03 Jan 2011

IOWA FAMILY DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE SPONSORS FaDSS INFORMATION FAIR AT STATE CAPITOL; FaDSS: WORTH THE INVESTMENT

By Helen Benker

State legislators will have a chance to learn more about the Family Development and Self Sufficiency (FaDSS) Program at an information fair being held at the Capitol on January 18th from 12:30-2:30 p.m.

Sponsored by the Iowa Family Development Alliance, the fair will include a march of FaDSS families and staff to the steps of the Capitol. FaDSS Programs from all across the state will be setting up displays on the first floor rotunda, allowing legislators to get information about the FaDSS program that operates in their districts. The event will also offer legislators an opportunity to speak with FaDSS families about how the program has affected their lives. FaDSS staff will be on hand to answer specific program questions.

The event will be held at the State Capitol, Rotunda. For additional information contact - Helen Benker, FaDSS Program Director at 563-324-3239, ext. 1373.

-end-

03 Jan 2011

Series of programs on immigration

By Margaret Thomas
Immigration as a Moral Issue will be the theme of a series of Saturday morning programs in January and February, sponsored by the Davenport AAUW (American Association of University Women) in conjunction with the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities (UUCQC).  The programs, which start at 9 am and are open to the public, will be moderated by AAUW Public Policy Chair Kate King, and located at the Congregation building at 3707 Eastern Ave., Davenport.
These are the topics:
January 8:  Understanding the Causes of Migration
January 15:  History of Immigration in the U.S.
January 22:  Economics of (Im)migration
February 5:  Security, Enforcement and Human Rights
February 12:  Who Benefits from a Broken System
February19:  Seeking Solutions
For more information, contact Elaine Kresse at 563 391 4361 or Angela Chenus, 563 441 0406.  Guidelines and resources for the class may be accessed at www.uua.org, when you type in Immigration as a Moral Issue in the search box.
03 Jan 2011

Local Theater Auditions Scheduled

By Rick Martin

The Center for Living Arts will hold auditions for its school version of "Rent" from 7pm until 9pm on January 21st  and from 11am until 1:30pm on January 22nd at 2008 - 4th Avenue in Rock Island. For more information, call (309) 788-5433 or send an e-mail to Dino@center4living.com.

Countryside Community Theatre will hold auditions for this year's summer shows, "Gypsy" in June and "The Wizard of Oz" in July, from Noon until 5pm on January 8th and from Noon until 4pm January 9th at North Scott High School in Eldridge. For more information, e-mail cctonstage@hotmail.com.

Harrison Hilltop Theatre auditions for "Frost/Nixon," "Sweeney Todd," "Same Time, Next Year," and "Jesus Christ Superstar"  will be held at 10am on January 15th at the theater, 1601 Harrison St., Davenport. More information is available by e-mailing casting@harrisonhilltop.com.

Playcrafters Barn Theatre will hold auditions for their two-man comedy/drama "Visiting Mr. Green," at 7pm on January 16th thru the 20th at their theater, 4950 35th Ave., Moline.

Prenzie Players will audition for "Romeo and Juliet" on January 12th from 6:30pm until 9:30pm and on January 15th from 1pm until 4pm at the Establishment Theatre, 220 19th St., Rock Island. Callbacks are scheduled for January 16th from  6pm until 9pm.

Those auditioning will be asked to read from the script. For more information, call (309) 787-1931 or e-mail director@ prenzieplayers.com.

03 Jan 2011

The 4th ANNUAL ENGINEERING TRIVIA NIGHT

By Jared Johnson

The 4th ANNUAL ENGINEERING TRIVIA NIGHT

Friday, February 25th, 2011

St. Ambrose Rogalski Center, Davenport, IA

Doors Open @ 6:00pm

Questions Start @ 7:00pm (10 Rounds of 10)

There will be a cash bar. Pizza will be available for purchase, but feel free to bring your own food.

$10 per Person (you can be assigned to a team) or

$80 per Team (Maximum of 8)

$5 Admission for Full-time Students

1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams will be awarded cash prizes based on total team admission fees. Proceeds will go towards scholarships awarded to Quad City area students. There will also be a variety of door prizes.

For reservations, by February 18th - text or phone Bonnie at 309-340-3270 OR email at ThiedeBonnieJ@yahoo.com

Please specify team's name, captain, # of players, contact telephone number, and email address. Checks can be made payable to:

IIE Ch. 46.  Reserve early, but pay at the door.

03 Jan 2011

Quad-City area high school students to get a taste of barbershop at Acappellooza

By David Haase
              When you hear the words "barbershop quartet' many people think of gray-haired men dressed in red and white striped vests and straw hats singing an old tune from the early 1900's. Barbershop isn't just for grandpa anymore; the kids are now getting into the act.

On January 15, 2011, the Davenport Chordbusters will host their first ever Youth In Harmony workshop, ACAPPELLOOZA . The workshop will have experienced music clinicians run a day-long workshop with the assistance of chapter members. Our Youth in Harmony chairman, along with the President of the Chordbusters, has been in contact with the music educators from several area schools who have shown an interest in promoting and attending this workshop with students from their schools.

The ACAPPELLOOZA workshop will run from 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 15, 2011, at St. Ambrose University, with the main clinicians being Dr. Keith Haan, Director of Choral Activities at St. Ambrose University; and Stephanie Batten, Director of the Port City Pearls Chorus of Muscatine, Iowa. They will be assisted by two teaching quartets, A Touch of Fun and Mini Pearls. The workshop will be attended by students from Davenport Assumption, United Township, Sherrard, and Kewanee Wethersfield high schools.

The activities for the day include : vocal warm-up exercises, separate sectional rehearsals for males and females in which the registrants will practice their respective vocal part (tenor, lead, baritone and bass) on five songs. One of these songs will performed by a combined male and female chorus. The workshop will be followed by a general session in which the combined number will be rehearsed together, along with an explanation of the evening event. ACAPPELLOOZA participants will gain increased vocal production and stage presence skills.

Each participant will be given a souvenir t-shirt to wear during the evening show at the Galvin Fine Arts Center, where they will perform on stage with the Chordbusters, the Port City Pearls Chorus and chapter quartets. The show starts at 7 p.m. and admission is only $5.00.

It is our hope that, through this workshop and evening show, these high school participants and teachers can experience the joy that singing this style of music can bring. It is our heartfelt goal to Keep the Whole World Singing one student at a time.

Funding for this workshop has been provided by Quad City Arts, The Barbershop Harmony Society and The Chordbusters.

The Chordbusters, aka SPEBSQSA A-008 Davenport, Iowa Chapter, is a non-profit singing organization, affiliated with the Barbershop Harmony Society. Over the past few years, our Society has encouraged each chapter to appoint a Youth in Harmony chairman whose job would be to increase exposure of this particular style of singing and our organization to area youth. It is the hope of the Chordbuster Chorus that this increase in exposure will lead to an infusion of young male and female singers in the high school choirs singing a cappella, barbershop style music.

-30-

For more information on the Chordbusters you can find us at www.thechordbusters.com .

03 Jan 2011

Governor Quinn Seeks Delegates for Summer Science Education Camp

By Andrew Mason
CHICAGO - January 1, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn is calling on graduating high school seniors to apply for an opportunity to attend the National Youth Science Camp (NYSC) in West Virginia this summer.
Students from across Illinois are encouraged to apply for a full scholarship to the month-long NYSC program. Two students will be selected as official Illinois delegates, allowing them to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, regardless of financial status.
"I want to encourage young people to learn the value of education - and particularly the sciences - not just during their time in school, but all throughout their lives," said Governor Quinn. "A good education is the foundation for a good job, and good jobs are the foundation of a productive, healthy and vibrant society."
The NYSC program gathers outstanding science students from all 50 states to participate in a month-long academic retreat. Lectures and hands-on research projects are presented by scientists from a wide variety of scientific fields. Delegates are challenged to explore new areas in the biological and physical sciences, art, and music with resident staff members.  Delegates also present seminars covering their own areas of research and interest.
The National Youth Science Camp was first held in 1963, established in the Monongahela National Forest in the mountains of West Virginia. With support from the National Youth Science Foundation, the State of West Virginia and corporate sponsors, each Governor can select two graduating high school students for an all-expenses paid scholarship to attend the NYSC.
In Illinois, representatives from the Governor's Office and the Illinois State Board of Education will review applications from high school students who: are eligible to graduate before June 30, 2011; have shown exceptional achievement in the math or science fields; have shown leadership in school and community activities; have demonstrated skills outside of the sciences and academic pursuits and those who have demonstrated a curiosity and eagerness to explore many and varied topics.
Students who would like to be considered for this opportunity should complete the application and return it to: Illinois State Board of Education, Attn: Gil Downey, NYSC Selection Coordinator, 100 North First Street, C-215, Springfield, Illinois 62777-0001 or via email at gov.youthsciencecamp@illinois.. More information about the camp and electronic copies of the application can be found at http://www.nysc.org. For a paper copy of the application, or questions, please call 217-557-7323.
Applications are due January 28, 2011. The camp will run Thursday, June 30 through Sunday, July 24, 2011.
###
03 Jan 2011

Railroad photography rolls into the Figge

By Stephen Mohr

Tracks: The Railroad in Photographs from the George Eastman House Collection makes its way to the Figge Art Museum, Davenport, on January 15th, 2011. Organized by the George Eastman House, Tracks covers 160 years of railroad history in photography. Both the railway and photography developed concurrently at the beginning of the 19th century and shared similar impressions on people's view of previously unseen landscapes. These inventions permitted, for the first time, a person's ability to be transported, both visually and physically, to worlds they had only previously imagined. Both forever changed the way the world was perceived.

Tracks offers the opportunity to learn about the history of the railroad and to visualize its impact on our country's development. The exhibition contains some of the earliest photographs of trains and railway scenes up through the end of the 20th century. In this survey of railroad images from around the world, trains appear as potent emblems of the modern industrial age and as crucial role players in transformation of the social and physical landscape. Included is the work of legendary photographers: Bisson Frères, Aaron Siskind, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and William Henry Jackson.

Tracks will be accompanied by a companion exhibition of photographic prints in a separate gallery that will explore the history and significance of the railway in the Quad Cities area. Crossing the Mississippi: The Quad Cities, the Railroad and Art includes works on loan from the Rock Island Arsenal Museum, the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center of the Davenport Public Library and the Putnam Museum.

Both exhibitions are sure to please a variety of audiences; including history buffs, lovers of the American West, but especially photography and rail enthusiasts.

Guided group tours are available for the exhibition as well as full museum tours to enhance your visit. Contact the Figge Art Museum at 563.326.7804 or visit online at figgeart.org for more information.

Tracks is funded, in part, by the Riverboat Development Authority and the Iowa Arts Council.

-end-

03 Jan 2011

MAKING TIME FOR 2011 RESOLUTIONS

By Laurie Johns

I've been mulling over something a very smart co-worker said to me this week: time is relative.  It moves faster or slower depending on your age, your work load and enjoyment of whatever you're doing at the moment.

If you are my approximate age and grew up on a farm, you probably remember how long summers used to last when you spent day after sweaty day walking beans or de-tasseling corn.  The start of school (and an end to the 12-hour chore days) seemed to take forever.

For proof of the "relativity of time" theory, look no further than your children.  Every mother thinks time stands still when faced with a colicky infant, sleep deprivation and potty training.   But what about when they're teenagers?  Every time I look at my daughter (now 13 and taller than me), I'm convinced she should still be five, holding my hand to cross a parking lot and totally in love with her parents (sigh).

According to psychologist Philip Zimbardo, it's not just 13-year-olds who need to sloooooow down; it's us (http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/09/time-is-relative/?emc=eta1). We probably don't need some psychologist brainiac to tell us all that we eat too fast, work too long, worry too much.  We spend too little time sitting down to dinner together.  We sacrifice our friends, our family and our sleep in order to "get ahead" in our jobs.  According to the latest statistics, only 20 percent of households sit down and have dinner together.

One thing is for certain: as fast as time goes by at our age (mine anyway), there IS no going back.  So, as we look ahead to 2011, how about making a couple resolutions to help us all make time a little more meaningfully.  Here's my short list of 2011 Resolutions:

1)      I resolve to do everything slower: walking, talking, breathing, praying; you know, the Big Stuff.

2)      I resolve to tell my family members every day that I love them.  Let me just say that anyone with a surly teenager at home knows this can sometimes be harder than it sounds (sigh).

3)      I resolve to let my dog take his time to check out evvvverrrything on our morning walks.  At least once a week, anyway (sorry, Spot).

4)      I resolve to chew my food.  Slowly.  No more burgers wolfed down at my desk while I "work through lunch".  Sure, it's not practical every day, but a recent dinner with friends at a new French restaurant in Des Moines (http://tinyurl.com/2wuojrj) convinced me that there is beauty in planning and enjoying a slowly and carefully-prepared meal.  I need to take time to actually taste and enjoy my food!

5)      And finally, I resolve to share even more stories of Iowans who DO take their time doing what's right in the name of putting food on ALL our tables: farmers.  Farmers, more than anyone else, understand the theory of "relative time."  Their technology has evolved faster than our nation's space program, yet the raw materials at their disposal remain unchanged: soil, water, work ethic.  Technology can shorten a growing season, increase yields or improve the nutrition of a chicken egg, but it can't change values.  Values of good farmers don't change.  Let's hope we all resolve to remember that in 2011.  Happy New Year!

 

Laurie Johns is Public Relations Manager for the Iowa Farm Bureau.                        12/31/2010

03 Jan 2011

Governor Quinn Takes Bill Action

By William Palmisano
CHICAGO - December 30, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today took action on the following bills:
Bill No.: HB 1457
Extends single prime contracting for upgrading the Capitol Building HVAC systems.
An Act Concerning: State government
Action: Signed
Effective Date: Immediately
Bill No.: HB 1510
Creates a mechanism for reimbursement to units of local government for ARRA funds.
An Act Concerning: Finance
Action: Signed
Effective Date: Immediately
Bill No.: HB 1516
Creates a mechanism for the reimbursement of high speed rail funds to local governments.
An Act Concerning: Finance
Action: Signed
Effective Date: Immediately
Bill No.: HB 5635
Extends the TIF district for the City of Charleston from 23 years to 35 years.
An Act Concerning: Local government
Action: Signed
Effective Date: Immediately
Bill No.: HB 5863
Requires substitute teachers to register with the Regional Superintendent's Office in the area in which they
will be teaching.
An Act Concerning: Education
Action: Certified
Effective Date: January 1, 2011
Bill No.: SB 550
Makes technical changes to the Illinois Pension Code, allowing for the administration of pension reforms.
An Act Concerning: Public employee benefits
Action: Signed
Effective Date: January 1, 2011
Bill No.: SB 678
Extends the repeal date of the Clean Coal FutureGen for Illinois Act until March 1, 2011.
An Act Concerning: Regulation
Action: Signed
Effective Date: Immediately
Bill No.: SB 2800
Extends the sunset of the Medical Practice Act from December 31, 2010 to November 30, 2011.
An Act Concerning: Professional regulation
Action: Signed
Effective Date: December 30, 2010
Bill No.: SB 3538
Reforms police and fire pensions to stabilize pension systems and increase funding levels.
An Act Concerning: Public employee benefits
Action: Signed
Effective Date: January 1, 2011
Bill No.: SB 3776
Creates the Private Activity Bond Approval Act to provide safeguards for projects for facilities within Illinois financed with bonds issued by an issuer outside the State.
An Act Concerning: Finance
Action: Signed
Effective Date: January 1, 2011
###
03 Jan 2011

Governor Quinn Signs Legislation to Continue Pension System Reforms

By Andrew Mason
New Laws will Help Preserve Benefits, Save Taxpayer Dollars
CHICAGO - December 30, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today signed legislation that will help further stabilize pension systems for law enforcement officers and firefighters throughout Illinois, while protecting their retirement benefits.
"Firefighters and police officers put their lives on the line each and every day to keep us safe," said Governor Quinn. "These men and women who serve so selflessly must continue to have access to quality pension benefits that are also affordable for municipalities throughout the state. I would like to thank the Illinois General Assembly for their broad bi-partisan support in passing this critical legislation."
Senate Bill 3538, sponsored by Sen. Terry Link (D-Waukegan) and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (D-Orland Park), is an important step toward stabilizing pension systems for police officers, sheriffs' employees and firefighters. The new law makes changes to pension requirements for individuals hired on or after Jan. 1, 2011.
Some reforms under the law include : a normal retirement age of 55 with 10 or more years of service; and an early retirement age of 50 with 10 or more years of service and with a 0.5 percent reduction for each month the pensioner's age is under 55. Other changes include : the maximum pension of 75 percent of an individual's average salary; the pensionable salary maximum will be capped at $106,800, with annual increases as outlined in the law; and monthly cost-of-living adjustments will begin at age 60 for retirees and survivors, and will be either 3 percent or one-half of the urban consumer price index, whichever is less.
As cities and towns throughout the state struggle to recover from the effects of the nation's economic recession, municipalities face the increased challenge of funding pensions. The changes made under Senate Bill 3538 will help ease that burden. The legislation will stabilize municipal pension systems, protect current municipal employees and provide attractive pension benefits to future police, sheriff's employees and firefighters.
Today Governor Quinn also signed Senate Bill 550, sponsored by Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) and Rep. McCarthy. The technical law will enable public employee retirement systems to administer the two-tier pension system Governor Quinn signed into law during the spring.
This past spring, Governor Quinn signed Senate Bill 1946 into law. The law was a historic pension reform which will help save Illinois taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars while preserving public employee pension benefits.
Senate Bill 3538 and Senate Bill 550 both go into effect Jan. 1, 2011.

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