• After the dust had settled, Moline City Administrator Dale Iman still had a job. Mayor Stan Leach cast the tie-breaking vote last week, breaking a 4-4 deadlock among aldermen considering Iman's employment. Aldermen Arcillia Dominguez, 1st Ward, Pat O'Brien, 2nd Ward, Dick Potter, 4th Ward, and Dorothy Armstrong, 7th Ward, voted against keeping Iman. Aldermen Scott Raes, 3rd Ward, Bill Adams, 5th Ward, Mike Crotty, 6th Ward, and Don Welvaert, at-large, voted in favor of keeping him. Though his job was saved, Iman will not get a raise in his $118,426-a-year salary. Iman has been the target of a lot of employee discontent over the past two years, much of it from AFSCME 1132 and the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 581. He's accused of causing morale problems, for instituting a "jump system" in the fire department, ignoring grievances, for spreading firefighters too thin, and mishandling the city inspections department. A large crowd turned out for the vote, particularly city union members who have criticized Iman in the past. Despite the criticism from unions, aldermen say Iman has been instrumental in projects such as Bass Street Landing, One Moline Place, a new library, and the Case Creek development.
• Ballet Quad Cities is offering 2003/2004 partial season tickets. Enjoy all the benefits of being a season-ticket holder for the company's final two performances: "Jazz at Augustana" and the "Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen." Members receive preferred seating and discounts. Call (309)786-3779 to order tickets or for more information. For more about Ballet Quad Cities, look at (http://www.balletquadcities.com).
• Teens for Tomorrow, an initiative of the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend, has announced a request for grant proposals. Not-for-profit organizations and projects serving community needs such as domestic/physical/sexual abuse, poverty, life skills, youth enhancement, and services for mentally/physically disabled may apply for funding from the Teens for Tomorrow board, which allocates $5,000 per year to support projects addressing community needs. Grant applications are available on the Community Foundation Web site at (http://www.cfgrb.org/teens.html); interested parties can also call (563)326-2840. Applications must be returned no later than Monday, March 1.
• Veterans, unhappy with decades of perceived mistreatment and lies by politicians at all levels of government, have formed their own political party. "The Veterans Party of America" was officially registered in Tallahassee, Florida, in August. Since then, it has grown into 19 other states. For more information, visit its Web site (http://www.veteransparty.us) or contact the founder, Phillip Meskin, at (veteransparty@aol.com) or (727)822-8387. Incidentally, Iowa is one of 19 states with a Veterans Party. For more information, contact George Nickolas at (Iavetsparty@juno.com).
• Drug War Chronicle (http://stopthedrugwar.org) reports that for the first time since the days of Jimmy Carter, a prominent presidential candidate has called for an end to marijuana prohibition. Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), quietly announced on his campaign Web site last week that, if elected, he would end federal prohibitions on the use of marijuana by adults and would instead move to regulate it like alcohol. Visit (http://www.kucinich.us/issues/marijuana_decrim.php) to read the full text of Kucinich's marijuana plank online. Visit (http://www.kucinich.us/issues/drugwar.php) to read Kucinich's overall drug-policy-reform stances.
• River Action is requesting nominations for the Annual Eddy Awards, recognizing outstanding candidates in the following categories: Education, Design, River Activity, Arts, Stewardship, and Revitalization. For the nomination form or more information about qualifications, call River Action at (563)322-2969.
• The Scott County Sheriff's Office is assisting the Iowa Attorney General's Office in conjunction with the Polk County Sheriff's Office regarding telemarketing done by the American Deputy Sheriff's Association. Allegations have been made that the American Deputy Sheriff's Association might be using false information in its efforts to generate donations. Anyone who receives a solicitation call from the American Deputy Sheriff's Association is urged to call the Scott County Sheriff's Office at (563)326-8628 so that these calls can be properly documented and made part of the Iowa Attorney General's investigation. The Scott County Sheriff's Office does not do any phone solicitation for fund-raising efforts.
• FLW Outdoors has announced that the world's most lucrative walleye tournament will be staged on the Mississippi River in 2004, attracting as many as 400 anglers to the Moline area and paying out as much as $1.4 million in cash awards. The four-day Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship will start September 29 and culminate October 2 with an award to the winning pro.
• The Center for Consumer Freedom is a not-for-profit coalition supported by restaurants, food companies, and consumers working together to promote personal responsibility and protect consumer choices. Among its recent targets, the Center for Consumer Freedom has skewered ads by PETA, obesity-driven lawsuits, and the "food cops" at the Center For Science in the Public Interest. See for yourself at (http://www.consumerfreedom.com/ad_campaign.cfm).
• President George W. Bush signed H.R. 2417, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004, into law on December 13. The act authorizes appropriations for intelligence-related activities of various federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. A provision added to the bill in committee in mid-November, after the bill had been passed by the House and Senate, expands FBI authority to seize records in terrorism investigations. The act permits the FBI to demand records without judicial approval from car dealers, pawnbrokers, travel agents, casinos, and other businesses. The text of H.R. 2417 is available at (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:h.r.02417). The committee report is available at (http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2003_rpt/2004conf.html).
• Ballet Quad Cities is offering 2003/2004 partial season tickets. Enjoy all the benefits of being a season-ticket holder for the company's final two performances: "Jazz at Augustana" and the "Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen." Members receive preferred seating and discounts. Call (309)786-3779 to order tickets or for more information. For more about Ballet Quad Cities, look at (http://www.balletquadcities.com).
• Teens for Tomorrow, an initiative of the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend, has announced a request for grant proposals. Not-for-profit organizations and projects serving community needs such as domestic/physical/sexual abuse, poverty, life skills, youth enhancement, and services for mentally/physically disabled may apply for funding from the Teens for Tomorrow board, which allocates $5,000 per year to support projects addressing community needs. Grant applications are available on the Community Foundation Web site at (http://www.cfgrb.org/teens.html); interested parties can also call (563)326-2840. Applications must be returned no later than Monday, March 1.
• Veterans, unhappy with decades of perceived mistreatment and lies by politicians at all levels of government, have formed their own political party. "The Veterans Party of America" was officially registered in Tallahassee, Florida, in August. Since then, it has grown into 19 other states. For more information, visit its Web site (http://www.veteransparty.us) or contact the founder, Phillip Meskin, at (veteransparty@aol.com) or (727)822-8387. Incidentally, Iowa is one of 19 states with a Veterans Party. For more information, contact George Nickolas at (Iavetsparty@juno.com).
• Drug War Chronicle (http://stopthedrugwar.org) reports that for the first time since the days of Jimmy Carter, a prominent presidential candidate has called for an end to marijuana prohibition. Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), quietly announced on his campaign Web site last week that, if elected, he would end federal prohibitions on the use of marijuana by adults and would instead move to regulate it like alcohol. Visit (http://www.kucinich.us/issues/marijuana_decrim.php) to read the full text of Kucinich's marijuana plank online. Visit (http://www.kucinich.us/issues/drugwar.php) to read Kucinich's overall drug-policy-reform stances.
• River Action is requesting nominations for the Annual Eddy Awards, recognizing outstanding candidates in the following categories: Education, Design, River Activity, Arts, Stewardship, and Revitalization. For the nomination form or more information about qualifications, call River Action at (563)322-2969.
• The Scott County Sheriff's Office is assisting the Iowa Attorney General's Office in conjunction with the Polk County Sheriff's Office regarding telemarketing done by the American Deputy Sheriff's Association. Allegations have been made that the American Deputy Sheriff's Association might be using false information in its efforts to generate donations. Anyone who receives a solicitation call from the American Deputy Sheriff's Association is urged to call the Scott County Sheriff's Office at (563)326-8628 so that these calls can be properly documented and made part of the Iowa Attorney General's investigation. The Scott County Sheriff's Office does not do any phone solicitation for fund-raising efforts.
• FLW Outdoors has announced that the world's most lucrative walleye tournament will be staged on the Mississippi River in 2004, attracting as many as 400 anglers to the Moline area and paying out as much as $1.4 million in cash awards. The four-day Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship will start September 29 and culminate October 2 with an award to the winning pro.
• The Center for Consumer Freedom is a not-for-profit coalition supported by restaurants, food companies, and consumers working together to promote personal responsibility and protect consumer choices. Among its recent targets, the Center for Consumer Freedom has skewered ads by PETA, obesity-driven lawsuits, and the "food cops" at the Center For Science in the Public Interest. See for yourself at (http://www.consumerfreedom.com/ad_campaign.cfm).
• President George W. Bush signed H.R. 2417, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004, into law on December 13. The act authorizes appropriations for intelligence-related activities of various federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. A provision added to the bill in committee in mid-November, after the bill had been passed by the House and Senate, expands FBI authority to seize records in terrorism investigations. The act permits the FBI to demand records without judicial approval from car dealers, pawnbrokers, travel agents, casinos, and other businesses. The text of H.R. 2417 is available at (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:h.r.02417). The committee report is available at (http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2003_rpt/2004conf.html).
