DAVENPORT, IA (October 7, 2014) - All Quad Cities neighbors and friends are welcome to attend a presentation on Medicare Part D - Open Enrollment at Senior Star at Elmore Place at 1 p.m. on October 16 at 4500 Elmore Avenue in Davenport.

The presentation will be made by a Walgreens' pharmacist who will discuss prescription plan coverage options, preferred pharmacy networks and working with your pharmacist as a Medicare Part D information resource.  Time for questions and answers will be available.

All attendees eligible for Medicare Part D - Open Enrollment will receive a special discount day at the Duck Creek Walgreens in Bettendorf.  Attendees will be given a coupon they can redeem on the day of their choice.  Offer expires on November 30, 2014.

Please RSVP no later than October 15 by calling 563.484.5114.

For more information about Senior Star at Elmore Place or to schedule a tour, please call 563.484.5114, or visit the website at www.seniorstar.com.

About Senior Star at Elmore Place

Senior Star at Elmore Place, a Senior Star community, features 236 modernly decorated apartments spanning across 20 acres of beautifully landscaped property with many customized amenities to offer its residents three distinctive living experiences:  independent living, assisted living and memory care.  For more information, visit www.seniorstar.com.

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Veterans Affairs hospital officials in Shreveport, La., used bayou magic to conjure up additional linens, stocking their cabinets last weekend after a Watchdog.org investigation exposed the fact that patients were doing without sheets, pajamas and towels.

Three employees at the Overton Brooks VA Medical Center told Watchdog.org that linens were plentiful at the 10-story facility beginning Friday morning, a day after Watchdog's story was published.

This is in stark contrast to the norm, where linen cupboards are bare on weekends while the hospital awaits its regular Tuesday laundry delivery truck, which travels 125 miles, employees said.

"I was just shocked that this happened so fast.. I believed something would change when the story came out, I just didn't think it would happen so soon," one employee said. "It's amazing to open a door and see linen stacked there. Even after the truck comes, it's stocked more than that."

The employees asked to remain anonymous because they feared retaliation at work.

"The head of the linen department was up there checking to make sure they had enough," another employee said. "He was saying, 'We are going to look into getting you fitted bed sheets. We want to make sure you have everything.'"

A third employee offered: "I was surprised to see a cart going down the hall with linen. You never see that this late in the week."

Overton Brooks' linen supply  apparently also is a hot topic at the Department of Veterans Affairs as investigators from its Office of Inspector General showed up Sept. 25 after receiving a call from Watchdog.org requesting comment.

"This is ongoing and we have no comment at this time," said VAOIG spokesperson Cathy Gromek in an email response to Watchdog.org. "This is being worked by our office of Healthcare Inspections."

Employees said the sheets, blankets, towels and pajamas didn't look new, so it's a mystery where they came from.

On Friday, the American Legion blasted the hospital, saying it was angered over poor treatment of veterans and vowed to deliver linens and toiletries, which are also in short supply. The supplies are scheduled to be turned over Tuesday.

"That supply didn't come from us," said William Detweiler, American Legion's past national commander.

Hospital officials say the linen supply has not increased.

"There isn't additional linen," said Tina Taylor Jackson, executive assistant to Overton Brooks' director. "That is not a true statement."

Added VA spokesperson Jessica Jacobsen: "Overton Brooks VAMC has required in circulation inventory based on the needs of the facility."

The fact that linen is scare is nothing new, one of the employees said.

"This has been going on for years and years," the employee said. "They've had meetings where this was brought up and basically they didn't do anything about it. All they would say is, 'This is how it's always been.'"

The Rock Island Elks Club provided dictionaries to Jordan Catholic School third grade students recently.

The dictionaries were presented and distributed this afternoon, October 7, 2014.

IN-STORE QCCVB SALE

 These new Zooviners will make an extra-special treat this Halloween for your little trick-or-treater. The cute, plush animals are dressed in a Quad Cities t-shirt that lists the five main cities. You can also pick up a matching t-shirt in children's sizes. Choose from a plush bear, eagle, cow, or pig. Print this email with the coupon at the bottom to bring in for 20% OFF your Zoovenir purchase through Oct. 31.
A local Quad Citian decided to create her own salsa after not finding one that captured what she wanted. After starting to can her own salsa in 1998, Jodi got so many requests she decided to bottle her own salsa and calls it Jodi's Top Shelf Salsa. It can also be found a supermarkets throughout Iowa and Illinois.  During the month of October, receive 20% OFF at www.quadcitiesgifts.com with the code FALL14. You can also print this email for the coupon at the bottom to receive 20% OFF an in-store purchase of Jodi's Top Shelf Salsa through Oct. 31.
STORE LOCATIONS
Quad Cities Gifts                      Union Station Visitor Center
1601 River Dr., Suite 110        102 S. Harrison St.
Downtown Moline, IL               Davenport, IA
Hours: 8:30 am-5 pm M-F      Hours: 10 am-4 pm M-Sat.

Everyone says they want innovation in their organization, but when an ambitious employee offers it to a CEO, for example, the idea is often shot down, says Neal Thornberry, Ph.D., faculty director for innovation initiatives at the Naval Postgraduate School in California.

"Senior leaders often miss the value-creating potential of a new concept because they either don't take the time to really listen and delve into it, or the innovating employee presents it in the wrong way," says Thornberry, who recently published "Innovation Judo," (www.NealThornberry.com), based on his years of experience teaching innovation at Babson College and advising an array of corporate clients, from the Ford Co. and IBM to Cisco Systems.

"Innovation should be presented as opportunities, not ideas. Opportunities have gravitas while ideas do not!"

Thornberry outlines a template for innovation that works:

•  Intention: Once the "why" is answered, leaders have the beginnings of a legitimate roadmap to innovation's fruition. This is no small task and requires some soul searching.

"I once worked with an executive committee, and I got six different ideas for what 'innovation' meant," he says. "One wanted new products, another focused on creative cost-cutting, and the president wanted a more innovative culture. The group needed to agree on their intent before anything else."

•  Infrastructure: This is where you designate who is responsible for what. It's tough, because the average employee will not risk new responsibility and potential risk without incentive. Some companies create units specifically focused on innovation, while others try to change the company culture in order to foster innovation throughout.  "Creating a culture takes too long," Thornberry says. "Don't wait for that."

•  Investigation: What do you know about the problem? IDEO may be the world's premier organization for investigating innovative solutions. Suffice to say that the organization doesn't skimp on collecting and analyzing data. At this point, data collection is crucial, whereas brainstorming often proves to be a waste of time if the participants come in with the same ideas, knowledge and opinions that they had last week with no new learning in their pockets.

•  Ideation: The fourth step is also the most fun and, unfortunately, is the part many companies leap to. This is dangerous because you may uncover many exciting and good ideas, but if the right context and focus aren't provided up front, and team members cannot get on the same page, then a company is wasting its time. That is why intent must be the first step for any company seeking to increase innovation. Innovation should be viewed as a set of tools or processes, and not a destination.

•  Identification: Here's where the rubber meets the road on innovation. Whereas the previous step was creative, now logic and subtraction must be applied to focus on a result. Again, ideas are great, but they must be grounded in reality. An entrepreneurial attitude is required here, one that enables the winnowing of ideas, leaving only those with real value-creating potential.

"Innovation without the entrepreneurial mindset is fun but folly," Thornberry notes.

•  Infection: Does anyone care about what you've come up with? Will excitement spread during this infection phase? Now is the time to find out. Pilot testing, experimentation and speaking directly with potential customers begin to give you an idea of how innovative and valuable an idea is. This phase is part selling, part research and part science. If people can't feel, touch or experience your new idea in part or whole, they probably won't get it. This is where the innovator has a chance to reshape their idea into an opportunity, mitigate risk, assess resistance and build allies for their endeavor.

•  Implementation/Integration: While many talk about this final phase, they often fail to address the integration part. Implementation refers to tactics that are employed in order to put an idea into practice. This is actually a perilous phase because, in order for implementation to be successful, the idea must first be successfully integrated with other activities in the business and aligned with strategy. An innovation, despite its support from the top, can still fail if a department cannot work with it.

About Neal Thornberry, Ph.D.

Neal Thornberry, Ph.D., is the founder and CEO of IMSTRAT, LLC a consulting firm that specializes in helping private and public sector organizations develop innovation strategies. A respected thought leader in innovation, Thornberry is a highly sought-after international speaker and consultant. He  also serves as the faculty director for innovation initiatives at the Center for Executive Education at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. Thornberry, author of "InnovationJudo:Disarming Roadblocks & Blockheads on the Path to Creativity" (www.NealThornberry.com), holds a doctorate in organizational psychology and specializes in innovation, corporate entrepreneurship, leadership and organizational transformation.

Dear Ms. Ernst,

You recently said that a federal minimum wage was "ridiculous." A policy that protects tens of millions of American workers and whose erosion due to Congressional passivity has left 200,000+ Iowans making less today, adjusted for inflation, than low­wage workers made 46 years is far from ridiculous.

Are the 70­80% of Americans ­­ across every demographic group, including a majority of Republicans ­­ who, in poll after poll, support raising the federal minimum wage ridiculous?

 

Are the four Republican Presidents ­­ Eisenhower, Nixon, and both Bushes ­­ who raised the minimum wage ridiculous?

 

Are the 61% of small business employers polled by the American Sustainable Business Council who support a raise in the federal minimum wage ­­ including 49% of Republican small business employers ­­ ridiculous?

 

Are the seven Nobel Prize­winning economists who support a raise in the federal minimum wage ­­ citing the "stimulative effect on the economy as low­wage workers spend their additional earnings" ­­ ridiculous?

 

Are conservative leaders like Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum, Bill O'Reilly, and Phyllis Schlafly ­­ who point out that indexing the minimum wage assures business certainty and that rewarding work lessens public assistance expenditures ­­ ridiculous?

 

Are the 65% of Iowans polled who favor raising the minimum wage ­­ including Senator Tom Harkin, who drafted the federal bill that would bring $430 million in aggregate wage increases to hundreds of thousands of Iowans ­­ ridiculous?

 

A growing substantial consensus of Americans, Republicans, small business employers, economists, conservative leaders, and, specifically, Iowans believe that the minimum wage should be restored to its past purchasing power: $10.94, which the minimum wage would be today if the 1968 minimum wage was adjusted for inflation. They also believe it should be preserved through indexing so that the purchasing power of the federal minimum wage is never eroded again.

You are running for Senator ­­ a federal office ­­ and the people of Iowa deserve to know your stance on the federal minimum wage. The question is simple: If elected, would you support or oppose restoring the purchasing power of the federal minimum wage?

 

The 200,000+ Iowans who are making less today, adjusted for inflation, than minimum wage workers made 46 years ago await your answer.

Sincerely,

Charlie Wishman, Secretary/Treasurer Iowa Federation of Labor - AFL-CIO

(Moline, Oct. 7, 2014) - The world famous Harlem Globetrotters, featuring some of the greatest athletes and entertainers on the planet, will bring their unrivaled family show to the iwireless Center in Moline on Saturday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m., during the Harlem Globetrotters 2015 "Washington Generals' Revenge" Tour.

 

The Globetrotters will face a great challenge this year, as the infamous Washington Generals are more determined than ever to match the franchise's historic last victory over the Globetrotters nearly a half century ago.  It has been five years since the Globetrotters and Generals have faced off, as the Generals have been searching far and wide for the best players to retool their roster and have been preparing for one thing: victory over the Globetrotters.

 

In addition to the highly-anticipated matchup on the court, the Globetrotters, known worldwide as the Ambassadors of Goodwill™, will honor a Harlem Globetrotters Hometown Hero at each of their 310-plus games in North America. The team is searching for active, wounded or retired members of the military who have made their community proud with their brave service and exemplary character. Fans can nominate a Harlem Globetrotters Hometown Hero at harlemglobetrotters.com. The Globetrotters will also play a portion of each game with a camouflage basketball as a sign of respect to all who protect our freedom.

 

With a star-studded roster featuring Big Easy Lofton, Ant Atkinson,Hi-Lite Bruton, Thunder Law,Bull Bullard, Firefly FisherandMoose Weekes - plus female stars TNT Maddox, T-Time Brawner and Sweet J Ekworomadu* - the Globetrotters' one-of-a-kind show is unrivaled in the world of family entertainment. With incredible ball handling wizardry, rim-rattling dunks, trick shots, hilarious comedy and unequaled fan interaction, this must-see event is guaranteed to entertain the whole family. After the game, Globetrotter stars will sign autographs and take photos with fans.

 

Tickets start at $17 and are now available for sale. For ticket information please see iwirelesscenter.com or ticketmaster.com, order by phone at 800-745-3000.  Tickets can be purchased at the iwireless Center box office, located at 1201 River Drive in Moline. For group rates and information,call Lindsey at 309.277.1356 or email llobur@iwirelesscenter.com.

 

 

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Sponsored by World Vision, Greyhound Lines and Baden Sports, The Harlem Globetrotters® are celebrating their 89th consecutive year, continuing a world famous tradition of ball handling wizardry, basketball artistry, and one-of-a-kind family entertainment that continues to thrill fans of all ages. Harlem Globetrotters International, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation, the largest family-owned themed entertainment company in the U.S. Throughout their history, the Original Harlem Globetrotters have showcased their iconic talents in 122 countries and territories on six continents, often breaking down cultural and societal barriers while providing fans with their first-ever basketball experience. Proud inductees of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the Globetrotters have entertained hundreds of millions of fans-among them popes, kings, queens, and presidents-over more than eight thrilling decades. For the latest news and information about the Harlem Globetrotters, and to purchase tickets and team merchandise, visit the Globetrotters' official Web site:  www.harlemglobetrotters.com.

The Adler Theatre and RiverCenter

136 E. 3rd Street
Davenport, IA 52801

16 Different Breakout Sessions


Inspiring Worship

Learn more...

REGISTER NOW!

 

2014 Iron Sharpens Iron Conference for Women

Be Refreshed. Be Renewed. Be Rejuvenated. 

 

Are you ready for some serious girlfriend time with God? Then plan to join hundreds of other women from around the region at the Iron Sharpens Iron Women's Conference this fall! Come for the fellowship and the inspiring worship, grow through the challenging messages of some of the nation's premier speakers and receive resources to continue to help you on your journey of faith.  All keynote sessions and each of the 16 different seminars are uniquely designed with you in mind. Whatever season of life, whatever joys and struggles you are experiencing --- God has answers and His faithfulness will be evident through each experience of the day. Mark your calendars now, invite your friends, and begin praying for what God will do in you on this life-changing day of hope and renewal!

 

DATE OF EVENT:

October 11, 2014


LOCATION:

The Adler Theatre/River Center

136 E. 3rd St.

Davenport, IA 52801

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

Sherry Surratt - CEO, MOPS Int'l.

Susie Larson - Moody Radio Host, Author, National Speaker

 

PRESENTED BY:

 

1228 7th Ave.

Fulton, IL 61252

Phone: 563.249.0110

Email: info@focalpointministries.net

Web: www.focalpointministries.net

 

TALKING POINTS:

  • For Women of All Ages (13 and up)
  • One-Day (9 AM - 5 PM)

o   Doors open at 8:00 AM

  • 2 Nationally Recognized Keynote Speakers
  • 16 Different Seminars

o   Topics relevant to you

o   Special session for teens

  • Inspiring Worship
  • Entire conference will be available for purchase on USB for future reference and use in bible studies, etc.
  • Register online or by phone:

o   focalpointministries.net

o   Call: 563-249-0110

o   Adults: $67 (includes lunch)

o   Students: $37 (includes lunch)

DES MOINES, IA (10/07/2014)(readMedia)-- State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald's upcoming eBay auction just might have that unique item to complete your Halloween costume. Fitzgerald will host his next unclaimed property eBay auction beginning on October 13. "We will have an assortment of items up for bid, perfect accessories for Halloween," Fitzgerald stated. "The auction will be filled with one-of-a-kind items and unique collectibles that were turned over in unclaimed safe deposit boxes." Interested bidders may visit the state treasurer's eBay auction at http://myworld.ebay.com/ia.unclaimed.property.

The auction will begin on Monday, October 13 and will close on October 20. Some of the treasures in this online auction include a jade bangle bracelet and costume jewelry for the Cleopatra costume, a handheld collapsible fan perfect for the princess, and bolo ties and a longhorn steer belt buckle for the cowboys. Items included in the auction are reported to the state treasurer as unclaimed property by financial institutions across the state. Photos, letters and other personal memorabilia will not be included in the auction. The auction proceeds are held for the rightful owners until they come forward.

Search GreatIowaTreasureHunt.com to see if the state treasurer has property belonging to you. Be sure to like the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt on Facebook and follow the program on Twitter @GreatIATreasure for information about future auctions.

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Minden, IA - Today Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee and author of the 2014 Farm Bill, highlighted the importance of Bruce Braley's work on the bipartisan Farm Bill and the job-creating Renewable Fuel Standard to Iowa's economy while touring a family farm in Minden.

"Bruce Braley was pivotal in overcoming Tea Party obstructionism so we could pass the bipartisan Farm Bill, and he's been a champion in the fight to protect the Renewable Fuel Standard. In the Senate, I know he'll continue to be a champion for Iowa's agriculture economy by reaching across the party divide to deliver results for the state. ­While his opponent, like her oil billionaire backers, is philosophically opposed to the Renewable Fuel Standard and would have voted against the Farm Bill, I know Bruce Braley will always put Iowa first," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow.

Bruce Braley has a strong record of promoting Iowa agriculture and fighting to grow Iowa's rural economy. He worked for three years across party lines to pass the bipartisan Farm Bill that is critical to Iowa jobs and Iowa's farming communities.

He has also been a leader in the fight to protect the RFS; according to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, nearly 75,000 Iowa jobs are connected to renewable fuels. Late last year, Braley was the only member of the Iowa U.S. House delegation to join Governor Terry Branstad at an EPA hearing where they spoke out against the EPA's proposed cuts. In November 2013, Braley teamed up with Republican Rep. Steve King to host an event with Iowa State's Bioeconomy Institute to explain to Congressional staff the importance of keeping the RFS at its current levels. At Braley's request, Iowa consistently has had representation at Congressional hearings examining the future of the RFS. And early this year, he helped deliver 100,000 signatures to the EPA urging them to maintain a strong RFS.

In contrast, State Sen. Ernst would put Tea Party obstructionism before Iowa: Ernst would have opposed the Farm Bill, is "philosophically opposed" to the RFS, and her spokesperson said that "in a perfect world...she would support doing away with the (RFS)." Last month, Braley for Iowa released a report detailing the devastating impacts of state Sen. Joni Ernst's reckless plan to eliminate all energy incentives and all tax credits. If Ernst's energy proposals were enacted, energy costs for Iowans could increase by $1,200 per year, tens of thousands of Iowa jobs could be threatened, and business investments in Iowa could be reduced by billions of dollars.

BACKGROUND:

Braley Was Endorsed By The Iowa Corn Growers Association PAC's Bipartisan Committee Of Farmer-Members. In September 2014, The Des Moines Register reported, "The Iowa Corn Growers Association, one of the state's most influential farm groups, announced Tuesday its political action committee has endorsed Democrat Bruce Braley in his campaign for U.S. Senate against Republican state Sen. Joni Ernst." TheRegister continued, "A press release from the Corn Growers Association PAC said the decisions are made by a bipartisan committee of farmer-members who consider candidates based only on their support of ICGA policies. Braley was one of 75 state and federal candidates included in the endorsements." [Des Moines Register,9/2/14]
  • Iowa Corn Grower Endorsement "Decisions Are Made Through An Objective Analysis Including Candidate Responses To Our Survey, Voting Records, Letters And Other Quantified Evidence Of Support. In September 2014, Iowa Corn Growers Association PAC announced: "ICGA PAC decisions are made through an objective analysis including candidate responses to our survey, voting records, letters and other quantified evidence of support. The ICGA PAC committee members include farmers from across Iowa, with an equal balance of party affiliation to ensure decisions are based only on corn growers' policies. Funding for contributions to candidates from the Iowa Corn Growers Association PAC comes only from voluntary PAC donations by ICGA members. Neither ICGA dues, nor checkoff dollars, are used for PAC contributions." [IowaCorn.org, 9/2/14]
  • Iowa Corn Growers' PAC Chair: "Bruce Has A Fantastic Track Record With Our Key Issus" - "Bruce Has Done Over And Above On Farm Bill And Crop Insurance And The RFS." In a September 2014 interview on WHO TV, Iowa Corn Growers' PAC Chair, Mark Recker, said: "Bruce has a fantastic track record with our key issues, and has over the past term and over his past few terms... Bruce has done over and above on Farm Bill and crop insurance and the RFS, and has scored with us very well, and supported us very well, and is very credible with us on those issues." [WHO TV, 9/7/14]
  • Iowa Corn Growers' PAC Chair: We Choose Who To Endorse Based On The Issues - "They Tell Us What's Important, Whether It's Ethanol And The Renewable Fuel Standard, Farm Bill Or Crop Insurance." In a September 2014 interview on WHO TV, Iowa Corn Growers' PAC Chair, Mark Recker, said: "Well, it all comes down to the issues for us and how well candidates support our priorities as an organization and producers. And those issues, those priorities, come to us from the producer level. They tell us what's important, whether it's ethanol and the Renewable Fuels Standard, Farm Bill or crop insurance, trade and transportation issues. That's how we score our candidates, based on how well they vote on those particular priorities and issues." [WHO TV, 9/7/14]

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