21 Feb 2012

U.S., China Sign Plan of Strategic Cooperation in Agriculture

By USDA Communications

Des Moines, Iowa, Feb. 16, 2012–Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and China's Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu today signed an historic Plan of Strategic Cooperation that will guide the two countries' agricultural relationship for the next 5 years. The plan was signed as part of the U.S.-China Agricultural Symposium held today at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates. The symposium focused on bilateral cooperation in the areas of food safety, food security and sustainable agriculture, as well as enhanced business relationships between the two countries.

 

"This symposium and plan are a product of a vision I share with my dear old friend Minister Han for the United States and China to work more collaboratively in the future to benefit our nations and agriculture around the world," Vilsack said.

 

"This plan builds on the already strong relationship our nations enjoy around agricultural science, trade, and education. It looks to deepen our cooperation through technical exchange and to strengthen coordination in priority areas like animal and plant health and disease, food security, sustainable agriculture, genetic resources, agricultural markets and trade, and biotechnology and other emerging technologies," he added.

 

Xi Jinping, China's vice president, opened the symposium and stressed the importance China places on supporting farmers and rural development, as well as on food security.

 

"China attaches great importance to food security, and ensuring a sufficient food supply for 1.3 billion people," Xi said.

 

In the 2011 fiscal year, China became the top market for U.S. agricultural goods, purchasing $20 billion in U.S. agricultural exports. The value of U.S. farm exports to China supported more than 160,000 American jobs in 2011, on and off the farm across a variety of sectors.

 

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21 Feb 2012

Lt. Governor Simon to support strip club tax

By Kathryn Phillips

CHICAGO - Lt. Governor Sheila Simon, Sen. Toi Hutchinson and women's advocates will support an entrance fee on strip clubs to raise money for rape crisis centers and violence prevention.

DATE: Friday, February 17

TIME: 1:45 p.m.

PLACE: Blue Room, 15th floor, Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph St., Chicago
21 Feb 2012

TENTATIVE AGENDA SCOTT COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

By Chris Berge
Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Special Committee of the Whole - 8:00 am
Conference Room 638, 6th Floor, Administrative Center

1. Roll Call: Cusack, Earnhardt, Hancock, Minard, Sunderbruch

2. Budget work session.

3. Other items of interest.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Special Board Meeting - 9:30 am
Board Room, 1st Floor, Administrative Center

1. Roll Call: Cusack, Earnhardt, Hancock, Minard, Sunderbruch

2. Approval of the Construction Permit Application of Thomas Dittmer, dba Grandview
Farms, Inc for the expansion of a confined animal feeding operation located at 12090
240th Street, Eldridge.

Moved by _____ Seconded by _____
Ayes
Nays

3. Adjourned.

Moved by _____ Seconded by _____
Ayes
Nays

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Special Committee of the Whole - 2:00 pm
Conference Room 605, 6th Floor, Administrative Center

1. Roll Call: Cusack, Earnhardt, Hancock, Minard, Sunderbruch

2. Budget work session.

3. Other items of interest.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Special Board Meeting - 5:30 pm
Board Room, 1st Floor, Administrative Center

1. Roll Call: Cusack, Earnhardt, Hancock, Minard, Sunderbruch

Public Hearing

2. Motion to open a public hearing relative to the Budget Amendment to the County's
FY12 budget.

Open Public Hearing

Moved by _____ Seconded by _____
Ayes
Nays

Close Public Hearing

Moved by _____ Seconded by _____
Ayes
Nays

3. Motion to open a public hearing relative to the County's FY13 budget.

Open Public Hearing

Moved by _____ Seconded by _____
Ayes
Nays

Close Public Hearing

Moved by _____ Seconded by _____
Ayes
Nays

4. Adjourned.

Moved by _____ Seconded by _____
Ayes
Nays

.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Special Committee of the Whole - 11:00 am
Davenport Clarion Hotel

1. Roll Call: Hancock, Minard, Sunderbruch, Cusack, Earnhardt

2. Legislature Forum for State Legislators and Local Governments.

3. Other items of interest.
21 Feb 2012

Supreme Court to Stream Item Veto Case Live on the Internet

By Iowa Judicial Branch

Supreme Court to Stream Item Veto Case Live on the Internet

 

Des Moines, February 16, 2012 ?The February 21 special evening session of the Iowa Supreme Court oral arguments in the item veto case of Homan v. Branstad will be streamed live on the Internet beginning at 7:00 p.m. Oral arguments are always open to the public and the special session is scheduled for the evening primarily for the convenience of members of the public and state officials who would like to attend. The oral arguments will be heard in the Supreme Court Courtroom on the fourth floor of the Judicial Branch Building in Des Moines.

 

A link to live streaming of oral arguments is on the judicial branch website at:

http://www.iowacourts.gov/Supreme_Court/Oral_Argument_Video/

 

The legal briefs are posted on the judicial branch website at:

http://www.iowacourts.gov/Supreme_Court/Homan_v_Branstad/
21 Feb 2012

UIowa MBA-PM GMAT Workshop

By Tippie School of Management

GMAT Workshop Dates
Cedar Rapids - UI Cedar Rapids Center (221 Second Ave. SE, Suite 300), Room 304
Wednesday, March 7 (6:30 - 9:00 pm)
Tuesday, March 20 (6:30 - 9:00 pm)       

Des Moines - John & Mary Pappajohn Education Center (1200 Grand Ave.), Room 301
Tuesday, March 13 (6:30 - 9:00 pm)

Quad Cities - Palmer College of Chiropractic (1000 Brady Street, Davenport), Room P201 
Friday, February 21 (7:00 - 9:30 pm)  

The Formal Admission Application Deadlines for the Summer and Fall 2012 semesters have been set.  
Summer 2012: Early Deadline - March 1; General Deadline - April 15
Fall 2012: Early Deadline - May 1, 2012; General Deadline - July 16

You can use the Application Checklist to view at-a-glance what you need to submit for a complete application.

If you are not ready to formally apply, consider beginning the MBA-PM program in a PreMBA status.  

Please feel free to call (1-800-MBA-IOWA) or email us if you have any questions.

21 Feb 2012

Eastern Iowa Hay Producers Association Annual Meeting & Conference To Feature Dr. Brink

By Denise Schwab
Area hay and forage producers are invited to attend the 29th Annual Eastern Iowa Hay Producers Association Annual Meeting and Conference on Thursday, March 8, 2012 at Buzzy's in Welton. Registration will begin at 10:00 a.m. with the program scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m.

This year's conference features Dr. Geoff Brink, Research Agronomist at the US Dairy Forage Research Center. The title of his presentation is "Growing, Harvesting, and Storing Cool-Season Perennial Grasses". Brink will discuss management practices to get the most from often-neglected forage that is experiencing resurgence in interest. Dr. Brink's research interests include quality of grazed and harvested grass and legume forages; sward structure - dairy cow utilization relationships in rotationally-grazed pastures; management and persistence of legumes in pastures; and management effects on temperate grass productivity.

Brian Lang, ISU Extension & Outreach forage agronomist, will discuss alfalfa production and management. Other speakers include Virgil Schmitt, ISU Extension Field Agronomist, and Denise Schwab, ISU Extension Beef Specialist, with regional updates.

The annual meeting of the Eastern Iowa Hay Producers Association (EIHPA) will take place shortly after lunch and will include their election of officers and directors.

Registration for the conference is $30 and includes a membership to EIHPA and meal. Tickets can be purchased at the door. Certified crop advisor credits have been applied for. This conference is sponsored by EIHPA, Iowa State University Extension & Outreach, and the Iowa Beef Center.

The Eastern Iowa Hay Producers Association provides educational workshops and field days for forage producers in Jackson, Jones, Clinton, Cedar, Scott and Muscatine counties. However, forage producers from other counties are also welcome to participate. For more information contact Denise Schwab at dschwab@iastate.edu or Kevin Brown at brofarm@windstream.net or
563-872-4475.

-30-
21 Feb 2012

Moline High School actors went to state last weekend!

By Christopher Thomas
Congratulations to members of Encore!, Moline High School's Speech Team & Acting Troupe, who are headed to state this weekend! Moline has individual and duet winners as well as a group effort called "Performance in the Round".  They were crowned Sectional champs last weekend and are headed to the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, IL on February 18-19, 2012 for the state competition.

Here are the 2012 Regional winners who will be competing this weekend...

Jenna Pautsch
REGIONAL CHAMPION: Original Oratory
REGIONAL CHAMPION: Declamation

Peter David McNaught & Alex Haifa
REGIONAL & SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS: Humurous Duet Acting

Performance in the Round
REGIONAL & SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS

The Cast of Performance in the Round
Rowan Crow
Mariah Logan
Abbey Lasek
Britta Engstrom
Autumn Loose
Kaitlyn Wehr
Ellen Wells
Katy Deadmond
Sadie Buckles
Allison Condit
Jennie White
Micah SantAmour Bernas
Alejandro Raya


While the following students aren't advancing to State, they also garnered many accolades as well:

Raksha Madhavan
Regional 2nd Place Extemporaneous Speaking
REGIONAL CHAMPION Special Occasion Speaking

Ross Hughes
REGIONAL CHAMPION Prose Reading
Regional 3rd place impromptu Speaking

Bennett Stewart
Regional 3rd Place Humorous Interp

Clare VanEchaute & Travis Meier
Regionals 2nd Place Dramatic Duet Acting

Travis Meier
Regional 3rd place Original Comedy

Peter David McNaught
Dramatic Interpretation 4th Place


Moline's Encore team has annually sent competitors to the IHSA State Speech tournament since 2009.  Encore's Performance in the Round (PIR) has been Regional Champion every year since 2009, while also garnering the Sectional Campion title over the last 3 years.  In 2011, their PIR took the title of State Runner-Up.
21 Feb 2012

In Case You Missed It: Schilling Floor Statement on his Bipartisan Bill to Reform Small Business Contracting

By Andie Pivarunas

Washington, DC - February 16, 2012 - In case you missed it, Congressman Bobby Schilling (IL-17) spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives this morning in support of the Building Better Business Partnerships Act, bipartisan legislation he introduced last week with Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-32).  This bill will streamline the process for small businesses to participate in mentor-protégé programs which pair new businesses looking to increase their government contracts with more experienced businesses.  To view Schilling's floor statement, click here or on the image below.

As part of the Small Business Committee's contracting initiative, two other bipartisan pieces of legislation were introduced last week with the goal of creating protections to fight contracting fraud and empowering advocates who fight for small business during the federal acquisition process.  More information on the Committee's initiative can be found here on the Committee's website.

# # #

21 Feb 2012

ISU Extension Calendar

By Joy Venhorst
February 28, 2012 ISU Scott County Extension Council Meeting, Scott County Extension Office-7:00 p.m.

 

March 1, 2012 Vermicomposting at Home, Vander Veer Botanical Park-6:30 p.m.

 

March 8, 2012 Ornamental & Turf Applicators CIC, Scott County Extension Office-9:00 a.m.

 

March 8, 2012 Cut Flowers, West Davenport Center-6:30 p.m.

 

March 14, 2012 Certified Handlers CIC, Scott County Extension Office - 9:00 a.m.

 

March 19, 2012 Insects & Pest Management, Rock Island County Extension Office-7:00 p.m.

 

March 23, 2012 Women In Agriculture (Overall Women), I Wireless Center, Moline-8:00 a.m.

 

March 26, 2012 Water Gardens & More, Rock Island County Extension Office-7:00 p.m.

 

March 27, 2012 ISU Scott County Extension Council Meeting, Scott County Extension Office-7:00 p.m.

 

March 30, 2012 Commercial & Private Pesticide Applicator Testing, Scott County Extension Office - 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

 

Visit our events calendar at our web site: http://dbs.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/

21 Feb 2012

Governor Quinn Announces More Than $623 Million in Capital Funds to Improve Schools Across Illinois

By Nafia Khan

Funding Will Repair, Update and Build Schools to Serve Students

HAZEL CREST - February 16, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today announced that  Illinois school districts statewide will receive a total of more than $623 million from Illinois Jobs Now! to construct new buildings or expand, repair and update existing ones. This capital funding will provide needed classroom space, while supporting an estimated 4,000 construction jobs throughout the state.

"In order for our students to compete for the jobs of tomorrow, we must ensure they are receiving a quality education in quality school facilities," Governor Quinn said. "This capital funding will help school districts across the state update their facilities and make critical repairs to improve the educational experience for our students,"

Thirty-one districts statewide were approved for the state funding this fiscal year after their projects were certified by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Illinois Capital Development Board (CDB).

The funding will allow districts to build new schools, add new classrooms, and make renovations to aging buildings. Other improvements will include renovations to existing classrooms, upgrades to aging facilities and additional technology updates. The capital funding, combined with local dollars, will allow school districts to complete projects totaling more than $1.2 billion.

The school districts that will receive funding include :

  • Chicago Public Schools District 299, $114.67 million
  • St. Charles Community Unit School District 303, $7.66 million
  • Wheaton Community Unit School District 200, $14.46 million
  • Harvard Community Unit School District 50, $13.81 million
  • Peoria School District 150, $34.61 million
  • Huntley Consolidated School District 158, $39.41 million
  • Orland School District 135, Orland Park, $5.33 million
  • Brookfield-LaGrange Park School District 95, $3.11 million
  • Crete-Monee School District 201-U, $23.28 million
  • Millstadt Consolidated School District 160, $4.29 million
  • Knoxville Community Unit School District 202, $20.22 million
  • Wilmington Community Unit School District 209-U, $9.28 million
  • Berwyn North Elementary District 98, $7.59 million
  • Wesclin Community Unit School District 3, Trenton, $18.87 million
  • Stark County Community Unit School District 100, $3.69 million
  • Virginia Community Unit School District 64, $12.26 million
  • Skokie School District 69, $1.32 million
  • Burbank School District 111, $9.87 million
  • Shawnee Community Unit School District 84, Union County, $2.04 million
  • Manhattan School District 114, $5.84 million
  • Paris Cooperative High School, $24.22 million
  • Homer Community Consolidated School District 33-C, Homer Glen, $4.54 million
  • Warren Township High School District 121, Gurnee, $11.53 million
  • Panhandle Community Unit School District 2, Raymond, $3.86 million
  • Spring Valley Elementary District 99, $12.23 million
  • Rochelle Community Consolidated School District 231, $12.32 million
  • Ramsey Community Unit School District 204, $3.92 million
  • Mt. Vernon Township High School District 201, $47.62 million
  • Hazel Crest School District 152.5, $32.22 million
  • Calumet Township School District 132, Calumet Park, $12.36 million
  • Marion Community Unit School District 2, $56.62 million.

Governor Quinn also announced today that the state is making available $50 million in School Maintenance Grant Program grants. The dollar-for-dollar state matching grant program provides up to $50,000 in matching funds for the maintenance or upkeep of buildings or structures for educational purposes. The grant applications for districts will be available soon.

Before the passage of Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program, Illinois had not had a major capital construction program in more than a decade. The Governor has made it a priority to invest in our schools and update our classrooms to provide Illinois students with the best quality education experience possible.

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