New Era Lutheran Church will hold its 12th Annual Quilt Show on July 12-13.  The show will feature quilts from local quilters and antique quilts.  Guests may view quilts on Friday, July 12, from 9 am-8 pm.  A lunch will be served from 11 am - 2 pm, and supper from 4:30-7 pm.  On Saturday, July 13, the quilt show will be open from 9 am-4 pm, with lunch served from 11 am-2 pm.  Ticket prices are $4.00 for the quilt show only and $8.00 for the quilt show and a meal.  The public is invited.

The church is located at 3455 New Era Road, Muscatine, ¼ mile west of the upper entrance to Wildcat Den State Park.  For more information, or if you would like to put a quilt on display, contact Becki Petersen at 563-299-1664, or Sue Kirk at 563-823-1099.

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, today, with  representatives of the Des Moines Symphony, the Food Bank of Iowa, Dahl's Foods, and Bank of the West announced the official start of the 5th annual Yankee Doodle Drive Against Hunger.

"The Yankee Doodle Drive Against Hunger is a wonderful campaign that raises awareness and collects much-needed non-perishable food items for the Food Bank of Iowa," said Reynolds. "I am honored and proud to be a partner with community businesses to shed a light on the importance of hunger in Central Iowa."

The public is encouraged to drop off non-perishable food items at area Dahl's or Bank of the West locations, or at the Des Moines Symphony's 20th Annual Yankee Doodle Pops. In addition, the Office of Governor Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds will accept donations from the public at their office in the State Capitol.

Yankee Doodle Pops will be held on the state Capitol grounds on July 3 at 8:30 p.m. All donations from the food drive will benefit the Food Bank of Iowa. The drive runs through July 4.

For more information on the Yankee Doodle Food Drive, visit www.foodbankofiowa.org.

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By: Marsha Friedman

I was never a fan of the cocktail party-variety networking scene. I will never be one to dart around a room shoving business cards into people's hands. I prefer meaningful conversations with people, getting to know them and vice versa.

But social media networking? That's something different altogether. Done right, it's never a hit-and-run. Rather, it consists of building relationships over months and even years by sharing information - both professional and personal - through posts, comments and responding to questions in various online communities.

What's the return on investment, the ROI, for putting that kind of time into social media? Actually, it's called the RON - the "return on networking."

And for me, it's huge.

I've been on Facebook for five years; I also have Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn accounts, among others. All totaled, I'm now approaching 100,000 friends, followers and connections. Those followers expose my name and message to their audiences every time they "like" one of my posts or share one of my links. Recently, someone re-tweeted something I'd shared on Twitter - he had 130,000 followers! That's a potential audience of 130,000 people I likely would have never reached otherwise.

Talk about exposure!

Who knows how many of those people may someday become my clients? Who cares? I'll still consider the exposure a good return on networking. Here's why.

The RON of social media isn't always tangible, not immediately, anyway. By establishing a continued presence online through regularly sharing content of use to my followers, I'm building my platform and my reputation as an expert. That grows in surprising ways - and it lives in surprising places.

A recent case in point: Late last year, I got a call from a prominent New York City hair stylist, the director of a salon in one of that city's premier department stores. He wanted to talk about some publicity needs and what my company could do to help him.

When I asked how he got my name, he explained he'd written some books over the years with a co-author, and she'd heard me at a speaking engagement.

Well, that made sense. Speaking at conferences is still a great way to get your name out while also building credibility.

But the next thing he said came as a complete surprise.

"So, then I contacted the corporate office (of the department store chain) and asked what PR agency they would recommend." And they recommended me and my company!

I don't know a soul in the corporate offices of that high-end retail chain. I can only guess they learned of me through social media.

Just being on Twitter or Google+ isn't enough, of course. You have to make a diligent effort to regularly post content that people find valuable, including links to informative articles, tips relevant to your topic, and/or informed insights on topics in the news.

You also have to "be a human," as our lead social media strategist, Jeni Hinojosa, likes to say. She and our other social media producers encourage clients to send photos when they go on vacation, celebrate milestones or engage in hobbies. Posting those photos with a comment adds a personal touch that allows followers to connect on a more emotional level.

Our social media producers also make sure clients' personalities shine in their posts, showing their sense of humor and letting followers in on the other things they care about, whether it's victims of a natural disaster or a favorite charity.

Interaction is equally important. Strive to respond to every comment or question posted on your networking sites. Interacting is engaging, and people who are engaged tend to be happy followers. The more you take part in conversations via comments and responses, the more lively and visible your presence becomes.

The RON includes increased traffic to your website; increased trust in your brand and what you're selling; and greater word of mouth than you could ever hope for by attending a cocktail party or even a speaking engagement.

About Marsha Friedman

Marsha Friedman is a 23-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations (www.emsincorporated.com), a national firm that provides PR strategy and publicity services to corporations, entertainers, authors and professional firms. Marsha is the author of Celebritize Yourself and she can also be heard weekly on her Blog Talk Radio Show, EMSI's PR Insider every Thursday at 3:00 PM EST. Follow her on Twitter: @marshafriedman.

By Jason Alderman

To the millions of college and high school seniors who recently graduated (and to their parents, who weathered the ups and downs of reaching that summit): congratulations on a job well done. After the celebration dies down, you'll no doubt be eager to embark on life's next chapter, whether it's finding a job, preparing for college or enrolling in military or community service.

Before you jump in feet first, however, let me share a few financial lessons I learned the hard way when I was just starting out. They might save you a lot of money in the long run and help you get closer to your life goals, whether it's buying a house, starting a family or even retiring early - as far off as that may sound.

First, pretend you're still a starving student. After landing your first full-time job, the urge to go on a spending spree for new clothes, a better apartment and a car from this decade will be irresistible after surviving on ramen noodles for four years. But unless you had generous scholarships or a rich aunt, you're probably already saddled with thousands of dollars in student loan debt.

(Note to entering freshmen: Tread carefully around student loan debt. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has a great guide for making informed decisions about paying for college at www.consumerfinance.gov/students.)

After you've factored in rent, car payments, renter's and car insurance, credit card charges, student loan balances and other monthly bills (not to mention payroll taxes such as Social Security tax, which went up 2 percent this year), your new salary probably won't go as far as you'd like, especially if you're trying to save for one of those life events.

That's where a budget can help. Numerous free budgeting tools, including interactive calculators, are available at such sites as the government-sponsored MyMoney.gov (www.mymoney.gov), the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (www.nfcc.org), Mint.com (https://www.mint.com) and Practical Money Skills for Life (www.practicalmoneyskills.com), a free personal financial management program run by Visa Inc.

Next, know the score, credit-wise. Many people don't realize until it's too late that a poor credit score can trash your financial future. After you've missed a few loan payments, bounced some checks or exceeded your credit limits, you'll probably be charged higher loan and credit card interest rates and offered lower credit limits (if not denied credit altogether), unless and until you can raise your credit score. You may even have to pay higher insurance rates and harm your ability to rent an apartment or get a cell phone.

To know where you stand, review your credit reports from each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) to find out whether any negative actions have been reported and to look for errors or possible fraudulent activity on your accounts. You can order one free report per year from each bureau if you order them through www.AnnualCreditReport.com; otherwise you'll pay a small fee.

To learn more about credit reports and scores, visit the CFPB's "Ask CFPB." Another good resource is What's My Score (www.whatsmyscore.org), a financial literacy program for young adults run by Visa, which features a free, downloadable workbook called, "Money 101: A Crash Course in Better Money Management," and other free tools.

You worked hard to graduate. Just make sure you don't sabotage your efforts by starting out on the wrong financial footing.

Rehabbing right-hander Jake Westbrook tosses seven innings to pull Chiefs within one-half game of Quad Cities

PEORIA, Ill. (JUNE 9, 2013) - Right-hander Jake Westbrook pitched seven innings of one-run ball for the Peoria Chiefs, who also got the first two Midwest League home runs by first baseman Jeremy Schaffer in a 9-1 victory over the Quad Cities River Bandits Sunday night at Dozer Park.

Westbrook (1-0), the veteran on a rehab assignment for the St. Louis Cardinals, started by getting three groundouts on five pitches in the top of the first inning. The Chiefs then took the lead for good in the bottom of the inning. Shortstop Ildemaro Vargas reached first base when second baseman Brian Blasik bobbled a grounder, and second baseman Jacob Wilson and left fielder Jordan Walton followed with consecutive RBI doubles against right-hander Juan Minaya (0-1).

In his first Midwest League start, Minaya also allowed single runs in the third and fourth innings. Chiefs right fielder Breyvic Valera led off the third inning with a single, and after Wilson's second hit, Walton hit into a fielder's choice that brought home Valera. On Minaya's first pitch of the fourth inning, Schaffer launched a home run to the lawn beyond the left-center field fence for a 4-0 Peoria lead. It was the last of five hits against Minaya, who yielded three earned runs while striking out three batters in four innings.

Westbrook retired the first 14 batters and did not allow a ball to leave the infield until Blasik grounded a single through the hole between shortstop and third base with two outs in the fifth inning. River Bandits designated hitter Ariel Ovando followed with an opposite-field double over Walton in left field, scoring Blasik and extending Ovando's season-high hitting streak to seven games. But the Chiefs restored the lead to four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning against right-hander Jordan Jankowski. Wilson drew a two-out walk, Walton singled, and designated hitter Patrick Wisdom dropped a pop fly down the right field line to score Wilson and make it 5-1.

Westbrook allowed two more hits in the seventh inning, as first baseman Jesse Wierzbicki hit a leadoff single but was picked off at first base by Westbrook during the next batter. Quad Cities third baseman Rio Ruiz doubled to the right-field corner but was stranded at third base when Blasik grounded out to end the inning. Westbrook allowed four hits and no walks while striking out five batters. He got 14 groundouts and one foul popup to an infielder for the rest his outs.

Chiefs right-hander Thomas Lee allowed one hit and struck out three batters in two shutout innings, while the home team added four runs in the eighth inning against right-hander Richard Rodriguez, who allowed a home run by Schaffer and a two-run triple by Valera, who scored on a throwing error by Blasik to complete the four-run frame with a 9-1 Peoria lead.

Quad Cities is now three games behind second-place Beloit, which won both games of a doubleheader in Burlington Sunday. First-place Cedar Rapids is four games ahead of the River Bandits. After dropping a second straight game to seal its first road series loss in its last six, Quad Cities will try to avoid being swept on the road for the first time this season when they play at 7 p.m. Monday in Peoria. River Bandits right-hander Jamaine Cotton (1-2) is scheduled to face Chiefs and former River Bandits left-hander Hector Hernandez (2-2).

UP NEXT: Reservations can be made from now until June 10 for the River Bandits Father's Day Cookout and pre-game catch scheduled for Sunday, June 16. Check out www.riverbandits.com for details or call 563-324-3000. Single-game tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office at Modern Woodmen Park, by phone at 563-324-3000 and online at www.riverbandits.com. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $50. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.
CHICAGO - June 9, 2013. A month before the court-ordered deadline for a concealed carry law, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon is encouraging communities to consider assault weapon bans. Simon said House Bill 183, which legalizes concealed carry in Illinois, grandfathers in existing assault weapons bans, while prohibiting new bans going forward. The bill is on the governor's desk.

"Last month the General Assembly for the first time voted to legalize the concealed carry of firearms in Illinois. As the governor prepares to act on the legislation sitting on his desk, it is important that our communities act now to retain the ability to regulate weapons that kill so many people so quickly.

"We have seen the tragic results assault weapons have had on our streets, in our schools, movie theaters and more. The clock is ticking, so I encourage mayors and local officials to act now to ban assault weapons and retain local control over this important issue."

Under HB 183, home rule communities that allow the possession of assault weapons have a limited amount of time to pass restrictions. If the bill is signed into law in its current form, communities will have just 10 days to ban assault weapons. After that grace period, the new law pre-empts home rule authority on assault weapon ordinances. 

Illinois' ban on concealed carry was declared unconstitutional in December by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has given the state until July 9 to pass a law that permits people to carry concealed guns in public spaces.

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We invite you, your family, and your friends to our Drum Corps show on July 11th, 2013. 7p. at MHS Stadium. Tickets are cheaper if purchased online in advance, but they WILL BE available at the gate on show day! Please help us share this event with all of your friends! Proceeds will benefit the MHS Band program!

Here is a teaser: http://bcove.me/i7mfez0w

Thank you!

Purchase YOUR tickets here:


http://www.dci.org/schedule/detail.cfm?event=3c034e77-9eed-4c36-9c53-3a12eef9f313
It's that time again 
5th. Year of The
River City Radio Hour
Presenting:
Joshua Forbes, TenorSax/Flute
Jon Moss, Bass
Zach Johnson, Piano
David Solis, drums
Glorie Iaccarino and audience participation on what it is like to live in our
River Cities......

June 21st, 2013 
At
The Moline Commercial Club:
1530 Fifth Avenue, Moline, IL
Social Hour @ 5:30p.m.
Dinner @ 6:30p.m. • Show @ 7:30p.m.
The Moline Commercial Clubs' Chef Linda will be serving a magnificent  gourmet
dinner prior to the show, by reservation only. Please call 309-762-8547 to make
reservation.
Elevator is at the16th Street entrance.
Tickets for Dinner & Show: $25.00/person
Tickets for the show: $5.00/person
*This event is open to the public and the audience can attend the show without
dinner.
Priority seating is given to guests who make dinner reservations.

Quad Cities drops 1.5 games behind second-place Beloit but remains just three back of first-place Cedar Rapids

PEORIA, Ill. (JUNE 8, 2013) - The first pitch of an intended ninth-inning intentional walk by Quad Cities River Bandits right-hander Gera Sanchez got past catcher Roberto Pena and allowed Peoria Chiefs second baseman Jacob Wilson to score the only run of a 1-0 victory by the home team at Dozer Park Saturday night.

After Quad Cities (34-26) left the bases loaded in both the eighth and ninth innings against right-hander Joe Donofrio, Sanchez started the ninth inning in a scoreless tie by walking Wilson. Left fielder Jordan Walton then pushed a bunt to the third-base side of the pitcher's mound, and third baseman Rio Ruiz overran the ball, allowing Wilson to reach second and Walton to reach first with the Chiefs' sixth hit of the game. Third baseman Patrick Wisdom put down a successful sacrifice to move both runners. After a visit to the mound by manager Omar Lopez, Sanchez and Pena prepared to walk first baseman Jeremy Schaffer and load the bases. But Sanchez's first throw came closer to the plate than Pena expected, brushing the catcher's glove on the way to the backstop. Wilson raced home for the game's only run and first in 17 innings against Quad Cities pitchers.

River Bandits right-hander Mike Hauschild and Chiefs right-hander Joe Cuda matched scoreless frames for the first five innings, with Hauschild extending his personal scoreless streak to a team season-high 16 shutout innings. Cuda struck out eight batters, allowed just two hits and a hit batter, and prevented any runners from reaching second base through the first seven innings.

The eighth inning opened the bullpen for the Chiefs, as right-hander Sam Tuivailala allowed a one-out single by right fielder Ariel Ovando, who extended his season-high hitting streak to six games. Jordan Scott later drew a two-out walk, and second baseman Austin Elkins loaded the bases with an infield single. Right-hander Joe Donofrio (3-0) came in to face shortstop Carlos Correa and struck him out swinging to escape the jam. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Quad Cities left-hander Colton Cain faced a jam when catcher Gerwuins Velazco walked and Elkins threw high to first base on a grounder by right fielder Breyvic Valera. But Cain got center fielder Nick Martini to pop up a bunt before an inning-ending double play.

Quad Cities knocked on the door against Donofrio in the ninth inning, as first baseman Jesse Wierzbicki singled, and third baseman Rio Ruiz reached on an error by shortstop Ildemaro Vargas. A two-out walk by left fielder Ruben Sosa loaded the bases before Donofrio's inning-ending strikeout of center fielder Teoscar Hernandez. Quad Cities had six of its eight runners left on come in the final two innings.

With a win by the Beloit Snappers at Burlington Saturday night, the River Bandits dropped 1 ½ games behind second place in the Midwest League Western Division with nine games remaining in the first half. First-place Cedar Rapids lost to Kane County, keeping Quad Cities three games behind the division leaders. The River Bandits continue the series in Peoria at 5:00 p.m. Sunday at Dozer Park. Quad Cities is scheduled to see its first opposing major league rehab pitcher, with St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Jake Westbrook taking the mound for Peoria.

UP NEXT: Reservations can be made from now until June 10 for the River Bandits Father's Day Cookout and pre-game catch scheduled for Sunday, June 16. Check out www.riverbandits.com for details or call 563-324-3000. Single-game tickets are on sale at the River Bandits box office at Modern Woodmen Park, by phone at 563-324-3000 and online at www.riverbandits.com. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $50. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.

Officers:

President: Winnie Williams, of Monticello, Retired Fawn Creek Homes, Anamos, IA

President-Elect: Margo Ahrendsen, Farmer, Camper Parent, and Advocate, Olin, IA

Secretary: Mary Van Houten, Banquet Manager, Kirkwood Hotel, Cedar Rapids IA

Treasurer: Randy Faulkner, Pres. Hawkeye Dry Ice/Owner The Firehouse, Cedar Rapids, IA

 

Those re-elected to a three-year term included:

Jim Foels, Farmer, Brooklyn, IA

Merlin Hulse, Farmer, Clarence, IA

Bob Thoeni, Retired owner of Bob's Pioneer Seed, Monticello, IA

 

Other board members include :

Dr. John Bailey, Retired Medical Doctor, Anamosa, IA

Steve Carter, Branch Manager, Dr. Pepper/Snapple Group, Cedar Rapids, IA

Aaron Cook, Farmer, Winthrop, IA

Brian Gay, Executive Director, Midwest Free Community Papers, Coralville, IA

Larry Greco, Retired Cedar Rapids Police Department, Solon, IA

Mary Johnson, Retired, Rockwell, Marion, IA

Jim Klinger, Retired, Cedar Memorial Funeral Homes, Cedar Rapids, IA

Phil Martin, Retired United Airlines, Marion, IA

Bill Northup, Wells Fargo Bank, Regional Manager for Private Client Services, Des Moines, IA

Trish Ohlson, GE Capital, Cedar Rapids, IA

Kay Pitlik, Retired Special Educator/Advocate/ Cedar Rapids, IA

Steve Supple, Farmer, Cascade, IA

Dan Vorhies, Newton Sales, Monticello, IA

Mag Welter, Retired Special Educator, Monticello, IA

Chris Wiese, VP Sales LimoLink, Cedar Rapids, IA

Jim Zimmerman, Principal Sacred Heart, Monticello, IA

Camp Courageous is a year-round recreational and respite care facility for individuals with disabilities. In its 39th year of serving those with special needs, a volunteer board of directors governs the camp. This year Camp Courageous will serve over 6,500 campers with special needs. The camp is run on donations, without government assistance, without formal sponsorship, and without paid fundraisers. What this means is everything that is donated to the camp goes directly to benefit the campers. Camp Courageous is available 24-hours a day, 365-days a year to meet the emergency needs of families with a special needs family member living at home.

Tours of the camp and programs about this unique facility are available by contacting the camp at 319/465-5916 or going to www.campcourageous.org

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