ROCK ISLAND, IL (10/28/2010)(readMedia)-- The Augustana Choir will showcase pieces from diverse musical traditions at its annual fall concert on Friday, October 29, at 8 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public and will be held at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Davenport (2136 Brady St.).

Choir members from your area include :

Carrie Duke from East Moline, IL. Duke is a sophomore majoring in accounting.

Halley Stearns from Sherrard, IL. Stearns is a sophomore majoring in anthropology.

Hannah Barney from Bettendorf, IA. Barney is a sophomore majoring in business administration advising.

Edwin Fonseca from Moline, IL. Fonseca is a junior majoring in international business and accounting.

Sheila Ahuja from Rock Island, IL. Ahuja is a first year majoring in liberal studies.

Rebecca Anderson from Moline, IL. Anderson is a sophomore majoring in liberal studies.

Gregory Donley from Silvis, IL. Donley is a first year majoring in liberal studies.

Darshan Hullon from Moline, IL. Hullon is a first year majoring in liberal studies.

Eryn Maccabee from Moline, IL. Maccabee is a first year majoring in liberal studies.

Katie Rea from Rock Island,, IL. Rea is a first year majoring in liberal studies.

The concert will open with two modern religious works: Damijan Mocnick's Latin hymn "Christus est natus" and Krzysztof Penderecki's a cappella piece "Song of Cherubim." The remainder of the choir's musical selections will be divided into three programmatic sections: Songs of the Night, selections from Mozart's Requiem, and American Music. The selections from Mozart's Requiem have been arranged by Augustana's Dr. Jon Hurty for organ and string chamber accompaniment. Other pieces from these programmatic sections include Eric Whitacre's "Sleep" and Undine Moore's arrangement of the spiritual "Daniel, Daniel, Servant of the Lord."

The Augustana Choir is the college's premiere vocal ensemble. Since its establishment in 1931, the choir has sung at numerous prestigious venues across the nation and the world, including Carnegie Hall in New York and the Royal Palace in Stockholm. The choir also performs regularly in churches and concert halls throughout the Quad Cities.

Hurty, a music professor and department co-chair, directs the Augustana Choir. He received his doctorate in choral conducting and literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition to his responsibilities at Augustana, Hurty directs several community and church ensembles in the Quad Cities and serves as a guest conductor throughout the United States.

About Augustana: Founded in 1860 and situated on a 115-acre campus near the Mississippi River, Augustana College is a private, liberal arts institution affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The college enrolls 2,500 students from diverse geographic, social, ethnic and religious backgrounds and offers more than 70 majors and related areas of study. Augustana employs 287 faculty members and has a student-faculty ratio of 11:1. Augustana continues to do what it has always done: challenge and prepare students for lives of leadership and service in our complex, ever-changing world.

The Iowa Machine Shed is hosting the "Iowa Pork Tailgate Challenge" on Saturday Nov. 6th with all proceeds going to the Child Abuse Council. Starting at 11am at the Iowa Machine Shed, up to 12 amateur grill contestants will be grilling and competing for a panel of judges and a people's choice award as they prepare their own specialty recipes using Pork Tenderloin or Pork Loin. People can show their support and purchase a $2.00 ticket to sample the contestant's entrees and vote for their favorite amateur cook. "The Shed enjoys celebrating Pork Month and what better way then to have a tailgate competition and partner with the Child Abuse Council," states Jeff Grunder, manager of the Iowa Machine Shed.

For more information on the event or to be compete as an amateur cook, please call the Machine Shed Restaurant at (563) 391-2427 or visit  www.machineshed.com. The Machine Shed is located at I-80 and Northwest Blvd in Davenport.

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Intercity Rail Project will Create 2,100 Jobs, Boost Regional Economy

MOLINE - October 27, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today highlighted $230 million in federal funds to build passenger rail service between Iowa City, Moline and Chicago. Service between Chicago and Moline is expected to begin in 2013 with full service to Iowa City to follow in 2015. The project is expected to create more than 2,100 jobs in Illinois. Governor Quinn was joined at today's announcement by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, U.S. Representative Phil Hare and Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig.

"Passenger rail is important to our state's continued economic recovery, creating jobs and stimulating economic development throughout the region for many years to come," said Governor Quinn. "I want to thank Senator Durbin and Congressman Hare for their leadership in helping make this project possible."

Awarded jointly to Iowa and Illinois on Monday through a competitive process, the $230 million will fund the development of a new corridor of rail service and mark the return of passenger train service to the Quad Cities for the first time since 1979.

In addition, Governor Quinn is investing $45 million from the Illinois Jobs Now! capital program for the line's construction and Iowa is contributing $20.6 million. Last week, Governor Quinn, Senator Durbin and Congressman Hare announced $16.6 million for a new multi-modal station in Moline, which will serve as a stop along the new corridor.

"This new train line is just the beginning," said Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). "The route from Chicago to the Quad Cities will pave the way for new train service across the Midwest and give us the opportunity to show the world that we can build our trains and locomotives right here in America. I thank Secretary LaHood, Governor Quinn, Congressman Hare and the Iowa Delegation for seeing the potential in this route becoming an integral part of the Midwest rail network."

Nicknamed "The Green Line," the new corridor will set the standard for environmentally-friendly rail service, including the use of biofuels and soy-based lubricants produced in Illinois and Iowa.

"The good news keeps pouring in for the Quad Cities. This funding will effectively complete the Quad Cities-Chicago Amtrak route," Representative Hare said. "This project is a winner for our entire community. It will create jobs, spur economic development, and provide a safe and convenient transportation alternative. I couldn't be prouder to have played a role in making this a reality."

In addition, the Chicago-to-Detroit corridor will receive $161 million to rehabilitate tracks on a portion of the route to allow for high-speed service to Detroit. The Midwest also received funding to improve travel times and reliability on both the Chicago-to-Milwaukee and Chicago-to-St. Louis corridors.

The Midwest system has received more than $3 billion in competitive federal awards in 2010. When completed, the system will connect more than 40 of the largest cities in the Midwest with passenger rail, including 60 daily roundtrips out of Chicago.

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