26
Apr
2005
• On April 2, Sister Maria Luisa (Molly) Munoz accepted the Cesar Chavez Award from the Cesar Chavez Peace & Justice Committee of Denver, Colorado. Sister Molly is a public-health nurse and community organizer who serves as the pastoral agent for the Pastoral Migrant Family Program for the Hispanic Ministry of the Archdiocese of Denver. Currently Sister Molly is organizing farm workers who live in 15 migrant camps in northern Colorado. She has gathered a group of lawyers to help those farmers understand their legal rights. She is also educating workers about employment rights so that they can protect themselves from the historical abuses and wage-withholding practices of their employers. Last year, she gathered money, food, clothing, toys, and furniture for more than 900 individual workers and their families. She visits the camps each week to offer her support and to provide information, resources, transportation, and translation, and to ensure that they have adequate food and shelter.
• MEDIC EMS, the 911 paramedic ambulance provider for Davenport, Bettendorf, and most of rural Scott County, will offer monthly CPR training on the fourth Saturday of every month at the LeClaire ambulance station, 107 North Cody Road. Classes will be offered in adult CPR from 9 to 11 a.m. and pediatric/infant CPR from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Registration is required. For more information, call (563)323-6806.
• Michelle Nguyen of Davenport was presented with the prestigious Dr. Thomas Anthony Dooley Memorial Scholarship at West High School. She is the daughter of Andrew and Marie Nguyen and was born in Vietnam. The $20,000 award will be presented by West Principal Greg Meyer and Dr. Walter Neiswanger, the scholarship benefactor. The Dooley Scholarship is awarded each year to a Davenport Community Schools senior. Scholarship applicants must be in the top 10 percent of their class, have shown continued interest in the field of medicine, and expressed a strong desire to become a medical doctor. Neiswanger has been awarding this scholarship annually since 1965. Michelle plans to start studying pre-medicine this fall at the University of Iowa. She is currently enrolled in college-level courses and participates in a number of student activities, including being active in music and serving as president of the Student Senate.
• St. Ambrose University students living in Davis residence hall spearheaded a campus partnership with Project Renewal to rejuvenate Sr. Concetta Park, at Sixth and Warren in Davenport. The students are raising funds, soliciting corporate sponsors, and volunteering their time to give neighborhood children a new shelter and outdoor toys to use this summer. An official re-opening ceremony was held on Saturday, April 23, to celebrate their work and fundraising efforts.
• The Quad City International Airport (QCIA) broke its March boarding record last month with 39,014 passengers, 1,104 more than the previous record, which was set in March 2004. January was also a record month for the aiport. On March 9, AirTran Airways began four weekly nonstop flights to Orlando that resulted in the airline's best month ever at the QCIA, boarding 10,454 passengers. For more information, take a look at (http://www.qcairport.com).
• Legislation that would make it illegal for Iowans to use special devices that turn traffic signals from red to green has passed the Iowa Senate. The electrical devices emit a signal to receivers installed on the traffic lights and can change the light immediately from red to green. The devices, which have a range of about 500 yards, were designed to allow emergency vehicles to easily pass through intersections. Concerns about their widespread use have been raised as the devices have become more readily available over the Internet. Under the legislation, motorists caught selling, owning, possessing, or using a signal pre-emption device could face a penalty of up to $500 and/or 30 days in jail. Emergency vehicles would be exempted under the legislation.
• The Quad City Health Initiative (QCHI) is a recipient of the 2005 Iowa Dietetic Association Gem Award for its work on wellness through its Wellness Warriors team. The award is given to individuals or groups in the private, public, or business community who have made significant contributions to the profession of dietetics in Iowa. Although there can be multiple recipients, the QCHI Wellness Warriors were the only recipients of the Gem Award this year.The QCHI Wellness Warriors team was selected for its outstanding contribution to the nutritional well-being of the citizens of the Quad Cities and for providing a model plan of action for the state of Iowa. For more information or to join the efforts of the Quad City Health Initiative, call (563)421-2815 or visit (http://www.qchealthinitiative.org).
• The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) reports that Solvay Pharmaceuticals has announced that a newly formulated version of Marinol (synthetic THC) that may be administered via an inhaler rather than orally will be tested as a treatment for severe migraine headaches. Marinol, an FDA-approved Schedule III drug, is consumed orally in pill form by patients suffering from HIV/AIDS and/or undergoing chemotherapy. However, Marinol's therapeutic effects may be delayed by as much as two hours following consumption because the drug is slowly metabolized by the liver, which converts it into various highly psychoactive chemical compounds. In a recent clinical trial, patients administered a new formulation of Marinol by a pressurized metered dose inhaler gained rapid systemic absorption from the drug. Solvay intends to test the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of inhaled Marinol for migraines in a placebo-controlled trial later this year, the company announced. For more information, look at (http://www.norml.org).
• MEDIC EMS, the 911 paramedic ambulance provider for Davenport, Bettendorf, and most of rural Scott County, will offer monthly CPR training on the fourth Saturday of every month at the LeClaire ambulance station, 107 North Cody Road. Classes will be offered in adult CPR from 9 to 11 a.m. and pediatric/infant CPR from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Registration is required. For more information, call (563)323-6806.
• Michelle Nguyen of Davenport was presented with the prestigious Dr. Thomas Anthony Dooley Memorial Scholarship at West High School. She is the daughter of Andrew and Marie Nguyen and was born in Vietnam. The $20,000 award will be presented by West Principal Greg Meyer and Dr. Walter Neiswanger, the scholarship benefactor. The Dooley Scholarship is awarded each year to a Davenport Community Schools senior. Scholarship applicants must be in the top 10 percent of their class, have shown continued interest in the field of medicine, and expressed a strong desire to become a medical doctor. Neiswanger has been awarding this scholarship annually since 1965. Michelle plans to start studying pre-medicine this fall at the University of Iowa. She is currently enrolled in college-level courses and participates in a number of student activities, including being active in music and serving as president of the Student Senate.
• St. Ambrose University students living in Davis residence hall spearheaded a campus partnership with Project Renewal to rejuvenate Sr. Concetta Park, at Sixth and Warren in Davenport. The students are raising funds, soliciting corporate sponsors, and volunteering their time to give neighborhood children a new shelter and outdoor toys to use this summer. An official re-opening ceremony was held on Saturday, April 23, to celebrate their work and fundraising efforts.
• The Quad City International Airport (QCIA) broke its March boarding record last month with 39,014 passengers, 1,104 more than the previous record, which was set in March 2004. January was also a record month for the aiport. On March 9, AirTran Airways began four weekly nonstop flights to Orlando that resulted in the airline's best month ever at the QCIA, boarding 10,454 passengers. For more information, take a look at (http://www.qcairport.com).
• Legislation that would make it illegal for Iowans to use special devices that turn traffic signals from red to green has passed the Iowa Senate. The electrical devices emit a signal to receivers installed on the traffic lights and can change the light immediately from red to green. The devices, which have a range of about 500 yards, were designed to allow emergency vehicles to easily pass through intersections. Concerns about their widespread use have been raised as the devices have become more readily available over the Internet. Under the legislation, motorists caught selling, owning, possessing, or using a signal pre-emption device could face a penalty of up to $500 and/or 30 days in jail. Emergency vehicles would be exempted under the legislation.
• The Quad City Health Initiative (QCHI) is a recipient of the 2005 Iowa Dietetic Association Gem Award for its work on wellness through its Wellness Warriors team. The award is given to individuals or groups in the private, public, or business community who have made significant contributions to the profession of dietetics in Iowa. Although there can be multiple recipients, the QCHI Wellness Warriors were the only recipients of the Gem Award this year.The QCHI Wellness Warriors team was selected for its outstanding contribution to the nutritional well-being of the citizens of the Quad Cities and for providing a model plan of action for the state of Iowa. For more information or to join the efforts of the Quad City Health Initiative, call (563)421-2815 or visit (http://www.qchealthinitiative.org).
• The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) reports that Solvay Pharmaceuticals has announced that a newly formulated version of Marinol (synthetic THC) that may be administered via an inhaler rather than orally will be tested as a treatment for severe migraine headaches. Marinol, an FDA-approved Schedule III drug, is consumed orally in pill form by patients suffering from HIV/AIDS and/or undergoing chemotherapy. However, Marinol's therapeutic effects may be delayed by as much as two hours following consumption because the drug is slowly metabolized by the liver, which converts it into various highly psychoactive chemical compounds. In a recent clinical trial, patients administered a new formulation of Marinol by a pressurized metered dose inhaler gained rapid systemic absorption from the drug. Solvay intends to test the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of inhaled Marinol for migraines in a placebo-controlled trial later this year, the company announced. For more information, look at (http://www.norml.org).
