19
Jul
2005
• After a small fire on June 22 caused Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse to temporarily close for an extensive clean-up, the Rock Island dinner theatre is pleased to announce its grand re-opening on Wednesday, July 20. This is a week earlier than theatre officials originally thought they would be able to re-open the Rock Island landmark. The fire damage to the theatre was contained to a small room in the backstage area. Because of the tremendous response time of the Rock Island Fire Department, the fire was put out in a matter of minutes, noted Bret Hitchcock, director of audience development for the theatre. The extensive cleaning process included scrubbing down every surface in the building to remove the soot, cleaning all the carpeting and duct work, sending the stage curtains to New York to be cleaned, and removing all the chairs and sending them out to be cleaned. The biggest task during the cleaning process was to construct scaffolding that ran from one side of the building to the other and from the floor to the ceiling. This process alone took a week. There will be an official ribbon-cutting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday to celebrate the re-opening of this Quad Cities entertainment destination. Many Rock Island and local tourism officials will be in attendance for this ribbon-cutting.
• The Community Foundation has given $1,000 each in emergency grants to two area charitable organizations' heat-relief funds. Project Now in Rock Island and Iowa East Central TRAIN in Davenport received the grants to purchase fans and air conditioners. Any amount not used this summer can be used next winter for utility assistance. Although an offshoot of the Community Foundation's Community Impact Fund, the Emergency Fund does not require applications for funding from charitable organizations. The Emergency Fund was created to help address "emergency" issues as they arise, such as a sudden or prolonged heat wave. For more information about the types of Community Foundation grants available, visit (http://www.cfgrb.org).
• The Northwestern Mutual Foundation announced that Mike White of Davenport has been named an "Outstanding Volunteer" in Northwestern Mutual's national Community Service Award (CSA) program. White was selected as a winner for his outstanding contribution to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Iowa. White will be presented with the Community Service Award during Northwestern Mutual's Annual Meeting of Network Representatives on Tuesday, July 26, at the company's headquarters in Milwaukee. A $10,000 grant will be presented to the Make-A-Wish Foundation from the Northwestern Mutual Foundation later this summer. Celebrating its 11th year, the CSA program is open to more than 9,000 representatives of the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. The national award program recognizes exemplary volunteer involvement and dedication to charitable organizations and philanthropic projects. In total, the Northwestern Mutual Foundation will donate $265,000 this year to community-service organizations involved with this program.
• The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to pass the Water Resources Development Act, an effort to modernize the lock-and-dam system on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers. The bill would provide funding to build seven new locks and was passed 406-14 on July 14. Supporters of the legislation claim modernization will ensure the continued viability of a system that supports 400,000 jobs and say the construction will generate 3,000 construction-related jobs over two decades. The House rejected an amendment that would have made construction contingent on barge traffic increasing 16 percent by 2007. The bill now moves to the U.S. Senate.
• Ames, Davenport, Waterloo, and West Des Moines are receiving almost $5.8 million through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and HOME Investment Partnership program at the federal Department of Housing & Urban Development. Davenport received more than $2.7 million. CDBG funds develop viable communities by providing housing and a suitable living environment and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for persons of low and moderate income. HOME funds provide formula grants to pay for a wide range of activities that build, buy, and rehabilitate affordable housing for rent or home ownership, or provide direct assistance to low-income people.
• On the evening of June 22, 77 volunteers helped Moline Centre Partners clean up downtown Moline in preparation for the thousands of tourists visiting the area for the John Deere Reunion on the River and the Taste of the Quad-Cities. Volunteers, who ranged from teens to seniors, came from downtown businesses and residences, local youth groups, and local volunteer organizations. These volunteers walked the streets of downtown Moline sweeping the sidewalks, pulling weeds, and picking up trash. The cleanup effort resulted in 70 garbage bags full of waste that had been removed from downtown sidewalks, alleys, and streets.
• The Iowa Office of Drug Control Policy, as well as four Iowa counties - Linn, Scott, Story, and Tama - are receiving more than $3.6 million from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to fight drugs. The Iowa Office of Drug Control Policy received more than $3.1 million for programs that will provide a wide range of responses to the problems of substance abuse and drug-trafficking. Scott County received $384,479 to support salaries, benefits, and overtime for three agents assigned to the Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group. The cities of Bettendorf and Davenport plan to use their share of funds to purchase equipment and provide overtime for special operations aimed at reducing crime in high-crime areas. The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program allows states, tribes, and local governments to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime. Grant funds can be used for state and local initiatives for any of the following areas: (1) law-enforcement programs, (2) prosecution and court programs, (3) prevention and education programs, (4) corrections programs, (5) drug-treatment programs, and (6) planning, evaluation, and technology-improvement programs.
• The Community Foundation has given $1,000 each in emergency grants to two area charitable organizations' heat-relief funds. Project Now in Rock Island and Iowa East Central TRAIN in Davenport received the grants to purchase fans and air conditioners. Any amount not used this summer can be used next winter for utility assistance. Although an offshoot of the Community Foundation's Community Impact Fund, the Emergency Fund does not require applications for funding from charitable organizations. The Emergency Fund was created to help address "emergency" issues as they arise, such as a sudden or prolonged heat wave. For more information about the types of Community Foundation grants available, visit (http://www.cfgrb.org).
• The Northwestern Mutual Foundation announced that Mike White of Davenport has been named an "Outstanding Volunteer" in Northwestern Mutual's national Community Service Award (CSA) program. White was selected as a winner for his outstanding contribution to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Iowa. White will be presented with the Community Service Award during Northwestern Mutual's Annual Meeting of Network Representatives on Tuesday, July 26, at the company's headquarters in Milwaukee. A $10,000 grant will be presented to the Make-A-Wish Foundation from the Northwestern Mutual Foundation later this summer. Celebrating its 11th year, the CSA program is open to more than 9,000 representatives of the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. The national award program recognizes exemplary volunteer involvement and dedication to charitable organizations and philanthropic projects. In total, the Northwestern Mutual Foundation will donate $265,000 this year to community-service organizations involved with this program.
• The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to pass the Water Resources Development Act, an effort to modernize the lock-and-dam system on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers. The bill would provide funding to build seven new locks and was passed 406-14 on July 14. Supporters of the legislation claim modernization will ensure the continued viability of a system that supports 400,000 jobs and say the construction will generate 3,000 construction-related jobs over two decades. The House rejected an amendment that would have made construction contingent on barge traffic increasing 16 percent by 2007. The bill now moves to the U.S. Senate.
• Ames, Davenport, Waterloo, and West Des Moines are receiving almost $5.8 million through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and HOME Investment Partnership program at the federal Department of Housing & Urban Development. Davenport received more than $2.7 million. CDBG funds develop viable communities by providing housing and a suitable living environment and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for persons of low and moderate income. HOME funds provide formula grants to pay for a wide range of activities that build, buy, and rehabilitate affordable housing for rent or home ownership, or provide direct assistance to low-income people.
• On the evening of June 22, 77 volunteers helped Moline Centre Partners clean up downtown Moline in preparation for the thousands of tourists visiting the area for the John Deere Reunion on the River and the Taste of the Quad-Cities. Volunteers, who ranged from teens to seniors, came from downtown businesses and residences, local youth groups, and local volunteer organizations. These volunteers walked the streets of downtown Moline sweeping the sidewalks, pulling weeds, and picking up trash. The cleanup effort resulted in 70 garbage bags full of waste that had been removed from downtown sidewalks, alleys, and streets.
• The Iowa Office of Drug Control Policy, as well as four Iowa counties - Linn, Scott, Story, and Tama - are receiving more than $3.6 million from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to fight drugs. The Iowa Office of Drug Control Policy received more than $3.1 million for programs that will provide a wide range of responses to the problems of substance abuse and drug-trafficking. Scott County received $384,479 to support salaries, benefits, and overtime for three agents assigned to the Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group. The cities of Bettendorf and Davenport plan to use their share of funds to purchase equipment and provide overtime for special operations aimed at reducing crime in high-crime areas. The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program allows states, tribes, and local governments to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime. Grant funds can be used for state and local initiatives for any of the following areas: (1) law-enforcement programs, (2) prosecution and court programs, (3) prevention and education programs, (4) corrections programs, (5) drug-treatment programs, and (6) planning, evaluation, and technology-improvement programs.
