East Moline, IL/October 10, 2013 - Chad Pregracke, President & Founder of Living Lands & Waters, a Quad City-based not-for-profit, organization dedicated to cleaning up the Mississippi River, has been named to the final 10 for CNN's Hero of the Year.

The contest is sponsored by CNN and designed to support and recognize people and organizations who put themselves before others. To view the contestants, and vote for Pregracke, visit,  www.CNNHeroes.com, click "vote now". You can vote via email and/or through Facebook. Voting is limited to once a day per person and closes Sunday, November 17th at 11:59pm PST.

"This is a real honor to be one of the finalists for this reward, however I know this organization would not be what it is without the media's support.  Without their help in getting the message out about what people can do to clean their own rivers and streams, we wouldn't be able to make the progress we have.  This effort literally takes thousands of volunteers and the media has helped us rally those volunteers and have made a real difference," expresses Pregracke.

Each of the Top 10 CNN Heroes will receive a $50,000 grant.  One of the honorees, as voted by fans around the globe, will be named the CNN Hero of the Year and will receive an additional $250,000 grant to further aid their cause. Voting for the 2013 honorees can be done at www.CNNHeroes.com. Voters will also be able to view the honorees' profiles on the site.

For the latest information about the Top 10 CNN Heroes, viewers and online users are encouraged to visit CNN Heroes on Facebook, follow @CNNHeroes on Twitter and use the hashtag #CNNHeroes.

About Chad Pregracke

Chad Pregracke started Living Lands & Waters in 1998 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the beautification and restoration of America's major rivers and to the education of people about environmental issues. From his single boat beginning, LL&W has grown to an internationally known organization with a fleet of barges and workboats. LL&W engages thousands of volunteers each year in river cleanups, hands-on environmental education workshops, the Great Mississippi River Cleanup, Adopt-a-River-Mile programs and the Million Trees Project.

Hundreds of protestors, many who've never been on an Iowa farm, are heading to our state next week to protest progress in farming.  They don't believe in genetically modified crops and no amount of peer-reviewed science or speeches from Nobel laureates will convince them otherwise.  Just as they have the right to voice their opinions and be heard, the Iowa men and women who spend years in the field growing your food also hope you will hear their stories, and let common sense prevail.

That's because for decades, these thousands of Iowa farmers have seen what progress in farming can do.

Paul Vaassen has been growing corn and beans on his Dubuque county farm since 1962.  Although he'll proudly admit being 'old fashioned,' he says there are some things that nostalgia can't cure, like hunger.

"I don't 'think there's any doubt in my mind that the genetic improvements that seed companies have developed have given us the opportunity to see greater yields, despite what Mother Nature can dish out.  We can't forget that feeding people is really what this is all about.  Last year, for example, we were very dry and even though yields were not up to what we considered 'normal', they were much better than, say, 10 to 15 years ago when we had the same drought conditions, but didn't have these great seeds that were more resistant to drought or pests.

Years ago we used planters with seeds in one box and insecticide in another, which meant we were using a lot more insecticide.  I'm happy that old planter sits idle on my farm now, because our GMO seeds help us defeat pests like rootworm and corn borer," says Vassen.

Roger Zylstra...a longtime corn, soybeans and hog farmer from Jasper County, has seen a lot of changes, too.  If he can be more productive and more sustainable, he can also keep farming in the family, and that's why he favors GMO crops.  "The reality is we're trying to build and grow for the future. My youngest son just came back full time to the farm.   I work hard to build a sustainable farm for his return and only innovation helps us do that."

Innovation has brought incredible progress to Iowa farms.  Between 1980 and 2010, U.S. farmers nearly doubled corn production, yet thanks to better seeds, better equipment and conservation practices, are using less fertilizer than they put on the ground, back with Zylstra and Vassen first got started farming all those years ago.  According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), farmers grew 6.64 billion bushels of corn using 3.9 pounds of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) for each bushel in 1980.  Just a couple years ago, that yield busted the bins at 12.45 billion bushels, using 1.6 pounds of nutrients per bushel produced.   I'm no math genius, but by any assessment, that's more than an 87 percent increase.  How many other industries can claim that?

When you look at the science, the numbers, the sustainability that GM crops bring and meet the men and women who grow your food, it's hard to swallow the hysteria that the 'anti' crowd is selling.  Young farmers just getting started believe it's the 'disconnect' that folks may have today with farmers; they just haven't met one.  Colin Johnson is a young family farmer from Wapello county who grows corn, soybeans and hay.  He says the farmers growing food today have more in common with folks asking the questions than many realize.  Knowledge-seeking is a good thing, so long as both sides are sought out.  "Of course GMO is safe.  Of course it's all about feeding more people, but the bottom line for me is that as a family farmer with young kids, I'm not going to put anything in the ground that's not safe for us, or our environment.   We're eating this food, too," says Johnson.

Progress has brought us safer cars, cell phone coverage in the country, the internet, and countless improvements in the fields of health care and fitness.  Progress has also brought consumers more choices at the grocery store and that includes healthier choices from GMO food: fortified with calcium, vitamin A, and other vitamins and minerals.  Providing choices is what keeps farmers moving forward. "The farming practices we've used, the no-till and everything, it's a great advance from where we were. I have no doubt we will continue to move forward. That's what we do," says Zylstra.

Words of Edgar Allen Poe on Stage at Rock Island Library on Monday

E. A. POE: Edgar Allan Poe's Imagination: Monday, Oct. 14, 6:00 pm, Rock Island Main Library Community Room, 401 19th Street. Free and Open to the Public

Rock Island, IL: Actor Dan Haughey (pronounced Hoi) will bring the words of Edgar Allen Poe to life in EA. POE: Edgar Allan Poe's Imagination! a one-man show on the work of Edgar Allen Poe, at 6:00 pm on Monday, October 14, at the Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street.

Dan Haughey becomes a modern literary critic for a prominent newspaper as he interprets excerpts from some of Poe's most entertaining and creative works. In this 45-minute drama some of Poe's greatest poems, short stories, and satires will be presented. Haughey both performs and critiques Poe's work in the guise of a skeptical critic. Works will include The Raven, Annabel Lee, The Bells, and The TellTale Heart.

The event is free and open to the public.