DES MOINES, IA (01/20/2015)(readMedia)-- State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald announced today that the application for the 2015 Robert D. Blue Scholarship is available online at rdblue.org. Any graduates of an Iowa high school who plan to attend college in Iowa for the 2015-2016 school year are eligible to apply.

Awards are based on financial need, an original essay, academic achievement and written recommendations. "These scholarships not only help Iowa students financially, but also honor the achievements and potential of the young people of our state," Fitzgerald stated. "Last year, two $1,000 scholarships and two $500 scholarships were awarded to four outstanding students. Each of the recipients represents a different community from across our state and all of them went on to attend a different Iowa college or university."

The Iowa Centennial Memorial Foundation awards the Robert D. Blue Scholarship to Iowa students attending college in Iowa. Governor Blue created the Foundation in 1949 to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of Iowa's acceptance into the union. At that time, a scholarship fund was established to encourage the youth of the state to attend Iowa's fine colleges and universities. In 1990, the Foundation officially named the scholarship to honor the late Governor Blue.

Robert D. Blue Scholarship applications are only accepted online through May 10 at rdblue.org. The winners will be announced during the summer. Those who would like more information on the Robert D. Blue Scholarship should visit the website, or call the treasurer's office at (515) 242-5270.

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MOLINE, Ill. (January 19, 2015) - Defenseman Nicholas Rioux has returned to the Quad City Mallards from the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild, the Mallards announced today.  

Rioux, 28, rejoins the Mallards after last Friday signing a professional tryout agreement with Iowa for the second time this season and playing for the Wild in a 4-0 loss to the Rockford IceHogs last Friday night and in a 4-1 victory over the Lake Erie Monsters the following evening.  The 6' 1", 205-pound Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec, native has now played a total of five AHL games this season during which he has recorded a plus/minus rating of +1 without registering a point.  Over the last two seasons Rioux has skated in 13 games for Iowa.

MALLARDS WEEKLY UPDATE: JANUARY 19, 2015

THIS WEEK
Saturday, January 24, 7:05 p.m.

Independence Events Center
Quad City Mallards vs. Missouri Mavericks

LAST WEEK
Friday, January 16
Rapid City 4 Quad City 3 (OT)

Sunday, January 18

Quad City 3 Rapid City 1

Quad City
18-13-6, 42 points
tied 2nd place, Central Division
Coach: Terry Ruskowski

Missouri
14-18-4, 32 points
6th place, Central Division
Coach: Richard Matvichuk

QUACK TRACKS
Last Weekend
The Mallards earned three of four available points from two games against Rapid City last weekend, rebounding from last Friday's 4-3 overtime loss to defeat the Rush 3-1 yesterday.

Deadlock
With yesterday's win the Mallards moved into a three-way tie with the Tulsa Oilers and Wichita Thunder for second place in the ECHL's Central Division.  The Mallards have four games in hand on Tulsa and one game in hand on Wichita.

Home Sweet Home

The Mallards yesterday finished a four-game homestand with a record of 2-1-1.

All-Star Break
The Mallards have reached the All-Star break of their first ECHL campaign after yesterday kicking off the second half of their 72-game regular season schedule.  The Mallards are just behind the pace they set through 37 games last year.  They notched 46 points over the first 37 games of their final Central Hockey League season.

Workin' Overtime
With last Friday's setback the Mallards fell to 1-4 in games settled in overtime this season.

Red Light District
The Mallards rank in the top ten in the ECHL in both goals scored and goals allowed per game.  They are seventh in goals against per game (2.8) and tenth in goals scored per outing (3.1).

Special Teams
After surviving 18 of their foes' last 19 power plays, the Mallards are now tied for ninth in the ECHL in penalty killing (84.5 percent).  The Mallards have gone 1-for-21 on the man advantage over their last four games and rank eighteenth in the league in power play efficiency (15.5 percent).

Shorty
Mario Lamoureux last Friday against Rapid City scored the Mallards' first shorthanded goal of the season.

Super Mario
Lamoureux has collected two points in each of his last two games (two goals and two assists) and in three of his last four games, is on a four-game point scoring streak (3-4-7) and has 13 points (seven goals and six assists) in his last ten games.  Lamoureux is now tied for fourth in the ECHL in assists (25) and tied for seventh in points (39).

Foxy
Justin Fox has 13 points (three goals and ten assists) in his last 12 games. 

Between the Pipes
Parker Milner ranks fifth in the ECHL in save percentage (.919) and eighth in goals against average (2.39).  Evan Mosher ranks sixth in save percentage (.918).

Milestones
With an assist last Friday against Rapid City Darren McMillan reached 197 career points.

Head to Head
Saturday night's game will be the sixth of 15 this season between the Mallards and Mavericks.  The Mallards have gone 1-2-2 against the Mavs this year and 0-1-1 against Missouri on home ice.  All-time, the Mallards have posted a 17-22-2 overall record against the Mavericks and have gone 7-10-1 at home against Missouri.

Ins and Outs
Nicholas Rioux returned to the Mallards today after last Friday signing a professional tryout agreement with the AHL's Iowa Wild...Paxton Leroux (upper body injury) has missed the Mallards' last five games...Kevin Baker returned to the Mallard lineup last Friday against Rapid City after missing the Mallards' previous eight games (upper body injury)... Parker Milner returned from Iowa last Thursday.

NEXT HOME GAME
Wednesday, January 28, 7:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. Wichita Thunder
4 Tickets for $20; T.G.I. Friday's Postgame Party

Fans can get four tickets for just $20 for each Wednesday home game.  After each Wednesday home tilt fans can join the Mallards at T.G.I. Friday's on River Drive in Moline for a postgame party.

ON THE AIR
Fox Sports Radio 1230 is the radio home of Mallards Hockey Presented by Genesis Power Sports Performance.  Mallards games broadcast on AM 1230 also stream live online at www.wfxn.net.  A limited number of Mallards games will not air on Fox Sports Radio 1230 due to conflicts with University of Illinois basketball and football and Green Bay Packer football.  ECHL-TV pay-per-view video webcasts and free audio webcasts of all Mallards games are also available at myqcmallards.net.

TICKETS
Single Game Tickets
Single game tickets for all Mallards regular season contests are now available.  Fans can contact the Mallards at (309) 277-1364 or info@myqcmallards.com for more information about tickets.  Single game tickets are also available at the iWireless Center box office, at Ticketmaster outlets, through www.ticketmaster.com or through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone toll free.  The box office is open weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and on game days from 10:00 a.m. until the start of the second period.

Group Tickets
Groups of at least ten receive savings off the walk-up price and a host of group benefits.  Mallards group tickets are a great fit for youth organizations, friends, co-workers, family groups, religious groups, school functions and business events.  For more group ticket information, fans can contact the Mallards at (309) 277-1364 or info@myqcmallards.com.

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QCSO Concertmaster Naha Greenholtz and QCSO Executive Director Benjamin Loeb featured in the music of Mozart, Bach, Stravinsky, and Piazzolla

Avoid the online fees and call the QCSO Box Office right now at 563-322-7276

One of the most obvious and important parts of a rodeo is something fans rarely consider - the dirt. Transforming an ice hockey arena into a rodeo arena without damaging the ice is a top priority for the crew of the World's Toughest Rodeo. An ice coverage system applied over the ice provides protection for the ice to insure rapid turnaround from a dirt event back to an ice event.

A lot of dirt will be trucked into the iWireless Center for the World's Toughest Rodeo, a whole lot, in fact. Close to 1,200 yards of dirt at 12 yards per dump-truck load, that's over 100 dump trucks worth of dirt equally approximately 2,000,000 lbs. of dry dirt. Just hauling in the dirt once the floor is prepared can take up to 6 hours. Once leveled it is worked over and over to allow it to dry. When finished, the dirt is 8 - 10 inches in depth and special finishing equipment is required to level and smooth out the dirt. The preparation doesn't end with dirt installation, as once the dirt is installed a portable rodeo arena arrives and the bucking chutes and arena set up is completed in another 2 hours. Requiring daily maintenance, the dirt needs to be groomed daily to continue to facilitate drying and improve the consistency.   Final touches are completed prior to the rodeo Preshow each day as well. But once the Preshow is finished it again needs to be reworked as it packs down from the foot traffic.

Another consideration of utmost importance is where you find dry, unfrozen dirt in January, in Moline, Illinois. Special arrangements for winter in arena events requiring dirt must be made well in advance. Appropriate dirt is stored in conditions that make it suitable to be trucked in and provide suitable dryness to provide stable footing for both bucking horses and barrel racing horses. How well a competitor does in a rodeo depends partially on how well the animal is able to perform, and good dirt for stable footing is a necessity for animal performance.

The World's Toughest Rodeo stage will be set for performances on January 23 and 24th at 7:30 p.m. each night. Fans are invited into the arena nightly from 6 - 7 for a fan favorite preshow including autographs with cowboys and entertainers, free pony rides for kids, or a chance of a lifetime to sit on Midnight, a 2,000 lb. bull in the bucking chutes.   Top professional competitors, John Payne, the One Armed Bandit (13 time Professional Rodeo's Specialty Entertainer of the Year, and top rodeo announcer, Roger Mooney will headline the show. Tickets are family friendly starting at $20 and kids are always half price. $5 discount coupons are available at all Casey's General Stores locations. Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com or at iWireless Center Box Office.

What: 100 truckloads of dirt will be dumped on the floor of the iWireless Center Wednesday morning in preparation for this weekend's World's Toughest Rodeo!

Where: iWireless Center, 1201 River Dr. Moline, IL

Media report to back entrance