• Almost 9,000 students didn't graduate from Iowa's high schools in 2004, costing the state more than $2 billion in lost wages, taxes, and productivity over their lifetimes, reports the Alliance for Excellent Education. In Illinois, nearly 41,000 students didn't graduate, costing the state more than $10 billion, the study claims. Although states regularly report higher graduation rates, reliable research has shown that nationally, only about two-thirds of the students who enter ninth grade will graduate with a regular diploma four or five years later. This year, about 1.3 million students across the nation will not graduate from high school on time. Nationally, the combined lifetime-income and tax-revenue losses from this year's dropouts alone will be in excess of $325 billion. A chart showing the losses over a lifetime to each state and the District of Columbia can be found at (http://www.all4ed.org/press/pr_022806.html#chart). For more information about the Alliance for Excellent Education, visit (http://www.all4ed.org).
• Iowa ranks 36th and Illinois 42nd out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in preventing unintended pregnancies, according to a newly released Guttmacher Institute study. The independent Guttmacher study assessed each state's commitment to helping women avoid unintended pregnancy by measuring: access to contraception; laws and policies that either facilitate or hinder access to birth-control and family-planning information; and public funding for family-planning services between 1994 and 2001. According to the Guttmacher study, Iowa has the eighth lowest teen-pregnancy rate of any state, and between 1992 and 2000, the teen-pregnancy rate in Iowa declined by 17 percent. The state also rated high in laws and policies because contraceptives are mandated to be covered by insurance, minors can consent to contraceptive services, there are no restrictions on family-planning funds, and the state has no policy that permits physicians or pharmacists to refuse contraceptive care. However, Iowa ranked 48th in service availability and 39th in public funding for family planning based on information available through November 1, 2005. For more information, visit (http://www.guttmacher.org/media/nr/2006/02/21/index.html).
• Rivermont Collegiate is looking for donations of items to auction off at its annual scholarship fundraising auction on May 6. Donors will be recognized in the auction catalog, which is mailed to more than 400 community leaders in the area. The donation display and item will be seen by more than 150 guests that evening. For more information, call Jennifer Venema at (563)359-1366 extension 306.
• The Quad Cities Earth Week Coalition, a group of nearly 30 area environmental organizations and businesses, is hosting Scout merit-badge sessions at its Earth Week Fair on Saturday, April 22, at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island. Coalition members' booths will offer activities, demonstrations, literature, quizzes, and projects that cover areas such as fish and wildlife management; soil and water conservation; bird, mammal, geology, and nature studies; ecology; recycling; and plants and animals. There is no cost for Scouts to attend the sessions, but registration is required. To sign-up, visit (http://www.qcearthweek.org) or call Erin at (563)386-9575. The fair is also open to the general public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day.
• Applications for the Riverboat Development Authority (RDA) spring cycle of grants are available to pick up at the Davenport Library downtown, Scott County Library in Eldridge, the new Davenport branch library on Fairmont Street, and Bettendorf Public Library. Applications may also be downloaded from RDA's Web Page at (http://www.riverboatauthority.com). All grant applications are due into the RDA office by 5 p.m. on March 31. The RDA office will soon be moving to 112 West Second Street in Davenport because of the recent fire at the Blackhawk Hotel.
• Experience Works, a national organization that helps people age 55 and older get jobs, has announced that job-training positions for seniors are now available in most Iowa counties. For enrollment or additional information on services available in your area, contact Experience Works at (800)782-7519 or online at (http://www.experienceworks.org).
• The Kiwanis Club of Rock Island awarded Bethany for Children & Families $500 to purchase infant car seats for first-time parents enrolled in Teen Parent Services (TPS). The program provides education, information, and support to pregnant and parenting teens. Clients must be involved with the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services and must be pursuing high-school graduation or a GED. A newborn will not be discharged from the hospital without the parent providing a car seat. Most of these young parents have very limited financial resources, and the purchase of a new car seat can be cost-prohibitive for them. As a result, they are often left to borrow older car seats that might not meet current safety standards. This grant will allow TPS participants to meet the discharge requirements while ensuring the greatest safety for their newborns.
• The Marijuana Policy Project of Illinois reports that the Illinois Senate Health & Human Services Committee has passed a medical-marijuana bill (SB 2568, sponsored by Senator John Cullerton's [D-Chicago]) in a 6-5 vote following a public hearing. The bill is now headed to the Senate floor. Organizations including the Illinois Nurses Association have spoken out for medical marijuana, and a statewide poll by Anzalone-Liszt Research found 62-percent support for legislation "that would allow people with cancer, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, and other serious illnesses to use and grow their own marijuana for medical purposes, as long as their physician approves." For more information, look at (http://www.mpp.org/IL/).
• Iowa ranks 36th and Illinois 42nd out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in preventing unintended pregnancies, according to a newly released Guttmacher Institute study. The independent Guttmacher study assessed each state's commitment to helping women avoid unintended pregnancy by measuring: access to contraception; laws and policies that either facilitate or hinder access to birth-control and family-planning information; and public funding for family-planning services between 1994 and 2001. According to the Guttmacher study, Iowa has the eighth lowest teen-pregnancy rate of any state, and between 1992 and 2000, the teen-pregnancy rate in Iowa declined by 17 percent. The state also rated high in laws and policies because contraceptives are mandated to be covered by insurance, minors can consent to contraceptive services, there are no restrictions on family-planning funds, and the state has no policy that permits physicians or pharmacists to refuse contraceptive care. However, Iowa ranked 48th in service availability and 39th in public funding for family planning based on information available through November 1, 2005. For more information, visit (http://www.guttmacher.org/media/nr/2006/02/21/index.html).
• Rivermont Collegiate is looking for donations of items to auction off at its annual scholarship fundraising auction on May 6. Donors will be recognized in the auction catalog, which is mailed to more than 400 community leaders in the area. The donation display and item will be seen by more than 150 guests that evening. For more information, call Jennifer Venema at (563)359-1366 extension 306.
• The Quad Cities Earth Week Coalition, a group of nearly 30 area environmental organizations and businesses, is hosting Scout merit-badge sessions at its Earth Week Fair on Saturday, April 22, at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island. Coalition members' booths will offer activities, demonstrations, literature, quizzes, and projects that cover areas such as fish and wildlife management; soil and water conservation; bird, mammal, geology, and nature studies; ecology; recycling; and plants and animals. There is no cost for Scouts to attend the sessions, but registration is required. To sign-up, visit (http://www.qcearthweek.org) or call Erin at (563)386-9575. The fair is also open to the general public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day.
• Applications for the Riverboat Development Authority (RDA) spring cycle of grants are available to pick up at the Davenport Library downtown, Scott County Library in Eldridge, the new Davenport branch library on Fairmont Street, and Bettendorf Public Library. Applications may also be downloaded from RDA's Web Page at (http://www.riverboatauthority.com). All grant applications are due into the RDA office by 5 p.m. on March 31. The RDA office will soon be moving to 112 West Second Street in Davenport because of the recent fire at the Blackhawk Hotel.
• Experience Works, a national organization that helps people age 55 and older get jobs, has announced that job-training positions for seniors are now available in most Iowa counties. For enrollment or additional information on services available in your area, contact Experience Works at (800)782-7519 or online at (http://www.experienceworks.org).
• The Kiwanis Club of Rock Island awarded Bethany for Children & Families $500 to purchase infant car seats for first-time parents enrolled in Teen Parent Services (TPS). The program provides education, information, and support to pregnant and parenting teens. Clients must be involved with the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services and must be pursuing high-school graduation or a GED. A newborn will not be discharged from the hospital without the parent providing a car seat. Most of these young parents have very limited financial resources, and the purchase of a new car seat can be cost-prohibitive for them. As a result, they are often left to borrow older car seats that might not meet current safety standards. This grant will allow TPS participants to meet the discharge requirements while ensuring the greatest safety for their newborns.
• The Marijuana Policy Project of Illinois reports that the Illinois Senate Health & Human Services Committee has passed a medical-marijuana bill (SB 2568, sponsored by Senator John Cullerton's [D-Chicago]) in a 6-5 vote following a public hearing. The bill is now headed to the Senate floor. Organizations including the Illinois Nurses Association have spoken out for medical marijuana, and a statewide poll by Anzalone-Liszt Research found 62-percent support for legislation "that would allow people with cancer, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, and other serious illnesses to use and grow their own marijuana for medical purposes, as long as their physician approves." For more information, look at (http://www.mpp.org/IL/).
