09
Mar
2004
• Iowa Senator Bryan Sievers, R-New Liberty, has two Democrats vying to face him in the general election this fall. Eldridge Mayor Frank Wood, who also serves as associate principal at North Scott High School, announced that he will be seeking the Democratic nomination and will face off against Dennis Starling, the Calamus man who nearly defeated Sievers in the 2002 District 42 race. The district covers most of rural Scott and Clinton counties, including the towns of Buffalo, Blue Grass, Dixon, Donahue, New Liberty, LeClaire, Eldridge, Park View, Princeton, McCausland, Long Grove, Walcott, Camanche, DeWitt, and Lost Nation, as well as four precincts in western Davenport. Wood was a registered Republican until recently and said he switched parties to become a precinct captain for John Kerry's presidential campaign. An educator for 31 years, Wood was elected mayor of Eldridge in 2001. Starling, a retired auctioneer from Clinton County, was defeated in 2002 by only 1,100 votes out of 19,100 ballots cast, a surprise given that Starling had not run for political office before and got into the race late after a previous candidate dropped out for health reasons. If both men file papers prior to the March 19 deadline, they would square off in a June 8 primary. Sievers, a farmer from Scott County, won a seat in the Iowa House in 2000 and has risen steadily in the Republican Party ranks since then. He is sometimes mentioned as a potential candidate for Congress.
• U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has announced that he is accepting applications for admission to the United States' military academies for the class entering in the summer of 2005. Harkin nominates 10 Iowans for each opening he has in the academies, with final selections for admission made by the individual school. Harkin said he has informed high-school guidance counselors of the procedures prospective candidates must follow. He uses a competitive method to screen applicants, which includes the evaluation of ACT or SAT scores, high-school grade point average, leadership ability, and physical aptitude. Harkin appoints an academy selection committee to conduct personal interviews with academy finalists. The application period for the class entering in 2005 runs through September 30, 2004. Questions regarding the academy program may be directed to Tom Larkin, 150 First Avenue N.E., Suite 370, Cedar Rapids IA 52401. The phone number is (319)365-4504.
• More than 7,000 fourth- and fifth-grade students will travel by bus to the Adler Theatre on Wednesday, March 10, to participate in the Quad City Symphony Orchestra Association's annual Symphony Day. Hosted by Volunteers for Symphony and sponsored by the Adler Theatre Foundation and Molyneaux Insurance & Financial Services, the event is the Quad Cities' largest one-day music-education program. Symphony Day features three concerts performed by the Quad City Youth Symphony Orchestra. For many children, these concerts are an introduction to live classical music, a symphony orchestra, and the Adler Theatre. There is no cost to parents or schools for students to attend Symphony Day. All participating students receive extensive classroom preparation before attending the concerts. For more information about Quad City Symphony Orchestra music-education programs, call Laurie at (563)322-0931.
• On March 1, the Robert Young Center for Community Mental Health began taking appointments for mental-health and substance-abuse evaluations at its new Access Center, located at the Riverside entrance on the north end of its building at 2701 17th Street in Rock Island. The goal of the new Access Center is to provide a convenient, centralized point of contact for those needing to access the center's array of mental-health and substance-abuse services. To schedule an appointment with the Robert Young Access Center, call (309)779-2800.
• Rock Island Youthbuild is accepting applications for entry into its spring trainee program. Youthbuild simultaneously addresses several core issues facing low-income communities: education, housing, jobs, and leadership development. Rock Island Youthbuild affords trainees the opportunity to complete their high-school education - earning either a diploma or GED - while receiving hands-on training in the construction field. Youthbuild trainees receive a stipend while attending class for half of the day and building a new house for the remainder of the day. Rock Island Youthbuild also provides follow-up services for program graduates as they pursue higher education or careers. For applications or additional information, call John Vogt at (309)732-0510 extension 211.
• The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) reports that the Bush administration's recently released 2004 "National Drug Control Strategy" proposes spending $25 million to establish random drug-testing for high-school students and calls for the "compassionate coercion" of millions of otherwise law-abiding American citizens who smoke marijuana. (This strategy involves, for example, having emergency-room personnel encourage marijuana users to seek treatment.) For more information, look at the text of the 2004 National Drug Control Strategy online at (http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/policy/ndcs04/index.html) and at NORML's Web site at (http://www.norml.org).
• The Rummage Closet is a re-sale shop at 311 East Second Street in Davenport. It serves as a training and assessment site for Vera French Vocational Services. Proceeds from sales of items are returned to Vera French programs. Donations are always welcome, particularly furniture, appliances, and household items. Call Dave Riley, manager of the Rummage Closet, at (563)323-0938 to arrange for pickup of large donated items. The store's hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.
• U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has announced that he is accepting applications for admission to the United States' military academies for the class entering in the summer of 2005. Harkin nominates 10 Iowans for each opening he has in the academies, with final selections for admission made by the individual school. Harkin said he has informed high-school guidance counselors of the procedures prospective candidates must follow. He uses a competitive method to screen applicants, which includes the evaluation of ACT or SAT scores, high-school grade point average, leadership ability, and physical aptitude. Harkin appoints an academy selection committee to conduct personal interviews with academy finalists. The application period for the class entering in 2005 runs through September 30, 2004. Questions regarding the academy program may be directed to Tom Larkin, 150 First Avenue N.E., Suite 370, Cedar Rapids IA 52401. The phone number is (319)365-4504.
• More than 7,000 fourth- and fifth-grade students will travel by bus to the Adler Theatre on Wednesday, March 10, to participate in the Quad City Symphony Orchestra Association's annual Symphony Day. Hosted by Volunteers for Symphony and sponsored by the Adler Theatre Foundation and Molyneaux Insurance & Financial Services, the event is the Quad Cities' largest one-day music-education program. Symphony Day features three concerts performed by the Quad City Youth Symphony Orchestra. For many children, these concerts are an introduction to live classical music, a symphony orchestra, and the Adler Theatre. There is no cost to parents or schools for students to attend Symphony Day. All participating students receive extensive classroom preparation before attending the concerts. For more information about Quad City Symphony Orchestra music-education programs, call Laurie at (563)322-0931.
• On March 1, the Robert Young Center for Community Mental Health began taking appointments for mental-health and substance-abuse evaluations at its new Access Center, located at the Riverside entrance on the north end of its building at 2701 17th Street in Rock Island. The goal of the new Access Center is to provide a convenient, centralized point of contact for those needing to access the center's array of mental-health and substance-abuse services. To schedule an appointment with the Robert Young Access Center, call (309)779-2800.
• Rock Island Youthbuild is accepting applications for entry into its spring trainee program. Youthbuild simultaneously addresses several core issues facing low-income communities: education, housing, jobs, and leadership development. Rock Island Youthbuild affords trainees the opportunity to complete their high-school education - earning either a diploma or GED - while receiving hands-on training in the construction field. Youthbuild trainees receive a stipend while attending class for half of the day and building a new house for the remainder of the day. Rock Island Youthbuild also provides follow-up services for program graduates as they pursue higher education or careers. For applications or additional information, call John Vogt at (309)732-0510 extension 211.
• The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) reports that the Bush administration's recently released 2004 "National Drug Control Strategy" proposes spending $25 million to establish random drug-testing for high-school students and calls for the "compassionate coercion" of millions of otherwise law-abiding American citizens who smoke marijuana. (This strategy involves, for example, having emergency-room personnel encourage marijuana users to seek treatment.) For more information, look at the text of the 2004 National Drug Control Strategy online at (http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/policy/ndcs04/index.html) and at NORML's Web site at (http://www.norml.org).
• The Rummage Closet is a re-sale shop at 311 East Second Street in Davenport. It serves as a training and assessment site for Vera French Vocational Services. Proceeds from sales of items are returned to Vera French programs. Donations are always welcome, particularly furniture, appliances, and household items. Call Dave Riley, manager of the Rummage Closet, at (563)323-0938 to arrange for pickup of large donated items. The store's hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.
