• Ballet Quad Cities will present the original ballet Cinderella to 1,465 area students on Friday, April 21, at 10 a.m. at the Capitol Theatre. All students received a school visit from professional dancers to prepare them for the live performance, and a complimentary educators' guide was given to all teachers. Each student will receive an age-appropriate print program at the theater. This arts-enrichment program is funded by the Scott County Regional Authority, the Iowa Arts Council, and The Rock Island Community Foundation.
• Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences recently received a five-year accreditation from the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission for its Associate of Science in Nursing program. According to Leanne Hullett, dean of Trinity College, surveyors visited the college last fall, but the designation was not official until this month. For more information about Trinity College, call (309)779-7700.
• Eliot Ness: An Untouchable Life, a feature film from Quad Cities-area filmmakers Max Allan Collins and Phillip W. Dingeldein, won the Golden Eddy Award for "Best Feature" recently at the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival. The film, which received its world premiere in February at the Rocket Theatre in Rock Island, was developed in part with a grant from Humanities Iowa. Originally produced as a play, Eliot Ness was presented in August 2005 at The Des Moines Playhouse to enthusiastic audience response and overwhelmingly favorable reviews. Between performances, Collins and his frequent collaborator, Rock Island filmmaker Phil Dingeldein of dphilms, led a crew of Quad Cities and Des Moines filmmakers on a five-day shoot. The shoot was the first Iowa feature shot in high definition. In addition to shooting the feature, Dingeldein edited the film and co-produced. The original musical score is by Mark Johnson of Rock Island's Brass Sail Recording, with additional music by Scott Morschhauser. The film stars Des Moines actor Michael Cornelsion. The Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival was held Friday and Saturday, April 7 and 8, at the Collins Road Theatres in Marion, Iowa. The festival featured 55 films from local, regional, and national filmmakers, as well as three filmmaking seminars. Two crew members from Eliot Ness, Nick Bertelsen from Cinequipt, and award-winning Director of Photography John Houghton, discussed low-budget techniques, and Quad Cities-area student filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods discussed their past work as well as upcoming developments with MTV Films. Eddy Awards were presented at the Saturday-evening ceremony. Student Gold Eddy winners received a $200 scholarship. Non-student Gold Eddy winners received Gorilla Pro production management software from Jungle Software.
• The Iowa Senate unanimously approved the House version of the human -trafficking bill sponsored by Senator Maggie Tinsman (R-Bettendorf). The bill, SF 2219, was passed by the Senate on February 22 and moved to the House, where it was amended. The Senate has approved the House changes. The bill now criminalizes human trafficking in Iowa and also creates a study committee to investigate both the needs of law enforcement and of victims of human trafficking. In January, a Vatican report said that at least 800 million children are exploited across the world.
• On Friday, April 7, St. Ambrose University (SAU) dedicated and blessed a new $7-million residence hall. Franklin Hall, named after the Most Reverend William Franklin (bishop of the Diocese of Davenport and president of SAU's board of directors), provides suite-style living for 204 students, and has been in use since the fall 2005 semester.
• IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union, the largest credit union in the Quad Cities area, was recently honored with two Merit Awards for outstanding advertising and public relations at the Credit Union National Association's 2006 Diamond Awards ceremony in Orlando, Florida. The credit union won an award in the "outdoor advertising" category for a bus-ad design. The second merit award was in the "community/public relations single event" category for the IH Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, of which the credit union is the presenting sponsor. Awards are offered in 30 categories and judged on five criteria: strategy, creative concept, design, copy, and results. The credit union was also recently honored with a Gold ADDY Award at the Marketing, Advertising, & Communication Professionals of Northeast Iowa 2006 MAC ADDY Awards ceremony for a television commercial produced for the IH Mississippi Valley Blues Festival. Founded in 1934, the credit union now serves more than 73,000 members with more than $500 million in assets. IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union operates branches in Davenport, DeWitt, and Bettendorf, Iowa, as well as Milan, Moline, East Moline, Prophetstown, Rock Island, and Silvis, Illinois. For more information, visit (http://www.ihmvcu.org).
• The Vision Iowa Program is seeking applicants for $5 million in grants to assist communities in the construction of recreational, cultural, educational, or entertainment facilities that enhance the quality of life in Iowa. The application deadline is October 1. For complete details, go to (http://www.iowalifechanging.com).
• Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences recently received a five-year accreditation from the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission for its Associate of Science in Nursing program. According to Leanne Hullett, dean of Trinity College, surveyors visited the college last fall, but the designation was not official until this month. For more information about Trinity College, call (309)779-7700.
• Eliot Ness: An Untouchable Life, a feature film from Quad Cities-area filmmakers Max Allan Collins and Phillip W. Dingeldein, won the Golden Eddy Award for "Best Feature" recently at the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival. The film, which received its world premiere in February at the Rocket Theatre in Rock Island, was developed in part with a grant from Humanities Iowa. Originally produced as a play, Eliot Ness was presented in August 2005 at The Des Moines Playhouse to enthusiastic audience response and overwhelmingly favorable reviews. Between performances, Collins and his frequent collaborator, Rock Island filmmaker Phil Dingeldein of dphilms, led a crew of Quad Cities and Des Moines filmmakers on a five-day shoot. The shoot was the first Iowa feature shot in high definition. In addition to shooting the feature, Dingeldein edited the film and co-produced. The original musical score is by Mark Johnson of Rock Island's Brass Sail Recording, with additional music by Scott Morschhauser. The film stars Des Moines actor Michael Cornelsion. The Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival was held Friday and Saturday, April 7 and 8, at the Collins Road Theatres in Marion, Iowa. The festival featured 55 films from local, regional, and national filmmakers, as well as three filmmaking seminars. Two crew members from Eliot Ness, Nick Bertelsen from Cinequipt, and award-winning Director of Photography John Houghton, discussed low-budget techniques, and Quad Cities-area student filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods discussed their past work as well as upcoming developments with MTV Films. Eddy Awards were presented at the Saturday-evening ceremony. Student Gold Eddy winners received a $200 scholarship. Non-student Gold Eddy winners received Gorilla Pro production management software from Jungle Software.
• The Iowa Senate unanimously approved the House version of the human -trafficking bill sponsored by Senator Maggie Tinsman (R-Bettendorf). The bill, SF 2219, was passed by the Senate on February 22 and moved to the House, where it was amended. The Senate has approved the House changes. The bill now criminalizes human trafficking in Iowa and also creates a study committee to investigate both the needs of law enforcement and of victims of human trafficking. In January, a Vatican report said that at least 800 million children are exploited across the world.
• On Friday, April 7, St. Ambrose University (SAU) dedicated and blessed a new $7-million residence hall. Franklin Hall, named after the Most Reverend William Franklin (bishop of the Diocese of Davenport and president of SAU's board of directors), provides suite-style living for 204 students, and has been in use since the fall 2005 semester.
• IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union, the largest credit union in the Quad Cities area, was recently honored with two Merit Awards for outstanding advertising and public relations at the Credit Union National Association's 2006 Diamond Awards ceremony in Orlando, Florida. The credit union won an award in the "outdoor advertising" category for a bus-ad design. The second merit award was in the "community/public relations single event" category for the IH Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, of which the credit union is the presenting sponsor. Awards are offered in 30 categories and judged on five criteria: strategy, creative concept, design, copy, and results. The credit union was also recently honored with a Gold ADDY Award at the Marketing, Advertising, & Communication Professionals of Northeast Iowa 2006 MAC ADDY Awards ceremony for a television commercial produced for the IH Mississippi Valley Blues Festival. Founded in 1934, the credit union now serves more than 73,000 members with more than $500 million in assets. IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union operates branches in Davenport, DeWitt, and Bettendorf, Iowa, as well as Milan, Moline, East Moline, Prophetstown, Rock Island, and Silvis, Illinois. For more information, visit (http://www.ihmvcu.org).
• The Vision Iowa Program is seeking applicants for $5 million in grants to assist communities in the construction of recreational, cultural, educational, or entertainment facilities that enhance the quality of life in Iowa. The application deadline is October 1. For complete details, go to (http://www.iowalifechanging.com).
