After remaining missing for 70 years, Clinton native 1st Lt. Longman to return home Saturday to final resting place at Rock Island Arsenal National Cemetery

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry Branstad has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in Iowa from 5 p.m. Friday, April 11, 2014, until 8 a.m. Monday, April 14, 2014, in honor of U.S. Army Air Corps 1st Lt. Louis L. Longman, formerly of Clinton, Iowa. A photo of 1st Lt. Longman may be found here.

Longman, a 26-year old Clinton, Iowa native serving with the 433rd Fighter Squadron, 475th Fighter Group, 5th Air Force, U.S. Army Air Corps, was last seen April 16, 1944 as his unit returned from a B-25 bomber escort mission over Hollandia, New Guinea. A Lockheed P-38 "Lightning" fighter pilot, Longman was on the return leg of the mission in a P-38J aircraft when his unit encountered severe weather in the Markham Valley. Longman's last reported location was in the vicinity of Bogadjim, New Guinea, as his formation broke up. The 5th Air Force lost 53 pilots and crewmen that day in what became known as "Black Sunday."

Longman was officially declared deceased on Feb. 27, 1946, but his remains were never recovered. In February 2005, the Joint Prisoners of War/Missing in Action Accounting Command - Central Identification Laboratory (JPAC) received information of a possible aircraft crash site in Madang province, Papua New Guinea. In August 2007, human remains, as well as parts of a U.S. P-38J aircraft were recovered by a JPAC Investigation Team. Additional remains and physical evidence were also recovered in 2009 and 2010 by JPAC personnel.

In 2011, JPAC's Research and Analysis Group concluded a historical association drawn from Missing Air Crew Report #4501 and the excavation site. The location of the excavated aircraft crash site and the wreckage reported by JPAC personnel, consistent with a Lockheed P-38J Lightning, support this historical association.

Louis Longman was born Jan. 23, 1918 in Murdock, Minn. to George F. and Ellen T. (Cleary) Longman. He graduated from St. Mary's High School in Clinton, Iowa in 1936, and participated in a wide variety of school activities, including basketball, football (All-State honorable mention), yearbook sports editor, dramatics, and class officer positions.

Longman enlisted in the U.S. Army on Feb. 19, 1942, and transferred into the U.S. Army Air Corps in June. Longman completed his primary flight training at Cal-Aero Academy in Ontario, Calif., then completed Basic (Merced Army Airfield, Merced, Calif.) and Advanced (Williams Army Airfield, Mesa, Ariz.) Flight Training, receiving his pilot wings on April 12, 1943. He left the U.S. for duty in the Pacific theater in July 1943 and was assigned to the 433rd Fighter Squadron, 475th Fighter Group, 5th Air Force, U.S. Army Air Corps.

Among his military awards and honors is the Air Medal (with numeral "2"), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (w/4 Bronze Service Stars), World War II Victory Medal and Pilot Wings.

He was preceded in death by his parents. His four brothers and four sisters are also deceased.

A memorial service and interment will be held at the Rock Island Arsenal National Cemetery, 1 Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, Ill. on April 12, 2014 at 1 p.m., with full military honors provided by the Iowa National Guard. Please use the Moline entrance. The public is welcome to attend the memorial service.

The Governor's directive applies to all U.S. and state flags under the control of the state. H.R. 692, signed in 2007, requires federal government agencies in the state to comply with the Governor's Executive Order that the U.S. flag be flown at half-staff in the event of the death of a member of the Armed Forces.

Flags will be at half-staff on the State Capitol Building and on flag displays in the Capitol Complex, and upon all public buildings, grounds, and facilities throughout the state. Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flag at half-staff for the same length of time as a sign of respect.

The Mallards rebounded to take a 2-1 lead with a pair of first period goals after Rapid City's Sean Erickson opened the scoring from the right wing boards at 7:37 of the first.  Frazee's blast from the right wing circle deadlocked the contest at 15:28.  The Mallards moved in front with just 18 seconds left in the period when Jeff Lee jammed in a point blank power play goal.

After a scoreless second period, the Mallards pulled away with three goals in the third.  Mike Stinziani widened the gap to 3-1 on a breakaway at 11:18.  Frazee's empty net goal put the contest beyond the Rush's reach with just one minute and 15 seconds left.  Jordan Mayer capped off the victory by scoring another breakaway goal with only 38 seconds remaining.

The Mallards host game four Friday night at 7:05 p.m and game five Saturday evening at 7:05 p.m.  Should a sixth game be required, the series will shift back to Rapid City next Tuesday.  If the series goes to a seventh game, the Rush would host the deciding contest next Wednesday.

This Friday evening brings not only game four between the Mallards and Rush but also the return of the Mallards' popular $1 Dog/$1 Dollar Beer Night presented by 97X.  $1 beers will be available at iWireless Center concession stands from the time doors open at 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.  $1 hot dogs will be available throughout the game.

Tickets for Mallards home playoff games can be purchased in person at the iWireless Center box office, online at ticketmaster.com, at Ticketmaster outlets or through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone toll free at 1-800-745-3000.  The ticket office is open weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and on game days from 10:00 a.m. until the start of the second period.

About the Quad City Mallards
A proud affiliate of the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild and the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild, the Quad City Mallards are in the midst of their seventeenth season their fourth in the Central Hockey League.  One of the winningest teams in all of minor league hockey, the Mallards competed in the United Hockey League from 1995 through 2007 and in the International Hockey League in 2009-10.  The Mallards' proud history has seen them capture the UHL's Colonial Cup Championship three times (1997, 1998, 2001) and secure that league's Tarry Cup four times (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002) for the best overall regular season record.  In 2001, the Mallards made professional hockey history, recording their sixth consecutive season with 50 or more wins, a feat that has yet to be matched.  The iWireless Center provides a unique environment for hockey and features one-of-a-kind seating areas such as the Nest for groups and functions and the exclusive Drake Club.  For more information on the Quad City Mallards or for Mallards tickets go to www.myqcmallards.net.  Fans can also follow the Mallards via Twitter at twitter.com/myqcmallards and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/quadcitymallards.

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New Multi-Year Plan Will Improve 1,845 Miles of Highway, Replace or Rehabilitate 384 Bridges and Make Major Investments in Public Transit

"This comprehensive plan for our highways, public transit, rail and airport projects will make critical repairs and major improvements across Illinois," Governor Quinn said. "A booming economy requires a 21st century infrastructure. Our infrastructure plan will create thousands of construction jobs now while paving the way for more jobs and economic development in the future."

The fiscal years 2015-2020 highway improvement program will improve 1,845 miles of highway and replace or rehabilitate 384 bridges across Illinois. Among hundreds of projects across the state, the plan includes:

• $308.6 million for construction of a new I-74/US 6 bridge in Moline
• $107.9 million for bridge replacements on the Stevenson Expressway in Chicago
• $110 million for the Alton-Godfrey Expressway
• $204.4 million for US 150 improvements including a bridge replacement in Peoria
• $76.4 million for bridge replacements along I-80 in Will County
• $71 million for a new I-64 bridge over the Wabash River in White County
• $29 million to reconstruct IL Rt. 2/North Main in Rockford
• $52 million for work on I-74 near Champaign and Danville
• $65.2 million for work on IL Rt. 47 in Kendall County
• $27.8 million for resurfacing and bridge work on I-72/US 51 in Decatur
• $27.7 million for improvements to I-72 between New Berlin and Chatham Road in Sangamon County
• $73.9 million for I-70 resurfacing and bridge repair in the Effingham area
• $36.2 million for I-57 road and bridge work around Kankakee
• $65 million for improvements to Route 104 in Morgan and Pike Counties

The improvement program also includes $1.85 billion for public transportation and $800 million for airports with $161 million for fiscal year 2015. Highlights include :

• $60 million to re-establish passenger rail service, which includes a new station in South Elgin for the Chicago-Rockford-Dubuque Corridor in Cook, DuPage and Kane Counties
• $585.1 million to purchase up to 160 Electric Highliner Metra Commuter Cars
• $222 million to provide new intercity passenger rail service between Chicago and Moline for the Chicago-Quad Cities-Iowa City Corridor in Cook and DuPage Counties
• $132.6 million for the Englewood Flyover to reduce Amtrak, Metra and freight passenger rail congestion
• Funding to continue land acquisition and pursue final approval of the South Suburban Airport with the Federal Aviation Administration
• $2.45 million to purchase four 35-foot diesel buses, three super medium duty diesel buses, eight medium duty diesel buses and one minivan for replacement for the Southeastern Illinois RIDES Mass Transit District

"We have made tremendous progress the past few years toward improving the state's transportation infrastructure," Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider said. "However, with federal revenue sources dwindling and the end in sight for Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! program, I look forward to supporting the Governor's call for a bipartisan working group to find ways to continue this progress."

"Replacing the functionally obsolete I-74 bridge across the Mississippi River will not only increase safety but it will create jobs and economic growth across our region," Congresswoman Cheri Bustos said. "I am encouraged that Governor Quinn has included this important project in this construction plan and I will continue to work with local, state and federal leaders to ensure it remains prioritized and continues to move forward."

For fiscal year 2015, which begins July 1, 2014, the program has allocated $1.88 billion for road projects, $1.85 billion for public transportation, $2.7 million for rail and $161 million for airport improvements. For the six years of the plan, a total of $5.82 billion is targeted to state highway system improvements with $2.77 billion going toward local transportation needs.

The plan includes $6.99 billion in anticipated federal funds, $1.16 billion in state funds and the remaining $450 million from local and other sources. The $158 million remaining for road and bridge projects from Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program is also included in this multi-year program.

Projects that are part of the fiscal years 2015-2020 program will begin after July 1 of this year. Of those projects, IDOT is offering contractors a reimbursement rate of $15 an hour for hiring graduates of the Highway Construction Careers Training Program, an IDOT-sponsored initiative to encourage women and minorities to pursue careers in the transportation construction industry.

The Governor is also asking the Illinois General Assembly to form a bipartisan working group to establish the next capital bill to ensure our roads, rail, transit and airports receive additional funding to ensure they are reliable and efficient for the future. Thanks to the Illinois Jobs Now capital bill more than $15.12 billion has been invested in the state's highways system alone from January 2009 through March 2013, improving more than 7,700 miles of roadways and more than 1,330 bridges.

Today's announcement follows news yesterday that Standard and Poor's has joined the other two bond rating agencies in noting Illinois' progress in addressing its budget challenges. The agencies recognized the hard work the state has done to cut costs, pay down old bills and pass a comprehensive pension reform plan. Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch agreed that Governor Quinn's proposed fiscal year 2015 Budget could bring long-term fiscal stability to Illinois.

The multi-year transportation program builds upon the success of Governor Quinn's $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! program, which is supporting more than 400,000 jobs over six years. It is the largest construction program in Illinois history, and is one of the largest construction programs in the nation. Prior to its passage by the Illinois General Assembly in 2009, Illinois had gone nearly a decade without a major program to address its critical infrastructure needs.

Plan highlights can be found at dot.il.gov.

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ROCK ISLAND, IL (04/09/2014)(readMedia)-- Twelve Augustana seniors majoring in art will display their work at the Augustana Teaching Museum of Art (3703 7th Ave., Rock Island, Ill.), as part of New Departures: Senior Art Show. The exhibition opens Tuesday, April 29, and runs through Sunday, May 25. The museum is open from noon to 4 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays, and closed for final exams May 19-22.

The show exhibits work by studio art and graphic design majors who graduate this year. Displaying artwork in a variety of media, from painting and photography to quilting and video, the exhibition is the culmination of the students' Senior Inquiry process and overall academic experience. As the capstone project for every graduating Augustana student, Senior Inquiry encourages seniors to demonstrate the critical thinking and communication skills they've developed in their major and throughout their liberal arts education, and to reflect on the value of their work for their future profession and for the common good.

Each student has been guided by a faculty mentor and has worked countless hours to create and professionally display his or her original, completed work and progress during the past four years. The exhibiting artists will discuss their work in the Augustana Teaching Museum of Art's Centennial Hall gallery during a gallery talk at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 7. The public also is invited to the graduation day reception for the exhibition from 12:45-2 p.m. on Sunday, May 25.

Projects by students from our area featured in the exhibition include :

Monica Hill of Carbon Cliff and Rajinder Kaur of Silvis

Founded in 1860, Augustana College is a selective four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences. The college is recognized for the innovative program Augie Choice, which provides each student up to $2,000 to pursue a high-impact learning experience such as study abroad, an internship or research with a professor. Current students and alumni include 149 Academic All-Americans, a Nobel laureate, 13 college presidents and other distinguished leaders. The college enrolls 2,500 students and is located along one of the world's most important waterways, the Mississippi River, in a community that reflects the diversity of the United States.