30 Aug 2012

Governor Quinn Breaks Ground on "Phase Two" of WIU Riverfront Campus

By Rick Martin

$42 Million in Capital Funding to Add New Classroom Building on the Moline Campus and Create Nearly 300 Construction Jobs

MOLINE - August 29, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today was joined by Western Illinois University President Jack Thomas, Moline Mayor Don Welvaert, and several state and community leaders to break ground on Phase Two of the Western Illinois University (WIU) Riverfront Campus expansion. The new $42 million classroom building funded by the Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program will create nearly 300 construction jobs and allow the university's Arts and Sciences, Education and Human Services, and Fine Arts and Communication programs to relocate to the Riverfront Campus. Today's groundbreaking is part of the governor's commitment to put people back to work and strengthen Illinois' infrastructure.

"Today is a milestone in the 100-year history of Western Illinois University's Riverfront Campus," Governor Pat Quinn said. "This investment will create jobs now and in the future by expanding education opportunities that will help our students compete in the 21st century economy."

Construction on the 94,800-square-foot classroom building should be complete by summer 2014 to open in time for the 2014 fall semester. The Riverfront Campus expansion will allow WIU to serve more than 3,000 Quad Cities-area students. The campus currently serves more than 1,370 students at its 60th Street campus in Moline and at the Riverfront Campus.

The project is administered by the Capital Development Board, which oversees state-funded, non-road construction projects. Governor Quinn opened the $18.4 million Building One in January, which concluded the first phase of the state-funded construction work on the Moline campus. With today's groundbreaking, the state has funded more than $60 million worth of work at the Riverfront Campus. Phases One and Two will create between 135 and 166 new permanent jobs, increase annual Riverfront Campus graduates by more than 300, and have an annual economic impact of between $20 and $24 million in the Quad Cities area.

"We are so thankful for our many partners. Because of these relationships and the support Western Illinois University has received from a variety of constituency groups, we have moved the expansion of Western Illinois University's Quad Cities campus forward to provide the region with outstanding public higher education opportunities," said WIU President Jack Thomas.

"The presence of Western Illinois University in the Quad Cities helps define who we are. Knowledge is power. Raising the bar on the education level in the Quad Cities area identifies us as a community with a highly skilled workforce and an appreciation for higher education," said Moline Mayor Don Welvaert.

Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! program includes $1.5 billion for higher education, including $788 million for public universities and $400 million for community colleges. The overall $31 billion program is creating and supporting an estimated 439,000 construction jobs and is the largest capital construction program in Illinois history.

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30 Aug 2012

Rep. Morthland: WIU Breaking Ground on Future

By Rep. Rich Morthland

Moline, IL ... Today, Rep. Rich Morthland (R-Cordova) participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for Phase II of the new Western Illinois University Quad Cities Riverfront campus in Moline.

"I am grateful for all of the hard work that went into this worthwhile project," said Morthland. "With the opening of Phase I and now the groundbreaking of Phase II, the Quad Cities no longer has to hang its' head as the largest community in America without a public 4-year university."

Morthland says this is an important step towards the development of WIU and the Quad Cities.

"This is a tremendous day for WIU and our other institutions of higher education. We are not just breaking ground on a new building; we are breaking ground on the future of the Quad Cities. This is a wonderful example of what can be accomplished when leaders from both the public and private sector come together and work towards a common goal."

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30 Aug 2012

Livestock Producers Affected by Disasters Urged to Keep Good Records

By USDA Office of Communications

Potential Assistance Depending on Accurate, Timely Data for Expedited Help

 

 

WASHINGTON, August 29, 2012 -- USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Juan M. Garcia today urged livestock producers affected by natural disasters such as Hurricane Isaac to keep thorough records of their livestock and feed losses, including additional expenses for such things as feed purchases because of lost supplies.

"There are extraordinary circumstances caused by a variety of disasters from fires in the west, floods in Florida, Hurricane Isaac in the Gulf region, storms in the Mid-Atlantic and drought and heat affecting the heartland," Garcia said. "Each of these events is causing economic consequences for ranchers and producers including cattle, sheep and dairy operations, bee keepers and farm-raised fish, and poultry producers."

FSA recommends that owners and producers record all pertinent information of natural disaster consequences, including:

-          Documentation of the number and kind of livestock that have died, supplemented if possible by photographs or video records of ownership and losses;

-          Dates of death supported by birth recordings or purchase receipts;

-          Costs of transporting livestock to safer grounds or to move animals to new pastures; and

-          Feed purchases if supplies or grazing pastures are destroyed.

Secretary Vilsack also reminds producers that the department's authority to operate the five disaster assistance programs authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill expired on Sept. 30, 2011. This includes SURE; the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP); the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP); the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP); and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP). Production losses due to disasters occurring after Sept. 30, 2011, are not eligible for disaster program coverage.

30 Aug 2012

USDA Celebrates the Start of a Healthier School Year for America's Kids

By Rick Martin

New Standards Ensure Students are Offered Healthier, More Nutritious Foods in the Lunch Line

USDA.gov logo

WASHINGTON, August 29, 2012 - Agriculture Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon today announced that America's students will see healthier and more nutritious foods in the cafeteria as they return to school this year. The new nutrition standards for school meals, implemented as a result of the historic Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, will help to combat child hunger and obesity and improve the health and nutrition of the nation's children.

"Improving the nutrition of school meals is an important investment in the future of America's children," said Concannon. "We know that healthy food plays a vital role in strengthening a child's body and mind and the healthier school meals will help to ensure our children can learn, grow, and reach their full potential."

Starting this school year, schools will phase in the nutrition standards over a three-year period. Schools will focus on changes in the lunches in the first year, with most changes in breakfast to take place in future years. The new meal standards:

-          Ensure students are offered both fruits and vegetables every day of the week;

-          Substantially increase offerings of whole grain-rich foods and low-fat milk or fat-free milk varieties;

-          Limit calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size; and

-          Focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium.

The new meal requirements are raising standards for the first time in more than fifteen years and improving the health and nutrition of nearly 32 million kids that participate in school meal programs every school day. The healthier school meals are a key component of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which was championed by the First Lady as part of her Let's Move! campaign and signed into law by President Obama.

Watch a special back to school welcome video from First Lady Michelle Obama.

USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) oversees the administration of 15 nutrition assistance programs, including school meals programs, that touch the lives of one in four Americans over the course of a year. These programs work in concert to form a national safety net against hunger. Visit www.fns.usda.gov for information about FNS and nutrition assistance programs. To learn about the meal standards, go to www.fns.usda.gov/healthierschoolday.

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30 Aug 2012

Inspector General Releases Iowa City VA Report

By Grassley Press

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Senator Chuck Grassley gave the following statement after the Inspector General for the Department of Veterans Affairs released a report on a "Review of Quality of Care, Management, and Operations" of the Iowa City VA Health Care System.  Grassley requested the report after employees and patients contacted his office with serious allegations at the facility that were cause for concern about the direction of the facility and its impact on patient care. Nearly 1,000 employees responded to the Inspector General's survey request.  The Inspector General also conducted two site visits during its review.  The Inspector General will be conducting follow-up inquiries in October to determine if improvement has been made.

The Inspector General's report can be found here.  Grassley's original letter requesting a review can be found here.

"I appreciate the whistleblowers' willingness to come forward and alert me to these problems.  Veterans deserve the highest quality of care, and we needed to make sure the high quality that we've come to know from the Iowa City VA hospital was still being delivered.  The good news is that while the Iowa City VA facility has serious management problems to address, our veterans are receiving stellar care thanks to the hard work of the hospital's 'highly competent professional staff.'  The key for the management is to immediately take steps to address the problems laid out by the Inspector General before patient care is impacted.  There are several actions recommended in the report that the leaders of the hospital can take to help rectify the problems that were identified.  I strongly suggest the senior management take the conclusion and recommendations of the review to heart and make substantive changes."
30 Aug 2012

Davenport Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Distribute Crack Cocaine

By Suellen Irwin
DAVENPORT, IA- On August 29, 2012, Alon Lee Shorter, age 37, of Davenport, Iowa, was sentenced to 240 months imprisonment, having previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine base, announced United States Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt. United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey also ordered that Shorter serve five years of supervised  release following imprisonment and pay $100 towards the Crime Victims Fund. Five other co-defendants in this case, Charles Bateman, Charles Harrington, Roscoe Lee, David Minor and Kadar Wall, have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

Investigation of this conspiracy revealed that from approximately October 2007 until June 2011, Shorter and his co-conspirators distributed in excess of 2.8 kilograms of crack cocaine. Investigators made five controlled purchases of crack from Harrington and Bateman, who distributed crack cocaine provided by Dale and Alon Shorter, and two controlled purchases of crack directly from Dale Shorter. Investigators determined that Minor, Wall, and others distributed crack cocaine for Alon Shorter at multiple locations in Davenport, including an apartment on Heatherton Drive.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Davenport, Iowa, Police Department, and was prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
30 Aug 2012

Braley Stands Against Ryan-Lange Medicare Voucher Plan

By Jeff Giertz
Signs on to petition opposing plan to end Medicare as we know it


CEDAR RAPIDS, IA -- Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today joined Jan Laue, President of the Iowa Alliance for Retired Americans, and Norm Sterzenbach, Sr., a retired electrical worker, in Cedar Rapids to stand against the Paul Ryan-Ben Lange plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program.

At the event, Braley signed on to a petition sponsored by the Alliance for Retired Americans, along with Progress Iowa and Protect Your Care, that urges elected leaders to stand against the Paul Ryan Budget that would end Medicare as we know it and privatize Social Security.  The petition can be viewed and signed at http://www.protectiowaseniors.com.
Braley said, "We need to protect Medicare for future retirees and workers who have paid into it their whole lives.  Turning Medicare into a voucher program for retirees is just not the answer.  That will endanger benefits for Iowa retirees and raise Medicare costs for seniors.  We can improve Medicare without ending the program as we know it."
Laue said, "Ben Lange supports the Paul Ryan plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program.  By voucher-izing Medicare, the Ryan-Lange plan would endanger the future of guaranteed Medicare benefits for thousands of Iowans and jeopardize the future of the program for Iowa workers who have paid into it all their lives.  This plan would raise out-of-pocket healthcare costs for thousands of Iowa seniors and retirees."
More than 500,000 Iowa seniors and retirees depend on Medicare for healthcare.  The Ryan-Lange Medicare plan would make drastic changes to Medicare, rolling back guaranteed benefits for workers under age 55 and replacing the program with a voucher program.
The CBO estimates that the Ryan-Lange plan could force Medicare recipients to pay more than $1200 more out-of-pocket by 2030 and more than $5900 by 2050.  Analysts say that the Ryan-Lange plan could speed up Medicare's insolvency by eight years - to 2016 from 2024.
The Alliance for Retired Americans has produced a fact sheet on the impact of the Ryan Budget on Medicare.  It can be viewed at the following link: http://bit.ly/P3GCz9
Lange has been promoting Paul Ryan's ideas on the campaign trail for more than two years.  In fact, his rhetoric on Medicare looks like it was taken right from the Paul Ryan playbook:

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: BEN LANGE'S EMBRACE OF THE RYAN BUDGET
Paul Ryan Budget Ben Lange

Medicare
 "For future Medicare beneficiaries who are now under 55 or younger (those who first become eligible on or after 1 January 2021), the proposal creates a standard Medicare payment to be used for the purchase of private health coverage.  Currently enrolled Medicare beneficiaries and those becoming eligible in the next 10 years (i.e. turning 65 by 1 January 2021) will see no changes in the current structure of their Medicare benefits."  [A Roadmap for America's Future, 01/2010]
"I think there is going to be a gradual shift in what is taking place in entitlements with Social Security and Medicare. And you are right - it hits home with me knowing my parents fast approaching that age. And they have been promised those benefits, like most Americans they have been promised those, they have paid into them over their forty years of working so let's honor that promise. But we can make a shift to the younger generation like myself because it doesn't matter if the government told us if that program is going to be there or not. We know it is fiscally not going to be there. It will not have the resources to do it."  [Des Moines Register Editorial Board, 2010, 7:00]

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30 Aug 2012

Rep. Morthland to Host Veterans' Services Forum

By Rep. Rich Morthland

Representative Rich Morthland (R-Cordova) is hosting a Veterans' Services Forum for veterans and their families to discuss the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs' effort to modernize services and facilities to better serve our returning Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans.

Time:            6 p.m.

Date:            Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Location:     Moline Public Library, 3210 41st Street, Moline, IL  61265

For more information contact: Rich Morthland 309-762-3008

30 Aug 2012

Governor Quinn Announces New Advanced Science Building at University of Illinois at Chicago

By Leslie Wertheimer

Project Expected to Create Nearly 300 Jobs and 
Boost Illinois Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing and Research

 

CHICAGO - August 29, 2012. As part of his commitment to putting people back to work and fueling economic growth, Governor Quinn today announced the construction of the Advanced Chemical Technology Building (ACTB) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). The $104 million project will be supported by a $64 million investment from state capital funds and is expected to create more than 200 construction jobs, in addition to 81 permanent campus jobs once the project is completed. The ACTB will serve as a new hub for high-tech investment and cement UIC's position as one of the nation's leading research universities.

 

"The best investment a state can make is in education," Governor Quinn said. "Today's announcement means more jobs, more innovation and a stronger University of Illinois-Chicago that will support our students as they prepare to enter the 21st century workforce."

 

The ACTB will house select UIC faculty from chemistry, biology and physics and support cutting-edge research focused on connections between chemistry, physics and biology, such as tumor growth, HIV/AIDS, immunology, dental services, orthopedics, laser dynamics, nanoscience and environmental science.

Construction on the building is scheduled to begin after the end of the current school year and take approximately 30 months to complete.

 

"This state-of-the-art facility will bring together top researchers who will pool their expertise to develop pioneering solutions to society's most critical problems. By working together, they will forge cutting-edge approaches that might never have surfaced working alone. On behalf of the university, I'm deeply grateful to Governor Pat Quinn and the General Assembly for their generous financial support of this critical investment in Illinois' future," University of Illinois President Robert Easter said.

 

The new chemical technology building will be designed to increase collaboration between scientists and encourage greater sharing of technology and advanced research, which will increase productivity and research quality. The facility will contain state-of-the-art laboratories for chemical scientists and other researchers. The environmentally-friendly building will also be submitted for a minimum LEED Silver certification.

 

Research activity in the building will include drug discovery and development, neuroscience, nanoscience, bioscience and materials science, and is expected to generate new innovative commercialized technology, patent filings and start-up companies with substantial economic benefits to the city and state through job creation in biopharmaceuticals and other areas. The building also will enable UIC faculty to generate more competitive external research funding and intellectual projects.

 

Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! program includes $1.5 billion for higher education, including $788 million for public universities and $400 million for community colleges. The overall $31 billion program is creating and supporting an estimated 439,000 construction jobs and is the largest capital construction program in Illinois history.

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30 Aug 2012

Area Students named to Illinois College Dean's List

By Elizabeth Findley

JACKSONVILLE, IL (08/29/2012)(readMedia)-- The following students were named to Illinois College's spring semester dean's list:

Daniel Brasel is the son of Christopher and Beatriz Brasel of East Moline. He is a graduate of United High School .

Taylor Brien is the daughter of Barbara Mansholt of Bettendorf. She is a graduate of Bettendorf High School .

Elizabeth Manary is the daughter of Nancy Manary of Moline. She is a graduate of Moline High School and earned a straight A-average.

Kelsey McFarren is the daughter of Boyd and Sally McFarren of Fulton. She is a graduate of Fulton High School .

Mackenzie Oak is the daughter of Kevin and Cynthia Oak of Taylor Ridge. She is a graduate of Rockridge High School .

Hannah Oak is the daughter of Kevin and Cynthia Oak of Taylor Ridge. She is a graduate of Rockridge High School and earned a straight A-average.

Candidates for the dean's list must complete at least 14 semester hours and post a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale. All grades must be C or better, and no more than one C grade is allowed.

Founded in 1829, Illinois College is a residential liberal arts college fostering academic excellence rooted in opportunities for experiential learning while preparing students for lifelong success.

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