Postseason Tickets Start at Just $2

MOLINE, Ill. (March 27, 2014) - The Quad City Mallards will host games three and four of their best-of-seven opening round Central Hockey League playoff series Wednesday night, April 9 and Friday night, April 11 at 7:05 p.m. and, if necessary, will play the fifth game of that series on home ice on Saturday evening, April 12 at 7:05 p.m., the Mallards announced today.

Playoff tickets go on sale tomorrow 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.  All tickets (other than glass seats) for the April 9's game three will be available for just $2.  Glass seats for all playoff games are $25.  Seats for games four and, if necessary, game five will be available for $7, $10 and $25.

The Mallards, who clinched a playoff berth last weekend, are in fifth place in the CHL with three regular season games remaining.  The Mallards can still finish anywhere between fifth and eighth and are guaranteed they will play the first two games of round one and, if necessary, games six and seven on the road.  The Mallards will open the postseason next week on a date to be determined against one of four potential opponents- the Missouri Mavericks, Denver Cutthroats, Allen Americans and Rapid City Rush. 

Should the Mallards advance to the second round, all tickets (not including glass seats) for any weeknight home games will be available for just $3 while seats for any round two home tilts played on Friday, Saturday or Sundaycould be had for $10, $12 and $25.  

  

The Mallards close out the regular season this weekend.  They meet the Chill in St. Charles tomorrow night andSaturday evening before returning home for their regular season finale Sunday at 4:05 p.m. against the Missouri Mavericks.  Sunday is Fan Appreciation Day at the iWireless Center featuring prize giveaways, a postgame skate with the Mallards, free popcorn and a game worn jersey auction.

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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April 9th, Pollinators - At Your Service, 6:30 pm at Main Library. You know the daytime pollinators because you see them.  What about those that come out at night?  They don't all fly.  What can you do to welcome them?  Get to know our area pollinators because you as one person, can make a big difference - come and find out how.  Handouts will be available.

 

April 17th, Putting Some Herbs in Your Life, 6:30 pm at Main Library -Herbs add flavor and color to your garden and your home.  Peg Christensen, from QC Herbs, will share her knowledge about herbs, how easily you can add them to most areas of your life - kitchen, bathroom, closets, and more.  Bring your questions and your curiosity!

 

Where? Main Library Community Room, 401 19th Street. Free!

 

Money Smart Week Community Shred Day: Saturday, April 12, 10 am to noon, Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street. Identity protection project for Money Smart Week. Bring personal papers to be shredded in bulk by Document Destruction & Recycling Service (DDRS). Drive up, drop off, for secure bulk shredding offsite at the DDRS plant in Davenport.

 

Dance along with "Pete the Cat" at a special Hug-A-Book Spring all ages early learning event on  Monday, April 7, at 6:00 pm, at the Rock Island Main Library,  401 19th Street.

 

Based on the popular children's books about the groovy blue cat, the Pete the Cat series includes Four Groovy Buttons and Rocking In My School Shoes.

 

Join us for dancing, Pete the Cat stories, a sing-a-long and Pete the Cat crafts, including shoe decorating and making a Pete the Cat puppet. Giveaways include Pete the Cat bags and bookmarks. And, you can also enter a random drawing for a stuffed Pete the Cat toy. To really get in the Pete the Cat spirit, dress the part by wearing your groovy buttons or cool tennis shoes!

 

This special Spring Hug-A-Book event is funded by the Merrill Harris Memorial of the Rock Island Public Library Foundation. Hug-A-Book is an early learning program designed to build a love of books and reading in children.

 

The event is free and open to the public.

 


Revenue, citizens from every corner of Illinois rally and lobby legislators to pass the bill, letting voters decide in November

Springfield, IL - Nearly 1,000 citizens gathered at the Capitol Building in Springfield today, loudly denouncing a House committee vote in progress that stalled Fair Tax legislation in the short term, while standing with Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) and a dozen other legislators to demand Springfield politicians pass the Fair Tax Act. With less than 40 days until the May 4th deadline, citizens from every corner of Illinois rallied in the Rotunda and later met with their representatives to demand a chance to vote on a Fair Tax in November.

"Do not despair the action in the House today," Sen. Harmon declared to thundering applause. "This fight has just begun!"  Harmon promised the Senate would continue to lead on the Fair Tax Amendment, while Speaker Madigan's proposed millionaire's tax advanced to a full House vote. Harmon and others stressed the need to pass a Fair Tax to ensure tax relief for 94% of Illinois families, in addition to the higher rates for higher incomes in a millionaire's tax.

A Fair Tax, with lower rates for lower incomes and higher rates for higher incomes, is supported by 77% of Illinois voters.  Currently, Illinois lawmakers are prohibited ? constitutionally barred?from enacting a Fair Tax.  The Fair Tax Act allows citizens to vote on whether to not they want a Fair Tax in the upcoming November election. On Tuesday Harmon unveiled a Fair Tax rate structure that cut taxes for 94% of Illinoisans, including everyone earning up to $200,000.

"The choice we have is to extend the flat tax or to cut 13,400 teachers from the classroom, to take 95,000 kids off of early childhood education, to say 'no' to 30,000 college students wishing to get a MAP grant, to close 11 prisons and release 15,000 prisoners, to lay off 3,000 corrections officers, to cut the state police by 30%," said Sen. Harmon. "This is a third way. This is a way to provide the services people need and to do so in a way that provides tax relief for 94% of Illinois families."

"It's not right that a home care worker like me who makes on average $13,000 a year should pay the exact same tax rate as a CEO who makes $1.3 million dollars every year," said Yvette Anderson. "We all know there is something very unfair about that."

Anderson, a home care provider from Chicago, was joined by Faith Arnold, who owns her own child care business in Chicago's west suburbs. "Critical programs like child care are constantly under threat of devastating cuts, and access has already been reduced for a number of Illinois families who need quality care so they can go to work and support themselves and their children," said Arnold.

Mark Garrity, owner of Garrity Equipment Company of Downers Grovetold the crowd that a Fair Tax is essential for Illinois' small businesses.  "There's no surer way to grow Illinois' small businesses and create jobs than a Fair Tax that puts more money in the hands of lower and middle income taxpayers, empowering them to spend that money supporting my business and businesses throughout Illinois," said Garrity.

Arne Waltmire, a high school automotive teacher from McHenry County, noted that good schools draw people and businesses to communities in Illinois.  He cited a news article about citizens in the Quad Cities moving to Iowa, a Fair Tax state, because their schools receive better support from the state.  Waltmire noted that Illinois ranks dead-last in state support of education and often the state is late paying its bills to local school districts.

"We can't rely on the Springfield to provide stable funding for our schools.  Local school districts don't know where their funding will come from and when," said Waltmire. "I expect my teenage students to turn in their homework in on time. Why do I expect more from teenagers than adults in Springfield?"

For months, the large and growing statewide coalition known as A Better Illinois has been advocating for a Fair Tax.  It has drawn support from every single legislative district - Republican and Democrat - including nearly 250,000 petition signatures, nearly 500 community and civic organizations, including both business and labor alike.

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Russell Welcomes New Real Estate Leadership to Growing Team  Davenport, IA - For 30 years, Russell has experienced tremendous growth as a Construction Manager, Design/Builder and General Contractor on a local and regional level. The company has also performed real estate development services on a less formal basis, and is positioning itself for growth in this arena through the addition of two real estate development professionals. Russell is pleased to announce the addition of David Smith and Jennifer Belby to the Russell team. 

"Since our inception, Russell has been a relationship-based company providing more than traditional construction services. I remain committed to formalizing and growing the real estate service line of our company to continue our growth, and give our clients an even deeper level of expertise in conceptualizing and executing their capital projects," stated Jim Russell, President/CEO of Russell.

Serving as Russell's Vice President of Real Estate, David Smith brings 25 years of experience in the building and real estate business and leadership in the development of over 2.8 million square feet of retail space on a national level. He also has extensive experience in the fields of leasing, property management, and tenant negotiations. David is a lifetime resident of Bettendorf, and has had deep and lasting Quad Cities community involvement.  

Jennifer Belby joins Russell as Corporate Counsel and Director of Real Estate. In this role, Jennifer will serve as general counsel for the company, and brings eight years of contract negotiation and execution experience, property management and real estate law expertise. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Iowa, and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Iowa College of Law.  

"I am thrilled to have people of this caliber on our team to provide an even higher level of attention and specialized leadership to the real estate needs of our clients," noted Russell.

Serving as Russell's Vice President of Real Estate, David Smith brings 25 years of experience in the building and real estate business and leadership in the development of over 2.8 million square feet of retail space on a national level. He also has extensive experience in the fields of leasing, property management, and tenant negotiations. David is a lifetime resident of Bettendorf, and has had deep and lasting Quad Cities community involvement.  Jennifer Belby joins Russell as Corporate Counsel and Director of Real Estate. In this role, Jennifer will serve as general counsel for the company, and brings eight years of contract negotiation and execution experience, property management and real estate law expertise. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Iowa, and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Iowa College of Law.  "I am thrilled to have people of this caliber on our team to provide an even higher level of attention and specialized leadership to the real estate needs of our clients," noted Russell.

IOWA CITY, IA (03/27/2014)(readMedia)-- Approximately 60 University of Iowa students will participate in the 2014 Hawkeye Caucus, held on April 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines.

The annual Hawkeye Caucus is a major gathering of UI students, university leaders, and state legislators, demonstrating the university's commitment to statewide service. The event connects UI students with state leaders while showcasing the people and programs from the UI that are making an impact across the state.

The following UI students from your area will be participating in the event:

Elizabeth Baer of Bettendorf

Mackenzie Leonard of DeWitt

Saad Ansari of Clinton

Drew Lakin of Clinton

Tyler Finchum of Muscatine

Alyson Wennlund of Bettendorf

Dexter Golinghorst of Walcott

CHICAGO - March 27, 2013. Working to promote entrepreneurship and increase the number of women-owned businesses in Illinois, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon will address participants at 11 a.m. on Thursday during the 2nd Annual 2014 Women Business Owners Symposium (WBOS) at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago.

"The business leaders of tomorrow are gathered here today," said Simon. "Since January 2010, Illinois has added 257,000 private sector jobs, many of which can be attributed to women-owned businesses. From home offices to board rooms, women are a vital force creating jobs and providing economic opportunities in our state."

With over 1,300 registered participants, the full-day program will gather many of Illinois' innovators, trendsetters and business leaders for a symposium on developing and advancing business goals. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) touts the event as an opportunity to receive resources like information on state programs and grants and on-site counseling in key areas of business development and sustainability. For more information, please visit www.ildceo.net/WBOS or call (217) 558-1630.

Panel discussions at the event will examine state-funded programming and procurement opportunities, access to capital, Affordable Care Act and small business opportunities, the women equal pay initiative, information technology and accessing new markets in both the public and private sectors. Moderated by Chicago Tribune Business Columnist Melissa Harris, the free event will include Acting Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration Marianne O'Brien Markowitz and Nicor Gas President Beth Reese as keynote speakers.  

 

According to the National Women's Business Council, women-owned firms make up 28.7 percent of all non-farm businesses across the country and generate $1.2 trillion in total receipts. Top industries for women-owned businesses include : educational services (45.9 percent of all businesses are women-owned), administration and support and waste management and remediation services (37.0 percent), retail trade (34.4 percent), and arts, entertainment, and recreation (30.4 percent).

As chair of the Interagency Military Base Support and Economic Development Committee (IMBSEDC) and 25-member Governor's Rural Affairs Council (GRAC), Simon is working to expand economic opportunities and encourage job growth throughout Illinois.

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Up to $30 Million in Federal Resources to Eliminate Blighted Properties, Provide Fiscal Boost to Neighborhoods

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today announced the U.S. Department of the Treasury will support the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) efforts to leverage up to $30 million of its federal Hardest Hit Fund (HHF) resources to eliminate blight in communities throughout the state. Today's announcement is part of Governor Quinn's commitment to stabilize neighborhoods and return vacant properties to productive use to advance the economy.

"I thank the Obama administration for this important federal resource that will help us continue to keep our communities strong," Governor Quinn said. "Our efforts to keep people in their homes have worked to stem the tide of foreclosures across Illinois. This new program will further stabilize neighborhoods by addressing abandoned and neglected properties that lure crime and reduce property values."  

"Neighborhoods across Illinois continue to struggle with the damaging effects caused by vacant and blighted properties, which hurt home values and weaken efforts to stabilize communities," U.S. Treasury Under Secretary Mary Miller said. "The U.S. Treasury is pleased to work with the state of Illinois as they launch this new effort to eliminate neighborhood blight and strengthen communities hardest hit by the economic crisis."

IHDA will partner with eligible municipalities burdened with high vacancies to collaborate with not-for-profit organizations to implement the new "Blight Reduction Program" by this summer. This new effort builds on existing state programs targeted to help communities hit hard by the national financial crisis. With vacant properties damaging surrounding property values and fostering crime, removing vacant and blighted properties is the critical next step to preventing avoidable foreclosures and contributes to community stabilization efforts.

IHDA was awarded $445 million in federal foreclosure prevention resources under the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Hardest Hit Fund (HHF). Illinois was one of 18 states and the District of Columbia to receive HHF funding. The Blight Reduction Program will be the fourth program launched with HHF resources. The first was the Homeowner Emergency Loan Program, which has provided direct financial assistance to 12,400 homeowners in distress, allowing them to stay in their homes. Two other programs, the Mortgage Resolution Fund (MRF) and the Home Preservation Program (HPP) launched with Hardest Hit Funds provide loan modifications to underwater and delinquent borrowers. Through its partners in these programs, the State has facilitated loan modifications to 395 distressed Illinois homeowners.

In addition to these programs, the Governor:

  • ·         Launched the Illinois Foreclosure Prevention Network (IFPN), a one-stop comprehensive, free resource to connect struggling homeowners with a safe and trusted source for assistance to keep them in their homes and help them from being victims of mortgage fraud. More than 1 million families have accessed this free assistance through the IFPN. Homeowners seeking assistance should visit the IFPN website athttp://keepyourhomeillinois.org/ or call the hotline at 855-KEEP-411.
  • ·         Created Illinois Building Blocks program - available in 15 Illinois communities, buyers of vacant homes can access $10,000 in cash assistance to purchase a home. The program also provides funds for the re-development of vacant homes. To date, over 700 vacant homes have been purchased through this program.
  • ·         Launched the Illinois Homebuyer Rehabilitation Assistance Program - $6.6 million to 16 public and not-for-profit organizations to allow 240 low- to moderate-income homebuyers of vacant homes to apply for rehabilitation grants in seven targeted communities.
  • ·         Administered the Neighborhood Stabilization Program to purchase and rehabilitate 240 rental units and 106 foreclosed and abandoned homes that might otherwise become sources of abandonment and blight. An additional 29 blighted properties have been demolished.

Today's announcement providing resources for blight elimination is part of the next phase of Governor Quinn's ongoing commitment to help stabilize our communities and drive our economy forward.

"Governor Quinn's leadership has positively impacted struggling homeowners and hard-hit communities," IHDA Executive Director Mary R. Kenney said. "The Blight Reduction Program is the latest move in our holistic strategy to help neighborhoods fight the cycle of vacancy and blight and reinvigorate the economy."

For more information about these programs, please seehttp://ihda.org/.

About the Illinois Housing Development Authority

IHDA (http://ihda.org/) is a self-supporting state agency that finances the creation and the preservation of affordable housing across Illinois. Since its creation in 1967, IHDA has allocated $12.4 billion and financed approximately 240,000 affordable units across the state.

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The 32nd Annual CASI St. Patrick's Day Races Presented by Russell Construction was a tremendous success! We had more than 2,600 runners and several hundred spectators filling the streets and sidewalks of Downtown Davenport on March 15!  The race committees and two hundred plus volunteers did an outstanding job in organizing and staffing the event.  

With all the support and involvement from our community, CASI (Center for Active Seniors, Inc.) raised over $65,000 from this year's event!! 100% of these proceeds will go to provide services and programs to seniors and their families, living in the Quad Cities Area. 

The success of this race was due to the fantastic support of our sponsors, donors, participants, volunteers and the City of Davenport - Events of this magnitude would not be possible without generous contributions from all!

For participants that have questions about receiving their plaques or t-shirts please call contact CASI at 563-386-7477.

For more information, please call:  Sarah Arp at 563.343.0038 (cell) or email at:  sarp@casiseniors.org

CASI, 1035 West Kimberly Road, Davenport, Iowa.  CASI is open Monday-Friday, 8am to 5pm.  www.CasiSeniors.org

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After the invasive species is identified in nine Iowa counties, Congressman leads bipartisan push to ensure Iowa has same resources as other states  

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today wrote congressional leaders in order to ensure that Iowa would have the same resources as other states as they combat the emerald ash borer?an invasive species that could potentially cause billions of dollars in damage in Iowa.

"Resources were available to other states when they had this problem? and now Iowans deserve the same treatment and I'm going to fight to make sure they get it," Braley said. "This beetle infestation is a significant cost for communities and homeowners across the state and it's important we fight to make sure Iowans have the help they need."

Braley has received bipartisan support for the letter, which is signed by an additional 20 lawmakers, to fight the invasive beetle now confirmed in more than 20 states and at least nine Iowa counties. States that found cases of the beetle in years past were given resources to aid in the mitigation and removal of infected trees, but federal funding has since been drastically cut, leaving states like Iowa with limited resources to combat the problem.

"Because this invasive species has continued to spread each year, this matter should be prioritized and efforts should be targeted to address the damage caused by the emerald ash borer. A failure to do so will undoubtedly result in this costly problem spreading to additional areas, and an even greater demand for financial resources in the future," Braley's letter reads.

Each infected ash tree must be removed to maintain safety on public and private land, costing roughly $1000 for the removal and disposal of each tree.  

   

Last month, Braley introduced legislation restoring funding to a program that helps combat the emerald ash borer. 

In January, Braley wrote a letter to Secretary Tom Vilsack at the US Department of Agriculture urging him to take the necessary steps to protect Iowa's ash trees from the beetle.

Full text of the letter is available below and HERE:


Calhoun County Labre Crop Consulting Earns RRIA Entrepreneur Spotlight

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa - March 27, 2014 -- Iowa farmers are always looking for ways to improve soil health, yield and watershed management, and the latest winner of the Iowa Farm Bureau Renew Rural Iowa Entrepreneur award is a company which is riding the exploding wave of technology to help them accomplish their conservation goals.  Labre Crop Consulting of Monroe, started by Calhoun County farmer Brent Johnson, is a crop consulting and data management business which can help farmers do everything from assess the efficiency of fertilizer applications on their fields, to improve soil and watershed conservation.

Started in 2006, Labre uses GPS technology, soil sampling and drone-gathered imaging to make highly detailed, custom recommendations for farmers.  "We started by working a lot of telematics and different things to transfer information we gathered from farm operations and remote sensing equipment to help farmers make the best decisions for their farms," says Johnson.  But the fast-moving drone technology market has helped Labre take their assessments to a whole new level.  "For example, now you can capture very exacting pictures from these drones and each pixel within that picture now has information tied to that pixel; our pixel sizes are basically one inch ground resolutions, so we can even identify individual plants.  We measure slopes, watersheds and emergent patterns in corn fields.  We can do tile lines too because that technology helps us capture slope and the watershed movement on the land," says Johnson.

Because of the demand for this type of customized information, Labre has grown from a company with a couple consultants to one with nine full-time employees and ten seasonal employees.  Calhoun County Economic Development Executive Director Pam Anderson says that kind of success is a real benefit to the entire area.  "We don't have a lot of industries here in Calhoun County, so small businesses make up a lot of our economy.  As for labor, keeping our young people local is important because we want them to stay around and work and raise their families here.  Labre is helping us do that," says Anderson.

"Renew Rural Iowa is all about helping small businesses grow and thrive in rural Iowa because we know how vital they are to the sustainability of our rural communities," says IFBF Economic Development Administrator Sandy Ehrig.  Farm Bureau's Renew Rural Iowa program has helped more than 2,500 Iowans successfully own and grow their business since the program launched in 2006.  This year, RRIA has a new seminar content, online curriculum, exclusive peer forums for those who qualify and financial advice are now available to Iowa entrepreneurs. More than 35 RRIA seminars have been held around the state since the program began, connecting entrepreneurs, business leader mentors and finance opportunities.  Renew Rural Iowa presents "Export Compliance "on April 23 - 24 for companies concerned with international shipments.   "The Journey to Your Vision" is offered on June 4 in Chariton.  For more information, go to www.renewruraliowa.com.                                    

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About Iowa Farm Bureau
The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is a grassroots, statewide organization dedicated to enhancing the People, Progress and Pride of Iowa. More than 153,000 families in Iowa are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve farm and rural prosperity. For more information about Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit the online media center at www.iowafarmbureau.com.

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