28
Aug
2001
• The City of Bettendorf has purchased the former Eagle Store at 2850 18th Street, located across from the Family Museum on Bettendorf Learning Campus Drive. The City has been in negotiations with the building's owner, Stan Coin, for more than one year, and while the building's sale price was $2.64 million, the city will only pay half that amount, with Coin making up the difference as a gift. The building will probably be used as part of the Family Museum and partially for a performing-arts center. The preliminary estimate for renovating the property runs between $6 million and $9 million.
• The Illinois 92 parkway study is underway from Moline to Milan, with planning elements to include the re-development and enhancement of the corridor into a greenway or parkway and extension of the Great River Trail from Sunset Park to the Hennepin Canal and southwest Rock Island. River Action's Riverway 2000 will fund the design of a cantilevered trail off the 92 bridge to tie into the Hennepin Canal trail. The plan will also take into account the potential relocation of the Casino Rock Island. The plan should be complete by September.
• The race for the job of U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has already started to heat up, with the recent announcement by U.S. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) that he supports the bid of U.S. Representative Greg Ganske for the seat in the 2002 senatorial race. Grassley joined Ganske on a seven-stop swing through Iowa to show his support. Ganske is a heavy favorite to win a Republican primary, with a Ganske-Harkin race considered one of the most competitive in the country. A Ganske win could help Republicans regain control of the Senate. Ganske has also received endorsements from U.S. Representative Jim Leach, numerous state legislators, and former governors Terry Branstad and Robert Ray. Bill Salier, a Nora Springs farmer, is also seeking the GOP nomination and appears undeterred by the long list of endorsements.
• According to a report released last week by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the number of inmates in state prison systems declined in the last six months of 2000, marking an end to three decades of unbroken increases. The last such decline was in 1972. However, because of the continuing growth of the federal prison system, the number of people behind bars actually increased, although only by 1.3 percent, the lowest rate since 1990. The BJS report can be found at (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/p00.htm). According to the Sentencing Project, a not-for-profit group dedicated to finding alternatives to imprisonment, the emergence of drug courts and other treatment-based approaches to drug offenders ahs been a significant factor. The Sentencing Project release is available at (http://www.sentencingproject.org/news/newbjs.pdf).
• The Riverboat Development Authority (RDA), the sponsoring organization for the Rhythm City Casino, has announced that applications are available for the fall cycle of grants. Deadline for all applications will be October 1. Locations to pick up grant applications include the Davenport Library (after September 3), Davenport City Hall, Scott County Courthouse, Center For Active Seniors, Mississippi Valley Welcome Center, the lobby of Union Station, Bettendorf Public Library, Bettendorf City Hall, and the North Scott Library and Bookmobile. Applications are also available on disk for Word 7. After September 1, applications can be downloaded from the Web site (http://www.riverboatauthority.com). The Web site will also contain other information about RDA, its guidelines, and its history of grant-making. Questions can be directed to the RDA office at (563)328-8078.
• The Quad City Youth Symphony has announced the appointment of Thomas R. Hageman to the position of Music Director and Conductor for the 2001-2 season. Hageman will assume his duties with the youth symphony orchestra during September auditions. You can check out happenings at the Quad City Symphony Orchestra at its Web site at (http://www.qcsymphony.com).
• The City of Bettendorf is making progress on the construction of the 53rd Avenue Bridge that will be part of the extension of 53rd Avenue from Devils Glen Road to Middle Road. The bridge spans Crow Creek for a distance of 172 feet and will ultimately carry four lanes of traffic. The structure is part of a $5.2 million dollar project to extend 53rd Avenue approximately one mile east of Devil's Glen. The bridge deck is being partially funded by the Federal Highway Administration using funds from the Innovative Bridge Research Construction program. The bridge portion should be completed by October of this year, with the remainder of the road to be constructed next summer.
• Foster homes are needed to provide temporary homes for children who have no place to go. Foster parents must be at least 18 years old in Iowa, 21 in Illinois. They must complete a home study with a foster-care specialist and take part in 12 hours of initial training. They must also be able to work as a team with the social worker and other professionals, undergo a background check, and be mature and responsible. Foster parents may be single. They do not have to be wealthy, only able to provide comfortably for the child and themselves. If you want to learn more, please call Bethany at (563)324-9169 in Iowa and (309)797-7700 in Illinois.
• The Illinois 92 parkway study is underway from Moline to Milan, with planning elements to include the re-development and enhancement of the corridor into a greenway or parkway and extension of the Great River Trail from Sunset Park to the Hennepin Canal and southwest Rock Island. River Action's Riverway 2000 will fund the design of a cantilevered trail off the 92 bridge to tie into the Hennepin Canal trail. The plan will also take into account the potential relocation of the Casino Rock Island. The plan should be complete by September.
• The race for the job of U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has already started to heat up, with the recent announcement by U.S. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) that he supports the bid of U.S. Representative Greg Ganske for the seat in the 2002 senatorial race. Grassley joined Ganske on a seven-stop swing through Iowa to show his support. Ganske is a heavy favorite to win a Republican primary, with a Ganske-Harkin race considered one of the most competitive in the country. A Ganske win could help Republicans regain control of the Senate. Ganske has also received endorsements from U.S. Representative Jim Leach, numerous state legislators, and former governors Terry Branstad and Robert Ray. Bill Salier, a Nora Springs farmer, is also seeking the GOP nomination and appears undeterred by the long list of endorsements.
• According to a report released last week by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the number of inmates in state prison systems declined in the last six months of 2000, marking an end to three decades of unbroken increases. The last such decline was in 1972. However, because of the continuing growth of the federal prison system, the number of people behind bars actually increased, although only by 1.3 percent, the lowest rate since 1990. The BJS report can be found at (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/p00.htm). According to the Sentencing Project, a not-for-profit group dedicated to finding alternatives to imprisonment, the emergence of drug courts and other treatment-based approaches to drug offenders ahs been a significant factor. The Sentencing Project release is available at (http://www.sentencingproject.org/news/newbjs.pdf).
• The Riverboat Development Authority (RDA), the sponsoring organization for the Rhythm City Casino, has announced that applications are available for the fall cycle of grants. Deadline for all applications will be October 1. Locations to pick up grant applications include the Davenport Library (after September 3), Davenport City Hall, Scott County Courthouse, Center For Active Seniors, Mississippi Valley Welcome Center, the lobby of Union Station, Bettendorf Public Library, Bettendorf City Hall, and the North Scott Library and Bookmobile. Applications are also available on disk for Word 7. After September 1, applications can be downloaded from the Web site (http://www.riverboatauthority.com). The Web site will also contain other information about RDA, its guidelines, and its history of grant-making. Questions can be directed to the RDA office at (563)328-8078.
• The Quad City Youth Symphony has announced the appointment of Thomas R. Hageman to the position of Music Director and Conductor for the 2001-2 season. Hageman will assume his duties with the youth symphony orchestra during September auditions. You can check out happenings at the Quad City Symphony Orchestra at its Web site at (http://www.qcsymphony.com).
• The City of Bettendorf is making progress on the construction of the 53rd Avenue Bridge that will be part of the extension of 53rd Avenue from Devils Glen Road to Middle Road. The bridge spans Crow Creek for a distance of 172 feet and will ultimately carry four lanes of traffic. The structure is part of a $5.2 million dollar project to extend 53rd Avenue approximately one mile east of Devil's Glen. The bridge deck is being partially funded by the Federal Highway Administration using funds from the Innovative Bridge Research Construction program. The bridge portion should be completed by October of this year, with the remainder of the road to be constructed next summer.
• Foster homes are needed to provide temporary homes for children who have no place to go. Foster parents must be at least 18 years old in Iowa, 21 in Illinois. They must complete a home study with a foster-care specialist and take part in 12 hours of initial training. They must also be able to work as a team with the social worker and other professionals, undergo a background check, and be mature and responsible. Foster parents may be single. They do not have to be wealthy, only able to provide comfortably for the child and themselves. If you want to learn more, please call Bethany at (563)324-9169 in Iowa and (309)797-7700 in Illinois.
