Free Facial Analysis - May 6th - 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Summer is coming! Protect your skin by coming to the FREE Dermaview Facial Analysis at Main at Locust Pharmacy on Tuesday, May 6th from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.  The Dermaview System analyzes your skin and areas of sun damage and identifies areas which are dry, oily, or dehydrated.  In addition, it detects areas that have clogged pores, thick or sensitive skin or areas which are prone to bacterial infection.

For more information, please contact Shersten at 563-324-1641.

Due to weather conditions, Living Lands & Waters has officially rescheduled their upcoming acorn planting event to Wednesday May 7th from 9:00am - 12:00pm.

Parking is available at the Davenport Library; 6000 Eastern Avenue, Davenport IA.  Please contact us with any questions.

Thank You, Natalie Linville-Mass,309-948-1436

The Quad City Symphony Orchestra is proud to announce that Michele Ottesen and Dortha DeWit will be conducting Youth String Ensemble and Prelude Strings respectively beginning in the 2014-15 season.  They will join QCSYEs Music Director Benjamin Klemme and Youth Choir Director Mary Tallitsch to round out the QCSYEs conducting staff.  This year both Prelude Strings and String Ensemble were conducted by Interim Conductor John Schultz who will be leaving to devote his time to Schultz Strings, performing as a freelance violinist and teaching privately in the Iowa City area.

Prelude Strings and String Ensemble are introductory ensembles for young string musicians with a focus on improving technique, developing ensemble skills, and acquiring performance experience. The season will kick off with the August 16/17 retreat for all QCSYEs groups and begin regular rehearsals on Thursday nights.  These two groups will appear on all three QCSYEs concerts, including the Side by Side concert on February 22. Admittance to String Ensemble (and Youth Philharmonic and Youth Symphony) is based on a live audition held in early June.  Participation in Prelude Strings requires no audition, only a completed online application form and a teacher's recommendation.  All information to be posted soon at the QCSO website.

Michele Ottesen is currently in her 6th year as the orchestra director at Davenport North and Wood Intermediate School.  A native of Davenport, Ms. Ottesen spent seven years as a member of the Quad City Youth Symphony under the direction of James Dixon and Daniel Culver.  She holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University, and a MM from the University of Michigan.  Her principal violin teachers include Doris Preucil, Andrés Cárdenes, and Stephen Shipps.  Prior to returning to the Quad Cities, Ms. Ottesen was a member of the Dakota String Quartet, and served as principal second violin in the South Dakota Symphony.  She has been a member of the Quad City Symphony since 1998.

Dortha DeWit was born in Anchorage, Alaska and grew up in Michigan.  Her early violin studies were with her mother, Jean Manning, also a violinist, teacher and conductor; later teachers included Romeo Tata, Roland and Almita Vamos, Richard Young, and Josef Gingold.  She

holds a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music from Indiana University, where she also did doctoral coursework.  She has performed with orchestras and in solo and chamber recitals throughout the Midwest.  In addition to maintaining a private violin and viola studio, Mrs. DeWit teaches at Augustana College. She has also taught at St. Ambrose University and has done lessons and workshops for public schools including the North Muskegon (MI) Public Schools and the Davenportand Bettendorf School Districts.  Her orchestral experience includes the Quad City Symphony, where she is currently assistant principle second violin, West Shore Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, and the Clinton Symphony, in addition to working with orchestras in Quincy IL, Galesburg IL, and Evansville IN.  Mrs. DeWit conducted the SEISTA Junior Honors Orchestra in 2014.  She helped found the Quad City Youth Symphony Youth String Ensemble and was its principal conductor for twenty-two years, and she was also instrumental in forming the Quad City Youth Prelude Strings, conducting that ensemble for five years.  Mrs. DeWit is 30-year member of the Quad City Symphony as well as playing in the Serenata String Trio and a clarinet, violin and piano trio at Augustana College.

We are all looking forward to a wonderful 2014-15 season.  Please don't forget that the final QCSYEs concert will be on May 4, 2014 at Centennial Hall, Augustana College, in Rock Island.  You can purchase tickets to this season finale here.

Des Moines - AARP thanks the Iowa House and Senate for coming together and passing Senate File 2239, a bill that for the first time creates a definition of elder abuse and specific protections for older Iowans and their families against elder financial exploitation.

"We applaud the bipartisan work of Iowa lawmakers to create a definition of elder abuse and provide new protection from financial exploitation," said Kent Sovern, AARP Iowa State Director. "In tandem with the Iowa's new Uniform Power of Attorney Act, also passed by the General Assembly this session, Iowans can expect greater protection from the devastating effects of financial exploitation and abuse," said Sovern.

"This bill is a good compromise and a much-needed step toward better defense against financial exploitation, one of the most common types of elder abuse," said Sovern. The bill will allow Iowans to seek protective orders against perpetrators of financial exploitation to put a stop to this form of abuse. "While it is unfortunate this final bill does not include criminal sanctions as originally passed by both the House and Senate, we look forward to working with state leaders and stakeholders to establish criminal provisions next session."

For the past two years, AARP Iowa has been active on the Iowa Elder Abuse Taskforce, working with state leaders, advocates and other organizations appointed by the Iowa General Assembly to study the issue of elder abuse in our state and recommend actions to combat it.  Creating an elder abuse definition and better combatting financial exploitation were the top consensus taskforce recommendations.

AARP particularly thanks Rep. Lisa Heddens (D), Rep. Chip Baltimore (R) and Sen. Mary Jo Wilhelm (D) for their leadership on this important protection for older Iowans and their families.

Protecting the financial security of older Iowans has been a top priority of AARP in Iowa and nationally. Since the Association's founding more than half a century ago, AARP has been at the forefront of fighting for protections against financial exploitation of older Americans in statehouses across the country.

# # #

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of more than 37 million, that helps people turn their goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare, employment security and retirement planning. We advocate for consumers in the marketplace by selecting products and services of high quality and value to carry the AARP name as well as help our members obtain discounts on a wide range of products, travel, and services.  A trusted source for lifestyle tips, news and educational information, AARP produces AARP The Magazine, the world's largest circulation magazine; AARP Bulletin; www.aarp.org; AARP TV & Radio; AARP Books; and AARP VIVA, a bilingual news source.  AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to political campaigns or candidates.  The AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. AARP has staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands. More www.aarp.org.