A news conference held this morning at the East Point Metro Facility, 1201 14th Avenue, East Moline, Illinois announced the establishment of a new foundation for the community of East Moline.

Chairman of the newly formed East Moline Foundation, Doug Reynolds said, "I grew up, went to school and had my business in East Moline. I want to give back to the community. This can be accomplished by creating a foundation. Other communities have a foundation...now East Moline will have one too. We have many needs that need to be answered." The group also announced a Leadership Challenge Grant of $108,000 that will match all gifts made to the East Moline Foundation in the next year. The amount of the fund signifies the 108 year old history of the City of East Moline as it was established in 1903.

Co-founder Ben Ryan, Jr. noted, "Many loyal East Moline natives toil at their life's work only to  find that, when finally successful, no entity is available for promotional or  charitable gifts specifically directed to East Moline.  An East Moline  Foundation will alleviate this short coming and fill a need long overdue for a city of our history and size."

At this morning's news conference, Bob Baecke said, "During the many years which East Moline has been incorporated as a city, there has never been a foundation established for charitable gifts.  We now have that opportunity and we are hopeful that the citizens of East Moline will join with us in making the East Moline Foundation a success for the future of our city."

East Moline attorney, Bill Phares, noted, "East Moline has, for many years, lacked a permanent organization to independently evaluate community goals and needs. We have needed a way to solicit contributions to fund programs to achieve those goals and meet those needs. The East Moline Foundation will serve as this permanent organization for the citizens of East Moline.

The East Moline Foundation will be led by an initial Board of Bob Baecke, Bill Phares, Ben Ryan, Jr. and Doug Reynolds. Other citizens will be encouraged to join the work and leadership of the East Moline Foundation. Donors and volunteers should contact: William Phares, P.O. Box 457, East Moline, IL 61244-0457 (309) 796-0170

Leaders also acknowledged the partnership with The Moline Foundation as the East Moline Foundation will be formed as an affiliate fund with their neighboring community foundation to the west.

The Moline Foundation Board Chairman Jon Tunberg said, "It's a special day for East Moline and Moline and one that will influence lives in our communities for years to come."

As a charitable foundation, The East Moline Foundation will offer a range of charitable funds, allowing donors to advance a cause such as education or the environment, support an individual organization, provide flexible support for community needs or recommend individual grants. The East Moline Foundation will provide funding to health, human services, education, community, workforce and economic development development, the arts and other charitable organizations which benefit the citizens of East Moline and the surrounding area in the Illinois Quad Cities. The East Moline Foundation will receive and administer charitable gifts, grow an endowment fund, and handle additional funds to benefit donor wishes. It will also serve as a catalyst and convener to bring about solutions to problems affecting quality of life in the community.

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While teaching children about how to safely chase tornadoes, the book is also benefiting local kids this holiday season. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book will go toward Genesis Health Systems Flu Free Clinic to provide free flu shots for kids.

This is the second book for Wettstone who co-authored "Un-Natural Disasters: Iowa's E-F 5 Tornado and the Historic Floods of 2008" with Swails published in 2008.  Swails is also the author of "Superstorms: Extreme Weather in the Heart of the Heartland" published in 2004.  Both Swails and Wettstone are storm chasers and most recently followed Hurricane Irene to New York City witnessing her coming ashore onConey Island in August 2011.  They have also chased tornadoes and in 2010 came up against an EF 3 inOklahoma.

Terry and Carolyn will be signing books Friday October 21st at the Community Bank in Wapello, Iowafrom 1-3 p.m.  For more information, Carolyn and Terry can be reached at 309 523 9116 or carolynswettstone@yahoo.com.

"Our bill maintains the much needed safety net for farmers so we are assured that the American people will have a safe, abundant and inexpensive food supply.  It also closes loopholes that have reduced urban support for the farm bill," Grassley said.  "This is an easy way to save some additional funds in what's a very difficult task for the committee."

"Particularly given the budget environment we're in, it's important that our farm programs are effectively targeted to those who need the assistance the most: the small and medium-sized family farmers.  I hope that our bill can be incorporated into any recommendations made by the deficit reduction committee," said Johnson.

Grassley and Johnson introduced the legislation on June 9, 2011.  The legislation would set a limit of $250,000 for married couples for farm payments in an attempt to better target farm program payments to family farmers.  Specifically, the bill caps direct payments at $40,000; counter-cyclical payments at $60,000; and marketing loan gains (including forfeitures), loan deficiency payments, and commodity certificates at $150,000.  The bill also improves the standard which the Department of Agriculture uses to determine farmers who are actively engaged in their operations.

Here is a copy of the text of the letter.  A signed copy of the letter can be found by clicking here.

October 14, 2011

The Honorable Patty Murray                         The Honorable Jeb Hensarling

Co-Chair                       Co-Chair

Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction            Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction

The Capitol                        The Capitol

Washington, D.C.                           Washington, D.C.

Dear Senator Murray and Representative Hensarling:

We are truly in uncharted territory with the debt reduction process now before us.  We are hard pressed to recall any process quite as unique as this one during our careers here in Congress.  You and the rest of the Joint Select Committee have a big task in front of you, and surely there will be some difficult decisions made in the coming weeks.

With all the hard decisions before you, we are providing a proposal that should be a common sense change to agriculture policy.  It is time for us to finally set hard payment limits on all commodity farm programs, as well as close the loopholes in current payment limitation law.

The specific changes we are proposing to the Joint Select Committee are contained in the bill we introduced, the Rural America Preservation Act of 2011 (S.1161).  That bill would do the following:

• It would establish caps of $20,000 on direct (fixed) payments, $30,000 on counter cyclical payments, and $75,000 on loan deficiency payments and marketing loan gains.

• The combined limit for married couples would be $250,000.  These limits would be reduced by varying amounts depending on the farmer's participation in ACRE, essentially setting the payment limitations at the effective caps, less the reductions in direct payments and marketing loan gains.

• The amendment improves the "measurable standard" by which USDA determines who should and should not receive farm payments.  It requires that management be personally provided on a regular, substantial, and continuous basis through direct supervision and direction of farming activities and labor and on-site services.

• It would provide savings of approximately $1.5 billion.

While we support commodity programs that provide a needed safety-net for farmers, the programs should not help big farmers get even bigger.  There's no problem with a farmer growing his operation, but the taxpayer should not have to subsidize it.  Under current law, nearly 70 percent of commodity farm payments go to the largest 10 percent of farmers.  There comes a point where some farms reach levels that allow them to weather the tough times on their own. Smaller farms do not have the same luxury.  In addition, setting a measurable standard for management of a farming operation will help prevent abuse of farm programs that is present under current law.

These proposed changes to payment limitations will help us target farm payments to those who really need them, the small- and medium-sized farmers who need a safety-net to help them get through rough patches as they produce this nation's food.

We understand there may be proposals submitted to the Joint Select Committee that would fundamentally change the commodity farm programs.  If one of these proposals is adopted by the Joint Select Committee, the language of our bill also would need to be revised to set a meaningful payment limitation for commodity programs.  Whatever the result, our main point is that setting a meaningful payment limitation and closing current loopholes in the law will provide savings and add integrity to the farm programs.  No matter what decision the Joint Select Committee makes regarding commodity programs, we urge you to ensure payment limitations and closing of loopholes plays a meaningful part.

We request the Joint Select Committee consider the policy reforms set out above, and if you have any questions, please contact us.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Grassley                       Tim Johnson

United States Senator

"We hope everyone who is able will join us at the Memorial Flagpole (6^th Avenue South and the Riverfront) to commemorate the international organization which offers us the best opportunity to address the common good of all peoples," said Janice Cebula OSF, President of the Sisters of St. Francis, who have organized the local observance since 1989.

"Bringing to LIFE the Millennium Development Goals" is the theme of this year's commemoration

The Goals (MDGs) are a set of 8 global objectives aimed at improving the lives of the world's poorest people. The Goals, which cover a range of human development issues from providing universal primary education to halting the spread of HIV, were adopted at the 2000 UN Millennium Summit by 189 nations and have spurred unprecedented global efforts to help the world's poor.

The MDGs provide the entire United Nations System, including the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with a blueprint to work coherently together towards a common goal to reduce poverty and improve lives. They set time bound targets, by which progress in reducing poverty, homelessness and hunger; combating HIV AIDs and other diseases; promoting gender equality, maternal and child health, education and environmental sustainability; and encouraging global partnerships for development can be measured. They also embody basic human rights ? the rights of each person on the planet to health, education, shelter and security.

The MDGs, which are slated to be met by 2015, have been the focus of UN Day celebrations worldwide for ten years: one means by which UN Associations around the world strive to focus public attention on the needs addressed in the MDGs. The Clinton Franciscans sit on the Board of the Iowa Division on the UN Association-USA and are founding members of the Franciscan presence at the UN, Franciscans International.

Annually Clinton's Mayors have come to the riverfront to preside, often in the rain and cold, standing together with thousands of mayors and other government leaders around the world in recognizing the significance of the U.N. Charter which went into effect on October 24, 1945.

In 1947, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a U.S.-sponsored resolution declaring October 24th United Nations Day, to be commemorated annually by all member-states of the United Nations. In the United States, each President, beginning with Harry Truman, has issued a proclamation asking citizens to observe U.N. Day and to reflect upon the importance of the United Nations to our national interest, as well as to each American individually.

For more information on the UN Day commemoration, call Sisters of St. Francis, 563-242-7611 or visit www.clintonfranciscans.com. #######

CUTLINE: the UN Flag flies along with the US, IOWA and MIA flags on Clinton's Riverfront Memorial following last year's UN Day ceremony.

SIDE BAR:

The United States and the MDGS, a report by InterAction, outlines three areas in which major reforms are necessary: official development assistance, trade, and debt relief. The United States has made some progress in each of these categories, yet more work remains to be done.

The U.S. is the largest single provider of official development assistance in terms of total dollars, but U.S. aid lags behind that of many Western European nations as a percentage of gross national income. American assistance totals 0.22% of GNI, far below both the 0.47% average of major donor countries and the UN's target rate of 0.7%. Moreover, over two-thirds of U.S. aid goes to middle-income and high-income countries such as Israel, and many of the world's poorest nations are not among top recipients of U.S. aid. Non-governmental aid, including remittances and foreign direct investment, similarly favors middle-income countries over the world's most impoverished.

U.S. trade promises, meanwhile, offer a brighter future for the poor ? but only if the U.S. lives up to its guarantees. Federal lawmaking and exceptions to trade rules have frequently collapsed progressive trade reforms. Current legislation in the US Congress threatens US contributions to relieving international poverty by eliminating US payment of its UN dues and thus removing the US from the international consultative body.