Renaissance Rock Island last week hosted the 20th-annual "Hard Hat" celebration at Jumer's Casino & Hotel. The event recognizes investment in the community and thanks those who have helped strengthen Rock Island. Award-winners included Chippiannock Cemetery, Greenbush Neighbors, Keep Rock Island Beautiful, Handy True Value, Hughes Tire & Battery, Quad Cities Woodturners, Spirit Partners, Trinity Regional Health System, Virdi Eye Clinic, Jumer's Casino & Hotel, Phil Dennis, Anita Adams, and Mark Schwiebert. For more information, visit LiveRI.com/news.php.
Sage Center, a program of Alternatives for the Older Adult, is holding a Holiday Stress Relief Day for Caregivers. The event is open to the public and will be held on Wednesday, December 17, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The event will offer free refreshments, free wrapping of Christmas gifts, and free chair massages. Caregiver counselors will also be at the event to assist those in need of elder-care information. Reservations are encouraged and can be made by calling Joy at (309) 277-0167 extension 232.
The Community Foundation of the Great River Bend has awarded 30 not-for-profit organizations $120,000 in support from its Community Impact Fund. Gifts to this fund are being accepted and can be sent to 852 Middle Rd. Ste. 100, Bettendorf IA 52722. Grants ranged from $500 to $7,500. To learn more about the Community Foundation and its offerings, visit CFGRB.org or call (563) 326-2840.
WVIK 90.3 FM, Augustana College's public-radio station, began special holiday programming on December 14. To download a complete schedule, visit WVIK.org/WVIK-Holiday-2008.pdf.
Trinity's pharmacy department is preparing to graduate the first class - 11 students - from its new pharmacy tech training program. Trinity began offering the program in August and is enrolling students for future semesters. The next semester begins Tuesday, January 20. The program is the only one of its kind in the Quad Cities and the first bi-state program in the country to offer both clinical and classroom instruction. For more information, contact Amy Descamps at (309) 779-5739 or descamae@ihs.org.
U.S. Representative Bruce Braley has become the first Iowa Democrat and the fourth Iowan overall to be named to the powerful House Energy & Commerce Committee, the chamber's oldest standing committee. Members of the committee may only serve on other House committees with a waiver from the speaker. Committee members have jurisdiction over energy policy, health care (including children's health insurance), trade issues, telecommunications and the Internet, environment and air quality, and consumer affairs and protection.
The City of Davenport's Citizens' Survey has just been distributed to households throughout the city. As a result of the 2006 survey, the Davenport Public Library has been showcased in the International City/County Managers Association's newly published book, What Works: How Local Governments Have Made the Leap from Measurement to Management. The Davenport Public Library is included in this national study because 91 percent of Davenport citizens rated library services as "excellent" or "good" in the annual citizen's satisfaction survey. By comparison, the mean and median values reported by other jurisdictions were 88 percent and 86 percent, respectively.
Iowans interested in learning more about how the state protects residents in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities may attend one of the public forums hosted through Janaury 8 by the Department of Inspections & Appeals. A Bettendorf forum is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on January 6 at the Bettendorf Public Library. All sessions are free and open to the public. Contact the department in advance at (515) 281-7102 if special arrangements are needed.
