America's Navy will "come home" to the Quad Cities in conjunction with the Quad Cities Air Show, June 16-22.

Quad Cities Navy Week celebration 2011 gives area residents an opportunity to meet some of the Navy's Sailors and learn about the Navy's mission and its broad-ranging capabilities.

The U.S. Navy conducts approximately 20 Navy Weeks each year, reaching out to communities across the country to show Americans the investment they have made in their Navy.  During a Navy Week celebration, the Navy concentrates a variety of outreach events in a metropolitan area for a week, sharing the Navy story with as many people as possible.

The Navy plans to include the following elements in Quad Cities Navy Week:

- The Navy Flight Demonstration Team, "Blue Angels"
- Sailors from the destroyer USS Sullivans (DDG 68)
- Sailors from the amphibious ship USS Dubuque (LPD 8)
- Navy Band musical performances
- Admirals and other senior Navy leaders, who will meet with local corporate, civic, government and education leaders
- Navy Diver demonstrations in local aquariums
- Navy simulators and other interactive displays
- Community service projects and events with local sports franchises

Other areas that have been selected to host a 2011 Navy Week include : Tampa, Fla., Austin, Texas; Mississippi; Dallas-Fort Worth; Denver; New Orleans; Philadelphia; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Chicago; Rochester, N.Y.; Detroit; Los Angeles; Fargo, N.D.; Indianapolis; Cincinnati; Omaha, Neb.; New England; Albuquerque, N.M.; El Paso, Texas; and San Antonio.


For more information on the 2011 Quad Cities Navy Week, please contact Lt. Cmdr. Pam Bou at pamela.bou@navyweek.org.  More detailed information on each Navy Week can be found at our website, www.navyweek.org.  For high resolution photos from past Navy Week celebrations, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/navyweek/sets/.

The 2011 Navy Week season will also help commemorate the Centennial of Naval Aviation, which kicks off in 2011 and continues as a year-long celebration with a variety of commemorative events planned across the country throughout the year. For more information on the Centennial of Naval Aviation latest information, visit http://www.public.navy.mil/airfor/centennial/Pages/welcome.aspx.

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York, PA, November 9, 2010  ? The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: BONT) is pleased to announce a record-breaking year for its semi-annual Goodwill® Sale, which collected 8.3 million pounds of donations between its spring and fall sales. Bon-Ton's Goodwill Sale has been occurring since 1994, and the latest event took place from September 15 through September 29, 2010, bringing in 4.3 million pounds of clothing and textile donations. The items collected this year have an estimated value of approximately $30 to 34 million in revenue, which is used to fund Goodwill's social services in communities nationwide.

"We are thankful to our customers and to the community for their support of our signature Goodwill Sale," said Bud Bergren, president and CEO of The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. "The Goodwill Sale exemplifies our commitment to the communities in which we operate, while offering our customers the latest in fashion merchandise at outstanding values."

The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. ? which operates stores under the Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's, Younkers and Parisian (Detroit, MI area) nameplates ? received donations in its 277 stores. Goodwill sold the donated items in the communities where they were collected, and the revenues were used to support job training programs for people with disabilities, those who lack education or job experience, and others facing challenges to finding employment.

"The revenues generated during the Goodwill Sale are helping people find jobs, build their careers and support their families," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "We are grateful this partnership with Bon-Ton allows us to help our friends and neighbors experience the pride and independence that work brings."

As a thank you to those who donated, Goodwill distributed more than 1.6 million Bon-Ton coupons, so those individuals could receive 15- to 20-percent off when purchasing merchandise in Bon-Ton stores. In addition, the Million Acts of Goodwill web site educated consumers about Goodwill's mission of helping people find jobs and rewarded those who donated. Visitors to the site could play an instant win game; 40 instant winners received various prizes, and one grand-prize winner received a $1,000 Bon-Ton gift card.

 

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State College, Pa. -- 9 November 2010 -- AccuWeather.com reports signs point toward an arctic cold outbreak beginning the third week of November in the Northwest, expanding to much of the eastern half of the U.S. before Thanksgiving.

The cold wave will have people turning up their heat and perhaps scrambling to stock up on wood and fill up on heating oil.

Snow and a freeze-up accompanying the cold blast may lead to travel problems.

The air will have tremendous shock value, given the complacency in the weather now over the Plains and much of the Southeast.

It appears building cold air over Siberia will soon move eastward through the Arctic over the next week or so, then drive southward through North America during week three of the month.

Alaska would feel the cold around mid-month.

Next, steering currents would then drive frigid air southward through western Canada into the Northwest and northern Rockies.

A large high pressure area at the core of this air could be preceded by an upslope snow event during the third week of the month that would spread snow from Great Falls, Mt. to Cheyenne to Denver.

It is possible this invasion of cold air would first spin up a major storm over the middle of the nation, where it comes in contact with unusual warmth building in the East.

Whether or not a wrapped-up storm with wind-driven rain, severe thunderstorms, and a Midwest blizzard comes to pass before the cold reaches the East remains to be seen. However, that too is a possibility.

It is looking more and more likely that the coldest air of the season so far, with strong winds, may greet people during the weekend prior to Thanksgiving from the Plains to the Atlantic Seaboard.

AccuWeather.com and its team of long range forecasters (Joe Bastardi, Paul Pastelok and Joe Lundberg) first alerted you about this possibility last week.

The details on how cold the weather will get from place to place will unfold over the next week.

Most likely, once the cold reaches the East, temperatures will rebound in the Northwest.

AccuWeather.com is expecting a stormy, wintry December over the northern tier of the U.S. It appears this outbreak will set the stage for that pattern.

The late October windstorm and now the crazy storm that struck New England from the northeast Monday are examples of the volatility potential of the weather pattern.

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist for AccuWeather.com

If you have questions or want to speak to a meteorologist, contact:

Roberti@AccuWeather.com

Davenport,Iowa. - Bickford of Davenport invites the community to a vendor based shopping event called Shopper's Showcase on November 16th 6-8pm. Vendors include Stella and Dot, 31 Bags, Mary-Kay, Uppercase Living, Scentsy, Scrapbooking, and Pampered Chef. This event is open to the public and admission is free.

Bickford's Shopper's Showcase creates an environment where people can do all of their holiday shopping conveniently under one roof with affordable, unique, and high-end gifts available for purchase. Each shopper will receive a free Bickford Reusable Shopping Bag and can be entered in a drawing to receive giveaways from participating vendors.

For more information on Bickford of Davenport Shopper's Showcase, please call 563-322-0000.

Andy Eby, President of Bickford Senior Living said, "Our Shopper's Showcase event is by far one of our favorite events! It gives our residents and the community a chance to celebrate the holiday season together through a fun and festive shopping experience."

Bickford Senior Living manages and operates over 40 Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care branches in Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska and Michigan, with headquarters located in Olathe, KS. The company was created when owners, Don & Judie Eby, were unable to find a quality assisted living residence for their mother, Mary Bickford who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The Bickford story is told in more detail at www.enrichinghappiness.com
9 Year Cycles:

recording by

Rev. Dr. Louis Gates

 

The Moline Commercial Club

513 16th Street, 2nd Floor

Moline Il 61265

 

Wine, beverages and light refreshments are hosted.

Cash bar is available at 6:30 pm.

 

A life cycle is 9 years in length.

Every 9 years you complete a cycle starting with the first year, year one.

This quick review will let us see how we can select our life's path.

The cd is a release from Rev. Dr. Gates who is in Florida.

 

Follow up conversations can be made directly with him either personally or by phone.

Rev. Dr.Gates is a healer and seer based in Cassadaga Florida.

 

The Independent Scholars' Evenings are sponsored by

The Institute for Cultural and Healing Traditions, Ltd.

A 501(c)3 organization at state and federal levels incorporated in 1996

www.qcinstitute.org

The event is free and open to the public

LISLE, IL (11/08/2010)(readMedia)-- Dealing with life after the death of a loved one in wartime can be a long and lonesome struggle, but the survivors don't have to grieve alone. The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) held a Regional Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp in Lisle Nov. 5 to 7 to bring together survivors from throughout the Midwest.

In coordination with the Illinois National Guard Survivor Outreach Support program (SOS) and Operation Support Our Troops Illinois, TAPS provided peer-based emotional support for more than 300 survivors of servicemembers who lost their lives in a time of war.

TAPS provides a supportive environment where survivors can come together to share their stories and help each other grieve, said Bonnie Carroll, the president and founder of TAPS and an Anchorage, Ala., native.

"We wish we didn't have to know each other, but boy are we glad we do," said Carroll.

Since its formation in 1994, TAPS has helped more than 30,000 survivors of fallen military members across the country, she said.

In addition to the volunteers from the non-profit organizations, roughly 20 Soldiers from the Illinois Army National Guard volunteered to act as mentors to surviving children, forming bonds of trust and friendship through discussions and activities. Older children shared stories with their peers while the younger ones drew pictures and played games that honored their loved ones.

A surprise visit from a special guest was one of the highlights of the weekend.

Elmo from television's Sesame Street stopped by to bring a smile to the children's faces, and ended up lightening the spirits of the adults in attendance as well.

Giving the survivors a chance to laugh and have fun together is part of the healing process, said Bobby Gilmore the ILNG SOS coordinator and a Petersburg native.

"Today is all about the families and their grieving process," said Gilmore. "It's a celebration of the lives of the heroes that were lost."

Maj. Gen. Dennis L. Celletti, the Assistant Adjutant General for the ILNG, and Brig. Gen. Ronald Morrow, the Joint Force Headquarters Assistant Adjutant General - Army, stopped by to remind the survivors that they will forever be a part of the military family.

"We are one big family and we will never forget our fallen comrades," said Celletti.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 8, 2010 - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced that $1,000,000 is coming to Iowa through the through the U.S. Department of Labor's Workforce Data Quality Initiative (WDQI).  The funding, which was provided for in the FY 2010 Budget, will be used to improve the quality and availability of Iowa's workforce data.  Senator Harkin is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations committee, and chairs the Senate panel that funds labor initiatives.

"Part of the reason Iowa fared better than other states during this recession is our commitment to investing in our workforce," said Harkin.  "Today's funding will help us develop the data we need to make good decisions about our workforce programs so that we can minimize the impact of economic bumps down the road."

Today's funding will be used to expand Iowa's longitudinal database of workforce data, which links to education data.  The database will be used to facilitate research projects aimed at pinpointing the effectiveness of workforce programs to better inform workforce system customers.  The project is a sister initiative to the Department of Education's Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems project to build longitudinal education databases.

Over the three year grant period, this funding will help Iowa improve state workforce longitudinal data systems with individual-level information; improve the quality and breadth of workforce data systems; use longitudinal data to provide useful information about program operations; analyze the performance of education and training programs and provide user-friendly information to customers to help them select the training and education programs that best suit their needs.

For more information on Iowa's Workforce Development initiatives, please click here.
The Bettendorf Discovery Shop in Cumberland Square invites you to their Annual Holiday Open House Sunday, November 21st from noon to 4 pm.

Let us help you with your shopping list and at the same time you can make a difference in the fight against cancer! The Discovery Shop will be overflowing with all kinds of beautiful holiday clothing, ornaments, collectibles and gift items. If you are looking for something for yourself or for someone on your list, this is a great place to start.

The Discovery Shop is an upscale resale shop. All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society to fund cancer research, patient services, education and advocacy.

The shop will be closed Saturday, November 20th to prepare for this event.

Donations are accepted anytime the shop is open and a tax receipt is always available. Hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 am to 5 pm., Thursday from 10 am to 7 pm. and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm.

Nightmare sailors, zombie pirates, and hypnotizing mermaids - oh, my!  Join us as Rivermont Collegiate thespians in grades 6-12 present a snappy comedy featuring a play within a play!  As the story goes, the star of a popular pirate play is the heartthrob of every teenage girl in Shakespearean England until the cast is kidnapped by real pirates during one of their productions.  Hilarious antics ensue as the heartthrob pirate Frank and his supporting cast, including prima donna Esmerelda, say goodbye to stardom and hello to servitude on a real pirate ship.  Rivermont students have perfected a performance of The Fearsome Pirate Frank that will provide laughs long after the curtain closes!

Join us Friday, November 12th and Saturday, November 13th at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium on the Rivermont Collegiate campus, located at 1821 Sunset Drive in Bettendorf (directly off 18th Street behind K&K Hardware).  Tickets are $5 at the door.  This event is open to the community!

For additional information on Rivermont Collegiate contact Cindy Murray, Director of Admissions, at (563) 359-1366 ext. 302 or murray@rvmt.org.


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Merger Will Result in New Division Called TAG Direct

TAG Communications Inc. has acquired the Cedar Rapids-based firm of Direct Marketing Solutions, and will leverage that acquisition to expand its current direct marketing efforts into a new division called TAG Direct. Direct Marketing Solutions has previously worked with for-profit as well as non-profit organizations throughout the Midwest.

While direct marketing will certainly be a service that TAG Direct will provide, the new division will also specialize in data storage, consumer profiling, and demographic management. "We recognize the potential in direct marketing, and how it can be used proactively to transcend what we typically think of when we hear phrases like direct mail," says Mike Vondran, President & CEO of TAG Communications. "There is a lot of potential with TAG Direct and the focused resources we now have will drive business growth for our clients."

Direct Marketing Solutions President Jim Brown, who has been with the company since its inception, joins TAG with over 28 years of experience in the direct marketing industry. Prior to this merge, TAG Communications and Direct Marketing Solutions had collaborated on several projects spanning 12 years, which Brown says made him feel very comfortable joining TAG.

"I've always admired TAG Communications for their focus on generating results for their clients," Brown says. "Now we can fuse our organizations together and have a new way of confronting client sales challenges with complete media integration."

TAG Direct will be the third niche division under TAG Communications, joining TAG Healthcare Marketing and TAG YP (Yellow Pages). The agreement became effective on November 8, 2011.

Celebrating 20 years of developing marketing solutions, TAG Communications, Inc. was previously known as The Ad Group until the group restructured in 2010. TAG delivers results-oriented marketing and communications strategies to their clients through a range of services that includes strategic planning, account management, media management, graphic design, strategic planning, web services, TV/radio production and public relations.

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