27
Feb
2001
• In response to the growing need for volunteer blood donors, the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center (MVRBC) is opening a Rock Island-based community blood center at 3850 Blackhawk Road, Suites 5 and 7. Hours will be on Wednesdays from noon until 5 p.m. and alternating Fridays and Saturdays from 7 to 11:30 a.m. You can call to schedule an appointment at (800)747-5401. Later this year, MVRBC will relocate its Moline blood center further west on John Deere Road, but until then it will remain at 3450 38th Ave. For more information on MVRBC or donating blood, see the organization's Web site at (http://www.bloodcenter.org).
• You can say Davenport is a trend-setter of sorts. Following the city's lead of banning children from riding in the back of pickups last year, the Senate Transportation Committee of the Iowa Legislature approved a bill would prohibit people under the age of 16 from riding in the unenclosed part of a truck unless they are in a parade or performing duties involving agriculture or other business. Vehicles that are traveling less than 20 miles per hour would also exempted from the ban.
• The national news media have picked up news on Carnivore, software designed and implemented by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to monitor large volumes of traffic passing through Internet service providers (capturing only those data packets the FBI is authorized to collect, by the way). From now on, the FBI will refer to the controversial device as "DCS1000." Despite some reports indicating that the name is an acronym for "data collection system," a Bureau spokesperson told Reuters that it "doesn't stand for anything." The new name is reportedly just the first step in an anticipated makeover for Carnivore. The Justice Department is soon expected to present the results of an internal review of Carnivore, along with recommended changes, to Attorney General John Ashcroft. That internal report was originally scheduled to be presented to former Attorney General Janet Reno in December; the Department has issued no public explanation for the delay. For more information on DCS1000, Carnivore, or whatever the FBI is calling it, keep an eye on the Electronic Privacy Information Center Web site at (http://www.epic.org). The group has an e-mail newsletter and is doggedly chasing down violators of your electronic privacy, be they the FBI or big business.
• Up to 400 Davenport families will be participating in a federal study evaluating whether an in-home water-treatment system reduces problems such as cramps, diarrhea, and nausea. The Quad Cities area is ideal for such a study because residents all receive their water from one source, the Mississippi River. This study is the first to determine if household drinking water plays a role in making people sick.
• The ADD Helpline Web site, (http://www.addhelpline.org/) was developed and designed specifically for parents raising children with ADD/ADHD. The idea is to provide information, support, and encouragement. A larger goal is to let parents know they are not alone in their struggles by providing them with a forum in which they can interact with other people to share successes and concerns. The site will remain neutral in the debate surrounding medicating children. Information is provided on all types of treatment for ADHD.
• The Federal Highway Administration has recently released a report that says 7,124 of Iowa's 24,632 bridges - nearly 30 percent - were classified as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete last year. If a bridge is found deficient, it doesn't necessarily mean that it is unsafe for all traffic; weight restrictions may be imposed or heavy trucks may be barred from using them. The Iowa Department of Transportation has the deficient bridges on a five-year repair or replacement program. Some of the problem lies in that 4,000 of Iowa's bridges are owned by the state, with the rest owned by local government agencies. That leads to jurisdictional and funding issues.
• Illinois Representative Joel Brunsvold is a co-sponsor of a bill allowing Illinois residents to apply to the Illinois State Police for a permit to carry a concealed weapon. The bill would require people obtaining such a permit to be 21 years old and to complete a firearms-safety, use, and marksmanship course. In addition, a person cannot have a history of mental illness, cannot be a felon, and cannot be addicted to illegal substances. The permit would have to be carried along with the concealed weapon at all times. With 32 states now having right-to-carry laws, Illinois is in the minority.
• Mary Ellen Chamberlin, president of the Riverboat Development Authority, (RDA), announced recently that the authority's application forms for spring 2001 grants are now available. Applications can be picked up at the following locations: Davenport Public Library, Davenport City Hall, Scott County Court House, Tourism and Information Center at Union Station, the Center for Active Seniors at 1035 W. Kimberly Rd., Bettendorf Public Library, and Bettendorf City Hall. Applications are available on disk at selected locations and are available by e-mail. For information on electronic applications, call the RDA office at (319)328-8078 or e-mail rda@netexpress.net. Applications must be received in the RDA office, 212 Brady St. in Davenport, by 5 p.m. on March 30.
• Donald Schleicher, music director and conductor of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, has signed a contract extending his leadership of the symphony through the 2002-3 season. Schleicher, who was appointed to his current post in 1999, will continue his responsibilities as music director and principal conductor of the orchestra for its classical-series concerts and the Riverfront Pops, as well as provide artistic leadership for the organization's chamber-music series, music-education activities, and strategic planning. In addition to his Quad City Symphony position, Schleicher is director of orchestral studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is also music director and principal conductor of the Pine Mountain Music Festival opera program based in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
• You can say Davenport is a trend-setter of sorts. Following the city's lead of banning children from riding in the back of pickups last year, the Senate Transportation Committee of the Iowa Legislature approved a bill would prohibit people under the age of 16 from riding in the unenclosed part of a truck unless they are in a parade or performing duties involving agriculture or other business. Vehicles that are traveling less than 20 miles per hour would also exempted from the ban.
• The national news media have picked up news on Carnivore, software designed and implemented by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to monitor large volumes of traffic passing through Internet service providers (capturing only those data packets the FBI is authorized to collect, by the way). From now on, the FBI will refer to the controversial device as "DCS1000." Despite some reports indicating that the name is an acronym for "data collection system," a Bureau spokesperson told Reuters that it "doesn't stand for anything." The new name is reportedly just the first step in an anticipated makeover for Carnivore. The Justice Department is soon expected to present the results of an internal review of Carnivore, along with recommended changes, to Attorney General John Ashcroft. That internal report was originally scheduled to be presented to former Attorney General Janet Reno in December; the Department has issued no public explanation for the delay. For more information on DCS1000, Carnivore, or whatever the FBI is calling it, keep an eye on the Electronic Privacy Information Center Web site at (http://www.epic.org). The group has an e-mail newsletter and is doggedly chasing down violators of your electronic privacy, be they the FBI or big business.
• Up to 400 Davenport families will be participating in a federal study evaluating whether an in-home water-treatment system reduces problems such as cramps, diarrhea, and nausea. The Quad Cities area is ideal for such a study because residents all receive their water from one source, the Mississippi River. This study is the first to determine if household drinking water plays a role in making people sick.
• The ADD Helpline Web site, (http://www.addhelpline.org/) was developed and designed specifically for parents raising children with ADD/ADHD. The idea is to provide information, support, and encouragement. A larger goal is to let parents know they are not alone in their struggles by providing them with a forum in which they can interact with other people to share successes and concerns. The site will remain neutral in the debate surrounding medicating children. Information is provided on all types of treatment for ADHD.
• The Federal Highway Administration has recently released a report that says 7,124 of Iowa's 24,632 bridges - nearly 30 percent - were classified as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete last year. If a bridge is found deficient, it doesn't necessarily mean that it is unsafe for all traffic; weight restrictions may be imposed or heavy trucks may be barred from using them. The Iowa Department of Transportation has the deficient bridges on a five-year repair or replacement program. Some of the problem lies in that 4,000 of Iowa's bridges are owned by the state, with the rest owned by local government agencies. That leads to jurisdictional and funding issues.
• Illinois Representative Joel Brunsvold is a co-sponsor of a bill allowing Illinois residents to apply to the Illinois State Police for a permit to carry a concealed weapon. The bill would require people obtaining such a permit to be 21 years old and to complete a firearms-safety, use, and marksmanship course. In addition, a person cannot have a history of mental illness, cannot be a felon, and cannot be addicted to illegal substances. The permit would have to be carried along with the concealed weapon at all times. With 32 states now having right-to-carry laws, Illinois is in the minority.
• Mary Ellen Chamberlin, president of the Riverboat Development Authority, (RDA), announced recently that the authority's application forms for spring 2001 grants are now available. Applications can be picked up at the following locations: Davenport Public Library, Davenport City Hall, Scott County Court House, Tourism and Information Center at Union Station, the Center for Active Seniors at 1035 W. Kimberly Rd., Bettendorf Public Library, and Bettendorf City Hall. Applications are available on disk at selected locations and are available by e-mail. For information on electronic applications, call the RDA office at (319)328-8078 or e-mail rda@netexpress.net. Applications must be received in the RDA office, 212 Brady St. in Davenport, by 5 p.m. on March 30.
• Donald Schleicher, music director and conductor of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, has signed a contract extending his leadership of the symphony through the 2002-3 season. Schleicher, who was appointed to his current post in 1999, will continue his responsibilities as music director and principal conductor of the orchestra for its classical-series concerts and the Riverfront Pops, as well as provide artistic leadership for the organization's chamber-music series, music-education activities, and strategic planning. In addition to his Quad City Symphony position, Schleicher is director of orchestral studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is also music director and principal conductor of the Pine Mountain Music Festival opera program based in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
