CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today issued the following statement regarding Illinois House passage of a bill to expand the Illinois Clean Water Initiative to include stormwater and green infrastructure projects, a key part of the Governor's agenda. Governor Quinn called for this measure in his 2014 State of the State address as part of his agenda to create more jobs and build an economy that works for everyone. Senate Bill 2780 has previously passed the Illinois Senate and now heads to the Governor's desk.

"I want to commend Senator Dan Kotowski and Representative Elaine Nekritz, and all the legislators who voted for this important measure, which will help communities throughout Illinois be better prepared for the next heavy rain.

"Last spring's record rainfall and flooding hit many communities hard. We can help communities be better prepared to handle stormwater by including these types of projects in my Clean Water Initiative.

"Stormwater is also a significant contributor to surface water pollution. This legislation will allow local governments to secure low-interest loans for projects that prevent flooding and remove pollutants from stormwater."

Governor Quinn first launched the $1 billion Clean Water Initiative in his 2012 State of the State address, and since then dozens of communities have secured low-interest loans through the program for drinking and wastewater infrastructure improvements. Due to the overwhelming success of the program, Governor Quinn announced in his 2014 State of the State address that he was doubling the available financing to $2 billion and he asked the General Assembly to expand the allowable projects to include stormwater and green infrastructure projects.

Davenport, IA-The final concert on the QCSO/WVIK Signature Series is also coming up soon. The Quad City Symphony Orchestra and WVIK, Quad Cities NPR, are presenting QCSO Concertmaster Naha Greenholtz, clarinetist Kyle Knox. Pianist Benjamin Loeb, and cellist Sæunn Thorsteinsdöttir. These musicians are performing Béla Bartók's Contrasts, originally composed for performance by Benny Goodman, set between Saint-Saëns' Trio No. 1 in F Major and Ravel's Piano Trio. The concert will be on Sunday, May 18, at 3:00 p.m. The final Signature Series concert is being performed on Sunday, May 18, at 3:00 p.m. in Wallenberg Hall in the Denkmann Memorial Building at Augustana College. This performance is sponsored by Sponsored by Q₁₀ Enterprises.

American clarinetist Kyle Knox held the Donald and Ruth P. Taylor Assistant Principal Clarinet Chair in the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra from 2006 until 2014. In addition to his duties with the MSO, he has performed on 2nd and Eb Clarinet with the Philadelphia Orchestra and on Bass Clarinet with the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra. Kyle has also been featured at prominent music festivals throughout North America and Europe including the Tanglewood Music Center, where he won the Gino Cioffi Award, the Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi (Italy), the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Santa Fe Opera, the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, and the New York String Orchestra Seminar.

Canadian violinist and QCSO concertmaster Naha Greenholtz was born in Kyoto, Japan, where she began her violin studies at age three. Since her solo debut at 14, concerto appearances have included engagements with the Vancouver Symphony, National Ballet of Canada, Quad City Symphony, Madison Symphony, and National Repertory Orchestras in works ranging from Bach to Stravinsky. Ms. Greenholtz also has an active career as an orchestra musician. In addition to her duties as Concertmaster of both the Quad City and Madison Symphony Orchestras, performance highlights have included guest concertmaster appearances with the Oregon Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Omaha Symphony, and Memphis Symphony, among many others. She serves as Artistic Director of the WVIK/QCSO Signature Series, a chamber music series dedicated to bringing world-class performances to the Quad City metro area.

"Charismatic" [NYTimes] cellist, Sæunn Thorsteinsdöttir recently made her debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic which the LA Times praised her for her "emotional intensity." Following the release of her recording of Britten's Suites for Solo Cello, last season she performed in some of the world's greatest halls including Carnegie Hall, Suntory Hall, and Disney Hall. This season will mark her debut with the Toronto Symphony and, starting in the fall of 2013, Sæunn will be Artist-in-Residence at Sonoma State University's Green Music Center in California. 2013-14 will also be Sæunn's inaugural season as cellist of the Manhattan Piano Trio, beginning with her debut concert at the Chautauqua Music Festival. Thorsteinsdöttir is former member of the Quad City Symphony Youth Ensembles.

Benjamin Loeb, Executive Director of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, is an accomplished conductor, accompanist, soloist, arranger, educator, and administrator. He has been hailed in El Paso as "a walking genius of unique ideas for making concerts fun to perform and hear, as well as subtly exposing youngsters to the pleasures of good music, [El Paso, Inc.]" while his recent performance with the Greater Bridgeport (CT) Symphony Orchestra as a "double-threat" both playing and conducting Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue was called "a total triumph that triggered a well-deserved, spontaneous standing ovation. Loeb and the GBS captured every ounce of imagination and emotion Gershwin packed into his ground breaking musical portrait." (Connecticut Post) Other widely varied projects range from concerts of Beethoven and Bruckner Symphonies to recordings with Yo-Yo Ma of Italian 16th century madrigalists to tours with rock musicians to world premieres of cutting-edge avant-garde contemporary music.

The Signature Series is presented by WVIK, Quad Cities NPR, 90.3 FM in collaboration with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra and Augustana College. Performed in Augustana's Wallenberg Hall and rebroadcast on WVIK, this versatile and intimate five-concert series features select members of the QCSO and visiting artists from across the nation. Under the artistic direction of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's Concertmaster Naha Greenholtz, the Signature Series is a testament to the vitality of the classical music community in the Quad Cities. This performance will be rebroadcast on WVIK, Quad Cities NPR, 90.3 FM on Sunday, May 25, at 7:00 p.m.

WVIK/QCSO Signature Series

Bartok Contrasts and more

Saturday, May 18, at 3:00 p.m.

Wallenberg Hall, Augustana College

This concert is sponsored by Q₁₀ Enterprises.

Wallenberg Hall is on the second floor of the Denkmann Memorial Building, 3520 7th Avenue, Rock Island. Elevator access is available. Parking is in Lot E adjacent to Centennial Hall lot or Lot H adjacent to Lutheran House, with handicapped parking immediately behind the Denkmann Memorial Building. Tickets for the WVIK/QCSO Signature Series are $25, with a $10 student ticket available. Get your tickets today by calling 563.322.QCSO (7276) or visiting www.qcsymphony.com. Tickets will also be available at the door.

###

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack announced today that he will be visiting various elementary, middle and high schools throughout Iowa's Second Congressional District on his "Our Schools, Our Future" Tour. Loebsack was recently chosen to serve as Ranking Member, the senior most Democrat, of the House Education and Workforce Committee's Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education. At each visit, Loebsack will get a tour of the school and meet with various stakeholders including principals, teachers, counselors, school board members and parents.

"For our country to remain competitive in the global marketplace, we must ensure our kids receive the best education possible," said Loebsack. "From pre-school all the way through high school, it is our responsibility to provide children with the tools they need to succeed and enable them to achieve the American Dream. I look forward to seeing the innovative ways Iowa schools are preparing our children and also listening to their concerns so I can bring their experience and ideas back to Washington."

Loebsack will make stops in Clinton, Muscatine, Davenport, Burlington, Keokuk, Iowa City, West Liberty, Ottumwa, Osceola, Newton and Chariton. Details for each stop will be announced at a later date. Members of the media and cameras are invited to attend.