RECREATION:

For all events go online www.cityofdavenportiowa.com/parks to register or call 328-PARK (7275) for more information. Look this month to pick up the Fall/WINTER copy of THRIVE! and special events. Registrations begin August 10th for our Fall Session which starts Sept 12th!

• - This extremely rare and exciting opportunity will be a blast for the whole family.  Please come and support these young students. Info on times and locations can be found @
• Kindernature: Stars and the Moon. Tues August 9th, 10:00pm-11am at Vander Veer Botanical Park Conservatory. Cost $6.00. Bring your preschooler to learn about the night sky! Price includes an interactive program and snack.
• Back to School Fiesta: Fri August 12th 1:00pm-7:00pm at Garfield Park. FREE! This is a family fiesta-that has games, activities, dunk tank, piñatas, etc... all to prepare for a fun back to school time!
• 8th Annual Doggie Dig: Fri Aug 12th 6:00pm-7:30pm at Fejervary Aquatic Center. Cost $3.00 per dog, people get in free!
• Central High School Jazz & Marching Bands: Wed August 17th at LeClaire Park-Music on the Levee Series. Cost: Free.
• Chicago Cubs vs St Louis Cardinals Bus Trip to Wrigley Field! Fri August 19th, leaving The River's Edge at 9am. Return will be promptly after the game. Cost 95.00 per person, includes a ticket to the game.
• City of Davenport Appreciation at the River Bandits! Sat August 20th. Cost-FREE, must pick up tickets at Davenport Parks and recreation and show proof of residency.
• Iowa Prairie Heritage on display! Aug 20th-Oct 9th, in the Vander Veer Botanical Park Conservatory Park Store we will be hosting a special educational display. The displays will have huge panels that educate the public on the past, present and future of tall grass prairies in Iowa.
• Wheelchair Basketball Clinic: Tues August 23rd, 5:00-6:30 location TBD. Call the parks office at 328-PARK (7275) for more information.

 

RIVER'S EDGE- Located at 700 W. River Drive (Across from Modern Woodmen Park)

• The Rivers Edge Turf is hosting another fun month in August!
• The Ultimate Sports Lock In: August 6th- Join us for an overnight stay packed with sports, sports and more sports! The fee is $40 and runs from 8PM to 8AM.
• "Summer Showdown" Indoor Soccer Tournament: August 13th- A Coed bracket with a round robin style play leads to a champion! Team fee is $200.
• Rage In The Cage Dodge ball Tournament: August 20th- Grab the bull by the horns and take home the trophy! Coed bracket, Team fee is $75.
• Rivers Edge Community Flea Market: August 27th- Join us for one the QC Areas largest flea market. Admission is FREE, Vendor tables are $25 and you keep 100% of your profit. Market opens at 9 am.

The Better Business Bureau is pleased to announce that Patt Englander has accepted the position of Quad City BBB Community Representative.  Patt will be responsible for implementing a new vision and strategic direction for the BBB in the Quad Cities.  She will lead a decade-old office by reenergizing the local BBB brand and promoting the 450 Quad City BBB Accredited Businesses.  

"We are thrilled to have Patt serving the BBB.  We are a 99 year old organization and Patt's skills will propel us in to our second century of work.  She is a proven and recognized Quad City leader," stated Chris Coleman, President of the BBB serving Greater Iowa, Quad Cities and Siouxland Region. 

Former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, Patt has also served in leadership positions at the American Red Cross of the Quad Cities and Center for Active Seniors.    She has a MBA from St. Ambrose University and recently helped create a local Dress for Success affiliate.

In recent years, the BBB system has embraced the benefits of technology with consolidation of services.   The new vision for the Quad Cities reverses that trend by reopening the Bettendorf office and focusing exclusively on the Quad Cities and surrounding areas.  The BBB will still provide state-of-the-art online and phone services to residents of the Quad Cities.  The re-tooled office will add a local flavor and enable the BBB to effectively promote its Accredited Businesses, warn consumers of pending scams, and provide tips and advice to the community.

Englander stated, "The mission to advance trust- right here in the Quad Cities is why I was attracted to this position.  In tough economic times like we are in today, I know the BBB is needed more now than ever.   I look forward to building our brand and our membership."

The BBB's mission is to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust. The BBB accomplishes this mission by creating a community of trustworthy businesses; setting standards for marketplace trust; encouraging and supporting best practices; celebrating marketplace role models, and denouncing substandard marketplace behavior.  The BBB is the resource to turn to for objective, unbiased information on businesses. Our network of national and local BBB operations allows us to monitor and take action on thousands of business issues affecting consumers at any given time.

Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Bruce Braley (IA-01) released the following statement after severe storms hit parts of Iowa:

"My staff and I are closely monitoring these storms and the reports of damage around Eastern Iowa. While officials are still assessing the full extent of the damage, my office is open and my staff is available to help any Iowans who need it."

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WASHINGTON -- Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today received Judiciary Committee passage of his legislation to ban the chemicals used to make the dangerous drug known as "K2" or "Spice." As committee Ranking Member, Grassley advanced the legislation, named for a young Iowa man who took his own life after using the drug.

"People are buying this drug so easily at the local mall or online that they think it's safe," Grassley said.  "The marketing is deceptive. The product is readily available.  This all makes the drug seem harmless.  It's anything but harmless.  David Rozga lost his life from using this product.  Others also have died or been seriously injured.  Congress needs to permanently control the substances used in this drug so no more lives are lost."

In March, Grassley introduced the David Mitchell Rozga Act, S. 605, named for the 18-year-old from Indianola who took his own life in June 2010, soon after using K2 purchased from his local shopping mall.  Poison control centers and emergency rooms around the country are reporting skyrocketing cases of calls and visits resulting from K2 use, with physical effects including increased agitation, elevated heart rate and blood pressure, hallucinations, and seizures.  A number of people across the country have acted violently while under the influence of the drug, dying or injuring themselves and others.

David Rozga's death may have been the first in the country stemming from this new type of synthetic drug.  In January, a high-school student in Omaha killed his assistant principal and himself.  He had K2 in his system.

Grassley met with the Rozga family last August, and David's father traveled to Washington to testify in April at a Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control hearing that Grassley co-chaired. 

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 deployed to Libya. 

In addition to approving Grassley's bill today, the Judiciary Committee also approved bills from other senators that would ban the chemicals used to make other dangerous synthetic drugs, "bath salts," "2C-E" and others.

"All of these drugs should be banned as soon as possible," Grassley said.  "They're all highly dangerous to users.  The chemicals used to produce them have no household use.  The manufacturers and sellers of these products are engaging in a cynical money-making ploy that plays with human life." 

It's necessary for Congress to act to ban the chemicals used to make the new wave of synthetic drugs because the federal Drug Enforcement Administration's capacity to ban chemicals is limited.  Grassley's legislation treats K2 like other banned narcotics such as methamphetamine and cocaine.  The same is true for the bills on "bath salts" and "2C-E." 

The text of Grassley's prepared written statement at today's Judiciary Committee meeting is available here.  Video of his verbal remarks delivered at the Judiciary Committee session is available here.

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