State Fair Director Also Steps Down

SPRINGFIELD - Governor Bruce Rauner today accepted the resignation of Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Phil Nelson. Nelson will remain employed with the Department for the next 30 days to help with the transition. State Fair Director Patrick Buchen has also stepped down.

"I appreciate Director Nelson's commitment to agriculture and his service to the people of Illinois," Governor Rauner said. "I wish him all the best."

Rauner appointed current Department of Agriculture Chief of Staff Warren Goetsch as Acting Director.  A search for a permanent replacement is underway.

DES MOINES, Iowa (September 24, 2015) - The following local students were named to the President's List at Drake University. This academic honor is achieved by earning a straight-A GPA of 4.0 for the Spring 2015 semester.

from Bettendorf, IA :

Courtney Carr
Molly Mayne

from Davenport, IA:
Jesse Maddox
Jake Powers

from Moline, IL :
Nathan Ngo

Drake University is a midsize, private university in Des Moines, Iowa, enrolling more than 3,300 undergraduate and 1,700 graduate students from 40 states and approximately 40 countries. Students choose from over 70 majors, minors, and concentrations and 20 graduate degrees offered through six colleges and schools. Drake students, faculty, and staff take advantage of the wealth of cultural, recreational, and business opportunities found in Iowa's capital city. In return, Drake enriches the city through its own cultural offerings, considerable economic impact, and many service-learning endeavors, which channel the talent and energy of the Drake students toward meeting the needs of the community.

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Rock Island, IL: The Rock Island Library will offer a number of events for teens ages 12 to 18 in late September and October.

Teens can weigh in on the types of events, books and games they'd like to see at Rock Island Libraries with the Teen Advisory Board meeting at 4:00 pm on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at the Main Library's small meeting room. Besides serving as a sounding board for what teens want, members of the Teen Advisory Board may be able to earn volunteer hours for participation.

Teens can pick up a Teen Read Challenge log from Oct. 4-24 at any Rock Island Library. The Get Away @ Your Library! Teen Read presented by area libraries challenges teens to read for 250 minutes. Reading just 250 minutes earns teens an exclusive invite to the Teen Read Challenge party and prizes, food and fun on Friday, Oct. 30 at Moline Public Library.

Teen events then take a chilling turn with a Horror Scavenger Hunt on Thursday, Oct. 15 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm at the 30/31 Branch. The most horrifying scavenger hunt yet asks "Can you survive the twisted thinking of a serial killer to solve a mystery?" Teens who follow the clues and avoid fiendishly deadly traps will win prizes. This event is for ages 12 to 18 and does not require registration.

Teens can play XBox 360, Wii and board games on Thurs, Oct. 22, from 5:45 pm to 7:30 pm at the Rock Island Main Library. The Teen Gaming Night includes snacks, and is for ages 12 to 18.

October goes out with a shamble with a Teen Zombie Party on Thurs, Oct. 29 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, also at the Main Library. Teens can celebrate Halloween with everyone's favorite undead ghouls by watching a zombie movie, munching on brainy snacks, and trying horrifying zombie makeup. The Teen Zombie Party is for ages 12 to 18 and does not require registration.

For more free events for all ages, pick up a fall events brochure at library locations, call 309-732-READ or visit the library website at www.rockislandlibrary.org.

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President Xi will be meeting with President Obama yet this week.  The U.S. is also hosting China in the inaugural U.S.-China Strategic Agricultural Innovation Dialogue, during which it's expected agricultural biotech issues will be discussed.

The senators wrote, "It is our understanding that there is a growing queue of biotechnology-derived crops under review within China's Ministry of Agriculture, creating additional regulatory uncertainty, and undermining commitments made last year to bolster science-based agricultural innovation and trade...We ask that you seek a commitment from President Xi to move forward with the queue of biotechnology products, including those awaiting final import approvals."

Iowa is a leader in agricultural biotechnology.  From innovative approaches to biofuels and agriculture technology to seed genetics and biosciences, the industry is seeing a high rate of growth in the state and is an important component of the state's economy.

Grassley joined the letter led by Senators John Thune and Debbie Stabenow along with Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Thomas Carper (D-Del.), Robert Casey (D-Pa.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Christopher Coons (R-Del.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), David Perdue (R-Ga.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Patrick Toomey (R-Pa.), David Vitter (R-La.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).