QUAD CITY ROBOTICS TEAM CHOSEN BY JOHN DEERE AS ONLY USA TEAM TO COMPETE AT THE FLL INTERNATIONAL ROBOTICS COMPETITION IN BRAZIL

Rivermont Collegiate's Middle School Robotics team ROFL (Robots on the Floor Laughing) has been chosen to represent the United States at the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) International Robotics Competition and Festival in Bello Horizante, Brazil this September. With over 14,000 FLL Teams in the U.S, ROFL will be the sole representative from the United States. John Deere is the team's official sponsor through its John Deere Inspire program. The team, based in Bettendorf, Iowa, will depart for Brazil on August 31; the competition will take place Sept. 1-4.

Rivermont Collegiate's ROFL Robotics team was chosen by John Deere to represent the U.S. based on the team's exceptional display of Core Values in Gracious Professionalism and their robot performance during the 2014 state competition.

The theme of the FLL International Robotics Competition and Festival is "Nature's Fury" -which is the same theme of the FLL local, state, and national competitions of the 2013-14 season. The competition will kick off with a fun-filled festival with each team bringing souvenirs from their countries to exchange with other international teams. Wide arrays of activities are planned during the festival to allow each team to engage with one another and form friendships before the competition. The goal of this event is to celebrate each team's accomplishments, as well as create a unique pen-pal opportunity amongst teams and, most importantly, foster an environment of comradery and friendly competition.

The following students comprise the Middle School Robotics team (ROFL) that will represent Rivermont Collegiate and the United States in Brazil: Lauren Schroeder, Ellie Decker, Gabe Heaney, Jessica Elliott, and Nikhil Wagher.

All Aboard!  Join local railroad enthusiast, Bill Lindsay, for a talk and guided-tour of the exhibition, "Railroads of Muscatine County". Bill will share his knowledge of the seven main lines which serviced Muscatine such as the Rock Island Line; Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern; Muscatine North & South; and the Muscatine City Railway. This program is FREE.  This event is coming up on Sunday, August 17, 2014 from 2:00 - 3:00 PM at the Muscatine Art Center.  Lindsay will begin in the Music room of the Muscatine Art Center.

Admission to this event is FREE.

The Muscatine Art Center is open to the public Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM, Thursday from 10 AM to 7 PM and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 PM Admission is FREE.

Maj. Nathan A. Westby Retires After 24 Years of Service

SPRINGFIELD, IL (08/12/2014)(readMedia)-- Story by Sgt. 1st Class Rob Fafoglia, 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

As his military career draws to a close, Maj. Nathan A. Westby, commander of the 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment in Springfield, Ill., said his main career inspiration has been the Soldiers he worked with and for.

"I have a profound respect and love for the great Soldiers and leaders I've had the opportunity to work for over the years," said Westby. "The kind of leaders who sacrifice an immense portion of their personal and professional time to make sure that, at the end of the day, their Soldiers, their teammates, are taken care of."

Westby, originally from Edgerton, Wisconsin, finished his career as commander of the 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, based in Springfield, Illinois. He reflected on what has made him successful over the years, as well as any other officer hoping to take command.

"Overall, officers in the National Guard today need to demonstrate the ability to be adaptable to an ever-evolving mission-set and creative in a resource constrained training environment," said Westby, "as our defense force adapts to the changing environment."

According to many of the Soldiers Westby served with over the years, he practiced what he preached.

"He was able to stand back and take a holistic view," said Sgt. 1st Class Peter Feudo, platoon sergeant with C Troop, 2/106th Cavalry (RSTA), in Aurora, Illinois, and a Plainfield, Illinois, resident who deployed with Westby to Afghanistan in 2008. "He understood the mission in its entirety. He also took into account our personal safety. Because he knew his men and we trusted each other, we did what needed to be done to accomplish the mission."

Another secret of Westby's success is his willingness to listen to other's opinions and ideas, especially those of his NCO's, he said.

"As the commander of the MPAD, I think anyone that listens to and involves the officers and NCO's in the unit in planning and executing training will be successful," said Westby. "This unit has a lot of great leaders who have a lot of experience, and not just experience in public affairs or journalism. Many of the Soldiers in this unit have come from other career fields in the military and bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise."

His former Soldiers agreed this was a practice at which Westby excelled.

"He has a lot of maturity as an officer, said Master Sgt. Pedro Gaston, operations sergeant for the 766th Engineer Battalion in Decatur, Illinois, and resident of Schaumberg, Illinois. "He was an NCO first, and he takes NCO opinions very seriously.

Feudo echoed this sentiment.

"He was a Soldier's commander," he said. "He is smart and methodical. He would listen to opinions then make decisions.

Westby's care and concern for the Soldiers serving under him seems to be universal, regardless of the unit.

"(His Soldiers) had nothing but respect and admiration for the man," said Gaston. "He's a good person and treats everyone with respect, regardless of rank. That in itself is admirable."

Westby said this universal respect for those with whom he served, subordinate, peer or superior, was a huge driving force in his career.

"The only reason I've stayed in the (military) this long is because of my admiration for the Soldiers I've worked with and for," he said. "They are simply the best fabric of America. They are the selfless people who will knowingly put their lives on the line for others, whether it's their fellow soldier in the trenches with them, or a faceless nation an ocean away, safely going about their day."

Staff Sgt. Brian Allen, also with 2/106th Cavalry, said Maj. Westby's command philosophy was very simple.

"He lives the Army Values," said Allen, a resident of Downer's Grove, "but it's more than that. He genuinely cares about what he doing and his drive pushes him to be the best at whatever he is doing. Also, his loyalty to his Soldiers was key. He would do anything for his Soldiers. In combat, I've seen him do things you would not believe to protect his men."

This loyalty and respect for his Soldiers is something many of them will always remember.

"He was incredibly personal," said Feudo. "He knew his men and still does to this day. He took an individual approach to each Soldier. He knew their families and their histories. Those that were with him during the toughest times will always remember him as both a commander and a friend."

Westby is not sure what he will do with his retirement, but said the military has definitely benefitted his life and civilian career possibilities.

"It's given me an opportunity to develop leadership skills and made me a much better communicator, he said. "I've developed and honed skills that I've transferred into improving my civilian career and job position over the years. It's given me a tremendous education opportunity. I come from a family where I was the first person to attend college. I now have a master's degree from the University of Illinois."

Westby also said he is looking forward to spending more time with his family in Sussex, Wisconsin, where they now reside.

"I just look forward to being able to spend all of my weekends and summers raising my children, coaching them in sports, taking family vacations and so on," he said.

Whatever Westby does, he will be remembered long after leaving the National Guard.

"Every Soldier I know who served under Maj. Westby loved him," said Allen, "simple as that. We still have Soldiers talking about him to this day. He will be missed."

GENEVA, Ill. (August 12, 2014) - The Quad Cities River Bandits held a 3-0 lead entering the bottom of the ninth inning, but two errors, a home run, an infield popup, wild pitch, two walks and ultimately a walk-off single to left-center field by Kane County Cougars shortstop Daniel Lockhart led to the home team's four-run ninth inning and 4-3 win at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark Tuesday night.

After River Bandits right-handers Kevin Comer and Adrian Houser each pitched four shutout innings, right-hander Frederick Tiburcio started the ninth inning with a 3-0 lead. Cougars catcher Victor Caratini led off by grounding a ball to first baseman Chase McDonald, who threw to Tiburcio covering first base, but the pitcher dropped the ball for an error. Tiburcio fell to a 3-1 count against first baseman Jacob Rogers, who drove a two-run home run to right field - his Kane County-leading 14th home run - to cut Quad Cities' lead to 3-2.

With no outs, the bases empty and a one-run lead, Tiburcio got designated hitter Cael Brockmeyer to hit a popup near second base, but the ball dropped behind second baseman Marc Wik for a base hit that put the tying run at first base. After Carlos Penalver pinch ran for Brockmeyer, third baseman Jeimer Candelario lofted a fly ball to right-center field, where center fielder James Ramsay and right fielder Ryan Bottger converged, and Bottger was charged with the inning's second error when the ball dropped, placing runners at first and second bases. Second baseman Chesny Young then sacrificed the tying and winning runs into scoring position with a bunt that rolled up the first-base line to Wik with his foot on first base to record the inning's first out.

Tiburcio threw a wild pitch on his first pitch to right fielder Jeffrey Baez that got past catcher Brian Holberton to the backstop, allowing Penalver to score the tying run and Candelario to reach third base. In a 3-3 tie, Tiburcio intentionally walked Baez and center fielder Trey Martin to load the bases. With the infield in, Tiburcio struck out left fielder Shawon Dunston Jr. In a 1-1 count, Lockhart hit a fly ball toward left-center field that dropped between Ramsay and left fielder Bobby Boyd, scoring Candelario for a 4-3 Cougars win. It was Quad Cities' fifth walk-off loss of the season and first since June 2 at Wisconsin.

Cougars right-hander Jen-Ho Tseng retired the first eight River Bandits and did not allow a hit through 4 1/3 innings. Bottger's fifth-inning single was his team's first hit, but he was thrown out at second base trying to advance on a pitch in the dirt. In the sixth inning, shortstop Thomas Lindauer hit a leadoff single to left field, advanced to second base on Boyd's sacrifice, to third base on a wild pitch and scored the game's first run on Wik's sacrifice fly. Ramsay hit a two-out double down the first-base line and Tseng loaded the bases with walks to McDonald and designated hitter A.J. Reed. Right-hander Michael Wagner walked third baseman J.D. Davis to bring in the second run. Tseng allowed two earned runs on three hits and three walks with five strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. Wagner also allowed a run in the eighth inning, when he issued a two-out walk to McDonald, and Reed and Davis each singled for a 3-0 lead.

Comer scattered a hit in each of the first four innings, twice stranding a runner at third base and matching Tseng for the first four innings. Houser began the fifth inning in a scoreless game and allowed lone hits in the fifth and seventh innings to toss four shutout innings. He retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced. Kane County did not have a hit with a runner in scoring position until Lockhart's walk-off single.

Quad Cities (25-25 second half, 60-59 overall) continues its series against Kane County (30-20, 75-45) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark. River Bandits right-hander Andrew Thurman (5-7) is scheduled to face Cougars right-hander Paul Blackburn (9-4).

UP NEXT: A Fireworks Friday kicks off the next homestand, with a 7 p.m. game on City of Davenport Night and Global Cultural Night presented by Tyson Fresh Meats. When gates open at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, the first 1,500 fans receive a Trevor Rosenthal Bobblehead courtesy of DHCU and FOX18. Sunday's 1:15 p.m. game is a Celebration and Appreciation of Senator Tom Harkin for 40 years of service with a bobblehead giveaway for the first 1,000 fans when gates open at noon. Tickets are available at www.riverbandits.com.