The Reverend George McDaniel, author of A Great & Lasting Beginning, will be awarded a State Historical Society of Iowa "Shambaugh Award of Merit" for his history of St. Ambrose University. The award, one of two given this year, will be presented at a luncheon in Des Moines on May 21. Benjamin F. Shambaugh Awards of Merit are given to one or more significant books on Iowa history published during the preceding year, based on their contributions to Iowa history, scholarship, readability, and appropriateness for the intended audience, according to the State Historical Society's Web site. A Great & Lasting Beginning is available at the St. Ambrose University bookstore and the Davenport Borders store, and it can be ordered online at (http://www.sau.edu/125).
The Rock Island Housing Authority has received six National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) Merit Awards. The NAHRO Merit Award Program was created to give national recognition to those housing authorities that are finding innovative ways of making a positive difference within their communities and in the lives of the people who live there. In 2005, the Rock Island Housing Authority received its first NAHRO Merit Award and was recognized for Operational Excellence by the Illinois Association of Housing Authorities.
Ellen Bowlin will present the third and final dedication recital of the year-old Casavant organ at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Davenport on Sunday, May 20, at 4 p.m. Bowlin has been the director of music at St. Mark since 1987. In 2006, St. Mark welcomed its long-awaited new pipe organ, Casavant Freres Opus No. 3840, a mechanical action instrument of 24 ranks. Bowlin will perform organ works by Frescobaldi, Bach, and Vierne. She will be joined by trumpeter Gary Bordner and her children, David and Sarah Bowlin (both violinists), on works by Telemann, Bach, Busarow, Krebs, and Burkhardt. The recital is free and open to the public. A reception will follow.
A bill that would have allowed for the use of medical marijuana in Illinois died recently, failing by a vote of 22-29 in the state Senate, with four senators voting "present." The vote came despite support from the Illinois Nurses Association, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, nearly a thousand Illinois doctors, 300 nurses, and 50 clergy members. Sponsored by Senator John Cullerton (D-Chicago), the bill - Senate Bill 650 - would have allowed people diagnosed by a physician as having a debilitating physical condition to register with the Department of Public Health to be permitted to use marijuana. Patients or caregivers could possess up to 12 plants and two-and-a-half ounces of smokable marijuana.
The Second Annual Armed Forces Day Celebration will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 19, at the Brady Street Stadium Complex in Davenport. Similar celebrations will be held around the country. Organizers hope to establish a positive display and media campaign to reach out to the community and educate it on the military and its history. The celebration will feature equipment displays, live performances, presentations, and table displays with the opportunity to visit with members from all branches of military service, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Civil Air Patrol, and local Military Explorers. Food and refreshments will be available for purchase during this event.
Iowa Public Television was recognized for excellence and achievement during the recent Iowa Motion Picture Association awards ceremony. The network received awards for coverage of the first-ever National Special Olympics held last summer in Ames; a travel program about great food around the Midwest; and a documentary about Iowa's churches. The network also received a technical award for its college-wrestling programming.
Trinity Regional Health System will again offer weekly farmers' markets from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays at its Seventh Street Campus in Moline and from 3 to 6 p.m. on Mondays at the Trinity at Terrace Park Campus in Bettendorf, through October. The farmers' markets feature products including produce, plants, pies, soups, handmade crafts and soaps, free-range chicken, jellies, and jams. The Bettendorf market will not be open on Memorial Day or Labor Day. To participate as a vendor at the Terrace Park Farmers' Market, call Jane Weber at (563) 332-5529. To participate in the Seventh Street Campus Farmers' Market, contact Steve Krause at (309) 944-7980.
Churches United has received a grant for $1,200 for its Faith Talks program from the Trinity Lutheran Church Endowment Fund in Moline. The mission of Faith Talks is to promote varying and diverse viewpoints from across Christian and interfaith traditions. Faith Talks can be heard on St. Ambrose's KALA (88.5 and 105.5 FM) on Thursday mornings at 11:30 a.m. or by visiting the Churches United Web site: (http://www.churchesunited.net).
"The Devil smiles when you pray for prosperity" is the theme of an audio-drama podcast series, More: The Root of All Evil, set to launch in July on an under-development Web site. The creators of the series, musician Steve Couch of Davenport and writer Dan Brawner of Lisbon, Iowa, will be hosting an event to audition Quad Cities-area performers for voice parts in different episodes. Everyone auditioning should bring a performance résumé and may be asked to perform a two-minute piece demonstrating their dramatic range. The event will feature the premiere of the first podcast episode, which is already finished. Members of the general public wishing to hear the podcast are welcome to attend, free of charge. The event will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 22, in the second-floor performance hall of the River Music Experience, 129 Main Street in Davenport.
Judicial Watch, the public-interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, has released its 2006 list of "Washington's 10 Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians." The list includes Illinois U.S. Representative Denny Hastert. The organization claims that former House Speaker Hastert mishandled the Foley scandal and allowed the House ethics process to grind to a halt on his watch. A dishonorable mention was given to U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois) for entering into an unusual land deal with a now-indicted political fundraiser, Tony Rezko. To see the report, go to (http://www.judicialwatch.org/6091.shtml).
