02
Oct
2001
• Voters in Davenport have the future in their hands in the October 9 primary election. Voters must choose between seven mayoral candidates: Bob Yapp, Charlie Brooke, Pamela Davis, Luana Stoltenberg, John Waddell, Bill Sherwood, and Denise Hollenback. While a primary election might not seem all that important in the scheme of things, your choices as voters (and even your decision whether to vote) will play an important role in the way the City of Davenport will be run. Davenport is at a crossroads with many conflicting priorities, including the scope and direction of future development, revitalization of downtown, and repairing roads and sewers. Be sure to make your voice heard by voting.
• The Scott County General Store, currently located at 216 East 50th Street in Davenport, is moving to 2162 West Kimberly Road. The store will be closed from October 11 through 14, with the new store opening on October 15. Services at the store include voter registration, hunting licenses, motor-vehicle renewals, title transfers, property-tax payments, and fishing licenses.
• The National Fraud Information Center reports a new angle on international phone scams involving area codes in the Caribbean (242, 246, 264, 284, 345, 441, 471, 664, 758, 767, 784, 787, 809, 869, and 876). You might receive a page or a message on your answering machine asking you to call a number beginning with these area codes. In each case, the message will tell you to call the number right away. If you return the call from the U.S., the charge is $2,425 per minute. If the call is actually returned, neither the local carrier nor the long-distance provider in the U.S. will "write off" the charges. You can also contact your local phone carrier to see if these area codes can be blocked from your phone.
• Scott and Des Moines counties are the first in the state of Iowa to complete comprehensive emergency planning, which makes them eligible for state matching funds for federal disaster dollars. The state matching funds will be used for recovery and mitigation efforts following spring 2001 severe weather and flooding along the Mississippi River.
• The MARK of the Quad Cities is implementing additional security procedures for all future events, starting with an increased security presence at all entrance points and new restrictions on patrons leaving and re-entering the facility. Additionally, all bags, purses, backpacks, etc. will be subject to search. If patrons do not wish to have their belongings searched, they will have the option of returning the items to their vehicles.
• The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) is urging careful consideration of proposals that could significantly erode Internet privacy and constitutional rights as Congress is considering the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001. Included in the proposed legislation are provisions that would authorize and expand the use of the FBI's controversial Carnivore e-mail-tracking system, limit judicial oversight of government surveillance activities, erode the traditional separation of domestic law enforcement and foreign intelligence functions, and authorize surreptitious police entries in all criminal investigations. EPIC's analysis of provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001 affecting communications and information privacy is available at: (http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/ata_analysis.html).
• Almost overshadowed by recent events, the 2001 Student Hunger Drive is in full swing after beginning on September 25. Since 1986, the Student Hunger Drive has collected a total of 4,405,341 pounds of nonperishable food items with a total value of $8,810,682. Participating high schools in this event include Alleman, Assumption, Bettendorf, Davenport Central, Christ Lutheran, Geneseo, Moline, North, North Scott, Pleasant Valley, Rock Island, St. Katherine's-St. Mark's, Temple Christian, U.T.H.S., and West.
• Now that the Quad City River Bandits are leaving, Davenport Mayor Phil Yerington wants to spruce up John O'Donnell Stadium to make it attractive to a new team and is suggesting using some of the $3.1 million earmarked for building a new library branch. Instead of a branch library, Yerington said the public could use media centers in Davenport schools that include research materials and computers with Internet links. The mayor recently formed a committee to study the future of pro baseball in Davenport, with a focus on renovation of the stadium. Davenport School Superintendent Jim Blanche said use of media centers by the public is something the school district and the city could work out.
• Researcher Lilly Setterdahl of East Moline is preparing a book about Moline Swedes and their descendants. She's asking interested people to fill out a questionnaire available at the shop Touch of Sweden, 1532 6th Avenue, Moline. The store will feature names and photographs of those Moliners already included in the manuscript for review and verification. Setterdahl is also looking for other photos of individuals, groups, historic buildings, clubs, and businesses associated with Moline Swedes. All photographs will be scanned and returned. Old letters, news clippings, day books or diaries, and citizenship papers or certificates also might be helpful. All should be identified as completely as possible and marked with a return address. For more information, call Setterdahl at (309)755-2858.
• Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham has ordered a temporary suspension of all nuclear-waste shipments. The Department of Energy says it has increased security in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks. Critics of nuclear-power plants say the suspension is another reason to oppose a proposed nuclear storage facility at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, because every shipment to that facility would be a potential terrorist target. About 150 shipments of nuclear waste have gone through Iowa in the past 10 years, many on Interstate 80.
• The tolls on the Centennial Bridge are one step closer to being removed after Iowa transportation commissioners approved a deal that will give Iowa and Illinois joint ownership of the bridge. The transfer is expected to be completed in late 2002 or 2003, and the elimination of tolls should help reduce congestion on I-74 between Moline and Bettendorf.
• The Scott County General Store, currently located at 216 East 50th Street in Davenport, is moving to 2162 West Kimberly Road. The store will be closed from October 11 through 14, with the new store opening on October 15. Services at the store include voter registration, hunting licenses, motor-vehicle renewals, title transfers, property-tax payments, and fishing licenses.
• The National Fraud Information Center reports a new angle on international phone scams involving area codes in the Caribbean (242, 246, 264, 284, 345, 441, 471, 664, 758, 767, 784, 787, 809, 869, and 876). You might receive a page or a message on your answering machine asking you to call a number beginning with these area codes. In each case, the message will tell you to call the number right away. If you return the call from the U.S., the charge is $2,425 per minute. If the call is actually returned, neither the local carrier nor the long-distance provider in the U.S. will "write off" the charges. You can also contact your local phone carrier to see if these area codes can be blocked from your phone.
• Scott and Des Moines counties are the first in the state of Iowa to complete comprehensive emergency planning, which makes them eligible for state matching funds for federal disaster dollars. The state matching funds will be used for recovery and mitigation efforts following spring 2001 severe weather and flooding along the Mississippi River.
• The MARK of the Quad Cities is implementing additional security procedures for all future events, starting with an increased security presence at all entrance points and new restrictions on patrons leaving and re-entering the facility. Additionally, all bags, purses, backpacks, etc. will be subject to search. If patrons do not wish to have their belongings searched, they will have the option of returning the items to their vehicles.
• The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) is urging careful consideration of proposals that could significantly erode Internet privacy and constitutional rights as Congress is considering the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001. Included in the proposed legislation are provisions that would authorize and expand the use of the FBI's controversial Carnivore e-mail-tracking system, limit judicial oversight of government surveillance activities, erode the traditional separation of domestic law enforcement and foreign intelligence functions, and authorize surreptitious police entries in all criminal investigations. EPIC's analysis of provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001 affecting communications and information privacy is available at: (http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/ata_analysis.html).
• Almost overshadowed by recent events, the 2001 Student Hunger Drive is in full swing after beginning on September 25. Since 1986, the Student Hunger Drive has collected a total of 4,405,341 pounds of nonperishable food items with a total value of $8,810,682. Participating high schools in this event include Alleman, Assumption, Bettendorf, Davenport Central, Christ Lutheran, Geneseo, Moline, North, North Scott, Pleasant Valley, Rock Island, St. Katherine's-St. Mark's, Temple Christian, U.T.H.S., and West.
• Now that the Quad City River Bandits are leaving, Davenport Mayor Phil Yerington wants to spruce up John O'Donnell Stadium to make it attractive to a new team and is suggesting using some of the $3.1 million earmarked for building a new library branch. Instead of a branch library, Yerington said the public could use media centers in Davenport schools that include research materials and computers with Internet links. The mayor recently formed a committee to study the future of pro baseball in Davenport, with a focus on renovation of the stadium. Davenport School Superintendent Jim Blanche said use of media centers by the public is something the school district and the city could work out.
• Researcher Lilly Setterdahl of East Moline is preparing a book about Moline Swedes and their descendants. She's asking interested people to fill out a questionnaire available at the shop Touch of Sweden, 1532 6th Avenue, Moline. The store will feature names and photographs of those Moliners already included in the manuscript for review and verification. Setterdahl is also looking for other photos of individuals, groups, historic buildings, clubs, and businesses associated with Moline Swedes. All photographs will be scanned and returned. Old letters, news clippings, day books or diaries, and citizenship papers or certificates also might be helpful. All should be identified as completely as possible and marked with a return address. For more information, call Setterdahl at (309)755-2858.
• Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham has ordered a temporary suspension of all nuclear-waste shipments. The Department of Energy says it has increased security in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks. Critics of nuclear-power plants say the suspension is another reason to oppose a proposed nuclear storage facility at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, because every shipment to that facility would be a potential terrorist target. About 150 shipments of nuclear waste have gone through Iowa in the past 10 years, many on Interstate 80.
• The tolls on the Centennial Bridge are one step closer to being removed after Iowa transportation commissioners approved a deal that will give Iowa and Illinois joint ownership of the bridge. The transfer is expected to be completed in late 2002 or 2003, and the elimination of tolls should help reduce congestion on I-74 between Moline and Bettendorf.
