DAVENPORT, IA–The Scott Area Landfill, operated by Waste Commission of Scott County, is debuting new improvements for landfill customers on Thursday, December 8. The new improvements include an automated scale and a citizens' convenience area.

The new automated scale is for customers who frequently use the landfill, such as the City of Bettendorf and City of Davenport. These frequent customers will be given a code, which they will type into a keypad and the truck's weight will automatically be recorded. This will save the truck drivers time by not having to wait in the regular scale line or get out of their vehicle to go in to the scale office. Because the frequent customers will be diverted to the automated scale, other landfill customers will have shorter wait times in line. This improvement will greatly reduce vehicle idling, thereby reducing air emissions.

The citizens' convenience area includes a new trash unloading area for small loads and updated areas for drop-off recycling, appliances, scrap metal, oil, oil filters, antifreeze and car batteries. The new trash unloading area was designed for customers in cars, vans or pickup trucks with small loads of garbage. These small loads will be diverted to a concrete bunker near the office for unloading, rather than the actual landfill. The new trash unloading area is of benefit to these customers in that it will take less time for unloading, is safer due to not being around other large trucks or heavy equipment and they will not have to drive into the landfill.

The Scott Area Landfill is located at 11555 110th Avenue (County Road Y-48) in Davenport and is open 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays.

Waste Commission of Scott County is an inter-governmental agency whose mission is to provide environmentally sound and economically feasible solid waste management for Scott County. The Commission (Board) is comprised of the mayor of Davenport, a Davenport alderman, mayor of Bettendorf, chair of the Scott County Board of Supervisors and the mayor(s) of an outlying community in Scott County. For more information about the Commission, please call (563) 381-1300 or visit www.wastecom.com.

Chief Justice Cady to Speak to U.S. Senate Subcommittee about Cameras in the Courts

Des Moines, December 5, 2011– On December 6, Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady will speak to a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee about Iowa's experience with video coverage of court proceedings.

The Iowa Judicial Branch is a leader in allowing video and audio media coverage of courts. For more than 30 years, Iowa's courts have allowed audio, photographic, and video coverage of the courts. Prior to this change, and in keeping with the custom in courts around the nation, media coverage of court proceedings was limited to pen, pencil, paper, and sketch pad. In 1979, following a thorough study, the Iowa Supreme Court adopted rules carefully designed to allow audio, video, and photographic coverage of court hearings while safeguarding the rights of litigants to a fair trial.  More recently, the Iowa Supreme Court began streaming video of its oral argument proceedings.

The Senate Judiciary hearing will be held in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building and is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. This hearing is before the Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight. It is entitled "Access to the Court: Televising the Supreme Court." Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, chair of the subcommittee, will preside. Iowa Senator Charles Grassley is a member of the subcommittee.

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LeClaire, Iowa, December 4, 2011 - After its much anticipated release, Mississippi River Distilling Company's Cody Road Bourbon Whiskey was a near sell out within a day of its release on Friday, December 2, 2011.

"We had a line waiting outside the distillery starting at about 9 a.m. before we opened at 10 on Friday," Ryan Burchett, owner and distiller says.  "We had a steady line of people until about noon and sold all 120  bottles we had at the distillery in four hours."

As of Sunday afternoon, Rock Island Hy-Vee still had some of the Cody Road Bourbon for sale but was only putting it out one bottle at a time.  Hy-Vee's in both Ankeny and Marion, Iowa also still had small quantities left.  But most retailers had sold their entire stock by the end of the weekend.

The distillers have been keeping fans and followers updated on where they can find bottles via Facebook and Twitter as they hear updates or are able to call retailers.  Many area stores sold out within a day of delivery, some selling as many as 60 bottles.  The state of Iowa limited retailers to no more than 60 bottles per store.  Within 24 hours, the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division had sold out of all the stock they had.

"We had hoped this would go over well, but we very pleasantly surprised when the state had orders for all the cases we sent them," Garrett Burchett, owner and distiller says.  "Unfortunately, it moved so fast that it was gone before some retailers didn't even have the chance to order it from the state."

In total, MRDC made just short of 1,000 bottles of this first batch.  The bourbon is made from grains harvested from within 25 miles of the distillery.  Corn comes from LeClaire and the wheat and barley come from Reynolds, Illinois.  The spirit is aged for nearly a year and distillers only released the first 6 barrels they made.

The Burchett brothers have been busy for the past year planning for the demand and have continued making and barreling their bourbon.  The next release of Cody Road Bourbon will be Friday, March 2.  Moving through 2012, larger releases of bourbon will become more regular to help catch up to demand.

"We anticipate having more in this next batch.  Supplies will be tight through the year, but we hope to have enough for everyone's stockings by next Christmas." Ryan says.

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