Bettendorf – On April 28th, the annual Arbor Day Ceremony will be held at Faye's Field, on the
Learning Campus in Bettendorf. Festivities will begin at 10:00am and run through 12:00pm, with the
tree planting ceremony taking place at 10:30am with a proclamation read by Bettendorf Mayor, Robert
Gallagher. Rain will not hinder this event, as the festivities will move to the Family Museum in the
event of bad weather.

In addition to the tree planting ceremony, the Trees Are Us Committee will be hosting their first ever
?Tree Sale?. Guests will have the opportunity to come pick up a new 3' - 8' tree for their home and a
bag of mulch to assist them with the planting, all for a nominal fee of $10. Learning Campus partners,
the Bettendorf Public Library and the Family Museum will join in the celebration as well! The Library
will be offering free herb plants to the first 50 adults in attendance, and the first 100 children will
receive a free copy of the book, ?The Forest Where Ashley Lives? along with suggested reading lists.
The Family Museum will be working with children and families on some fun and eco-friendly activities
on Faye's Field as well. Additional green living resources will be made available at the event.

Faye's Field opened to the public in October, 2011 and since then, it has continued to grow in to a
wonderful green space in the heart of Bettendorf. Recently, interpretive signage was added to Faye's
Field to convey the marvel of the Field to guests. Signage was provided by the Bettendorf Public
Library Foundation, Mary and Chris Rayburn, Jane Bettendorf Vieth, Sally Bettendorf Fuller, and the
Community Foundation of the Great River Bend. In honor of their support, these donors will be
recognized at the festivities as well.

Tree sales will be limited to one tree per family and will only be available while supplies last. Two
hundred trees will be available for sale. Trees will be made available to Bettendorf residents and can
be purchased with the presentation of proper photo identification.

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April  12th 2012
Independent Scholars' Evenings :
"The Secret Life of Plants"  Movie with Stevie Wonder background music.
The movie is based on the 1973 book
The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird
Discussion to follow.
Please attend.  Free and open to the public.
The Moline Commercial Club
1530 Fifth Avenue.  Moline. Illinois.
7.00 p.m
second floor of The Moline Club building . Above the Phoenix.
1530 Fifth Ave. Moline.
309-762-8547 for the Moline Club
309-762-9202 for The Institute.
light refreshments, wine and beverages are served.
doors open at 6.30
Independent Scholars' Evenings are sponsored by
The Institute for Cultural and Healing Traditions, Ltd. a 501(c)3 at state and federal level since 1996.


The Institute for Cultural and Healing Traditions, Ltd.
Ragged Records, located at 418 East 2nd Street, Davenport, Iowa, is open from 10am to 5pm, Monday
through Saturday.

Record Store Day is an international event. For one day only, over 300 limited-edition titles will be
released by various bands, on LPs, 45s, and box sets. The limited editions range from 200 to 5000
copies, worldwide.

For a complete list of titles, check out recordstoreday.com.

Ragged Records will have six bands performing live in the store from open to close. Included are,
Busted Chandeliers, Chrash, Marc Hans Showalter, Skye Carrasco, Sub-Atlantic, and Speaking of Secrets.

There will be giveaways and drawings. Prizes include LPs, gift certificates, and artwork. Also tickets to
the Saturday, May 19th Spindrift / Strangers Family Band / Mondo Drag show at Rozz-Tox in Rock Island.

Ragged Records will also have 20% off all used merchandise - including records, CDs, and stereo
equipment.

Following the Record Store Day event, Ragged Records will be hosting a free show at Rozz Tox starting
at 8pm. Featured bands include Arkansas singer-songwriter Adam Faucett, local band White Zephyr,
and more to be announced.

Again, this is a free show with tickets limited to 125. They will be available - 2 per person - at Ragged
Records during Record Store Day, April 21st, while they last.

Trash Can Annie Vintage Clothing will also be featuring 20% off all used merchandise during Record
Store Day.

For more information, please call Ragged Records at 563 / 324-3579 (Monday through Friday from
10am to 5pm), or follow us on facebook.

Rock Show

April 21-22:  Black Hawk Gem and Mineral Club Spring Rock, Gem and Jewelry Show, Putnam Museum, 1717 W. 12th St., Davenport.  Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. 11 a.m.-4 p.m.  The show will feature rocks, minerals, fossils, agates, geodes, tumbled stones, beads, silver and beaded jewelry, carved stones, spheres, arrowheads and much more. There will be demonstrations on Glass bead Making, Faceting, and Flint Knapping. You can learn to make arrowheads and/or Crack you own Geodes. Admission is free. For information call (563) 445-3034

Family Fun Days

The Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois invite families to come and explore our
council's camps at Family Fun Days.

During this open-house style event, experience camp facilities, take part in games, and try your
hand at a Girl Scouts Forever Green activity to learn more about helping the environment.

The trading post will be open for business. Lunch will be served, with S'mores.

Family Fun Days will be from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on the following days:

Camp L-Kee-Ta at Danville in Des Moines County: Sunday, May 6
Camp Little Cloud at Epworth in Dubuque County: Sunday, May 6
Camp Conestoga at New Liberty in Scott County: Sunday, May 20
Camp Tahigwa at Dorchester in Allamakee County: Sunday, May 20

Cost is $5 per family. All ages are welcome.

Registration is required. Please visit www.GirlScoutsToday.org/calendar or call 800-798-0833.

About Girl Scouts
Founded in 1912, Girl Scouts of the USA is the preeminent leadership development organization
for girls with 3.2 million girl and adult members worldwide. Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and
Western Illinois has 19,000 girl members and 4,500 adult members in 38 counties. For more
information on how to join, volunteer, reconnect, or donate to Girl Scouts, call 800-798-0833 or
visit www.GirlScoutsToday.org.

April 28th event celebrates roots of locally-owned, third generation garden center

Coal Valley, IL - As the plants and flowers are coming into bloom, the Corn Crib Nursery welcomes the public for a 40th Anniversary "Garden Party" on Saturday, April 28th to celebrate its place as a perennial, locally-owned business.

 

The free events take place from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at the nursery (6924 Route 150 - Hwy. 150, Coal Valley, IL). Besides the locally-grown, on-site selection in the green houses, the day salutes Corn Crib Nursery's knowledgeable staff, its full line of landscape design services as well as new products that complement your home and tempt your taste buds.

 

At 10:00 am, "Primo ® Paul" will begin offering samples cooked on the Primo ® Grills and Smokers that the Corn Crib Nursery added to the lineup this year. Also at 10:00 am, the Crib's Joe Sobaski will host a presentation on a recent trend - Vertical Gardening - including how to build your own "Succulent Fence."

 

Corn Crib Nursery is also proud to be a certified Best Proven Winner ® consultant. At 11:00 am, Susie Fesler-Vaughn teaches attendees how to build their own Best Proven Winner container and will give one away as a door prize. At 2:00 PM, Bob Towler of the Rock Island Horticulture Club caps off the activities with a Q&A session.

 

Throughout the day, there will be door prizes, complementary anniversary cake as well as samples of the Corn Crib Nursery's new in-house line of jams and preserves. It's a day worthy of a business built on personal attention and premier products. Together, it makes the Corn Crib Nursery a destination experience.

 

"Our business has certainly evolved during the last forty years," said Duane White, Owner/Partner of Corn Crib Nursery. "The 'Garden Party' will be a chance to celebrate working with the three things I love most - people, plants and family."

 

The Corn Crib Nursery began in 1972 as a seasonal, open-air market and sod farm. In 1980, the business constructed its first permanent buildings and became a year-round, full service garden center including design services. Locally owned during its 40-year history, it now welcomes a third generation from the White family to the staff. The nursery is open Monday through Saturday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm and 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Sunday. For more information, visit www.corncribnursery.com or "like" us on Facebook - Search: Corn Crib Nursery.

 

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Unfortunately this was another week of not much progress on our priority issues.  The Iowa House still has not taken up the Health & Human Services appropriations bill, so now it looks like the Senate will move a bill first next week. The good news in this development is that the Senate bill contains $5.3 million for tobacco prevention and cessation programs compared to $0 in the House bill and $2.8 million this year.

The Iowa House passed a bill this week that usually gets little attention - the annual Insurance Division bill, made up of changes to the law that the state Insurance Commissioner recommends. This year a number of amendments to the bill made it controversial. One, dealing with navigators in the health insurance Exchange (which has not yet been established by the Legislature), is of particular concern to us.

This amendment is plainly bad public policy, and here's why:

 

  • It creates the potential to raise the cost of the navigators, thereby resulting in higher than necessary consumer out-of-pocket or premium costs.

 

  • The new federal regulations allow the states to set up a licensure process for navigators, but the process in this amendment would be very similar to that of insurance agents and brokers, essentially making them de facto agents and brokers.

 

  • The licensure process, fees and bond requirements in the amendment, none of which are required by federal law, will be a barrier for nonprofit organizations and individuals other than agents and brokers who may want to become navigators.

 

  • The core function of the navigators is supposed to be to help consumers understand the range of options for which they are eligible within the Exchange, including public programs like Medicaid and S-CHIP. Navigators are also required to offer assistance with the tax credits available for anyone with an income below 400 percent of the federal poverty level. There is no mention in the amendment of these duties, nor the training required to carry them out.

 

  • The amendment is an unnecessary, backdoor way of tying the hands of an Exchange in Iowa without creating a state Exchange.  The Exchange is the entity that has the obligation to establish the navigator system, train them, contract with them, and fund them.

 

  • If this amendment becomes law, Iowa would be the first and only state to create a navigator licensure provision without having first established an Exchange.

 

In summary, this amendment could result in higher health insurance premiums, limit access to free navigator services, and potentially violate federal law. There is no question that it violates the principles agreed to by the Iowa Health Advocates, a coalition of patient and consumer groups of which the Cancer Society is a part.

We will be working to get this objectionable amendment removed from the bill or add language to make it more advantageous for patients and consumers. Stay tuned for an Action Alert early next week.

As always, feel free to contact me directly with any questions or concerns - peggy.huppert@cancer.org.

SPRINGFIELD, IL (04/06/2012)(readMedia)-- Four members of the Illinois National Guard's Family Programs were recognized for their efforts and service to the Soldiers, Airmen and military families April 4 at Camp Lincoln in Springfield.

Kathy KozaK of Glendale Heights, Anita Yakle of Jacksonville and Shirley Dilworth of Springfield received a Military Medal of Merit and Annette Chapman of Pontiac received a trophy of achievement for their display of selfless devotion and support for Illinois National Guard Family Program's mission. Their efforts enhanced operational support and ensured the program met the needs of servicemembers and their families.

Kozak served as the hub for the Illinois National Guard's Family support system at North Riverside. She successfully maintained a 99 percent contact rate for outreach calls to family members of deployed servicemembers and also serves as a primary contact for the Service Member and Family Support Services for Informal Crisis Response Team.

Yakle was the primary member of the Servicemember Readiness Program team; processing more than 10,000 Soldiers. On a daily basis she works closely with all branches, establishing professional and supportive relationships, assists Survivors and the Survivor Outreach Services Team. She supports more than 30 units, more than 3,600 servicemembers in addition to their family members.

As the Springfield Illinois Service Member and Family Support Services Military Youth Coordinator, Dilworth successfully established events to assist more than 31,000 military youth of all branches within Illinois to cope with a parent's deployment and homecoming.

Dilworth facilitated more than 45 events with a year-end total of more than 3,300 youth

attendees at events such as deployment and reunion ceremonies, formal classes for youth ages 6 to 17 on how to cope with deployments and improving the State's Annual Easter Egg Hunt. She ensures all events are both enjoyable and educational.

Chapman assisted in the pre-deployment, deployment and return of more than 3,000 servicemembers with the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team and assisted their families through every step in 2008 to 2009. After that, she stepped up as the Family Readiness Assistant and finally the Senior Family Readiness Support Assistant for the Illinois National Guard Service Members and their families.

CHICAGO - April 6, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today granted 52 and denied 136 clemency petitions. This action marks another step in a series of clemency decisions aimed at eliminating a backlog of more than 2,500 cases that built up during the previous administration.

The 188 clemency petitions acted upon by Governor Quinn are part of dockets ranging from 2005 through 2012.  Each person granted clemency has recently undergone a criminal background check through the Illinois State Police's Law Enforcement Agencies Data System (LEADS).

Since taking office, Governor Quinn has acted on 1,923 clemency petitions. Governor Quinn has granted 718 and denied 1205 petitions. Those actions include granting 701 pardons and authorizing 16 people who had already received pardons to seek expungement of their convictions.

For additional information on the granted clemency cases, please contact Ken Tupy at the Prisoner Review Board at (217) 782-7274 or ken.tupy@illinois.gov.

 

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