(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today announced that the Governor's Bullying Prevention Summit tomorrow is at capacity, and tickets are no longer available.

The Governor's Bullying Prevention Summit will have nearly 1,200 attendees, including students, educators and parents from across the state.

Iowans wishing to participate in the conversation may still do so via Twitter, using the #NoBully hash tag.

JDL Horizons, using its flagship Internet streaming solution EduVision, will produce and stream all of the plenary and breakout sessions in cooperation with the governor's office. eSchool Media will accept the stream and deliver the events to a national audience of nearly 1 million K-12 educators throughout North America and around the world. Streaming of the entire summit will be available at: https://educateiowa.eduvision.tv.

More information can be found on the summit's web site at https://preventbullying.iowa.gov

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AD RescueWear is proud to announce they have received the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance.

Products eligible for the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance are those that have been created or intended for use by persons with eczema or severe sensitive skin conditions and that have satisfied the NEA Seal of Acceptance Criteria. The following product categories are included: Personal Care Products, Household Products, Fabrics, and Devices. The Seal of Acceptance criteria includes a list of ingredients and contents that should be avoided because they contain known irritants. Depending on the product, the NEA Seal of Acceptance Review Panel considers testing data on sensitivity, safety, and toxicity, as well as the ingredients, content, and formulation data. Acceptance of a product means that the product has been evaluated to determine that it does not contain ingredients or contents that are known to be unsuitable for use by persons with eczema or sensitive skin conditions. For more information on the National Eczema Association and its Seal of Acceptance please visit www.nationaleczema.org.

AD RescueWear is the first U.S. Company to manufacture and sell ready-made, wet wrap therapy products for the treatment of childhood Atopic Dermatitis/Eczema. The product line includes the Wrap-E-SootheTM Suit for full body treatment and Wrap-E-SootheTM Sleeves for treating arms and legs. The Wrap-E-SootheTM products were developed by AD RescueWear in consultation with leading allergists. The Wrap-E-SootheTM products are made with eco-friendly MicroTENCEL®/lyocell fabric which is proven through verifiable testing to be superior for Atopic Dermatitis/Eczema and sensitive skin. TENCEL® fabric is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified (tested for harmful substances and free of hazardous chemicals).

These new garments are a breakthrough for parents, doctors and nurses who struggle with wet wrapping children with Atopic Dermatitis/Eczema. The revolutionary design simplifies the full body and spot treatment of Atopic Dermatitis/Eczema. The Wrap-E-SootheTM Suit and Sleeves replace the traditional treatment of using wetted gauze, shirts, pants, multiple pairs of socks and duct tape for fastening. Instead of the traditional time consuming and sometimes confusing process, the caregiver just wets the suit or sleeves and slips them onto the child.

The Wrap-E-SootheTM products can also be worn dry to protect irritated or healing skin. The ultra soft and smooth fabric is a great protection layer under clothing or as clothing. These products are reusable and machine washable.

If you would like more information about this topic please call 303-953-4137.

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Enjoy the tenth anniversary of hilarious stories, engaging conversation, and outstanding music with SPT Theatre and special guest, Jim Kern, during A Modern Salon, January 11, 12, 18, 19, 24, 25, and 26 at 7:30 p.m. Emulating the Parisian salons at the turn of the twentieth century, A Modern Salon is held in the Mansion's Great Hall, where Brucemore's second family, the Douglases, frequently entertained guests. Admission is $45 per person or $40 per Brucemore member and includes pre-show wine tasting from First Avenue Wine House and appetizers starting at 7 p.m. Champagne and desserts will be served during intermission. Evening dress is encouraged and valet parking is available. Space is limited; purchase tickets online at www.brucemore.org, by telephone at (319) 362-7375, or by visiting the Brucemore Store.

No stranger to Brucemore and the local arts scene, Jim Kern will provide comically nostalgic insight into A Modern Salon with this year's theme, "tradition."  As former Assistant Director and Executive Director at Brucemore, Jim was instrumental in expanding the educational programs, tour menu, building and landscape preservation activities, and arts and culture events offered on the estate.  Now that he is officially retired, his biography is a list of former exploits and careers: teacher, stage director, actor, restaurateur, historic site director, development director, caterer, and Oprah panelist.  In short, he could never quite figure out what he wanted to be when and if he grew up.  He currently serves as Chair of the Cedar Rapids Visual Arts Commission, on the boards of the Cedar Rapids Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and Theatre Cedar Rapids, and as travel group host for Destinations Unlimited.  In July, he will return to the Classics at Brucemore, which he co-founded in 1996, as the Artistic Director for Cyrano de Bergerac.

 

SPT Theatre was founded by Doug Elliott, Gerard Estella, Janelle Lauer, and Jane Pini, four local performing artists looking to support, provide for, and expand the artistic opportunities available to performers and arts patrons in the Cultural Corridor. For further information about SPT Theatre, call (319) 361-5297 or visit www.spttheatre.org.

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.

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Todd Raufeisen of Davenport, Iowa introduced Calvin N. Hileman today as the newest member of the development staff of Raufeisen Development Company. Mr. Hileman will be responsible for leasing and management. Cal comes to Raufeisen Development from Mercy Medical Centers and Clinics where he was in charge of the real estate department based in Cedar Rapids, IA.

He was formerly with Cullinan Properties in Peoria, IL as Vice President of Leasing. He directed the internal and third party leasing activities for Cullinan's retail properties in Illinois, Texas, and Missouri.

He brings more than 30 years of retail property management and leasing experience and the leasing of more than 1.5 million total square feet of GLA.

Cal was Regional Leasing Director for CBL Properties directing the leasing activities of twelve enclosed malls, fourteen strip centers and more than 11 million square feet of GLA.

As Executive Vice President for Equity Growth Group, he was responsible for management of the property management and leasing company.

As Sr. Vice President for General Growth /Center Companies he was responsible for the leasing and remerchandising of 16 enclosed malls in the East and Midwest.

Cal began his leasing career at The Taubman Company and the leasing of centers including Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg, IL, Columbus City Center in Columbus, OH, The Mall at Short Hills, Short Hills, NJ, Beverly Center, Beverly Hills, CA and Stamford Town Center, Stamford, CT. Major accounts included Melville Corp., Hallmark Cards, Crate & Barrel, Ralph Lauren Polo and Hartmarx.

Raufeisen Development has major mixed use land developments in Iowa, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin.

SCOTT EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER (SECC) BOARD

Board Room, 1st Floor, Scott County Administrative Center, 600 West Fourth Street, Davenport, Iowa

NOVEMBER 29, 2012 at 3:00 p.m.

1.  Roll Call: Gallagher, Gluba, Lehman, O'Boyle, Sunderbruch. Ex officio members: Bruemmer, Frederiksen, Malin, and Ploehn

2.  Pledge of Allegiance

3.  Approval of Minutes

4.  Approval of Agreement for Retirement Health Savings Accounts with Vantage Care Retirement Health Savings (ICMA-RC) (Mary)

5.  Review of FY2013-FY2014 budget (Brian)

6.  Director's report

7.  Discussion of strategy of upcoming labor negotiations with the SECC's organized employees pursuant to Iowa Code Section 20.17(3). - CLOSED SESSION (Mary)

8.  Next meeting date - December 20, 2012 at 4:30 p.m.

9.  Adjourn

Trade mission is part of the administration's goal to increase trade opportunities by 20 percent. Interested Iowans are encouraged to participate in the trade mission.

(DES MOINES) - Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds will lead a trade mission to Vietnam and the Philippines from February 22 - March 2, 2013. This trade mission will focus on two main components; increasing exports of Iowa pork to Southeast Asia and fostering export opportunities for Iowa manufacturers who are considering development or expansion in the region. The Iowa Economic Development Authority's (IEDA) International Trade Office will assist in coordinating the trip, and interested Iowans are invited to participate in this mission.

"This mission will generate new trading relationships with Vietnam and the Philippines," said Lt. Gov. Reynolds. "Both countries have shown tremendous economic growth and continue to be open to new business opportunities - it makes sense for us to have a presence there and I am pleased to be leading this effort."

"Vietnam and the Philippines are burgeoning markets for Iowa businesses, especially when it comes to pork products and manufacturing," said Gov. Branstad. "Trade missions like this one open Iowa companies up to new growth opportunities in expanding markets outside of the United States."

Visits to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Manila are part of the Iowa delegation's itinerary.  The trade mission's agenda will include meetings with senior government officials, prospective industry association leaders and events promoting Iowa to potential economic partners. Iowa companies will participate in meetings specific to their market entry or expansion needs.

Additional information on this trade mission can be found at: www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/intlevents/downloads/VietnamPhilippinesMission.pdf. The deadline for application is December 15, 2012.

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PORT BYRON, IL - The first annual "Nick Teddy Fight Against Ewing's Sarcoma 5k" raised more than $17,000 dollars for Ewing's Sarcoma research.

A donation of $17,158.67 has been made to the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative. Funds will be used to provide research grants to expert investigators who will eventually find a cure for the rare cancer.

"We are very grateful to Nick's family and friends for organizing this wonderful event," said Founders of the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative Bruce and Beverly Shriver of Ossining, N.Y.

"This will help us fund research which will lead to better treatments for this disease and to an eventual cure," they added.

Nick's mother Nancy Strub of Port Byron, Ill., said, "We've very carefully chosen the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative as the best option to earmark funds specifically for quality Ewing's research."

"Nick would have insisted on that," she said.

For Nick's wife Krissy Strub of Omaha, Neb., the first 5k was an emotional day with family and members of the community who came together to remember and celebrate her husband.

"I'm absolutely blown away by the amount of effort put in by the race committee as well as the support from the community," she said, adding she hopes this first year is a stepping stone for bigger events centered around Ewing's Sarcoma research.

The Shriver's agreed.

"We hope people came away from this event with a commitment to help us with our mission of funding research that will bring hope to families worldwide," they said.

Race Director Holly Quinn of Port Byron, Ill., said she's thrilled with this year's turnout and support.

"I think Nick would have loved the celebration," she said. "He loved to get people together for a good cause and a good party!" said Quinn of her brother-in-law.

More information about the Nick Teddy Foundation and upcoming events can be found online: http://www.NickTeddy.org.

Photos from the 5k can be viewed on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/NickTeddyOrg) and on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/NickTeddyOrg).

Contact: Holly Larson at 309-798-3081 / foundation@nickteddy.org

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"Unwrapping the Gift of Faith: Releasing the Energy of Love in Our World" is the theme of this year's Advent Retreat at The Canticle, home of the Clinton Franciscan Sisters.  The retreat opens at 7 pm, Friday, Dec. 7, and closes Sunday, Dec. 9 at noon.

"This Advent retreat," explained Clinton Franciscan Sister Mary Smith who will lead the weekend of reflection, "is a clarion call to spiritual adulthood; a call to wrestle with and grow our faith life not just as belief in something, but as a way of life, a way of being life."

"Being life, we are integral to the whole," said Sister Mary.  "Relationships constitute the very stuff of our natural and historical existence, both as individuals and as societies.  We are nurtured and affected by relationships and derive energy and meaning from them. This dynamic faith perspective is a call to engage life creatively by going beyond a mind that is already made up.  Such a faith presupposes that our minds serve something they cannot name or understand and are open to the new."

Sister Mary, a certified spiritual director who has been engaged in retreat work in California, Portland, Ore., and in Clinton for over 20 years, will be joined by Clinton Franciscan Sister Hilary Mullany and Clinton Franciscan Sojourner Gabriela Egging in presenting the reflections, creative activity and contemplative prayer in The Canticle chapel.

"We live in a relational world," explained Sister Mary.  "The tragic events of 9/11, the natural disasters that continue to occur around the world, as well as events unfolding in each of our own cities or towns, graphically reveal this truth.  In this retreat we will be talking, thinking and praying about what is central to our dynamic, ever-unfolding faith life?always journeying deeper into the One who is beyond all words, deeper into loving service as part of the community of life on this planet."

"We will unwrap together," she explained, " the precious Gift of Faith as articulated by our rich faith traditions, especially the documents of Vatican II that have impacted ongoing renewal and are still reshaping our lives.  Since the days of Vatican II, we've grown as 'people of God' in terms of freedom, charisms, competencies, and irreplaceable roles in the church. We've experienced ourselves as authentic bearers of the Gospel.  Thus, a major focus of the weekend will be on the essential tools for nurturing 'creative fidelity' and rebuilding our own relationships with one another and within the church and the world in our time."

Registration for the weekend retreat is limited.  For details, call Sisters of St. Francis, 563-242-7611, or visit www.ClintonFranciscans.com.

"The Laity after Vatican II: Collaboration in Ministry," a lecture by Dr. Zeni Fox on Sunday, December 2, 2012, will begin at 2:00 pm in Terence Donaghoe Hall, Clarke University, Dubuque, Iowa.  Parking will be available in campus lots on Clarke Drive.  The event is free and open to the public.

The lecture is the second in the series "Celebrating Vatican II: Sharing the Vision" sponsored by the Catholic Sisters of the Upper Mississippi Valley as a gift to the Church in the Year of Faith.

The series, designed to review and renew understanding and appreciation of the Second Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church which opened 50 years ago, examines four key themes of the Council - its history and structure, the role of the laity and lay ministry, liturgical reform, and the role of the church in the world.

Dr. Fox, Professor of Pastoral Theology at Seton Hall University, New Jersey, describes the call to an awareness of lay ministry as one of the great fruits of Vatican II. Her works include Called and Chosen: Toward a Spirituality for Lay Leaders, and New Ecclesial Ministry: Lay Professionals Serving the Church.

Widely regarded as an expert on lay ministry, Dr. Fox describes laypeople as "the disciples of Jesus who share responsibility for the mission of the church."  Indeed, she has noted, without the laity, who comprise more than 99 percent of the church, the church's mission could not be realized.

"It grew up like dandelions in the spring, just here, there, and everywhere," says Fox of professional lay ministry. "This phenomenon has a grassroots dynamic."

"Even before the Second Vatican Council," Fox says is describing the role of the laity, "Pope John XIII said that we need to pay attention to the signs of the times and ask ourselves, 'Where is it that God is moving among us at this time?'?"

There is no registration or admission charge for the lecture series which explores the enduring significance of Vatican II, the most important event in Roman Catholicism in four centuries, and probes its implications for the present and future.  Hailed for its spirit of open-mindedness and change, Vatican II was referred to as a "bringing up to date" or aggiornamento of the Church in the modern world by Pope John XXIII in 1959. The term became a key word in describing the Council, which has been called "one of the most important religious events of the 20th century."

Follow-up sessions to each of the lectures will be offered in the cities where the sponsoring congregations minister.

Future programs in the series will include :

* Dr. Massimo Faggioli speaking on "Liturgical Reform: the Crucial Impact and Legacy of Vatican II" at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Hiawatha, Ia., on February 24, 2013.

Dr. Faggioli studied and taught in Europe before becoming Assistant Professor of Theology at St. Thomas University, St. Paul Minnesota.  Specializing in the history of Christianity, his most  recent books are "Vatican II: The Battle for Meaning," and "True Reform:  Liturgy and Ecclesiology in the Sacrosanctum Concilium." He will reflect on how the liturgical constitution is central to the achievements of Vatican II, to the core theology of the Council and to its impact on Catholicism throughout the world.

* Dr. Marlene Weisenbeck, FSPA addressing "The Church in the Modern World: Vatican II's Challenge for Our Time," on April 21, 2013, at Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace Church, Clinton.

Dr. Weisenbeck, a Canon lawyer and past president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, will describe Vatican II's invitation to read the signs of the times and  to respond in dedicated service.  Panelists, including Most Rev. Daniel Turley, OSA, Bishop of the Diocese of Chulucanas, Peru, will reflect on ways the Church is called to solidarity with the people of God throughout the world.

"Celebrating Vatican II: Sharing the Vision" is sponsored by the Carmelite Nuns, Eldridge, Ia.; Congregation of the Humility of Mary, Davenport, Ia.; Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, La Crosse, Wis.; Sinsinawa Dominicans, Sinsinawa, Wis.; Sisters of Mercy, West-Midwest Region, Omaha, Neb.;  Benedictine Sisters, Rock Island, Ill.; Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Ia.; and Sisters of Charity BVM, Sisters of the Presentation, Sisters of St, Francis, Sisters of the Visitation, and Trappistine Nuns, all of Dubuque, Ia.  The October program is hosted by St. Ambrose University. The December program is co-sponsored by Clarke University.

For details see www.facebook.com/catholicsisters

CHICAGO - November 23, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today encouraged shoppers to use the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 24, to support Illinois' more than 1.1 million small businesses. Nationally, the Saturday between "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" - traditionally two of the busiest shopping days of the year - is recognized as Small Business Saturday where consumers around the country are encouraged to shop at small businesses. In recognition of the effort, Governor Quinn today proclaimed Saturday, Nov. 24 as "Small Business Saturday" in Illinois.

"Small businesses are the backbone of the state's economy and we want to see them flourish," said Governor Quinn. "Through efforts like Small Business Saturday, we can show our support for local merchants that are contributing to our local economies, helping put people to work and keeping our economy moving forward."

Small business success is critical to Illinois' and the nation's overall economy. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are approximately 28 million small businesses in the United States, which have created 65 percent of new jobs over the past two decades. For every $100 spent in locally-owned, independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures, according to the 3/50 Project, a small business advocacy group.

Recognizing the vital role entrepreneurs and small businesses play in Illinois' economic recovery, Governor Quinn has made supporting these businesses a top priority. The Governor recently extended the Small Business Job Creation Tax Credit Program, which allows eligible small businesses that create one or more new, full-time position to receive a $2,500 per job tax credit. Governor Quinn also launched Advantage Illinois, a new program for small businesses to access capital, thanks to more than $78 million from the federal State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI). Advantage Illinois consists of three programs to spur institutional lending to small businesses and one program to leverage private venture capital in start-ups and high-growth businesses.

For more information on the state's small business resources, visit www.ildceo.net. A copy of the Governor's proclamation is attached.

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