Friday, June 7 - 8 pm

His First Appearance in the Quad Cities

On Sale Friday April 26 at 10 am

Don't miss an unforgettable night of classic hits on Friday, June 7 at 8 pm when Motown Legend Smokey Robinson performs at the i wireless Center for one night only. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 26 at 10 am.

 

Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Robinson founded The Miracles while still in high school. The group's single of Robinson's "Shop Around" became Motown's first #1 hit on the R&B singles chart. In the years following, Robinson continued to pen hits for the group including "You've Really Got a Hold on Me," "Ooo Baby Baby," "The Tracks of My Tears," "Going to a Go-Go," "More Love," "Tears of a Clown" and "I Second That Emotion." Smokey's solo career included top hits "Cruisin", "Being With You"," Just to See Her" and "One Heartbeat".

 

During the course of his 50-year career in music, Robinson has accumulated more than 4,000 songs to his credit, became Vice President of Motown Records and continues to thrill sold-out audiences around the world with his high tenor voice, impeccable timing, and profound sense of lyric.   In 1987, Robinson was inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Two years later, in 1989, he was inducted to the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. In 1991 he won the Heritage Award at the Soul Train Music Awards. In 1993, Robinson was awarded a medal at the National Medal of Arts. Never resting on his laurels, Smokey Robinson remains a beloved icon in our musical heritage.

 

Coal Valley, IL - April 17, 2013 - Niabi Zoo announced today that it will be holding its annual Earth Day celebration, Party for the Planet, on Sunday, April 21. The event, which will be held from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Zoo, will feature a variety of activities and information to help both kids and adults alike learn how they can make every day Earth Day.

This year's Party for the Planet theme is "Habitats at Home," and the event will focus on the many ways in which Quad City residents can help the countless wildlife habitats that surround them on a daily basis. Niabi Zoo will be distributing 150 conifer tree saplings for attendees to take home and plant, as well as 250 limited edition Niabi Zoo 50th Anniversary reusable grocery bags. The reusable bags can be used in place of disposable plastic bags which frequently end up in landfills. Zoo guests will also learn what they can do in their own backyards to create and sustain vital habitats for native wildlife.

Niabi Zoo will also be supporting the conservation of Monarch butterflies in a variety of ways. Zoo staff and volunteers will be distributing seeds from the milkweed plant, which is vital for the growth and development of Monarch butterflies. Event attendees will also have a chance to learn about the amazing Annual Great Migration of Monarch butterflies, in which millions of these beautiful creatures travel thousands of miles. Researchers have been tagging and tracking these butterflies in order to learn more about their incredible journey.

Niabi Zoo will be open from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Regular admission rates will apply.

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Grassley, Cruz Introduce Comprehensive Legislation That Targets Violent Criminals, Safeguards Second Amendment

WASHINGTON - Senators Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Ted Cruz of Texas are introducing an alternative amendment to gun legislation pending on the Senate floor.  Their "Protecting Communities and Preserving the Second Amendment Act" would preserve the Second Amendment while providing important fixes to existing law.

The Grassley-Cruz proposal would reauthorize and improve the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), increase resources for prosecutions of gun crime, address mental illness in the criminal justice system, and strengthen criminal law by including straw purchasing and illegal firearm trafficking statutes.

"When people study our amendment, they'll see a sensible alternative that was developed from the ground up.  It's got wide-ranging, broad-based support and takes a responsible approach to fixing problems with the current background check system," Grassley said.  "We've put together an amendment that can effectively address some of the problems we've seen while protecting Second Amendment rights.  I've been very interested in the mental health aspect of this debate, so we include provisions to study and address that issue.  My oversight of Operation Fast and Furious highlighted some serious flaws within the gun trafficking and straw purchasing area, and Senator Cruz has done an exceptionally good job of helping develop that portion of our alternative.  In addition, we both understand the importance of ensuring that Second Amendment protections are in place for veterans, along with every other American."

"I am glad to work with Sen. Grassley on this important amendment, which presents a reasonable alternative to the current legislation being considered while placing top priority on preserving Americans' inalienable right to bear arms," Sen. Cruz said. "Rather than restricting the rights of law-abiding Americans, we should be focusing on keeping guns out of the hands of violent criminals, which this legislation accomplishes. While the Obama Administration continues to politicize a terrible tragedy to push its anti-gun agenda, I am proud to stand beside my fellow senators to present common-sense measures that will increase criminal prosecutions of felons who try to buy guns, criminalize straw purchasing and gun trafficking, and address mental health issues."

Sponsors of the Protecting Communities and Preserving the Second Amendment Act of 2013 include Senators Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, John Thune of South Dakota, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, John Hoeven of North Dakota, Orrin Hatch of Utah, Jeff Flake of Arizona, Dan Coats of Indiana, John Cornyn of Texas, Pat Roberts of Kansas, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, James Risch of Idaho, Marco Rubio of Florida, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, John Boozman of Arkansas, Mike Johanns of Nebraska, Rob Portman of Ohio, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

This legislation will:

·         Improve and reauthorize grants for NICS database;

·         Require federal courts to submit relevant information to NICS;

·         Ensure that relevant mental health records are submitted by states to NICS;

·         Condition federal grant money for states on their submission of mental health records to NICS;

·         Increase federal prosecution of gun violence by establishing the Nationwide Project Exile Program and establishing a high level federal taskforce;

·         Study of the causes of mass shootings;

·         Responsibly addresses gun violence by criminalizing straw purchasing of firearms and gun trafficking;

·         Second Amendment Protections for Veterans;

·         Require the Department of Justice to explain to Congress why it has or has not been prosecuting gun cases;

·         Place Limitations on Fast & Furious type operations by DOJ;

·         Authorize FFL's to utilize the NICS database to for voluntary background checks of employees;

·         Authorize FFL's to access the FBI's National Crime Information Center stolen gun database to ensure that a firearm is not stolen prior to acquisition;

·         Reauthorize the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA) with amendments;

·         Address school safety by Reauthorizes the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Secure our Schools Program through 2023. 

Here is a section-by-section summary of the bill and a copy of the text of the bill.

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Our Town Cast Announcement
Congratulations to the cast of Our Town!  Tickets for this very special staged reading
production will go on sale May 7th.

* Katie Andreasen -  Rebecca Gibbs
* Mary Crandall -  Woman in Balcony/Dead Woman #2
* Lyle Fisher -  Stage Manager
* Seth Friedman -  Man in Auditorium/Baseball Player/Sam Craig
* Alisa Gerhold -  Emily Webb
* Duane Larson -  Mr. Webb
* Basilio Light -  Constable Warren
* Mary Locher -  Mrs. Webb
* Max Locher -   Joe Crowell/Wally Webb/Si Crowell
* Marnie Marshall  -  Mrs. Soames
* Ben Schmidt  -  George Gibbs
* Philip Schramp -   Dr. Gibbs
* Brian Smith  -  Howie Newsome/Baseball Player/Dead Man
* Susan Streit  -  Mrs. Gibbs
* Rick Titus -   Professor Willard/Joe Stoddard
* Mike Wilhelm  -  Simon Stimson
* Bonnie Williams  -  Lady in Box/Dead Woman #1