Event on July 26-27 will welcome participants from Tee Ball through adult to Modern Woodmen Park

DAVENPORT, Iowa. (June 26, 2014) - The Quad Cities River Bandits are giving fans and people across the Quad Cities region the chance to swing for the fences at Modern Woodmen Park, all to benefit the Bandit Scholars Program. Registration is open for the team's first-ever Batting for Scholars Home Run Derby presented by Modern Woodmen of America and Triumph Community Bank on Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27.

The Batting for Scholars Home Run Derby will include a Minors Division, with participants from Tee Ball through age 17, and a Majors Division, including all ages at a competitive level. The Minors Division event will take place Saturday, July 26, and the Majors Division event will be Sunday, July 27. Participants receive a free River Bandits T-shirt and a ticket to a River Bandits game. Non-participants are welcome to catch balls in the outfield of Modern Woodmen Park during the derby.

"The Batting for Scholars Home Run Derby offers a tremendous opportunity for people in the Quad Cities to enjoy a memorable experience on the field of Modern Woodmen Park," said River Bandits owner Dave Heller. "The best part is all of the proceeds of this unique event will go to the great cause of paying college tuition for Quad Cities area students - perhaps in the future including one of the young participants in this first-ever Batting for Scholars Home Run Derby!"

Registration will begin at 8 a.m. each day, and competition will begin at 9 a.m. each day.

The Minors Division will have three competitions - Single A (players in Tee Ball through levels under age 10), Double A (ages 10 to 12), and Triple A (ages 13 to 17). The top three winners in each division will receive prizes. Registration is $20 per participant, and each hitter can choose to hit baseballs or softballs.

Majors Division will include all ages at a competitive level, hitting softball pitches. The winner will receive $200 cash and a 2015 suite rental as prizes. Registration is $30 per participant and limited to the first 50 who register.

All fans are welcome to catch balls in the outfield during the derby. Non-participants for the home run derby are asked to make a $5 donation to the Bandit Scholars Program.

The Batting for Scholars Home Run Derby registration form is available at Modern Woodmen Park and at www.riverbandits.com. More information is available by contacting Brittany Carter at 563-333-2736 or emailing Brittany@riverbandits.com.

The Bandit Scholars Program was founded in 2009 by the Quad Cities River Bandits' team owners Dave Heller and Bob Herrfeldt; the program pays the entire first year of college tuition for Quad Cities area students through the Keith Lucier Memorial Scholarship and the Bandit Scholarship. The Keith Lucier Memorial Scholarship is named in honor of the late Keith Lucier, who passed away in 2009. The Bandit Scholars Program and, in particular, the Lucier Scholarship, honors Keith's strong belief in higher education and celebrates his love for sports, learning, charitable endeavors and the Quad Cities community. Lucier graduated from Bettendorf High School and the University of Iowa. He was the River Bandits' Assistant General Manager in 2008.

The scholarships are administered by the non-profit Community Foundation of the Great River Bend, and recipients are selected by a committee made up of Lucier's family, friends, River Bandits' staff, CFGRB volunteers and area community leaders. Awarded annually to a Quad Cities area high school senior, each scholarship includes a summer internship with the River Bandits following the winner's first year of college. Tax-free donations to the scholarship fund can be made through the CFGRB web site.

The scholarships are funded by fan donations and fund-raising efforts by the River Bandits and the team's ownership. Fundraising events include the annual Frost Fest, Bandits Race to Home 5K and Bandit Scholars Home Run Derby, set for July 26-27 this season. Through the partnership with the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend, donors can make online, tax-deductible donations to the Bandit Scholars Program by going to www.cfgrb.org. Fans can also visit the Bandit Scholars Program page on the team's website, www.riverbandits.com, and follow a link to the Bandit Scholars page on the Foundation's website. Beginning with the next scholarship application cycle in 2015, students from eight Quad Cities-area counties - Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Whiteside Counties of Illinois, and Cedar, Louisa, Muscatine and Scott Counties of Iowa - will be eligible for the scholarships.

UP NEXT: The River Bandits return home for the Fourth of July weekend, beginning with a 7 p.m. game Friday, July 4, to be followed by Fourth of July Fireworks presented by Smart Toyota of the Quad Cities, WLLR and WQAD. Game tickets are available at www.riverbandits.com. To order any of the River Bandits 2014 ticket plans - with new lower prices - call the River Bandits box office at 563-324-3000. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $40. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.

IOWA CITY, IA (06/26/2014)(readMedia)-- Approximately 3,800 students have been named to the University of Iowa Dean's List for the 2014 spring semester.

Students from your area on the UI Dean's List for the previous semester include :

Courtney Corelis of Bettendorf

Nicholas Gerwe of Bettendorf

Alex Heesch of Bettendorf

Ava Lynn of Bettendorf

Cody Soultz of Bettendorf

Nicholas Adam of Bettendorf

Jonelle Addabbo of Riverdale

Elizabeth Ann Berger of Bettendorf

Emily Braught of Bettendorf

Courtney Bright of Bettendorf

Brandon Craig of Bettendorf

Alec Darrow of Bettendorf

Abigail Drexler of Bettendorf

Emma Evanovich of Bettendorf

Jade Feller of Bettendorf

Adam Fitzsimmons of Bettendorf

Ellen Gackle of Bettendorf

Nicole Hansen of Bettendorf

Meg King of Bettendorf

Randy Klosak of Bettendorf

Lauren Kostoglanis of Bettendorf

Sanjay Kumar of Bettendorf

Maureen Lonergan of Bettendorf

Christopher Matheson of Bettendorf

Zachary Miller of Bettendorf

Erin Mitchell of Bettendorf

Victoria Nelson of Bettendorf

Austin Norden of Bettendorf

Reeya Patel of Bettendorf

Brian Paul of Bettendorf

Taylor Perrott of Bettendorf

Joseph Peterson of Bettendorf

Rianna Rice of Bettendorf

Sarah Rodriguez of Bettendorf

Megan Sanchez of Bettendorf

Heidi Schickel of Bettendorf

Christine Schwartz of Bettendorf

Gina Sears of Bettendorf

Julia Sears of Bettendorf

Paul Shumaker of Bettendorf

Joseph Sink of Bettendorf

Austin Smith of Bettendorf

Alexandra Stecker of Bettendorf

Quinlan Syfert of Bettendorf

Logan Teagarden of Bettendorf

Tristan Thompson of Bettendorf

Ellen Turner of Bettendorf

Emily Wallace of Bettendorf

Brooke Wehrle of Bettendorf

Matthew Wheat of Bettendorf

Hanna Walker of Bettendorf

Joel D'Camp of Riverdale

Kelcie Eisbrener of Bettendorf

Noah Kirschbaum of Bettendorf

Kimberly Ruth of Bettendorf

Eric Wells of Bettendorf

Alyson Wennlund of Bettendorf

Michael Conger of Blue Grass

Sean Beaudette of Blue Grass

Kayla Cordova of Blue Grass

Korinne Fangmann of Blue Grass

Ashlyn Glass of Blue Grass

Timothy Smith of Blue Grass

Natalie Wakefield of Blue Grass

Danna Smith of Blue Grass

Derek Ahrens of Buffalo

Austin Belk of Eldridge

Eric Gansemer of Eldridge

Matthew Remy of Eldridge

William Aden of Eldridge

Amanda Burroughs of Eldridge

Abby Frantz of Eldridge

Michael Hackbarth of Eldridge

Korey O'Day of Eldridge

Abby Peeters of Eldridge

Amanda Ploof of Eldridge

Aileen Spickermann of Eldridge

Hope Wilson of Eldridge

James Kinney of Eldridge

Jacob Reed of Eldridge

Alexandra Donovan of Le Claire

Hiba Irshad of Leclaire

Samantha Cosner of Long Grove

Ashley Schabilion of Long Grove

Joseph Snyder of Long Grove

Monica Ahrens of New Liberty

Lynn Rider of Pleasant Valley

Skylar Moore of Princeton

Jeremy Tinkler of Stockton

Bailey Kraft of Walcott

Samantha Longner of Walcott

Steffany Patch of Walcott

Erin Abbas of Davenport

Andrew Russell of Davenport

Brianne Avery of Davenport

Katherine Beydler of Davenport

Kenneth Gaskin of Davenport

Taylor Gillhouse of Davenport

Nathan Hoil of Davenport

Charles Holliday of Davenport

Max Lipnick of Davenport

Daniel Milburn of Davenport

Stephen Nicknish of Davenport

Michael O'Hara of Davenport

Jake Ryder of Davenport

Rachel Schebler of Davenport

Sarah Schwind of Davenport

Benjamin Schwind of Davenport

Dustin Sexton of Davenport

Dylan Thiemann of Davenport

Jessica Welser of Davenport

Kirsten Wohlford of Davenport

Becka Otting of Davenport

Torrance Windham of Davenport

Alex Karwath of Davenport

Allison Vandecar of Davenport

Erica Jennings of Davenport

Richard Keimig of Davenport

Clara Loter of Davenport

Kelsey Ralfs of Davenport

Shelby Tracy of Davenport

Ashley Vance of Davenport

Kirstan Green of Davenport

Robb Laake of Davenport

Rachel Brandt of Davenport

Brock Cavett of Davenport

Makayla Farnsworth of Davenport

Kyle Gacke of Davenport

Dayna Huor of Davenport

Courtney Long of Davenport

Gabriela Magalhaes of Davenport

Kaylee Miner of Davenport

Kelvin Tran of Davenport

Kaytlyn Sheffler of Davenport

Zachary Behrendt of Davenport

Jeffrey Artioli of Davenport

Beth Baustian of Davenport

Emily Culliton of Davenport

Nicole Ito of Davenport

Erin Monroe of Davenport

Emily Nauman of Davenport

Haley Nelson of Davenport

Natalie Rogalski of Davenport

Dominick Shults of Davenport

Jay Stadelman of Davenport

Michael Suiter of Davenport

Debra Yang of Davenport

Courtney Brokloff of Davenport

Elizabeth Knoche of Davenport

McKinley Kuhlmann of Davenport

Kevin Johnson of Rock Island

Cesar Garcia of Rock Island

Donte Nesbitt of Rock Island

JohnPatrick Brown of East Moline

Erika Price of Milan

Carissa Dewaele of Moline

Jessica Brower of Moline

Daniel Dorr of Moline

Eugene Pavinato of Moline

Tajia Coleman of Silvis

Nathan Woeber of Taylor Ridge

Undergraduate students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering, and the Tippie College of Business who achieve a grade point average of 3.50 or higher on 12 semester hours or more of UI graded course work during a given semester or summer session and who have no semester hours of I (incomplete) or O (no grade reported) during the same semester are recognized by inclusion on the Dean's List for that semester.

Undergraduate students in the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine may qualify for the Dean's List with fewer than 12 semester hours of graded credit if deemed appropriate by the college.

College of Nursing students participating in clinical courses must have a total of 12 semester hours of earned credit, with eight semester hours of graded credit with a grade point average of 3.50 or higher.

Dubuque, Iowa (June 26, 2014) - Loras College Provost Cheryl Jacobsen, Ph.D. has announced the names of students who achieved Dean's List status for the 2014 spring semester. A student must earn a 3.5 grade point average and carry a minimum of 12 credit hours to be recognized. Local students include the following:

from Bettendorf, IA
Dylan Jones
Jillian Knott

from Davenport, IA
Mary Agnoli
Morgan Derby
Abigail Lantzky
Shelby Perkins
Mary Phillips
Ryan Steckel
Chelsey Warning

from Rock Island, IL
Mary Dodson

AFGE President says cuts to critical services hurt expanding senior population

WASHINGTON - The American Federation of Government Employees President J. David Cox applauded a bill by Rep. Bruce Braley (IA) that would delay cuts to two vital services at field offices, Social Security Number Printouts and Benefit Verification Forms.

The Social Security Number Printouts and Benefit Verification Forms are used for a variety of purposes, including car loans, mortgage applications, housing assistance and when applying for other government assistance programs.

"The Social Security Administration has never justified cuts to these two critical field office services," said Cox. "The 11 million Americans who visited field offices specifically for these forms deserve answers, since on August 1 and October 1 the services they rely on will simply disappear."

Rather than providing same-day, in-person service, visitors who need copies of Benefit Verification Forms will be directed to the MySSA website, a poorly designed customer service platform which requires users to go through a complicated registration process. Ultimately, nearly 1 in 3 enrollees who attempt to register on the MySSA website are rejected.

Those who need Benefit Verification Forms will also be directed to the delay-plagued 800 number, but will have to wait 7 - 10 days to receive a copy by mail - far too long for those who urgently need a hard copy of the forms for other assistance programs.

Those who want a Social Security Number Printout, an expedited way to obtain proof of your Social Security Number, will instead have to file for a completely new card, which will also take 7 - 10 days to arrive by mail.

Cox said that the SSA's plan to direct people to its website, part of its Vision 2025 strategy, places too big a burden on at-risk populations.

"It's important to protect the services that seniors and disabled Americans depend on," said Cox. "SSA's vision for the future leaves out those who need field office assistance and as more baby boomers approach retirement age, we need more service staff, not less."

Cox emphasized that seniors should be able to choose how they work with SSA, whether in-person, on the phone or via the website.

"A large number of seniors either don't have access to the internet or are more comfortable discussing their benefits in person," said Cox. "They deserve to get the expertise of field office staff and local access to the benefits and services they've earned."

Read the Legislation by Rep. Braley.

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