Xstream Cleanup, presented by Riverboat Development Authority, is seeking hundreds of volunteers to clean up 32 waterways in the Quad Cities on Saturday, August 19 from 8:30 a.m. until noon. This annual event is presented in collaboration with nationally-known, Quad City native Chad Pregracke and his Living Lands & Waters team. Cleanups will take place in Bettendorf, Davenport, and LeClaire, Iowa, and East Moline, Milan, Moline, Rock Island, and Taylor Ridge, Illinois. The main focus of Xstream Cleanup 2006 is an illegal dumping site in Bettendorf where Crow Creek drains into the Mississippi River; that site, discovered during last year's Xstream Cleanup, has an estimated 3,000 tires scattered along the creek and will be the primary work site for Pregracke and his crew. Those interested in volunteering should register online at (http://www.xstreamcleanup.org) or call (563) 468-4218. Volunteers receive a free T-shirt and a light breakfast; no previous experience is necessary and supplies will be provided.

This spring, the Iowa legislature passed new subsidies for each gas station that features 85-percent ethanol fuel - 25 cents for each gallon sold in 2006, 2007, and 2008, and then smaller amounts through 2020. Governor Tom Vilsack signed the bill, House File 2754, on May 30.

The reasons offered are straightforward. Corn is a resource we have. Why import oil from far away? Plus, this helps farmers market their corn at a better price.

I would like to put these ideas in a broader context, hoping to better understand what is happening around us here in the heartland.

Genesis Health System has been recognized for the third consecutive year for its investment in technology to achieve high standards of patient safety. Genesis was been honored as one of the nation's 100 Most Wired hospitals and health systems by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine based on its use of information technology to accomplish key goals, including safety and quality objectives. Genesis Medical Center in DeWitt, Iowa, was recognized for the first time as one of the 25 Most Wired small and rural hospitals.

On June 26, Palmer College of Chiropractic received a letter from Kresge Foundation President and CEO John E. Marshall III announcing that the college had been awarded a $750,000 challenge grant for bricks-and-mortar funding from the foundation. The grant is being awarded to assist the college in reaching its capital-campaign goal of $35 million. Including the Kresge grant, the college has raised more than $31 million in cash and pledges, and the campaign was on-track to reach its $35-million goal by the end of the year. The Kresge funds will be dedicated solely to the construction of the Chiropractic Learning Resource Center (CLRC) on the Davenport campus. The CLRC will be a three-story building (with approximately 50,000 square feet of space) located on the east side of Brady Street on the Palmer campus. The new CLRC and its progressive-clinic facility will further enhance the education students receive at Palmer College of Chiropractic and offer expanded chiropractic-clinic services to patients in the community. Work is scheduled to be completed by the spring of 2007.