On Thursday,  June 15, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued the following news release:

"Rhythm City Casino Permit

"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, in coordination with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region VII; the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service; the Iowa Department of Natural Resources; the State Historical Society of Iowa; and the city of Davenport, has issued a permit to relocate the Rhythm City Casino riverboat to an area upstream of their current location on the Mississippi River in Davenport., Iowa.

 

Honeyboy EdwardsLouisiana Red and Honeyboy Edwards

The Redstone Room

Saturday, June 17, 9 p.m.

In this corner, weighing in with a W.C. Handy Award for Best Traditional Blues Artist, a discography that spans more than three decades, and a list of influences that includes Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Arthur Crudup - ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the stage that bluesman extraordinaire, the Alabama slamma ... Louisiana Red! And in this corner, weighing in with his own W.C. Handy Award, a 1996 induction into the Blues Hall of Fame, and both an autobiography (The World Don't Owe Me Nothing) and a documentary (Honeyboy) to his name - ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for the Baron of Blues, the Goliath of the guitar ... David Honeyboy Edwards! One's a touring dynamo whose 2006 gigs have taken him to Ghana, Greece, and Belgium; one's a 90-year-old inspiration called "always enjoyable and occasionally brilliant" by Living Blues magazine. Who will emerge victorious when the two meet at their shared performance in Davenport's Redstone Room on Saturday, June 17? Based on their stats, I'm makin' an early prediction, folks: It'll be a draw. For more information, visit (http://www.redstoneroom.com). - Mike Schulz

Jazz pianist, composer, arranger, educator, and East Moline native Bill Bell will be the third jazz artist to bring a group to the River Music Experience's Redstone Room when he performs and conducts a workshop on Sunday, June 18.

585_andyp3 Steven Andrew Ontiveros, also known as Steven Andrews, passed away Sunday, June 11. He was 52 years old. Steven Andrews, a longtime fan of the arts and music, had friends in all corners of the Quad Cities, as he was well known for his hair-styling salon Steven Andrews Hair Design located in Moline. Steven loved all things outdoors, especially kayaking. He could be found at many an estate sale and was a consummate forager for unique materials and collectibles, many of which he would share with his artist friends for inspiration to create works of art. Steven is survived by many friends and family. A memorial celebration, called "A Beautiful Day," will be held this Saturday, June 17, at 2 p.m. (until the cops are called) at the River Music Experience in Davenport, Iowa. Donations made will go toward one of Steven's favorite causes, Living Lands & Waters. Live auction items will include Steven's plants, so friends can keep a little love in their hearts and homes.

The cities of Moline and Rock Island will receive a $514,000 grant for the construction of the north connector of the West Rock River Bridge Trail, and Moline will receive $701,845 for the Western Illinois University River Tech Streetscape. The Moline and Rock Island grants are part of the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program, the latest round of which includes more than 100 projects totaling $60 million. The grants are to improve the quality of life in Illinois by promoting alternative transportation, such as bike/hike trails and preserving transportation-related resources.

 

Issue 584 cover Last month, the public got a peek at four finalists for the design of the Interstate 74 bridge over the Mississippi River, and it was an important milestone. For the first time, people could actually visualize what the new bridge might look like, eight years after it first became one the area's top transportation priorities.

 

Representative William Jefferson How strong is the case against Louisiana's Representative William Jefferson? According to numerous press accounts, after videotaping Jefferson receiving a $100,000 bribe from an FBI informant, the government executed a search warrant of his home and found $90,000 of that money hidden in his freezer. In another case, a Kentucky businessman pleaded guilty to paying Jefferson $400,000 in bribes for official favors; and one of the congressman's key staff members has already entered a guilty plea to aiding and abetting the bribery of a public official.

 

Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack arguably made his poorest political decision last Friday, when he vetoed a bill that would have strengthened the rights of property owners. House File 2351 provided for new restrictions on governments using eminent domain to condemn private property for economic-development projects, whether public or private.

 

584_website_thumb The River Cities' Reader launched its new Web site last week, and we hope that it's a visual improvement. But we're most interested in it being an interactive improvement. Our goal from the outset with this Web site has been that it will be a space for the community to gather and discuss community and cultural issues.

The College Board recognized Davenport's West High School as the number-one school in Iowa for its commitment to excellence and equity in education, and its access to and success in AP programs. West High was the only school recognized in the state of Iowa, and the honor was given at the Midwest Regional Forum in Chicago on February 28.

 

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