DAVENPORT, Iowa (NOV. 19, 2013) - The Quad Cities River Bandits have made a pair of offseason acquisitions, as they announced on Tuesday their two new assistant general managers, whom the Midwest League club will have oversee the baseball operations of the franchise and the year-round special events at Modern Woodmen Park.

The front office team welcomes Travis Painter as the Assistant General Manager of Baseball Operations and Taylor Satterly as the Assistant General Manager of Special Events.

"We are very pleased to add two talented and experienced new members to our front office team," said River Bandits co-owner Dave Heller. "Travis brings diverse experiences in Minor League Baseball and is widely regarded as a rising star within the industry, and Taylor is the kind of outstanding home-grown talent we pride ourselves on hiring. She has proven skills, great experience and the kind of familiarity with the Quad Cities region that only a local could have. Together, they are going to take baseball and special events at Modern Woodmen Park to a whole new level!"

Painter joins the River Bandits from the Pensacola (Fla.) Blue Wahoos, Double-A affiliate of the Cincinatti Reds in the Southern League. A native of Luray, Va., and graduate of James Madison (Harrisonburg, Va.) University, Painter previously served as assistant general manager for the Potomac (Va.) Nationals, the advanced Class-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals in the Carolina League. He also helped start the Pensacola franchise and open its new stadium in his two-year stint with the Blue Wahoos. Painter will assist with the day-to-day operations of the club and help oversee many of the River Bandits front office departments.

"I am excited to be joining the River Bandits, and helping to take this already extraordinary team to the next level," Painter said. "It's been a great transition to the Quad Cities, and I look forward to jumping into my new role, and meeting lots of new people."

Satterly comes to the River Bandits after eight years at the Stoney Creek Inn of Moline, Ill., most recently as the Assistant General Manager. A native of Henry County, Ill., Satterly graduated from Western Illinois University in the Quad Cities. She will lead the special events department at Modern Woodmen Park and will oversee all sales, planning, setup and cleanup of special events - including weddings, rehearsal dinners, corporate meetings, luncheons, holiday parties, fundraisers and many other year-round events.

"I would like to thank Dave Heller and Bob Herrfeldt for this opportunity to join such a great organization so committed to outstanding customer service," Satterly said. "I am very excited to use my years of experience in the hospitality industry to help make Modern Woodmen Park the first choice for weddings, parties and all kinds of events here in the Quad Cities."

The River Bandits, the Class-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, will open the 2014 Midwest League season at Modern Woodmen Park Thursday, April 3. A full schedule of home and road games for 2014 is available at www.riverbandits.com, and ticket plans for the 2014 season are now on sale.

UP NEXT: Lock in your season ticket plan - with new lower prices - for the 2014 season! A deposit of $25 per seat by December 31 enters you in a drawing for a free suite rental at an April 2014 home game. Call the River Bandits box office at 563-324-3000 or visit www.riverbandits.com to download the season ticket order form. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $40. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.

ABOUT THE BANDITS: Having just been named Ballpark Digest's winner of Best Ballpark Improvement in America under $1 million, the River Bandits ownership is making one of the biggest improvements to Modern Woodmen Park since the ballpark was first built back in 1931! A new Ferris wheel, standing 112 feet over the playing field, is planned for this spring, along with a carousel, a new ride called a "Drop and Twist," and many other new games and attractions. In 2013, the team unveiled a new 300-foot long dual zip line, a rock climbing wall, and a number of new bounce houses. The team's major league affiliate, the Houston Astros, just saw all six of its affiliates reach the playoffs - the first time in a decade any MLB team can claim such success. The River Bandits were one of three affiliates to reach the championship round and one of two to win their league championship.

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DAVENPORT–Waste Commission of Scott County facilities will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 28, 2013, for Thanksgiving.  Facilities closed include :

• Scott Area Recycling Center, 5640 Carey Ave., Davenport
• Scott Area Landfill, 11555 110th Ave., Davenport
• Household Hazardous Material Facilities, Davenport
• Electronic Demanufacturing Facility, 1048 East 59th St., Davenport

Regular hours will resume at all facilities on Friday, Nov. 29, 2013. However, no appointments for household hazardous material drop-off will be available on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013

Waste Commission of Scott County is an intergovernmental agency whose mission is to provide environmentally sound and economically feasible solid waste management for Scott County. For more information, please call (563) 381-1300 or visit www.wastecom.com.

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Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa released the following statement regarding the ongoing farm and nutrition bill negotiations between the House and the Senate.

"We are coming to a critical time in the farm and nutrition bill conference committee negotiations.   Current negotiations include possible changes to the actively engaged criteria and requiring the use of planted acres or base acres in commodity programs.

"There's no question that the current actively engaged law isn't working.  The non-partisan Government Accountability Office wrote in a report this fall that changes needed to be made and the legislative language in the Senate passed farm bill would be an appropriate fix.

"Besides, the actively engaged provisions are the same in both the House and Senate bills.  So, we have the two bills with the exact same language and a scathing report from the GAO.  There is no reason for these provisions to even be a part of the discussion.  We need to close loopholes that have allowed non-farmers to game the system.  The longer we let this happen, the easier it will be for opponents of farm programs to argue for no farm bill.  And, quite honestly, I don't understand how anyone can promote closing loopholes for food stamps if they don't also support closing the loopholes non-farmers, many of whom have other significant income, are using.

"Another issue I'm surprised is still being debated is the use of planted acres vs. base acres for the commodity title.  The House bill uses extremely high target prices for some crops that are then coupled with planted acres.  I assume this is to drive up acreages for certain crops.  The press has reported that Ranking Member Peterson has made it no secret that was his exact intent for Barley, and the reason he insisted it have a high target price.

"Enacting the House commodity title will take us backwards to a time when farmers planted for the government instead of the market.  And, if anyone thinks we're immune to World Trade Organization challenges, I would remind them that U.S. taxpayers have sent the citizens of Brazil $146 million for the last several years because our cotton program was considered too market distorting.

"Yet, even with the statement by Ranking Member Peterson, possible WTO challenges, and concerns with the government picking winners and losers in the commodity program, I'm hearing Chairman Lucas and his staff are trying to convince people that there is no reason to be troubled about any of these concerns with regard to planted acres.

Free program provides teachers with pencils to use during assessment testing

DES MOINES, IA (11/19/2013)(readMedia)-- State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald is offering free #2 pencils for Iowa teachers to distribute during the annual Iowa Assessment Test through the Prepare for the Basics program. Last year, the program distributed over 19,000 pencils to schools statewide. "Teachers play an important role in the enormous task of monitoring the growth of students through the assessment test," Fitzgerald said. "The Prepare for the Basics program is a small token of appreciation to our teachers for their hard work."

Along with the new pencil, students will receive information to take home about College Savings Iowa, the state-sponsored 529 plan. College Savings Iowa is designed to help Iowa families meet the continually increasing costs of higher education while providing them with multiple tax benefits, including a $3,045 deduction per account from their 2013 state taxable income.* "Families who save early will be in a better position to help pay for college when the time comes," Fitzgerald stated. "Saving ahead of time may reduce the need to borrow for college, which can help families-and their children-get to graduation with less debt."

Teachers who would like to participate in the Prepare for the Basics program can register online at iowatreasurer.gov. Participants can register by clicking on the tab For Citizens, then clicking on the Financial Literacy tab, which will take you to the Prepare for the Basics section. Program materials will be sent directly to the participating schools. Supplies are limited, so early registration is advised. For more information about College Savings Iowa, please visit collegesavingsiowa.com or call 1-888-672-9116.

*Adjusted annually for inflation. If withdrawals are not qualified, the deductions must be added back to Iowa taxable income.

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Investment returns are not guaranteed and you could lose money by investing in the plan. Participants assume all investment risks as well as responsibility for any federal and state tax consequences. If you are not an Iowa taxpayer, consider before investing whether your or the designated beneficiary's home state offers any state tax or other benefits that are only available for investments in such state's qualified tuition program.

For more information about the College Savings Iowa 529 Plan, call 888-672-9116 or visit www.collegesavingsiowa.com to obtain a Program Description. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information are included in the Program Description; read and consider it carefully before investing.

College Savings Iowa is an Iowa trust sponsored by the Iowa State Treasurer's Office. The Treasurer of the State of Iowa sponsors and is responsible for overseeing the administration of the College Savings Iowa 529 Plan. The Vanguard Group, Inc., serves as Investment Manager and Vanguard Marketing Corporation, an affiliate of The Vanguard Group, Inc., assists the Treasurer with marketing and distributing the Plan. Upromise Investment Advisors, LLC, provides records administration services. The Plan's portfolios, although they invest in Vanguard mutual funds, are not mutual funds.