13 May 2011

Flower Baskets Return Downtown Saturday

By Kyle Carter

The Downtown Partnership's popular petunia flower baskets will return throughout Downtown Davenport and the Mississippi riverfront Saturday, May 14.

More flower baskets will be displayed this year - 572, which grew from last year's number of 532. There will also be 116 ground planters bursting with the vibrant colored flora. The new baskets can be found surrounding the Hotel Blackhawk and a portion of 3rd Street between Ripley and Harrison Streets that was recently streetscaped.

According to Adam Holland, Director of Downtown Operations, the flowers are a mix of "Supertunias" that sweep over the top of the baskets as they grow. The wire baskets will be brimming with eye-popping violet, fuchsia, and "tequila sunrise" petunias, which will be in full bloom in June. The Green Thumbers, a local business and chamber member, supply the plants for the project.

Funded by downtown property owners in the Self-Supporting Municipal Improvement District (SSMID), the baskets annually provide downtown Davenport with a fresh look in the spring and summer for its residents, visitors and employees to enjoy.

The Downtown Partnership, a division of Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce, is a non-profit organization focused on the strategic growth and beautification of historic downtown Davenport. As administrators of the Self Supporting Municipal Improvement District (SSMID), the Downtown Partnership provides leadership and advocacy for downtown economic development, planning, cultural vitality, events, marketing, and clean-and-safe initiatives.

(end)

13 May 2011

Braley Helps Veterans Stay in Their Homes

By Alexandra Krasov

Washington, DC - May 13, 2011 - Today, Congressman Bruce Braley (IA-01) introduced a bill to help veterans who return from combat and are facing foreclosure stay in their homes. The Protecting Veterans' Homes Act would protect veterans from being foreclosed upon by banks and would give returning soldiers time to get their finances in order after long deployments.

"Our veterans often return from combat only to face new challenges," said Rep. Braley. "Whether it's an injury or a financial crisis caused by long deployments and time off from their civilian jobs, our veterans deserve to know that we're standing up for them. This bill will give our soldiers enough time to get back on their feet and get their finances in order before being kicked out of their homes. This is the least we can do for the brave men and women who serve this country."

Currently, similar protections for veterans are set to expire in December of 2012. Rep. Braley's bill would make these protections permanent and would extend the grace period from nine months to a full year for veterans returning from deployments.

###

13 May 2011

Davenport resident Katelyn Flynn graduates in Olivet's first Honors Program

By readMedia

BOURBONNAIS, IL (05/13/2011)(readMedia)-- Katelyn J. Flynn, an English major from Davenport, graduated magna cum laude with Olivet Nazarene University's first cohort of 14 students in the undergraduate Honors Program. She has been accepted at Regent University School of Law, Virginia Beach, Va.

Honors Program graduates received their degrees along with 1,683 other graduates during the 2011 Commencement convocations Saturday, May 7, in the Betty and Kenneth Hawkins Centennial Chapel.

"Our Honors students are bright young adults who give me faith for the future of our country," said Dr. Sue Williams, director of Olivet's Honors Program. "They are going out to serve others, not just to acquire. I'm proud of them. Several of them are going either to graduate school or taking jobs right out of college due, in part, to their scholarship and being in this program."

Launched in 2007, Olivet's Centennial year, the Honors Program immediately attracted academically talented students with unique interests and special academic ambitions. The goal of the program is to encourage and nurture the students in the integration of Christian faith and scholarship, preparing them for servant leadership in the Church and the world.

Each student was accepted into the program based on his/her ACT score, application, essay and an on-campus interview. During their years at Olivet, each completed a rigorous program of specially designed honors-level courses in addition to fulfilling all academic requirements for their majors. They also completed many community service opportunities and attended several cultural events. The culmination of their work was their mentored research and presentation of that research at an honors research symposium.

Olivet Nazarene University is an accredited Christian, liberal arts university offering over 120 areas of study. It is centrally located in the historic village of Bourbonnais, Illinois - just 50 miles south of Chicago's loop - with additional School of Graduate and Continuing Studies locations in Rolling Meadows and Oak Brook, Ill. and throughout Chicagoland.

13 May 2011

Grassley Comment on Extending the FBI Director's Term

By Grassley Press
Thursday, May 12, 2011

Senator Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after the President announced that he would seek a two-year extension to the term of FBI Director Robert Mueller.  The Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over the FBI.

"This is an unusual step by the President, and is somewhat of a risky precedent to set.  Thirty-five years ago Congress limited the FBI director's term to one, 10-year appointment as an important safeguard against improper political influence and abuses of the past.   There's no question that Director Mueller has proven his ability to run the FBI. And, we live in extraordinary times.  So, I'm open to the President's idea, but I will need to know more about his plan to ensure that this is not a more permanent extension that would undermine the purposes of the term limit."

13 May 2011

Herbert Hoover NHS: Artists Selected for 2011 Residency Program

By Adam Prato
WEST BRANCH, IOWA– This year two writers, M.S. Coe and Gaynell Gavin, will be Artists-in-Residence at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site.  During their residencies Ms. Coe and Dr. Gavin will be available to interact with park visitors as they write in the park. Each will also present a public program. The Artist-in-Residence (AIR) Program at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site promotes creative means of communicating the park's national significance and its relevance to visitors.

Gaynell Gavin's prose and poetry has been published in many literary journals and anthologies. Her poetry chapbook, Intersections, was published by Main Street Rag Publishing. Her essay, "What We Have," published in Prairie Schooner, was included among "Notable Essays" in The Best American Essays 2009. This essay, like much of her work, is grounded in the Midwest. She is originally from Illinois and is a faculty member at Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Dr. Gavin will be the Artist-in-Residence from May 28 through June 20.

M.S. Coe grew up in the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. She worked at the University of Arizona Poetry Center and as a reader for Sonora Review and is currently an assistant editor of Epoch literary magazine. She teaches English and creative writing at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where she will receive her MFA degree. Her fiction often explores the disassociation characters feel when placed into strange environments and how they reconcile with their surroundings. Ms. Coe will be the Artist-in-Residence from July 2 through July 20.

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site and the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum are in West Branch, Iowa at exit 254 off I-80. Both are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time. For more information go online at www.nps.gov/heho or call (319) 643-2541. They are supported in part by the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association. The Hoover Association's annual dinner is May 20. Those attending will have an opportunity to meet five of Herbert Hoover's secretaries. To make reservations by May 16, call (319) 643-5327 or 1-800-828-0475.


Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
110 Parkside Drive
PO Box 607
West Branch, Iowa  52358
13 May 2011

Please join us for the Scott Emergency Communications Center Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

By Annie Nugent

To commemorate the official opening of the SECC, a ribbon cutting ceremony will take place on Thursday May 19th at 10:00am. The SECC/EOC is located at 1100 E 46th Street, Davenport. Parking is available in the adjoining lot or Dee Bruemmer Public Works Building lot. Brief remarks will be made by the SECC.

Director Brian Hitchcock, SECC Chair Tom Sunderbruch, Architect Michael Cox from Wold and Associates and Contractor Terrence Larson from Larson and Associates. Immediately following will be the actual ribbon cutting ceremony along with a photo opportunity with elected and public safety officials.

Chair Tom Sunderbruch said "The construction of this new building is a symbol of the collaboration of our local governments. We are proud to provide quality dispatch services and improved public safety to our community"

The Scott Emergency Communication Center (SECC) was formed in December, 2007 when Scott County, City of Davenport, City of Bettendorf, MEDIC EMS, and the Emergency Management Agency entered into an intergovernmental agreement (aka 28E Agreement) for the purpose of providing public safety dispatch and communication services. The Public Safety Dispatchers were consolidated in July, 2010. This ribbon cutting ceremony marks the relocation of all county wide dispatch services along with the opening of the building.

Additional questions can be directed to the SECC at 563-484-3000 or secc@scottcountyiowa.com

###

12 May 2011

Figge offers art of the national parks class

By Susan Horan

The Figge Art Museum is offering a three-week Art History class entitled "Art of the National Parks," from 6:30-8 pm on Tuesdays, May 24- June 7. The class will cover the history of national parks, numerous landmarks and locations, and the artists that encountered those areas. The course will be taught by Ranelle Lueth, Ph.D. Candidate in American Art at the University of Iowa. The course is free to Figge members; membership options begin at $40. For more information, call the Membership Office at 563.326.7804 x2007. Registration for the class is required; please call the Education Department at 563.326.7804 x2045.

-end-
12 May 2011

Brucemore in Bloom Tours

By Tara Richards

Tour the blossoming gardens and lush terrain during the specialty tour? Brucemore in Bloom, Tuesday, June 7 and Thursday, June 9 at 6:00 p.m., and Saturday, June 11 at 9:30 a.m. During the 90-minute tour, the Brucemore garden staff will trace the development of the gardens from the original plan conceived by prominent landscape architect O.C. Simonds to the integration of function, recreation, and entertainment in Mrs. Douglas' vision for the country estate in the 1930s. View current plants and landscape techniques that continue to help preserve the historically accurate prairie style design by Simonds.

Admission is $10 per person and $7 per Brucemore member. Space is limited. Advance ticket purchase required. Call (319) 362-7375 or visit the Brucemore Store to purchase tickets.

Brucemore, Iowa's only National Trust Historic Site, is located at 2160 Linden Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The grounds are open and free to the public from dawn until dusk.

###

12 May 2011

Civil Rights assessment at USDA

By Sen Chuck Grassley

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley made the following comment after the Department of Agriculture released an independent study on the agency's civil rights programs.  Grassley has conducted oversight of the Office of Civil Rights at the department and has asked for hearings in the Senate Agriculture Committee.

"Over the years, the Department of Agriculture lost a great deal of credibility on civil rights issues.  People are tired of talk and are looking for action from the department.  After years of this inaction, I appreciate the focus on civil rights issues at the department.  I look forward to seeing the progress they make on these recommendations, and I hope Chairwoman Stabenow can hold a hearing on minority issues and the department's Office of Civil Rights in the near future."

12 May 2011

Braley Announces Winners of Congressional Art Competition

By Alexandra Krasov

Washington, DC - May 11, 2011 - Today, Congressman Bruce Braley (IA-01) announced the three winners of the 2011 annual Congressional Art Competition, "An Artistic Discovery".

Krista Stork, a junior from Dubuque Hempstead High School, won first place for herpiece "Why Poverty". Lisa Davis, a senior from Dubuque Wahlert Catholic High School, received second place for her piece "Individuality is the Movement". And Brock Cavett, a junior from Davenport North High School for his piece "The Hardest Thing in Life ".

"Each year, talented students from across Iowa submit great artwork to the Congressional Art Competition - and this year was no different," said Rep. Braley. "I'm proud to announce the winners of this year's competition and I extend my congratulations to the eight semi-finalists."

This year, Rep. Braley's office accepted submissions online and allowed constituents to vote for their favorite artwork. More than 1,500 people voted online. The full list of winners and semi-finalists, as well as the online gallery of submissions, is posted on Rep. Braley's website at: http://go.usa.gov/jrA

The winner of this year's competition will receive two roundtrip plane tickets to Washington, D.C. to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Capitol. The Congressional Art Competition, initiated by Congress in 1982, is a nation-wide high school arts competition sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. One piece from each Congressional district is displayed in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. for a year.

# # #

Pages

more

Subscribe & Listen to Reader Podcasts

On Stands Now

 

Tagged Content

Two Ways to Subscribe

1. Subscribe to free weekly e-mail content updates.

You'll get both the current official narrative challenge and What's Happenin' in the Quad Cities.
(Did you know we publish a new Amy Alkon Advice Goddess, Real Astrology, Red Meat cartoon and RCR Crossword every week?) 

* indicates required

View previous campaigns.

2. Get 12 monthly issues mailed first class for $48

Get 12 issues mailed monthly for $48 per year.

Get the printed Reader edition mailed to you (or anyone you want) first-class for 12 months for $48.
$24 goes to postage and handling, $24 goes to keeping the doors open!

Click this link to Subscribe now.

 
 

Meetings Calendar

Kids Calendar

Eat & Drink Calendar