2011 golf fees for the City of Davenport's 3 municipal golf courses will see some reductions or will remain at 2010 levels. Fees for Duck Creek Golf Course will be slightly reduced while weekday rates will apply on weekends after 12 noon at all three golf courses. Fees for Nine-hole rounds will also be reduced across the board.

"We've reduced Nine-hole fees especially for this upcoming season to encourage evening and short term play at all courses," said Troy Evans, Senior Golf Manager with Davenport Parks and Recreation.

Other changes for this year include group discounts for 18-hole groups with over 48 players. Reservation fees will only be required for weekend tee times this year. Weekday reservations fees for leagues are being waived.

"The overall priority of the Golf Division this year will be to maintain the 2011 prices, while at the same time providing the best conditions and highest value to our customers and the community," Evans added.

The City of Davenport has 3 municipal golf courses. They include Duck Creek Golf and Emeis Golf courses, both of which are 18-holes. The third is Red Hawk Golf and Learning Center, a 9-hole course with a 3-hole learning short course, and lighted practice areas. For more information on these golf courses, visit the website at www.golfdavenport.com.

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - Feb. 4, 2011 - The Iowa Farm Bureau's Farm Management Webinar Series will address crop insurance and crop marketing techniques in its next session held on Thursday, Feb. 17. The live webinar will be held at 1 p.m. (CST) .

Dr. William Edwards, Iowa State University economics professor, will lead the webinar, updating farmers' crop insurance knowledge and introducing the new COMBO policy. In addition, Ed Kordick, Iowa Farm Bureau commodity services manager, will discuss pre-harvest marketing plans, along with an early look at potential profitability regarding the 2011 crop.

"This is a great opportunity for farmers to learn up-to-date information that can assist them as they make 2011 crop decisions," said Kordick. "And they can do so from the comfort of their own homes."

Registration is encouraged. To test your computer's access, go online to www.extension.iastate.edu/testconnect.  Once registered, you will receive an e-mail reminder. Participants can access the webinar at www.iowafarmbureau.comand look for the link on the main rotating banner.

An archived version will be available for Farm Bureau members.

To register and find more information, contact Kordick at 515-225-5433.

-30-

Efforts Aided More Than 4,000 Illinois Motorists Affected by Major Winter Storm, Maintained Critical State Services

SPRINGFIELD - February 4, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today thanked the first responders and Illinois National Guard members who assisted more than 4,000 motorists during this week's major snowstorm. The state's response effort was coordinated by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) from the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Springfield. Liaisons from the state's key agencies worked around the clock from Monday afternoon through Thursday afternoon on response efforts.

"I thank the public servants and servicemembers who worked together to ensure public safety and preserve critical state services during this dangerous storm," said Governor Quinn. "Nearly the entire state was affected by this major winter storm, but by working together we were able to help more than 4,000 people in distress and ensure that essential state services were continued without interruption."

The state's combined efforts cleared 16,500 miles of highway and assisted more than 4,000 stranded motorists. The coordinated effort was led by the Illinois State Police (ISP), Illinois National Guard (ING), Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT)

From noon Tuesday through Wednesday afternoon, ISP assisted 3,400 stranded motorists throughout Illinois and handled 270 traffic accidents.

More than 500 Illinois National Guard soldiers and airmen were mobilized Tuesday to assist ISP with response to stranded motorists. Using more than 140 military vehicles, including 114 Humvees, the Illinois Guard assisted more than 200 snowed-in vehicles and assisted ISP with 16 vehicles, six accidents and one ambulance.

Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police (CPOs) also were activated for storm response duties on Tuesday to provide welfare checks and assist stranded motorists on Illinois roadways.  Nearly 50 CPOs used all-weather vehicles, including more than 50 snowmobiles and ATVs, to rescue or provide assistance to more than 550 stranded motorists during the height of the storm. Conservation police rescued several dozen people including a stroke victim and brought others to warming centers open throughout the state.

Since the storm began, 2,800 IDOT drivers have cleared 16,500 miles of highway throughout the state, utilizing 1,629 trucks. As a result of IDOT's around-the-clock snowplowing effort over the past several days, roads that were virtually impassable during the height of the storm have improved significantly and continue to improve each hour.

Facility management personnel from CMS ensured that necessary facilities were open, including several 24-hour facilities that offer service to the public, ISP and IDOT locations and headquarters that were critical to the response efforts, and garages to support public agency fleets. The agency's division of vehicles played an important role in the state's response by delivering fuel to keep plows running and making repairs. Some mechanics stayed overnight in the fleet garages to ensure they could get on the road again to continue assisting first response agencies.

The Illinois Tollway mobilized its full fleet of 183 snow plows to quickly clear the roads and kept its snow operations center open throughout the duration of the storm. The Tollway's dispatch center handled 1,549 incident calls during the storm and the agency worked with state police to respond to 77 traffic crashes, assist 512 motorists, fulfill 33 requests for service (fuel, tire change, etc.) and tow 133 vehicles.

Other storm-related state efforts included providing updated information about shelters and warming centers, road conditions, interstate access restrictions, and winter safety tips; coordinating with critical facilities, such as hospitals and nursing homes, to ensure they had power, water, medical supplies and staffing to remain operational; and tracking power outages throughout the state.

Throughout the winter storm, IEMA continually updated information on www.Ready.Illinois.gov to ensure citizens had access to vital storm-related information. Between Tuesday and Thursday there were more than 2.2 million hits to the state's preparedness site, more than four times the total number of hits during the month of January.

###

Governor Quinn, Mitsubishi Motors Announce Innovative Partnership to Promote Sustainability,  State to Test Mitsubishi "i" Electric Vehicles in Its State Fleet

 NORMAL, IL - February 4, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn and Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to support the advancement of electric vehicle and renewable energy technologies in Illinois. As part of the agreement, Illinois will receive a limited number of Mitsubishi Motors "i" battery electric vehicles (i MiEV) on a temporary basis to evaluate the new electric vehicle (EV) technology on the state's fleet.

"We are continuing to make strong investments in our green economy, which are putting people to work across Illinois. This partnership reflects our mutual commitment to the EV industry here in Illinois, and our common interest in bringing the jobs and environmental benefits these innovative technologies will deliver to our state. In Illinois, we are doing everything necessary to stabilize our economy, and this partnership is an important step toward securing our long-term economic growth." Governor Pat Quinn said.

Under the agreement, the state will explore opportunities for joint research and industrial development among the parties and other Illinois-based research institutions to assist in the development, adoption and promotion of EVs and green technologies. The state will also work with Illinois community colleges and technical schools to develop curriculum and training programs to meet the demands of this growing sector.

"Mitsubishi Motors has a partnership of more than 25 years with the State of Illinois, and we are pleased that this partnership will now extend into Electrical Vehicles for the future," said MMNA President & CEO Shin Kurihara.  "We are impressed with the state's commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability, and we look forward to the initiatives outlined in this agreement.

In addition to providing an inventory of test vehicles for the state's fleet, Mitsubishi will provide information and recommendations on strategies to support EV adoption in Illinois. Mitsubishi will work with the state to share information on smart grid enabling strategies, and will also help EV adoption as well as charging infrastructure strategy by making the EV available to Illinois Mitsubishi dealers helping advance the EV cause.

"As we look to further enhance our competitiveness in the global economy, we know that our investments in the green industry will play a critical role in creating jobs and building a more sustainable economic future in Illinois," said Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Director Warren Ribley. "This partnership with Mitsubishi will not only help make Illinois a leader in electric vehicle infrastructure deployment, but will also advance our efforts in smart grid technologies and other high-growth sectors that will help attract investment and create even more jobs."

Today, Mitsubishi also announced a partnership with the Bloomington-Normal EV Task Force to supply 1,000 of its new, fully electric Mitsubishi "i"s to the Bloomington-Normal community by 2014. This agreement further supports the task force's EV Town initiative, an effort by the communities to further the local EV market. As part of the initiative, the town of Normal plans to lease two European market versions of the Mitsubishi "i," due to arrive in March of 2011.  The town is also working to implement charging infrastructure to support the increase in EVs throughout Normal in 2011.

Earlier today, Governor Quinn announced a business investment package for Mitsubishi that will save at least 1,200 jobs at the company's Normal facility and bring production of the new Outlander Sport, which is currently produced in Japan, to Illinois. The Japanese Automaker began manufacturing vehicles in Normal, Illinois in 1988.

Illinois continues to see strong signs of economic growth and recovery. Illinois led the Midwest and ranked fourth in the nation for job growth in 2010, and December marked the ninth straight month of declining unemployment.

Governor Quinn Announces Mitsubishi to Produce New Vehicle in Illinois,  State Action Helps Save 1,200 Jobs; Leverages $45 Million Private Investment

 NORMAL, IL - February 4, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today announced a business investment package that is helping save at least 1,200 jobs at Mitsubishi Motors Corporation's (MMC) only North American plant in Normal.  Governor Quinn proposed, helped to pass and signed legislation into law in December 2009 to expand the EDGE tax credit to benefit the auto industry. As a result of Illinois' investment, Mitsubishi has decided to stay and expand in Illinois, and is investing $45 million to produce a new Outlander Sport Crossover Utility Vehicle beginning in 2012.

"Mitsubishi's decision to produce a new generation of automobile here in Illinois is a strong testament to the strength of our workforce and the state's appealing business climate," said Governor Quinn. "By working to stabilize our economy and investing in companies that are investing in Illinois, we're helping to keep thousands of jobs in Illinois, helping reinvigorate our automobile industry and continuing our economic recovery."

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is administering the state's more than $29 million business investment package. The package consists of EDGE tax credits and Employer Training Investment Program (ETIP) job training funds that will help enhance the skills of the company's workforce. Mitsubishi will also benefit from the Normal plant's location in an Enterprise Zone.

"Mitsubishi Motors remains fully committed to producing vehicles in Normal, and I would like to thank Governor Quinn for his support of the automotive industry.  We will build vehicles here not just for the United States, but for many nations around the world," said Mitsubishi Motors North America President Shinichi Kurihara.

The enhanced EDGE tax credit enables auto manufacturing companies, which are among Illinois' largest group of employers, to retain employee income tax withholdings and reinvest those funds into operations that create more jobs.

"Mitsubishi has a tremendous impact on the state and local economies, which is why Governor Quinn made it his top priority to help keep this company and these jobs right here in Illinois," said DCEO Director Warren Ribley. "This investment will help create a more sustainable future for the people of Central Illinois by keeping thousands of union workers on the job and continues our efforts to move the Illinois economy forward."

Illinois continues to see strong signs of economic growth and recovery. Illinois ranked fourth in the nation for job growth in 2010, leading the Midwest. December marked the ninth straight month of declining unemployment. Illinois ranks first in the Midwest for exports and foreign direct investment.

###