RISING ARTIST MEGAN MCCORMICK
CONFIRMS MARCH TOUR

Wasilla-raised singer/songwriter Megan McCormick has just confirmed an extension of her U.S. tour with dates beginning in March. Meanwhile, McCormick continues to wow the critics with her debut album, Honest Words, a 12-track collection of brooding prose and instrumental mastery.

Born into a family of musicians, the 23 year old singer relates to music on a cellular level, with a guitar in hand by age 9. By the age of 18, McCormick landed her first major tour with bluegrass guru, Valerie Smith. In 2008, McCormick made a strategic move to Nashville where it took her little more than a year to secure a deal with the prolific Rykodisc records

McCormick's perfected trade is certainly in the darker places.  Whether it's the taut, Stevie Ray Vaughan-evoking "Shiver," the lacerating lost souls' recognition in "Drifting," or the torchy foreboding of meltdown that is "Pick Up The Phone," her heart on her sleeve and her truth in your face seems to be this singer's natural stance.

Here's what the critics are saying:

"Just 23, the Nashville singer/songwriter sounds as if she's lived a life and a half on her potent 'Honest Words' album." - USA Today

"A bluesy, lovelorn showcase for singer-songwriter McCormick's bright alto and growly guitar." - O, The Oprah Magazine

"The old cliché about young artists displaying talents beyond their years sure seems like a truism in the case of 'Honest Words.'" - All Music Guide

"[Megan McCormick] blurs the lines between blues, rock, and alternative-country." - Relix

Megan McCormick Mar. 2011 Tour Dates

3/02      Columbus, OH                         The Basement

3/04      Milwaukee, WI                        Gribali's

3/05      Johnson City, TN                     The Down Home

3/09      Raleigh, NC                             Berkeley Café

3/10      Charlottesville, VA                   Southern Café

3/11      Roanoke, VA                           Kirk Music Hall

3/13      Richmond, VA                         Canal Club Downstairs

3/15      Larchmont, NY                        Watercolor Café

3/16      New York, NY                         Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 2)

3/18      New Haven, CT                       Café Nine

3/19      Washington, DC                       The Corner Store

3/22      Wilmington, NC                        Soapbox Laundrolounge

3/25      Nashville, TN                           3rd & Lindsley

3/27      Knoxville, TN                           Relix

3/31      Atlanta, GA                              Highland Ballroom

4/20      Davenport, IA                          The Redstone Room

4/21      Cedar Falls, IA                         The Tub

4/23      Chicago, IL                               Martyr's

http://www.myspace.com/meganmccormicksmusic

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District awarded a contract to repair pier houses at Dams 16, 17, 21 and 22 in the cities of Illinois City, Quincy and New Boston, Ill.; as well as New London, Mo.

The contract, which totals $648,300, was awarded to Lamar Construction, Inc. of Edwards, Ill. The contractor will repair four to five pier houses at each dam, removing parapet flashing and the built up roof down to the concrete plank deck. The work will also involve replacing damaged concrete planks and the installation of a new single ply membrane roofing system and parapet flashing.

Work on the project began Feb. 28 and is scheduled for completion by the end of November. More information about this project can be found on the web at:

https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=list&tab=searchresults&

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East Moline, IL/March 1, 2011 - Chad Pregracke's Quad Cities-based environmental group needs volunteers to help in a project to improve the future of area waterways.  Living Lands & Waters, an East Moline, Illinois non-profit organization is planning to distribute 100,000 free oak tree saplings in April as part of LL&W's "MillionTrees Project."  The goal of the project is to improve the health of rivers in the Midwest, by re-establishing hardwoods that have been depleted by over-harvesting, flooding and disease.

Volunteers, including families with children, are invited to take part in tree wrapping events being held throughout March. "Wrapping 100,000 trees takes a lot of work" said Chad Pregracke, founder and President of Living Lands & Waters.  Pregracke adds, "It's a great venue to help the community and educate people on why trees are important."

Trees provide shelter and nut-bearing hardwoods are a viable food source for wildlife and migratory birds.  Slow-growing hardwoods like oaks have a harder time re-establishing themselves without help, and are often crowded out by faster growing species, like cottonwoods, willow and silver maples. Re-establishing hardwoods help increase biodiversity, reduce erosion and run-off and improve water and air quality.

Individual registration is not required, but strongly encouraged.  Groups of 5 or more must pre-register.   Volunteers can stay for an hour or all day.  For questions or to register, please contact Ashley Stover at Ashley@livinglandsandwaters.org or at 309.737.5913.

Tree wrapping events will occur at the following places and locations:

QCCA Expo Center, Rock Island:

Volunteers should show up at the North Hall of the QCCA Expo Center, 2621 4th Avenue, Rock Island.

LL&W Headquarters@ (17624 Rte. 84 N, East Moline, IL)

-March 1-5, 8am - 5pm                                              -March 14-17, 8am - 5pm                           

- March 7-12, 8am - 5pm                                           -March 28 - April 2,  8am - 5pm

Volunteers will be asked to help with the following:  bundling trees in newspaper, placing trees in bags, tying, tagging, or organizing them.  Participating children MUST be supervised.  Volunteers are asked to wear warm and comfortable clothes that can get dirty.

Trees will be distributed in April to individuals, families, agencies, business and organizations throughout the Midwest.  The saplings will also be distributed to the general public during the QCCA Lawn and Garden Show, March 25-27^th on a first come, first served basis. The goal of the MillionTrees Project is to grow and plant 1 MILLION trees.

Anyone interested in volunteering or reserving free oak saplings for planting may contact MillionTrees Project Coordinator, Ashley Stover at Ashley@livinglandsandwaters.org or at 309.737.5913. More information on the MillionTrees Project can be found at www.livinglandsandwaters.org/milliontrees.

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March 9, 2011

Today I have signed Senate Bill 3539, which abolishes the death penalty in Illinois.

For me, this was a difficult decision, quite literally the choice between life and death. This was not a decision to be made lightly, or a decision that I came to without deep personal reflection.

Since the General Assembly passed this bill, I have met or heard from a wide variety of people on both sides of the issue. I have talked with prosecutors, judges, elected officials, religious leaders from around the world, families of murder victims, people on death row who were exonerated and ordinary citizens who have taken the time to share their thoughts with me. Their experiences, words and opinions have made a tremendous impact on my thinking, and I thank everyone who reached out on this matter.

After their guidance, as well as much thought and reflection, I have concluded that our system of imposing the death penalty is inherently flawed. The evidence presented to me by former prosecutors and judges with decades of experience in the criminal justice system has convinced me that it is impossible to devise a system that is consistent, that is free of discrimination on the basis of race, geography or economic circumstance, and that always gets it right.

As a state, we cannot tolerate the executions of innocent people because such actions strike at the very legitimacy of a government. Since 1977, Illinois has seen 20 people exonerated from death row. Seven of those were exonerated since the moratorium was imposed in 2000. That is a record that should trouble us all. To say that this is unacceptable does not even begin to express the profound regret and shame we, as a society, must bear for these failures of justice.

Since our experience has shown that there is no way to design a perfect death penalty system, free from the numerous flaws that can lead to wrongful convictions or discriminatory treatment, I have concluded that the proper course of action is to abolish it. With our broken system, we cannot ensure justice is achieved in every case. For the same reason, I have also decided to commute the sentences of those currently on death row to natural life imprisonment, without the possibility of parole or release.

I have found no credible evidence that the death penalty has a deterrent effect on the crime of murder and that the enormous sums expended by the state in maintaining a death penalty system would be better spent on preventing crime and assisting victims' families in overcoming their pain and grief.

To those who say that we must maintain a death penalty for the sake of the victims' families, I say that it is impossible not to feel the pain of loss that all these families share or to understand the desire for retribution that many may hold. But, as I heard from family members who lost loved ones to murder, maintaining a flawed death penalty system will not bring back their loved ones, will not help them to heal and will not bring closure to their pain. Nothing can do that. We must instead devote our resources toward the prevention of crime and the needs of victims' families, rather than spending more money to preserve a flawed system.

The late Cardinal Joseph Bernadin observed, "[i]n a complex, sophisticated democracy like ours, means other than the death penalty are available and can be used to protect society." In our current criminal justice system, we can impose extremely harsh punishments when warranted. Judges can impose sentences of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Where necessary and appropriate, the state can incarcerate convicted criminals in maximum security prisons. These means should be sufficient to satisfy our need for retribution, justice and protection.

As Governor, I took an oath to uphold our state's Constitution and faithfully execute our laws. Honoring that oath often requires making difficult decisions, but I have found none to be as difficult as the one I made today. I recognize that some may strongly disagree with this decision, but I firmly believe that we are taking an important step forward in our history as Illinois joins the 15 other states and many nations of the world that have abolished the death penalty.

SPRINGFIELD - March 9, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today took action on the following bill:

Bill No.: SB 3539

Ends the sentence of death for crimes committed in Illinois.

An Act Concerning: Criminal Law

Action: Signed                        

Effective Date: July 1, except Section 15 (Capital Crimes Litigation Act) which takes effect
January 1, 2012.

A photograph of the signing of Senate Bill 3539 is available at: http://www.state.il.us/xfr/upload/SB3539.jpg

(Follow the link above and then right click the image and choose Save Image/Picture As)

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