• The Rock Island Beautification Commission is looking for the most beautiful yards in the city. The 31st annual "Tell on Your Neighbor" residential-beautification awards contest has opened nominations for the most attractive and best-kept lawns in Rock Island.
A.J. Wacaser is fond of a slogan by activist Jeremy Rifkin: "Eating is the ultimate political act." There's certainly a political component to the new Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign, which Wacaser is helping to coordinate.
• The cities of Davenport, Moline, and Rock Island are in the process of developing a joint Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice, a requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development for all Community Development Block Grant entitlement communities.
The Rock Island Housing Authority (RIHA) is in the process of reapplying for the federal HOPE VI grant, after having its first application, for $20 million, denied on May 17. The grant is intended to be the facilitator for a $40.
• The Blue Grass Fire Department is among the busiest all-volunteer units in Scott County. Last year, Blue Grass firefighters answered a record 247 calls for service. They've already answered 114 calls through April of this year.

BRAC Attack

In 1995, community backers of a military base in a very arid part of the country offered to take drastic measures to satisfy the U.S. military, which had difficulty getting the water it needed and as a result wanted to shift some functions to different military bases.
• The Family Museum's award-winning Street Heat program began a new project last month by enlisting the help of six students from Davenport's Lydia House and the surrounding neighborhood. Participants will sculpt a "QC Tree" that is scheduled for "planting" on June 13 in the Hilltop Association Park on Harrison Street in Davenport.
Judith DeSarno does not want to be part of the never-ending abortion debate. "I'm the birth-control gal," said DeSarno, president of the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association in Washington, D.

Blueprint 2010

When the Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce unveiled the findings of its Blueprint 2010 study last week, they had a familiar ring. The Quad Cities area doesn't have enough young professionals, the study found, there's a pervasive pessimism among residents, and the community doesn't market itself effectively to the outside world, particularly to businesses looking to re-locate.
• The Iowa Wine & Beer Promotion Board has released a new brochure featuring 27 Iowa wineries and one brewery. Detailed maps show the locations of the facilities and the hours during which visitors can tour and taste fine beverages crafted in Iowa.

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