• The Davenport Civil Rights Commission is conducting outreach programs at four local social-service agencies. The commission will be regularly visiting United Neighbors, the Center for Active Seniors, Inc. (CASI), the Chavez Center, and HELP Legal Assistance. Staff members will assist individuals who are interested in filing a civil-rights complaint and will answer questions about the commission or civil-rights law. A commission representative will be at United Neighbors the second Wednesday of each month from 9 to 11 a.m.; at HELP Legal Assistance the second Wednesday of each month from 2 to 4 p.m.; at CASI the third Wednesday of each month from 2 to 4 p.m.; and at the Chavez Center the third Thursday each month from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Interested persons can call (563)326-7888 to schedule an appointment for those times.
• The Bettendorf Public Library has recently added the All Iowa Reads 2004 title, Niagara Falls All Over Again by Elizabeth McCracken, to its DIBS book-discussion-kit collection. Each DIBS consists of multiple copies of a single title plus an extensive reading and discussion guide. The checkout period is for six weeks. Other titles recently added include Balzac & The Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie; Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston; The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver; Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro; and The Bell by Sylvia Plath. For more information, contact the Bettendorf Library at (563)344-4179 or stop by 2950 Learning Campus Drive.
• The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) reports a victory for Verizon and the privacy of Internet users: The District of Columbia Circuit Court has dismissed the recording industry's subpoenas for user identities. The Recording Industry Association of America has filed nearly 3,000 subpoenas in Washington, D.C., as a prelude to lawsuits against 382 alleged file-sharers. The court ruled that those subpoenas are not authorized by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. EFF filed an amicus brief supporting Verizon on behalf of 45 consumer, privacy, and Internet industry groups. For the full media advisory, visit (http://www.eff.org/Cases/RIAA_v_Verizon/20031219_eff_pr.php). To see the D.C. Circuit Court ruling in RIAA v. Verizon, go to (http://www.eff.org/Cases/RIAA_v_Verizon/opinion-20031219.pdf). And to look at the RIAA v. Verizon case archive, visit (http://www.eff.org/Cases/RIAA_v_Verizon/).
• The Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau is developing a calendar on its Web site that lists all fundraising events in the area. Not-for-profit organizations are invited to a meeting on January 28 from 8 to 9 a.m. to learn more. The meeting will be held in the Gold Room of the Rhythm City Casino's Black Hawk Hotel. For more information on the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, see (http://www.visitquadcities.com).
• The National Writing Project, a development program dedicated to improving writing and learning in our nation's schools, is accepting applications from area grade- and secondary-school teachers for this summer's session. A special informational meeting will be held in the first floor seminar room in Cosgrove Hall on the St. Ambrose University campus from 4 to 6 p.m. on January 26. The local institute runs from June 14 through July 9 on the St. Ambrose campus and carries five hours of graduate credit for $700. The remainder of the regular St. Ambrose tuition cost will be paid by a grant from the National Writing Project. Up to 25 participants will be selected. Now in its 26th year, the institute takes place each summer at 161 sites all over the country. Anyone interested in participating can contact Dr. Richard Hanzelka for application information at (563)332-8356 or (rhanzelka@mchsi.com). Completed applications are due no later than March 1.
• The offices of the Bettendorf Parks & Recreation Department moved to City Hall on January 12. The change will facilitate the elimination of one full-time position in the city's finance department. The general number for the department - (563)344-4113 - remains the same, and calls to that number were scheduled to be switched over to the new city-hall location effective January 14. The new number to reach the Community Center will be (563)344-4112. The community center will still be open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• The Illinois Rx Buying Club, the new drug-discount club for Illinois residents 65 and over and those with disabilities, began January 1. The club is available to all Illinois residents who are eligible by age or disability; income is not a barrier. An annual fee of $25 must be paid by participants to cover the administrative costs of the program. For an application or additional information, contact the Illinois Department on Aging Senior HelpLine at (800)252-8966 or the Western Illinois Area Agency on Aging at (800)322-1051.
• Representative Jim Lykam, a Democrat from Davenport, announced last week that he will seek re-election to the Iowa House this year. Lykam, who represents northest Davenport, was elected in 2002 and also served as state representative in 1989 and 1990.
• The NewVentures Initiative last week broke ground for a new facility at Third and Ripley streets in downtown Davenport. The NewVentures Initiative is a privately funded not-for-profit organization with the goal of "accelerating the startup of technology-driven companies in eastern Iowa and western Illinois." The initiative, which was started by DavenportOne and is governed by a regional board of directors, hopes to commercialize new technologies and new products. The NewVentures Initiative recently announced the hiring of Kim Kudrna as vice president of business development. Dave Abbott is the initiative's executive vice president.
• The Bettendorf Public Library has recently added the All Iowa Reads 2004 title, Niagara Falls All Over Again by Elizabeth McCracken, to its DIBS book-discussion-kit collection. Each DIBS consists of multiple copies of a single title plus an extensive reading and discussion guide. The checkout period is for six weeks. Other titles recently added include Balzac & The Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie; Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston; The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver; Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro; and The Bell by Sylvia Plath. For more information, contact the Bettendorf Library at (563)344-4179 or stop by 2950 Learning Campus Drive.
• The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) reports a victory for Verizon and the privacy of Internet users: The District of Columbia Circuit Court has dismissed the recording industry's subpoenas for user identities. The Recording Industry Association of America has filed nearly 3,000 subpoenas in Washington, D.C., as a prelude to lawsuits against 382 alleged file-sharers. The court ruled that those subpoenas are not authorized by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. EFF filed an amicus brief supporting Verizon on behalf of 45 consumer, privacy, and Internet industry groups. For the full media advisory, visit (http://www.eff.org/Cases/RIAA_v_Verizon/20031219_eff_pr.php). To see the D.C. Circuit Court ruling in RIAA v. Verizon, go to (http://www.eff.org/Cases/RIAA_v_Verizon/opinion-20031219.pdf). And to look at the RIAA v. Verizon case archive, visit (http://www.eff.org/Cases/RIAA_v_Verizon/).
• The Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau is developing a calendar on its Web site that lists all fundraising events in the area. Not-for-profit organizations are invited to a meeting on January 28 from 8 to 9 a.m. to learn more. The meeting will be held in the Gold Room of the Rhythm City Casino's Black Hawk Hotel. For more information on the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, see (http://www.visitquadcities.com).
• The National Writing Project, a development program dedicated to improving writing and learning in our nation's schools, is accepting applications from area grade- and secondary-school teachers for this summer's session. A special informational meeting will be held in the first floor seminar room in Cosgrove Hall on the St. Ambrose University campus from 4 to 6 p.m. on January 26. The local institute runs from June 14 through July 9 on the St. Ambrose campus and carries five hours of graduate credit for $700. The remainder of the regular St. Ambrose tuition cost will be paid by a grant from the National Writing Project. Up to 25 participants will be selected. Now in its 26th year, the institute takes place each summer at 161 sites all over the country. Anyone interested in participating can contact Dr. Richard Hanzelka for application information at (563)332-8356 or (rhanzelka@mchsi.com). Completed applications are due no later than March 1.
• The offices of the Bettendorf Parks & Recreation Department moved to City Hall on January 12. The change will facilitate the elimination of one full-time position in the city's finance department. The general number for the department - (563)344-4113 - remains the same, and calls to that number were scheduled to be switched over to the new city-hall location effective January 14. The new number to reach the Community Center will be (563)344-4112. The community center will still be open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• The Illinois Rx Buying Club, the new drug-discount club for Illinois residents 65 and over and those with disabilities, began January 1. The club is available to all Illinois residents who are eligible by age or disability; income is not a barrier. An annual fee of $25 must be paid by participants to cover the administrative costs of the program. For an application or additional information, contact the Illinois Department on Aging Senior HelpLine at (800)252-8966 or the Western Illinois Area Agency on Aging at (800)322-1051.
• Representative Jim Lykam, a Democrat from Davenport, announced last week that he will seek re-election to the Iowa House this year. Lykam, who represents northest Davenport, was elected in 2002 and also served as state representative in 1989 and 1990.
• The NewVentures Initiative last week broke ground for a new facility at Third and Ripley streets in downtown Davenport. The NewVentures Initiative is a privately funded not-for-profit organization with the goal of "accelerating the startup of technology-driven companies in eastern Iowa and western Illinois." The initiative, which was started by DavenportOne and is governed by a regional board of directors, hopes to commercialize new technologies and new products. The NewVentures Initiative recently announced the hiring of Kim Kudrna as vice president of business development. Dave Abbott is the initiative's executive vice president.
