25
Jan
2005
• The Putnam Museum & IMAX Theatre will receive $4,000 in grant funding from Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area to design and install a new interactive program in the museum's Black Earth/Big River exhibit hall. Through the "Earth's Changing Face" interactive computer touch-screen program installed in the exhibit's silo, museum visitors will learn about past and present land-use issues that affect local farmers and farmland. Visitors will also put on headphones at individual listening stations to hear local farmers and their families tell the story of agriculture from a personal and business perspective. Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area is one of 27 federally designated heritage areas in the nation and is an affiliated area of the National Park Service. The Heritage Area covers 37 counties in northeast Iowa. Through a network of sites, programs, and events, it interprets farm life, agribusiness, and rural communities - past and present. The Putnam Museum is a participating partner in the Silos & Smokestacks program. For more information, take a look at (http://www.putnam.org).
• Iowa's K-12 public schools would see a $100-million increase in state aid for the 2006-7 school year under legislation approved by the Iowa Senate. The bill sets the inflation factor on per-pupil spending, or the "allowable growth rate," for Iowa's schools at 4 percent. Under 4-percent allowable growth, total funding for schools during the 2006-7 school year would top $3.1 billion. Of that amount, roughly $2.07 billion would come from the state and $1.07 billion would come from local property taxes. Out of the $2 billion, the Davenport school district would receive $73.6 million, the Bettendorf school district would receive $16.2 million, the North Scott school district would receive $11.7 million, and the Pleasant Valley school district would receive $12.4 million.
• Job Corps students in Iowa contributed more than 3,500 hours of free community service in 2004, according to the program's recent survey. Together, the 40,000 students in Job Corps nationwide make up one of the largest volunteer forces in the United States. In the 10-state Midwest region alone - consisting of centers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin - thousands of hours of community-service work were performed in 2004. Those who want to learn more about Job Corps and what it has to offer can call (800)932-2643 in Iowa or visit the Job Corps Web site at (http://jobcorps.doleta.gov).
• On the 30th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Rock Island, Berlinda Tyler-Jamison, president of the Trinity Health Foundation, was honored for her contributions to the Quad Cities community. Tyler-Jamison was this year's sole honoree of the Marlin Luther King "I Have a Dream" award. Since 1984, the first year of the award, there have been 39 winners. The award was created by the Martin Luther King Center Advisory Board in 1983, with its first award going out the following year to five individuals: Suzanne Golden, the Reverend William Grimes, John Real, Vincent Thomas, and Pat Hewitt. The purpose of the award is to recognize citizens of Rock Island, past and present, who have contributed to enriching the quality of life for the residents of the city and have aspired to the humanitarian goals and dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• The Davenport Dollars for Scholars organization is offering a number of scholarships to graduating high school seniors for the first time since forming its chapter a little less than one year ago. Designed to enhance the opportunity for Davenport-area students to benefit from post-secondary education through community support and scholarships, the Davenport Dollars for Scholars program focuses not just on scholarships for college but also for other post-secondary training - such as technical programs and apprenticeships. Dollars for Scholars is also a departure from other scholarships in terms of qualifications. Instead of focusing only on the top 5 to 10 percent of students, the program offers opportunities to mid-level students. To be considered for Davenport Dollars for Scholars scholarships, applying students must have achieved a high-school grade point average of 2.5 or be in the top 50 percent of their graduating class. The scholarships are available to graduating seniors from any high school in Davenport. Scholarship applications are available in the guidance departments of local schools. The deadline for application is February 15. For more information on Dollars for Scholars, visit (http://www.ia.dollarsforscholars.org).
• Quad City Arts' Metro Arts Summer Youth Employment Program has unveiled a 20-by-30-foot mural near the corner of 18th Street and Second Avenue in The District of Rock Island. The mural project was led by Barbara Brandt, and the winning design was created by Felicia Feldman, a Moline native and Maryland Institute of Art & Design student. The five-week Metro Arts program involved more than 60 15- to 19-year-olds working with lead artists in the areas of murals, graphic design, poetry, and theatre. For more information on Quad City Arts, visit (http://www.quadcityarts.com).
• Iowa's K-12 public schools would see a $100-million increase in state aid for the 2006-7 school year under legislation approved by the Iowa Senate. The bill sets the inflation factor on per-pupil spending, or the "allowable growth rate," for Iowa's schools at 4 percent. Under 4-percent allowable growth, total funding for schools during the 2006-7 school year would top $3.1 billion. Of that amount, roughly $2.07 billion would come from the state and $1.07 billion would come from local property taxes. Out of the $2 billion, the Davenport school district would receive $73.6 million, the Bettendorf school district would receive $16.2 million, the North Scott school district would receive $11.7 million, and the Pleasant Valley school district would receive $12.4 million.
• Job Corps students in Iowa contributed more than 3,500 hours of free community service in 2004, according to the program's recent survey. Together, the 40,000 students in Job Corps nationwide make up one of the largest volunteer forces in the United States. In the 10-state Midwest region alone - consisting of centers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin - thousands of hours of community-service work were performed in 2004. Those who want to learn more about Job Corps and what it has to offer can call (800)932-2643 in Iowa or visit the Job Corps Web site at (http://jobcorps.doleta.gov).
• On the 30th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Rock Island, Berlinda Tyler-Jamison, president of the Trinity Health Foundation, was honored for her contributions to the Quad Cities community. Tyler-Jamison was this year's sole honoree of the Marlin Luther King "I Have a Dream" award. Since 1984, the first year of the award, there have been 39 winners. The award was created by the Martin Luther King Center Advisory Board in 1983, with its first award going out the following year to five individuals: Suzanne Golden, the Reverend William Grimes, John Real, Vincent Thomas, and Pat Hewitt. The purpose of the award is to recognize citizens of Rock Island, past and present, who have contributed to enriching the quality of life for the residents of the city and have aspired to the humanitarian goals and dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• The Davenport Dollars for Scholars organization is offering a number of scholarships to graduating high school seniors for the first time since forming its chapter a little less than one year ago. Designed to enhance the opportunity for Davenport-area students to benefit from post-secondary education through community support and scholarships, the Davenport Dollars for Scholars program focuses not just on scholarships for college but also for other post-secondary training - such as technical programs and apprenticeships. Dollars for Scholars is also a departure from other scholarships in terms of qualifications. Instead of focusing only on the top 5 to 10 percent of students, the program offers opportunities to mid-level students. To be considered for Davenport Dollars for Scholars scholarships, applying students must have achieved a high-school grade point average of 2.5 or be in the top 50 percent of their graduating class. The scholarships are available to graduating seniors from any high school in Davenport. Scholarship applications are available in the guidance departments of local schools. The deadline for application is February 15. For more information on Dollars for Scholars, visit (http://www.ia.dollarsforscholars.org).
• Quad City Arts' Metro Arts Summer Youth Employment Program has unveiled a 20-by-30-foot mural near the corner of 18th Street and Second Avenue in The District of Rock Island. The mural project was led by Barbara Brandt, and the winning design was created by Felicia Feldman, a Moline native and Maryland Institute of Art & Design student. The five-week Metro Arts program involved more than 60 15- to 19-year-olds working with lead artists in the areas of murals, graphic design, poetry, and theatre. For more information on Quad City Arts, visit (http://www.quadcityarts.com).
