The Family Museum in Bettendorf will host Hometown Heroes Day on Sunday, July 15, from noon to 3 p.m. Visitors will be able to tour a real police vehicle, fire truck, transit bus, trash and recycling vehicle, and possibly a sewer vac. Information about the City of Bettendorf will be available as well. Personnel and equipment from the police, fire, transit, and public-works departments will be provided by the City of Bettendorf. For more information, visit the Web site of the City of Bettendorf (http://www.bettendorf.org) or the Family Museum (http://www.familymuseum.org).
A well-known collector of comics will lecture this week about his rare collection that is featured in the Comics, Heroes, & American Visual Culture exhibition at the Figge Art Museum. At 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 12, Dan Howard will speak about his interest in comics and his original examples of comic-strip- and comic-book-related art that he collected from 1975 to 2000. In addition to his collecting interests, Howard is a painter whose work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States, with artwork represented in more than 350 competitive and invitational showcases. Howard's presentation is free with paid admission or Figge membership. Admission to the Figge is $7 for adults, $6 for senior citizens and students, and $4 for ages 4 to 12.
The Quad City Elder Care Network (QCECN) is presenting its Third Annual Seminar & Social on July 18 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Center for Active Seniors at 1035 West Kimberly Road in Davenport. This year's program will focus on "Multi-Dimensional Care - An Introspective Discussion Meeting Your Health-Care Needs." Active seniors, family and professional caregivers, and health-care professionals are encouraged to attend. This free program will provide health education and screening for a number of medical conditions. Specialists in legal and financial disciplines will also be present. For more information, call (563) 359-0093.
Cong T. Nguyen, from West High School in Davenport, is being awarded the prestigious Horatio Alger Association's Iowa State Scholarship to assist in funding for a college education. Cong is one of 55 scholarship recipients in Iowa who has demonstrated integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity and hardships in life while also demonstrating strength of character, strong academics, a commitment to pursue a college education, and a desire to contribute to society. The scholarship program is one of the largest need-based financial-aid programs in the country and, in 2007, awarded more than 1,200 scholarships to students throughout the country, ranging from $2,500 to $10,500 for each student. To view the complete list of the Iowa Horatio Alger scholars, visit (https://www.horatioalger.com//scholarships/awards.cfm).
At a press conference in Des Moines on July 3, U.S. Senator Tom Harkin congratulated Iowa law-enforcement officials for advancing the fight against meth by completing a statewide lockup of anhydrous ammonia tanks. All 99 Iowa counties have now been provided with tank locks. Harkin started the Iowa tank-lock project in 2002 to prevent the theft of anhydrous ammonia, a highly toxic chemical used for fertilizer that is also a key ingredient in the production of methamphetamine. The project began with $200,000 to buy tank locks for the areas with the highest number of meth labs, and has since expanded, allowing Iowa law-enforcement officials to secure thousands of tanks at a cost of about $45 each.
Rock Island glass artist Mark Fowler and his friends have brought their fired-glass creations to the Rock Island Main Library for a two-month show that runs through August 30. The show in the second-floor Rotunda Room is open during the library's regular operating hours. For details, visit (http://www.ripl.lib.il.us).
The Senate Energy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee approved $1.5 million for the Iowa Stored Energy Plant. That money would become available if the full House and Senate approve the bill. The Stored Energy Plant will utilize a natural underground aquifer for energy storage to provide clean power, utilizing wind energy while simultaneously enhancing the value of stored natural-gas reserves. The Stored Energy Plant project serves small communities throughout the state of Iowa and supports regional grid stability throughout the Midwest.
The Illinois Masons (or Freemasons) sponsor a child-identification program to help parents create child IDs to keep in wallets, purses, etc. in case something happens to their child. The Masons of Illinois are holding identification workshops (called CHIP events) for families all around the state. The Illinois Masons will be creating CHIPs at the following Quad Cities locations: Viola on August 4; Arrowhead Ranch on August 12; the New Windsor Fair & Rodeo from August 16 through 18; and in Cordova on October 6 . For more information, visit (http://www.ilchip.org).
U.S. Bank National Association has been awarded an "Outstanding" rating, the highest possible, by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for its performance in meeting the letter and spirit of the Community Reinvestment Act. By awarding this rating, the OCC acknowledged that U.S. Bank is continuing to meet the credit needs of all its segments of its communities. In addition, performance in the Quad Cities was reviewed as a part of this examination and was deemed "Outstanding."
Trinity Regional Health System has been chosen by Byrne Healthcare to receive its "Mark of Excellence Award" in marketing for the outreach the health system has done with its HeartAware program. Trinity began offering HeartAware, a seven-minute online heart-disease risk-assessment test, in February 2007. Trinity received the award at the annual Byrne Healthcare conference in Chicago on June 29. After completing the online assessment, each participant is given an immediate, personalized score that indicates their overall risk of developing cardiovascular disease as well as ways to reduce that risk. All information is confidential. To take the HeartAware test, go to (http://www.trinityqc.com/HeartAware).
