Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka will make a video announcement about the newest innovation in her office, first on her Facebook fan page and Twitter accounts at 10 a.m. Tuesday, August 5, 2014.

Please "like" Comptroller Topinka on her Facebook page or follow her on Twitter so you can get the news first!

Stay tuned!

CHICAGO - The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that an agreement has been reached with the Iowa Interstate Railroad to perform design work for a portion of the route for the new passenger rail service between Chicago and Moline.

Next month, IDOT is planning to begin making improvements to accommodate service on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway portion of the route.

"This agreement is another significant milestone in re-establishing passenger service between two great Illinois cities," said Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Erica Borggren. "I would like to thank the Iowa Interstate Railroad, as well as the BNSF, for working with us as the host railroads to deliver a service that will create jobs, spark economic development, provide another travel option and improve the quality of life in so many communities along this line."

The agreement permits the Iowa Interstate Railroad to begin designing the signal system and plan the execution of the track and tie improvements that will allow passenger trains on the 53 miles between Wyanet and Moline. Once the planning work is done later this year and upon agreement between IDOT and the railroad regarding the scope of the project and the responsibilities for maintenance and operations expenses for the service, IDOT and the railroad will determine a construction timeline and start date for service along the entire route between Chicago and Moline.

Construction is scheduled to begin in September at BNSF's Eola Yard in Aurora to facilitate additional passenger trains on the 109 miles between Chicago and Wyanet.
The Chicago-Moline service is made possible by $78 million from Governor Pat Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! capital program and $177 million in federal funding.

Agreement between IDOT and the railroads will return passenger rail to the Quad Cities for the first time since 1979. Service will begin with two daily round-trips, with stops in LaGrange, Naperville, Plano, Mendota, Princeton and Geneseo, which will receive a new $1.7 million station as part of the project.

In addition to these improvements, Illinois Jobs Now! is providing $5 million toward the new multimodal station in downtown Moline, a project that includes a federal contribution of $10 million and a $1.7 million local match.

Also under Governor Quinn, IDOT has led the multistate effort to utilize $47 million in federal funds from the $177 million grant to purchase new Amtrak locomotives and railcars for the Chicago-Moline corridor.

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The internationally acclaimed Holmes Brothers will make their only Quad-Cities appearance at The Muddy Waters (1708 State Street, Bettendorf IA) on Saturday August 16.  The show starts at 8:00 p.m. and admission is $15.  Advance tickets are available only at The Muddy Waters for this special show in an intimate venue.

The Holmes Brothers perform "Timeless, deeply soulful and uplifting gospel-drenched blues, street corner doo-wop, ballads, R&B, country and funk" (New York Times).  Their brand of roots music was recognized this year when the National Endowment for the Arts awarded the Holmes Brothers a National Heritage Fellowship in the Folk and Traditional Arts.  The NEA Fellowships recognize the recipients' artistic excellence and support their continuing contributions to our nation's traditional arts heritage.

The Holmes Brothers - Wendell Holmes (guitarist/pianist/vocalist/songwriter), Sherman Holmes (bassist/ vocalist/songwriter) and brother-in-spirit Popsy Dixon (drummer/vocalist) - are true treasures of American roots music. For 35 years, The Holmes Brothers' joyous and moving blend of blues, gospel, soul, R&B, rock 'n' roll and country has been captivating audiences around the world. Their spine-tingling three-part harmony singing, mixing Wendell's gruff and gravelly vocals with Popsy's soaring falsetto and Sherman's rich baritone, brings the spirit of gospel-inflected deep soul music into every song they perform. Equally gripping is the rhythmic foundation laid down by Sherman's bass playing and Popsy's drumming, perfectly complementing Wendell's blues-soaked guitar solos and church-inspired piano playing. The band expertly blends Saturday night's roadhouse rock and blues with the gospel passion of Sunday morning's church service. Rolling Stone says The Holmes Brothers play "impressive, fervent country soul."  Entertainment Weekly goes farther, declaring "The Holmes Brothers are juke joint vets with a brazenly borderless view of American music...timeless and rapturous."

The band's new Alligator Records album, Brotherhood, was produced by Glenn Patscha (Ollabelle, Marc Cohn), Chris Bruce (Me'Shell Ndegeocello, Seal) and Hector Castillo (Brazilian Girls, David Bowie). It is another stellar chapter in The Holmes Brothers' storied and still-evolving history. It's also their most bluesy album to date, filled with roadhouse wisdom, late-night doo wop, a proto rock 'n' roll punch, soulful R&B and closing with an amazing dose of Sunday morning spirit. Featuring fourteen songs?including eight new Holmes Brothers originals and six carefully-chosen covers?Brotherhood finds The Holmes Brothers at the top of their game, creating timeless roots music.  Brotherhood is a testament to the uplifting musical power that comes from the close-knit, fraternally telepathic relationship of The Holmes Brothers.

All of The Holmes Brothers' musical gifts are displayed in full force on Brotherhood. With their deeply soulful singing, uplifting harmonies and unsurpassed musicianship, The Holmes Brothers' ability to deliver gospel fervor and raw blues intensity is as legendary as their ability to bring audiences to their feet. The band is eager to bring their new release to the stage. "We're looking forward to exposing the new songs to our fans, and bringing new fans to our songs," says Wendell. "If you stay ready, you don't have to get ready, and The Holmes Brothers are always ready."

The Holmes Brothers have seemingly done it all?from winning multiple Blues Music Awards to sharing stages and recordings with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Joan Osborne, Willie Nelson, Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, Al Green, Ben Harper, Lucinda Williams, and Steve Earle. With Brotherhood, The Holmes Brothers prove yet again they are, as USA Today says, "glorious...full of soul and surprises."  "Fervent, inspired and joyful blues, R&B, soul, roadhouse rock and gospel...beautiful harmonies, true magic."-NPR

Their journey started in Christchurch, Virginia, where Sherman and Wendell were raised by their schoolteacher parents, who nurtured the boys' early interest in music. As youngsters they listened to traditional Baptist hymns, anthems and spirituals as well as blues music by Jimmy Reed, Junior Parker and B.B. King. According to Wendell, "It was a small town, and my brother and I were about the only ones who could play anything. I guess you could say we were large musical fish in a small pond. So we played around in all the area churches on Sundays." The night before, though, they would play blues, soul, country and rock at their cousin's local club.  "When he couldn't get any good groups to come from Norfolk or Richmond, he'd call us in," Wendell recalls. "That's how we honed our sound. We used to say we'd rock 'em on Saturday and save 'em on Sunday."

Sherman studied composition and music theory at Virginia State University, but in 1959 he dropped out and headed to New York for a promising job with a singer named Jimmy Jones (of "Handy Man" fame). His younger brother Wendell joined him in New York after completing high school. The two brothers played in a few bands before forming The Sevilles in 1963. The group lasted only three years, but they often backed up touring artists like The Impressions, John Lee Hooker and Jerry Butler, gaining a wealth of experience. Sherman and Wendell met drummer Popsy Dixon, a fellow Virginian, at a New York gig in 1967. Dixon sat in with the brothers and sang two songs. "After that second song," recalls Wendell, "Popsy was a brother." They continued to play in a variety of Top 40 bar bands?Wendell even toured with Inez and Charlie Foxx ("Mockingbird")?until 1979, when the three officially joined forces and formed The Holmes Brothers band.

In the early years, the band worked primarily at Dan Lynch's, a New York club that featured weekly jam nights and performances by a wide variety of blues acts, most notably The Holmes Brothers. More importantly, the club served as a meeting ground for many members of New York's blues community, including future members of Blues Traveler, Joan Osborne, and producer/harmonicist Andy Breslau, who brought the group to Rounder Records.

Since their debut on Rounder in 1989, The Holmes Brothers have toured virtually non-stop. They've performed in 50 different countries, including dates across the United States, Canada, throughout Europe, and in Singapore, Japan, Russia, Turkey, South America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to their four critically acclaimed Rounder albums, they recorded Jubilation for Peter Gabriel's Real World label in 1992, becoming the first American group to record for the standout world music imprint. 1996 found The Holmes Brothers starring in the independent motion picture Lotto Land, for which they also recorded the soundtrack. Their albums all received massive praise. "Mind-blowing," said the Boston Herald. "Rich and satisfying," raved The Washington Post.

The Holmes Brothers joined Alligator Records in 2001, releasing the Joan Osborne-produced Speaking In Tongues to overwhelming popular and critical acclaim. They followed with 2004's Simple Truths, 2007's State Of Grace and 2010's Feed My Soul (which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart), each release earning the band more fans and more accolades. The success of their albums led to multiple appearances on national television, including visits to The Late Show With David Letterman and two trips to Late Night With Conan O'Brien, as well as a rousing performance on CBS Saturday Morning. Profiles and concerts on NPR have put them in front of millions of listeners. They have appeared on Weekend Edition, All Things Considered, A Prairie Home Companion and performed on NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert. They played their original song "Opportunity to Cry" with Willie Nelson for the Willie Nelson & Friends: Outlaws And Angels TV special. The Holmes Brothers continue to tear up the highway, touring across the country and around the world. Greg Kot of The Chicago Tribune said The Holmes Brothers are a "joyous, foot-stomping carnival...a gift to the world of music."

Sold-out event to continue conversation about providing Iowa's children with a world-class education

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today are hosting the second Iowa Teacher and Principal Leadership Symposium at the FFA Enrichment Center at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny. The purpose of the event, which is sold out, is continuing the conversation about how to give Iowa children a world-class education.  More than 450 educators, parents, legislators, school board members and others are expected to attend.

WATCH THE SYMPOSIUM LIVE: http://bit.ly/IAEDLeaders

"Iowa's education system must keep pace with the demands of a knowledge-based, global workforce," said Branstad. "Iowa's new Teacher Leadership and Compensation System will create the capacity to do that by better utilizing the expertise of top teachers to fine tune instruction for individual students. We'll learn more from symposium speakers about how to make the most of this new approach to instructional leadership. "

Iowa is the first state to launch a teacher leadership system of this magnitude, with every school district having the option of participating over the next three years. The goal is for 25 percent of highly qualified teachers to take on new leadership roles, such as instructional coaches and mentors, to improve instruction and raise student achievement. When fully phased in during the 2016-17 school year, the Iowa Teacher Leadership and Compensation System is estimated to cost $150 million annually.

"Nothing inside schools has a bigger impact on learning than highly effective teaching," said Reynolds. "Iowa has many first-rate teachers, and we are looking forward during the symposium to learning more about exciting developments in teacher leadership in Iowa and beyond."

Featured symposium speakers include Vivien Stewart from the Asia Society, Ee-Ling Low from the National Institute of Education in Singapore, Barnett Berry from the Center for Teaching Quality, Iowa 2014 Teacher of the Year Jane Schmidt and Iowa Secondary Principal of the Year Aiddy Phomvisay. Also featured are Iowa's first 39 school districts to launch the state's new Teacher Leadership and Compensation System; two Iowa school districts that started teacher leadership systems with a federal grant; and a student panel on the difference great teaching makes.

Participants, attendees and those wishing to follow the symposium are encouraged to use the #IAEdLeaders hashtag on social media. For more information about the symposium: https://educationleadership.iowa.gov/