Players step off the ice and into the classroom to encourage students to excel

Davenport, IA - The entire Mallards' team is volunteering at five schools in the Rock Island/Milan and Davenport School districts to encourage grade-level students to play a more active role in their education. There are 18 volunteers in total, including the front office staff.

Each school has one team of volunteers who started visiting them in December and will continue to volunteer once a month for one hour. The schools they are visiting are Hayes, Monroe and Eisenhower in Davenport and Frances Willard and the Rock Island Center for Math & Science in Rock Island.

The volunteers spend one-on-one time with a group of students and discuss the importance of education and reading.

"We're grateful to the Mallards organization and the players for undertaking this meaningful volunteer opportunity," said United Way president Scott Crane. "Approximately 75% of the team's players have gone to college, so they are excellent role models for local students. We look forward to coordinating more volunteer opportunities in the community like this one that are making real impact in the Quad Cities."

"We are very thankful we have this chance to work together with the United Way to provide a positive message for the students at each of these schools through our players' experiences and example," said Mallards president Bob McNamara. "Work ethic, goal-setting and responsibility are some of the key elements that have enabled our players to succeed both in becoming professional hockey players and during their days in the classroom and they look forward to sharing what they've learned about the value of those attributes with students."

You're invited to see the volunteer opportunity in action.

When: Tuesday, January 21 at 1:30pm

Locations:

Frances Willard - 2503 9th St., Rock Island, IL

Rock Island Center for Math & Science - 2101-6th Ave., Rock Island, IL

Eisenhower Elementary School - 2827 Jersey Ridge Rd, Davenport, IA

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 in the midst of their seventeenth season and 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.com.  Fans can also follow the Mallards via Twitter at twitter.com/myqcmallards and on Facebook at  http://www.facebook.com/quadcitymallards.

January 16, 2014-The United States is currently engaged in secret negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a multinational trade agreement with the goal of liberalizing trade among a dozen or so countries that border on the Pacific Ocean. A draft of the TPP chapter on intellectual property that was recently published by WikiLeaks shows that the U.S. has been pushing the other countries involved in the negotiations to make their laws on copyright, patents and trademarks more agreeable to U.S. companies in the film, telecommunications, and pharmaceuticals industries, among others.

Aside from select members of the Administration, the only people with full access to the working documents on the TPP negotiations are the members of the United States Trade Representative's (USTR) trade advisory system, including the 18-member Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (ITAC-15). Members of ITAC-15 include representatives from businesses and industry groups like the Recording Industry Association of America, Verizon, and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America; no public-interest groups, academics, or other non-industry experts serve on the committee.

The industry trade advisory system was created by Congress, and membership is partly based on recommendations made from senators and representatives. The organizations represented on ITAC-15 include several top political spenders, who combined have given millions of dollars to members of Congress in recent years.

Data: MapLight analysis of campaign contributions to current members of the Senate and House of Representatives from Political Action Committees (PACs) and employees of organizations represented by the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (ITAC-15), from Jan. 1, 2003 - Dec. 31, 2012. Data source: OpenSecrets

• The 18 organizations represented by ITAC-15 gave nearly $24 million to current members of Congress from Jan. 1, 2003 - Dec. 31, 2012.
• AT&T has given more than $8 million to current members of Congress, more than any other organization represented by ITAC-15.
• House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has received $433,350 from organizations represented by ITAC-15, more than any other member of Congress.
• Democrats in Congress have received $11.4 million from organizations represented by ITAC-15, while Republicans in Congress have received $12.6 million.
• The members of Congress sponsoring fast-track legislation, which would allow the President to block Congress from submitting amendments to the TPP, have received a combined $758,295 from organizations represented by ITAC-15. They include Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus ($140,601), Senate Finance Committee Ranking Members Orrin Hatch ($178,850), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman David Camp ($216,250), House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade Chairman Devin Nunes ($86,000), and House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions ($136,594).

* Excludes contributions from GE Financial Assurance.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A link to this report can be found here. Please cite MapLight if you use data from this analysis, "A MapLight analysis of OpenSecrets data..."

About MapLight: MapLight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that reveals money's influence on politics.

The ethanol and biodiesel industries bring tremendous value to Iowa and the nation.  Iowa is number one in the nation in the production of biofuels, producing more than 4 billion gallons annually.  It's improved our economy, environment, and national security.

The federal government made a commitment to homegrown, renewable energy when Congress passed the Renewable Fuel Standard in 2005 and 2007.  But, a rule proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency undermines the commitment. This misguided proposal could cost jobs in Iowa and across the country.  If allowed to take effect, it will increase our dependence on oil and protect the hold that Big Oil has on our country's fuel supply.

The public comment period on this proposal is closing on January 28.  I've talked personally with the EPA Director, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, and the President's staff.  I encourage everyone to go to EPA.gov and voice their concerns.  It's time for supporters of clean, homegrown, green energy to rally and let the Obama administration know that its proposal is short-sighted and irresponsible.