"How could one not be shocked ...?" asked Jan Cebula OSF, former president of the Clinton Franciscans and convener of the Clinton Franciscan Center for Active Nonviolence and Peacemaking, in describing her experience on an Interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB) delegation study tour of Palestine/Israel.

Just returned from the two-week journey through the conflict zone during the olive harvest, Sister Cebula will report on her experiences at a free, public presentation beginning at 6:30 pm, Thursday, November 29, 2012, at The Canticle, home of the Clinton Franciscans, 841-13th Avenue North Clinton, Iowa

Sister Cebula and the 21 other participants on this delegation had the unique opportunity to hear directly from Palestinians and Israelis regarding the role of the US government in promoting a resolution to the conflict in their homeland.  The delegation also focused on the Palestinian olive harvest which takes place each autumn and is an occasion of particular cultural and economic importance for Palestinian communities and a time when tensions between Israeli settlers and Palestinian residents of the West Bank run high.

Describing her reaction to the delegation, Sister Cebula wrote, "I was shocked by the pervasive, systematic discrimination and oppression of the Palestinian people and the impact on their daily lives. Travel restrictions, checkpoints, the wall separating Palestinians from one another and their olive groves, demolition and eviction orders, mushrooming illegal Jewish settlements strategically planned to prohibit expansion of Palestinian villages, highways upon which only Israelis can drive, harassment by settlers and soldiers, endless court battles, denial of permits to build, limited or no access to electricity and water.  All these horrors are obviously designed to send messages about inferior status and keeping people separated and fearful, and are used to try to force people from their land," said Sister Cebula.

Sister Cebula also cited many positive elements of the situation in her online report to IFPB such as, "witnessing the resilience, courage and strength of the Palestinians and Israelis who are resisting the occupation, working for change, assisting with court challenges, engaging in nonviolent resistance, forming cooperatives, empowering youth and refusing to act as enemies by building bridges and relationships. They were truly inspiring. In them lies the hope despite the overwhelming reality of occupation and inequality," she said.

In her presentation, Sister Cebula will explore various avenues that US citizens can take to forward the peace process in the region.  "We who were privileged to make this delegation are determined to tell the stories of our Palestinian brothers and sisters who feel abandoned by the international community," she explained.

This Interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB) delegation was the 42^nd such experience organized by IFPB since 2001 which have educated approximately 800 North American citizens about the Middle East and deepened their understanding of its conflicts through eye-witness experiences.

$352 Million, Multi-State Procurement to Bring Next Generation
Passenger High-Speed Rail Cars to Midwest and California

ROCHELLE - November 19, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today was joined by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Secretary Ann L. Schneider and leaders from Sumitomo Corporation of America (SCOA) to announce that Illinois-based Nippon Sharyo has been awarded a $352 million contract from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The contract will allow Nippon Sharyo, a railcar manufacturing company which Governor Quinn recruited to Illinois, to build 130 passenger railcars that will be delivered throughout the Midwest and California starting in 2015. Today's announcement will put people back to work and advance the governor's efforts to build a 21st century rail system in Illinois.

"Illinois is committed to building a high-speed, 21^st century rail system and leading the nation in rail equipment manufacturing," Governor Quinn said. "By working together with other states, the federal government and outstanding Illinois-based companies like Nippon Sharyo, we can put people back to work and advance Illinois' role as one of the nation's top transportation hubs."

In October, Governor Quinn, Senator Dick Durbin and Secretary LaHood led the first-ever test run of high-speed rail between Pontiac and Dwight.

The awarding of the contract from a joint procurement between IDOT and Caltrans is the final step in a first of its kind multi-state procurement that will also see new railcars delivered to Michigan and Missouri. California will buy 42 railcars and the Midwest coalition will buy 88 railcars, which will operate out of Amtrak's Chicago hub. The competitively-bid contract for 130 state-of-the-art, bi-level passenger railcars was won by Sumitomo Corporation of America, which will deliver these railcars through Rochelle, Illinois-based railcar manufacturer Nippon Sharyo. This next generation equipment procurement is being funded through the Federal Railroad Administration and has met all requirements to ensure that the final assembly be prepared by American workers, with American-sourced steel, iron and manufactured components.

"This new era of passenger rail will give travelers better, faster transportation options and create jobs for American workers building the 130 rail cars in Illinois," said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.  "This is good news for rail travelers and for the regional economy, and it's one more example of President Obama's vision of an America Built to Last."

The new cars are designed for operation at speeds up to 125 mph and equipped to deal with weather extremes throughout the country. The stainless steel car body is designed to provide a longer usable life with reduced maintenance requirements and will include amenities such as Wi-Fi, increased space between seats in all classes of service, state of the art visual and audible announcement systems. In addition, it will exceed current ADA requirements. The bi-level design of the new cars will increase capacity of Chicago "Hub" trains significantly over existing trains - up to 90 people per coach.

"We are proud to partner with Caltrans and the Midwest Coalition to cost-effectively procure the state-of the-art passenger railcar equipment needed to address the increasing demand for efficient and convenient passenger rail service throughout the state," said Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann L. Schneider. "With Amtrak ridership at record levels in Illinois and the official purchasing process of the railcars under way, this massive project will continue to boost America's manufacturing and assembling industry and provide improved travel options for the entire Midwest."

"By pooling our resources, all four states involved in this partnership can purchase the equipment at lower costs because it will be acquired in high volume under one contract," said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty in a statement. "These new railcars will help us meet the growing ridership demand on California trains, which is up 53 percent since 2002."

Sumitomo Corporation of America and Nippon Sharyo have supplied approximately 900 commuter rail cars in the North American market since the 1980s. Sumitomo has developed or managed transportation systems in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, California, Virginia, Canada, Japan and the Philippines.

"SCOA, with our carbuilder subcontractor Nippon Sharyo, is most pleased to be selected for the U.S.'s first high-speed railcar procurement under The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. We also look forward to working closely with these four transit authorities and to be part of the growth of their surrounding communities." said Mr. Hideyuki "Hugh" Ninomiya, Director, Transportation Systems and Equipment, Sumitomo Corporation of America. "Our team is proud to partner with Caltrans and the Midwest Coalition to provide state of the art, cost-effective, "Made in America", high-speed passenger rail cars."

In July, Governor Quinn joined Nippon Sharyo at the grand opening of its new U.S. headquarters and 465,000 square foot manufacturing facility passenger railcar production facility in Rochelle. Nippon Sharyo is investing $50 million and creating at least 250 jobs in Rochelle, while the state is providing support of $10 million in targeted investments through Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program, job-creation based Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) tax credits, and Employer Training Investment Program (ETIP) job-training funds. In 2010, Metra announced that it will purchase 160 new rail cars from Nippon Sharyo over the next five years with $585 million provided through the Illinois Jobs Now! program.

Illinois has become a national leader in passenger rail expansion and the Midwest leader in implementation of high-speed rail service. Total ridership on Amtrak's four Illinois routes has grown nearly 75% over the past six years, rising to more than 2.1 million passengers last year. Ridership on today's Chicago-St. Louis Lincoln Service alone has doubled in that time period, despite relatively slow speeds and aging equipment. When the Chicago to St. Louis high-speed rail corridor is completed, trains will reach top speeds matching those of trains now traveling between Chicago and Detroit, the fastest passenger trains in North America outside of the East Coast. 110-mph speeds will be achieved in sections of the corridor this fall, with 75% completion scheduled for 2015.

To follow progress, updates and completed improvements along the signature Chicago-St. Louis high-speed rail corridor, please visit www.idothsr.org.

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Black Friday...  Cyber Monday... Help launch #GivingTuesday^TM

visit:  http://givingtuesday.org/partners/?type=&state=Iowa#partners

DAVENPORT, IA - On November 16, 2012, Mark Eugene Ball, age 28, of Muscatine, Iowa, was sentenced to 105 months imprisonment for conspiring to manufacture methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt. United States District Judge Stephanie M. Rose also sentenced Ball to 5 years supervised release.

Ball agreed with others to manufacture methamphetamine from February 2009 through February 2012. Ball distributed significant quantities of methamphetamine to multiple customers in both Illinois and Iowa over the course of the conspiracy.

The case was investigated by the Muscatine County Narcotics Task Force and was prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

DAVENPORT, IA - On November 16, 2012, Jorge Carrango-Valencia, age 28, of Muscatine, Iowa, was sentenced to 168 months imprisonment for conspiring to manufacture methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt. United States District Judge Stephanie M. Rose also sentenced Carrango-Valencia to 5 years supervised release.

Carrango-Valencia agreed with others to manufacture methamphetamine from February 2009 through February 2012. Carrango-Valencia directed co-conspirators to pick up loads of methamphetamine and deliver them to the Muscatine, Iowa area. Carrango-Valencia personally distributed over 30 kilograms of methamphetamine over the course of the conspiracy.

The case was investigated by the Muscatine County Narcotics Task Force and was prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

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