On Sunday, March 31st, Thunder Bay, will host Easter Brunch from 9am-3pm.; reserved seating is recommended. Enjoy an elegant Easter brunch buffet with smoked salmon, carved turkey and dressing, carved ham, omelet bar, peel and eat shrimp, fried shrimp, home made waffles with all the toppings, Sausage, Mushroom and Swiss scrambled eggs, pasties, variety of salads, Fresh fruit with chocolate fountain and a champagne fountain much more.

Prices for the brunch are $20.99 per person, $8.99 children age 5-10 and under 4 free. Make your reservations today by calling the restaurant at 563-386-2722.

Thunder Bay, 6511 Brady Street, Davenport, Phone 563-386-2722, thunderbaygrille.com

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HUD grants renew support for 48 local housing and service projects

WASHINGTON - U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan today awarded $8,039,132 to renew support for 48 local homeless housing and service programs in Iowa.  Provided through HUD's Continuum of Care programs, the funding announced today will ensure these HUD-assisted local homeless assistance programs remain operating in the coming year.  Later this year, HUD will award additional grant funding to support hundreds of other local programs, including new projects.  View a complete list of all the Iowa homeless projects awarded funding.

"The evidence is clear that every dollar we spend on those programs that help find a stable home for our homeless neighbors not only saves money but quite literally saves lives," said Donovan.  "We know these programs work and we know these grants can mean the difference between homeless persons and families finding stable housing or living on our streets."

HUD's Continuum of Care grants are awarded competitively to local projects to meet the needs of their homeless clients. The grants fund a wide variety of programs from street outreach and assessment programs to transitional and permanent housing for homeless persons and families.  HUD funds are a critical part of the Obama Administration's strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness.

"The funds will go to local organizations who work tirelessly to help the most vulnerable among us," said Acting Regional Administrator, Theresa Porter.  "These grants provide resources needed to house and serve individuals and families who might otherwise be living on the street."

While the Fiscal Year 2012 funds awarded today are not impacted by the automatic across-the-board budget cuts under sequestration that began March 1st, Donovan cautioned that future budget cuts may reverse significant reported declines in homelessness: "During this challenging budget climate, we must make certain that we don't balance our books on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens.  When we make even modest investments in these programs, we see a measureable decline in homelessness."

HUD recently announced its 2012 "point in time" estimate of the number of homeless persons in America.  Approximately 3,000 cities and counties reported 633,782 homeless persons on a single night in January of 2012, largely unchanged from the year before.  While HUD found significant declines among the long-term homeless and veterans, local communities reported an increase in the number of sheltered and unsheltered families with children.  In Iowa, local communities reported a 6.6 percent overall drop in homelessness in 2012.

HUD's Continuum of Care grants announced today will continue offering permanent and transitional housing to homeless persons as well as services including job training, health care, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and child care. Continuum of Care grants are awarded competitively to local programs to meet the needs of their homeless clients. These grants fund a wide variety of programs from street outreach and assessment programs to transitional and permanent housing for homeless persons and families.

In 2010, President Obama and 19 federal agencies and offices that form the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) launched the nation's first comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness. Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness puts the country on a path to end veterans and chronic homelessness by 2015 and to ending homelessness among children, family, and youth by 2020.

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and  http://espanol.hud.gov. You can also follow HUD on twitter @HUDnews, on facebook at www.facebook.com/HUD, or sign up for news alerts on HUD's News Listserv.

Enjoy an intimate evening of literature and music during the second Brucemore Arts Share on April 16 at 7:00 p.m. The event continues the tradition started by Brucemore's second family, the Douglases, who frequently entertained guests and celebrated local artists in the Mansion's Great Hall. Graduate students from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Anna Morrison and Jessie Hennan, will read original poetry and fiction. Trio Brava, an ensemble of piano, clarinet, and viola, will follow with a performance of pieces by undiscovered composers inspired by Mozart and Schuman. A light reception will follow the hour-long program. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets purchased in advance are $7 per adult and $5 per Brucemore member or student.  All tickets at the door (if available) are $10. Space is limited; purchase tickets by visiting www.brucemore.org or calling (319) 362-7375. This performance is made possible by a Better Futures for Iowans grant through The University of Iowa's Office of the Provost.

Jessie Hennen grew up near St. Paul, Minn., and received her Bachelor of Arts in English and German literature from the University of Minnesota, Morris. She then moved to Munich, where she worked as a governess and a marketing project manager. Currently, she is back in the Midwest and working on her first novel at the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

Julia Anna Morrison is a second-year Master of Fine Arts candidate at the Iowa Writers' Workshop from Atlanta, Ga.  She teaches creative writing to undergraduates at the University of Iowa.  Julia's work has recently appeared in Redivider and Gulf Coast.

Trio Brava is exploring new paths in the world of chamber music. Inspired by the established repertoire of Mozart and Schumann, its members are now seeking treasure in lesser-known works for this instrumentation and commissioning a wealth of new works, especially by undiscovered composers. Megan Gray (viola), Asami Hagiwara (piano) and Lisa Wissenberg (clarinet) are pursuing their Doctorates of Musical Arts at the University of Iowa.

About the Arts Share

Arts Share continues The University of Iowa's long tradition of sharing creative resources from the Division of Performing Arts (music, dance, theater), the School of Art and Art History, and the Writers' Workshop. Arts Share aims to strengthen the arts in underserved areas, reaching out to provide access to life-enriching arts experiences throughout Iowa. Through this program, artists have traveled as far as Council Bluffs, Sioux City, Buffalo Center, Keokuk, and Lamoni to present interactive performances, workshops, readings, residencies, master classes, and more.

About Brucemore

Experience Brucemore, an unparalleled blend of tradition and culture, located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At the heart of the historic 26-acre estate stands a nineteenth-century mansion filled with the stories of three Cedar Rapids families.  Concerts, theater, programs, and tours enliven the site and celebrate the heritage of a community.  For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.