09
Aug
2005
• Iowa's congressional delegation has secured $2.36 billion for transportation projects throughout the state in the Highway Reauthorization Bill. Included is: $67.4 million for I-74 bridge replacement over the Mississippi River in Bettendorf and other I-74 improvements on both sides of the river; $5.68 million for improvements to the Mississippi River and related trails in Scott and Muscatine counties, including $2 million for the bridge at Credit Island; $2.17 million for Leach Park in Bettendorf; $3 million to construct a railroad extension to the Eastern Iowa Industrial Center in Davenport; $3 million for improvements to Kimberly Road in Davenport; $2 million for the 65th/67th Street extension in Davenport; and $500,000 for an I-80/Middle Road Interchange Justification Report with Environmental Assessment in Bettendorf. A Senate-House Conference Committee completed its work last week. The final bill must be approved by both the House and the Senate before it becomes law, which is expected to occur soon.
• Xstream Cleanup originated in 2003 as the Duck Creek Cleanup, when 300 volunteers came together to remove tons of trash from Duck Creek in Davenport. In 2004 the cleanup was expanded to include the entire Quad Cities area and was renamed Xstream Cleanup. That year's effort, organized by local volunteer groups working in conjunction with Chad Pregracke's Living Lands & Waters organization, was a tremendous success, drawing more than 1,300 volunteers and cleaning 27 different stretches of streams. For 2005 the event committee has set a goal of cleaning 50 sites along streams and waterways in rural and urban Scott and Rock Island counties. To accomplish this goal, 2,000 volunteers from the Quad Cities area will be needed. Join the effort on August 20 during Xstream Cleanup 2005. For more information or to register to volunteer, visit (http://www.xstreamcleanup.org) or call Keep Scott County Beautiful at (563)468-4218.
• On Saturday, August 13, Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities will break ground for a home for Lawanna Robinson and her four sons. The event will be held rain or shine at 6609 Hoover Road in Davenport, starting at 10 a.m. The public is welcome to attend, meet Lawanna and her sons, and learn more about Habitat. There are a number of "firsts" involved with this home-build. First Christian Church of Davenport is the first church to donate property; this is the first Habitat build outside of the urban center; and this home is the first to benefit from the fundraising creativity of the Windmiller Design & Development Company. Over the past four years, Craig and Jan Windmiller of Windmiller Design & Development Company have opened the doors to three of their newly designed homes to the public. In exchange for a tour of each home, the Windmillers asked each guest for a donation to Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities. The house for Lawanna Robinson and her sons will be built with much of the revenue generated by the Windmillers and their guests. Additional funds will be provided through the Scott County Housing Council.
• West Music, located at 5205 North Brady Street in Davenport, recently joined forces with the Music Education Coalition's SupportMusic.com, an initiative to help parents and educators appeal to school boards and other decision-makers to preserve music in schools. SupportMusic.com is a source of information for supporting school music programs and is the hub of a national network of more than 65 not-for-profit organizations and businesses committed to keeping school music strong. Dedicated to inspiring action to advance access to music education in the United States, the initiative offers resources empowering parents to act locally. See for yourself at (http://www.SupportMusic.com).
• In response to hot summer temperatures, the most vulnerable households in Rock Island, Henry, and Mercer counties can apply for one-time assistance that will help meet their summer cooling needs. Now through August 12, "at-risk" households (those with members having medical conditions aggravated by extreme heat or those containing very young, disabled, or elderly members) can apply for the Summer Energy Assistance Program at any of the Project Now Outreach offices: in Rock Island at 418 19th Street and at the Rock Island County Senior Center, 2221 11th Street; in Moline at 711 Fourth Avenue; in Kewanee at 405 Tenney Street; and in Aledo at 605½ Southwest Third Street. No appointment is necessary to apply for the cooling assistance. Assistance can include utility payments of up to $150 for electric service and emergency payments of up to $500 to help restore service to qualified families who have been disconnected by electric providers. Benefits are paid directly to the household's utility company. Due to limited funding, air-conditioning repair and the provision of fans or air conditioners will not be done. Call (309)793-6391 for more information.
• The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) reports cannabinoids might stimulate healing in the inflamed lining of the gastrointestinal tract, according to clinical trial data published in the August issue of the journal Gatroenterology. A research team at the University of Bath's Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology found that human tissues from the gastrointestinal lining of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) contained large quantities of cannabinoid receptors. Activation of specific receptors promotes healing of the gastrointestinal membrane, and could offer therapeutic relief to patients suffering from inflammatory disorders such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, authors found. A previous 2003 review published in the journal Expert Opinion in Investigative Drugs noted that the human digestive tract contains various endogenous cannabinoids (marijuana-like compounds produced naturally by the body) and cannabinoid receptors, and theorized that cannabinoids might one day "provide new therapeutics for the treatment of a number of gastrointestinal diseases," including gastric ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. For more information, look at (http://www.norml.org).
• Xstream Cleanup originated in 2003 as the Duck Creek Cleanup, when 300 volunteers came together to remove tons of trash from Duck Creek in Davenport. In 2004 the cleanup was expanded to include the entire Quad Cities area and was renamed Xstream Cleanup. That year's effort, organized by local volunteer groups working in conjunction with Chad Pregracke's Living Lands & Waters organization, was a tremendous success, drawing more than 1,300 volunteers and cleaning 27 different stretches of streams. For 2005 the event committee has set a goal of cleaning 50 sites along streams and waterways in rural and urban Scott and Rock Island counties. To accomplish this goal, 2,000 volunteers from the Quad Cities area will be needed. Join the effort on August 20 during Xstream Cleanup 2005. For more information or to register to volunteer, visit (http://www.xstreamcleanup.org) or call Keep Scott County Beautiful at (563)468-4218.
• On Saturday, August 13, Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities will break ground for a home for Lawanna Robinson and her four sons. The event will be held rain or shine at 6609 Hoover Road in Davenport, starting at 10 a.m. The public is welcome to attend, meet Lawanna and her sons, and learn more about Habitat. There are a number of "firsts" involved with this home-build. First Christian Church of Davenport is the first church to donate property; this is the first Habitat build outside of the urban center; and this home is the first to benefit from the fundraising creativity of the Windmiller Design & Development Company. Over the past four years, Craig and Jan Windmiller of Windmiller Design & Development Company have opened the doors to three of their newly designed homes to the public. In exchange for a tour of each home, the Windmillers asked each guest for a donation to Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities. The house for Lawanna Robinson and her sons will be built with much of the revenue generated by the Windmillers and their guests. Additional funds will be provided through the Scott County Housing Council.
• West Music, located at 5205 North Brady Street in Davenport, recently joined forces with the Music Education Coalition's SupportMusic.com, an initiative to help parents and educators appeal to school boards and other decision-makers to preserve music in schools. SupportMusic.com is a source of information for supporting school music programs and is the hub of a national network of more than 65 not-for-profit organizations and businesses committed to keeping school music strong. Dedicated to inspiring action to advance access to music education in the United States, the initiative offers resources empowering parents to act locally. See for yourself at (http://www.SupportMusic.com).
• In response to hot summer temperatures, the most vulnerable households in Rock Island, Henry, and Mercer counties can apply for one-time assistance that will help meet their summer cooling needs. Now through August 12, "at-risk" households (those with members having medical conditions aggravated by extreme heat or those containing very young, disabled, or elderly members) can apply for the Summer Energy Assistance Program at any of the Project Now Outreach offices: in Rock Island at 418 19th Street and at the Rock Island County Senior Center, 2221 11th Street; in Moline at 711 Fourth Avenue; in Kewanee at 405 Tenney Street; and in Aledo at 605½ Southwest Third Street. No appointment is necessary to apply for the cooling assistance. Assistance can include utility payments of up to $150 for electric service and emergency payments of up to $500 to help restore service to qualified families who have been disconnected by electric providers. Benefits are paid directly to the household's utility company. Due to limited funding, air-conditioning repair and the provision of fans or air conditioners will not be done. Call (309)793-6391 for more information.
• The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) reports cannabinoids might stimulate healing in the inflamed lining of the gastrointestinal tract, according to clinical trial data published in the August issue of the journal Gatroenterology. A research team at the University of Bath's Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology found that human tissues from the gastrointestinal lining of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) contained large quantities of cannabinoid receptors. Activation of specific receptors promotes healing of the gastrointestinal membrane, and could offer therapeutic relief to patients suffering from inflammatory disorders such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, authors found. A previous 2003 review published in the journal Expert Opinion in Investigative Drugs noted that the human digestive tract contains various endogenous cannabinoids (marijuana-like compounds produced naturally by the body) and cannabinoid receptors, and theorized that cannabinoids might one day "provide new therapeutics for the treatment of a number of gastrointestinal diseases," including gastric ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, and gastroesophageal reflux disease. For more information, look at (http://www.norml.org).
