If the Quad City Symphony Orchestra seems a little looser this year, the organization has done its job. Its marketing for the 2002-3 season has ditched the traditional, low-key flavor of previous efforts in favor of a vibrant and energetic campaign using the work of a local commercial artist.
• Davenport has had nine murders this year, three within a 16-day period. With a little over four months left in the year, the city is on pace to more than double the six homicides in the city last year. So far, Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Iowa's largest cities, have not seen a growth in their homicide rates.
Editor's note: This is the second in a series of articles on new developments in Quad Cities-area downtowns. The Quad Cities are divided by the Mississippi, and Moline has its own dividing line.
The Celtic Highland Games of the Quad-Cities come into their fourth edition on Saturday at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds with a record of steady growth, and plenty of ideas to ensure that continues. The inaugural Games drew 1,000 people, and the total has risen consistently, to 2,500 in 2000 and 4,000 in 2001.
• According to a study published this month in the journal Health Education Research, the nation's three leading student drug-prevention programs are either ineffective or under-evaluated. Programs highlighted in the study include McGruff's Drug Prevention & Child Protection, Here's Looking at You 2000, and DARE.
Eric Trimble probably has more at stake in the re-location of the Interstate 74 bridge than just about anybody. For one thing, the multiple businesses owned by his family are located in downtown Moline, so a bigger, safer bridge might benefit them.
• The Light of Life program, sponsored by Scott County TRIAD and Seniors & Law Enforcement Together, encourages seniors to obtain a special adapter that turns an ordinary light fixture or lamp into an emergency beacon.
Editor's note: This is the first in a series of articles on new developments on Quad Cities-area downtowns. When you have a lot of dreams, it's sometimes difficult to prioritize them. Karen Pohl didn't have to.
There are a lot of festivals that piggyback a culture or holiday to cash in. This weekend's Ya Maka My Weekend, though, isn't one of them. The Jamaica-themed festival in The District of Rock Island has the seal of approval of the Jamaican Tourist Board.
• The Family Museum of Arts & Science in Bettendorf is now recognized as an official National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Backyard Wildlife Habitat site. The Family Museum's habitat area was organized under the direction of museum Education Coordinator Kathy Wierzba.

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