On behalf of the Quad City Federation of Labor,

You are invited to attend a Chili Supper for

Candidate for State Representative

Mike Smiddy

Featuring Special Guests

Rock Island Sherriff Jeff Boyd

IL AFL-CIO Secretary Treasurer Tim Drea

Thursday, March 1st,  5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Laborer's Hall, 2835 7th Avenue, Rock Island

Suggested Contribution:

Individual: $10

Family: $15

Sponsor: $100

Host: $250

Please make your check payable to:

Please RSVP to Brian at (563) 210-8979 or at brian@mikesmiddy.com

Pete De Kock stepping down at month's end

Washington, DC - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) announced today that Pete De Kock, who has served as Braley's District Director since he was first sworn-in to the US House in 2007, is stepping down at the end of the month to pursue new opportunities.  De Kock is based in Braley's Davenport district office.

Braley said, "Pete has done truly outstanding work on behalf of the people of Iowa and has become in many ways a fixture of the communities he's served in.  I was saddened when he told me the time had come for him to pursue new opportunities, but I know that Pete and his wife Jen have bright futures ahead.  I wish Pete and his family the best.  He will always be a friend of mine and a friend of the people of Iowa."

De Kock said, "My wife and I live in the Quad Cities, and with redistricting moving Scott County out of the First District, we decided now was the right time to pursue new opportunities for our family.  I am honored and blessed to have spent the last five years helping Iowans on Bruce's behalf.  This is a bittersweet moment for me.  I will miss working with Bruce and his team, but I'm looking forward to new opportunities.  I'd like to thank Bruce, my colleagues, and community partners for their friendship and commitment to listening, working hard, and getting things done for our country."

De Kock is stepping down effective next Wednesday, February 29th.  At Braley's request, De Kock has agreed to continue working in an advisory capacity until April 30th.

Nearly 100 advocates - staff and volunteers -- from across the state gathered in Des Moines this week for our annual Day at the Capitol.  Attendees, you blew me away with your energy and commitment to learning and interacting with legislators!

We were especially glad to have the Above & Beyond Cancer folks (the mountain climbers!) join us with their red jackets and passion for fighting cancer.  Members were honored with a resolution and recognition on the floor of the Iowa Senate, thanks to Sen. Pat Ward, R-West Des Moines. Thanks to Dr. Dick Deming and Charlie Wittmack for organizing the group!

The big draw for the day was our keynote speaker, Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the Society.  Dr. Brawley did not disappoint, offering frank and eye-opening data and stories during his presentation. He then went to the Capitol and visited with legislative leaders and the governor and did media interviews.  Radio Iowa and the Des Moines Register both had great stories.  Dr. Brawley also headlined a breakfast event that raised nearly $2,000 for ACS CAN.

Also presenting at DAC was Anne Kinzel, who helped attendees understand a crucial ACS legislative priority with her talk titled "What is a health care exchange and why should I care?"

I think it's safe to say that everyone finished the day with a better understanding of our priority issues and an increased commitment to advocacy. If you weren't able to join us this year, be sure to put it on your radar for 2013.

It was a very busy week at the Capitol, the busiest so far this year, because today was the first funnel deadline of the session. Legislators were in subcommittee and committee meetings, trying to get bills passed out of committee to beat the deadline.

The bad news is two of our priority bills - radon and casino smoking -- did not pass this hurdle, so are dead for the session.

The good news is most of our issues live on because of the chance to get them considered through amendments to other bills or because they are still eligible for consideration.  That is true for casino smoking, K-12 tobacco-free property and the health insurance exchange bills. You will continue to hear from us about opportunities to get these issues considered and possibly passed.

The Legislature will be in session until early to mid-April. We have many miles to go. As always, feel free to contact me directly with any questions or concerns - peggy.huppert@cancer.org.

DES MOINES, Iowa - When a Davenport woman discovered she'd won the very last top prize of $100,000 playing the "Triple Platinum 777" game on her break at work, she couldn't believe what she saw.

Jolene Ronek, 50, scratched the ticket during her evening break where she works as a machinist.

"I started shaking and I couldn't believe what I saw," Ronek said. "I took it to the break room to show all the other guys and I was in tears. They told me to sign it right away."

Ronek said her head was fuzzy because she couldn't believe the win was real.

"I kept looking at those zeros and going, 'No, that isn't right,'" she said.

Ronek told her family about her big win before claiming her prize Thursday at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids. Ronek said it also put everyone at work in a great mood for the rest of the evening shift.

"One of the guys at work got on the radio and told everyone," Ronek said with a laugh. "Everybody was just happy that someone they knew won."

Ronek said she was really surprised to get the big winner, because it was the very first ticket in a new pack of Triple Platinum 777 tickets at the QC Mart, 1402 State St. in Bettendorf.

Ronek said she's looking forward to using her winnings to become debt-free and also plans to use some to take a trip this summer.

"We travel all over riding motorcycles," she said.

Triple Platinum 777 was a $10 scratch game. Players scratched the "dollar" symbols and the "bonus box." If they revealed the "7" game symbol, they won the prize shown for that symbol. If they revealed the "77" game symbol, they won double the prize shown for that symbol. If they revealed the "777" game symbol, they won triple the prize shown for that symbol.  If they got two like symbols in "bonus box," they won $50 instantly. The overall odds of winning a prize in the game were 1 in 3.11.

Players can enter eligible nonwinning scratch tickets online to earn "Points For Prizes™" points. The point value will be revealed to the player on the website upon successful submission of each eligible valid ticket. There is a limit of 30 ticket entries per day. To participate in Points For Prizes™, a player must register for a free account at ialottery.com. Registration is a one-time process. Merchandise that can be ordered by using points will be listed on the website in the Points For Prizes™ online store. Players can choose from items in categories such as apparel, automotive, jewelry, sporting, tools and more.

Since the lottery's start in 1985, its players have won more than $2.8 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $1.3 billion for the state programs that benefit all Iowans.

Today, lottery proceeds in Iowa have three main purposes: They provide support for veterans, help for a variety of significant projects through the state General Fund, and backing for the Vision Iowa program, which was implemented to create tourism destinations and community attractions in the state and build and repair schools.