· Some Davenport aldermen are pushing for stricter regulation of adult entertainment. A proposal that might be before the full council by the time you read this would require customers to be visible at all times in movie-viewing booths. Owners and workers would have to undergo fingerprinting and background checks, along with obtaining city-issued ID cards. A companion law would require adult entertainment businesses to be at least 1,000 feet from homes, churches, schools, child-care facilities, parks, and cemeteries.

· Scott County has received the distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for its current fiscal-year budget. This award is the highest form of recognition in governmental budgeting, and Scott County is one of only two Iowa counties (the other is Linn) to win it. Only 10 of the 1,488 governmental units in the State of Iowa currently have the award, yet Scott County has received it for 11 consecutive years. In order to win the award, Scott County had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation that are designed to assess how well an entity's budget serves as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide, and a communications device.

· Think President Bush's proposed tax cut is risky or extreme? The conservative National Taxpayers Union has published a study taking a close look at the tax cut. According to the study, the Bush tax-cut plan as an average percentage of Gross Domestic Product - a measure many economists believe is the most relevant factor regarding a tax cut - is actually smaller than both the Reagan tax cut of 1981 and Kennedy's 1963 tax-cut proposal. You can see more for yourself at the National Taxpayers Union at (www.ntu.org). The group's Web site, while a little bland, is packed with enlightening information on how government is spending your money.

· If you use the Government Bridge, you should plan on finding another route, as it will be closed for repairs and repainting starting in mid-March. During the first phase, contractors will maintain normal two-way traffic between 5 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., but the pedestrian walkway will be closed. All other times, the bridge will be closed. This schedule will remain in effect until July 7. The second phase, through September 16, will require the bridge to be closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic. And from September 17 through the end of the 2001 construction season, traffic can access the bridge only between 5 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. One pedestrian walkway will remain open. Changes might be made to this schedule.

· Even though Scott County has not had to house inmates in other counties since October, the community advisory committee charged with studying the issue of jail overcrowding is still looking at the possibility of a larger or new facility, with a final report expected by early next year. The committee was formed last year when the jail's population exceeded a cap imposed in 1999 by the Iowa Department of Corrections and a referendum to finance a new facility was roundly defeated. Since October 16, the average jail population has been 170, well below the maximum of 214. The change has been attributed to alternatives to prison time and falling crime rates.

· The Genesis Medical Center Spiritual Care Department is looking for volunteers for its Befriender program. A Befriender is a hospital volunteer who listens and provides spiritual ministry to people in times of illness or grief. All volunteers are fully trained. For more information, contact Chaplain Jeanne Olsen at (319)421-1756.

· While taking a CPR recertification course, the new emphasis on stroke as a serious medical emergency was noted. Further research revealed a study by researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry that found only 46 percent of stroke patients came to the hospital within three hours - the time in which treatment can best prevent permanent disability caused by too little blood flow to the brain. About 750,000 Americans suffer strokes each year, and about one-fourth of those die. Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability and costs this country about $45 billion annually in medical costs and lost productivity. Symptoms include loss of sensation; weakness or paralysis on one side of the body; fainting; and sudden trouble thinking, speaking, seeing, or hearing. The study confirms that when you think you're having signs of a stroke, the first thing you should do is dial 911.

· The State of Iowa charges local governments for collection and distribution of the local-option sales tax, amounting to $400,000 per year statewide and $31,000 in Scott County. A group of legislators from the Iowa House has introduced a joint resolution preventing the Iowa Department of Revenue and Finance from charging for the collection and processing of local sales taxes. The Department of Revenue and Finance says it needs the fees because lawmakers have cut the departmental budget, and it needs to find a way to recapture some of that money.

· There are now three cannabis bills in the Iowa Legislature. House File 202 would create a licensing system for the production, harvesting, and marketing of industrial hemp and can be seen at (www.legis.state.ia.us/GA/79GA/Legislation/HF/00200/HF00202/Current.html). The Senate version of the bill, Senate File 61, can be found at (www.legis.state.ia.us/GA/79GA/Legislation/SF/00000/SF00061/Current.html). Senate File 113 is a bill that would establish a marijuana therapeutic research program and can be seen at (www.legis.state.ia.us/GA/79GA/Legislation/SF/00100/SF00113/Current.html).

· Melinda (Missy) Gowey has been named the new executive director for the Genesis Health Services Foundation. She comes to Genesis from WQPT-TV public television, where she served as director of development. She replaces Carlen Brinser, who retired in June after more than 10 years as director.

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