Hal Reed and Kevin Burt:  "Generations of Blues"

Blues in the Schools Residency

February 25 - March 1

The Mississippi Valley Blues Society presents Hal Reed and Kevin Burt for its Blues in the Schools Artists in Residency Series for the week of February 25 to March 1, 2013.  Hal and Kevin will conduct their "Generations of Blues" workshops at area schools and two Open to the Public performances:

• Moline Public Library, Gold Room?Tuesday Feb. 26, 7-8:30 p.m. (3210 41^st Street, Moline)
• River Music Experience, Community Stage?Thursday Feb. 28, 7-9 p.m. (2^nd and Main Streets in Davenport IA)

Through storytelling, discussions, and musical demonstration, Hal and Kevin will trace blues music's history and culture from its African roots through today's era, showing how and where the blues originated and threaded its way through all cultures in our society. The goal is that students today continue to appreciate, understand and carry their fathers' and mothers' music into the next generation.

Blues harmonica player, guitarist, singer and educator Hal Reed was born in Mississippi just a few miles from the Delta, where he grew up influenced by his grandfather, a talented southern folk-blues artist who in addition to inspiring young Hal's love for the blues taught Hal the need to pass it on from generation to generation.

Besides being a bandleader in the Quad-Cities, Hal is also the owner of The Muddy Waters in Bettendorf, where he brings in blues artists every week. And for the past five years he has been a teacher at the River Music Experience's Winter Blues program.  Hal along with Ellis Kell have been the moderators at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival's BlueSKool, where they have taught and presented the kids from the RME's Winter Blues program.

Hal has brought his "Generations of Blues" program to area schools three times before, to great acclaim.  Kevin Burt joins a team that has included Ellis Kell, Donald Kinsey, Chris Avey, and Bret Dale.

For over 20 years, Kevin "B.F." Burt has been electrifying audiences throughout the nation, dispelling the myth that true blues has no roots in Iowa.  His soul-inspired presentation is unique, which consistently gets him compared to a range of artists like Bill Withers and Aaron Neville, with the ability to build an audience rapport that has been compared to B.B. King.  Kevin is a self-taught musician (vocals, harmonica, and guitar) who has also had some stage acting experience.  In the off-Broadway play, Klub Ka, the Blues Legend, Kevin played Papa Gee and arranged all of the blues music.  The play, which originally ran in Iowa City and then in Washington DC, also had a two week run at LaMama's Experimental Theater in New York City and was sold out each night.  Kevin has also had roles in several other plays at the University of Iowa?for example, playing Whining Boy in the acclaimed August Wilson play The Piano Lesson.

Kevin was recognized as one of the Midwest's top blues heritage educators by Iowa Governor Chet Culver in 2009, and he has been the MVBS artist in residence for Blues in the Schools before.  Kevin is a registered artist educator with the State of Iowa Arts Council.  He has written and published a classroom harmonica method book called Just Play It: an Introduction to Blues Harmonica.  Kevin has shared the stage with many greats, including Albert Collins, B. B. King, Buddy Guy, Honeyboy Edwards, Janiva Magnus, Junior Wells, Lonnie Brooks, Luther Allison, Robert Cray, Rod Piazza, Terrance Simien, the Holmes Brothers, the Neville Brothers, and the Blind Boys of Alabama. Besides playing at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival and other Midwest blues festivals, Kevin has performed at the Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife (Washington, DC).

The Hal Reed and Kevin Burt "Generations of Blues" residency is made possible by major support from the Riverboat Development Authority. Additional support is provided by the Iowa Arts Council, the Moline Foundation, Alcoa, KALA-FM, and The Lodge of Bettendorf.

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today thanked the myriad Partners for Education Reform who have signed on with their proposal to make Iowa's schools the best in the nation. Branstad and Reynolds both understood the need for a broad, bipartisan effort when they released their proposal just last month.

"We have many good schools with committed educators, but they are stuck in a system designed for the 20th century, not the 21st century," Branstad said. "I am ready to invest significant resources into these educational reforms, which truly have the power to dramatically raise achievement. I want to thank these vital partners who will help us move education reform forward."

Reynolds highlighted the importance of enhancing the teaching profession as a whole.

"This is about strengthening the teaching profession for the benefit of both students and teachers," Reynolds said. "Teachers are the single most important influence on a child's success inside school, and educators are being asked to do much more to prepare students for our knowledge-driven economy. We must make sure new teachers are ready to rise to that challenge, while also providing more support for teachers already in the classroom. Our Partners for Education Reform understand this."

An electronic list of the Partners for Education Reform can be found HERE. The growing list is as follows:

Pioneer

Wellmark

3M

Principal Financial Group

Iowa Chamber Alliance

Greater Des Moines Partnership

Urban Education Network of Iowa

Iowa Biotechnology Association

Iowa Board of Regents

Deere & Company

Master Builders of Iowa

MidAmerican Energy Company

Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company

Monsanto Company

Iowa Board of Educational Examiners

Meredith Corporation

Alliant Energy Corporation

CenturyLink

Alliance Pipline, Inc.

Mechanical Contractors Association of Iowa

NECA, IA (NEC)

NextEra Energy

Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI)

Iowa Association of Realtors

StudentsFirst

Hy-Vee, Inc.

Iowa Engineering Society

American Council of Engineering Companies

Associated Builders and Contractors of Iowa

National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB/IA)

Professional Educators of Iowa

Siouxland Chamber

Iowa Department of Education

College Student Aid Commission

DES MOINES, Iowa, Feb. 19, 2013-Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn came together today at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates in Des Moines, Iowa, before a crowd of 200 youth and business leaders to formalize a partnership enhancing the Wallace-Carver Internship Program for students involved in cutting-edge agriculture, science and research.

The partnership, as represented in the formal Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the World Food Prize Foundation that they signed, will expand opportunities for high school and college students and prepare the next generation of agricultural and scientific leaders. John Ruan III, chairman of the World Food Prize Foundation, also participated in the ceremony.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for young people to be inspired to commit their lives to agriculture and the fight against global hunger," said Vilsack. "USDA thanks the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute as well as the Borlaug-Ruan International Internship programs for their efforts to create opportunities for young people pursuing careers in agriculture and related fields. These students truly are the best and brightest, and they will discover-much like I did-that USDA is a dynamic agency that positively impacts people's lives every day."

Every year, over 1,000 students across the country participate in the World Food Prize youth programs, through which they research a global food security issue, write a paper, and present their solutions. The top 150 students and their teachers travel to Des Moines to participate in an exchange of ideas with the world's foremost leaders at the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute. From there, they can also apply for the World Food Prize Borlaug-Ruan International Internships at research centers around the globe.

Going forward, the USDA and the World Food Prize Foundation will annually choose the top students from across the country to participate in a one-week orientation at USDA headquarters in Washington before fanning out to assume internships with various USDA agencies and offices across the country. Students compete for the internships through the USDA Pathways Programs, a mechanism to recruit, hire, and retain current students and recent graduates, with oversight from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Besides strengthening the menu of USDA internship programs, the Wallace-Carver Internship helps attract and retain the best and brightest young people in careers in American agriculture.

The Wallace-Carver Internship helps to honor the legacies of George Washington Carver and Henry A. Wallace, two great American agricultural leaders of the 20th century. The internship offers students the opportunity to collaborate with world-renowned scientists and policymakers through paid internships at leading USDA research centers and offices.

USDA Virtual University ensures that all Wallace-Carver Interns have an Individual Development Plan, a mentor, and receive consistent training. For information on the Wallace-Carver Internship Program, click here. For information on other USDA internships, click here.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

Research reveals business sophistication level of NARI members

Des Plaines, Illinois, February 19, 2013?Members of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) continue to lead the industry in terms of sales, production and employees, according to results of the 2012 NARI Member Profile Study, conducted by Fred Miller, president of Consumer Specialists.

The data?designed to provide a snapshot of NARI remodelers?shows slight growth in the number of company locations, in-house design work, dedicated salespeople and types of services offered.

"NARI members are quite adept at diversifying and adapting to market trends in order to remain successful," says Tom O'Grady, CR, CKBR, chair of NARI's Strategic Planning and Research committee and owner of O'Grady Builders in Drexel Hill, Pa. "The research suggests the majority of NARI businesses are operating on a sophisticated level, with ongoing evaluation of revenues, sales margins, overhead, income, performance, shifts in housing and consumer demands as the basis for decision-making."

This year's data shows other signs of improvement in the remodeling industry:

• NARI members reported a 14 percent boost in average sales, with 38 percent reporting more than $1,000,000 in annual sales.

• Eighty-two percent (82%) of NARI members offer more than one remodeling service.

• NARI members reported an increase in number of employees, with a 3 percent uptick in dedicated sales employees.

"Though the recession took its toll on many small businesses, NARI members seem to have prevailed," O'Grady says. "Many of us are taking time to refresh our operations and responsibilities in preparation for growth over the next couple of years." In fact, 93 percent of NARI members predict future sales to be as good or better in 2013, according to the Member Profile data.

To see the full 2012 Member Profile Study results, send your request to marketing@nari.org.

NARI is a professional association whose members voluntarily subscribe to a strict code of ethics. Visit the NARI.org site to get tips on how to hire a remodeling professional and to search for NARI members in your area.

Click here to see an online version of this press release.

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