• The Bettendorf City Council has unanimously approved establishing a stormwater utility to pay for a federally mandated stormwater- discharge permit. The federal government now requires municipalities to regulate the amount of pollution discharged in stormwater and monitor and inspect facilities that release stormwater.
Editor's note: This is the second in a series of articles being filed from Iraq by River Cities' Reader political columnist and Chicago-based journalist Rich Miller. Last week's story can be found at (http://www.
• The Habitat ReStore is now presenting an improved image to the community, thanks to the work of two young Quad Cities artists. Earlier this summer, Nancy Foster, a ReStore director, approached students employed in the Quad City Arts Metro Arts program.
Editor's note: River Cities' Reader political columnist and Chicago-based journalist Rich Miller is spending a month in Iraq. This is the first in a series of articles he's filing presenting an alternative viewpoint on the postwar effort there.
• The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has announced a scholarship program for students who have lost a parent to breast cancer. The program will award five scholarships of up to $10,000 annually for up to four years toward the completion of a baccalaureate degree.
• The State of Iowa has announced that the Bettendorf Public Library Information Center has met the conditions for state accreditation. The library will receive an official certificate of accreditation that is valid until June 2006.
Rock Island's $4.4-million Whitewater Junction debuted on May 17 with a week of special events, and then it opened to the public. Bad weather resulted in those first two weeks being "lackluster at best" in terms of attendance, said Bill Nelson, executive director of the Rock Island Park & Recreation Board.
Now in their fifth year, the Celtic Highland Games of the Quad Cities continue to expand. While the authentic Scottish athletic competition - seven events, one of them involving throwing a 12-foot-long, 100-pound pole - was the novel appeal of the event when it got started, the festival is fast becoming a celebration of all things Celtic.
• After more than a decade of research and analysis, the Restructured Upper Mississippi River & Illinois Waterway System Navigation Study is nearing completion. Public participation now and at upcoming public meetings is key to developing a plan to ensure the Mississippi and Illinois rivers continue to be nationally treasured ecological resources, as well as effective transportation systems.
• Iowa Republican legislative leaders have filed a lawsuit against Governor Tom Vilsack, challenging his use of a line-item veto on economic-development legislation approved earlier this year. The lawsuit in Polk County District Court, which names House Majority Leader Christopher Rants and Senate Majority Leader Stewart Iverson as plaintiffs, stems from Vilsack's June 19 selective veto of income-tax cuts, changes in the worker's compensation system, and limits on some jury awards.

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