23
Sep
2003
• A major property-tax-system conversion is currently underway in Scott County involving multiple county departments and offices and an outside vendor, Incode-CMS from Ames. Scott County is converting from a 30-year-old in-house-developed property-tax system to a third-party computer-application system based on current technology and computer programming. The old system made data conversion a challenge because it was not a relational database system and used many free-formatted fields. This has made the conversion of data more of a challenge. If you have questions about tax levies, contact the auditor's office at (563)326-8631. Questions regarding assessments and property values should be directed to the Davenport city assessor at (563)326-8659 or the Scott County assessor at (563)326-8635. If you have questions about the county budget impact on taxes, contact Scott County Administration at (563)326-8702.
• The Iowa Department of Education is receiving a $125,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services for Head Start state collaborations. This funding enables the Iowa Department of Education to coordinate with partners in the community to improve educational services offered to children in Head Start.
• Grant requests are being accepted by the Quad Cities affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation for programs supporting unique breast-cancer education, outreach, or screening and treatment for the medically underserved. Research projects will not be considered. Grant applications must cover programs in the Komen Quad Cities affiliate service area, including Scott, Muscatine, Cedar, and Clinton counties in Iowa, and Rock Island, Henry, and Whiteside counties in Illinois. Individuals or organizations interested in applying for grants should contact Becky Signer, grants chairperson of the Komen Quad Cities affiliate, at (309)765-1903 or (SignerRebecca@JohnDeere.com) for an application. Grant applications must be postmarked by October 10. For more information or to download an application, visit (http://www.qcraceforthecure.org/grants.shtml).
• After nearly one year in the making, the Bishop Hill Cookbook is completed. The cookbook contains more than 400 recipes as well as many pictures of Bishop Hill buildings and a brief history of the village. A portion of sales price from the cookbook will go toward further restoration of Bishop Hill Colony buildings. To order a cookbook, send a check or money order for $20 to the Bishop Hill Heritage Association Cookbook; P.O. Box 92; Bishop Hill, IL 61419. For further information, call (309)927-3596.
• The City of Davenport is receiving a $358,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development for the Scott County Housing Council to expand affordable-housing opportunities. Specifically, the funds will be used for the construction and rehabilitation of moderate-income family-owned housing as well as support for rental housing and the homeless.
• For the second year in a row, the National Research Corporation has recognized Genesis Medical Center as one of the nation's top hospitals with the Consumer Choice Award. The 2003 Consumer Choice Award winners were determined by consumer perceptions of factors such as satisfaction, quality of care, and community access. Of the 3,000 hospitals named by consumers in the study, only 173 facilities rank highest in their Metropolitan Statistical Areas.
• Three bills have recently been introduced into Congress that would expand the controversial USA PATRIOT Act. HR3037 would allow the attorney general to issue subpoenas in terrorism investigations without court approval and place a gag order on recipients of those subpoenas if the attorney general deems that a danger to national security could result from disclosure. HR3040 would permit a judge to detain a terrorism suspect without bail before trial, and would broaden the scope of individuals subject to lifetime supervision after release from prison for terrorism-related acts. S1604 would allow imposition of the death penalty for terrorist crimes that result in death, as well as deny federal benefits to convicted terrorists. The text of these bills can be found at (http://thomas.loc.gov).
• The Radisson on John Deere Commons has been named by Lodging Hospitality Magazine as one of the top 100 performing city-center hotels in the United States for 2002, the second year in a row for the honor. Hotels from North America as well as the Caribbean are reviewed for this award.
• Habitat for Humanity-Quad Cities ReStore needs help to pick up, prepare, and price donated building materials. Help is also needed to assist customers, do office work, creatively display items, and market ReStore in the community. Commitments vary from four hours a month to one or more days a week. The store is open to the public Thursday through Saturday, but volunteers are needed Tuesday through Saturday. To learn more, call (563)391-4949. ReStore is located at 3629 Mississippi Avenue in Davenport.
• The Iowa Department of Education is receiving a $125,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services for Head Start state collaborations. This funding enables the Iowa Department of Education to coordinate with partners in the community to improve educational services offered to children in Head Start.
• Grant requests are being accepted by the Quad Cities affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation for programs supporting unique breast-cancer education, outreach, or screening and treatment for the medically underserved. Research projects will not be considered. Grant applications must cover programs in the Komen Quad Cities affiliate service area, including Scott, Muscatine, Cedar, and Clinton counties in Iowa, and Rock Island, Henry, and Whiteside counties in Illinois. Individuals or organizations interested in applying for grants should contact Becky Signer, grants chairperson of the Komen Quad Cities affiliate, at (309)765-1903 or (SignerRebecca@JohnDeere.com) for an application. Grant applications must be postmarked by October 10. For more information or to download an application, visit (http://www.qcraceforthecure.org/grants.shtml).
• After nearly one year in the making, the Bishop Hill Cookbook is completed. The cookbook contains more than 400 recipes as well as many pictures of Bishop Hill buildings and a brief history of the village. A portion of sales price from the cookbook will go toward further restoration of Bishop Hill Colony buildings. To order a cookbook, send a check or money order for $20 to the Bishop Hill Heritage Association Cookbook; P.O. Box 92; Bishop Hill, IL 61419. For further information, call (309)927-3596.
• The City of Davenport is receiving a $358,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development for the Scott County Housing Council to expand affordable-housing opportunities. Specifically, the funds will be used for the construction and rehabilitation of moderate-income family-owned housing as well as support for rental housing and the homeless.
• For the second year in a row, the National Research Corporation has recognized Genesis Medical Center as one of the nation's top hospitals with the Consumer Choice Award. The 2003 Consumer Choice Award winners were determined by consumer perceptions of factors such as satisfaction, quality of care, and community access. Of the 3,000 hospitals named by consumers in the study, only 173 facilities rank highest in their Metropolitan Statistical Areas.
• Three bills have recently been introduced into Congress that would expand the controversial USA PATRIOT Act. HR3037 would allow the attorney general to issue subpoenas in terrorism investigations without court approval and place a gag order on recipients of those subpoenas if the attorney general deems that a danger to national security could result from disclosure. HR3040 would permit a judge to detain a terrorism suspect without bail before trial, and would broaden the scope of individuals subject to lifetime supervision after release from prison for terrorism-related acts. S1604 would allow imposition of the death penalty for terrorist crimes that result in death, as well as deny federal benefits to convicted terrorists. The text of these bills can be found at (http://thomas.loc.gov).
• The Radisson on John Deere Commons has been named by Lodging Hospitality Magazine as one of the top 100 performing city-center hotels in the United States for 2002, the second year in a row for the honor. Hotels from North America as well as the Caribbean are reviewed for this award.
• Habitat for Humanity-Quad Cities ReStore needs help to pick up, prepare, and price donated building materials. Help is also needed to assist customers, do office work, creatively display items, and market ReStore in the community. Commitments vary from four hours a month to one or more days a week. The store is open to the public Thursday through Saturday, but volunteers are needed Tuesday through Saturday. To learn more, call (563)391-4949. ReStore is located at 3629 Mississippi Avenue in Davenport.
