• In a vote of five to two, the Davenport City Council last week removed Commissioner John Waddell from the Davenport Zoning Board of Adjustment for what it said was insubordination. Davenport Mayor Charlie Brooke, who had run against Waddell in last year's mayoral election, said he wrote three letters to Waddell from January to March, without a response regarding four allegations of improper conduct going back to last fall. Waddell says the allegations against him are false and that he didn't respond to the letters because he was consulting with his attorneys. Some say the motivation behind the termination is political, including the two members of the city council who voted against the termination. Waddell said he will appeal the termination in court.
• Iowa East Central T.R.A.I.N. is being awarded $395,006 in grants to continue another full year of funding for the Early Head Start programs. More than 7,000 Iowa children are served by the Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Iowa East Central T.R.A.I.N. provides low-income children with essential education and health services to ensure that they have the skill to succeed when they start school.
• The Quad City Animal Welfare Center (QCAWC) in June will celebrate Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat month and the 25th anniversary of the shelter by offering a $50 adoption fee of cats and kittens - a $25 reduction. All cats and kittens have been tested, vaccinated, wormed, and spayed or neutered. An application form must be completed. The shelter is open Monday through Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m., with extended hours on Wednesday until 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. The shelter is located at 724 West Second Avenue in Milan. More information can be found on the Web at (http://www.qcawc.org) or by calling (309)787-6830.
• Ride the River, the annual Father's Day bicycle ride, has an added attraction with this year's event as riders will get a preview of East Moline's "The Quarter." The road through The Quarter is finished, and riders can follow the newly built Beacon Harbor Road, where they will see condominiums going up and escape to nature along the wetland site for the River Connection, the planned river interpretive center and boardwalk. You can find more about Ride the River by calling (563)322-2969 or (563)322-7433 or by visiting River Action's Web site at (http://www.riveraction.org).
• The Rock Island Social Security Office has moved to 2350 4th Avenue in Rock Island. The agency's phone number will remain (309)793-5852.
• Congress is looking into the problem of childhood obesity with draft legislation that could authorize millions in government spending to encourage increased physical activity and improved nutrition at schools. The proposal is an attempt to help stem the number of obese and overweight American children, which has doubled over the past 20 years. According to federal health figures, more than 8 million U.S. children currently meet the clinical definitions of being overweight or obese. Legislation is being looked at that would authorize $40 million in federal spending next year to expand a federal program designed to help schools implement physical education and nutrition classes. Another $40 million would be authorized for states and communities to build parks, bike paths, and recreation centers and to promote physical activities among residents.
• The Center for Active Seniors (CASI) of Davenport will dedicate its new Memory Garden with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and formal opening on Friday, June 14, at 10 a.m. The 80-by-30-foot fenced and secured garden is designed for older adults or anyone with memory impairment and includes a concrete patio area with picnic tables, benches, and flower boxes. The garden will provide recreational and therapeutic activities, such as planting flowers, tending to a vegetable garden, painting fences, and hanging fresh laundry on a backyard clothesline. Adults and their families or care providers are invited to enjoy peaceful days seated at picnic tables, or on a bench, while enjoying the serenity of an old-fashioned outdoor garden. The Memory Garden will be available to the public Monday through Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. and all day on weekends. The Garden is also available for private receptions and parties. Contact CASI's facilities manager at (563)386-7477 for details. You can find more information about CASI on the Web at (http://www.casiseniors.com).
• The Waste Commission of Scott County has announced extended hours at the Scott Area Landfill on Mondays. The Scott Area Landfill serves Scott County residents and businesses providing landfilling, household-hazardous-material disposal (by appointment only), and recycling drop-off for appliances, used oil, antifreeze, batteries, e-waste, and tires. Summer hours (June 3 through August 26) are Mondays from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. The Scott Area Landfill is located west of Davenport on County Road Y48, three miles south of Highway 61. For further information or with questions about waste disposal, recycling, or Waste Commission services, please call (563)381-1300.
• The number of robberies and muggings in southern London has fallen nearly 50 percent since police in the borough began verbally cautioning minor marijuana offenders instead of arresting them. Law-enforcement officials implemented the cannabis "warning" policy last fall to free up police resources to focus on more serious crimes. In recent months, many British regulators, police, and politicians have come out in favor of reclassifying marijuana so that its possession is no longer an arrestable offense. That policy change is expected to take place in July.
• The FBI has been given broad new powers by the Bush administration to monitor Internet sites, libraries, political organizations, and churches as a weapon against terrorism. As an example, under revamped guidelines, agents can attend public meetings for the purpose of preventing terrorism. Since the 1970s, the FBI has required special permission when traditional surveillance carried into arenas protected by free-speech or freedom-of-worship constitutional guarantees. It is those rules that the Bush administration relaxed. The new rules also allow agents to conduct "general topical research" and "pure surfing" designed to find Web sites, chat rooms, or Internet bulletin boards with information about terrorism, bomb-making instructions, child pornography, or stolen credit cards. The FBI promises not to return to the file-building abuses of the past that prompted the 1970s guidelines. This is all in the wake of statements last week by FBI Director Robert Mueller that there might have been more missed clues before the September 11 terrorist attacks. He suggested for the first time that investigators might have uncovered the plot if they had been more diligent about pursuing leads.
• Iowa East Central T.R.A.I.N. is being awarded $395,006 in grants to continue another full year of funding for the Early Head Start programs. More than 7,000 Iowa children are served by the Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Iowa East Central T.R.A.I.N. provides low-income children with essential education and health services to ensure that they have the skill to succeed when they start school.
• The Quad City Animal Welfare Center (QCAWC) in June will celebrate Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat month and the 25th anniversary of the shelter by offering a $50 adoption fee of cats and kittens - a $25 reduction. All cats and kittens have been tested, vaccinated, wormed, and spayed or neutered. An application form must be completed. The shelter is open Monday through Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m., with extended hours on Wednesday until 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. The shelter is located at 724 West Second Avenue in Milan. More information can be found on the Web at (http://www.qcawc.org) or by calling (309)787-6830.
• Ride the River, the annual Father's Day bicycle ride, has an added attraction with this year's event as riders will get a preview of East Moline's "The Quarter." The road through The Quarter is finished, and riders can follow the newly built Beacon Harbor Road, where they will see condominiums going up and escape to nature along the wetland site for the River Connection, the planned river interpretive center and boardwalk. You can find more about Ride the River by calling (563)322-2969 or (563)322-7433 or by visiting River Action's Web site at (http://www.riveraction.org).
• The Rock Island Social Security Office has moved to 2350 4th Avenue in Rock Island. The agency's phone number will remain (309)793-5852.
• Congress is looking into the problem of childhood obesity with draft legislation that could authorize millions in government spending to encourage increased physical activity and improved nutrition at schools. The proposal is an attempt to help stem the number of obese and overweight American children, which has doubled over the past 20 years. According to federal health figures, more than 8 million U.S. children currently meet the clinical definitions of being overweight or obese. Legislation is being looked at that would authorize $40 million in federal spending next year to expand a federal program designed to help schools implement physical education and nutrition classes. Another $40 million would be authorized for states and communities to build parks, bike paths, and recreation centers and to promote physical activities among residents.
• The Center for Active Seniors (CASI) of Davenport will dedicate its new Memory Garden with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and formal opening on Friday, June 14, at 10 a.m. The 80-by-30-foot fenced and secured garden is designed for older adults or anyone with memory impairment and includes a concrete patio area with picnic tables, benches, and flower boxes. The garden will provide recreational and therapeutic activities, such as planting flowers, tending to a vegetable garden, painting fences, and hanging fresh laundry on a backyard clothesline. Adults and their families or care providers are invited to enjoy peaceful days seated at picnic tables, or on a bench, while enjoying the serenity of an old-fashioned outdoor garden. The Memory Garden will be available to the public Monday through Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. and all day on weekends. The Garden is also available for private receptions and parties. Contact CASI's facilities manager at (563)386-7477 for details. You can find more information about CASI on the Web at (http://www.casiseniors.com).
• The Waste Commission of Scott County has announced extended hours at the Scott Area Landfill on Mondays. The Scott Area Landfill serves Scott County residents and businesses providing landfilling, household-hazardous-material disposal (by appointment only), and recycling drop-off for appliances, used oil, antifreeze, batteries, e-waste, and tires. Summer hours (June 3 through August 26) are Mondays from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. The Scott Area Landfill is located west of Davenport on County Road Y48, three miles south of Highway 61. For further information or with questions about waste disposal, recycling, or Waste Commission services, please call (563)381-1300.
• The number of robberies and muggings in southern London has fallen nearly 50 percent since police in the borough began verbally cautioning minor marijuana offenders instead of arresting them. Law-enforcement officials implemented the cannabis "warning" policy last fall to free up police resources to focus on more serious crimes. In recent months, many British regulators, police, and politicians have come out in favor of reclassifying marijuana so that its possession is no longer an arrestable offense. That policy change is expected to take place in July.
• The FBI has been given broad new powers by the Bush administration to monitor Internet sites, libraries, political organizations, and churches as a weapon against terrorism. As an example, under revamped guidelines, agents can attend public meetings for the purpose of preventing terrorism. Since the 1970s, the FBI has required special permission when traditional surveillance carried into arenas protected by free-speech or freedom-of-worship constitutional guarantees. It is those rules that the Bush administration relaxed. The new rules also allow agents to conduct "general topical research" and "pure surfing" designed to find Web sites, chat rooms, or Internet bulletin boards with information about terrorism, bomb-making instructions, child pornography, or stolen credit cards. The FBI promises not to return to the file-building abuses of the past that prompted the 1970s guidelines. This is all in the wake of statements last week by FBI Director Robert Mueller that there might have been more missed clues before the September 11 terrorist attacks. He suggested for the first time that investigators might have uncovered the plot if they had been more diligent about pursuing leads.
