Every child in Davenport gets a big chunk of a college education paid for. The city's police and fire departments get a new stream of revenue. Paying for it all is an existing tax. While property taxes would likely rise modestly for a few years, they'd be back below current levels by 2014.

And the ultimate goal is a growing community with a larger tax base, which in the long run could mean more money for schools and city services with lower property-tax rates.

Who could possibly be against that?

Operation Medicine Cabinet, a three-day event giving people the opportunity to safely dispose of medications, sharp items, mercury thermometers, and sensitive documents, collected 11,780 pounds of material. This included approximately 1,245 pounds of pharmaceuticals, 660 pounds of sharps, 39 pounds of mercury thermometers, and 9,836 pounds of documents for shredding. The event was held September 20 through 22 in Eldridge, Bettendorf, and Davenport, respectively. Residents who were unable to drop items off at the event can make an appointment at the Waste Commission of Scott County's Household Hazardous Material facility in Buffalo or Davenport. These facilities provide free services to both Scott and Rock Island county residents. Call (563) 381-1300 for more information.

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has announced $1.6 million in federal grants to allow municipal, county, and state law-enforcement agencies in northern Illinois to acquire in-car computer equipment to help improve access to criminal records during traffic stops and enhance public and police safety. Recipients from Henry County include the Geneseo Police Department ($17,400) and the Kewanee Police Department ($11,092). Rock Island County recipients include East Moline ($8,503), Milan ($11,792), Moline ($8,022), and Rock Island County ($10,646). In addition to data access, law-enforcement officers can use the terminals for note-taking and report-writing, as well as wirelessly entering incident, accident, and arrest information.

(Part two of a series. Part one can be read here , and part three can be read here .)

Two parallel movements are making hospitals more accountable in terms of their processes and outcomes: an orientation toward consumers, and an increasing emphasis on quality by the organizations that pay for health care - particularly the federal government.

"We're in kind of a new age," said Dr. Tom Evans, president and CEO of the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative, an organization formed by the Iowa Hospital Association and the Iowa Medical Society. "Transparency wasn't really even germane until recently. We couldn't even define what good health care was until 15 years ago."