• The Mississippi River Trail (MRT) is a 10-state cycling route in the process of development. It will travel more than 2,000 continuous miles between the headwaters of the Mississippi at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, and the Gulf of Mexico, winding its way through the states of Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. Cycling-route signs featuring the MRT logo identify the route along those segments that are complete. Markers have been installed by the City of Davenport identifying the MRT, and these are the first signs to be installed in Iowa and above St. Louis. The 7.2-mile riverfront trail in Davenport - 4.7 miles between the eastern city limit and causeway, and 2.5 miles in Credit Island Park - is also part of the east-west American Discovery Trail, crossing into Illinois at the Government Bridge. The signs were fabricated by the Iowa Department of Transportation with financial assistance from the Iowa National Heritage Foundation, and city crews installed them at six locations on May 27. For more information, look at (http://www.mississippirivertrail.org).
• According to a report issued by a special American Bar Association commission, America's criminal-justice systems rely too heavily on incarceration and need to consider more effective alternatives. The commission noted that the United States imprisons more people than any other country in the world. With more than 2.1 million people behind bars, and some 650,000 set to be released this year, the commission urged jurisdictions to invest in programs that help inmates return to communities, provide alternatives to incarceration for offenders who would benefit from substance-abuse and mental-illness programs, and help eradicate the disproportionate impact "tough on crime" laws have on minorities, particularly with respect to drug crimes. The commission also called on Congress to repeal mandatory minimum sentences. The commission's report notes that the average federal drug-trafficking sentence was 72.7 months in 2001. By comparison, the average federal manslaughter sentence was 34.3 months, the average assault sentence 37.7 months, and the average sexual-abuse sentence 65.2 months. The commission noted that about one-third of the more than 650,000 inmates who will be released this year can be expected to return to prison. Full text of the report is available online at (http://www.manningmedia.net/Clients/ABA/ABA288/index.htm).
• Frequent-flyer miles can help service members wounded or injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. Working with the not-for-profit Fisher House Foundation, Northwest Airlines is providing donated WorldPerks miles for wounded or injured service members to take leave from military hospitals, and for their families to visit them. To donate miles, WorldPerks members can call (800)327-2881 with their WorldPerks account and PIN. Donations begin with a minimum of 5,000 miles. Larger donations may be made in 1,000-mile increments.
• The City of Moline is holding a series of informational town meetings to discuss the future planning and development of downtown using the National Main Street approach to historic preservation. The meetings will be held July 1 and 15 from 7:30 to 9 a.m. in the Centre Station Community Room, 12th Street and River Drive; and July 1 and 15 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Committee of the Whole room at City Hall, 619 16th Street. To RSVP, contact Amber Bowman at (309)765-7803 or (Abowman@monm.edu). For more information on the Main Street program, visit (http://www.mainstreet.org).
• Trinity Regional Health System honored outstanding emergency medical technicians (EMTs) at an annual banquet on Saturday, May 15. The banquet was held during the Illinois Department of Public Health's Emergency Medical Services week. Trinity recognized personnel both within and outside its system who use their advanced skills and training to deliver excellent pre-hospital care to the community. The individuals recognized included Dr. Brent Ohl, Clinical Educator of the Year; Spencer Taylor, First Responder of the Year, Blackhawk Fire Department; Rob Groene, Field Preceptor of the Year, MEDIC EMS; Rich Rath, Paramedic of the Year, Sherrard Fire Department; Jeff Means, Paramedic of the Year; Diana Lovett, Community Service Award; Dick Sanders, EMT-Basic of the Year; Caryn Brokaw, Dispatcher of the Year, Mercer County Sheriff's Department; Kris Johnson, Field Preceptor of the Year, Moline Fire Department; and Cee Cee Walton, Community Service Award, Trinity Ambulance Service.
• The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has named Patrick J. Broderick as the federal security director at the Quad City International Airport. Broderick, who has served in Moline as the assistant federal security director for the past two years, will assume leadership of all TSA activities in Moline and spoke airports in Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, and Burlington, Iowa. The position of federal security director was created by the Aviation & Transportation Security Act signed by President George W. Bush on November 19, 2001.
• The Upper Mississippi Valley Digital Image Archive consists of a searchable database of thousands of digital images from local history collections, covering the 1860s through the 1950s. The archive is a cooperative project, founded in 2002 by Heritage League member organizations Augustana College Special Collections and the Davenport Public Library. It also includes the Musser Public Library in Muscatine. The goal is to provide greater access to their photograph collections through digitization. After two years, the archive's Web site is now up and running with nearly 1,500 images. See for yourself at (http://www.umvphotoarchive.org).
• The Croatian Crest Club was formed in 1975 for Quad Citians of Croatian decent, and membership is open to the public. The club purchased and remodeled the Camp Demal building at 3600 North Shore Drive in Moline. On Fridays, the club holds a Fish Fry from 5 to 8 p.m., and the public is invited to this event. Contact Linda at (309)236-1985 or (bergie1985@frontiernet.net) for more information.
• According to a report issued by a special American Bar Association commission, America's criminal-justice systems rely too heavily on incarceration and need to consider more effective alternatives. The commission noted that the United States imprisons more people than any other country in the world. With more than 2.1 million people behind bars, and some 650,000 set to be released this year, the commission urged jurisdictions to invest in programs that help inmates return to communities, provide alternatives to incarceration for offenders who would benefit from substance-abuse and mental-illness programs, and help eradicate the disproportionate impact "tough on crime" laws have on minorities, particularly with respect to drug crimes. The commission also called on Congress to repeal mandatory minimum sentences. The commission's report notes that the average federal drug-trafficking sentence was 72.7 months in 2001. By comparison, the average federal manslaughter sentence was 34.3 months, the average assault sentence 37.7 months, and the average sexual-abuse sentence 65.2 months. The commission noted that about one-third of the more than 650,000 inmates who will be released this year can be expected to return to prison. Full text of the report is available online at (http://www.manningmedia.net/Clients/ABA/ABA288/index.htm).
• Frequent-flyer miles can help service members wounded or injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. Working with the not-for-profit Fisher House Foundation, Northwest Airlines is providing donated WorldPerks miles for wounded or injured service members to take leave from military hospitals, and for their families to visit them. To donate miles, WorldPerks members can call (800)327-2881 with their WorldPerks account and PIN. Donations begin with a minimum of 5,000 miles. Larger donations may be made in 1,000-mile increments.
• The City of Moline is holding a series of informational town meetings to discuss the future planning and development of downtown using the National Main Street approach to historic preservation. The meetings will be held July 1 and 15 from 7:30 to 9 a.m. in the Centre Station Community Room, 12th Street and River Drive; and July 1 and 15 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Committee of the Whole room at City Hall, 619 16th Street. To RSVP, contact Amber Bowman at (309)765-7803 or (Abowman@monm.edu). For more information on the Main Street program, visit (http://www.mainstreet.org).
• Trinity Regional Health System honored outstanding emergency medical technicians (EMTs) at an annual banquet on Saturday, May 15. The banquet was held during the Illinois Department of Public Health's Emergency Medical Services week. Trinity recognized personnel both within and outside its system who use their advanced skills and training to deliver excellent pre-hospital care to the community. The individuals recognized included Dr. Brent Ohl, Clinical Educator of the Year; Spencer Taylor, First Responder of the Year, Blackhawk Fire Department; Rob Groene, Field Preceptor of the Year, MEDIC EMS; Rich Rath, Paramedic of the Year, Sherrard Fire Department; Jeff Means, Paramedic of the Year; Diana Lovett, Community Service Award; Dick Sanders, EMT-Basic of the Year; Caryn Brokaw, Dispatcher of the Year, Mercer County Sheriff's Department; Kris Johnson, Field Preceptor of the Year, Moline Fire Department; and Cee Cee Walton, Community Service Award, Trinity Ambulance Service.
• The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has named Patrick J. Broderick as the federal security director at the Quad City International Airport. Broderick, who has served in Moline as the assistant federal security director for the past two years, will assume leadership of all TSA activities in Moline and spoke airports in Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, and Burlington, Iowa. The position of federal security director was created by the Aviation & Transportation Security Act signed by President George W. Bush on November 19, 2001.
• The Upper Mississippi Valley Digital Image Archive consists of a searchable database of thousands of digital images from local history collections, covering the 1860s through the 1950s. The archive is a cooperative project, founded in 2002 by Heritage League member organizations Augustana College Special Collections and the Davenport Public Library. It also includes the Musser Public Library in Muscatine. The goal is to provide greater access to their photograph collections through digitization. After two years, the archive's Web site is now up and running with nearly 1,500 images. See for yourself at (http://www.umvphotoarchive.org).
• The Croatian Crest Club was formed in 1975 for Quad Citians of Croatian decent, and membership is open to the public. The club purchased and remodeled the Camp Demal building at 3600 North Shore Drive in Moline. On Fridays, the club holds a Fish Fry from 5 to 8 p.m., and the public is invited to this event. Contact Linda at (309)236-1985 or (bergie1985@frontiernet.net) for more information.
