By Jason Alderman

Anyone who's put a loved one to rest knows that death is not cheap. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the average adult funeral cost $6,560 in 2009 (their most current data). That doesn't include such common add-ons as a cemetery plot, headstone, flowers, obituaries and limousine, which can add thousands to the bill.

Because death is a frequently avoided topic, many people aren't armed with information about the many variables - and costs - involved in planning a funeral. Thus, just when survivors are grieving and most vulnerable, they're bombarded by decisions that must be made quickly, often without even knowing what their loved one would have wanted.

The key message for the living is to decide on preferred funeral arrangements ahead of time and to convey those wishes to your family - ideally in your will.

Another important lesson: Know your legal rights and what funeral-related goods and services cost so you - or your survivors - don't feel pressured into buying things you don't want or need. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) oversees "The Funeral Rule," which regulates how funeral providers must deal with consumers. Among its provisions:

• Upon request, funeral homes must provide an itemized price list of all their goods and services, whether you call (even anonymously) or visit in person.
• You have the right to choose among their offerings (with certain state-mandated exceptions) and are not required to purchase package deals containing unwanted items.
• Prior to purchasing a casket or outer burial container from a funeral home, they must share descriptions and prices before showing you stock on hand.
• Providers that offer cremations must make alternative containers (besides caskets) available.
• Note: The Funeral Rule does not apply to third-party sellers such as casket and monument dealers, or to cemeteries that lack an on-site funeral home.

If your beliefs don't require following specific funeral protocols, here are a few ways to reduce costs while still honoring the deceased and their survivors:

• Veterans, immediate family members, members of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service and certain civilians who've provided military-related service may be entitled to burial at a national cemetery with a grave marker. Burial is free, but families are responsible for funeral home expenses and transportation to the cemetery.
• A $255 lump-sum death benefit is available to surviving spouses or minor children of eligible workers who paid into Social Security.
• For many, cremation is a viable, less expensive option to burial. If you plan to hold a viewing first before the cremation, ask whether you can rent an attractive casket for the ceremony.
• Some families prefer not to hold a public viewing. For them, "direct cremation" or "immediate burial" may make sense. Because the body is promptly cremated or interred, embalming and cosmetology services are not necessary, which saves hundreds of dollars. Also, with direct cremation you can opt for an unfinished wood coffin or heavy cardboard enclosure for the journey to the crematorium.
• You can purchase a casket or cremation urn from a source other than your funeral home. The funeral home cannot assess handling fees or require you to be there to take delivery.

The death of a loved one is always upsetting, but you may be able to ease your family's emotional and financial burdens by planning ahead.

A Rock Island Elementary School will begin offering afterschool programs beginning today (Monday) thanks to a new federal grant

(Rock Island, IL)  Earl Hanson has been given a $138,000 annual federal grant to provide educational and enrichment activities for struggling students after school.  The school will receive $138,000 each year for five years.

Earl Hanson joins the long list of Lights ON for Learning Community Learning Centers (CLCs) that have received grants over the past eleven years and will now be hanging a bright yellow Lights ON banner in their entrance.    The RIROE is the fiscal agent and project manager.  This is the eleventh 21st CCLC grant the Rock Island School District has received over the years for seven different RI schools.  Judy Hipskind will be the Lights ON Site Coordinator for Earl Hanson.  Hipskind, an experienced 21st CCLC grant coordinator, has worked with the former Lincoln School program and is currently with the RI Academy.  Programming begins January 14th.

The money is part of a $14 million dollar 21st Century Community Learning Center grant the Illinois State Board of Education recently announced.  These programs are expected to serve more than 13,600 students from 110 Illinois schools state-wide.
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The 21st CCLC grant program provides academic interventions to help students meet Illinois state standards. The program also offers a variety of enrichment opportunities for students and their families, including life skills, art, music, recreation, technology classes, and character education.

"After-school programs keep students active and engaged in learning outside school hours," said State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch said in a news release. "But those positive afterschool experiences ? new opportunities or time with mentors ? often inspire new and continued motivation in the classroom."

Illinois receives funds for the program based on a formula from the U.S. Department of Education. A total of $14 million was available for Fiscal Year 2013 awards through a competitive grant process. The agency received 104 proposals, totaling more than $33 million from 29 school districts, 50 community- and faith-based organizations, two universities and six regional offices of education. Thirty-seven 21st CCLC grants on behalf of 110 schools were awarded while 67 proposals were not recommended for funding. The 2013 grantees can be renewed for four years but subsequent fiscal years depend upon a sufficient appropriation for the program and satisfactory progress in the previous grant period.

[DUBUQUE, IA] Dubuque's newest art space, eronel ART + MUSIC VENUE, will host an opening reception for artist Michael Garside's solo exhibition on Friday, February 2 from 7-10 p.m. in the lower level of the Cooper Wagon Works building, 285 Main Street in downtown Dubuque. The exhibit features abstract acrylic works and explorations in color and circular cellular construction. "I'm attracted to circles, they represent the universal, like the circle of life. When you break things down to their most basic form they become cells," Garside says about his work. "There is a perceived randomness about circles, there are no right angles, circles suggest a certain chaos and fragility, yet, they purposefully fit together."

Garside is a Dubuque native who has lived in New York City and in the Pacific Northwest. His recent exhibitions include the Pepper Sprout restaurant and Carnegie Stout's Art @ Your Library series. His upcoming exhibit boasts exceptional color. "I was diagnosed with color blindness as a small child so painting for me is about experimenting with color and contrast and feeling free to explore that," Garside says "A lot of times painting is just about experimenting and enjoying the end result."

eronel ART + MUSIC VENUE brings a new artful presence to downtown Dubuque's Historic Old Main Street District by hosting music, performance art, and offering a new home for exhibiting artists in Dubuque's cultural district. The new venue opens on February 1 with a musical performance by Miles Nielsen and the Rusted Hearts.

Michael Garside's paintings will be on exhibition through March 2, 2013 with evening gallery hours Wednesday through Saturday, 7p.m. - 11 pm and by appointment. Learn more about Garside's work by visiting theartfeed.com.

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WACO, Texas -- Baylor University conferred degrees on almost 800 graduates including Nicole Leeann Cantrill of Bettendorf, who received her Bachelor of Science in Education - Health Science Studies degree during fall commencement exercises Dec. 15 in the Ferrell Center on the Baylor campus. Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked liberal arts institution, classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a research university with "high research activity."
Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor offers 144 undergraduate, 77 master, 32 doctoral degree programs, and two education specialist programs plus the juris doctor degree, through its 11 academic units. Baylor's 735-acre campus in Waco is home to more than 15,000 students from all 50 states and 80 countries.