14
Feb
2006
• A $2.4-million grant from the State of Illinois will allow Western Illinois University to finish planning the expansion of its Quad Cities campus on property donated by Deere & Company along River Drive in Moline. The completion of the first building will cost between $15 million and $26 million, according to university officials. The entire project, three buildings in all, will cost in the range of $50 million to $60 million. The project has received two other government grants: one from the state for $200,000 to begin the planning process, and another for $310,000 from the federal government to remove asbestos from the site.
• CPR Saturday will be held on February 18 at the Isle of Capri Convention Center in Bettendorf. Pediatric CPR will be held from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., brunch with a presentation will be from 10:30 a.m. until noon, and adult CPR will be held from noon until 1 p.m. The event is free, but class sizes are limited. To register, call the Scott Community College Registration Center at (563)441-4100. This training session does not fulfill certification requirements.
• Trinity Cardiologist Dr. Eric Dippel has used a new laser to treat arterial blockages in the leg - the first such use in Iowa - at the Terrace Park cath lab. While lasers as a cath-lab treatment mechanism have been around for several years, they've had side effects and haven't been usable for treating peripheral vascular disease. This new laser has shown to be effective in opening blocked arteries and removing plaque in arteries below the knee. Up until now, patients with long, blocked arteries below the knee have faced the possibility of amputation. In some cases, stents designed for other parts of the body also have been used in treatment, but the new options results in better treatment results for the patient
• Families are invited to participate in the "Have a Heart" event at Bettendorf's Family Museum of Arts & Science. Visitors can work together to create tied-fleece blankets for people in shelters. Last year, staff and youngsters from the Quad Cities made more than 20 blankets that were donated to those in need. The Family Museum will supply the fabric, and families who complete a blanket will be admitted to the exhibits free of charge. People of all ages are invited to participate. Participating in a community-service project such as this is beneficial to people of all ages, especially children. It involves not only giving back to the community and those in need, but requires hard work and personal effort on the part of the participant. For more information on this event, call (563)344-4106 or visit (http://www.familymuseum.org).
• Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities and the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Rock Island County are building a home in Rock Island as part of a nationwide effort to create additional home ownership opportunities for low-income families. Locally, volunteers will be needed to help build in Rock Island. Nationally, Habitat for Humanity International and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans are building up to 312 homes in 2006. The homes will be in addition to the more than 5,000 homes Habitat affiliates build annually in the United States and represent a 6-percent increase in Habitat home production. The homes will be built in more than 200 communities in 43 states. This represents an estimated $21.7-million investment from Thrivent Financial in 2006 alone. During the four-year alliance, Thrivent Financial intends to invest a total of $105 million to increase annual house production by up to 500 U.S. homes per year, and more around the world. For more information about Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities, take a look at (http://www.habitatqc.org).
• For the fourth time in the past six years, the Rock Island Housing Authority has earned a "High Performer" rating from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). Public-housing agencies are considered a "High-Performer" if they earn at least 90 of the 100 points possible on the Public Housing Assessment Score. This year, Rock Island Housing Authority received an overall score of 91. The points are awarded following an annual HUD evaluation.
• The Non-Destructive Testing procedures at the Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing & Technology Center (JMTC) earned a "Best Practice" designation from the Edison Welding Institute (EWI) in November 2005, after an unannounced visit. Members of EWI visited the arsenal to review the weld processes used on the M119 Howitzer. At the request of Arsenal, members were asked to help the skilled welders find ways to improve weld quality and production in the weapons before the M119 Howitzer workload gets fully underway in March. Most of the M119 Howitzers used by the military were made by the JMTC and are still operational in Iraq, Afghanistan, and several other countries abroad. During the last production 10 years ago, JMTC manufactured 280 M119 Howitzers. JMTC is the home of the only operational foundry in the United States Army.
• CPR Saturday will be held on February 18 at the Isle of Capri Convention Center in Bettendorf. Pediatric CPR will be held from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., brunch with a presentation will be from 10:30 a.m. until noon, and adult CPR will be held from noon until 1 p.m. The event is free, but class sizes are limited. To register, call the Scott Community College Registration Center at (563)441-4100. This training session does not fulfill certification requirements.
• Trinity Cardiologist Dr. Eric Dippel has used a new laser to treat arterial blockages in the leg - the first such use in Iowa - at the Terrace Park cath lab. While lasers as a cath-lab treatment mechanism have been around for several years, they've had side effects and haven't been usable for treating peripheral vascular disease. This new laser has shown to be effective in opening blocked arteries and removing plaque in arteries below the knee. Up until now, patients with long, blocked arteries below the knee have faced the possibility of amputation. In some cases, stents designed for other parts of the body also have been used in treatment, but the new options results in better treatment results for the patient
• Families are invited to participate in the "Have a Heart" event at Bettendorf's Family Museum of Arts & Science. Visitors can work together to create tied-fleece blankets for people in shelters. Last year, staff and youngsters from the Quad Cities made more than 20 blankets that were donated to those in need. The Family Museum will supply the fabric, and families who complete a blanket will be admitted to the exhibits free of charge. People of all ages are invited to participate. Participating in a community-service project such as this is beneficial to people of all ages, especially children. It involves not only giving back to the community and those in need, but requires hard work and personal effort on the part of the participant. For more information on this event, call (563)344-4106 or visit (http://www.familymuseum.org).
• Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities and the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Rock Island County are building a home in Rock Island as part of a nationwide effort to create additional home ownership opportunities for low-income families. Locally, volunteers will be needed to help build in Rock Island. Nationally, Habitat for Humanity International and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans are building up to 312 homes in 2006. The homes will be in addition to the more than 5,000 homes Habitat affiliates build annually in the United States and represent a 6-percent increase in Habitat home production. The homes will be built in more than 200 communities in 43 states. This represents an estimated $21.7-million investment from Thrivent Financial in 2006 alone. During the four-year alliance, Thrivent Financial intends to invest a total of $105 million to increase annual house production by up to 500 U.S. homes per year, and more around the world. For more information about Habitat for Humanity Quad Cities, take a look at (http://www.habitatqc.org).
• For the fourth time in the past six years, the Rock Island Housing Authority has earned a "High Performer" rating from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). Public-housing agencies are considered a "High-Performer" if they earn at least 90 of the 100 points possible on the Public Housing Assessment Score. This year, Rock Island Housing Authority received an overall score of 91. The points are awarded following an annual HUD evaluation.
• The Non-Destructive Testing procedures at the Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing & Technology Center (JMTC) earned a "Best Practice" designation from the Edison Welding Institute (EWI) in November 2005, after an unannounced visit. Members of EWI visited the arsenal to review the weld processes used on the M119 Howitzer. At the request of Arsenal, members were asked to help the skilled welders find ways to improve weld quality and production in the weapons before the M119 Howitzer workload gets fully underway in March. Most of the M119 Howitzers used by the military were made by the JMTC and are still operational in Iraq, Afghanistan, and several other countries abroad. During the last production 10 years ago, JMTC manufactured 280 M119 Howitzers. JMTC is the home of the only operational foundry in the United States Army.
