"We are delighted to give the program a prime time slot as we get ready to celebrate the beginning of our sixth season of 'The Cities' in November," said WQPT General Manager Mary Pruess.

Oct. 1 guests include Davenport Mayoral Candidates David Hereid, Frank Klipsch and Dean Weber. Current Davenport Mayor Bill Gluba was a guest on last week's episode.

Rounding out the hour of local programming is "The Whitney Reynolds Show," which features a local segment hosted by Lora Adams.

"The Cities," which debuted Nov. 25, 2010, will continue to be re-aired on WVIK/NPR at 7 p.m. on Fridays and at 5:30 p.m. on Sundays.

WQPT, Quad Cities PBS, is a media service of Western Illinois University.

Grocery chain recognized for going above and beyond to reduce refrigerant emissions  

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (Sept. 30, 2015) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that Hy-Vee, Inc. has been awarded two GreenChill program awards for its stores' efforts to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease their impact on the ozone layer and climate change. Hy-Vee is being recognized with the achievement awards for its outstanding progress in this sustainability area over the past year.

"Hy-Vee's commitment to lowering its refrigerant emissions across its stores proves the company is serious about its role in protecting the ozone layer and climate," said Tom Land, manager of EPA's GreenChill Partnership. "Hy-Vee's success achieving annual goals to reduce refrigerant emissions shows an understanding that sustainability is the business model of the future."

Hy-Vee has been awarded the 2014 Superior Goal Achievement award, which goes to each partner that achieves its annual GreenChill refrigerant emissions reduction goal. Additionally, Hy-Vee has received the Exceptional Goal Achievement award, which is more difficult to earn. This award recognizes those who go above and beyond their emissions reduction goal.

"Hy-Vee believes a healthy environment and healthy communities go hand in hand. That's why our sustainability mission is to promote the well-being of our customers, employees, communities and the global environment," said Pat Hensley, Hy-Vee's senior vice president of government/industry relations who oversees the company's sustainability efforts. "Hy-Vee will continue to voluntarily and proactively commit to making sustainable choices."

GreenChill is an EPA partnership with food retailers that helps them transition to environmentally friendlier refrigerants; reduce the amount of refrigerant used by stores and eliminate leaks; and to adopt green refrigeration technologies and environmental best practices.

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WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, is adding another nominee to the State Department nominees on whom he is placing a hold, citing a continued failure to respond in a timely and reasonable manner to his inquiries regarding what should be the public's business.  The total number of nominees subject to his holds is 22.  The holds are over the State Department's use of the Special Government Employee program and private email use that raises concern about the proper handling of classified information, as well as Freedom of Information Act and federal archiving law compliance.

"I will object because the Department of State has failed to fully respond to almost a dozen outstanding letters dating back to 2013," Grassley said today in his statement announcing the holds.  "In addition, on August 20, 2015, my staff met with Department officials in an effort to prioritize material for production.  The Department has failed to comply with its commitments, producing material late, failing to provide all requested material, and even failing to provide material to the Senate Judiciary Committee contemporaneously with providing the same documents to Freedom of Information Act Requestors." 

Grassley said he warned the State Department that he would be forced to escalate the scope of his objections to unanimous consent requests to consider nominees if the department did not become more responsive.  He said the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman has joined him in requests to interview State Department employees.

"Despite the Department's commitment to make witnesses available and assist in the identification of additional relevant witnesses, none of these interviews have actually been scheduled," Grassley said in his statement.  "The Department needs to respond in good faith to the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.  Thus far, it has primarily been promises with little or no follow-through.  The Department's good faith will be measured in documents delivered and witnesses provided."

The latest nominee subject to Grassley's hold is Brian James Egan as legal adviser.  In August, Grassley announced holds on 20 appointees for Foreign Service Officer positions and the nomination of David Malcolm Robinson to be assistant secretary for Conflict and Stabilization Operations and Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization.  Grassley said the holds are unrelated to the nominees' qualifications.  

Since June 2013, Grassley has sought answers from the State Department on its use of the Special Government Employee designation.  Grassley has written numerous letters to the State Department on these concerns and other related matters, adding questions as new developments warrant, such as Secretary Hillary Clinton and Huma Abedin's use of private email for official purposes.  As more revelations have emerged about Clinton's private email server, Grassley and the Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee have sought to interview individuals tasked with overseeing the maintenance and operability of the server while simultaneously working as information technology specialists at the State Department.

Grassley's documents for the Senate record on his new hold are available here.

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad today appointed Kevin McKeever as judge to the 6th Judicial District.  McKeever was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable Douglas S. Russell.

McKeever, 46, of Iowa City, currently serves as an Assistant Muscatine County Attorney. Previously he served as a staff attorney at ACT, Inc. and Assistant Ramsey County Attorney in Minnesota. McKeever received his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University in 1991 and his law degree from the University of Iowa in 2001.

The governor thanked the District 6 Judicial Nominating Commission, complimenting them on two excellent nominees for the position.

"The two individuals sent to me for consideration by the Judicial Nominating Commission were outstanding, and both could serve as great judges, making this a very difficult decision," said Branstad. "Kevin McKeever is a talented experienced prosecutor with a sharp legal mind and has a tremendous work ethic."

McKeever served as Lieutenant in the United States Navy from 1991 - 1998, and as Lieutenant Commander in the United State Navy - Reserves from 1999 - 2007.   He also serves on the Board of Directors for the African American Museum of Iowa and on the Iowa Department of Human Rights' Disproportionate Minority Contact Committee.

District 6 consists of the following counties: Benton, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn and Tama.