Think of a ship at sea aimlessly wandering because, after tossing the captain overboard, none of the crew knew how to work the rudder. This is analogous to Davenport's situation after firing City Administrator Jim Pierce in 2000.
Editor's note: This is the third in a series of articles on new developments in Quad Cities-area downtowns. LeClaire is a community that's trying to have it both ways, maintaining its quaint and historic character while fostering growth in its economy.
Imagine you're a candidate for political office. You receive something called the National Political Awareness Test. It covers a dozen or so topics, from abortion to government reform to the environment. You're given a handful of choices - usually no fewer than seven - to indicate your views on each issue.
The phrases "chamber of commerce" and "bohemian" don't often belong in the same sentence. But the Illinois Quad City of Chamber of Commerce is trying to make those terms a little more comfortable together. At its annual meeting on September 19 at The Mark, the chamber will be celebrating the "Art of Business," and the theme isn't just lip service.
Most people would agree that our world has changed dramatically over the past year. In the eye of our immediate political tornado is a growing drumbeat for an invasion of Iraq, rampant corporate corruption, the erosion of civil liberties, a crashing stock market, pedophile priests, and the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the most traumatic American news event in at least 50 years.
These are critical times for the Davenport Community School District, and next week's school-board election has the potential to alter the course of local education policy. Following a winter and spring of contention that saw the closing of Grant and Johnson elementary schools to alleviate a $4 million budget deficit, the district is now in the process of setting its long-term agenda.
Comedian David Brenner is trying to get back on top of the world. Or at least to a steady Las Vegas gig. Instead, he's stuck on a perpetual road trip. Since the September 11 terrorist attacks, Brenner has been on a nonstop "Laughter to the People" tour.
Marti MacAlister is not a real person. But she might as well be, for both her creator and the people who read about her life. She's a tough cookie, and not just because she's a cop. "I pull everything out of Marti," Eleanor Taylor Bland told an audience of her readers on August 23 at the Martin Luther King Center in Rock Island.
If the Quad City Symphony Orchestra seems a little looser this year, the organization has done its job. Its marketing for the 2002-3 season has ditched the traditional, low-key flavor of previous efforts in favor of a vibrant and energetic campaign using the work of a local commercial artist.
Editor's note: This is the second in a series of articles on new developments in Quad Cities-area downtowns. The Quad Cities are divided by the Mississippi, and Moline has its own dividing line.

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