24
Jun
2003
• Seventeen percent, or nearly 336,000, of Iowa's licensed drivers are age 65 or older. Generations Area on Aging is one of five organizations around the nation that will soon test a new approach to older-driver safety - one that encourages communities to think more broadly about how America's growing elderly population should get around. The 10-month effort, set to launch this summer, includes surveying people over 65 regarding their perceptions about safer driving behaviors, other modes of transportation, and how easy or difficult it is for them to get around in their communities. The groups will publicize the results of the survey to spur a community discussion about how to help people remain safely mobile and active as they age. Additionally, community groups will educate older drivers about how their peers are adjusting their driving habits in response to changing road conditions and their own physical, sensory, and mental changes. For some older drivers, the adjustments might be as simple as avoiding driving at dusk or on busy highways. The five communities will receive $8,000 each for their part in the program. They were selected based on a variety of factors that included geography, diversity, the applicants' working relationships with other aging organizations, their commitment to lifelong mobility, the experience of the staff assigned to project, and the approach each community brought to the program.
• If you are looking for a piece of the Bettendorf Centennial, consider a calendar from the Bettendorf Public Library. The library has produced a 2004 wall calendar featuring historical images from the first 100 years of the city's history. The calendars sell for $10 each and are now available at locations around Bettendorf, including the Bettendorf Public Library, the Bettendorf Community Center, K&K Hardware, Alcoa Employees & Community Credit Union, Wagner's Cleaners, The Bread Basket, and The Gentry Shop. Proceeds from the sale of the calendar go to enhance the Bettendorf Public Library collections.
• The Davenport Y's Men & Women's Service Club is now accepting donations of new and used books (hardcover or paperback) for its annual fall book sale. Donated books can be dropped off in Davenport in the lobby of the Scott County Family Y at 606 West Second Street or in the lobby of the North Branch of the Y next to Davenport North High School. Pickup of large quantities of books can be arranged by calling (563)355-5850. All proceeds from the book sale will go to programs at the Family Y and Camp Abe Lincoln.
• The Iowa Department of Public Defense will be receiving a $20-million Homeland Security Grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for first-responder preparedness and to mitigate costs of enhanced security at critical infrastructure facilities during periods of heightened threat. A portion of these funds will be used to cover the cost of protecting crucial railroad bridges at Clinton and Fort Madison immediately prior to and during the Iraq war. The funds will be administered by the Iowa Department of Emergency Management.
• Quad Cities author Mark McLaughlin has won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Poetry for the 2002 collection The Gossamer Eye. The Gossamer Eye features the poetry of McLaughlin, Rain Graves, and David Niall Wilson and was released by Meisha Merlin, a Georgia publisher of science-fiction and fantasy books. The Bram Stoker Awards, named after the author of the classic novel Dracula, honor writers worldwide who have created imaginative works of superior literary caliber. This year's ceremony was held June 8 at the Park Central Hotel in New York City, and McLaughlin was there to receive the award with co-author Graves of San Francisco. Other winners that evening included Ray Bradbury for his story collection One More for the Road, Neil Gaiman for his book for young readers Coraline, and Stephen King, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
• The Iowa Department of Justice will be receiving a $1.6-million STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice for victim-centered services in cases involving crimes against women. The STOP (Services, Training, Officers, & Prosecutors) Program was re-authorized in 2000 by the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 (VAWA) and encourages the development and implementation of effective, victim-centered law enforcement, prosecution, and court strategies to address violent crimes against women and the development and enhancement of victim services in cases involving violent crimes against women. It envisions a partnership among law enforcement, prosecution, courts, and victim-advocacy organizations. In compliance with VAWA, the Iowa Attorney General's office will allocate not less than 30 percent of its STOP funding to not-for-profit, nongovernmental victim-service programs; not less than 25 percent to law enforcement; not less than 25 percent to prosecution; and not less than 5 percent to courts. The remainder can be spent at the discretion of the state.
• U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta has announced $16.8 million for Iowa in Federal Highway Administration discretionary funds to help improve highway infrastructure in the state. These grants include $3 million for the I-74 bridge project in Borders & Corridors funding. The Secretary of Transportation makes discretionary funds available after requests from states for funds for projects that meet criteria established by federal law and U.S. Department of Transportation regulations and procedures. Congress also designates funding for specific projects under these programs. Further information about the projects is on the Internet at (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/discretionary/fy03congdes.htm).
• The Israel-based Pharmos pharmaceutical company announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for a patent application relating to the use of the company's synthetic marijuana derivative Dexanabinol in the treatment of stroke, anti-inflammatory diseases, and other disorders. The company is presently in the patient-recruitment portion of a U.S. Phase III trial on the effectiveness of Dexanabinol for the treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury. A previous Phase II trial by Pharmos of 67 Israeli patients found that Dexanabinol reduced mortality and eased intracranial pressure in subjects suffering from severe head injuries. Similar synthetic marijuana derivatives have been effective in pre-clinical models in the treatment of a variety of disorders, including "inflammatory disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, brain ischemia, autoimmune diseases, and pain," a Pharmos press release stated. You can find out more about what Pharmos is doing at its Web site at (http://www.pharmoscorp.com).
• The City of Davenport will hold an Arts Walk Workshop on Saturday, June 28, at 9:30 a.m. in the RiverCenter North. The discussion will deal with the River Renaissance project to develop visual connections between downtown and LeClaire Park.
• If you are looking for a piece of the Bettendorf Centennial, consider a calendar from the Bettendorf Public Library. The library has produced a 2004 wall calendar featuring historical images from the first 100 years of the city's history. The calendars sell for $10 each and are now available at locations around Bettendorf, including the Bettendorf Public Library, the Bettendorf Community Center, K&K Hardware, Alcoa Employees & Community Credit Union, Wagner's Cleaners, The Bread Basket, and The Gentry Shop. Proceeds from the sale of the calendar go to enhance the Bettendorf Public Library collections.
• The Davenport Y's Men & Women's Service Club is now accepting donations of new and used books (hardcover or paperback) for its annual fall book sale. Donated books can be dropped off in Davenport in the lobby of the Scott County Family Y at 606 West Second Street or in the lobby of the North Branch of the Y next to Davenport North High School. Pickup of large quantities of books can be arranged by calling (563)355-5850. All proceeds from the book sale will go to programs at the Family Y and Camp Abe Lincoln.
• The Iowa Department of Public Defense will be receiving a $20-million Homeland Security Grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for first-responder preparedness and to mitigate costs of enhanced security at critical infrastructure facilities during periods of heightened threat. A portion of these funds will be used to cover the cost of protecting crucial railroad bridges at Clinton and Fort Madison immediately prior to and during the Iraq war. The funds will be administered by the Iowa Department of Emergency Management.
• Quad Cities author Mark McLaughlin has won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Poetry for the 2002 collection The Gossamer Eye. The Gossamer Eye features the poetry of McLaughlin, Rain Graves, and David Niall Wilson and was released by Meisha Merlin, a Georgia publisher of science-fiction and fantasy books. The Bram Stoker Awards, named after the author of the classic novel Dracula, honor writers worldwide who have created imaginative works of superior literary caliber. This year's ceremony was held June 8 at the Park Central Hotel in New York City, and McLaughlin was there to receive the award with co-author Graves of San Francisco. Other winners that evening included Ray Bradbury for his story collection One More for the Road, Neil Gaiman for his book for young readers Coraline, and Stephen King, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
• The Iowa Department of Justice will be receiving a $1.6-million STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice for victim-centered services in cases involving crimes against women. The STOP (Services, Training, Officers, & Prosecutors) Program was re-authorized in 2000 by the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 (VAWA) and encourages the development and implementation of effective, victim-centered law enforcement, prosecution, and court strategies to address violent crimes against women and the development and enhancement of victim services in cases involving violent crimes against women. It envisions a partnership among law enforcement, prosecution, courts, and victim-advocacy organizations. In compliance with VAWA, the Iowa Attorney General's office will allocate not less than 30 percent of its STOP funding to not-for-profit, nongovernmental victim-service programs; not less than 25 percent to law enforcement; not less than 25 percent to prosecution; and not less than 5 percent to courts. The remainder can be spent at the discretion of the state.
• U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta has announced $16.8 million for Iowa in Federal Highway Administration discretionary funds to help improve highway infrastructure in the state. These grants include $3 million for the I-74 bridge project in Borders & Corridors funding. The Secretary of Transportation makes discretionary funds available after requests from states for funds for projects that meet criteria established by federal law and U.S. Department of Transportation regulations and procedures. Congress also designates funding for specific projects under these programs. Further information about the projects is on the Internet at (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/discretionary/fy03congdes.htm).
• The Israel-based Pharmos pharmaceutical company announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for a patent application relating to the use of the company's synthetic marijuana derivative Dexanabinol in the treatment of stroke, anti-inflammatory diseases, and other disorders. The company is presently in the patient-recruitment portion of a U.S. Phase III trial on the effectiveness of Dexanabinol for the treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury. A previous Phase II trial by Pharmos of 67 Israeli patients found that Dexanabinol reduced mortality and eased intracranial pressure in subjects suffering from severe head injuries. Similar synthetic marijuana derivatives have been effective in pre-clinical models in the treatment of a variety of disorders, including "inflammatory disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, brain ischemia, autoimmune diseases, and pain," a Pharmos press release stated. You can find out more about what Pharmos is doing at its Web site at (http://www.pharmoscorp.com).
• The City of Davenport will hold an Arts Walk Workshop on Saturday, June 28, at 9:30 a.m. in the RiverCenter North. The discussion will deal with the River Renaissance project to develop visual connections between downtown and LeClaire Park.
