01
Oct
2002
• Three local television stations last week pulled ads placed on behalf of U.S. Representative Jim Nussle because of an inaccurate claim. The ads, placed by the National Republican Congressional Committee, target Nussle's opponent for Congress in the November election, Bettendorf Mayor Ann Hutchinson. The ad claimed that Hutchinson and the city council increased their salaries by 66 percent. But that figure was drawn from a budget plan that included the hiring of an administrative assistant, a position that was never filled. Other claims in the ad - that during Hutchinson's tenure Bettendorf has raised property taxes and increased the city's debt - were not challenged.
• The annual hunt is on for more than 1,000 gently used coats for needy students in Davenport and other area public and private schools. Coat donations can be taken to Burke Cleaners in the Iowa Quad Cities. The greatest need is for coats in children's sizes. Donations are also needed in infant, toddler, and adult sizes. Coat donations will be accepted until November 1. The Coats for Kids Program, operated by volunteers from participating schools and the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency, provides for the cleaning of coats and coordinates their distribution to participating schools. In its fourth year, the Coats for Kids Program has provided more than 3,000 coats to students in the Davenport Community Schools, Diocese of Davenport Schools, and Pleasant Valley Community Schools during the past three winters.
• A coalition of civil-liberties groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), recently urged a secret appeals court to reject a Justice Department proposal to expand government wiretap powers and evade constitutional protections against surveillance. At issue in the case before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is whether the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) may be used for ordinary criminal wiretaps, which are tightly regulated by the courts. For instance, the government must show "probable cause" that a crime has been or will be committed. FISA wiretaps, however, are allowed if the government simply shows that the target is probably a "foreign power" or an "agent of a foreign power"; evidence of criminal conduct is not required. The ACLU-led coalition includes EFF, the Center for Democracy & Technology, the Center for National Security Studies, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, and the Open Society Institute. The EFF Web site at (http://www.eff.org) is a great place to start for more information on issues such as this.
• Bethany for Children & Families has launched a $1.75 million capital campaign to purchase and renovate a 12,000-square-foot facility at 1830 Sixth Avenue in Moline and the construction of a 3,400-square-foot gym/multipurpose center. Gifts received to date exceed $825,000, or 47 percent of the goal. This is Bethany's first major capital campaign since 1941, and the organization is continuing to seek additional lead gifts before broadening the campaign later this year. Bethany hopes to conclude the campaign by August 2003.
• The State of Iowa ended its fiscal year with a surplus of $100 million. The state had estimated that it would end Fiscal Year 2002, which concluded June 30, with a surplus of just $1.1 million. But revenues exceeded estimates by more than $90 million, and expenditures came in at nearly $9 million less than budgeted.
• Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP), a U.S. Senate committee, has recently approved legislation to help combat child abuse and neglect. The Keeping Children & Families Safe Act authorizes research and demonstration projects to prevent and treat child abuse and neglect and to improve child-protection systems and community-based services. This legislation would provide resources to organizations such as Prevent Child Abuse Iowa to fight abuse and neglect. Numerous studies have shown that abused and neglected children are more likely to suffer from depression, drug abuse, and severe obesity.
• Changes to the Powerball lottery game will take effect October 6, as South Carolina becomes the 24th state to join the game. Pennsylvania also joined Powerball this year, in June. The traditional design of Powerball, with players choosing numbers from two separate pools, will remain the same. Players will now pick five numbers out of a pool of 53 for the first five numbers in the game and another number - the Powerball - from a pool of 42. The overall chance of winning a cash prize in Powerball will change only slightly, from about 1 in 35 to 1 in 36. The odds of winning the jackpot will change from about 1 in 80.1 million to 1 in 120.5 million. For more information on the other changes, visit (http://www.powerball.com).
• For 13 years, the not-for-profit organization Best Buddies has been expanding throughout the world, and it's now making its debut in Iowa. Best Buddies International has worked with more than 200,000 people with a mission to enhance the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-to-one friendships and integrated employment. Best Buddies Iowa has recruited nine colleges (Iowa State University, University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa, Drake University, Hamilton College, Grand View College, Central College, Grinnell College, and Mt. Mercy College) and four high schools (Johnston, Roosevelt, Sioux City West, and Sioux City Heelan) in the state to launch chapters of Best Buddies at their schools. The goal is to have 25 chapters by May 2003. Find out how to start a Best Buddies program in Iowa by calling (515)282-6218. You can also visit the Best Buddies Iowa Web site at (http://www.bestbuddiesiowa.org).
• Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JFPO) has announced five new translations of the Bill of Rights. Go to (http://www.jpfo.org/bor.htm) and check out the Bill of Rights in Hebrew, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. These join the English, French, Spanish, German, and Russian versions already posted. Each translation contains the full Bill of Rights, and most also contain the preamble and a simple modern-language explanation of the protection each article gives to individuals.
• The annual hunt is on for more than 1,000 gently used coats for needy students in Davenport and other area public and private schools. Coat donations can be taken to Burke Cleaners in the Iowa Quad Cities. The greatest need is for coats in children's sizes. Donations are also needed in infant, toddler, and adult sizes. Coat donations will be accepted until November 1. The Coats for Kids Program, operated by volunteers from participating schools and the Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency, provides for the cleaning of coats and coordinates their distribution to participating schools. In its fourth year, the Coats for Kids Program has provided more than 3,000 coats to students in the Davenport Community Schools, Diocese of Davenport Schools, and Pleasant Valley Community Schools during the past three winters.
• A coalition of civil-liberties groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), recently urged a secret appeals court to reject a Justice Department proposal to expand government wiretap powers and evade constitutional protections against surveillance. At issue in the case before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is whether the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) may be used for ordinary criminal wiretaps, which are tightly regulated by the courts. For instance, the government must show "probable cause" that a crime has been or will be committed. FISA wiretaps, however, are allowed if the government simply shows that the target is probably a "foreign power" or an "agent of a foreign power"; evidence of criminal conduct is not required. The ACLU-led coalition includes EFF, the Center for Democracy & Technology, the Center for National Security Studies, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, and the Open Society Institute. The EFF Web site at (http://www.eff.org) is a great place to start for more information on issues such as this.
• Bethany for Children & Families has launched a $1.75 million capital campaign to purchase and renovate a 12,000-square-foot facility at 1830 Sixth Avenue in Moline and the construction of a 3,400-square-foot gym/multipurpose center. Gifts received to date exceed $825,000, or 47 percent of the goal. This is Bethany's first major capital campaign since 1941, and the organization is continuing to seek additional lead gifts before broadening the campaign later this year. Bethany hopes to conclude the campaign by August 2003.
• The State of Iowa ended its fiscal year with a surplus of $100 million. The state had estimated that it would end Fiscal Year 2002, which concluded June 30, with a surplus of just $1.1 million. But revenues exceeded estimates by more than $90 million, and expenditures came in at nearly $9 million less than budgeted.
• Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP), a U.S. Senate committee, has recently approved legislation to help combat child abuse and neglect. The Keeping Children & Families Safe Act authorizes research and demonstration projects to prevent and treat child abuse and neglect and to improve child-protection systems and community-based services. This legislation would provide resources to organizations such as Prevent Child Abuse Iowa to fight abuse and neglect. Numerous studies have shown that abused and neglected children are more likely to suffer from depression, drug abuse, and severe obesity.
• Changes to the Powerball lottery game will take effect October 6, as South Carolina becomes the 24th state to join the game. Pennsylvania also joined Powerball this year, in June. The traditional design of Powerball, with players choosing numbers from two separate pools, will remain the same. Players will now pick five numbers out of a pool of 53 for the first five numbers in the game and another number - the Powerball - from a pool of 42. The overall chance of winning a cash prize in Powerball will change only slightly, from about 1 in 35 to 1 in 36. The odds of winning the jackpot will change from about 1 in 80.1 million to 1 in 120.5 million. For more information on the other changes, visit (http://www.powerball.com).
• For 13 years, the not-for-profit organization Best Buddies has been expanding throughout the world, and it's now making its debut in Iowa. Best Buddies International has worked with more than 200,000 people with a mission to enhance the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-to-one friendships and integrated employment. Best Buddies Iowa has recruited nine colleges (Iowa State University, University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa, Drake University, Hamilton College, Grand View College, Central College, Grinnell College, and Mt. Mercy College) and four high schools (Johnston, Roosevelt, Sioux City West, and Sioux City Heelan) in the state to launch chapters of Best Buddies at their schools. The goal is to have 25 chapters by May 2003. Find out how to start a Best Buddies program in Iowa by calling (515)282-6218. You can also visit the Best Buddies Iowa Web site at (http://www.bestbuddiesiowa.org).
• Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JFPO) has announced five new translations of the Bill of Rights. Go to (http://www.jpfo.org/bor.htm) and check out the Bill of Rights in Hebrew, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. These join the English, French, Spanish, German, and Russian versions already posted. Each translation contains the full Bill of Rights, and most also contain the preamble and a simple modern-language explanation of the protection each article gives to individuals.
