Living Lands & Waters (LL&W) will host its annual Barge Party at the Lake Davenport Sailing Club on River Drive and Oneida Avenue in Davenport on Thursday, August 12 from 5:30p.m.to 9:00 p.m.  Chad Pregracke and his Living Lands & Waters' staff and crew will be on hand to celebrate thirteen years of river cleanups, environmental education workshops, river forest rest or ation projects, engaging communities in river stewardship.  During these thirteen years, Pregracke has been the recipient of many awards including the Jefferson Award, American Institute f or  Public Service; Heroes of Conservation Nomination, Field & Stream Magazine and The Alumni Award and Dedication of The Pregracke Center at Heartland Community College in Normal Illinois.   

Those in attendance will enjoy a true river feast with a fish fry & shrimp boil next to the beautiful  Mississippi River . The LL&W crew will give tours of the house and garbage barges and host a meet and greet where attendees can meet members of the LL&W crew.  There will also be a silent art auction, live music and a few words from Chad Pregracke and his crew to update you on the progress that has been made this year. "This event allows us to thank the Quad Cities and its residents for all that they do to help us in continuing to make the rivers a cleaner place.  It all makes a difference and everyone should be thanked and rewarded," says Chad Pregracke, Founder & President of Living Lands & Waters. Tickets for the event are $35 per person. Reservations can be made by calling the office at (309) 496-9848 or going to their website at www.livinglandsandwaters.org. 

Chad Pregracke started Living Lands & Waters in 1998 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the beautification and restoration of   America  's major rivers and to the education of people about environmental issues. From his single boat beginning, LL&W has grown to an internationally known organization with a fleet of barges and workboats, engaging thousands of volunteers each year in river cleanups, hands-on environmental education workshops, the Great Mississippi River Cleanup, Adopt-a- River-Mile programs and the Million Trees Project. "This thank you and fundraiser is a perfect example of how much momentum and teamwork has helped this project progress.  We have supporters flying in from all over the country to celebrate what we have accomplished so far", says Pregracke.      

For More Information:  

Contact: Natalie Linville-Mass  

Media Link, Inc.  

P: (309) 786-5142  

F: (309) 786-5143  

 natalie@medialinkinc.com   

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Center for Rural Affairs statement on debt ceiling and budget compromise

Lyons, NE - While President Barack Obama, Speaker of the House John Boehner, and other Congressional leaders worked to reach an eleventh hour compromise that would allow the national debt ceiling to increase in exchange for, potentially, as much as $2 trillion in long-term spending cuts, many in rural America continued to try to sort out what all the horse-trading will mean for their communities.

"Rural development funding for small towns and small business will face growing pressure under the federal budget agreement, which will reduce annual appropriations for all programs by nearly $1 trillion over the next decade," said Chuck Hassebrook, Executive Director of the Center for Rural Affairs. "But rural development funding has already been cut by more than one fourth, just since 2003."

According to Hassebrook, there is an alternative to reducing investments in the future of rural communities. "We should make the first cut by putting hard caps on subsidies to the nation's largest farms - subsides they use to drive mid-size farms out of agriculture," explained Hassebrook.

"The current policy of unlimited mega farm subsidies is so misguided that smart reforms could both save money AND strengthen rural America," Hassebrook argued. "It seems like a no-brainer for both parties - cut counter productive spending first."

A 2007 Center for Rural Affairs analysis demonstrated that USDA and Congress have severely over-subsidized the biggest and most powerful farmers while consistently under-investing in rural America's future, spending twice as much on subsidizing the 20 largest farms in each of 13 leading farm states as it invested in rural development programs to create economic opportunity for millions of people in thousands of towns in the 20 rural counties with the most out-migration in each respective state - (the full report - An Analysis of USDA Farm Program Payments and Rural Development Funding In Low Population Growth Rural Counties, a.k.a. Oversubsidizing and Underinvesting... can be viewed or downloaded at: http://www.cfra.org/node/603)

Law Requires Soccer Goals be Designed to Resist Tipping

CHICAGO - August 2, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today signed "Zach's Law" requiring all movable soccer goals manufactured and sold in the state of Illinois to be tip-resistant. House Bill 1130, the Moveable Soccer Goal Safety Act, will also require organizations that own moveable soccer goals to create soccer goal safety and education policies.

"Improperly secured soccer goals present a serious threat to our athletes, especially children," Governor Quinn said. "Illinois is leading the nation in recognizing and preventing these types of safety concerns. I'm proud to sign 'Zach's Law' today, and help improve soccer safety in Illinois."

On October 1, 2003, six-year-old Zachary Tran of Vernon Hills was at soccer practice when an improperly-secured 184-pound metal soccer goal fell, striking his head. He later died of his injuries. Zach's death was the 27^th death reported in the United States from a falling goal post since 1979.

The legislation requires that soccer goals with inside measurements between 6.5 to 8-feet high and 18 to 24-feet wide must conform to tip-resistant standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials. Additionally, the Illinois Department of Public Health will post soccer goal safety guidelines from the American Society for Testing and Materials and the Consumer Product Safety Commission on its website by June 2012.

Illinois is the first state to ban the manufacture and sale of soccer goals that do not meet new tip-resistant standards. This is the most recent in a series of public safety laws signed by Governor Quinn. In June, the Governor signed HB 219 requiring all passengers in a vehicle to wear a seatbelt, and last week signed HB 200 to protect Illinois' student-athletes from concussions and other brain injuries.

Zach's parents, Michelle and Jayson Tran, created the Zachary Tran Memorial Fund, as well the 'Anchored for Safety' initiative to educate parents and organizations on proper anchoring of movable soccer goals.

House Bill 1130, sponsored by Rep. Carol Sente (D-Vernon Hills) and Sen. Terry Link (D-Lake Bluff) goes into effect immediately. The ban on the manufacture or sale of non-tip-resistant movable soccer goals begins Aug. 2, 2012.

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DES MOINES, IA (08/02/2011)(readMedia)-- State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald announced today that a stop at the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt booth during the 2011 Iowa State Fair may be worthwhile, as fair goers could find their names among the hundreds of thousands of individuals with unclaimed property. "The Iowa State Fair is one of the most fun and successful ways we have to reach people who may have money in the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt," Fitzgerald stated.

"Computers will be set up for people to search for their names or someone they know at the state fair," Fitzgerald said. "Treasure Hunt staff members will be on hand to help treasure hunters print claim forms and answer questions on the spot. Over the years, we have had tremendous success in reuniting people with their lost treasures. Last year, over 7,500 people were successful in finding their name or that of someone they know."

The Great Iowa Treasure Hunt program has returned over $134 million in unclaimed property since Fitzgerald created it in 1983. Unclaimed property refers to money and other assets held by financial institutions or companies that have lost contact with the property's owner for a specific period of time. State law requires these institutions and companies to annually report and deliver unclaimed property to the State Treasurer's Office. The assets are then held until the owner or heir of the property is found. Common forms of unclaimed property include savings or checking accounts, stocks, uncashed checks, life insurance policies, utility security deposits, and safe deposit box contents.

Visit the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt booth at the Iowa State Fair, August 11 - 21, in the Varied Industries Building. The building will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information about the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt, please visit www.greatiowatreasurehunt.com. Treasure seekers may also write to State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald, Great Iowa Treasure Hunt, Lucas State Office Building, Des Moines, IA 50319 or correspond by email tofoundit@iowa.gov.