Dear Arts/Culture/Heritage Presenter,

Experience Quad Cities and Quad City Presenters are collaborating on a very important research project to collect data on the vitality and economic impact of the artistic, cultural and heritage organizations in the Quad Cities. Your participation in this project is key to its success -- because evidence of a community with a strong arts, culture and heritage scene contributes to economic development as well as the ability to attract both visitors and new residents to the area. Please click here to access our survey. Because your input is important, please complete this questionnaire within two weeks of receiving it. Thank you in advance for taking the time to provide us with this information. If you have any questions regarding the survey, please feel free to call Doug at 309.794-7426

Sincerely, 

Douglas Tschopp                 Jodie Shagrin Kavensky 
Quad City Presenters           Experience Quad Cities

18th Annual   Galena   Girlfriends' Getaway is Sept. 9-11  

  GALENA ,  Ill.   ? The Galena Area Chamber of Commerce once again plans a special weekend for "girlfriends" of all ages from Friday, Sept. 9, through Sunday, Sept. 11. This annual Galena Girlfriends' Getaway will feature sales, contests, spa specials, Quartermania and more - just for  the  ladies - in beautiful, historic  Galena  in scenic northwest   Illinois  .

A pre-registration fee includes several gifts from local merchants and a chance to win a $200 shopping spree. You can also register for a belly dancing class, Quartermania auction, slipper party and Sunday brunch. Participants may register for as few or as many activities as they choose.

The ever-popular Quartermania auction will happen once again, this time Saturday night at   Galena   Convention Center   starting at 6 p.m. Ladies can buy a roll of quarters, bid on a variety of interesting items, and see who gets the great bargains. A Saturday night "Slipper Party" at the   Wal-Mart   Supercenter  beginning at 9:30 p.m. will feature games, refreshments, coupons and a gift card. 

Sunday's finale at the DeSoto is a brunch with your "girlfriends" as the weekend will wrap up by announcing the winners of the shopping spree and gift baskets.

Throughout the entire weekend, there are more than 55 businesses throughout   Galena   and Jo Daviess County that are offering specials, drawings, and events to participants of the Galena Girlfriends' Getaway.

For more event info, including venues and fees, call  the  Galena Area Chamber of Commerce at 815-777-9050 or visit galenachamber.com. Pre-registration is also available online at galenachamber.com. Additional area offerings and visitor information may be found at the Galena/Jo Daviess County Convention and Visitors Bureau by calling 877-Go   Galena   or at www.galena.org. While in town, visit the CVB's  Old   Train   Depot   Visitor   Information   Center  at   101 Bouthillier St.   (corner of  Park Avenue ) for on-site assistance and countywide information. 

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July 2011 has been a month filled with Blues Festivals and activities everywhere around the World. It would be a remarkable happening to cover it all and share this with our followers. We invite you to contact us with your Blues News and we will make every attempt to cover it and publicize the content.

We had the privledge of covering the Lakefront Jazz and Blues Festival this July 2011. We met up with some great performing artist's, some of which are pictured on this publication. This was the 2nd Annual Lakefront Jazz and Blues Festival which draws in a crowd of 14,000 plus fans! Remarkable, considering it is only the second time this event has taken place in Prior Lake, Minnesota. The event is organized by The Prior Lake Rotary Club and sponsor's. There may be a couple reason's why this event has already been such a success.
First of all, the talent of performing artist's are some of the best! The lineup of talent this year featured Buddy Guy 2011 Blues Music Award Artist for "Blues Album Of The Year" Living Proof recording. Quinn Sullivan the youngest blues musician touring the blues circuit today performed with passion and the crowd loved him! Quinn is 12 years old and has been invited to tour with Buddy Guy this year 2011. Quinn Sullivan's latest release is "Cyclone" and is currently in the Top Ten of Billboard Charts. Jessy J, jazz sensation from the L.A. area performed with sizzling jazz and style. Check out her latest release "Hot Sauce", the rhythm will get you for sure! Lukas Nelson and his band performed with a unique rockin' blues style. Lukas is the son of Willie Nelson, who added some of the background vocals to their latest release. Lukas writes most of the bands music which is some of the most authentic and unique material I have heard this year. Lukas grew up around many legends in the music industry and has taken in many styles of music, which may account for his unique sound and style. Do yourself a favor and check out their new recording "Promise Of The Real". Steve Oliver and his band from the California area performed a show that drew in the crowd of fans with feeling and passion, as he played a variety of contemporary guitar tunes. The band has their own recording studio in California and are returning to work on a new release. Check out their current recording "Global Kiss" it is a satisfying and smooth sound. The Lamont Cranston Band is an all time favorite in the Twin Cities and Midwest region. They have early beginnings with Bruce McCabe, who performed with them on stage. Bruce has wrote many great songs, including "Lie To Me", which has reached number one on the music charts. Tim Mahoney and his band from the Twin Cities area also performed with passion at this event. Tim qualifyed as a finalist on the hit show "Vocalist" and has a voice with range and depth.
As mentioned there may be two major reasons why this event is such a success. The ticket price for all this talent was only $5.50 in advance and $10.00 at the gate! The grounds for this event are in a very nice park area with a large hill making it possible for everyone who attends to have a great seat to see the performance's.
Mark this one on your calender for next year, it is worth every penny spent and more.
Mississippi Blues Club would like to give a shoot out to Samantha Fish and The Girls With Guitars. Performing on a European and North America tour this summer. Samantha is a 22 year old singer and guitarist with a surprising sultry voice and excellent guitar style! Check out her new solo debut release "Runaway" which is getting airtime on XM radio, the blues are defintly being kept alive... thank you.

Senator Chuck Grassley issued the following comment about his vote against Majority Leader Harry Reid's proposal to increase the nation's borrowing authority by $2.4 trillion.  Senator Grassley is a senior member of the Budget Committee.  He also is Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee and supports a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

"Senator Reid's bill would grant the largest debt ceiling increase in history allowing our national debt to rise to nearly $16.7 trillion.  In exchange, it includes real spending cuts of only $900 billion over the next ten years.  The American people want Congress to act to avoid default by August 2.  But, Americans also want us to reverse the spending spree that got our country in this mess, and get us on a path to fiscal sanity.  Now that it has been demonstrated that both Speaker Boehner's bill and Majority Leader Reid's bill do not have the necessary support, I hope serious, bipartisan discussions will lead to a solution to get this matter resolved."

Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Bruce Braley (IA-01) released the following statement after voting against Speaker John Boehner's default bill:

"Washington is broken and it's long past time that we fix it. The American people are tired of excuses. That's why I couldn't support Speaker Boehner's bill tonight. It doesn't fix the problem, it delays it, and it's time we address this problem like adults. Over 5 months ago I asked the President and Speaker Boehner for a plan to reduce our nation's spending and get our debt under control. But the simple truth is that problems rarely get solved in Washington until the clock has nearly run out. Now we've come to the brink of a default and a serious blow to our fragile economy. That's unacceptable. As soon as I see a viable plan to bring us back from the brink of default and address our national debt and deficit, I'll be the first to cast my 'yea' vote."

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Pushes for Help in Benton, Marshall, Story and Tama Counties

Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Bruce Braley (IA-01) and the IowaHouse delegation sent a letter to President Obama urging him to provide disaster assistance to Iowa following the severe storms earlier this month in Benton, Marshall, Story and Tama counties.

"These storms severely damaged Iowa schools, hospitals, fire stations and electricity and communications infrastructure," said Rep. Braley. "I strongly urge the President to provide assistance to help Iowa's families, communities, and businesses rebuild as quickly as possible."

A copy of the letter is available here and pasted below: http://go.usa.gov/Kcj

The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

As you know, Governor Terry Branstad has requested that you declare a major disaster for the Iowa counties of Benton, Marshall, Story and Tama.  These counties were significantly impacted by severe weather earlier this month, which resulted in significant infrastructure and property damage.

The severe storms began on July 9, triggering a chain of damage-causing events, lasting through July 10, when 100 MPH winds caused the damage in the counties noted above.  Thereafter, on July 13th, heavy rainfall caused flooding in other counties (Dickinson and Clay), causing road closures, and extensive property damage.  Again, on July 15th, severe storms caused flash floods in Cerro Gordo, Floyd and Worth Counties.  Finally, on July 22, severe storms caused significant damage in Black Hawk, Butler, Grundy, Hardin, Jasper, Marion and Poweshiek Counties.

The toll from these storms includes damage to local schools, hospitals, emergency communications facilities and fire stations.  Moreover, electrical utility infrastructure damage remains a major concern over a broad area, as is the case for telecommunications infrastructure, agriculture infrastructure (including crop damage & livestock losses) and municipal water pumping stations.

Given the scope of the damage and losses in Iowa at this time, and the potential for realization of further losses, we strongly urge you to grant Governor Branstad's request for assistance under the Stafford Assistance Act.

Sincerely,

Bruce Braley
Leonard Boswell
Dave Loebsack
Tom Latham
Steve King

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LAWRENCE, KS (07/29/2011)(readMedia)-- More than 4,400 undergraduate students at the University of Kansas earned honor roll distinction for the spring 2011 semester.

KU's honor roll comprises undergraduates who meet requirements in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and in the schools of allied health; architecture, design and planning; business; education; engineering; journalism; music; nursing; pharmacy; and social welfare.

The spring 2011 honor roll students are listed by name, level (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior), school or college, parents' or guardians' names and high school.

  • Ashley J Sevigny, a senior from Davenport, Iowa was named to the honor roll in the School of Education. She is the daughter of Ken and Linda Sevigny from Davenport, Iowa She is a graduate of Bettendorf High School in Bettendorf, Iowa
  • Dustin W Ramsey, a senior from Rock Island, Ill. was named to the honor roll in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He is the son of Craig and Patricia Ramsey from Rock Island, Ill. He is a graduate of Moline senior High School in Moline, Ill.

Criteria for honor roll vary among the university's academic units and are available online http://www2.ku.edu/~distinction/cgi-bin/regulations16

Rock Island, Ill. -- (July 29, 2011) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi River Project reminds everyone to be careful around the rising waters of the Mississippi River.  With large rainfall amounts to the north, the Mississippi River is rising quickly and many people who recreate on the River may not be prepared for high water this time of year.  In the Quad City area, the river is forecasted to reach flood stage Friday evening and remain over flood stage throughout the weekend.  Areas below the Quad Cities will also see River levels rise as the crest moves downriver over the next several days.

Greater caution is recommended if you plan to be near or on the Mississippi River during this high-water time.  The water is moving very fast and the current is strong.  There is much debris floating as the water washes large trees and logs from tributary rivers and streams, backwater areas and islands.

As always, if you plan to recreate on or near the river please remember to be safe, wear your life jackets and have all recommended safety equipment in working order on your boat.  As a reminder, the Locks and Dam 15 Auxiliary (recreational craft) lock will be closed this weekend due to high water.  It will re-open when the river level below the dam drops below 13 feet.  For more information call (309) 794-5338.

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CHICAGO - July 29, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today took action on the following bills:

Bill No.: SB 178
Transfers functions associated with state healthcare purchasing and grants the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability authority to disapprove proposed state health care contracts.
An Act Concerning: Government
Action: Vetoed

Bill No.: SB 1744
Requires the first and last days of the school year to be no less than five hours long.
An Act Concerning: Education
Action: Amendatorily Vetoed                        

Bill No.: SB 2083
Amends the Limited Liability Company Act by making a change to the section pertaining to the Department of Business Services Special Operations Fund.
An Act Concerning: Business
Action: Amendatorily Vetoed

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During his weekly video address, Senator Chuck Grassley discusses his bill targeting synthetic drugs.  The bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, on July 28, and would ban chemicals used to make drugs like K2, also known as Spice.  Grassley's legislation is named after David Rogza of Indianola, Iowa, whose death may have been the first in the nation related to K2.

Click here for audio.

The text of the address is available below.    

Weekly Video Address:  Synthetic Drug Bill  

On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed my bipartisan legislation to ban chemicals used to make synthetic drugs like K2, or Spice.

A year ago in June, K2 led an 18-year old from Indianola to take his own life.  David Rozga's death may have been the first in the country stemming from a new type of synthetic drug.  I met with David's family last August, and David's dad traveled to Washington to testify in April at a drug caucus hearing which I co-chaired.

David's death hasn't been the last.  In January, a high-school student in Omaha killed his assistant principal and himself.  He had K2 in his system.

Poison-control centers and emergency rooms are reporting skyrocketing cases resulting from K2 use.  Violent injuries are seen, related to K2 increasing agitation, heart rates and blood pressure, hallucinations, and seizures.  K2 abuse has even led all branches of the military to ban the use of the synthetic drug after high profile cases arose at the Naval Academy and on the U.S.S. Bataan which was deploying to Libya. 

The drug is available at local shopping malls and online.  It's marketed to appear natural and harmless, like a package of incense.  Victims like David Rozga get sucked into trying the drug, unaware of the risks.

Federal legislation is needed because the Drug Enforcement Agency's process of banning drugs is slow, with no guarantee of a permanent ban.  The proposed bill - which I named the David Mitchell Rozga Act -- would treat K2 like banned narcotics such as methamphetamine and cocaine.

The Senate should act to ban this drug as soon as possible.

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