Are you ready for the spookiest time of the year? Halloween is but a day away, and what better way to celebrate than to head downtown for the 2014 Halloween Parade. The parade kicks off at 7 p.m., so venture down early and grab a bite to eat at one of our many delicious restaurants beforehand. Not sure where to watch from? Click here for a map of the route! Reminder: streets close at 5:00 p.m. Please utilize surrounding parking ramps for parking. If you're looking for a post-parade party, swing by Me & Billy's for their Halloween Bash.

 The Halloween Parade isn't the only form of celebration tomorrow night. Hotel Blackhawk invites you to howl with them all night long during the Halloween Howling Ball. Dress in your Halloween best for a chance to win their costume contest with prizes ranging from cash to an iPad Air. There will also be a photo booth, live DJ, appetizers, and special spooky cocktails!

 Alas, the end of October is here which means one thing- Final Friday! Peruse multiple styles of handmade art at Bucktown Center for the Arts during this month's Spooktacular Final Friday. Stop by Atom Studio + Gallery in honor of their Black & White: Shades of Gray gallery show opening tomorrow, too! This FREE event will also have complimentary refreshments and music.

 All scares aside, the Quad City Symphony's Masterworks Series returns to the Adler this weekend featuring compelling violinist, Erin Keefe. Prepare yourself for an evening of fierce and exhilarating tunes orchestrated to perfection. Make sure you grab tickets for the QSCO's Holiday Pops concerts, too. If you're in need of a laugh, head back to the Adler on Sunday for the musical comedy, Menopause the Musical.

 From book clubs to art classes, the Figge Art Museum offers an array of events this week! Enjoy FREE admission Saturday for their Day of the Dead Family Fiesta and celebrate rich cultural traditions through art projects, performances, music and food. Interested in learning new or brushing up on old art techniques? Browse the Figge's list of classes and workshops to see what interests you most. This week alone marks the start of their Acrylic Painting, Printmaking, Watercolor, and Bookmaking classes.

 Prepare yourself for not just one, but TWO birthday celebrations next weekend! Join Abernathy's on Saturday from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. as they celebrate with food, drinks, vendor meet & greets, discounts, and giveaways! That same day, Me & Billy hosts an all-day party for their 1 year bash with an epic dance party planned for later that evening. Happy birthday, fellow downtowners!

Early-stage colon cancer generally begins as a polyp, a growth that protrudes from the colon wall. Some polyps can turn into cancer, but regular screenings can help detect these polyps so they can be removed before they become cancerous. That's why regular screening for people over 50 and those at high risk of developing colon cancer is so important.

• Fecal occult blood test. A series of stool samples are taken and examined for hidden blood, since some polyps and cancers bleed. If blood is found in the stool sample, your doctor may order a colonoscopy for further evaluation.

• Double contrast barium enema. Liquid containing a contrast dye (to help it show up on an X-ray) is introduced into the colon through the rectum, and the area is X-rayed to check for polyps or abnormal lesions. If a polyp is found on the X-ray, a colonoscopy will be done as a follow-up test.

In a state where just 36 percent of eighth graders are proficient in math and 37 percent are proficient in reading according to national assessments, education deserves more attention. Across the country, more parents are making informed decisions about their child's education, but for Hawkeye State parents without resources, choices can be difficult to come by in a system where a child's education is largely determined by zip code. As Iowans head to the polls this November, it is important they seek out candidates that share their views in putting student results first, regardless of party or politics.

Governor Terry Branstad says that he "believes in parental choice in education," and cites his strong support of providing tax credits for donations to scholarship organizations that cover tuition for low-income students to attend private schools. Currently, tax credit-funded scholarship programs pay tuition for approximately 190,000 students nationwide, a school-choice program participation level that is surpassed only by enrollment in charter schools.

Branstad established an incentive-bonus program for teachers that deliver increased student performance, and advocated for -- but didn't get -- tougher hiring standards for teachers; reforms to ease the firing of bad teachers also were included.

While he supports charter schools and wants to see them grow - impressively advocating for the expansion of charter authorizers from only school districts to include universities, community colleges, and nonprofit organizations - Branstad also wants to subject them to all public employee restrictions, including collective bargaining mandates.

Challenger Jack Hatch's K-12 education policy platform apparently is: "invest in the best teachers, the best school buildings and the best curriculum." Hatch's "specific plan to begin the comeback for education in Iowa" is anything but, as it lacks specifics of how to get there.

While educators and parents are doing inspiring things everyday at the classroom and community level to further student outcomes, reform and innovation in schools go only so far as the laws that govern them. The key to solving the nation's education crisis is electing governors who understand that they have the power to change a system, and holding them accountable to do so. With 36 gubernatorial elections underway in 2014, we should all resolve to make education our top priority when we take to the polls in November.

It's up to Iowa voters to spot the candidate who has a chance of continuing the implementation of state-level reforms that have been gaining traction in Des Moines and have proven successful elsewhere across the nation.

As families increasingly demand positive change at rallies and in their communities, now is the time to demand it at the ballot box.

Kara Kerwin is president of The Center for Education Reform.

Earlier this month, the Health Board of Brown County, Wisconsin was among the first government agencies in the U.S. to declare wind turbines a "human health hazard." Local residents say the noise frequency from the Duke Energy turbines at the Shirley Wind Farm cause constant ear pain, nausea, headaches, sleep deprivation, and other unhealthy experiences. (Click here for more information on the county's declaration.)

The following statements from energy and environment experts at The Heartland Institute - a free-market think tank - may be used for attribution. For more comments, refer to the contact information below. To book a Heartland guest on your program, please contact Director of Communications Jim Lakely at jlakely@heartland.org and 312/377-4000 or (cell) 312/731-9364.

"More than three years ago, I worked as a staffer in the Wisconsin State Senate in the office representing the First Senate District. Before redistricting, the district was home to the Shirley Wind Project. Throughout my time working for the legislature, our office received countless letters from constituents living near the wind farm detailing what they called 'wind turbine syndrome,' which they believed to be caused by the creation of low frequency sound as the blades of the windmill pass by the base of the turbine.

"These are good, honest people; I've met several of them. They are not ideologues, and they don't wear tin foil hats. There were at least three instances of people vacating homes they still owned, and complaints involving more than 75 people in the project area have been filed with the Brown County Board of Health.

"Brown County is the first county to declare wind turbines a human health hazard in the state of Wisconsin, and perhaps the country. While local residents feel very strongly that the industrial wind turbines are having adverse impacts on their health, it's important to note that correlation is not causality, and more study must be done on the effects of low frequency noise in human populations."

Isaac Orr
Research Fellow, Energy and Environment Policy
The Heartland Institute
iorr@heartland.org
312/377-4000

"Governments should never require citizens to purchase anything, except for direct government services paid for by their taxes. And if the government is going to require such purchases, it has a duty to make certain that the services are necessary and will not harm anyone. In imposing its wind power mandates, Wisconsin has failed on all these counts. It is incumbent upon the state to rescind these mandates and ensure restitution for all parties who have been harmed."

S.T. Karnick
Director of Research
The Heartland Institute
skarnick@heartland.org
312/377-4000

"Without taxpayer funded subsidies, large wind turbine projects are not economically viable. They are simply too expensive for the inconsistent power that they provide. However, the government funds them regardless because of the appearance that their use helps 'fight climate change.'

"This makes no sense. Even with wind power as part of the electricity grid, conventional generating stations that burn hydrocarbon fuels must be kept on standby, ready to take over from the wind turbines the instant the wind stops blowing. So the overall impact on carbon dioxide emission is often negligible.

"More importantly, the hypothesis that carbon dioxide emissions from human activity is damaging the climate has been thoroughly debunked by reports such as those of the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change. So, the main reason the government funds wind power is no longer valid."

Tom Harris
Executive Director
International Climate Science Coalition
Policy Advisor, Energy and Environment
The Heartland Institute
tom.harris@climatescienceinternational.net
312/377-4000

"Generating electricity from wind not only means using a form of technology that dates back several centuries, but includes the health hazards that are being confirmed by all those unfortunate enough to live or work near a wind farm.

"If you combined all of the electricity produced by wind, solar, geothermal, and biofuels, that total amounts to only a small percentage of all energy produced in the United States. By contrast, so-called fossil fuels - coal, oil, and natural gas - produce 86 percent of our energy. Not only are fossil fuels less costly and represent lower costs to consumers, they do not require a reliable backup, unlike wind power, which requires a constant stream of wind to operate properly.

"Americans have been sold a bill of goods about such 'renewable' power that only exists because of subsidies, tax breaks, and mandates for its use. When you add in the health problems associated with it, there is no good reason to install a single new turbine anywhere in the U.S."

Alan Caruba
Founder, The National Anxiety Center
Policy Advisor, The Heartland Institute
acaruba@aol.com
312/377-4000

The Heartland Institute is a 30-year-old national nonprofit organization headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000.