• More than 20 students from St. Ambrose University will spend their spring breaks in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Martinsville, Virginia, building houses through Habitat for Humanity's Collegiate Challenge program.
• The Unitarian Church, located on Eastern Avenue at East Kimberly Road in Davenport, is in the process of converting its building's heat and air-conditioning systems to run on geothermal energy. Geothermal uses heat from the earth to replace natural gas for heating during the winter.
• A $2.4-million grant from the State of Illinois will allow Western Illinois University to finish planning the expansion of its Quad Cities campus on property donated by Deere & Company along River Drive in Moline.
To download an edited version of the Reader interview with RME President and CEO Lon Bozarth (26 minutes, 7.7 megabytes, mp3), click here. Last week, on the day that the River Music Experience announced plans for a second-floor club that would cement its place as a venue for live music rather than a traditional museum, leaders of the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society met with members of the media to discuss several new initiatives, including a planned downtown-Davenport museum dedicated to the jazz giant.
• The Iowa legislature has approved a $3-million package of benefits that provides home-buyer assistance and hardship grants to military veterans and their families. The legislation includes $2 million in additional funding for the Guard & Reserve Homebuyer Benefit program.
After a certain number of years, a community tends to get bored with something that once seemed exciting and new. Participation dwindles. This year marks the 10th that the River Cities' Reader has conducted its Best of the Quad Cities poll, yet community interest in this institution continues to grow.
Restaurant that opened in 2005 1. The Brown Bottle 2. Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar 3. Pluckers Grill & Bar (tie) 3. San Francisco Oven (tie) Best restaurant opened in 2005 - The Brown Bottle If you're looking for a romantic dining spot to take your date for Valentine's Day, consider The Brown Bottle.
Alternative-health-care provider 1. Palmer Chiropractic Clinic 2. Dennis Hagemann, Hagemann Chiropractic Center 3. Brad Merritt, Merritt Chiropractic Clinic Best alternative health care- Palmer Chiropractic Clinics This year, Davenport's Palmer Chiropractic Clinic received the Reader's citation for best alternative health care in the Quad Cities, and because it's been around forever, it's safe to say it did have a leg - as well as a neck, spine, and lower back - up on the competition.
Community-service organization 1. American Red Cross 2. United Way of the Quad Cities Area 3. Gilda's Club Quad Cities Charitable event 1. Birdies for Charity 2.
Local theatre organization 1. Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse 2. ComedySportz 3. Playcrafters Barn Theatre Local blues band 1. Ellis Kell Band 2. John Resch & the Detroit Blues (tie) 2.

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