• According to reports published in AdAge magazine, the office of the White House Drug Czar spent more than $4 million to air anti-drug public-service announcements during this past weekend's Super Bowl broadcast. At least two of the ads will focus solely on marijuana. These are the latest in a series of ads funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy linking recreational pot use to various negative outcomes. One commerical portrays a teen accidentally shooting his friend while high on marijuana. A 30-second spot on this year's Super Bowl broadcast costs approximately $2.2 million. The Drug Czar's office spent approximately $3.4 million during last year's Super Bowl broadcast to debut a pair of spots alleging that recreational drug use funds terrorism.
• The American Association of School Administrators has given the Davenport Community School District's Summer Literacy Academy an honorable mention in its Leadership for Learning Awards for 2003. Last April, the district received an honorable-mention citation for its 90-percent reading goal in the American School Board Journal Magna Awards 2002 contest. In May, the district also received a First in the Nation in Education award for the Summer Literacy Academy by a foundation representing the Iowa Association of School Boards, the Iowa State Education Association, School Administrators of Iowa, the Iowa Department of Education, and the governor's office.
• Proposals are now being accepted by the Great Plains Physician Group for financial support from the John H. Sunderbruch, M.D. Fund, created in 2002 to assist not-for-profit organizations that improve public health in the Quad Cities. The fund was named after Sunderbruch, a prominent local physician, for his many contributions and continuing commitment to improving public health. Eligibly requirements and applications are now available at Comprehensive Health Administration (CHA) for not-for-profit 501(c)(3) and 509(a) organizations in Scott and Rock Island counties that support or address public-health initiatives. To learn more, point your Web browser to (http://www.cha-advantage.com) or call CHA at (563)324-2460. Completed applications are due at CHA office by February 28. Awards will be announced in May and distributed in June.
• The 10th Annual Red Ribbon Dinner & Great Art Auction earlier this month raised a record $76,000 to support the programs and services of AIDS Project Quad Cities. Last year's event raised $54,000. The event included volunteer-recognition honors for three individuals and one organization. Charlie Crampton has been a longtime volunteer with the organization who has provided transportation and support to people living with HIV and AIDS. Nelson Larrabee has also been a longtime volunteer with the organization as a "buddy" to HIV-positive clients. In addition, Larrabee served in previous years as co-chair of the Friends for Life fundraiser, held each fall to raise money to support AIDS Project Quad Cities. Clayton Peterson was recognized for his many years of service to the organization as a volunteer, a board member, and the driving force behind the annual We Care White Elephant Auction (held each May) and the annual AIDS Christmas-ornament sales. The organizational award went to the Community Health Care Regional Virology Center for its work as a partner organization in providing primary medical care to HIV-infected patients in the Quad Cities and surrounding areas. You can learn more about AIDS Project Quad Cities on the Web at (http://www.qconline.com/apqc/) or by calling (563)421-4266.
• Legislative attempts aimed at lowering Iowa's legal blood-alcohol level are on the agenda again this year and facing a federal deadline. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to lower the limit from .10 to .08 percent, but the Iowa House Public Safety Committee debated the change for more than an hour Thursday before voting 12-9 to send it to the House floor. A federal law requires states to adopt a .08-percent blood-alcohol level by October as the standard for driving while intoxicated. Iowa risks losing $47.2 million in federal road money between 2004 and 2007 if it does not lower its limit.
• Applications are being accepted through March 1 for the Davenport Museum of Art's Brand Boeshaar Scholarship Program. This is the fourth year for the program, which gives scholarships to four area graduating seniors who wish to earn a degree in fine art, commercial art, or art education at a college or university. Students who have achieved a high school grade point average of 2.5 or greater and who attend a public or private school in the following service areas are eligible to apply: Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency 9 (Iowa), Henry Stark Education Agency (Illinois), and Black Hawk Area Education District (Illinois). Each scholarship award will consist of $3,000 for the first academic year and can be renewed for three subsequent years, contingent on continued scholastic achievement in the student's designated major. Scholarship application forms for the 2003 scholarship program are available in area high-school guidance offices, at the Davenport Museum of Art, and on the museum's Web site at (http://www.art-dma.org). For more information or to request an application form, contact Ann Marie Hayes at (563)326-7887.
• The NBC Warfare Survival Training Group has put out a free-to-download booklet titled "A Public Guide To Surviving Nuclear, Biological, & Chemical Warfare Terrorist Attacks." It's a no-nonsense, easy-to-understand guide written for the general public. You can download or purchase a copy at (http://www.survive-nbc.org).
• CPC Pregnancy Resources is an organization seeking to provide a loving Christian atmosphere for people who are faced with an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy. It was established to provide clients with practical assistance to enable them to choose an alternative to abortion. The group's mission also is to educate and encourage clients to practice sexual abstinence prior to marriage. More information about CPC Pregnancy Resources be found by calling (309)797-3636 or (563)386-3737. On the Web, go to (http://www.cpcqc.org).
• The American Association of School Administrators has given the Davenport Community School District's Summer Literacy Academy an honorable mention in its Leadership for Learning Awards for 2003. Last April, the district received an honorable-mention citation for its 90-percent reading goal in the American School Board Journal Magna Awards 2002 contest. In May, the district also received a First in the Nation in Education award for the Summer Literacy Academy by a foundation representing the Iowa Association of School Boards, the Iowa State Education Association, School Administrators of Iowa, the Iowa Department of Education, and the governor's office.
• Proposals are now being accepted by the Great Plains Physician Group for financial support from the John H. Sunderbruch, M.D. Fund, created in 2002 to assist not-for-profit organizations that improve public health in the Quad Cities. The fund was named after Sunderbruch, a prominent local physician, for his many contributions and continuing commitment to improving public health. Eligibly requirements and applications are now available at Comprehensive Health Administration (CHA) for not-for-profit 501(c)(3) and 509(a) organizations in Scott and Rock Island counties that support or address public-health initiatives. To learn more, point your Web browser to (http://www.cha-advantage.com) or call CHA at (563)324-2460. Completed applications are due at CHA office by February 28. Awards will be announced in May and distributed in June.
• The 10th Annual Red Ribbon Dinner & Great Art Auction earlier this month raised a record $76,000 to support the programs and services of AIDS Project Quad Cities. Last year's event raised $54,000. The event included volunteer-recognition honors for three individuals and one organization. Charlie Crampton has been a longtime volunteer with the organization who has provided transportation and support to people living with HIV and AIDS. Nelson Larrabee has also been a longtime volunteer with the organization as a "buddy" to HIV-positive clients. In addition, Larrabee served in previous years as co-chair of the Friends for Life fundraiser, held each fall to raise money to support AIDS Project Quad Cities. Clayton Peterson was recognized for his many years of service to the organization as a volunteer, a board member, and the driving force behind the annual We Care White Elephant Auction (held each May) and the annual AIDS Christmas-ornament sales. The organizational award went to the Community Health Care Regional Virology Center for its work as a partner organization in providing primary medical care to HIV-infected patients in the Quad Cities and surrounding areas. You can learn more about AIDS Project Quad Cities on the Web at (http://www.qconline.com/apqc/) or by calling (563)421-4266.
• Legislative attempts aimed at lowering Iowa's legal blood-alcohol level are on the agenda again this year and facing a federal deadline. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to lower the limit from .10 to .08 percent, but the Iowa House Public Safety Committee debated the change for more than an hour Thursday before voting 12-9 to send it to the House floor. A federal law requires states to adopt a .08-percent blood-alcohol level by October as the standard for driving while intoxicated. Iowa risks losing $47.2 million in federal road money between 2004 and 2007 if it does not lower its limit.
• Applications are being accepted through March 1 for the Davenport Museum of Art's Brand Boeshaar Scholarship Program. This is the fourth year for the program, which gives scholarships to four area graduating seniors who wish to earn a degree in fine art, commercial art, or art education at a college or university. Students who have achieved a high school grade point average of 2.5 or greater and who attend a public or private school in the following service areas are eligible to apply: Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency 9 (Iowa), Henry Stark Education Agency (Illinois), and Black Hawk Area Education District (Illinois). Each scholarship award will consist of $3,000 for the first academic year and can be renewed for three subsequent years, contingent on continued scholastic achievement in the student's designated major. Scholarship application forms for the 2003 scholarship program are available in area high-school guidance offices, at the Davenport Museum of Art, and on the museum's Web site at (http://www.art-dma.org). For more information or to request an application form, contact Ann Marie Hayes at (563)326-7887.
• The NBC Warfare Survival Training Group has put out a free-to-download booklet titled "A Public Guide To Surviving Nuclear, Biological, & Chemical Warfare Terrorist Attacks." It's a no-nonsense, easy-to-understand guide written for the general public. You can download or purchase a copy at (http://www.survive-nbc.org).
• CPC Pregnancy Resources is an organization seeking to provide a loving Christian atmosphere for people who are faced with an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy. It was established to provide clients with practical assistance to enable them to choose an alternative to abortion. The group's mission also is to educate and encourage clients to practice sexual abstinence prior to marriage. More information about CPC Pregnancy Resources be found by calling (309)797-3636 or (563)386-3737. On the Web, go to (http://www.cpcqc.org).
