Moline Plans June Cleanup Downtown

Next month, Bethany for Children & Families will team up with Moline Centre Partners (MCP) to host a Clean-A-Thon in downtown Moline. Volunteers will walk the streets of downtown Moline sweeping the sidewalks, pulling weeds, and picking up trash. Since May 1, volunteers from Bethany for Children & Families and MCP have been collecting sponsor pledges per pound of trash they collect. The event will be held on Thursday, June 15, from 5 to 7 p.m. For more information, or to make a pledge, call (309)762-7804. The cleanup-effort proceeds will be divided between Bethany, which will offer a special recreational-outing opportunity for children that volunteer, and MCP to support growth, change, and beauty in the downtown area.

 

• The Iowa Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy has received $49,361 to implement an over-the-counter/prescription drug education and alert program. These funds were made available through the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The program’s goals are to increase awareness of prescription-drug abuse, improve the health-care system’s response to prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse, and reduce the availability of licit medicines diverted for illicit use in Iowa communities. Program activities will include regional training sessions, development and distribution of pamphlets, and media outreach. The Iowa Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy will work with the Department of Public Health, Pharmacy Board, Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Midwest HIDTA, Partnership for a Drug Free Iowa, and others to implement the program.

• Davenport’s Rhythm City Skybridge earned national recognition in the 2006 Innovative Design in Engineering & Architecture with Structural Steel awards program, also known as IDEAS2. Conducted annually by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the IDEAS2 awards recognize outstanding achievements in engineering and architecture on structural-steel projects around the country. The Rhythm City Skybridge project earned Merit Award recognition in the category of Projects Less Than $15 Million. The 11 IDEAS2 winners for 2006 were chosen from more than 70 submissions received by architectural and engineering firms throughout the U.S. Each submission is reviewed, and award winners are selected by a panel of design and construction-industry professionals. In reviewing the Rhythm City Skybridge project, one of only three to earn recognition in the Less Than $15 Million category, the panel noted its striking architectural expression and dramatic use of glass and steel. The City of Davenport and the Rhythm City Skybridge project team received their IDEAS2 award from AISC during a public ceremony at the bridge on Thursday, May 25.

• Summer of the Arts and the Iowa Arts Council welcome the Iowa Picture Show independent film exhibition to the Iowa Arts Festival, June 2 through 4. The event, hosted by U.S. Bank, will take place in a tent theatre on the parking lot at the intersection of East Washington and Linn Streets in downtown Iowa City. All films are Iowa-centric and made in Iowa and/or by Iowa filmmakers. The films will cross many genres and formats – from a few minutes to feature-length; from fiction to documentary to animation to experimental; from humor to drama. The event is free, open to the public, and appropriate for all ages. In addition to the tent-theater showings, films will be projected on the wall next to the parking lot on Friday and Saturday nights from 9 to 11 p.m. The Iowa Picture Show is programmed by the Iowa Digital Filmmakers Guild, Cedar Rapids Independent Filmmakers, the Iowa Motion Picture Association, and the Iowa Film Office. It was created to provide opportunities for Iowa filmmakers to find new audiences for their work, and to show Iowans the variety of films being produced statewide. Filmmakers interested in submitting work should contact Katie Roche at (katie@summerofthearts.com). For more information on the Summer of the Arts, visit (http://www.summerofthearts.com).

• The Iowa Criminal & Juvenile Justice Planning Agency is receiving $56,250 from the U.S. Department of Justice. The funds may be used to reduce risks and enhance factors that help prevent at-risk youth from entering the juvenile-justice system. It will also help officials intervene with first-time and non-serious offenders to keep them out of the juvenile-justice system.

• Sister Nancy Wooldridge of the Humility of Mary Center in Davenport is collecting music-related materials to donate to communities affected by Hurricane Katrina last year. Sister Nancy, in the process of stacking piles of religious music from the music room for recycling, decided that someone might be able to use it. In addition to gathering music from the Sisters of Humility, she used cat-sitting money to buy slightly used videos and cassettes. She sent letters to all the parishes in the Davenport diocese, seeking donations of used music-ministry materials. Holy Trinity answered the call, as did Our Lady of Victory. Boxes of hymn books, sheet music, and Christian music videos are now stored in the Humility Center garage waiting to be sent. Sister Nancy plans to find more materials for youth programs and is still working on how to pay for postage. • Earlier this month, the Riverboat Development Authority awarded more than $1.4 million to community organizations for its spring grant cycle. Seventy projects were funded, with the largest award being $125,000 to the City of Davenport for the River Renaissance Walkway. Other organizations receiving $50,000 for a specific project included the Museum of Art Foundation, Putnam Museum of History & Natural Science, QC Sports Center Association, Scott County Board of Supervisors, Scott County Family Y, and Scott County Housing Council. For a complete list of awards or more information, visit (http://www.riverboatauthority.com).