14 Mar 2011

Governor Quinn Launches Website for Expanded Small Business Tax Credit

By Andrew Mason

Employers Hiring Put Illinois to Work Trainees can register for $2,500 Tax Credit on JobsTaxCredit.Illinois.gov

CHICAGO - March 2, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today announced that employers who hire Put Illinois to Work trainees can now log onto an easy-to-use website to qualify for a $2,500 tax credit. Employers can now log onto JobsTaxCredit.illinois.gov to learn more about the credit and register any eligible positions. To be eligible for the credit, employers must hire workers trained through Put Illinois to Work into permanent positions before June 30, 2011.

"Long-term economic stability means making sure that people receive the training they need to compete in the job market. Put Illinois to Work helped thousands of people learn on-the-job skills, and now we are helping them continue using these skills," said Governor Quinn. "This tax credit gives employers the tools they need to keep these people working."

Put Illinois to Work has been nationally recognized for its success in providing more than 28,000 worker-trainees with job skills and a hands-on experience they would have not otherwise received.

Governor Quinn created the Illinois Small Business Job Creation Tax Credit last year to help jumpstart job creation in the wake of the national recession. Earlier this year, Governor Quinn led passage of and signed legislation to expand the $2,500 credit to include employers who hire Put Illinois to Work trainees into permanent positions.

Under the law, any employer of any size that hires a former worker-trainee from the program is now eligible for the Illinois Small Business Job Creation Tax Credit, which is administered by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). The $2,500 credit was initially available only to small businesses that had 50 or fewer full-time employees (including all locations) as of June 30, 2010.

"These changes mean more businesses can benefit by hiring Illinois workers now," said DCEO Director Warren Ribley. "This law helps encourage job creation and growth as we continue our economic recovery."

Employers are now able to register new positions using the expanded criteria online at JobsTaxCredit.illinois.gov. After hiring trainees, companies can use the Web site to enter substantiating data, including their federal tax identification number, or FEIN.

Employers hiring a former participant in the Put Illinois to Work program can claim half of the tax credit six months after the date of hire, and the last half of the tax credit 12 months after the date of hire. The new law requires that the employees receive no less than $10 hourly, with a minimum salary of $18,200 annually. For more information, businesses should call 1-800-252-2923 or visit the website. The total amount of credits issued is capped at $50 million.

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05 Mar 2011

Schilling, Braley Travel to Afghanistan

By Alexandra Krasov

Quad City Congressmen Travel to Afghanistan
Rep. Braley, Rep. Schilling Make Official Visit

Washington, DC - Congressman Bruce Braley (IA-01) and Congressman Bobby Schilling (IL-17) traveled to Afghanistan to meet with top U.S. military officials and local Afghan leaders. The Congressmen also visited U.S. troops from Illinois and Iowa.

Rep. Braley, a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said:
"I was pleased to meet General Petraeus and our top commanders in Afghanistan - and to get their sense of the full scope and progress of our mission there."

Rep. Schilling, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said: "It was important to me to be fully informed of American Military activity in Afghanistan."

Both Rep. Braley and Schilling praised U.S. troops and were pleased to hear directly from them during the visit.

Rep. Braley said: "I am proud of all our soldiers, and especially so of the Iowa National Guard troops that I had the chance to meet with. These brave men and women are doing an extraordinary job at protecting America."

Rep. Schilling said: "I am proud of the work being done by our troops in Afghanistan and I am inspired by their dedication to the mission. Our troops have made great progress developing relationships with local leaders and killing or capturing terrorist cells."

Both Congressmen traveled to Afghanistan on a fact-finding mission with the House Armed Services Committee.

###

Braley Meets with Gen. Petraeus, Iowa National Guard Troops

Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Bruce Braley (IA-01) is returning from a fact-finding Congressional delegation trip to Afghanistan, where he met with General David Petraeus, Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, and Iowa National Guard troops from the First Congressional District.

"Yesterday, I met with General Petraeus and top commanders to discuss our mission and progress in Afghanistan," said Rep. Braley. "I also had the chance to visit several Iowa National Guard troops and talk to them about their experiences. Our brave soldiers make tremendous sacrifices to protect this country, and I want to make sure they can complete their mission and come home safely."

High-resolution photos from Rep. Braley's trip are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/repbraley/sets/72157626077750269/

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03 Mar 2011

Molly McNett to Read in The River Readings at Augustana

By Margaret Rogal

(Augustana College, Rock Island, IL) -Winner of the 2008 John Simmons Award for fiction from the University of Iowa Press for her book of short stories, One Dog Happy, Molly McNett reads in River Readings at Augustana on March 24.

In the story "One Dog Happy" McNett writes,

"...in that very moment?because, perhaps, the dog had been sensing this slackening, or, more likely, because it caught, just at that moment, a particular musk for which it lusted more than anything in the world?the dog gave a sudden sharp yank on the leash.

And that was that. The leash just slipped off of Mr. Bob's hand, and the dog was off, into the long grasses of the prairie. For a few moments, he could see it, the tail arcing like a dolphin's fin in the ocean of prairie grass, up and down, until suddenly the movement ceased."

Annie McCormick of Booklist writes, "In this heartbreaking collection, McNett breathes life into her very realistic characters, all of whom are struggling to play the unlucky hand they've been dealt. With each story firmly planted in the heartland of America, emotions run rampant as each copes with his or her poignant situation. A father buys his mail-order bride designer dresses, while his two daughters don thrift-store sweaters. Ellen imagines strange sexual scenarios to mentally escape her troubled life at home. ... In perhaps the most memorable piece of the collection, "Ozzie the Burro," two complete characters emerge from the page when a woman reveals the details of her troubled past through a series of letters written to a man she met on an Internet dating site. McNett subtly brings a touch of optimism and compassion to her stories from some improbable places."

McNett holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she was a teaching-writing fellow. In 2008 and 2009 her stories were awarded the Peden Prize from the Missouri Review, given a special mention in the Pushcart Prize series, and named as one of the 100 Distinguished stories from the Best American Short Stories series, edited by Salmon Rushdie. McNett was recently awarded a fellowship to the MacDowell colony, and is at work on a novel in stories. She teaches English composition at Northern Illinois University.

The reading is free and open to the public and takes place Thursday, March 24, at 7:00 p.m. in Wallenberg auditorium in Denkmann Memorial Hall (3520 7^th Ave.) on the Augustana College campus. A reception follows the reading.

The River Readings at Augustana is sponsored by the Institute for Leadership and Service, the Thomas Tredway Library, and the English Department at Augustana College.

The River Readings at Augustana calendar:

April 14, Dora Malech, poetry

03 Mar 2011

Happenings at The Old Creamery Theatre Company March 31 through May 29, 2011

By Shelley Oehler

Thursday, March 31

Art, by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton, 3 p.m., The Old Creamery Theatre Studio Stage, Middle Amana. Tickets: $27 adults; $17.50 students. Call the box office 800-35-Amana or www.oldcreamery.com.

Friday, April 1

Art, by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton, 7:30 p.m., The Old Creamery Theatre Studio Stage, Middle Amana. Tickets: $27 adults; $17.50 students. Call the box office 800-35-Amana or www.oldcreamery.com.

Saturday, April 2

Sunday, April 3

Thursday, April 7

Friday, April 8

Saturday, April 9

Sunday, April 10

Thursday, April 14

Friday, April 15

Saturday, April 16

Sunday, April 17

Saturday, April 23

Charlotte's Web, 1 p.m., an Old Creamery Theatre for Young Audiences production at The Old Creamery Theatre, Amana. Tickets: $8. Call the box office 800-35-Amana or www.oldcreamery.com.

Thursday, April 28

The Dixie Swim Club, by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, 3 p.m., The Old Creamery Theatre Main Stage, Amana. Tickets: $27 adults; $17.50 students. Call the box office 800-35-Amana or www.oldcreamery.com.

Friday, April 29

The Dixie Swim Club, by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, 7:30 p.m., The Old Creamery Theatre Main Stage, Amana. Tickets: $27 adults; $17.50 students. Call the box office 800-35-Amana or www.oldcreamery.com.

Saturday, April 30

Charlotte's Web, 1 p.m., an Old Creamery Theatre for Young Audiences production at The Old Creamery Theatre, Amana. Tickets: $8. Call the box office 800-35-Amana or www.oldcreamery.com.

Sunday, May 1

Wednesday, May 4

Thursday, May 5

Friday, May 6

Saturday, May 7

Charlotte's Web, 1 p.m., an Old Creamery Theatre for Young Audiences production, at The Old Creamery Theatre, Amana. Tickets: $8. Call the box office 800-35-Amana or www.oldcreamery.com.

Sunday, May 8

Wednesday, May 11

Thursday, May 12

Friday, May 13

Saturday, May 14

Sunday, May 15

Wednesday, May 18

Thursday, May 19

Friday, May 20

Saturday, May 21

Sunday, May 22

Wednesday, May 25

Thursday, May 26

Friday, May 27

Saturday, May 28

Sunday, May 29

28 Feb 2011

Poetry Out Loud Regional Contest Winners Move On to State Contest

By Tracy White

On Friday, February 18th, students from Orion High School and United Township participated in the Poetry Out Loud regional contest at Quad City Arts. The event was exciting and enriching and all in attendance were edified and entertained by the student recitations.

We are happy to announce the winners of the contest: 1st place was Nathan Walter from Orion HS. Nathan recited "Memory As A Hearing Aid" by Tony Hoagland and "Alone" by Edgar Allan Poe. Runner-up was Amanda Wales from United Township HS. Amanda recited "Fairy-Tale Logic" by A. E. Stallings and "When You Are Old" by W. B. Yeats. Lisa Amlong from Orion placed third and thus qualified as an alternate and will also attend the State Contest. Lisa recited "A dream Within A Dream" by Edgar Allan Poe and "Fairy-Tale Logic" by A. E. Stallings.

The winners of this competition will now advance to Illinois' State Poetry Out Loud Competition, being held Friday, March 11, 2011, at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield. The State champion will advance to the Poetry Out Loud National Finals on April 28-29, 2011 in Washington, DC, where $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be distributed with the grand prize being $20,000.

The competition, presented in partnership with the Illinois Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation is honored to provide travel support for regional and state finals of Poetry Out Loud in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

For further information, call Poetry Out Loud Regional Coordinator, Tracy White at 563-579-7630

22 Feb 2011

DISCOVER SUMMER ADVENTURES AT RIVERMONT COLLEGIATE

By Tammi Burrell

Keep young minds sharp over the summer with educational programs at Rivermont Collegiate! Rivermont is offering an assortment of Summer Adventures for children from preschool age and up. Programs cover a wide variety of interests - from cooking to poetry - to French and microbiology. Children from any school may register. Sessions run for one week from 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. or from 12:00 - 3:00 p.m.; each session cost $110 and some require an additional $25 lab fee. Students attending two classes per day need to bring a sack lunch. Lunch time will be from 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Rivermont strives to prepare students who are grounded in the basics, yet able to think analytically and creatively, to confidently meet the challenges of the 21st century. Check out full class descriptions and obtain a registration form at www.rvmt.org.

Preschool - Junior Kindergarten - Kindergarten

June 20-24 Mad Science! (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

June 20-24 Stories & More (12:00 - 3:00 p.m.)

June 27-July 1 Cooking Class (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

July 18-22 Take Me Out to the Ballgame (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

Grades K - 2

July 18-22 Dig Into Dinosaurs (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

Grades 1 - 5

June 20-24 Bits, Bytes and Hopefully NO Bugs! (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

June 27-July 1 Poetry, The Symphony of Words (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

June 27-July 1 Got Game? (12:00 - 3:00 p.m.)

Grades 3 - 12

June 27-July 1 Une Semaine à Paris! (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

July 18-22 Scrapadoodle (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

Grades 8 - 10

July 18-22 Seeing the Unseen: Basic Microbiology Techniques (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

July 25-30 Plagues & Poxes & Pestilence - Oh, My! (8:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

For enrollment information on Rivermont Collegiate contact Cindy Murray at 563-359-1366 ext. 302 or murray@rvmt.org.

For additional information on Summer Adventures at Rivermont Collegiate contact Tammi Burrell at 563-359-1366 ext. 337 or burrell@rvmt.org.

# # #

Rivermont Collegiate is the Quad Cities' only independent, non-sectarian, PS-12 college preparatory school, ranked #1 on Iowa's AP Index.

-END-

21 Feb 2011

Rock Island Students using theatre to teach others about the dangers of bullying

By M. McNeil

(Rock Island, IL) Members of Washington Junior High's "Lights, Camera, Action Team" are going on tour February 24, 2011.

The 35 member drama club is visiting two local elementary schools with an anti-bullying message. According to the Lights ON Site Coordinator, Kristie Sullivan, the half hour program will discuss bullying, drug awareness and self esteem in a fun, educational way. "The information that bullying is wrong will come through loud and clear in an entertaining way by performing skits, dancing and singing rap", says Sullivan.

14 Feb 2011

Old Creamery offers summer theatre camp

By Shelley Oehler

Amana- The Old Creamery's Theatre for Young Audiences is bringing a week-long theatre camp to Amana this summer!

Camp Creamery: The Legend of Blackbeard's Gold is a week-long workshop for children interested in exploring the exciting world of theatre! The camp is designed to give children ages 7 and up the unique opportunity to work and perform with three professional actors from The Old Creamery Theatre while they rehearse and present a play. The Legend of Blackbeard's Gold is a brand new musical full of pirates, damsels in distress, and plenty of fun! It's a great way for girls and boys to have a theatrical adventure this summer!

Camp Creamery: The Legend of Blackbeard's Gold will be held at The Old Creamery Theatre in Amana July 18th through 22nd from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. Cost is $65 per child and includes the workshop and a T-shirt. No prior experience is needed but the cast is limited to 60 actors and participants must be able to attend rehearsal every day. Registration is first come, first served and everyone that signs up will be cast in the show. Final performance of the show will be on July 22nd at 7:00 p.m on The Old Creamery's Main Stage.

For more information or to register visit www.oldcreamery.com or contact Jackie McCall at 319- 622-6034 or jmccall@oldcreamery.com. Scholarships will be available for those in need thanks to the generosity of this year's camp sponsor, AEGON.

The Old Creamery Theatre Company is a not-for-profit professional theatre founded in 1971 in Garrison, Iowa. The company is celebrating 40 years of bringing live, professional theatre to the people of Iowa and the Midwest. We thank KGAN and Fox 28, our 2011 season media sponsor.

14 Feb 2011

Grassley to Visit 10 of Iowa's 99 Counties Next Week

By Rick Martin

WASHINGTON - Senator Chuck Grassley will be in Clinton, Des Moines, Henry, Iowa, Jackson, Lee, Louisa, Muscatine, Scott and Van Buren counties next week to hold town meetings, visit an Iowa workplace, speak with service club members, and answer questions from students.

These meetings are part of Grassley's annual 99-county tour, which is one of the things he does to stay in touch with Iowans. Grassley has held a constituent meeting in all of Iowa's 99 counties every year since he was first elected to the United States Senate in 1980.

"These meetings give me a chance to talk with Iowans face-to-face. I answer their questions and listen to what they think about the issues. I work for the people of Iowa, so I want this feedback. Constituent meetings are very important when it comes to taking common-sense views to Washington," Grassley said.

Details of Grassley's schedule are below. Grassley will be available for media interviews for approximately 15 minutes following each event. Grassley is a guest at these events. Please contact the organizations for additional information.

Monday, February 21, 2011

7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Meet with Jackson County residents, Jackson County Town Meeting, Hurstville Interpretive Center, Community Room, 18670 - 63rd St., Maquoketa

9:30 - 10:30 a.m. Meet with Clinton County Residents, Clinton County Town Meeting, DeWitt Community Center, 512 - 10th St., DeWitt

Noon - 1 p.m. Speak at "Lunch with Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley" sponsored by the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce and Iowa Quad City Area Rotaries, Steeplegate Inn, 100 W. 76th St., Davenport

1:45 - 2:45 p.m. Meet with Scott County Residents, Scott County Town Meeting, Eldridge Community Center, 400 S. 16th Ave., Eldridge

3:45 - 4:45 p.m. Meet with Muscatine County Residents, Muscatine County Town Meeting, Wilton Community Center, 1215 Cypress St., Wilton

6 - 7 p.m. Speak to Columbus Junction Lions, Columbus Community Senior Center, 115 E. Walnut St., Columbus Junction

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

9 - 10:15 a.m. Meet with students and staff at Keokuk Christian Academy, 1578 Hilton Road, Keokuk

Noon - 1 p.m. Speak to Burlington Host Lions, Comfort Suites, 1780 Stonegate Center Drive, Burlington

3:15 - 4:15 p.m. Meet with Van Buren County residents, Van Buren County Town Meeting, Village Cup and Cakes, 202 Main St., Keosauqua

6 - 7 p.m. Speak to Wayland Lions, Wayland Community Center, 218 W. Main St., Wayland

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

7:30 - 9 a.m. Tour and meet with employees at Whirlpool, 2800 - 220th Trail, Amana

-30-

10 Feb 2011

Free Preview of The Old Creamery's Theatre For Young Audiences 2011 School Tour!

By Rick Martin

The Old Creamery's Theatre for Young Audiences kicks off the 2011 school tour with a free preview of What a Difference a Play Makes, Sunday, Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. on the Main Stage in Amana.

The Old Creamery offers this chance for the community to see What a Difference a Play Makes before it begins traveling to schools throughout Iowa with positive messages incorporated in a thoroughly entertaining show. Stories and songs in the show are based on materials submitted by children in grades 1 through 6 as part of the accompanying writing contest.

Although geared to school aged children, adults will find What a Difference a Play Makes just as much fun as the kids. "Always the highlight of our school year," said a teacher from Horizon Elementary School of a previous school tour. "The kids and adults enjoy the performances equally."

Sean McCall, artistic director at The Old Creamery Theatre said this year's show will be highly theatrical while focusing on ways we all can make a difference in the lives of others and our planet. "Not only is it exciting to once again partner with Character Counts in Iowa to remind everyone that each one of us can make a real difference, but this particular show is going to be a delightful way to celebrate 40 years of The Old Creamery Theatre bringing its particular blend of entertainment and education to Iowa students and educators," he said.

The cast consists of Tom Milligan and Deborah Kennedy of East Amana; Kamille Zbanek of Ely; Nicholas Hodge of South Amana, and T.J. Besler of Manchester. No reservations are needed for the free preview.

The Old Creamery is offering performances of What a Difference a Play Makes, to schools from Feb. 21 through May 13.

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