20
Aug
2002
• Davenport has had nine murders this year, three within a 16-day period. With a little over four months left in the year, the city is on pace to more than double the six homicides in the city last year. So far, Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Iowa's largest cities, have not seen a growth in their homicide rates. Cedar Rapids has had one homicide this year, while it had three in 2001. Des Moines has had six homicides so far. Last year, it had 13. A Des Moines Register database of homicides compiled from news reports shows that there have been 37 homicides this year in Iowa. The total includes justified homicides, such as police shooting an armed criminal. There were 34 homicides as of the end of July, the Register database shows. At the same time last year, the state had recorded 26, according to public-safety officials.
• The Mississippi Regional Blood Center has announced the results of the 18th annual WQAD NewsChannel Great American M*A*S*H Blood Drive. Volunteer blood donors contributed 347 pints of blood to help patients in need of life-saving blood products. This total exceeded last year's by five units. If you are interested in seeing how you can help by donating blood, call the Mississippi Regional Blood Center at (563)359-5401 or (800)747-5401. You can also visit the center's Web site at (http://www.bloodcenter.org).
• Animal Aid Humane Society, at 239 50th Street in Moline, needs volunteers for the shelter. Those interested are invited to visit from 6 to 8 p.m. August 21 and 1 to 4 p.m. August 24. For more information, call (309)797-6550.
• River Bend Transit will once again be providing weekend work shuttle service for Davenport and Bettendorf residents. Following a severe cut in funding, weekend service was cut from the 2003 fiscal-year budget. In response to the shortfall, Iowa Workforce Development/WIA, the Doris & Victor Day Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Transportation stepped forward to fund the weekend-transit service. The weekend service is part of the Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) program. River Bend Transit's service is available Saturday 6 p.m. to midnight and Sunday 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 11 p.m.
• Generations Area Agency on Aging has joined with NARI, the Quad Cities Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, to help seniors with home repairs and modifications. The first Generations/NARI Mr. Fix-It Day will be Saturday, August 24. Generations has made arrangements with seniors in the area in need of home modifications such as handicapped grab bars and bathroom upgrades. Community members interested in making donations to the Generations/NARI Mr. Fix-It program can call Nancy Kay Cerny at (563)324-9085.
• The Family Museum will be closed August 26 for staff in-service. The museum will also be closed September 2 through 6 for annual maintenance. Beginning September 7, new Family Museum hours will be Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call (563)344-4106.
• Literacy Is for Everyone at Black Hawk College in Moline is seeking volunteer tutors. Tutors will provide one-on-one reading, writing, spelling, and math assistance to those who are 16 years and older who are out of school and functioning below ninth-grade level in one or more academic areas. Free tutor training is offered during the day, evenings, and weekends. Volunteers should be willing to commit to two 90-minute sessions a week. For more information or to volunteer, call the Literacy Hotline at (309)755-9801.
• The ACLU has launched a new Web site to monitor and defeat President Bush's proposed Operation TIPS program. Operation TIPS (Terrorist Information & Prevention System) would recruit 1 million volunteers whose jobs allow them access to private residences - such as meter-readers and cable technicians - to report any "suspicious" activity to the Justice Department. The TIPS Watch Web site offers visitors the opportunity to send a message to senators voicing opposition to the TIPS program. Also available is a downloadable "Stop TIPS Action Kit" that includes a letter you can send to your utility and phone companies asking them not to participate in TIPS. Learn more by looking at (http://www.aclu.org/tips/).
• Back-to-school issues such as getting up in the morning and homework can create difficulties between parents and children. For a free information packet on these and other parenting concerns, call the Helpline for Parents at (309)757-8555 or (800)433-6644.
• U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler on August 2 directed the Justice Department to disclose, no later than August 19, the identities of more than 1,000 individuals detained in connection with the government's investigation into the September 11 terrorist attacks. Under the order, detainees desiring confidentiality can file statements requesting nondisclosure. The judicial decision marks a significant defeat for government secrecy in the wake of the terrorist attacks. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) joined with a coalition of other groups in seeking the disclosure of the information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and serves as co-counsel in the case. The FOIA lawsuit was filed by the Center for National Security Studies, EPIC, and 21 other organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International USA. The plaintiffs argued that the detentions constituted secret arrests that violated longstanding legal requirements compelling the government to account for the individuals it incarcerates. The Justice Department has appealed the ruling and asked Judge Kessler to delay enforcement of her order pending resolution of the appeal. A copy of the court's decision can be found at (http://www.epic.org/open_gov/foia/cnssdecision.pdf). Also, EPIC has produced a resource page with background on the litigation at (http://www.epic.org/open_gov/foia/cnss_v_doj.html).
• The Mississippi Regional Blood Center has announced the results of the 18th annual WQAD NewsChannel Great American M*A*S*H Blood Drive. Volunteer blood donors contributed 347 pints of blood to help patients in need of life-saving blood products. This total exceeded last year's by five units. If you are interested in seeing how you can help by donating blood, call the Mississippi Regional Blood Center at (563)359-5401 or (800)747-5401. You can also visit the center's Web site at (http://www.bloodcenter.org).
• Animal Aid Humane Society, at 239 50th Street in Moline, needs volunteers for the shelter. Those interested are invited to visit from 6 to 8 p.m. August 21 and 1 to 4 p.m. August 24. For more information, call (309)797-6550.
• River Bend Transit will once again be providing weekend work shuttle service for Davenport and Bettendorf residents. Following a severe cut in funding, weekend service was cut from the 2003 fiscal-year budget. In response to the shortfall, Iowa Workforce Development/WIA, the Doris & Victor Day Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Transportation stepped forward to fund the weekend-transit service. The weekend service is part of the Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) program. River Bend Transit's service is available Saturday 6 p.m. to midnight and Sunday 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 11 p.m.
• Generations Area Agency on Aging has joined with NARI, the Quad Cities Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, to help seniors with home repairs and modifications. The first Generations/NARI Mr. Fix-It Day will be Saturday, August 24. Generations has made arrangements with seniors in the area in need of home modifications such as handicapped grab bars and bathroom upgrades. Community members interested in making donations to the Generations/NARI Mr. Fix-It program can call Nancy Kay Cerny at (563)324-9085.
• The Family Museum will be closed August 26 for staff in-service. The museum will also be closed September 2 through 6 for annual maintenance. Beginning September 7, new Family Museum hours will be Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call (563)344-4106.
• Literacy Is for Everyone at Black Hawk College in Moline is seeking volunteer tutors. Tutors will provide one-on-one reading, writing, spelling, and math assistance to those who are 16 years and older who are out of school and functioning below ninth-grade level in one or more academic areas. Free tutor training is offered during the day, evenings, and weekends. Volunteers should be willing to commit to two 90-minute sessions a week. For more information or to volunteer, call the Literacy Hotline at (309)755-9801.
• The ACLU has launched a new Web site to monitor and defeat President Bush's proposed Operation TIPS program. Operation TIPS (Terrorist Information & Prevention System) would recruit 1 million volunteers whose jobs allow them access to private residences - such as meter-readers and cable technicians - to report any "suspicious" activity to the Justice Department. The TIPS Watch Web site offers visitors the opportunity to send a message to senators voicing opposition to the TIPS program. Also available is a downloadable "Stop TIPS Action Kit" that includes a letter you can send to your utility and phone companies asking them not to participate in TIPS. Learn more by looking at (http://www.aclu.org/tips/).
• Back-to-school issues such as getting up in the morning and homework can create difficulties between parents and children. For a free information packet on these and other parenting concerns, call the Helpline for Parents at (309)757-8555 or (800)433-6644.
• U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler on August 2 directed the Justice Department to disclose, no later than August 19, the identities of more than 1,000 individuals detained in connection with the government's investigation into the September 11 terrorist attacks. Under the order, detainees desiring confidentiality can file statements requesting nondisclosure. The judicial decision marks a significant defeat for government secrecy in the wake of the terrorist attacks. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) joined with a coalition of other groups in seeking the disclosure of the information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and serves as co-counsel in the case. The FOIA lawsuit was filed by the Center for National Security Studies, EPIC, and 21 other organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International USA. The plaintiffs argued that the detentions constituted secret arrests that violated longstanding legal requirements compelling the government to account for the individuals it incarcerates. The Justice Department has appealed the ruling and asked Judge Kessler to delay enforcement of her order pending resolution of the appeal. A copy of the court's decision can be found at (http://www.epic.org/open_gov/foia/cnssdecision.pdf). Also, EPIC has produced a resource page with background on the litigation at (http://www.epic.org/open_gov/foia/cnss_v_doj.html).
