The Scott County Sheriff's Office would like to warn its citizens of yet another phone scam. This one was received by Sheriff Conard. The caller identified themselves as Mary Lee from Publishers Clearing House and that he had won $950,000 and a Mercedes Benz. The money and the vehicle were here in Iowa for him to claim. All he had to do to claim the prize was pay the 1% tax on the money for $399. He was to go to Western Union and get a money order in that amount.

This is another prize scam where the potential victims are told they won large sums of money, but there is a processing fee/tax fee/administrative fee needed before victims can claim their prize. Anytime someone would ask you for a money order, pre-paid card of some type for services or prize is a scam. Please do not fall victim to this scam. Suspects are counting on the excitement of the news to not let you think this through which is called pretexting. For more information and tips, please visit our website at http://www.scottcountyiowa.com/sheriff/safety.php.

Rock Island, IL: Babies and toddlers visiting their pediatrician at the Rock Island Community Health Care clinic now get a prescription for reading, thanks to the Reach Out and Read early literacy program and a new partnership with the Rock Island Public Library.

Community Health Care and the library kicked off their literacy partnership in March, during Read Aloud 15 Minutes Month. The national campaign encourages every parent to read aloud to every child for 15 minutes a day, every day.

The library has partnered with Community Health Care - Rock Island Medical Clinic at 2750 11th Street to support their Reach Out and Read program with a "Begin Reading Here" kit for parents and children. Each kit includes a bib or a coloring sheet and crayons, early literacy tips, and information on free Rock Island Library cards and educational services for children under six. Community Health Care will distribute the kits at well baby and well-child visits.

The Rock Island Library is also supplying children's books for the clinic's pediatric and dental office waiting rooms. Parents can take a book from or leave a book in the "Read with Max" little library, which will be replenished by the library as needed. Max Reader Mouse is the library's reading mascot.

"Getting books into the hands of children is a proven strategy for building positive feelings about books and reading," says Susan Foster, Rock Island Library director of children's services. The library had been actively searching for a Reach Out and Read partner as part of its mission to create young readers.

"We were so pleased to find that there was already a program right in our backyard," adds Foster. "Partnering with Community Health Care enables  our agencies to help families raise children who are healthy and ready to learn. We look forward to working with them to support children's early learning needs, and ensure they have access to the early learning resources in their community."

"We serve all those in need to create healthier families. That means children attend school more often, our workforce and our economy is stronger, and all citizens have access to health care, despite their financial situation," says Adam Meuser, Community Health Care's Illinois operations manager.

Reach Out and Read is an evidence-based nonprofit organization of medical providers that formed in 1989 to promote early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms. Community Health Care has partnered with the Reach Out and Read program since 2007, beginning in their Davenport office.

Pediatricians at Reach Out and Read sites prescribe books as a critical part of early childhood development, and provide advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud into well-child visits. Evidence collected by the organization shows that Reach Out and Read families read together more often and that preschoolers served by Reach Out and Read partners score three to six-months ahead of their non-Reach Out and Read peers on vocabulary tests.

Community Health Care is a federally qualified health center that serves the community from seven clinic locations in Davenport, East Moline, Moline and Rock Island. CHC has provided primary patient care for nearly 40 years, serving more than 37,000 individuals with Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance or no insurance.

Additional information about library events and services is available by visiting www.rockislandlibrary.org, following the library's Facebook and Twitter sites, or by calling 309-732-READ (7323.)

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Founded in 1872, the Rock Island Public Library serves the area through three locations, which include the Main, 30/31 and Southwest Branches, community outreach efforts, and online opportunities that provide resources to enhance personal achievement and stimulate the imagination.

Club for Growth President David McIntosh: "2014's Congressional Scorecard has few surprises. In general, those who believe in economic freedom will be recognized for their consistency and those who do not, will not."

Washington, DC - Today, the Club for Growth released its 2014 Congressional Scorecard, which ranks the voting behavior of Members of Congress based on issues related to limited government and economic growth.

To view the Club for Growth's 2014 Congressional Scorecard and all prior Scorecards, click here, or go to: www.ClubForGrowth.org/Scorecards/

"2014's Congressional Scorecard has few surprises. In general, those who believe in economic freedom will be recognized for their consistency and those who do not, will not," said Club for Growth President David McIntosh. "In the Senate, Harry Reid's decision to shut down the Senate meant an unusually small pool of votes related to economic issues. While some Senators' scores may seem out of character for 2014, those who have a long-standing commitment to free markets and pro-growth policies still have lifetime scores over 90. Club members always look at someone's entire record when evaluating their commitment to tax cuts, entitlement reform and limited government principles."

This year, 34 Members of Congress will receive the Club for Growth's Defender of Economic Freedom Award. Starting in 2011, The Club for Growth required Representatives and Senators to not only score 90 or better on votes cast in a year, but to also have a lifetime score or "LifeScore" of at least 90.

NOTE: The number of votes used in the Senate rating (17) for 2014 is much lower than the historical average (26). This is because there were fewer votes taken in the Senate on economic issues to consider for inclusion in the scorecard. We attribute this to two things: First, from an objective standpoint, then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid effectively "shut down" the Senate, preventing bills and amendments from being considered on the floor, which led to a smaller number of roll call votes to choose from. Second, because Senator Reid invoked the so-called "nuclear option," votes on judicial and executive nominations represented the lion's share of all votes cast in the upper chamber in 2014 (254/366 or nearly 70%). The Club for Growth intends to inform its members that a Senator's 2014 rating could vary considerably from his or her lifetime average as a result of this anomaly.

 

Highlights from the Club for Growth's 2014 Congressional Scorecard:

•       Only one United States Senator received a perfect score in 2014: Now-retired Senator Tom Coburn (OK), who also qualified for the Defender of Economic Freedom Award.

•       Senators Jeff Flake (AZ), Marco Rubio (FL), Rand Paul (KY), Jim Inhofe (OK), Tim Scott (SC), Ted Cruz (TX), Mike Lee (UT), and Ron Johnson (WI) had 2014 scores and LifeScores high enough to qualify for the Defender of Economic Freedom Award.

•       Twenty-five current and past House members who received scores of 90 percent or better in 2014 also had LifeScores of 90 or better to qualify for the Defender of Economic Freedom Award.

•       Eight members of the House received 100 percent ratings in 2014. Of those, one also has a 100 percent LifeScore: Congressman Justin Amash (MI-03). Six others also received a 100 percent score in 2014 and have a LifeScore over 90: Congressmen Tom McClintock (CA-04), Tim Huelskamp (KS-01), Mike Pompeo (KS-04), Scott Garrett (NJ-05), Jim Jordan (OH-04), and Jeff Duncan (SC-03). One, James Lankford (OK-05), had a 2014 score of 100 percent but has a LifeScore below 90.

•       Seventeen Senate Democrats scored zero in 2014 and the scores of every Senate Democrat were at or below 24%.

•       The highest rated Democrat was Senator Tom Carper (DE) with a 24%. The lowest rated Republican was Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK) with a  27%.

•       Republican Leadership scores in 2014 were: Boehner (OH-08): N/A, McCarthy (CA-23): 43%, Scalise (LA-01): 82%; McMorris Rodgers (WA-05): 62%.

•       Democratic leadership scores in 2014 were: Pelosi (CA-12): 4%, Hoyer (MD-05): 2%, Clyburn (SC-06): 2%, Becerra (CA-34): 13%.

•       The highest scoring House Democrat, with a 50%, was Jim Matheson (UT-04), who scored higher than 56 Republicans. The three lowest Republican scores were Jon Runyan (NJ-03) 19%, Peter King (NY-02) 22%, and Chris Smith (NJ-04), 26%.

The Club for Growth is the nation's leading group promoting economic freedom through legislative involvement, issue advocacy, research, and education.

The Club's website can be found at http://www.clubforgrowth.org/