Approximately 10 Soldiers mobilize July 3 as part of airlift support mission

DECATUR, IL (07/01/2014)(readMedia)-- DECATUR, Ill. - A deployment ceremony is scheduled for approximately 10 Soldiers who will deploy to Djibouti, Africa. The ceremony for Detachment 36, Operational Support Airlift in Decatur will be July 3 at 9 a.m. at Camp Lincoln, 1301 N. MacArthur Blvd. in Springfield, Ill.

The unit will train for a brief time in Fort Bliss, Texas before deploying to Africa for nine months. Det. 36 will fly Beechcraft C-12 Huron aircraft and conduct operational airlift support and VIP transport in the region.

The unit last mobilized in October 2010 and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on the case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.:

"Healthcare is a human right, and the Affordable Care Act is meant to give all Americans access to decent, affordable healthcare.

"That means full access to healthcare for every woman in America, regardless of who they are or where they work.

"A woman's personal health decisions should stay strictly between her and her doctor.

"Unfortunately, today's U.S. Supreme Court's decision takes these choices from a woman and gives them to her employer.

"I will continue to fight to preserve the right of Illinois women to make their own healthcare decisions based on their own beliefs, not the beliefs of the person signing their paycheck."

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Tuesday 07/01/2014

ABC KARAOKE

9:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

Only at The Muddy Waters EVERY Tuesday -

1. FREE Pool Games and FREE Pin Ball Games all day and all night

2. Karaoke starting at 9:00 p.m.

Come and have a GREAT Tuesday with us!

 

Wednesday 07/02/2014

THE FOURTY FOURS

8:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.

$5 MVBS Members

$10 Non-Members

It's time for the best festival of the summer, The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, and we are kickin' off the weekend with a blues-roots-rock band, the 44's. The 44's are a Los Angeles-based harp-guitar-bass-drums quartet. If grit, gonads and little bit of nasty all rolled together is also your favorite style, you will love these guys.

 

(no live music at The Muddy Waters on July 3, 4, 5, 2014)

 

Sunday 07/06/2014

AFTER-FESTIVAL PARTY WITH THE CANDYMAKERS & ZACH HARRIS BAND

5:00 p.m.-?

FREE Admission

The Muddy Waters is having the Post-Fest Party of All After-Fest Parties! Combining a band with traditional Motown and Stax, together with a classic mix of blues and rock, the Candymakers and the Zach Harris Band will give us a final night commemorating the 2014 festival. Make plans to attend this celebratory party as we wrap it up the Blues Festival at the Official Blues Club of the Quad Cities.

 

Monday 07/07/2014

ABC KARAOKE

9:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

Fall in love with Monday's!!! FREE pool and pin ball games starting at 12:00 p.m. and Karaoke starting at 9:00 p.m. All at The Muddy Waters! See ya there!

 

Tuesday 07/08/2014

ABC KARAOKE

9:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

Tuesday at The Muddy Waters: FREE Pool and FREE Pin Ball Games from open until close (12:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m.) and Karaoke starts at 9:00 p.m.

 

Thursday 07/10/2014

EDDIE TURNER

7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.

$5 Per Person

"Otherworldly", "scorching", "polyrhythmic" and "chilling" have all been used to describe Eddie Turner's guitar playing. His ethereal style is an amalgam of the Afro-Cuban rhythms of his heritage and the music that influenced him as a teenager: Chicago blues, jazz, R&B, and psychedelic rock. The Cuban-born singer/guitarist cut his teeth in several rock bands contributing what Slate magazine describes as "spacey-yet-resounding solos".

 

Friday 07/11/2014

CHRIS AVEY BAND

9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

Free Admission

Chris Avey, former lead guitarist and backing vocalist for blues icon Big Pete Pearson, leads the Chris Avey Band. Chris fuels the band with his stinging guitar attack and fiery vocals. Since striking out on his own with his band, he has released two CDs?the critically acclaimed Devil in my Bed and Preacherman. Chris's vocals and guitar are reminiscent of a younger, more fiery Coco Montoya, mixed with a dash of Tab Benoit. Blues Blast Magazine says "Blues with intensity and emotion. More energy than a power plant."

 

Saturday 07/12/2014

TANGENT!

9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

FREE Admission

Tangent! is a high energy, 7-piece power horn band from right here in the Quad Cities. Mixing all of the best sounds and songs of Motown, Blues, Soul, Rock, and Jazz. While reasonably true to the original songs, Tangent! also lends their own style and solos into the mix, just at the right time. The music that they play will lift you off of your chair, and right onto the dance floor. If you like horns, excellent guitar and keyboards, a female singer with pipes of gold, or a rhythm section that is rock solid, come listen to Tangent. You will be glad that you did.

 

Sunday 07/13/2014

ALAN SWEET & FRIENDS

6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

FREE Admission

"Alan Sweet's voice is in-between Otis Redding and Joe Cocker,"  says Todd Welvaert, QC Oneline-Dispatch/Argus. Alan is now hosting The Muddy Waters Sunday Afternoon Live Music Scene with an acoustic mix. He will be inviting the many talents of his artist friends to join him every week producing an array of original sound that will keep you coming back every Sunday.

 

Monday 07/14/2014

ABC Karaoke 

9:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

Sing, sing a song,

Make it simple, to last your whole life long,

Don't worry that it's not good enough,

For anyone else to hear,

Sing, sing a song . . .

The Muddy Waters Monday Night KARAOKE starts at 9:00 p.m. plus FREE Pool and Pin Ball Games ALL DAY!

 

Tuesday 07/15/2014

ABC Karaoke 

9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

Only at The Muddy Waters EVERY Tuesday -

1. FREE pool and pin ball games all day and all night

2. Karaoke starting at 9:00 p.m.

Come and have a GREAT Tuesday with us!

 

Friday 07/18/2014

MERCURY BROTHERS

9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

FREE Admission

The Mercury Brothers are cast from that exact mold of solid gold heart and pure soul blues music. From their slick classic James Dean look to their ripping tones and heavy grooves, The Mercury Brothers are an act you will not soon forget.

 

Saturday 07/19/2014

BLACKLIST COMEDY THEATER

9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

$10 Per Person

The Blacklist is the Quad Cities' best uncensored improv comedy troupe. The Blacklist 'crosses the line' in more ways than one with their audience interactive shows. Using audience suggestions, The Blacklist creates hilarious skits right before your very eyes.  Every Blacklist show features stand-up comics and headlines with the hilarious uncensored debauchery of The Blacklist.

 

Sunday 07/20/2014

Alan Sweet and Friends 

6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

FREE Admission

Ready for an afternoon of sweet ear-candy? Alan Sweet brings a satisfying set of songs that range from soul, funk, and blues songs to The Muddy Waters every Sunday afternoon starting at 6:00 p.m. Alan will be inviting the many talents of his artist friends to join him every week producing an array of original sound that will keep you coming back every Sunday.

 

Monday 07/21/2014

ABC Karaoke 

9:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

Fall in love with Monday's!!! FREE pool games starting at 12:00 p.m. and Karaoke starting at 9:00 p.m. All at The Muddy Waters! See ya there!

 

Tuesday 07/22/2014

ABC Karaoke 

9:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

You can be the star at The Muddy Waters during Karaoke tonight starting at 9:00 p.m. Plus FREE pool and pin ball games all day and all night long.

 

Friday 07/25/2014

ZACH HARRIS BAND

9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

FREE Admission

The Zach Harris Band formerly known as The Bromigo's - same band, new name - play a mix of blues and rock. Nick Vazquez on Keys, Randy Leasemen on Bass, LC Johnson on Drums, and Zach Harris on Guitar.

 

Saturday 07/26/2014

Chris & Wes Show

9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.

FREE Admission

The worlds of comedy and music don't usually intersect. But when they do, the results can be memorable. Wes Weeber, a drummer by trade, steps out from behind the drums to front the comedy portion of the show and interact with the audience. Chris Avey, the clownish guitarist, entertains the audience with his send-ups of classic blues music and humorous wit. Together, their show will bring waggish banana splits of many different sides.

 

Sunday 07/27/2014

BRENT JOHNSON AND THE CALL UP

6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

$5 Per Person

A guitar prodigy from the age of four, South Texas born Brent Johnson always knew where he wanted his playing to take him. Drinking in the very best of Blues, Jazz, Rock, Punk, Country and World Music, by the time his family moved to New Orleans in his teens, he was predestined towards a career in music.

"My sound is rooted in the Blues, though I don't pretend to be a purist, and I don't want to be" he explains, " I write music based on my experiences and the sounds I grew up with... I never want to pretend that I had the same experiences as the old Bluesmen did - so I'm not going to go around trying to sound like them. What I do is put the emphasis on the feeling of the music, the passion, the urgency, the directness - that's the goal".

Brent describes himself as "always a guitarslinger... I always loved songwriters and wrote songs for myself".

 

Monday 07/28/2014

ABC Karaoke

9:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

When you feel down and out, sing a song

It'll make your day, yeah, yeah

You will come to shout, sing a song

It'll make a way...

The Muddy Waters Monday Night KARAOKE starts at 9:00 p.m. plus FREE Pool and Pin Ball Games ALL DAY!

 

Tuesday 07/29/2014

ABC KARAOKE 

9:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

Only at The Muddy Waters EVERY Tuesday -

1. FREE Pool Games and FREE Pin Ball Games all day and all night

2. Karaoke starting at 9:00 p.m.

Come and have a GREAT Tuesday with us!

Borggren Has Served as Veterans Affairs Director Since 2011; Rodrigo Garcia to Lead IDVA

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today appointed Erica Borggren as Acting Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). An Illinois native and Army veteran, Borggren has served as Director of the Illinois Department of Illinois Veterans Affairs (IDVA) since 2011.

"Erica Borggren is a proven leader who has served our state and nation with excellence and integrity," Governor Quinn said. "From graduating first in her class at West Point, to serving as an outstanding military officer and successfully leading large organizations, I am confident she will be an exceptional Transportation Secretary. I also thank Ann Schneider for her years of hard work and dedication and wish her well."

As Director of IDVA, Borggren managed a 1,300-person staff dedicated to serving veterans. During her tenure, IDVA has partnered with public and private partners to launch a veteran entrepreneurship program, a women veterans' program and an interagency effort to make military training count toward state licenses.

Borggren designed and now spearheads Illinois Joining Forces, a public-private network of more than 150 organizations committed to collaborate towards making the "sea of goodwill" more navigable for Illinois veterans, servicemembers and their families. For this work, she was honored as a White House "Champion of Change" earlier this year. In 2013, Borggren was selected as a Leadership Greater Chicago fellow and was also appointed to serve as the Secretary of the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs.

Prior to leading IDVA, Borggren served as a senior staff member for Army Gen. David H. Petraeus during his time as Commanding General of Multi-National Force - Iraq and as head of United States Central Command throughout the Middle East. For her service in these missions, Borggren was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Bronze Star as well as the Joint Service Achievement and Iraq Campaign Medals. She returned home to Illinois from the Middle East in 2009.

"I am deeply honored to have been asked by Governor Quinn to lead the state's transportation mission," Borggren said. "I look forward to serving with the IDOT team to maintain and build Illinois' world-class infrastructure, which will create more jobs and drive economic growth for years to come."

Prior to her time in the Middle East, Borggren served in the United States Army Medical Service Corps in Yongsan, South Korea, rising as an officer in the 18th Medical Command to a Company Commander at the 121 Combat Support Hospital, for which she was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.

A Rhodes Scholar, Truman Scholar and the valedictorian of her West Point class, Borggren holds postgraduate degrees in comparative social policy and theology from Oxford University. Borggren was raised in Crystal Lake and she now resides in Chicago with her husband, Erik, and their children.

Borggren's appointment is effective July 11.

Governor Quinn also today announced IDVA Assistant Director Rodrigo Garcia will become Acting Director of the department. A Chicago native and Marine Corps veteran, Garcia served overseas on three separate tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, earning multiple decorations. He holds an undergraduate degree in finance from Northeastern Illinois University and two post-graduate degrees, one in finance from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the other in public policy from Northwestern University. Recently, Garcia completed a senior executives program at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

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