Joins Residents of Washington as Year Comes to a Close; Signs Legislation to Aid Communities Recovering From Natural Disasters

WASHINGTON - As 2013 draws to a close, Governor Pat Quinn today visited the tornado-ravaged community of Washington to encourage residents to take advantage of the federal aid available for those impacted by the deadly storms on November 17. The Governor also signed legislation that is part of his commitment to ensuring the state does everything necessary to help families and communities across Illinois as they rebuild and recover from the historic natural disasters that have struck Illinois this year.

"As Illinois heads into a new year, many of our neighbors in Central and Southern Illinois are continuing to rebuild their lives after deadly tornadoes ravaged their communities," Governor Quinn said. "Federal assistance is an important part of our recovery efforts and I urge everyone who suffered damage or loss to make sure they register for federal aid."

Governor Quinn successfully secured federal aid for 15 counties just nine days after a record 25 tornadoes caused widespread destruction across the state. The federal disaster declaration includes Champaign, Douglas, Fayette, Grundy, Jasper, LaSalle, Massac, Pope, Tazewell, Vermilion, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, Will and Woodford counties.

To date, more than 2,000 people in those counties have applied for assistance, with more than $1.6 million in federal grants and more than $5.6 million in low-interest loans already approved.

Anyone affected by the Nov. 17 tornadoes and severe storms is encouraged to register for federal assistance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which administers the assistance program, has a toll-free telephone number 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) (for hearing and speech impaired) to apply for assistance. Registration also can be done online at disasterassistance.gov or by smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov. The deadline to register for federal disaster aid is Jan. 27, 2014.

In addition to FEMA grants, disaster survivors may be eligible for low-interest loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), which were also made available under the federal disaster declaration.

The Governor today also signed Senate Bill 1955, which transfers $5.9 million to meet the state's cost-sharing obligations with FEMA for federal funds provided in response to the historic flooding that impacted counties across the state this spring. These funds represent the state's contribution to federal aid which has provided access to Individual Assistance grants that help affected people replace personal property lost or damaged during the disaster. The bill was sponsored by State Senator Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge) and House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) and passed both chambers of the General Assembly unanimously. It takes effect immediately.

"We need to be there for people when emergencies and disasters occur. This law means resources are available to help people get back on their feet in their time of need," Senator Kotowski said.

The Governor also recently signed House Bill 2778, which will allow more advanced life-saving equipment to be carried and used in emergency vehicles in rural areas where such services may be otherwise difficult to obtain. The new law allows the license of an ambulance operated in a rural area to be upgraded to reflect that of the staff member with the highest Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) rating. Sponsored by State Representative Don Moffitt (R-Galesburg) and State Senator Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet), the law passed both houses of the General Assembly unanimously and took effect immediately.

LINCOLN, NE (12/31/2013)(readMedia)--Andrew Harris Hathaway of Bettendorf was among more than 1,500 students who received degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln at commencement exercises Dec. 20 and 21.

Hathaway received a master of science degree from the Graduate College.

UNL awarded postgraduate degrees on Dec. 20 and baccalaureate degrees on Dec. 21 in ceremonies at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The College of Law conducted a separate ceremony on Dec. 20 at Ross McCollum Hall.

The commencement speakers were Karen Kunc, Willa Cather Professor and professor of art at UNL (postgraduate ceremony); former Nebraska Gov. and U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson (baccalaureate); and Judge William B. Cassel of the Nebraska Supreme Court (law).

The graduates are from 39 states and 38 countries. A full list of graduates can be found at http://go.unl.edu/28j4. The list includes 26 students who received degrees from the University of Nebraska at Omaha College of Public Affairs and Community Service, but studied on the UNL campus.

THIS WEEK
Monday, December 30, 6:10 p.m.
Powerade Centre, Brampton
Quad City Mallards vs. Brampton Beast

Friday, January 3, 7:05 p.m.
iWireless Center, Moline
St. Charles Chill vs. Quad City Mallards

Saturday, January 4, 7:05 p.m.
Family Arena, St. Charles
Quad City Mallards vs. St. Charles Chill

LAST WEEK
Friday, December 27
Quad City 5 Brampton 4

Saturday, December 28
Quad City 3 Brampton 2 (OT)

Quad City
14-6-5 (33 points)
5th place
Coach: Terry Ruskowski

Brampton
14-13-2 (30 points)
7th place
Coach: Mark DeSantis

QUACK TRACKS
Last Week
The Mallards rallied from 2-0 deficits Friday and Saturday to claim a pair of come from behind wins in Brampton.

Streaking
Saturday night's win was the Mallards fourth in a row. Their current winning streak is the Mallards' longest of the season. The Mallards have won their last four games after losing their prior three.

Climbing
Saturday night's Mallard win combined with Denver's overtime loss in Arizona enabled the Mallards to move out of a tie with the Cutthroats and into sole possession of fifth place. With a win tonight in Bramtpon the Mallards would leapfrog Allen and Tulsa and take over third place.

Sudden Death
Darren McMillan's goal 36 seconds into overtime Saturday night gave the Mallards their first sudden death victory of the season. The Mallards are 1-1 in games decided in overtime. Their overtime loss came at the hands of the Beast of December 7. The Mallards were no doubt happy to avoid the shootout Saturday evening having gone 1-4 in the shootout on the season.

Playing the Percentages
The Mallards, who have played fewer games (25) than any other CHL club, boast the league's third best winning percentage (.660).

On the Road
The Mallards have won three straight road games- their longest away winning streak of the season. With Saturday night's win, the Mallards have also moved over .500 (5-4-4) on the road this season.

Home Sweet Home
The Mallards are unbeaten in regulation (7-0-1) in their last eight home games. They have not suffered a regulation loss at the iWireless Center since being edged 4-3 by Brampton on November 2.

Goals, Goals, Goals
The Mallards have scored three goals or fewer in nine of their last ten games. On the season, the Mallards rank fourth in the league in goals per game (3.6) despite the fact no Mallard ranks in the top 25 in the CHL in points.

Little Big Man
Gabriel Levesque has scored four goals (and added an assist) in his last five games and has scored five times totaled eight points in his last eight games.

Leaders
Among rookies, Thomas Frazee is tied for second in assists (14), ranks third in points (21) and ranks seventh in goals (7)...Thomas Heemskerk and Ty Rimmer are tied for seventh in goals against average (2.76) while Heemskerk ranks seventh in save percentage (.911) and Rimmer eighth (.910).

Milestones
Matt Boyd last Friday in Brampton played his two hundredth career game...McMillan has collected 96 career CHL assists.

Special Teams
The Mallards rank last in the CHL in power play efficiency (12.3 percent). They have converted just one of their last 33 man advantage and just two of their last 49. The Mallards rank fourth in penalty killing (84.3 percent) after killing off 14 of their opponents' last 15 power plays. They are tied for third in shorthanded goals (5).

Head to Head
By winning each of the first two games of their three game series in Brampton, the Mallards have improved to 4-1-1 against the Beast this season. The Mallards have rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win in each of their last three games against the Beast, a comeback streak that started with a 3-2 victory on home ice on December 8. The Mallards have gone 4-0-1 against Brampton since losing their first ever meeting with the Beast on November 2. Gergo Nagy (3-5-8) and Jim McKenzie (3-5-8) are the top point scorers in the season series.

NEXT HOME GAME
Friday, January 3, 7:05 p.m.- Mallards vs. St. Charles Chill
$1 Dog/$1 Beer Friday Presented by 97X
January 3 is another $1 Dog/$1 Beer Night presented by 97X. $1 hot dogs and $1 beers are available at iWireless Center concession stands during each of the Mallards' 11 Friday night home games this season.

ON THE AIR
Fox Sports Radio 1230 is the radio home of Mallards Hockey Presented by Genesis Power Sports Performance.  Mallards games broadcast on AM 1230 also stream live online at www.wfxn.net.  A limited number of Mallards games- including tonight's- will not air on Fox Sports Radio 1230 due to conflicts with University of Illinois basketball and football and Green Bay Packer football.  Free audio webcasts of games that do not air on AM 1230 are available at myqcmallards.com.  CHL-TV pay-per-view video webcasts of all Mallards games are also available at myqcmallards.com.  For a full Mallards broadcast/webcast schedule, go to

TICKETS
Single Game Tickets
Single game tickets for all Mallards regular season contests are now available.  Fans can contact the Mallards at (309) 277-1364 orinfo@myqcmallards.com for more information about tickets.  Single game tickets are also available at the i wireless Center box office, at Ticketmaster outlets, through www.ticketmaster.com or through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone toll free.  The box 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.

Group Tickets
Groups of at least ten can receive savings off the walk-up price and a host of other great group benefits.  Mallards group tickets are a great fit for youth organizations, friends, co-workers, family groups, religious groups, school functions and business events.  For more group ticket information, fans can contact the Mallards at (309) 277-1364 or info@myqcmallards.com.

Chicago's brigade will provide sustainment support in Operation Enduring Freedom

FOREST PARK, IL (12/30/2013)(readMedia)-- Chicago's own 108th Sustainment Brigade will hold a deployment ceremony on Jan. 4. The unit's approximately 280 Illinois National Guard Soldiers will deploy to Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The ceremony will be Jan. 4 at 2 p.m. at the Living Word Christian Center, 7600 West Roosevelt Road, Forest Park, Ill.

The Soldiers will train for a brief time at Fort Hood, Texas, before deploying overseas for approximately 10 months. During the past year the unit has participated in training exercises in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and the Illinois National Guard's Marseilles Training Center in Marseilles in preparation for the deployment.

The 108th is composed of Soldiers from communities throughout Illinois, but with a large concentration of Soldiers from Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Officially opened in 1941, the unit's armory is on the city's northwest side.

In Kuwait, the 108th will provide mission command, and will conduct sustainment and supply, Army watercraft, postal, human resources, contract oversight and finance operations in support of the Unified Land Operations' mission. The brigade will directly support the 143rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) and 1st Theater Sustainment Command's ongoing support mission in Kuwait.

The unit is scheduled to return to Illinois in fall 2014.

News media attending the event should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the ceremony. For more information call the Public Affairs Office at 217-761-3569.

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