04
Mar
2003
• The Davenport Community School District Board is seeking candidate letters of interest to fill the board vacancy left by the resignation of Anne Losasso. The letter should be addressed to the school board and include the candidate's name, home address, phone number, e-mail, personal and/or professional background, and the reason he or she is interested in serving on the board. Letters must be received by 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 6, in the office of Board Secretary Linda Smith Kortemeyer in the Administration Service Center, 1606 Brady Street, Davenport IA 52803. For more information, contact Smith Kortemeyer at (563)336-5087 or (smithkortemeyerl@mail.davenport.k12.ia.us).
• If some lawmakers in Illinois have their way, you will be guilty of a Class 2 felony for simply owning a .50-caliber target rifle. House Bill 2513 was introduced by Representative Karen May (D-Highland Park) and seeks to ban all .50-caliber rifles in the state of Illinois. Fifty-Caliber Shooters' Policy Institute is an organization fighting to oppose this bill. You can find out more about its efforts at (http://www.FCSPI.org).
• Iowa law-enforcement officers would not need a warrant to get a blood test from drivers who cause deadly accidents under legislation that recently received initial approval. The House Public Safety Committee voted 14-5 for House File 265, which says that if a person is arrested for drunken driving, and the arrest follows an accident that caused death or an injury likely to cause death, a blood test may be given without the person's consent. Under the new legislation, the peace officer must reasonably believe he or she is confronted with an emergency situation in which delay in getting a warrant would threaten the evidence. Supporters of the bill argue that waiting a couple of hours to get a warrant could amount to a loss of evidence. The blood would be drawn by a professional in the ambulance, or the officer would take the person to a local hospital. Opponents argue this bill is not necessary and just takes away another right of privacy. It could also be unconstitutional on U.S. Fourth Amendment grounds.
• The Community Foundation of the Great River Bend has announced grants distributed from its Donor Advised and Scholarship funds in 2002. A total of $685,987 was distributed in community development, cultural activity, education, health, human service, religion, and scholarship. The grants support not-for-profit organizations serving the community. Scholarship and award money continues to grow at the Community Foundation. In 2002, more than $144,000 was awarded to area high-school seniors from scholarship funds. The Community Foundation's mission is to enhance the quality of life in the community by encouraging permanent charitable giving to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more information on how you can assist local not-for-profit organizations through the Community Foundation today or as part of your estate plan, please visit the group's Web site at (http://www.cfgrb.org) or call (563) 326-2840.
• Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences Schools, an affiliate of Trinity Regional Health System, has announced plans to build a new facility on Trinity Medical Center's West Campus in Rock Island. The college will share a 23,000-square-foot building with a child-care center, serving the children of Trinity employees, physicians, and students. Construction of the estimated $1.8-million building will begin in March, with an anticipated completion date in mid-summer. It is expected that fall-semester classes will be held at the new campus. The new facility will become home to Trinity's College of Nursing and schools of Emergency Medical Services, Radiography, and Surgical Technology. It will provide classrooms, learning labs, and offices for 200 students enrolled in five academic programs, as well as about 40 faculty and staff members.
• The Iowa Green Party Web site is now up and working at (http://www.greens.org/iowa). All it has is contact information for officers, county chapters, and campus greens, but there are also links to the sites of several local county chapters and campus greens. Some of theses are pretty nice and have some good information. Take a look for yourself.
• Attorney General John Ashcroft is proposing new "anti-terrorism" legislation that critics argue would further erode basic civil liberties already diminished by the controversial USA PATRIOT Act. Called the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003, the new legislation has been drafted by the Department of Justice in secret over the past several months. It contains a multitude of new and sweeping law-enforcement and intelligence-gathering powers. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), this bill would severely diminish basic checks and balances on the power of the executive branch of government. The best place I've found to learn more about this is at the ACLU Web site at (http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/).
• The American Red Cross of the Quad Cities Area, the Quad City Animal Welfare Center, and Petco have teamed up to offer a pet-first-aid class for the Quad Cities community. The class is designed to protect both pet owners and their pets from further harm, injury, or suffering during emergencies by teaching prompt, effective actions and care that will safeguard the life of an injured pet. Participants will learn when and where to call for help, how to apply first-aid techniques, and emergency action steps that can be used in almost any injury situation. The four-hour class will cost participants $15 per person, or $25 for two. The age requirement is 14 years old, or 12 years old when accompanied by an adult. Call the Red Cross at (309)743-2166 to register or for more information.
• If some lawmakers in Illinois have their way, you will be guilty of a Class 2 felony for simply owning a .50-caliber target rifle. House Bill 2513 was introduced by Representative Karen May (D-Highland Park) and seeks to ban all .50-caliber rifles in the state of Illinois. Fifty-Caliber Shooters' Policy Institute is an organization fighting to oppose this bill. You can find out more about its efforts at (http://www.FCSPI.org).
• Iowa law-enforcement officers would not need a warrant to get a blood test from drivers who cause deadly accidents under legislation that recently received initial approval. The House Public Safety Committee voted 14-5 for House File 265, which says that if a person is arrested for drunken driving, and the arrest follows an accident that caused death or an injury likely to cause death, a blood test may be given without the person's consent. Under the new legislation, the peace officer must reasonably believe he or she is confronted with an emergency situation in which delay in getting a warrant would threaten the evidence. Supporters of the bill argue that waiting a couple of hours to get a warrant could amount to a loss of evidence. The blood would be drawn by a professional in the ambulance, or the officer would take the person to a local hospital. Opponents argue this bill is not necessary and just takes away another right of privacy. It could also be unconstitutional on U.S. Fourth Amendment grounds.
• The Community Foundation of the Great River Bend has announced grants distributed from its Donor Advised and Scholarship funds in 2002. A total of $685,987 was distributed in community development, cultural activity, education, health, human service, religion, and scholarship. The grants support not-for-profit organizations serving the community. Scholarship and award money continues to grow at the Community Foundation. In 2002, more than $144,000 was awarded to area high-school seniors from scholarship funds. The Community Foundation's mission is to enhance the quality of life in the community by encouraging permanent charitable giving to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more information on how you can assist local not-for-profit organizations through the Community Foundation today or as part of your estate plan, please visit the group's Web site at (http://www.cfgrb.org) or call (563) 326-2840.
• Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences Schools, an affiliate of Trinity Regional Health System, has announced plans to build a new facility on Trinity Medical Center's West Campus in Rock Island. The college will share a 23,000-square-foot building with a child-care center, serving the children of Trinity employees, physicians, and students. Construction of the estimated $1.8-million building will begin in March, with an anticipated completion date in mid-summer. It is expected that fall-semester classes will be held at the new campus. The new facility will become home to Trinity's College of Nursing and schools of Emergency Medical Services, Radiography, and Surgical Technology. It will provide classrooms, learning labs, and offices for 200 students enrolled in five academic programs, as well as about 40 faculty and staff members.
• The Iowa Green Party Web site is now up and working at (http://www.greens.org/iowa). All it has is contact information for officers, county chapters, and campus greens, but there are also links to the sites of several local county chapters and campus greens. Some of theses are pretty nice and have some good information. Take a look for yourself.
• Attorney General John Ashcroft is proposing new "anti-terrorism" legislation that critics argue would further erode basic civil liberties already diminished by the controversial USA PATRIOT Act. Called the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003, the new legislation has been drafted by the Department of Justice in secret over the past several months. It contains a multitude of new and sweeping law-enforcement and intelligence-gathering powers. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), this bill would severely diminish basic checks and balances on the power of the executive branch of government. The best place I've found to learn more about this is at the ACLU Web site at (http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/).
• The American Red Cross of the Quad Cities Area, the Quad City Animal Welfare Center, and Petco have teamed up to offer a pet-first-aid class for the Quad Cities community. The class is designed to protect both pet owners and their pets from further harm, injury, or suffering during emergencies by teaching prompt, effective actions and care that will safeguard the life of an injured pet. Participants will learn when and where to call for help, how to apply first-aid techniques, and emergency action steps that can be used in almost any injury situation. The four-hour class will cost participants $15 per person, or $25 for two. The age requirement is 14 years old, or 12 years old when accompanied by an adult. Call the Red Cross at (309)743-2166 to register or for more information.
