• The recently passed, two-pronged "Endow Iowa" legislation, sponsored by the Iowa Council of Foundations, allows citizens to utilize philanthropy as a catalyst to build local endowments at community foundations and improve the quality of life in the community. The first prong of Endow Iowa is a tax-credit program that provides a 20-percent tax credit (with a $100,000 maximum) for a taxpayer's gift to a permanent endowment fund in a qualified community foundation. The tax credit provides citizens an additional tax incentive to invest in a community, and can benefit any charity or charitable cause in Iowa as specified by the donor. Under the Endow Iowa tax-credit program, gifts made between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2005, can qualify for the tax credits, and can be carried forward for up to five additional years. The second prong of Endow Iowa is a seed grant program that will be available July 1, 2004, and will allow communities to apply for $25,000 in matching funds to establish a community affiliate endowment. For more information on Endow Iowa and the availability of tax credits, contact the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend at (563)326-2840 or (info@cfgrb.org).
• The University of Iowa is receiving $646,000 for medical-research projects from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: $332,000 for heart- and vascular-disease research and $314,000 for biological research related to deafness and communicative disorders.
• Women representing 13 religious congregations located in a three-state area celebrated the 10th anniversary of Sisters United News (SUN) at the BVM Center in Dubuque on December 4. SUN is dedicated to publicizing the ministries of Catholic sisters in Iowa, southwestern Wisconsin, and western Illinois to increase awareness of religious life. Since 1993, SUN has initiated many projects to illustrate the life and work of contemporary sisters and increased public awareness on issues such as ending racism, abolishing the death penalty, welcoming immigrants, respecting the Earth, calling for world peace, encouraging voting, and exploring religious vocations.
• Quad Citians who need help with home heating costs this winter are encouraged to apply for financial assistance from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP. Assistance is based on annual income, and families of all sizes may apply. For example, a family of four with an annual income of $27,600 or less is eligible for assistance, and single people with an annual gross income of $13,470 or less are eligible. Iowa recently received $21 million from the federal government for the LIHEAP program through December. Congress has not reached agreement on total LIHEAP funding for this winter season. For more information or to apply in Iowa, contact Iowa East Central TRAIN at (563)324-8239. In Illinois, contact Project NOW at (309)852-4565.
• A new drug combination is being tested by Genesis Heart Institute physicians on patients who are undergoing treatment to lower their cholesterol. The Phase II/III clinical trial is called IVUS and is sponsored by drug manufacturer Pfizer. The study will compare a combination of two drugs. Genesis hopes to enroll up to 20 patients believed to have coronary-artery disease who also need to undergo a cardiac catheterization. Approximately 145 hospitals will enroll 886 patients to participate in the study in Europe and North America. Patients' progress will be monitored by measuring the arterial plaques using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in repeat visits. IVUS technology gives doctors the ability to visualize coronary plaques using high-frequency sound waves. The procedure is performed along with cardiac catheterization. Doctors are able to see detailed images of the interior walls of the arteries and precisely measure the size of the plaques inside the artery. To find out more about cardiac-research studies, visit the Genesis Heart Institute Web site at (http://www.genesisheart.com).
• Enrollment is now open for the Illinois Senior Rx Buying Club, a state program that is expected to save eligible seniors up to 20 percent on their prescription drugs. The Illinois Senior Rx Buying Club was signed into law this past summer. All Illinois residents with a disability or who are 65 and older are eligible for membership. The program covers all prescription drugs approved by the FDA. A membership fee of $25 entitles you to 12 months of savings. After signing up, no further paperwork is needed. To receive the 20-percent price discount, you simply present the card to a participating pharmacy or use the mail-order option. You can apply for the program by calling (866)215-3462 or download an application form at (http://www.state.il.us/aging) or (http://www.savrz.com). For more information, contact the Illinois Department on Aging at (800)252-8966 or (ilsenior@aging.state.il.us).
• If you live in Iowa, your heating and cooling bills could be going up July 1. Soaring heating bills led Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack and lawmakers to approve a law in February 2001 to gradually eliminate the 5-percent state sales tax on natural gas, propane, heating oil, and electricity over a period of five years. The tax is now at 3 percent and was scheduled to be lowered to 2 percent next year. However, Vilsack signed a part of House File 692 that repealed the 2001 phase-out of the utility tax while vetoing income-tax changes that would have frozen the tax at the current 3 percent. Bringing the utility tax back up to 5 percent would result in the state taking in $63 million more in tax receipts next fiscal year. State officials have said the cost of natural gas, the main source of heating, could double this winter. Without action by the legislature, the tax would go back to 5 percent on July 1.
• A little heavy reading can be found on Jon Roland's (http://www.constitution.org), where a challenging and thoughtful law-journal article asks a question few people consider: "Are Cops Constitutional?" See for yourself at (http://www.constitution.org/lrev/roots/cops.htm).
• The University of Iowa is receiving $646,000 for medical-research projects from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: $332,000 for heart- and vascular-disease research and $314,000 for biological research related to deafness and communicative disorders.
• Women representing 13 religious congregations located in a three-state area celebrated the 10th anniversary of Sisters United News (SUN) at the BVM Center in Dubuque on December 4. SUN is dedicated to publicizing the ministries of Catholic sisters in Iowa, southwestern Wisconsin, and western Illinois to increase awareness of religious life. Since 1993, SUN has initiated many projects to illustrate the life and work of contemporary sisters and increased public awareness on issues such as ending racism, abolishing the death penalty, welcoming immigrants, respecting the Earth, calling for world peace, encouraging voting, and exploring religious vocations.
• Quad Citians who need help with home heating costs this winter are encouraged to apply for financial assistance from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP. Assistance is based on annual income, and families of all sizes may apply. For example, a family of four with an annual income of $27,600 or less is eligible for assistance, and single people with an annual gross income of $13,470 or less are eligible. Iowa recently received $21 million from the federal government for the LIHEAP program through December. Congress has not reached agreement on total LIHEAP funding for this winter season. For more information or to apply in Iowa, contact Iowa East Central TRAIN at (563)324-8239. In Illinois, contact Project NOW at (309)852-4565.
• A new drug combination is being tested by Genesis Heart Institute physicians on patients who are undergoing treatment to lower their cholesterol. The Phase II/III clinical trial is called IVUS and is sponsored by drug manufacturer Pfizer. The study will compare a combination of two drugs. Genesis hopes to enroll up to 20 patients believed to have coronary-artery disease who also need to undergo a cardiac catheterization. Approximately 145 hospitals will enroll 886 patients to participate in the study in Europe and North America. Patients' progress will be monitored by measuring the arterial plaques using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in repeat visits. IVUS technology gives doctors the ability to visualize coronary plaques using high-frequency sound waves. The procedure is performed along with cardiac catheterization. Doctors are able to see detailed images of the interior walls of the arteries and precisely measure the size of the plaques inside the artery. To find out more about cardiac-research studies, visit the Genesis Heart Institute Web site at (http://www.genesisheart.com).
• Enrollment is now open for the Illinois Senior Rx Buying Club, a state program that is expected to save eligible seniors up to 20 percent on their prescription drugs. The Illinois Senior Rx Buying Club was signed into law this past summer. All Illinois residents with a disability or who are 65 and older are eligible for membership. The program covers all prescription drugs approved by the FDA. A membership fee of $25 entitles you to 12 months of savings. After signing up, no further paperwork is needed. To receive the 20-percent price discount, you simply present the card to a participating pharmacy or use the mail-order option. You can apply for the program by calling (866)215-3462 or download an application form at (http://www.state.il.us/aging) or (http://www.savrz.com). For more information, contact the Illinois Department on Aging at (800)252-8966 or (ilsenior@aging.state.il.us).
• If you live in Iowa, your heating and cooling bills could be going up July 1. Soaring heating bills led Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack and lawmakers to approve a law in February 2001 to gradually eliminate the 5-percent state sales tax on natural gas, propane, heating oil, and electricity over a period of five years. The tax is now at 3 percent and was scheduled to be lowered to 2 percent next year. However, Vilsack signed a part of House File 692 that repealed the 2001 phase-out of the utility tax while vetoing income-tax changes that would have frozen the tax at the current 3 percent. Bringing the utility tax back up to 5 percent would result in the state taking in $63 million more in tax receipts next fiscal year. State officials have said the cost of natural gas, the main source of heating, could double this winter. Without action by the legislature, the tax would go back to 5 percent on July 1.
• A little heavy reading can be found on Jon Roland's (http://www.constitution.org), where a challenging and thoughtful law-journal article asks a question few people consider: "Are Cops Constitutional?" See for yourself at (http://www.constitution.org/lrev/roots/cops.htm).
