16
Aug
2005
• The Scott County Board of Supervisors has announced that Scott County has received the 2005 Digital Counties Survey Award from the Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties. The survey recognizes counties that make extensive and effective use of technology, and Scott County is the only Iowa county to receive the 2005 award. In April, all counties in the U.S. were invited to participate in the 2005 Digital Counties Survey. Scott County responded to a set of 22 questions that included more than 95 measurements or data points. The survey grouped counties into four population categories: 500,000 or more, 250,000 to 499,999, 150,000 to 249,999, and less than 150,000. A top-10 ranking was established for each category. Scott County, with a population of 160,000, ranked fifth in its population group. More information about Scott County can be found at (http://www.scottcountyiowa.com).
• St. Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church in Davenport is investing further in the future of music at the church with a campaign to install a new pipe organ. St. Mark's "Pulling Out the Stops" initiative to provide a pipe organ will complete an extensive renovation at the church. In recent months, the sanctuary has undergone a renovation. Now it is time to complete the renewal with the installation of a Casavant pipe organ, a handcrafted instrument whose warm tones will build on the tradition of the church's musical heritage. The organ committee will sell pipes to fill the organ case. Names of donors who contribute $200 per pipe will become part of a list that will be displayed in the church. Already, a select group of participants in the Pulling Out the Stops campaign has provided $210,000. Now, an additional $200,000 is needed to complete the purchase of the Casavant organ being built in Canada according to specifications set by the St. Mark Organ Committee.
• The Bettendorf Chamber is informing small and large businesses in the Quad Cities that a recent official-looking mailing is a scam. The mailing deals with the acquisition and posting of Iowa and federal labor-law posters. It tells recipients that compliance is needed immediately, and that failure to comply with the postings can result in massive fines. It then offers to sell them to the company for $39.95 (plus $7.95 for shipping and handling) and provides a mail-order form. The Bettendorf Chamber of Commerce has confirmed with the Iowa Workforce Development office, the Iowa Labor Commission, and the state attorney's office that this is a way for the mailer to obtain money for something that is, in fact, available at no charge through the Iowa Workforce Development office. Posters can be ordered online by going to (http://www.iowaworkforce.org). It is presumed that this mass mailing is going out to businesses in Illinois as well as Iowa, so all business owners are cautioned not to respond to this solicitation. You might receive what you order, but you've already paid for it with your tax dollars.
• Davenport Alderman Bill Lynn has introduced the "Joint Accountability Ordinance" and has invited public review and comment on it. The proposed ordinance would amend certain provisions of Chapter 8.15 of the current Municipal Code entitled "Neighborhood Enhancement - Property Maintenance." The proposed amendments would establish certain violations of the standards for the Rental Housing Inspection Program to be the responsibility of tenants. The amendments would direct the city's enforcement staff to notify the tenants as well as the owner of the property of these violations and to look first to the tenants to remedy those violations. Should the tenants fail to respond, they may be fined and the property owner would be held responsible for fixing the violations. The proposed ordinance was modeled on similar provisions in effect in Dubuque, Iowa. Take a look for yourself at (http://www.cityofdavenportiowa.com/images/latest/JAO.htm).
• The State of Iowa has received a $655,000 grant to help private landowners preserve at-risk species' natural habitats. These funds, provided by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Landowner Incentive Program, will supplement existing incentive programs that provide technical or financial assistance to private landowners.
• A free presentation entitled "Birds & Trails: Why Birders Are Flocking & Trail Users Are Trekking to the Quad Cities" is available to Quad Cities-area groups and organizations. The presentation details two events that are coming to the Quad Cities: the Midwest Birding Symposium, to be held October 13 through 15, 2005, and the National Trails Symposium, to be held October 19 through 22, 2006. The Mississippi flyway, which attracts millions of birds annually, and the intersection of two major trail systems - the American Discovery Trail and Mississippi River Trail - are making the Quad Cities a destination for nature enthusiasts. To schedule a presentation, contact Joe Taylor, president and CEO of the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, at (563)322-3911 extension 116.
• The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) reports that the administration of the cannabinoid THC selectively inhibits the proliferation of malignant cancer cells more effectively than does the use of a synthetic cannabinoid agent, according to clinical trial data published in the August issue of the Journal of Neurooncology. Researchers at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute reported that the administration of THC on human glioblastoma multiforme (brain tumor) cell lines decreased the proliferation of malignant cells and induced apoptosis (programmed cell death) more rapidly than did the administration of the cannabis receptor agonist WIN-55,212-2. Researchers also noted that THC selectively targeted malignant cells while ignoring healthy ones in a more profound manner than did the synthetic agonist. Previous trials have found that cannaboids selectively induce tumor regression in rodents and in human cells, including the inhibition of lung carcinoma, brain tumors, lymphoma/leukemia, skin carcinoma, and breast cancer. For more information, look at (http://www.NORML.org).
• St. Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church in Davenport is investing further in the future of music at the church with a campaign to install a new pipe organ. St. Mark's "Pulling Out the Stops" initiative to provide a pipe organ will complete an extensive renovation at the church. In recent months, the sanctuary has undergone a renovation. Now it is time to complete the renewal with the installation of a Casavant pipe organ, a handcrafted instrument whose warm tones will build on the tradition of the church's musical heritage. The organ committee will sell pipes to fill the organ case. Names of donors who contribute $200 per pipe will become part of a list that will be displayed in the church. Already, a select group of participants in the Pulling Out the Stops campaign has provided $210,000. Now, an additional $200,000 is needed to complete the purchase of the Casavant organ being built in Canada according to specifications set by the St. Mark Organ Committee.
• The Bettendorf Chamber is informing small and large businesses in the Quad Cities that a recent official-looking mailing is a scam. The mailing deals with the acquisition and posting of Iowa and federal labor-law posters. It tells recipients that compliance is needed immediately, and that failure to comply with the postings can result in massive fines. It then offers to sell them to the company for $39.95 (plus $7.95 for shipping and handling) and provides a mail-order form. The Bettendorf Chamber of Commerce has confirmed with the Iowa Workforce Development office, the Iowa Labor Commission, and the state attorney's office that this is a way for the mailer to obtain money for something that is, in fact, available at no charge through the Iowa Workforce Development office. Posters can be ordered online by going to (http://www.iowaworkforce.org). It is presumed that this mass mailing is going out to businesses in Illinois as well as Iowa, so all business owners are cautioned not to respond to this solicitation. You might receive what you order, but you've already paid for it with your tax dollars.
• Davenport Alderman Bill Lynn has introduced the "Joint Accountability Ordinance" and has invited public review and comment on it. The proposed ordinance would amend certain provisions of Chapter 8.15 of the current Municipal Code entitled "Neighborhood Enhancement - Property Maintenance." The proposed amendments would establish certain violations of the standards for the Rental Housing Inspection Program to be the responsibility of tenants. The amendments would direct the city's enforcement staff to notify the tenants as well as the owner of the property of these violations and to look first to the tenants to remedy those violations. Should the tenants fail to respond, they may be fined and the property owner would be held responsible for fixing the violations. The proposed ordinance was modeled on similar provisions in effect in Dubuque, Iowa. Take a look for yourself at (http://www.cityofdavenportiowa.com/images/latest/JAO.htm).
• The State of Iowa has received a $655,000 grant to help private landowners preserve at-risk species' natural habitats. These funds, provided by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Landowner Incentive Program, will supplement existing incentive programs that provide technical or financial assistance to private landowners.
• A free presentation entitled "Birds & Trails: Why Birders Are Flocking & Trail Users Are Trekking to the Quad Cities" is available to Quad Cities-area groups and organizations. The presentation details two events that are coming to the Quad Cities: the Midwest Birding Symposium, to be held October 13 through 15, 2005, and the National Trails Symposium, to be held October 19 through 22, 2006. The Mississippi flyway, which attracts millions of birds annually, and the intersection of two major trail systems - the American Discovery Trail and Mississippi River Trail - are making the Quad Cities a destination for nature enthusiasts. To schedule a presentation, contact Joe Taylor, president and CEO of the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, at (563)322-3911 extension 116.
• The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) reports that the administration of the cannabinoid THC selectively inhibits the proliferation of malignant cancer cells more effectively than does the use of a synthetic cannabinoid agent, according to clinical trial data published in the August issue of the Journal of Neurooncology. Researchers at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute reported that the administration of THC on human glioblastoma multiforme (brain tumor) cell lines decreased the proliferation of malignant cells and induced apoptosis (programmed cell death) more rapidly than did the administration of the cannabis receptor agonist WIN-55,212-2. Researchers also noted that THC selectively targeted malignant cells while ignoring healthy ones in a more profound manner than did the synthetic agonist. Previous trials have found that cannaboids selectively induce tumor regression in rodents and in human cells, including the inhibition of lung carcinoma, brain tumors, lymphoma/leukemia, skin carcinoma, and breast cancer. For more information, look at (http://www.NORML.org).
