22 Aug 2006

One Way to Support the Troops

By administrator

My nephew Jack is in the Army in Iraq. He's been there a year, and his unit was scheduled to come back to the States two weeks ago. In fact, a few hundred made it back to Alaska, and a few hundred more to Kuwait, before they were told that their tour in Iraq had been extended four months, and they were going to Baghdad.

22 Aug 2006

Nahant Marsh Undertakes Meadow Restoration

By Administrator

An effort to restore a sedge meadow is underway at Nahant Marsh. The Friends of Nahant, along with landscape designer Alec Schorg (of Aunt Rhodie's Landscaping & Design Studio) and several community volunteers counted plants two Sundays in July and August. The counting is the first step in a vegetation survey in a meadow located at the northern edge of the marsh. The sedge is a rare reed-like grass with a solid stem. There are at least three species of sedge in the meadow. The sedges are competing with reed canary grass, an invasive plant that is taking over much of the four-acre meadow. The survey is designed to help decide which management techniques (mowing, burning, spraying) will work best to manage this land. The meadow restoration is part of a revised management plan at the marsh. In addition to the meadow, efforts are moving forward to extend the trail, hire a naturalist, and enclose the observation deck as a handicapped-accessible observation blind.

 

15 Aug 2006

Another Nail in the Governor's Coffin?

By Administrator

Stu Levine has flipped. Things are gonna get crazy real soon.

Levine was a big Republican insider with very close ties to Jim Ryan, Governor Rod Blagojevich's 2002 opponent. Some saw fair-minded bipartisanship when Governor Blagojevich reappointed Levine to both the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) board of directors and the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board. As we soon discovered, the appointments may have been made for entirely different reasons. And now Levine is in a position to create some truly serious trouble for the governor.

15 Aug 2006

Paying Athletes Will Solve College Sports' Ills

By Administrator

It's nearly college football season, which means Iowa fans can look forward to another Top 25 squad, and Illinois fans can pray for respectability and then look forward to basketball season.

But maybe avid boosters ought to consider their own critical role in the ills of college athletics. Namely, they ought to recognize that they're supporting of the exploitation of college-sports stars. (Full disclosure: As a University of Illinois graduate and fan, I'm part of the problem.)

15 Aug 2006

"Wake-Up Wal-Mart" Tour Comes to Davenport

By Administrator

The national Wake-Up Wal-Mart campaign (WUWM) will be in Davenport on Wednesday, August 16, at 6 p.m. at United Neighbors, located at 808 North Harrison Street.

Since August 1, The WUWM campaign has embarked on a national bus tour, visiting 35 cities in 19 states. The bus, affectionately nicknamed Smiley, will be touring Iowa, as well, and Davenport is one of its stops along the way. Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Chet Culver will also be there! This will be a town-hall meeting to discuss what we want the face of America to look like. Everyone is welcome!

15 Aug 2006

Another Nail in the Governor's Coffin?

By Administrator

Stu Levine has flipped. Things are gonna get crazy real soon.

Levine was a big Republican insider with very close ties to Jim Ryan, Governor Rod Blagojevich's 2002 opponent. Some saw fair-minded bipartisanship when Governor Blagojevich reappointed Levine to both the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) board of directors and the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board. As we soon discovered, the appointments may have been made for entirely different reasons. And now Levine is in a position to create some truly serious trouble for the governor.

15 Aug 2006

Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities Dedicates 37th Home

By Administrator

On Saturday, August 12, Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities dedicated its 37th home. This is the fourth Habitat house to be built in East Moline and is located at 1321 12th Avenue. It will become home to Tracy Howard and her daughters. Howard has completed more than the required 250 hours of "sweat equity" working on her home and other partner-family homes under construction, and participating in additional Habitat activities such as homeowner classes, fundraisers, and mailings. A large portion of the sponsorship funding for the home was provided by Quad Cities Area Realtor Association and Wells Fargo. Additional funding came from the Thrivent East Scott County Chapter. The lot for the house was acquired with the assistance of the City of East Moline. For more information, go to (http://www.habitatqc.org).

 

08 Aug 2006

Why Wireless?: Bettendorf Considers a Community-Wide Network, but It's Already Being Built

By Administrator

Reader issue #593 The idea has immediate appeal. Anybody would be able to use a laptop computer anywhere in the city, making it attractive for tech-savvy (or tech-dependent) people and businesses who might want to visit or relocate there.

That was an idea that Dick Klein brought earlier this year to the Bettendorf City Council, which then formed a task force to look into the concept. That six-member task force has met twice already, and is expected to report back to the council in the next few months.

Klein said his vision was for the city to use a wireless network to make city services more efficient, with the savings underwriting free wireless Internet access for citizens.

But don't expect Bettendorf to become the Quad Cities "most wireless" city. Although it has reached no conclusions, several members of the task force said that private-sector initiatives in the area of wireless networks would make any municipal effort redundant.

08 Aug 2006

Paranoid?

By Administrator

The City of Davenport's leadership continues to decline on so many levels that redemption is no longer possible with the current players.

Beyond the complete abdication of the public trust because of a long list of ethically dubious actions - including the fast-tracking of the high-risk, financially inequitable development agreement for the Isle of Capri's casino hotel on our downtown riverfront, the serious cost overruns at Prairies Heights, the RiverCenter scandal with contracted private manager, the attempt to burden taxpayers with the Market District and Crossings proposals that would only benefit private development, John O'Donnell's financial problems, mismanagement of critical deterioration of infrastructure (sewers, roads, etc.), parking-ramp deficits, key personnel layoffs because of budget prioritizing, to name the most recent fiascoes - conditions have potentially entered the criminal arena with the revelation of City Administrator Craig Malin's three self-imposed pay raises in a year's time.

08 Aug 2006

Noteworthy Events for the Week for August 9 - 15

By Administrator

Mingo Fishtrap

The Redstone Room

Thursday, August 10, 9 p.m.

 

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