You still have time to take advantage of the IAAP 70^th Anniversary Membership Promotion.  You can join IAAP for only $70 (+$15 processing fee).

Check out our website (http://www.iaap-quadcity.org/quadcity/wontyoujoinus ) for more information or contact me if you have any questions.

Who Are We?

IAAP is the world's foremost association of administrative professionals offering a variety of benefits and opportunities to achieve professional, career and personal goals.

Membership in IAAP provides office professionals with opportunities for personal and professional growth, leadership training, and networking at the local, state and international levels. The Chapter also values its role as a community service organization, volunteering hours and supporting charitable endeavors in the area.

IAAP recognizes that by living in the Information Age, office professionals must stay in the forefront of current events and technological changes in order to increase their productivity. Members of IAAP receive the tools and knowledge necessary to become more effective contributors to their organizations, and the Quad City Chapter has accepted the challenge to provide these opportunities to our members.

Anyone currently employed as an administrative professional or other qualified office professional; holder of the Certified Administrative Professional rating or Organizational Management specialty; a full-time student in a business education program; or an employed teacher of business education is cordially invited to attend one of our monthly meetings.

Why Join?

Belonging to IAAP provides an opportunity to meet other office professionals, to discuss mutual concerns or just to make new friends. Membership provides stimulation and challenges to any career-minded office professional.

We provide continual learning processes to keep pace with new technologies and make required contributions to the office profession.

Benefit Include:

• Member discount on purchases through IAAP on education and professional development resource materials
• Discounts on registration of any IAAP sponsored international level training workshops, seminars, and conferences
• Discounts on registration for the Certified Administrative Professional exams access to research findings
• Subscription to OfficePRO magazine, OfficePRO Express, an e-newsletter full of research, trends and technology information, IAAP Connections, the association's monthly e-newsletter
• Full access to IAAP Website (www.iaap-hq.org)

Jefferson City, Mo. ? New owners of two vintage motels on Route 66 in Missouri are doing their best to see traffic keeps on trucking on the legendary highway.

The Wagon Wheel Motel, in Cuba, is in tip-top shape after a complete renovation under Connie Echols, who bought the rundown motel in 2009 and has lovingly restored each of the stone cottages.

"It was horrible," Echols said of the motel, which was built in 1935 and is the oldest continuously operating tourist court on the historic highway. "It had the original wiring and plumbing."

On the far western side of the state, the Boots Motel, in Carthage, opened (last spring) the completed wing of a restoration project that will return the motel to what the first Route 66 motorists found.

"We want to make it as authentic a motoring experience from 1949 as we can make it," said Deborah Harvey, one of two sisters who bought the Boots, which once was scheduled to be torn down for a Walgreens. "We want to make the rooms as though you're stepping back in time."

A four-night tour of the Mother Road included stays at the Wagon Wheel and Boots, as well as the Rail Haven, in Springfield, the city where Route 66 got its name, and the Munger Moss Motel, in Lebanon, where the iconic neon sign has been repaired and relit.

Route 66 ran from Chicago to Los Angeles, a total of 2,448 miles, including 317 miles in Missouri, from downtown St. Louis to the Kansas state line west of Joplin.

The highway was named officially in April 30, 1926, at a meeting in Springfield. It served as one of the nation's chief east-west arteries until it was removed from the U.S. highway system in 1985, replaced by Interstates. Interstate 44 through Missouri now follows much of the route from St. Louis to Springfield.

But by then, its romantic status as a roadway to the west, and a pathway to adventure, had been recognized in song and on TV. "Get your kicks on Route 66" was the mantra of the faithful who refused to let the highway fade away.

Today, states such as Missouri have erected "Historic Route 66" signs along bypassed sections of the highway, and tourists come from the world over to drive its twisting two lanes and visit the Mom 'n Pop motels and roadside attractions that still line its route.

"It's the best way to see America, end to end," said Echols, owner of the Wagon Wheel. "Overseas, it's a prestige thing to ride 66, especially on a motorcycle. In summer, a third, maybe closer to a half, of my business is from overseas. One night last summer, we had 11 rooms rented from 10 different countries. Half of them didn't speak English."

Followers of the Mother Road know the important stops, and the people they'll find there.

"I rented 36 rooms to travelers from Australia two weeks ago," said Ramona Lehman, who owns the Munger Moss. "Last year, I had a group from the Union of South Africa."

They come to stay in the motel, and to visit with Ramona and her husband, Bob, and hear their stories of life on the Road.

"I make sure I'm here when we have big groups," Ramona said. "I had a guy from Brazil come in and he said, 'Are you Ramona?' He reached over to touch me and said, 'You are real!'

"There's something about the people who travel on Route 66. They fall in love with our country, and our road. It puts goose bumps on me."

A labor of love
Connie Echols owned a florist shop on Route 66 in Cuba, but long had admired the Wagon Wheel, which included a gas station, café and motel.

"I always thought it was a cool place," she said of the fieldstone buildings.

When the owners died, she bought it from their son and began the arduous restoration, which had to conform to the motel's listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today, the old café houses the motel office and Connie's Shoppe, which sells women's accessories and souvenirs; the 19 rental rooms are stylishly decorated, with modern amenities.

"I know what I like when I travel - white linens, good beds and clean, up-to-date bathrooms," Echols said. "We did keep the original doors and windows, and saved the hardwood floors that we could."

Room 22 is a suite with a queen bed, table and chairs, and flat-screen TV in the front room. A jetted tub, shower, small refrigerator, microwave and granite-topped vanity are in the back room.

The motel has become a popular base for exploring Cuba, which is making an impressive bid as a tourist destination. The town has decorated its buildings with 12 murals, and is home to wineries and restaurants including Missouri Hick Barbeque, Frisco's Grill and Pub, and Cuba Bakery and Deli.

"There were a few times I could have quit in the middle of it," Echols said of her labor of love, "but I've never been a quitter."

Rooms at the Wagon Wheel range from $55 for a single to $110 for the suites. Visit www.WagonWheel66Cuba.com, or call 573-885-3411.


Streamline Moderne architecture
Deborah Harvey, of Decatur, Ga., and her sister, Priscilla Bledsaw, of Decatur, Ill., are devoted Roadies who were making the trek from Chicago to Los Angeles in 2006, when they came upon the closed Boots Motel at the intersection of Route 66 and Highway 71, in Carthage.

"We were driving along and kept saying how fun it would be to own a hotel on Route 66 and wave at all the people going by," said Harvey, who is 62 and a historic preservation consultant.

Five years later, the two were the proud owners of the motel built by Arthur Boots in 1939. The original had a gas station and eight rooms with carports. A back annex of five rooms with an underground garage was added in 1946.

The back building was the first to be restored, opening last May. The sisters combed the flea markets and used furniture shops in Carthage for antique chenille bedspreads and period furniture to decorate each room, many of which maintain their original wood floors and tiled bathrooms.

There are no TVs, but each room has a radio to fulfill Arthur Boots' promise of "a radio in every room."

Future plans include removing a gabled roof that was added later, spoiling the Streamline Moderne architecture of the main building, and replacing the green neon that decorated the exterior.

The sisters figure it will take up to five years to have the Boots back to original condition, but it's already drawing international visitors.

"We got a couple of motorcyclists from Tahiti, and we've had people from nearly every European country," Harvey said. "This is our first year, but we're making enough money to pay the bills."

And they've already achieved one of their important goals. "In the evening, we sit out front and wave to passersby," Harvey said. "People will stop by and tell us stories about staying at the Boots."

Rates for a single are $66 and for a double $71, as in Highway 71. Visit BootsMotel.Homestead.com, or call 417-310-2989.

State's first Steak 'N Shake
Springfield bills itself as the "Birthplace of Route 66," and the Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven is a good place to stay while exploring the city's attractions.

The original Rail Haven, built by brothers Elwyn and Lawrence Lippman in 1938, had eight sandstone cottages with adjoining garages and a rail fence. By the time the motel became a founding member of the new Best Western chain in 1951, it had 28 rooms.

Today, that total is up to 98 and the original eight cottages have become part of a modern strip motel with all the expected amenities. Antique gas pumps, vintage signs and a pair of 1955 and 1956 Fords decorate the grounds, paying homage to its link to the historic highway.

"Nothing's been torn down here," said Tonya Pike, a Route 66 historian who helps in marketing the motel. "We're considered a classic example of how a cottage court becomes a strip motel. There are other hotels out there as old as we are, but we're the only one that's a founding member of a national chain and still part of that chain."

A brochure in the motel office describes other Route 66 highlights in Springfield, including the Rest Haven Court, Shrine Mosque, Gillioz Theatre and the first Steak 'N Shake in Missouri, which has its original black-and-white sign and offers curb service.

Rates start at $79.99. Visit BWRailhaven.com, or call 800-304-0021.

Keeping it alive
Change may be coming to yet another landmark motel on Historic Route 66.

Ramona and Bob Lehman, who have owned the Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon for 41 years, have listed it for sale.

The hotel has 44 rooms, and 17 two-room efficiencies. Some of the rooms are decorated with themes, including Room 18, which is dedicated to the dearly departed Coral Court Motel, the infamous no-tell-motel that was torn down and replaced by a subdivision in St. Louis.

"It's decorated in pink and black," Ramona said of Room 18. "I also call it my bordello room."

Although Ramona and Bob, like their motel, are in good shape, they both are in their mid-70s and looking for a new lifestyle.

"I won't sell it just to anybody," Ramona said. "I want somebody who loves Route 66 to take it over. It's part of our heritage. We've got to keep it alive for our kids."

Rates are $48 for a single, and $55 for a double. Visit MungerMoss.com, or call 417-532-3111.

Tom Uhlenbrock writes travel stories for the State of Missouri.

About the Missouri Division of Tourism
The Missouri Division of Tourism (MDT) is the official tourism office for the state of Missouri dedicated to marketing Missouri as a premier travel destination. Established in 1967, the Missouri Division of Tourism has worked hard to develop the tourism industry in Missouri to what it is today, an $11.2 billion industry supporting more than 279,000 jobs and generating $627 million in state taxes in Fiscal Year 2011. For every dollar spent on marketing Missouri as a travel destination in FY11, $57.76 was returned in visitor expenditures. For more information on Missouri tourism, go to www.VisitMO.com.

Links referenced in this article:

Wagon Wheel Motel
www.VisitMO.com/wagon-wheel-motel.aspx

Boots Motel
www.VisitMO.com/boots-motel.aspx

Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven
www.VisitMO.com/best-western-route-66-rail-haven.aspx

Munger Moss Motel
www.VisitMO.com/munger-moss-motel.aspx

Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge funds will target the state's neediest children

CHICAGO - December 6, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today announced Illinois has been awarded a $34.8 million Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support quality early childhood education in Illinois.

Illinois was one of only 14 states selected for the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge. The grant funds will help Illinois connect children most at risk of school failure with high-quality early learning programs.

"Illinois has been a leader in early learning for decades and we will now be able to further strengthen that leadership through the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge," Governor Quinn said.  "The achievement gap begins before a child steps into kindergarten. Empowering our children with a solid education foundation before they begin kindergarten is the most crucial investment we can make in a future workforce that will drive economic growth in Illinois."

The Illinois State Board of Education, Department of Human Services and Department of Children and Family Services will work together to improve the quality of all early learning and development programs in the state through this grant.  The federal grant will be used to: create a new Quality Rating and Improvement System to inform parents about program quality through a website that will be fully implemented in July 2014. In addition, the grant will help communities connect children with the greatest needs to high-quality programs, strengthen the quality of early learning programs, and support the development of great teachers for early learning programs.  These funds will also allow the state to make important one-time investments to improve efficiency, streamline program administration and data systems and evaluate effectiveness for early childhood programs.

"Making sure young children and their families get the support they need to prepare children for success in school and later life requires coordinated effort from all of our agencies," said Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary Michelle Saddler.

"Early childhood funding is one of the best investments we can make for the success and prosperity of future generations and our Illinois economy," said State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch. "These funds will allow us to improve our infrastructure to better serve early learners and make more efficient use of state resources toward that purpose."

Illinois was one of five states eligible to compete for the second round of the grant, which was submitted in October to the U.S. Department of Education.  The state was one of 35 states to apply for the first round of funding and was found eligible to apply for the second round based on its performance.

Illinois' application is designed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of early childhood education in Illinois by taking a patchwork of early learning programs and integrating them into a unified system and increasing early childhood program quality?making sure that all programs provide quality education and helping already good programs become great.

To learn more about the Illinois plan for the Early Learning Challenge, please visit:  http://www2.illinois.gov/gov/OECD/Pages/EarlyLearningChallenge.aspx

 ###

Des Moines, December 6, 2012? The Iowa Supreme Court has appointed District Judge Mary Ann Brown, Burlington, as Chief Judge of the Eighth Judicial District. Judge Brown succeeds Chief Judge James Q. Blomgren who will retire December 6, 2012.

"Judge Brown is an excellent judge with experience as an attorney and on the bench," Chief Justice Mark Cady said. "The supreme court is confident she has the skills needed to be a fine chief judge and a strong leader in the Eighth Judicial District."

Judge Brown was appointed district judge in September 2001. She received her bachelor's degree from Drake University in 1981 and her law degree from the Drake University School of Law in 1984. Judge Brown worked as a prosecutor for the Des Moines County Attorney's Office from 1985 to 1990. She was in private practice with Bauer, Schulte, Hahn, Swanson & Brown from 1990 to 2001. Judge Brown is a member of the Iowa Judicial Qualifications Commission, The Eighth Judicial District Department of Correctional Services Board of Directors, the Iowa Judges Association, the Iowa State Bar Association, the Des Moines County Bar Association, and served as past chair of the Iowa Board of Examiners of Shorthand Reporters. She is also a member of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa/Western Illinois Board of Directors and, in 2000, she received a Bar Association Community Service award.

"I am honored and humbled to have been selected a Chief Judge for the Eighth Judicial District," Judge Brown said. "As Iowans we can all be proud of the outstanding court system in this state. It will be a privilege to have this opportunity to work with all the outstanding, hardworking judges and other court staff in this judicial district. Working together we will successfully meet the ever changing challenges to efficiently and effectively serve the legal needs of our citizens."

As chief judge, Judge Brown will supervise all judicial officers and court employees in the district, supervise the performance of administrative and judicial business in the district, set the times and places of holding court, designate presiding judges, and serve on the judicial council, which advises the supreme court on administrative matters affecting the trial courts. In addition, she will continue to preside over cases.

The Eighth Judicial District is located in southeast Iowa and comprises 14 counties: Appanoose, Davis, Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee (with two county seats?Fort Madison and Keokuk), Louisa, Mahaska, Monroe, Poweshiek, Van Buren, Wapello, and Washington. The district has 11 district judges, seven district associate judges, one associate juvenile judge, four senior judges, 13 part-time magistrates, and 156 employees, with an operating budget for the current fiscal year of approximately $14.2 million. A total of 73,056 cases were filed in the Eighth Judicial District last year.

 # # #