   Weekly winners posted on our reader board.  Attendants on duty 8:30-10:00, Monday thru Friday and 8:30 to 3:00, on weekends. All attendant hours are subject to weather.

December 12th - Riverside Foursquare Church Movie Night 6 p.m. Come join the fun and watch a movie come to life with an interactive Movie - How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Newer Version) All are invited but if you are under the age of 6 you must have a parent/guardian with you. Any questions please contact April 920-287-8851

December 18th - Blue Iguana - It's National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day Join in the fun and wear your most festive holiday outfit!

December 18th - Snow Lodge #44 Monthly Dinner 6:30 pm 113 S. Cody Rd. Turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, pie & drink. OPEN TO ALL $7.00 donation

December 20th - Blue Iguana - It's National Sangria Day! $4 pints & $14 pitchers.

December 20th - Celebrate Christmas at Zion Lutheran Church, Princeton Sunday School Christmas Program - 4 p.m. Children ages 4-12 will perform a Christmas pageant followed by Christmas cookies and punch.

*(No Economic Development Meeting in December)

December 22nd - Blue Christmas Worship Service - Zion Lutheran Church, Princeton 7 p.m. This contemplative service is especially for those grieving and for all who find Christmas to be a difficult time. A time of fellowship will follow the worship service.

December 24th - Asbury United Methodist Church - Christmas Eve Candlelight Services - 5pm Family Style, 7:30pm Cantata, and 10pm Communion. 1809 Mississippi Blvd, Bettendorf, 563-355-5218, asbury@asbury-bett.org

 

December 24th - Candlelight Christmas Eve Worship - Zion Lutheran Church, Princeton. 5 p.m. This traditional Christmas service is for all who enjoy singing Christmas carols and hearing the good news of Christ's birth.

December 31st - New Year's Eve Celebration at Steventons There will be live music by North of 40, a variety of hors d'oeuvres and a champagne toast at midnight. Please call ahead to reserve your tickets! ($75) 563.289.3600

SAVE THE DATE

January 30th, 2016 - LeClaire Chamber Annual Awards Dinner - Davenport Country Club - More details to come. If you would like to donate items for the Silent or Live Auctions, please contact Debbie Mulvania (First Central State Bank), Kristen Underwood (Black Hawk Bank & Trust), or Dayle Hall.

 

FYI

Big Dave & Holly's has Christmas decorations for sale! Wreaths, centerpieces, small trees, etc!

 

Jones St Java House has its new fall menu now available! Stop in for one of our delicious wraps made fresh while you wait! We have amazing soups available as well. Our Barista's have been busy making new festive coffee flavored too- come in and try a Mistletoe latte or a Salty Snowman- you won't be sorry! Jones St Java is now open extended holiday hours! M-F 6-5 Sat 7-5 and Sunday 8-5 through Dec 24th.

 

Steventon's Holiday Hours:

Christmas Eve - Closed

Christmas Day - Closed

New Year's Eve - Open

New Year's Day - Closed

Blue Iguana Holiday Hours:

Christmas Eve- Closed

Christmas - Closed

New Year's Eve- Close at 5pm

New Year's- Closed

Reusable Usables Creative Arts Center - Coming in January - All Ages PLAY Cafe where you can "Play.Gather.Create" with friends, neighbors and family.  Play Cafe will be open two Saturdays or more each month starting in January.  Details on our website.

Reusable Usables will be offering some amazing new classes and events in our new studio space, facilitated by talented local artist.  Looking for people like you to share your passion and teach a class/workshop in our new studio. visit www.reusableusables.org

Visit the LeClaire Chamber of Commerce website www.leclairechamber.com and see us on Facebook!

If you would like to attend a Chamber Board Meeting in order to present a topic, please contact the Board in advance at LeClaireChamber@gmail.com in order to be included an upcoming agenda. You will be contacted with confirmation of being included in the agenda. Board Meetings are held the 4th Tuesday of each month, 8a.m. at LeClaire City Hall.

SERVING THE COMMUNITY AND BEYOND

On November 30, 2015, Isabel Bloom presented $10,000 donation to Operation Smile American Picker's Mike Wolfe and his family took part in the presentation along with Operation Smile Nurse Volunteer, Connie Chiles. A reception was held at the Isabel Bloom Production Facility, 736 Federal Street, Davenport, Iowa, to present Operation Smile with a $10,000 donation as a result of the collaboration between Isabel Bloom and Mike Wolfe, creator and executive producer of History Channel's TV series American Pickers to create the sculpture Charlie's Smile. The reception featured a short presentation and display of Charlie's Smile sculptures, and was attended by Mike and Jodi Wolfe and their daughter Charlie, Connie Chiles from Operation Smile, along with Isabel Bloom owners, Cathy Nevins, Donna Young and Bill Barrett and Isabel Bloom employees. The original, handcrafted sculpture, Charlie's Smile, was created by Isabel Bloom artist, Donna Young, and is named for American Picker Mike Wolfe's daughter, Charlie, who was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate. Mike and Jodi Wolfe discovered their daughter's cleft during a routine ultrasound before Charlie's birth in January 2012. During their research, the Wolfes learned that cleft lips and/or cleft palates are the fourth most common birth defect in the U.S. Globally; a child born with a cleft has twice the odds of dying before reaching their first birthday. Their own experience has prompted them to advocate for Operation Smile. "We are so happy to be able to advocate for an organization that makes such a difference for those born with the same condition as Charlie," Wolfe said. "Helping give a healthy life and new smile to children who would otherwise not have it is just wonderful. Operation Smile: Connie Chiles, PACU RN at Ottumwa Regional Health Center, Ottumwa, Iowa began volunteering with Operation Smile in 2000 after attending a nursing conference where a nurse spoke about her experience. It was then that she decided to pursue her dream of mission work. Months later, Connie was invited to join a medical mission to Russia and in her own words, "was hooked." She has since been on 27 medical missions, the most recent in Malawi. "Each medical mission is as special as the one before and I'm still in awe of what we do as a team," says Chiles, "There is no greater feeling on a mission than watching mom and dad see their child for the first time after surgery." "Everyone at Operation Smile wants to thank Mike and Jodi Wolfe and everyone at Isabel Bloom for their compassion and generosity," says Bonnie Keuhne, Operation Smile Development Officer, Community Relations, "This donation will help provide surgery for waiting children and will help them lead lives free from the pain and the stigma of cleft. We are incredibly grateful." About Operation Smile Operation Smile is an international medical charity whose global network of thousands of credentialed medical volunteers from more than 80 countries is dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children from more than 60 countries. Since its founding in 1982, Operation Smile has provided more than 240,000 free surgical procedures for children and young adults born with cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities. To build long-term sufficiency in resource poor environments, Operation Smile trains doctors and local medical professionals in its partner countries so they are empowered to treat their local communities and help others around the world.

Pick up the LeClaire information guide at the LeClaire Information Center. It has many photos and great information for everyone including residents, potential residents, visitors, realtors, relocation personnel, schools, and more! Summer hours have started: Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm; Sunday 1-4pm. 122 N. Cody Road. LIC Volunteers Needed! Contact Cindy Bruhn at info@visitleclaire.com or 563-650-7963 to volunteer.

PROPERTY LISTINGS

Commercial Property for Rent - 1405 Eagle Ridge Road, LeClaire. 2,500 SF newly constructed office/retail space. Co-Tenant Snap Fitness. Owner will subdivide space. Private parking lot. ADA compliant. Contact: Meg Halligan, NAI Ruhl Commercial Company, mhalligan@ruhlcommercial.com, Office: 563-355-4000 Website Link: http://www.ruhlcommercial.com/Page/Property.aspx?mls=7032508

Commercial Property for Sale 613-617 N Cody Road, LeClaire IA 52753. Contact Jeff R. Heuer, NAI Ruhl Commercial Company, jheuer@ruhlcommercial.com, Office: 563-355-4000, Direct: 563-823-5107.

Commercial Property for Sale Cody Road, LeClaire IA 52753. Contact John G. Ruhl, NAI Ruhl Commercial Company, jruhl@ruhlcommercial.com, Office: 563-355-4000, Direct: 563-823-5126.

Commercial Property Available Eagle Ridge Road, LeClaire, Iowa. Please call Mike Burke - Mel Foster Co. mburke@melforsterco.com, Mobile: 563-349-2705, Direct: 563-823-5272

Do you have Residential or Commercial property available? Please contact the LeClaire Chamber of Commerce, leclairechamber@gmail.com, with a property description, complete contact information including phone numbers and rental or purchase pricing.

LECLAIRE EVENTS COMING UP!

January 30th - LeClaire Chamber Annual Awards Dinner

11 Dec 2015

Gov. Branstad to become longest-serving governor in U.S. history

By Grassley Press

Video of the floor speech is available here.

Floor Statement of Sen. Chuck Grassley

On Terry Branstad as the Longest-serving Governor in U.S. History

Delivered Thursday, December 10, 2015

Mr. President, I'd like to recognize the Iowa governor, Terry Branstad, on a significant milestone.  On December 14, 2015, Governor Branstad will become the longest-serving governor in the nation's history.

That's a large feather in the cap of a farm kid from the town of Leland, population 289, in Winnebago County in northern Iowa.

In many ways, a small town farm background prepared Terry Branstad for his success as a state House member, lieutenant governor, and then governor in two separate tenures.

The farm crisis of the 1980s hit every farm state hard, and Iowa, at the heart of the nation's bread basket, suffered deeply.

All of us who lived in Iowa at the time saw friends and neighbors lose their family farms and struggle with what to do next to earn a living.

The state needed men and women with vision and ambition to pull the economy out of the doldrums.  It needed people who could see the potential for farmers to add value to their operations and for Iowa to diversify its economy.  Terry Branstad was one of those people.

He was at the forefront of creating a new environment to do business.  He welcomed and actively encouraged innovation that would capitalize on Iowa's bedrock work ethic and strong schools.

As a result, agriculture was and continues to be a mainstay of the Iowa economy, but agriculture more than ever is an engine for many other employment sectors:  renewable energy, manufacturing, crop research, insurance and financial services, and much more.

As governor from 1983 to 1999, Terry Branstad took the helm during some of the state's worst economic turmoil in decades and steered the ship toward impressive economic growth.  The unemployment rate went from 8.5 percent to a record low 2.5 percent.

The governor could have rested on those laurels and continued to work outside of state government, but he answered the call when the state needed him again in 2010.  He put the state of Iowa's interests ahead of his own and went to work for Iowans a second time, bringing his valuable leadership to the governor's office for another round.  That in a nutshell tells you everything you need to know about Terry Branstad.

The state of Iowa comes first for him.

Iowans are well-acquainted with Terry Branstad's accomplishments and work ethic.  It's gratifying to see those attributes get attention on a national scale and in the history books.  He's earned his place.  We're lucky to have him in Iowa.

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