Kadyn Halverson, age 7, saw her school bus slow to a stop in front of her family's home near Northwood, Iowa, one morning last May.  She crossed the street to climb aboard.  Like my own three kids and many other Iowa children, she took the flashing red lights of the bus as an article of faith that it was safe to cross.

 

But that morning, it wasn't. A pickup truck driver traveling at 60 miles per hour ignored the warning signs and passed the stopped school bus, striking and killing Kadyn. The driver fled and later was convicted of vehicular homicide.

 

Since the tragedy, Kadyn's family has worked tirelessly to honor her legacy by pushing the Iowa Legislature to strengthen penalties for drivers who ignore warning lights and illegally pass school buses.

 

Last month, Gov. Terry Branstad signed "Kadyn's Law," which mandates fines of at least $250 and up to $675, plus the possibility of jail time, for first-time offenders of school bus traffic safety laws. For a second conviction within five years, repeat offenders face up to a year in jail and fines up to $1,875. These strong penalties tell drivers to take school bus warning lights seriously.

 

The obvious next step is to make Kadyn's Law the new national standard. Under a federal version of Kadyn's Law I've introduced in Congress, if a state doesn't pass a law that matches the standards set forth in Iowa this year, that state will face a 10 percent cut in federal highway funding.

 

Without this sort of motivation, the status quo is never going to change. Consider this: In North Dakota, the fine for passing a stopped school bus is $50 – less than some parking tickets!

 

Across the nation, drivers illegally pass stopped school buses 13 million times each year; in Iowa, 138,600 times every year.  If we cut that number, we'll reduce the number of children killed and injured by reckless drivers. The best way to do that is to eliminate a weak, ineffective patchwork of state laws and replace it with a strong national standard that provides a real incentive for drivers to follow the law.

 

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:Kenosha, Wis. - Carthage College has named outstanding scholars to its Dean's List for academic excellence during the fall semester of 2011.

Dean's List honors are accorded Carthage students who achieve a 3.5 grade point average while carrying at least 14 credit hours during a semester.

Students from the local area receiving Dean's List honors include :

Anne Marie Boyler and Erin Holst, both of Bettendorf

Jennifer Lynn Fyfe of Davenport

Pace Raymond Bennett and Nathan Andrew Moore, both of Moline.

ABOUT CARTHAGE COLLEGE

Established in 1847, Carthage is a college of the liberal arts and sciences affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The College enrolls 2,500 students and is situated on the Lake Michigan shore in Kenosha, Wis., midway between Chicago and Milwaukee. The Collegiate Learning Assessment has ranked Carthage among the top eight percent of colleges and universities nationwide for the academic gains of its students.

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Des Moines, April 4, 2012 – On Wednesday, April 11, the Iowa Supreme Court will visit eight high schools in the Quad-Cities area to talk with students about the role of the courts. The justices will visit with students at West, Central, and Assumption High Schools in Davenport; Bettendorf, and Pleasant Valley High Schools, and Rivermont Collegiate in Bettendorf; North Scott High School in Eldridge; and Clinton High School in Clinton.

 

High school visit schedule for April 11:

7:45 a.m.–Justice Daryl Hecht will visit Davenport Central High School

8:40 a.m.–Justice Edward Mansfield will visit North Scott Senior High School

9:00 a.m.–Justice David Wiggins will visit Davenport West High School

9:00 a.m.–Justice Thomas Waterman will visit Pleasant Valley High School

9:00 a.m.–Justice Bruce Zager will visit Clinton High School

9:20 a.m.–Justice Brent Appel will visit Davenport Assumption High School

10:00 a.m.–Chief Justice Mark Cady will visit Bettendorf High School

11:00 a.m.–Justice Thomas Waterman will visit Rivermont Collegiate

 

News media wishing to cover a justice visit to either Davenport West or Davenport Central High Schools must first contact Davenport Community School District Communication Specialist Dawn Saul at saulda@davenportschools.org or 563-336-5088.

 

The school visits are in conjunction with a special session of the supreme court in the Quad Cities on the evening of April 10. The court will hear oral arguments in two cases in the Pleasant Valley High School auditorium. This session begins at 7 p.m. As always, oral arguments are open to the public.

 

Special Session

Tuesday, April 10, at 7 p.m.

Pleasant Valley High School auditorium

604 Belmont Road

Bettendorf, Iowa

 

The court will hear attorneys argue in two cases.

 

11-0834 Lewis vs. The City of Dubuque

Plaintiff appeals the decision of the Iowa District Court for Dubuque County dismissing her claim that she was illegally evicted from her apartment. Plaintiff often used her gas oven, with door open, to heat her apartment and left water running for extended periods. Acting under a Dubuque City Ordinance, the landlord changed the locks to the apartment and moved plaintiff's possessions to the front step. Plaintiff contends the city ordinance violates her due process rights and is preempted by Iowa's Uniform Residential Landlord Tenant Act (URLTA). Defendant argues that Iowa's URLTA was not meant to prohibit cities from addressing such emergency situations.

 

The attorney representing the appellant is Raymond Johnson, West Des Moines, and the attorneys representing the appellee are Cory Thein, Dubuque, and Leslie Reddick, Dubuque.

 

11-1581 Dier vs. Peters

Should Iowa recognize a cause of action for paternity fraud? Plaintiff seeks reimbursement from the mother of a child plaintiff financially and emotionally supported, claiming the mother knew plaintiff was not the father of the child. The parties were never married. Plaintiff claims the mother led him to believe he was the child's biological father, and that only after a custody evaluation was favorable to him did the mother announce that he was not the father. The mother argues the court should reject such claims when the plaintiff declined paternity confirmation and voluntarily supported the child. Plaintiff appeals the Iowa District Court for Grundy County decision dismissing plaintiff's claim.

 

The attorney representing the appellant is Barry Kaplan, Marshalltown, and the attorney representing the appellee is Lynn Wiese, Iowa Falls.

 

Public Reception

There will be a public reception sponsored by the Scott County Bar Association in the Pleasant Valley High School cafeteria immediately following the court proceedings.

 

More Information

Attorneys' briefs for the two cases and a "Guide to Oral Arguments" are posted on the Iowa Judicial Branch website at: http://www.iowacourts.gov/Supreme_Court/Offsite_Oral_Arguments/.

 

Note to Editors: News media are invited to attend the oral arguments. Court rules regarding expanded media coverage apply.

 

 

 

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DES MOINES, IA (04/03/2012)(readMedia)-- State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald reminds students the deadline to apply for a Robert D. Blue Scholarship is drawing near. Applications must be submitted online at www.rdblue.org by May 10 in order to be eligible for this year's award.

"Over the years we've helped thousands of Iowa students meet their college costs with this scholarship," Fitzgerald stated. "Awards are based on financial need, academic achievements, written recommendations and an original essay." In 2011, seven Iowa students received a $1,000 Robert D. Blue Scholarship.

The Robert D. Blue Scholarship is awarded by the Iowa Centennial Memorial Foundation to honor Iowa students attending college in Iowa. The Foundation was created in 1949 to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of Iowa's acceptance into the union. Governor Blue wished to encourage the youth of the state to continue their education at one of Iowa's fine institutions of higher learning. In 1990, the Foundation officially named the scholarship to honor the late Governor Blue.

Robert D. Blue Scholarship applications are only accepted online at www.rdblue.org, and the winners will be announced during the summer. Those who would like more information on the Robert D. Blue Scholarship should visit the website, or call the treasurer's office at (515) 242-5270.

Moline, Illinois - Congressman Bobby Schilling (IL-17) today announced that his offices will soon be accepting entries for the 30th Annual Congressional Art Competition.  Each high school in the 17th Congressional District has been invited to nominate up to five students to participate in the competition, an opportunity to acknowledge and promote artistic ability in each Congressional District and ultimately throughout the country.

"This is a great opportunity to show our area's young people that their hard work and creativity are valued," Schilling said.  "The talent and imagination among our district's young people blew me away last year, and I'm really looking forward to seeing this year's entries."

 

For this year's judging, a total of three votes will determine the winners.  Two local art experts will be the core judges, with the third vote cast by a compilation of spectator votes at the Art Competition reception to take place on Saturday May 5 from 1-3pm at Augustana College's Art Museum in Rock Island.  Sponsored by the Congressional Institute, the first place finisher and one guest will receive a free flight to Washington, DC to attend the 2012 Congressional Art Competition Reception on Capitol Hill, where their artwork will be displayed for the next year in a corridor of the United States Capitol Building dedicated to the talent of today's youth.  It will represent the 17th Congressional District of Illinois among hundreds of pieces from other congressional districts all over the country.  The remaining four artists are invited to have their pieces featured in the Schilling's district offices for the remainder of the year.

 

The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 as a way to recognize and encourage the artistic talent of our country's youth.  Since it was launched, more than 650,000 students have participated nationwide.  Interested students or parents can contact Claudia Ridenour with questions at (309) 757-7630.

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ROCK ISLAND, IL (03/30/2012)(readMedia)-- 821 students have been named to the Dean's List at Augustana College for the 2011-12 winter term. Students who have earned this academic honor have maintained a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher on a four-point scale for courses taken during the term.

From your area, students who have earned this honor include :

Sheila Ahuja from Rock Island, Ill., a sophomore majoring in English/language arts education.

Leo Anderson from Rock Island, Ill., a sophomore majoring in business administration-advising.

Anthony Ash from Davenport, Iowa, a senior majoring in accounting and business administration-finance.

Erica Aten from Coal Valley, Ill., a senior majoring in psychology.

Jessica Bacon from Rock Island, Ill., a first year majoring in liberal studies.

Samantha Bazely from Coal Valley, Ill., a junior majoring in communication studies.

Adam Bengfort from Davenport, Iowa, a first year majoring in liberal studies.

Brandy Blakeney from East Moline, Ill., a junior majoring in mathematics and scandinavian studies.

Allison Brown from Milan, Ill., a sophomore majoring in elementary education.

Courtney Brown from Port Byron, Ill., a senior majoring in biology.

Ryan Brummet from Port Byron, Ill., a junior majoring in mathematics, applied mathematics, and computer science.

Tyler Cowherd from Bettendorf, Iowa, a sophomore majoring in business administration and advising.

Grace Drenth from Davenport, Iowa, a junior majoring in psychology.

Owen Engstrom from Davenport, Iowa, a senior majoring in political science and multimedia journalism and mass communication.

Tonnie Farwell from Rock Island, Ill., a junior majoring in accounting.

Kayla Ferguson from Orion, Ill., a junior majoring in English creative writing.

Abby Fiedler from Orion, Ill., a senior majoring in mathematics.

Fenner Hengst from Bettendorf, Iowa, a sophomore majoring in graphic design.

Darshan Hullon from Moline, Ill., a junior majoring in pre-medicine and biology.

Alexandra Jones from Sherrard, Ill., a sophomore majoring in biology.

Samantha Kammerman from Milan, Ill., a first year majoring in liberal studies.

Michael Kautz from East Moline, Ill., a junior majoring in accounting and business administration-finance.

Benjamin Knapper from Davenport, Iowa, a first year majoring in liberal studies.

Kylie Koger from Davenport, Iowa, a sophomore majoring in classics.

Ryan Kopatich from Davenport, Iowa, a senior majoring in psychology.

Manisha Kumar from Davenport, Iowa, a junior majoring in pre-medicine and biology.

Adam Lang from Rock Island, Ill., a senior majoring in business administration-management.

Anna Letendre from Rock Island, Ill., a junior majoring in business administration-marketing and psychology.

Kelsey Lovaas from Davenport, Iowa, a junior majoring in business administration-management and accounting.

Hannah Maloney from Davenport, Iowa, a junior majoring in psychology and communication studies.

Samantha McGreer from Illinois City, Ill., a first year majoring in liberal studies.

Timothy Murga from Rock Island, Ill., a senior majoring in biology.

Leart Neziroski from East Moline, Ill., a senior majoring in pre-medicine and biology.

Jacob O'Rourke from Davenport, Iowa, a senior majoring in accounting, economics, and business administration-finance.

Douglas Peters from Port Byron, Ill., a senior majoring in neuroscience and biology.

Richard Rector from Davenport, Iowa, a junior majoring in communication sciences and disorders.

Sarah Riedel from Long Grove, Iowa, a first year majoring in liberal studies.

Anna Rusch from Davenport, Iowa, a sophomore majoring in business administration-advising.

Ingrid Schneider from Davenport, Iowa, a first year majoring in liberal studies.

Andrew Shearouse from Coal Valley, Ill., a junior majoring in liberal studies.

Moselle Singh from Le Claire, Iowa, a junior majoring in anthropology.

Amber Soike from East Moline, Ill., a senior majoring in elementary education psychology.

Rosalie Starenko from Rock Island, Ill., a first year majoring in liberal studies.

Emma Thompson from Port Byron, Ill., a sophomore majoring in spanish.

Anthony TouVelle from Bettendorf, Iowa, a first year majoring in liberal studies.

Anna Tunnicliff from Bettendorf, Iowa, a senior majoring in history.

Chelsea Vickerman from Silvis, Ill., a junior majoring in business administration-finance.

Kaleigh Wall from Eldridge, Iowa, a senior majoring in art.

Alexander Wenskunas from Davenport, Iowa, a senior majoring in political science.

Peter Wessels from Bettendorf, Iowa, a senior majoring in business administration-finance and accounting.

James Wiebler from Davenport, Iowa, a junior majoring in biology.

Kelsey Winter from East Moline, Ill., a sophomore majoring in biology.

Nathan Woeber from Taylor Ridge, Ill., a first year majoring in liberal studies.

Shelby Womack from Davenport, Iowa, a sophomore majoring in biology.

About Augustana: Founded in 1860 and situated on a 115-acre campus near the Mississippi River, Augustana College is a private, liberal arts institution affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The college enrolls 2,500 students from diverse geographic, social, ethnic and religious backgrounds and offers nearly 90 majors and related areas of study. Augustana employs 287 faculty members and has a student-faculty ratio of approximately 11:1. Augustana continues to do what it has always done: challenge and prepare students for lives of leadership and services in our complex, ever-changing world.

HUNTINGTON, IN (03/30/2012)(readMedia)-- Four Huntington University students in the Indiana Beta Chapter of Alpha Chi National Honor Scholarship Society were recognized at the Alpha Chi Super-Regional Convention in Baltimore, Md., on March 22-24.

Sarah Johnson, a senior journalism and English major from Davenport, IA, was awarded the National Benedict Fellowship. She is Huntington's 12th national winner and the seventh since 2004. She gave a presentation on "Prophetic Heroism in A Lesson Before Dying" on the Ernest J. Gaines's novel of the same name.

Nine HU students attended the convention.

The Indiana Beta chapter was also named a 2012 Star chapter at the convention. This is the 17th year straight year it has won the award since its inception. Only three other chapters out of Alpha Chi's 300-plus have equaled this. As a result, the chapter was nominated by Region V as one of its candidates for the 2013 Alpha Chi President's Cup. The chapter contributed 103 books to the literacy program "Reading is Fundamental" as part of Alpha Chi's national service project, and several members of the delegation participated in a chapter leadership conference.

Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. U.S. News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest, and Forbes.com has listed the university as one of America's Best Colleges. Additionally, Princeton Review has named the institution to its "Best in the Midwest" list. Founded in 1897 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Huntington University is located on a contemporary, lakeside campus in northeast Indiana. The university is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).

Dear Rivermont Community,

College acceptance letters have been flying through cyberspace and snail mail for the past few weeks and our own seniors have been anxiously checking emails and mailboxes.  Last night, the long awaited Ivy acceptances were released.  You may have heard the shouts of joy or groans of disappointment reverberate across the country.  There were definitely shouts of joy from Rivermont households.

Congratulations to our seniors, Class of 2012 for their college acceptances to date!  Their hard work and dedication has been rewarded.  Kudos to our faculty for preparing our students to meet the challenges and expectations offered by colleges and universities across the country. 

American University DC

Augsburg College MN

Augustana College IL

Baylor University TX

Benedictine University IL

Boston University MA

Brown University RI

California Institute of Technology CA

Case Western Reserve University OH

Columbia University NY

Cornell University NY

Dartmouth College NH

DePaul University IL

Duquesne University PA

Drew University NJ

Drexel University PA

Duke University NC

Emory University GA

Gustavus Adolphus College MN

Johns Hopkins University MD

Kent State University OH

Knox College IL

Lehigh University PA

Michigan Technological University MI

New Jersey Institute of Technology NJ

New York University NY

Northern Michigan University MI

Northwestern University IL

Pennsylvania State University PA

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute NY

Richard Stockton NJ

Rosemont College PA

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey-Newark NJ

St. Ambrose University IA

St. Bonaventure University NY

St. Louis University MO

Sienna College NY

Stanford University CA

Stony Brook University NY

Temple University PA

Union College NY

University of Alabama AL (EMSAP)

University of Chicago IL

University of Cincinnati OH

University of Connecticut CT

University of Illinois at Chicago IL

University of Iowa IA

University of Kansas KS

University of Maryland MD

University of Miami FL

University of Minnesota, Morris MN

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities MN

University of Missouri- Kansas City MO

University of Pennsylvania PA

University of Pittsburgh PA

University of Southern Alabama AL

University of Rochester NY

University of Toledo OH

University of Virginia VA

Ursinus College PA

Vanderbilt University TN

Villanova University PA

Virginia Commonwealth University VA

Washington University in St. Louis MO

Wayne State University MI

West Chester University PA

Widener University PA

Yale University CT

Youngstown State University OH

 

This significant list of acceptances gives our seniors a wealth of opportunities to continue their path of learning and achievement.  Of our seven seniors, four are lifers, one entered in first grade, one in seventh, and one in eleventh.  The Class of 2012 has been awarded a combined total of $1,372,344.00 in renewable merit scholarships over 4 years.

 

The Rivermont Experience culminates in the Upper School and once again our students and faculty have demonstrated the benefits of focused Intellect, refined Character, and boundless Creativity!

 

Rick St. Laurent

Headmaster

PELLA, IA (03/29/2012)(readMedia)-- Perry Harrah, a senior french major, earned a spot on the fall 2011 dean's list for Central College Abroad.

Harrah, a native of Davenport, Iowa, is the Son of Chester Harrah and Gail Harrah and a graduate of Davenport West High School.

The honor is awarded to full-time students who achieve a 3.5 grade point average or higher on a 4.0 scale while taking 12 or more graded credit hours for the semester.

Central College Abroad is a university-based study abroad provider for undergraduate students from colleges and universities throughout the United States. Central College Abroad offers semester, yearlong and summer study abroad programs at eight sites worldwide and operates out of Central College.

Central College is a private, four-year, residential liberal arts college in Pella, Iowa. Central's academic program offers 39 majors leading to a bachelor's degree, along with pre-professional programs and advising. Central was recognized in the 2011 U.S.News & World Report's annual rankings of the best liberal arts colleges in the nation.

ISU Scott County Extension & Outreach Master Gardeners are available to answer your horticulture related questions April 2nd through October 31st. Practicing gardeners who are knowledgeable and experienced on topics such as water, butterfly or rain  gardens, shade gardening, vegetables, roses, native plants, tree and lawn care, and many other topics are eager to answer your garden & landscape questions.

Call ISU Scott County Extension & Outreach at (563) 359-7577, Monday through Friday 9:00am to noon & 1:00pm to 4:00pm, with your questions.

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