The Goldman family has donated six properties in the 1600 block of Second Avenue to Rock Island Economic Growth Corporation. Stanley and Ann Goldman, owners of Hyman's Furniture Store, were honored Friday for their contributions to the community, including the recent property donations. The properties, valued at nearly half a million dollars, are slated to become a business incubator and housing.

After being in Davenport for 42 years, the International Woodcarvers Congress is moving its annual show to Bettendorf's new Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center. The event runs Thursday, June 25, through Sunday, June 28, and is the longest-running and most-prestigious competitively judged woodcarving art show in existence. Featuring exhibits from all over the United States, Canada, and some countries overseas, the show is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at 2021 State Street. Admission is $4, but children under 12 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. For more information, visit AWCLtd.org.

St. Anthony's Catholic Church (at 417 North Main Street in Davenport) broke ground on Sunday, June 14, on a new multipurpose hall, an education center, a gathering center, parish offices, a warming kitchen, a patio, and a distribution window out of which meals will be served to the homeless and underprivileged. The $1.8-million expansion project will be completed by June 2010. For more information on St. Anthony's, visit StAnthonysDavenport.4LPI.com.

The Iowa Finance Authority has been awarded $73 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Treasury to ease pressure on the housing market. The Treasury Department will work with state housing agencies to jump-start the development or renovation of qualified affordable housing for families across the country.

Quad Cities PBS station WQPT ended analog transmission ahead of the June 12 nationwide shutdown due to equipment failure. The station's channel-24 transmitter failed last week. According to General Manager Rick Best, the last time this problem occurred three years ago, it cost nearly $20,000 to make the repairs. The early shutdown affects over-the-air viewers still using an antenna who haven't installed a digital converter box or purchased a digital TV. The station's newer digital transmitter continues to provide WQPT to cable systems and those viewers able to receive an over-the-air digital signal.

The Illinois Senate last week passed the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act, also known as Senate Bill 1381, by a vote of 30-28. The legislation would allow seriously ill patients with diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, and multiple sclerosis to use marijuana if recommended by their doctor. If this legislation becomes law, patients with a state-issued ID card will be allowed to possess up to six plants and 2 ounces of usable marijuana. Senate Bill 1381 now moves to the House for consideration; its Human Services Committee approved a companion bill in March.