28 Feb 2011

Governor Quinn Signs Legislation to Crack Down on Organized Retail Crime

By Andrew Mason

New Law Protects Illinois' Retailers and Low-Income Communities

CHICAGO - February 23, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today was joined by Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and representatives from the Illinois Retail Merchants Association to sign legislation that will strengthen the state's efforts to combat organized retail crime.

"Supporting Illinois businesses is key to our long-term economic growth," Governor Quinn said. "This important new law will help protect retailers and communities throughout Illinois from the economically damaging practices of organized retail crime."

Organized retail crime occurs when an individual, group or gang illegally obtains retail merchandise through theft and fraud in substantial quantities. House Bill 6460 will expand law enforcement's ability to charge and prosecute offenders of organized retail crime.

Under the new law, prosecutors will be able to seek forfeiture of assets of those convicted of organized retail crime. The forfeiture of assets represents a major legislative step forward in providing financial disincentive to organizers and participants of organized retail crime.

Across the country, the retail industry loses an estimated $30 billion a year to this practice. Additionally, it is estimated that the state of Illinois lost $77 million in tax dollars not collected in 2010 as a result of these thefts, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.

Organized retail crime puts residents throughout Illinois at risk. Through organized retail crime, stores in low-income communities can end up stocking stolen merchandise, such as over-the-counter medication and baby formula, whose product temperature and caretaking needs have not been satisfied. The crimes also drive up prices for all merchandise.

"This legislation represents a great step forward in preventing the abuse of Illinois businesses by individuals who target them for theft," said Rep. Constance Howard (D-Chicago). "At the same time, this legislation provides a brighter future for those who seek to rehabilitate after committing crimes. This is a bill about a successful Illinois economy - successful businesses and successful job-seekers."

"Retail theft causes price increases for everyone. Therefore, the perpetrator must learn their lesson and pay their debt to society. Once the perpetrator has paid their debt to society, re-entry into the world of work and good citizenship should be our goal," said Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago). "I would like to thank my colleagues for their hard work on this important legislation."

House Bill 6460 also allows individuals who have completed supervision for retail theft to have their convictions expunged after two years, rather than five. This offers ex-offenders greater opportunity to successfully seek employment. The new law takes effect June 1.

###

28 Feb 2011

Analysis of House Budget Cuts on Community Service Programs in Iowa

By Sen. Tom Harkin
February 23, 2011

Last week, the U.S. House approved a budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2011 that includes substantial cuts to community service programs across the country.  Analysis released today shows that this plan would have a detrimental impact on projects throughout Iowa.

"Last summer, in Cedar Rapids, I saw firsthand what it means when students pitch in, hammer a nail and rebuild a family's home after disaster strikes," said Harkin.  "There is no question that the time has come for tough budget decisions, but the smart way to bring down the deficit is for Congress to pursue a balanced approach of major spending cuts and necessary revenue increases, while continuing to take steps to strengthen the Iowa economy.  At a time when budgets are stretching thin in Iowa and around the country, community service is extremely valuable.  The benefits of these programs far outweigh the modest costs to fund them."

Specific Iowa programs that would be affected include :

AmeriCorps
Each year, approximately 80,000 Americans sign up to work at community service projects in exchange for a modest stipend and a $5,000 scholarship.  Projects across Iowa include tutoring, mentoring, assisting as communities respond to tornadoes and floods, cleaning up parks, helping the elderly stay in their homes, and addressing a host of other community needs.  Iowa students access more than $5 million of scholarships each year that they use at Iowa colleges and universities.

A map of volunteer service in Iowa can be found here.

VISTA
Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) agree to work full-time for a year to alleviate poverty in their communities.  In Iowa, 90 individuals create programs that could include setting up soup kitchens and shelters, weatherizing homes, organizing volunteer financial counseling programs, and developing school supply drives for children in need.  All projects must be self-sustaining by the end of the VISTA service.

Senior Corps
Senior Corps engages over 400,000 Americans age 55 and older to devote 10-20 hours a week volunteering in their community.  Under the Senior Companion and Foster Grandparent programs, low-income Iowa seniors receive a small stipend ($2.65 an hour) to work with homebound seniors and children with special needs, respectively. Over 6,000 Iowa seniors volunteer.

A map of proposed cuts in the House budget to community service programs can be found here.

Learn and Serve
Across the country, almost 1.5 million students each year experience some form of service-learning as a result of the Learn and Serve program.  Through service-learning, 11,000 young Iowans ?from kindergarteners to college students? use what they learn in the classroom to solve real-life problems, learning to be engaged community members, as well as educated adults.

Last year, service projects in Iowa provided a wide variety of services that would be lost if the programs above are eliminated:

·    Over 11,000 students had the opportunity to engage in community service linked to academic achievement and civic engagement.

·    More than 1,100 individuals affected by disaster received assistance and over 400 disaster affected homes were repaired with more than 20,000 sandbags filled and placed.

·    More than 9,700 children had a mentor/tutor.

·    More than 13,000 disadvantaged children and youth had access to youth development programming.

·    Over 100,000 volunteers were recruited and utilized in Iowa communities.

·    More than 90 houses were built for families in need.

·    Over 11,000 youth were provided with safe places to play and learn during out of-school hours.

·    Over 2,000 youth were engaged in "Healthy Start" programming to promote nutrition and exercise.

·    1,550 youth learned about school to work transition.

·    Over 700 homebound seniors and older adults received help continuing to living independently in their own homes.

·    Over 1000 community agencies get critical services to keep their doors open.

Harkin's full statement on the budget proposals before Congress can be found here.

For a compilation of all outreach pieces on this issue, please click here.
28 Feb 2011

Stories sought for book to commemorate 100 years of Girl Scouts in area

By Chuck Gysi

Stories are being sought during March for a book that will commemorate 100 years of Girl Scouts in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.

The coffee-table-style black-and-white photo book, which will be published in a limited edition press run, is being produced to observe the nation's 100th anniversary of Girl Scouting in 2012. The book will be printed this fall and sold in the shops of Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.

During March, the Girl Scout council is soliciting short stories of 250 words or less from anyone - past and current Girl Scouts, young or old - who have had anything to do with Girl Scouts as a girl or as a volunteer. In 100 years, Girl Scouts has produced many girls of courage, confidence and character. Every woman who has been a Girl Scout has a story.

Stories can be personal or about friends, daughters, mothers, or any memories that can be shared to help celebrate Girl Scouts' centennial. Girl Scouts has made a difference in the lives of many women and girls over the years and the stories will help demonstrate why the organization is the premier leadership development organization for girls. Some of the stories being sought might include how Girl Scouts helped launched someone into a successful science career, how a Girl Scout helped make the world a better place or how a volunteer saw a girl grow because of her Girl Scout experience.

The 180- to 192-page large-format book, titled "100 Years of Leadership - Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois," will be a lasting memory of the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts. The anniversary will be celebrated yearlong in 2012 by Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois and other Girl Scout councils across the United States. A total of 170 stories are expected to be published in the edition. In addition to selling copies for $34.95, the Girl Scout council also will be distributing copies to libraries throughout Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. The hard-cover book will be available at Girl Scout shops in West Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Waterloo and Decorah in Iowa and Rock Island in Illinois.

Those who wish to have a story considered for publication in the book should visit GirlScoutsToday.com on the web and click on the link on the home page after March 1 to submit their story. A $15 donation to Girl Scouts for the story submission will help pay for book production costs. Persons with stories that are selected by a volunteer committee will be contacted by e-mail to schedule a photo session with a photographer for inclusion in the book. The cost of the photo session will be provided to those with selected stories.

In addition to the stories, the keepsake of Girl Scouts' milestone also will include a history of the Girl Scout movement, not only in the United States, but also in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. All stories that are submitted for the book project also will be posted on the website of Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois at GirlScoutsToday.com.

The book is expected to be available in the fall. For more information, call your local Girl Scout office at 800-798-0833.

 

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28 Feb 2011

$5 Million to Iowa Department of Transportation

By Grassley Press
WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley said today that the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration has awarded a $5 million grant to the Iowa Department of Transportation.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the funds will be used to replace Iowa's 50 oldest state-wide vehicles.  The nine buses and 41 vans that will be replaced are part of 17 of Iowa's transit systems.

The Federal Transit Administration administers grants totaling more than $10 billion to support a variety of locally planned, constructed and operated public transportation systems throughout the United States.  Transportation systems typically include buses, subways, light rail, commuter rail, streetcars, monorail, passenger ferry boats and inclined railways.

 

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28 Feb 2011

Iowa's Largest St. Patrick's Day Celebration Confirms Details for Saturday March 12th

By Dan Kelly
DAVENPORT, IOWA – Kelly's Irish Pub and Eatery, located at 2222 E. 53rd, Avenue, Davenport, IA since 2004, will host its seventh annual St. Patrick's Day Party, Saturday, March 12th.  With doors opening at six o'clock in the morning, over one ton of corn beef and two hundred kegs of beer, Kelly's has established what it believes to be the largest St. Patrick's Day celebration in Iowa.

But largest is not only defined by the amount of food and beverages served. The family-owned restaurant and pub expands its hospitality outside of its doors by taking over two parking lots with a 9,000 square foot, 29 foot tall, heated tent. Staffing is ramped up to over 50 servers, waitresses and Leprechauns.

Speaking of Leprechauns, Kelly's St. Patrick's Day party will be featuring, once again, the crowd pleasing Skydiving Leprechauns. Working with the Quad City Skydiving Center, in Geneseo, Kelly's will be the team's St. Pat's Day landing zone again for the 6th year, as up to 25 trained skydivers jump from 5,000 feet dressed as Leprechauns and make a dramatic from-the-air entrance amidst the cheering crowd.


Owner Dan Kelly states, "Planning for this event began last year, shortly after our sixth annual bash. It is very fulfilling to see all the families and friends that turn out. Old friends re-connect at this event all the time and the party atmosphere can't be beat."
Great food is a great tradition at Kelly's and in less than twenty four hours, Kelly's team will serve up over two thousand pounds of slow-cooked corned beef, either as a sandwich or as a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner, complete with roasted red potatoes. What better fare to soak up the adult beverages that will be served in form of two-hundred kegs of Green Beer and Guinness?

The celebration is not complete without live entertainment and on March 12th the Kelly's tent will be alive with the sounds of everything from roving bagpipers to the heel clicking of the Mulane Healy O'Brien Irish Dancers. There will be something for everyone's musical tastes with a wide variety of live rock bands, playing originals and covers from the 70's to today. Complete line-up below.

The Kelly's St. Patrick's Day party is a family affair, with a magician, a juggler, balloons for the kids (and events and attractions still being added). The Mulane Healy O'Brien Irish Dancers are always a thrill for families with children and the afternoonn music line-up features the Myers Brothers Band, middle-schoolers from St. Paul's Catholic School in Davenport.

The event has consistently been growing its audience since 2005 and Kelly's owner Dan Kelly says he is expecting more than 10,000 attendees. There is no fee for admittance, with plenty of parking on 52nd St., as well as in lots across 53rd Ave. Says Kelly, "We are seeing folks coming in from Des Moines, Dubuque and Iowa City. It's become a regional draw to the Quad Cities."

Live Music Line-Up on the River Cities' Reader Stage:

11:00-1:00 - Dave & Darren from Rock 104.9
11:00 - Mulane Healy O'Brien Irish Dancers
1:00-2:30 - Jim Ryan - Acoustic
1:00-4:00 - Dean Franzen - Juggling Unicyclist
2:00-4:00 - Mark Yeager - Magician
2:45-3:45 - Myers Brothers
4:00-4:45 - Mulane Healy O'Brien Irish Dancers
5:00-6:00 - Wicked Liz & the Bellyswirls -QC Favorites, Originals/Covers
6:15-7:30 - Cosmic - Covers, Classic to Disco
7:45-9:00 - Third Rail - 80's Hair-Band Covers
9:15-10:30 - UnXpected - A mix of Party Faves
10:45-12:30 - Spatterdash - 90's Rock
Note: Live entertainment start times are an estimate only and subject to change.
About Kelly's Opened in 2004, Kelly's has always been proud of its tradition of great food and great service by a friendly staff in a comfortable atmosphere. With a diverse menu ranging from burgers to salmon, fried items are hand battered and breaded to order, queso dip and soups are made from scratch in-house. With 12 flat-screen TV's and a 106-inch big screen this Irish pub is perfect for watching all the sports action in a family-friendly atmosphere.
Like they say: "Kelly's IS St' Patrick's Day!"

##
22 Feb 2011

MVDOVIA SPONSORED SOCIAL MEDIA WORKSHOP

By Maureen Dickinson

The board of the Mississippi Valley DOVIA chapter announces its upcoming workshop on Thursday, March 3, from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm in Meeting Room B at the Eastern Avenue Branch of the Davenport Public Library. The program "Social Media - How Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Other Sites Can

Help You Recruit and Connect with Volunteers" will be presented by Alan Campbell, Associate Director for Communications for Eastern Iowa Community College District. This event is free and open to the public. The Eastern Avenue Branch facility is wireless; participants are welcome to bring in their own laptops.

This workshop may be of interest for any professionals supporting their business communications through social media, and particularly for non-profit organizations engaging volunteers through their missions. Register for the March 3 workshop by contacting MVDOVIA Facilitator Sherry Gogulich at 309-786-1466 x110 or  sherryg@childabuseqc.org.

The mission of MVDOVIA is to enhance the development and growth of volunteer program administrators through communication, education, and networking, and to promote volunteerism in the Quad Cities. For membership information contact info@mvdovia.org.

THURSDAY, March 3, 2011

1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Davenport Public Library - Eastern Avenue Branch

Meeting Room B

6000 Eastern Avenue, Davenport, IA

22 Feb 2011

ROTE MEMORIZATION? FORGET IT! CHANGES TO AP EXAMS REFLECT NEW PHILOSOPHY

By Brittany Marietta

Qualify for scholarships.  Earn college credit and stand out in the college admissions process.  Be more likely to graduate from college in four years, while still having the time and flexibility to double major or study abroad.  With these benefits, it's no wonder AP (Advanced Placement) courses and exams have won praise and popularity, allowing students to earn college credit while still in high school.  AP has spread to more than 30 subjects, with 1.8 million students taking 3.2 million tests last year.  But many AP courses, particularly in the sciences and history, have been criticized for the overwhelming amount of material and rote memorization needed to prepare for the exam.  That is all about to change.

The College Board, the nonprofit organization that owns the AP exams, is revamping courses and exams, reducing the amount of material students need to know for exams and focusing on large concepts and exploring topics in more depth.  Revisions are aimed at reducing memorization and fostering analytical thinking.  In AP Biology, for example, a host of creative, hands-on experiments are replacing the predictable "dirty dozen" - a nickname for the basic lab exercises recommend by the College Board.  In addition, the new AP Biology exam cut the number of multiple-choice questions nearly in half and more than doubled the number of free-response questions.  The idea behind this new direction is that quality learning takes place when students spend more time going into greater depth on fewer topics, increasing critical thinking and knowledge application.  "We really believe that the new AP needs to be anchored in a curriculum that focuses on what students need to be able to do with their knowledge," says Trevor Packer, Vice President of the College Board.   AP will implement revised courses in AP French Language and Culture, AP German Language and Culture, and AP World History in the 2011-12 academic year, and revised courses in AP Biology, AP Latin, and AP Spanish Literature and Culture in the 2012-13 academic year.  AP U.S. History will follow in 2013-14.

Rivermont Collegiate, the Quad Cities' only private, independent, nonsectarian college prep school, offers the highest availability of AP classes for its students in the state of Iowa.  From preschool through twelfth grade, Rivermont strives to prepare students who are grounded in the basics, yet able to think analytically and creatively.  Rivermont believes students learn by doing, and faculty bring the world into the classroom through hands-on project learning and stimulating class settings, where curiosity and critical thinking are encouraged.

What are you waiting for?  Explore the Rivermont approach to learning!  Join us for Open Tours the first Tuesday of every month.  The next Open Tour will be held Tuesday, March 1st from 8:30-10:00 a.m.  No appointment necessary!  Drop in to explore our philosophy and curriculum, take a tour of campus, and see our teachers in action.  Rivermont Collegiate is located at 1821 Sunset Drive, directly off 18th Street behind K&K Hardware in Bettendorf.

For additional information on AP course and exam revisions, visit http://advancesinap.collegeboard.org

For additional information on Rivermont Collegiate or Tuesday's Open Tours, contact Cindy Murray at (563) 359-1366 ext. 302 or murray@rvmt.org

-END-

22 Feb 2011

Alternative Energy = Jobs

By Russ Handler

Expert Reveals How Alternative Energy Will Put Americans Back to Work

The old jobs are dead. Long live the new jobs.

That's the message Tom Rand sees in the current news cycle as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke announced in January that unemployment rates would take four to five years to get back to "normal." In the meantime, several states announced that alternative energy jobs were soaring.

"In America, we used to make things," said Rand, a new millennium combination of scientist and venture capitalist who believes the country's future hinges on the development and ownership of alternative energy technology. "We built cars, homes and other manufactured goods that we'd use here and export abroad. As our quality of life was raised, other countries used their lower economic classes to make up a new generation of cheap labor aimed at undercutting American made goods. Today, we have millions of manufacturing workers who have been displaced and are unable to find work. In the meantime, our dependence on fossil fuels continues to make Americans slaves to foreign oil. Alternative energy is the industry that can break that chain in a variety of ways."

Rand, author of the book KICK the Fossil Fuel Habit: 10 Clean Technologies to Save Our World from Greenleaf Book Group Press (www.tomrand.com), said he is already seeing an explosion of new jobs in the alternative energy sector.

"A Colorado solar energy company is expected to create 1,200 new jobs within the next couple of years thanks to a $400 million loan guaranteed through the US department of energy and another $110 million in equity financing," said Rand. "The best thing about it is the company, Abound Solar, won't require the new hires to have experience in alternative energy. Because the jobs are manufacturing oriented, the typical skills learned in traditional manufacturing jobs are transferrable to the new initiative. And it's not just manufacturing, these technologies need to be installed. We're rebuilding an energy infrastructure, and that takes the trades - all the trades and lots of them."

Rand added that the wind power industry also received a big boost from the government with the renewing of a key tax credit, which is hoped to increase wind project installations by about 50 percent. That's just one part of the equation, though.

"A national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) policy was before Congress last year, but it didn't pass," Rand added. "If Congress succeeds in passing it this year, it would solidify the wind energy market enough that it could create several hundred thousand jobs as a result. Meanwhile in Florida, the renewable energy industry is hoping the legislature will pass a $1 consumer fee that would generate 95,000 new alternative energy jobs in that state. The bottom line is that the new energy jobs aren't a myth -- they are out there, and not only can they put America back to work, but they can also secure our energy independence for generations to come. It's just smart business for America."

22 Feb 2011

DISCOVER SUMMER ADVENTURES AT RIVERMONT COLLEGIATE

By Tammi Burrell

Keep young minds sharp over the summer with educational programs at Rivermont Collegiate! Rivermont is offering an assortment of Summer Adventures for children from preschool age and up.  Programs cover a wide variety of interests - from cooking to poetry - to French and microbiology. Children from any school may register. Sessions run for one week from 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. or from 12:00 - 3:00 p.m.; each session cost $110 and some require an additional $25 lab fee. Students attending two classes per day need to bring a sack lunch. Lunch time will be from 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Rivermont strives to prepare students who are grounded in the basics, yet able to think analytically and creatively, to confidently meet the challenges of the 21st century.  Check out full class descriptions and obtain a registration form at www.rvmt.org.

Preschool - Junior Kindergarten - Kindergarten

June 20-24          Mad Science! (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

June 20-24          Stories & More (12:00 - 3:00 p.m.)

June 27-July 1     Cooking Class     (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

July 18-22            Take Me Out to the Ballgame (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

Grades K - 2

July 18-22        Dig Into Dinosaurs (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

Grades 1 - 5

June 20-24        Bits, Bytes and Hopefully NO Bugs! (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

June 27-July 1     Poetry, The Symphony of Words (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

June 27-July 1     Got Game? (12:00 - 3:00 p.m.)

Grades 3 - 12

June 27-July 1     Une Semaine à Paris! (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

July 18-22            Scrapadoodle (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

Grades 8 - 10

July 18-22            Seeing the Unseen: Basic Microbiology Techniques (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

July 25-30            Plagues & Poxes & Pestilence - Oh, My! (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

For enrollment information on Rivermont Collegiate contact Cindy Murray at 563-359-1366 ext. 302 or murray@rvmt.org.

For additional information on Summer Adventures at Rivermont Collegiate contact Tammi Burrell at 563-359-1366 ext. 337 or burrell@rvmt.org.

#   #   #

Rivermont Collegiate is the Quad Cities' only independent, non-sectarian, PS-12 college preparatory school, ranked #1 on Iowa's AP Index.

-END-

22 Feb 2011

Scott County to Post "County Checkbook" On-Line

By Rick Martin

Scott County Auditor Roxanna Moritz will announce the posting of the "County Checkbook" on-line at a news conference scheduled for Tuesday, February 22, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. at the Scott County Administrative Center, 600 West 4th Street, Davenport, Iowa. She and other county officials will demonstrate how to access this new function from the county website.

"I am very pleased to announce this latest innovation in providing information to the public on how county government spends the taxpayers' dollars," Moritz said. "My office staff began the discussion on how to implement this improvement in late 2009. We experimented with some different options last year, finally settling on the product we are releasing today, she said.

The public will have access to the accounts payable reports prepared for the Board of Supervisors which shows spending by county department and separate government agencies for which the county provides accounts payable services. Also included will be Board reports for county spending by purchase cards. The separate government agencies include Scott County Assessor, Scott County Library, Scott Emergency Communications Center, Davenport City Assessor and some payments for the Iowa Department of Human Services based in Scott County.

The reports will be displayed in a searchable PDF format. They will include an alphabetic listing of vendors as well as a departmental report.

Scott County will be the first major county in Iowa to provide its "checkbook" on-line for the general public to see. "We are joining a growing number of counties and cities in the nation in providing better transparency for local government," Moritz said. "Providing this information to the public will help Scott County to meet a Board goal of regional leadership," she added.

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