August 18, 2014 -- Denim destination and specialty retailer, Buckle, announces that it is now open in a new location at NorthPark Mall in Davenport, IA. The store will be accepting applications for various positions. Interested applicants can learn more about career opportunities and apply online at buckle.jobs.

Offering a unique mix of on-trend clothing, shoes, and accessories, Buckle caters to style-conscious men and women who seek to express their individuality through fashion. Buckle carries a wide selection of fits, styles, and finishes from leading denim brands, including the

company's exclusive brand, BKE, along with Big Star, Big Star Vintage, Rock Revival, MEK Denim, Miss Me, Buffalo, ReClaim, Silver Jeans and many more. To help guests complete their looks, Buckle offers tops, footwear, and accessories from popular lifestyle labels including BKE Boutique, Buckle Black, Affliction, RVCA, Corral, Sinful, Daytrip, Roar, OBEY, 7 Diamonds, Billabong, Hurley, Fossil, and Fox. In all, Buckle represents more than 200 fashion brands in its stores and online at buckle.com.

Acknowledged for their exceptional guest service, Buckle's teammates are passionate about creating the most enjoyable shopping experience possible for their guests. Bolstering this approach is the Buckle's wide array of value-added services such as free hemming, gift-packaging, easy layaway, a frequent shopper program, and a Buckle credit card with special benefits for cardholders. Buckle also offers personal fittings through its "Get Fitted" program?enabling guests to find their favorite jeans by making an appointment with a Buckle Stylist.

Headquartered in Kearney, Nebraska, Buckle currently operates 456 stores in 44 states, including 17 in Iowa. The Buckle, Inc. is traded under the symbol BKE on the New York Stock Exchange.

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Modern Woodmen sponsors final Mobile Food Pantry as part of the Knock Out Hunger Campaign

 

On Saturday, Aug. 23 more than 75 Modern Woodmen of America employees and their family members will host a Mobile food pantry, organized by River Bend Foodbank. Mobile food pantries are scheduled in areas where the need for food assistance is the greatest. The volunteer event will run from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart Cathedral (422 E 10th St., Davenport). Media coverage of the event is welcomed and appreciated.

Each Mobile Food Pantry provides approximately 10,000 meals and feeds hundreds of families in the Quad City community. All food is handed out in a farmer's market style of distribution.

Modern Woodmen, a fraternal financial services organization based out of Rock Island, Illinois, will sponsor the third and final mobile food pantry as part of its campaign to Knock Out Hunger. Modern Woodmen covers the expense of the Mobile Food Pantry, while employees staff the event by unloading trucks, distributing food and offering assistance to load cars.

"The summer-long campaign to Knock Out Hunger has made a tremendous difference in the Quad Cities. Just last week, Modern Woodmen packed 50,000 meals that will be distributed to families at this Mobile Food Pantry," said River Bend Foodbank marketing director Caren Laughlin.

Knock Out Hunger campaign

This year, Modern Woodmen has selected River Bend Foodbank to support through its Knock Out Hunger campaign. Modern Woodmen employees and members will donate time, money and food to the food distribution center throughout the summer.

Multiple mobile food pantry events have taken place, backpack programs provided meals for Quad City children, the meal packing event secured 50,000 meals for the hungry and the grand finale of the campaign will be the Race to Knock Out Hunger on Sept. 20.

River Bend Foodbank is the largest hunger relief organization in the Quad Cities and surrounding communities, distributing more than 8 million pounds of food annually to feed the hungry. The Foodbank serves more than 10,000 individuals every week through its distribution network of 300 charitable feeding programs in a 22-county service area in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.

Founded in 1883, Modern Woodmen of America touches lives and secures futures. The fraternal financial services organization offers financial services and fraternal member benefits to individuals and families throughout the United States.

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Chief Administrative Officer of the House says Bustos did not give up her shutdown pay. Did Bustos mislead the media and her constituents?

EAST MOLINE, Ill.?During the government shutdown last October, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-East Moline) received quite a bit of media buzz for foregoing her congressional salary during the shutdown. After receiving a lot of pressure from reporters on October 1st, the first day of the shutdown, Bustos decided to announce the next day that she was giving up her pay in a letter to the Chief Administrative Officer of the House.

The media proceeded to widely report that Congresswoman Bustos was giving up her pay:

QCOnline: "Bustos Foregoes Pay During Shutdown, Durbin Unsure"
Peoria Journal Star: "No Government, No Pay for Rep. Cheri Bustos"
Sauk Valley News: "Bustos Won't Take Pay"
Washington Post: "Bustos 'has asked that her pay be withheld during a shutdown,' according to a spokesman."
CNN: "Bustos 'not accepting a paycheck.'"

But according to the Chief Administrative Officer, all Members of the House of Representatives received their pay in full during the shutdown.

Furthermore, Congresswoman Bustos has removed any reference to her giving up her pay from her website and from her Facebook page, although she did leave a post up on her Twitter account.

Jon Schweppe, communications director at Bobby Schilling for Congress, said that Congresswoman Bustos needs to explain herself.

"Last October, Congresswoman Bustos shamelessly bragged to the media that she would be returning any pay she received during the government shutdown. She received quite a bit of positive press for doing so. But did she return it? The Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives says no. It's time to find out the truth. Did Congresswoman Bustos mislead the public? And why did she remove any reference to giving up her pay from her congressional website and from her Facebook page?"

"At best, Congresswoman Bustos misled the media into thinking she was giving back her pay, and then she failed to correct the record. At worst, she was downright dishonest. This is not the first time Congresswoman Bustos has misled the media, and it surely won't be the last.

"Bobby Schilling didn't just talk about leading by example?he did it. Bobby Schilling rejected the congressional health care plan and pension plan, voted against all pay increases, and cut his office budget by more than 10 percent. What has Congresswoman Bustos done? She promised to forego her pay during the government shutdown, and then she quietly accepted it anyway, hoping that nobody would notice. It's clear that Bobby Schilling is the better choice for Illinois."

To contact the Chief Administrative Officer's office, contact CAO communications director Dan Weiser at 202-226-6660.

Bobby Schilling (R-Colona) was born and raised in Rock Island, Illinois. He has been married to his wife, Christie for 28 years and together they have 10 children. Schilling represented the Illinois 17th District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011-2012, serving on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Agriculture Committee, and the House Small Business Committee. Schilling is seeking another term and is running against incumbent Congresswoman Cheri Bustos.

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Roeslein Alternative Energy Collaborates with Smithfield Foods, Murphy Brown Missouri on Largest Biogas Project of its Kind; Significant Environmental Benefits Expected

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Construction is underway in Northern Missouri on an innovative $80 million renewable energy project, developed and constructed by Roeslein Alternative Energy, LLC (RAE) in collaboration with Murphy-Brown of Missouri, LLC (MBM) the livestock production subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, Inc.

Crews are installing impermeable covers on 88 existing lagoons to harvest biogas, also called renewable natural gas (RNG), from MBM hog finishing farms using best in class anaerobic digestion technology developed and installed by RAE. The project is the largest of its kind, utilizing manure from one of the biggest concentrations of finishing hogs in the Midwest to create several hundred million cubic feet of RNG annually for regional distribution.

The project is a unique and innovative model for sustainability that will demonstrate how underutilized agricultural resources can create renewable fuel, benefit the ecosystem and generate economic opportunity.

"We are excited to see the results of our collaboration with Smithfield and Murphy-Brown begin to take shape. This project can be a model to show how both economic and environmental benefits can be gained by using manure in a different way," said Rudi Roeslein, president of Roeslein Alternative Energy and CEO of Roeslein & Associates, a global leader in systems integration specializing in sophisticated modular construction.

Anaerobic Digestion Creates a New Energy Source from Manure

Impermeable synthetic covers will be placed on existing nutrient treatment lagoons where barn scraper technology will deliver raw nutrients of livestock manure to covered lagoons. The covers turn the lagoons into anaerobic digesters, where naturally occurring microorganisms decompose the manure in an oxygen free environment. Biogas rises to the top where it will be collected and cleaned of impurities. What remains is more than 98 percent methane with approximately the same chemical composition as natural gas that can be used for vehicle fuel or injected into the natural gas grid system. The undigesteable solid residue can be used by local farmers as a natural fertilizer and the water can be safely used for irrigation.

"This project fits perfectly with our mission to not only to be responsible environmental stewards, but create a direct benefit to the community by helping create a product such as natural gas - a renewable, clean-burning fuel," said Bill Homann, director of administration for Murphy Brown Missouri. "Partnering with experts like Roeslein help us make projects like these a reality."

"There is value in the gas we capture as alternative vehicle fuel. There is even more value to the environment from reduced greenhouse gas emissions, eliminating rainfall effects on treatment systems, and odor reduction," Roeslein said.

Lagoon Covers Enable RNG Production in 2014

RAE retained Industrial & Environmental Concepts Inc. (IEC) to design and install the High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) lagoon covers with the initial 21 being installed at MBM Valley View and South Meadows farms in Northern Missouri by fall 2014.  RNG production is expected to begin in late 2014.

RAE has engaged investment banking firm Stern Brothers & Co. to underwrite the entire financing for this project. Much of the equipment and process modules will be fabricated by local fabrication companies and Roeslein & Associates wholly owned subsidiary Roeslein Fabrication in Red Bud, Illinois.

In addition to using hog manure, RAE ultimately intends to produce RNG from cover crops harvested between growing seasons on prime agriculture land and grasses harvested from highly erodible farm ground converted to native grasslands. The concept creates an economic structure that better utilizes land assets, delivers significant environmental benefits, reduces soil erosion, benefits wildlife and improves water quality.

About Roeslein Alternative Energy, LLC
Roeslein Alternative Energy, http://www.roesleinae.com, provides integrated large-scale solutions to develop clean, low-cost renewable energy sourced from waste products and grassland biomass. RAE distributes these clean energy plant products and services employing a unique modular approach that reduces project risk and time to market. The company's guiding vision is to provide solutions which deliver economic value in harmony with nature, wildlife, and the environment. RAE is passionate about native prairie grass restoration because of its superior environmental, wildlife, and economic benefit.