A touring jam band, KLB has opened for crowds of 30,000 plus, playing with Los Lonely Boys,  Sharon Jones, Blues Traveler, Indigenous, and frequenting venues such as the Hard Rock Café, BB Kings and South by Southwest, as well as headlining their own shows.   The Kris Lager Band is currently in the studio working on a new release, but are still including favorites from past collections including Roots Revival, Transient, and The Mighty Quinn.

As a preview for their fans, they are offering up a new untitled CD showcasing their new music being currently recorded in the studio.
The Kris Lager Band is a Nebraska born group of musicians who have dedicated their lives to learning, living, and loving all aspects of the American music tradition. Self proclaimed "Roots Revivalists", KLB brings an eclectic, original, high energy show to each and every stage they happen to land on. The Kris Lager Band plays a wide range of music from blues and rock, funk and soul, reggae, hip hop, to even gospel and zydeco and they always have a Good Time.  Playing nearly 200 shows a year for the past 5 years has brought tightness and diversity to every set they play and audiences across the country will agree that Kris Lager Band is on the right path. The band consists of John Fairchild on the drums, Brandon Miller on the bass, Jeremiah Weir on the piano, organ, and squeeze-box, and Kris Lager on lead vocals and guitars. With their "Celebrate Life" mantra and good time's vibe, every show runs the gamut of human emotions. Joy and sorrow, love and lament are all wrapped up in one musical experience where the only constant is pure Soul. If you are wondering why you haven't heard the name yet, it's all in good time.
The Kris Lager Band toured as the opener for the Native American Blues Rock band Indigenous.  Front man Mato Nanji liked their sound so much that he hired the 4 musicians to be in his band for nearly 3 years.  After touring the country with Indigenous and playing on his latest release "Broken Lands" the Kris Lager Band is currently back on their own musical path and more enthusiastic than ever to take it to the people.  Their time with Mato has definitely provided a great deal of experience but they were ready to get out there and do their own thing....and their thing is a ton of fun.
Here is your chance to see a unique, energetic, mid-western band on their way up. Don't miss out on this opportunity to see The Kris Lager Band!
For more information please contact:  Brandon Miller at 402-210-4747
http://www.youtube.com/user/krislagerband
http://www.krislagerband.com

(Kansas City, Kan., June 27, 2012) - EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks, Iowa City Mayor Matt Hayek, and others will hold a news conference Friday, June 29 to announce a new environmental partnership between EPA and the City of Iowa City, Iowa.

EPA is providing a $60,000 urban waters grant to Iowa City for modifications to the Burlington Street Dam, which will result in water quality improvements, improved fish habitat, flood mitigation and revitalization of the Riverfront Crossings District. The funding is part of EPA's Urban Waters Program, which supports communities in their efforts to access, improve and benefit from urban waters and surrounding land.

EPA has worked closely with the University of Iowa and Iowa City officials to initiate numerous environmental partnerships. One of the university partnerships is related to increasing awareness about the shared value of Iowa's water resources and the impact of land use along rivers. As part of the Iowa City partnerships, EPA provided a market analysis, transit development study and plans for the Riverfront Crossings District. The plan provides a vision for redevelopment of underutilized properties with a mixture of housing, commercial and civic uses and restoration of the floodplain as a major riverfront park.

WHAT: Announcement of expansion of environmental partnerships with Iowa City

WHEN:  9 a.m., June 29, 2012 (Tour of the riverfront for news media will begin at 9:30 a.m.)

WHERE: Stanley Hydraulics Laboratory, Room 127, 300 S. Riverside Drive, Iowa City, Iowa 52242 (Parking is available south of the laboratory on Riverside Drive.)

WHO: EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks, Iowa City Mayor Matt Hayek, Iowa Department of Natural Resources Environmental Services Division Administrator Bill Ehm, University of Iowa Director of Hydroscience and Engineering Larry Weber, and Iowa City Chamber of Commerce Vice President Rebecca Neades

VISUALS: Iowa City officials will share project details during a tour of the riverfront highlighting Burlington Street Dam modifications for improved water quality, riverbank stabilization and fish habitat.

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Learn more about EPA's Urban Waters Program: www.epa.gov/urbanwaters/index.html

Connect with EPA Region 7 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eparegion7

Production at Belvidere Plant Adds Third Shift, Creates 1,800 Jobs

CHICAGO - June 27, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today was joined by executives of Chrysler Group LLC to unveil the new 2013 Dodge Dart, just off its Illinois production line. Nearly 300 car dealers from across the Midwest drove the new Dart straight into dealerships today during a "drive-away" event held at Soldier Field. Governor Quinn test drove the Dart with Dodge CEO Reid Bigland.

"The auto industry is alive and well in Illinois," Governor Quinn said. "The next generation of Dodge Darts is being assembled at our Belvidere plant and since 2008, Chrysler has gone from 200 jobs to more than 4,000 jobs this summer. We want that growth to continue."

Chrysler invested nearly $700 million to retool its Belvidere plant and ramp up production to build the new Dodge Dart. As part of its investment, Chrysler opened a 638,000 square-foot body shop to support production of the Dart and installed new machinery, tooling and material handling equipment. The new body shop increased the size of the Belvidere assembly plant to 4.8 million square feet. The plant also includes a 330,000-square-foot stamping plant. The Belvidere facility currently produces the Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot.

Chrysler Group LLC's Belvidere Assembly Plant was recognized as a winner of an Economic Development in Illinois Award (Edie). The annual award is given jointly by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Development Council to recognize significant economic development projects finished in the prior year throughout Illinois. The Edies were formally presented at an event last week at the Illinois Chamber's annual meeting in Chicago

In fall 2010, Governor Quinn made a targeted investment which bolstered Chrysler's expansion in Illinois and enabled the automaker to create an additional 1,800 new jobs. The state investment consists of Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) tax credits, Employer Training Investment Program (ETIP) job-training funds that will help enhance the skills of the company's workforce, and Large Business Development Program funds for capital improvements. Chrysler is also located in an Enterprise Zone.

Illinois has added 136,300 private sector jobs since January 2010. Since January 2010, Illinois has added 40,700 manufacturing jobs.

For more information on why Illinois is the right place for any business, visit www.illinoisbiz.biz.

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Davenport, IA (June 2012) The Board of Trustees of the Figge Art Museum is pleased to announce the appointment Tim Schiffer as the Figge's new Executive Director. He begins his new role August 1, 2012. The selection of Mr. Schiffer to head the museum is the culmination of a national search involving the review of hundreds of candidates, and it reflects the Figge's desire to hire an accomplished leader with a passion and enthusiasm for art and an engaging personality.

"We're really excited that Tim is joining the Figge team.  He has an exceptional track record of success, a unique blend of both management skills and artistic perception and has many wonderful and exciting ideas to lead the Figge Art Museum to new highs.  Tim and his wife are very talented people.  Both the Figge and the Quad Cities will benefit greatly from this addition to our community," said Andy Butler, President of the Figge Board of Trustees.

Mr. Schiffer comes to the Figge from the Museum of Ventura County, a regional history and art museum in Ventura, California, where he has been Executive Director since 1999. In that time he has led a major expansion of the museum's original facility and the creation of a new satellite agriculture museum, and has overseen significant growth in the museum's programs, membership and community support. Prior to becoming Executive Director, he was curator at the Museum for six years, planning dozens of exhibitions and leading the redesign of its long-term history exhibition, funded through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Mr. Schiffer received his B.A. in Fine Art from Yale and his M.F.A. in Painting from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was a lecturer in art and gallery director at the College of Creative Studies for eight years. He also managed the west coast studio of Kenneth Noland, an internationally known abstract painter. He has served on the boards of the Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau, Ganna Walska Lotusland, and the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, and has been active in numerous other community groups. In 2011 he received the City of Ventura's Mayor's Arts Award as Arts Leader of the year. Mr. Schiffer is married to Pamela Kendall Schiffer, a professional artist, and they have three grown daughters.

"When we visited the Figge for the first time, Pam and I were amazed by the building and by the collection, and we liked the people we met?they were all so enthusiastic about the museum. I look forward to working with the board and staff and the community to help the Figge achieve its incredible potential. It is a real honor to be chosen for this position," said Mr. Schiffer.

About the Figge Art Museum

The Figge Art Museum, formerly the Davenport Museum of Art, was founded in 1925 as the first regional art museum in Iowa. Since then, the Museum has pursued a community-centered mission, with a focus on programs, exhibitions, and collections that have made the institution an important regional cultural destination. The museum is located on the riverfront in downtown Davenport at 225 West Second Street. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and Sundays 12-5 p.m.  Thursdays the museum is open until 9 p.m. Admission to the museum and tour is $7. Admission is free to Figge members and institutional members. To contact the museum, please call 563.326.7804, or visit our website, www.figgeartmuseum.org.