Reader issue #608 Kathleen Lawless Cox's novel Maeve was written over 29 years. Her new book, the poetry collection Citizen of the Earth, has been four decades in the making.

The 68-year-old author - born in England, raised in Ireland, a U.S. resident since 1961, and a Quad Cities citizen for the bulk of the past 45 years - is matter-of-fact about the book's creation.

"I had approximately 40 years' worth of poetry sitting around," she said this week, "and I decided I would like to do a book that covered those 40 years but with the best poems that I could muster out of the pile."

Iowa Public Radio (IPR) has announced the creation of a statewide news and information programming service as the culmination of a listener-driven process. The network, which was created in 2005 to align the stations of the WOI Radio Group in Ames, KUNI/KHKE in Cedar Falls-Waterloo, and KSUI/WSUI in Iowa City, is continuing its evolution as a statewide radio service for Iowans, with listener feedback as a critical component. For the past several months, Iowa Public Radio has sought input and feedback from Iowans as part of a "listening project." The information derived from these sessions provided the basis for a shared vision for public radio as IPR looks for ways to best serve all Iowans. The statewide news and information programming service will kick off January 1. Listeners in Iowa will hear new programs, including The Diane Rehm Show, and Iowa hosts for popular NPR programs Morning Edition and All Things Considered will be consistent across the state. Several locally produced programs, once limited to one station's coverage area, will now be available across the network. A full schedule of the news and information service is available at (http://www.iowapublicradio.org). Enhanced classical- and alternative-music programming are currently in development and will be released in mid-2007. 

 

Reader issue #607(This is part of a series of articles looking at the components of River Renaissance five years after Scott County voters agreed to contribute $5 million to the effort. While that amount was relatively small in the projects' financing, it secured $20 million in Vision Iowa funding from the State of Iowa.)

The most disheartening aspect of last week's announcement that River Music Experience President and CEO Lon Bozarth had quit was not the resignation itself but the hints that the organization doesn't have a clear sense of how to right itself.

In essence, the River Music Experience (RME) board of directors is trying to cut its way to prosperity - or at least the break-even point.

Rebuilding Together Quad Cities began work Monday, November 13, on phase one of "Project Neighborhood Impact," which will repair a number of homes in the Douglas Park area of Rock Island. Funded with a $43,500 grant from the Doris & Victor Day Foundation, "Project Neighborhood Impact" also involves a public/private partnership between Rebuilding Together Quad Cities and the City of Rock Island's Planning & Redevelopment Division. The two-phase project will renovate two homes this fall, and up to three more homes in spring 2007. The inaugural program targets the neighborhood bordering "Habitat Park" in the Douglas Park neighborhood of Rock Island. The project is also part of the new Old Chicago Plan. Rebuilding Together annually repairs more than 50 homes locally. Homeowners living in the targeted area who wish to be considered for the second phase of the program should contact Rebuilding Together at (563) 322-6534. Applications are also available online at (http://www.rebuildingtogetherquadcities.org).

 

Reader issue #606(This is the first in a series of articles looking at the components of River Renaissance five years after Scott County voters agreed to contribute $5 million to the effort. While that amount was relatively small in the projects' financing, it secured $20 million in Vision Iowa funding from the State of Iowa.)

 

Evaluating the Figge Art Museum five years after the River Renaissance vote is an exercise in perspective. The choice of how to measure its success determines the outcome.

The Amy Helpenstell Foundation has awarded grants to three local organizations: WQPT, Churches United, and Habitat for Humanity - Quad Cities. WQPT, the Quad Cities' PBS station, received a charitable donation for its "Ready to Learn Literacy Initiative." The $15,000 donation will support activities for the project, including the WQPT First Book Program, which has distributed approximately 85,000 books to children in the region since 1984; Family Literacy Workshops and the Ready to Learn Conference, which provide the latest information on early-childhood practices to area teachers and caregivers; and the Healthy Habits for Life Initiative focusing on healthy foods, exercise, hygiene, and rest. WQPT and its partners will work with child-care centers serving low- to middle-income families. The foundation also awarded $10,000 to support the construction next year of a Moline home by Habitat for Humanity - Quad Cities. The house will be located at 430 and 434 Sixth Street, on lots donated by the City of Moline. And Churches United's Winnie's Place received $15,000 from the Amy Helpenstell Foundation. Winnie's Place is an emergency shelter for homeless women with or without children.

 

Iowa has moved into the 10 smartest states in the nation, according to the Morgan Quinto Press, an organization that analyzes and publishes state statistics. Its Education State Rankings 2006 report places Iowa second in the Midwest and ninth among the 50 states in education, an increase of five positions over last year's rankings. Illinois is listed as the 35th smartest state. The organization also ranked Iowa first this year in per-capita personal-income growth, and named it the fifth healthiest state, the third most-livable state, and the eighth safest state. Morgan Quitno Press is an independent private research and publishing company located in Lawrence, Kansas. The Education State Rankings report, which includes the "Smartest State" rankings, looked at 21 different factors and assigned a score based on how each state performed. For more information on the report, visit (http://www.morganquitno.com/edpress06.htm).  

 

David M. Buss It might sound like a lame excuse.

But if a man cheats on his wife, he might explain himself this way: "I couldn't help it. My evolved psychological mechanisms made me have an affair." And he'd be right.

Sort of.

David M. Buss, a psychologist at the University of Texas who will be giving the lecture "Sexual Conflict in Human Mating" at Augustana College on October 30, has spent more than two decades studying sexual desire and behavior. And his research has led to one overarching observation: Across cultures, people's mating strategies are universal.

The Science Station & McLeod/Busse IMAX Theatre in Cedar Rapids has announced its potential closing. The attraction, which opened in 1986, needs nearly $1.3 million to continue operations, and unless a financial solution is found, the venue will cease operations on November 15, 2006. A series of financial setbacks over the past five years - including alleged embezzlement and unpaid pledges - have contributed to the venue's current debt, despite record attendance for this summer's children's programs. The Junior League of Cedar Rapids has committed to a two-year partnership to improve exhibit space, membership numbers, and retention; since the 2001 addition of the McLeod/Busse IMAX Dome Theatre, the Science Station has seen more than 250,000 visitors, with 600,000 people purchasing movie tickets. For more information, visit (http://www.sciencestation.org).

 

St. Ambrose University's enrollment continues to rise, with the university achieving a record 3,780 students this fall, according to the official 20th-day count. The record enrollment is the school's ninth in the past 10 years. Founded in 1882, St. Ambrose offers more than 75 majors in undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs, and maintains a 15-to-one student-faculty ratio. For more information, go to (http://www.sau.edu).

 

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