29
Oct
2002
• By the time you read this, the roundabout at the intersection of 53rd Avenue and Middle Road will be completed and open to all traffic except 53rd Avenue west of Middle Road. The roundabout has been under construction for the past six months in conjunction with the approaches to the 53rd Avenue Bridge just east of Devils Glen Road. The roundabout is an alternative to a signalized intersection and allows traffic to move more quickly, as each approaching stream of vehicles can enter the circle without stopping if no vehicles are present. Roundabouts are, in theory, safer than a signalized intersection because all traffic moves slowly in a counterclockwise direction, and there can be no high-speed collisions resulting from running a red light. Other communities in Iowa, such as Coralville, West Des Moines, Clive, and Urbandale, have roundabouts that have been in place for some time and are functioning well. You can find more information about the roundabout at Bettendorf's Web site (http://www.bettendorf.org).
• According to a recently released study by the Center for Business & Economic Research at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV), a Nevada proposal to regulate and tax marijuana use by adults would raise an additional $28.6 million in annual state revenue. The center estimated that 75,000 people - 5 percent of the state's population - would use an average of 12 grams of marijuana per month. The center imposed the same tax rate on marijuana that already exists on tobacco products. Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement (NRLE), which is sponsoring Nevada's Question 9 initiative, paid for the study. If approved by Nevadans in November and again in 2004, Question 9 would amend the state's constitution so that possession of up to three ounces of marijuana by individuals 21 years of age or older would no longer carry any criminal or civil penalty. Additional marijuana initiatives will appear on the November ballots in Arizona, South Dakota, and San Francisco. A summary of these initiatives can be found at (http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5426).
• U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, has announced the following Harkin Grants in Scott County this year: The Bettendorf Community School district will receive a Flood, Life & Safety Grant of $150,000 to construct a new addition to address fire and safety hazards at the high school; and Davenport Community School District will receive a Flood, Life & Safety Grant of $275,000 to install fire doors, pull stations, and smoke/heat detectors in various district buildings. The Harkin Grant program is designed to show that a modest infusion of federal resources can significantly contribute to the repair needs of school districts across the state. This year, 188 Iowa school districts in 83 counties will share nearly $50 million in federal grants to boost fire safety, school construction, and modernization in schools.
• The Mississippi Valley Welcome Center in LeClaire received the 2002 Hospitality in Tourism Award at annual Iowa Tourism Conference, held in Sioux City. Iowa Department of Economic Development Director C.J. Niles presented the honor along with Becky Gruening, president of the Travel Federation of Iowa. The winner was chosen based on exemplary service to the traveling public; involvement in local, regional, and state tourism initiatives; and involvement in or production of local hospitality training.
• Mary J. Thee has been hired as the City of Davenport's new corporation counsel. Thee is a 15-year employee of the City of Davenport and has served as human-resources director since October 1998. She was appointed corporation counsel, at a salary of $86,000, by City Administrator Craig Malin following an open recruitment process. Assistant Human Resources Director Dave Geisler will serve as Acting Human Resources Director while a search is conducted for Thee's replacement. Former Corporation Counsel John Martin has been re-assigned to the position assistant corporation counsel.
• Iowa Workforce Development in Davenport will receive $427,981 in National Emergency Grant funds to assist workers who have been dislocated as a result of the closure of the International Paper plant in Clinton. Eastern Iowa Community College will operate the project. This new grant will supplement an earlier award of $231,000 and support continued re-employment services for 120 workers who lost their jobs.
• The Bettendorf Public Library and Friends of the Bettendorf Public Library are accepting poems for the Bettendorf Centennial Poetry Contest. Ten poems will be chosen to be highlighted at activities taking place in 2003, Bettendorf's centennial year, including a poetry reading in July. Poets must live within a 50-mile radius of the Quad Cities or have lived, worked, or attended school in Bettendorf. Poems must focus on Bettendorf, either a specific element (such as a location, building, or person) or on something in general (such as the passage of time, ancestors, descendants, memory, or nostalgia). Poems must be received at the library by November 30. For more information, call (563)344-4175 and ask for Hedy.
• The campaign of Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Clyde Cleveland has filed a complaint with the Iowa Ethics & Campaign Disclosure Board that a September 16 debate between Democrat Tom Vilsack and Republican Doug Gross violated state law by subjectively excluding two candidates, Cleveland and Green Party candidate Jay Robinson. The complaint argues that the debate represented a "thing of value" given by KCRG-TV and The Cedar Rapids Gazette to the two major-party candidates and is therefore a violation of Section 56.15 of the Iowa Code. (The complaint claims the debate should have been reported as a campaign contribution.)
• Family Resources in Davenport has been awarded a $154,450 grant to help eliminate barriers to adoption for children with special needs. The grant is part of the Adoption Opportunities Program from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Family Resources will provide services to families that have completed the legal process for adopting a child, including offering information, referral, education, advocacy, respite care, and therapeutic interventions.
• According to a recently released study by the Center for Business & Economic Research at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV), a Nevada proposal to regulate and tax marijuana use by adults would raise an additional $28.6 million in annual state revenue. The center estimated that 75,000 people - 5 percent of the state's population - would use an average of 12 grams of marijuana per month. The center imposed the same tax rate on marijuana that already exists on tobacco products. Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement (NRLE), which is sponsoring Nevada's Question 9 initiative, paid for the study. If approved by Nevadans in November and again in 2004, Question 9 would amend the state's constitution so that possession of up to three ounces of marijuana by individuals 21 years of age or older would no longer carry any criminal or civil penalty. Additional marijuana initiatives will appear on the November ballots in Arizona, South Dakota, and San Francisco. A summary of these initiatives can be found at (http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5426).
• U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, has announced the following Harkin Grants in Scott County this year: The Bettendorf Community School district will receive a Flood, Life & Safety Grant of $150,000 to construct a new addition to address fire and safety hazards at the high school; and Davenport Community School District will receive a Flood, Life & Safety Grant of $275,000 to install fire doors, pull stations, and smoke/heat detectors in various district buildings. The Harkin Grant program is designed to show that a modest infusion of federal resources can significantly contribute to the repair needs of school districts across the state. This year, 188 Iowa school districts in 83 counties will share nearly $50 million in federal grants to boost fire safety, school construction, and modernization in schools.
• The Mississippi Valley Welcome Center in LeClaire received the 2002 Hospitality in Tourism Award at annual Iowa Tourism Conference, held in Sioux City. Iowa Department of Economic Development Director C.J. Niles presented the honor along with Becky Gruening, president of the Travel Federation of Iowa. The winner was chosen based on exemplary service to the traveling public; involvement in local, regional, and state tourism initiatives; and involvement in or production of local hospitality training.
• Mary J. Thee has been hired as the City of Davenport's new corporation counsel. Thee is a 15-year employee of the City of Davenport and has served as human-resources director since October 1998. She was appointed corporation counsel, at a salary of $86,000, by City Administrator Craig Malin following an open recruitment process. Assistant Human Resources Director Dave Geisler will serve as Acting Human Resources Director while a search is conducted for Thee's replacement. Former Corporation Counsel John Martin has been re-assigned to the position assistant corporation counsel.
• Iowa Workforce Development in Davenport will receive $427,981 in National Emergency Grant funds to assist workers who have been dislocated as a result of the closure of the International Paper plant in Clinton. Eastern Iowa Community College will operate the project. This new grant will supplement an earlier award of $231,000 and support continued re-employment services for 120 workers who lost their jobs.
• The Bettendorf Public Library and Friends of the Bettendorf Public Library are accepting poems for the Bettendorf Centennial Poetry Contest. Ten poems will be chosen to be highlighted at activities taking place in 2003, Bettendorf's centennial year, including a poetry reading in July. Poets must live within a 50-mile radius of the Quad Cities or have lived, worked, or attended school in Bettendorf. Poems must focus on Bettendorf, either a specific element (such as a location, building, or person) or on something in general (such as the passage of time, ancestors, descendants, memory, or nostalgia). Poems must be received at the library by November 30. For more information, call (563)344-4175 and ask for Hedy.
• The campaign of Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Clyde Cleveland has filed a complaint with the Iowa Ethics & Campaign Disclosure Board that a September 16 debate between Democrat Tom Vilsack and Republican Doug Gross violated state law by subjectively excluding two candidates, Cleveland and Green Party candidate Jay Robinson. The complaint argues that the debate represented a "thing of value" given by KCRG-TV and The Cedar Rapids Gazette to the two major-party candidates and is therefore a violation of Section 56.15 of the Iowa Code. (The complaint claims the debate should have been reported as a campaign contribution.)
• Family Resources in Davenport has been awarded a $154,450 grant to help eliminate barriers to adoption for children with special needs. The grant is part of the Adoption Opportunities Program from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Family Resources will provide services to families that have completed the legal process for adopting a child, including offering information, referral, education, advocacy, respite care, and therapeutic interventions.
