11
Feb
2003
• The Quad Cities affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has announced its 2003 grant recipients for projects supporting breast-cancer education, screening, and treatment of the medically undeserved. More than $242,000 was awarded through the yearly grant process to community groups and agencies in a seven-county service area. The dollars granted were raised at the 13th annual Susan G. Komen Quad Cities Race for the Cure held in Moline on June 8. Individuals or organizations interested in applying for future grants may contact Becky Singer at (309)765-4468. Susan G. Komen Quad Cities Race for the Cure will be held on June 14 this year. You can find more information on the race at (http://www.qcraceforthecure.org).
• Illini Hospital has announced completion of phase one of a $6-million-dollar project: a "Family Room" featuring five new LDRP (labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum) rooms, a Level 2 Special Care Nursery, a quiet room, and surgical suite. The hospital's expansion and renovation project includes the Family Room, a kitchen, and the construction of a two-story addition in the central part of the hospital. Once the phase-two renovation of the current Family Room is complete, Illini will have a total of 16 LDRP rooms, and there will also be special rooms for prenatal testing. In 1986, Illini Hospital was the first hospital in Illinois to offer all LDRP rooms. For more information about Illini Hospital's Family Room or about the prenatal services offered, log on to (http://www.illinibaby.com).
• Iowa state Senator Maggie Tinsman (R-Bettendorf) has introduced legislation to reduce income taxes on retirement income. Tinsman's plan would allow income-tax exemptions on pensions and Social Security benefits for Iowans who are disabled or 55 years of age or older. The legislation calls for increasing the state individual income-tax exemption on pension income from $6,000 to $12,000 for single filers, and from $12,000 to $24,000 for married taxpayers. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Iowa has the fourth highest percentage of residents aged 65 and older.
• An artists' forum is scheduled at the Davenport Museum of Art for Friday, February 28, from 6 to 8 p.m. This is a chance for interested artists to voice their opinions about programming and exhibition ideas for the new Figge Arts Center (scheduled to open in spring 2005).
• The City of Bettendorf has approved the first phase of construction for the new Genesis at Crow Valley Campus. The campus, which will house a variety of health-care services, will be located on 16 acres of land at the northwest corner of 18th Street and 53rd Avenue in Bettendorf. Phase one of this new health-care campus includes a 13,800-square-foot facility. Construction, which is expected to begin in March, includes 5,800 square feet of office space for Gastroenterology Associates, P.C., and 8,000 square feet for an outpatient-endoscopy-procedure facility. For more information about the health-care services offered by Genesis Health System, visit (http://www.genesishealth.com) or call Genesis On Call at 421-2000 or (800)383-2575.
• Iowa State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald has announced that the College Savings Iowa 529 plan (which was created in 1998) reached $400 million in assets-under-management on January 13, up more than 250 percent from the previous year. Iowa residents can deduct up to $2,230 of contributions per account from their adjusted gross income for each child they are saving for. Withdrawals from the plan for qualified higher-education expenses are also free from federal and Iowa income taxes. For more information on College Savings Iowa, visit (http://www.collegesavingsiowa.com) or call (888)672-9116.
• Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack released his budget recommendations to the legislature on Friday, January 31. The governor is recommending a $4.6-billion general-fund budget for Fiscal Year 2004. This is an increase of 1.8 percent, or $81 million over the current fiscal year. While most funding levels will stay the same, education funding is being increased, and a $25-million proposal to "reinvent government" is also being funded. The governor also proposes restoring the Environment First Fund with $35 million from the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund. The governor has left a $128.5 million ending balance that can be used to cover any collective-bargaining decisions once they are finalized.
• The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) reports that the short-term fate of the controversial Total Information Awareness (TIA) program is likely to be decided within the next two weeks. A coalition of senators on January 23 attached an amendment to the omnibus spending bill that would limit the TIA system. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Dianne Feinstein (D-California), Jon Corzine (D-New Jersey), Harry Reid (D-Nevada), and Barbara Boxer (D-California) sponsored the measure, which is known as Amendment 59. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) had offered a similar amendment and supported inclusion of Amendment 59 in the spending package. The amendment will now be the subject of negotiations in a conference between the Senate and the House on the omnibus spending bill. Under Amendment 59, funding for development of TIA will end 60 days after the passage of the omnibus spending bill, unless the intelligence community submits a detailed report to Congress on the privacy and civil-liberties implications of the system. However, exceptions in the amendment would allow President Bush to approve continued funding for TIA if he determines that issuing the report is impracticable and that a cessation of TIA research would endanger national security. For more information, fire up your Web browser and start with these links: Senate Amendment 59 (http://www.epic.org/privacy/profiling/tia/sa59.html); House Joint Resolution 2, Omnibus Appropriations Bill (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:HJ00002); a list of House and Senate conferees (http://www.epic.org/privacy/profiling/tia/conferees.html); and the EPIC Total Information Awareness page (http://www.epic.org/privacy/profiling/tia/).
• Illini Hospital has announced completion of phase one of a $6-million-dollar project: a "Family Room" featuring five new LDRP (labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum) rooms, a Level 2 Special Care Nursery, a quiet room, and surgical suite. The hospital's expansion and renovation project includes the Family Room, a kitchen, and the construction of a two-story addition in the central part of the hospital. Once the phase-two renovation of the current Family Room is complete, Illini will have a total of 16 LDRP rooms, and there will also be special rooms for prenatal testing. In 1986, Illini Hospital was the first hospital in Illinois to offer all LDRP rooms. For more information about Illini Hospital's Family Room or about the prenatal services offered, log on to (http://www.illinibaby.com).
• Iowa state Senator Maggie Tinsman (R-Bettendorf) has introduced legislation to reduce income taxes on retirement income. Tinsman's plan would allow income-tax exemptions on pensions and Social Security benefits for Iowans who are disabled or 55 years of age or older. The legislation calls for increasing the state individual income-tax exemption on pension income from $6,000 to $12,000 for single filers, and from $12,000 to $24,000 for married taxpayers. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Iowa has the fourth highest percentage of residents aged 65 and older.
• An artists' forum is scheduled at the Davenport Museum of Art for Friday, February 28, from 6 to 8 p.m. This is a chance for interested artists to voice their opinions about programming and exhibition ideas for the new Figge Arts Center (scheduled to open in spring 2005).
• The City of Bettendorf has approved the first phase of construction for the new Genesis at Crow Valley Campus. The campus, which will house a variety of health-care services, will be located on 16 acres of land at the northwest corner of 18th Street and 53rd Avenue in Bettendorf. Phase one of this new health-care campus includes a 13,800-square-foot facility. Construction, which is expected to begin in March, includes 5,800 square feet of office space for Gastroenterology Associates, P.C., and 8,000 square feet for an outpatient-endoscopy-procedure facility. For more information about the health-care services offered by Genesis Health System, visit (http://www.genesishealth.com) or call Genesis On Call at 421-2000 or (800)383-2575.
• Iowa State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald has announced that the College Savings Iowa 529 plan (which was created in 1998) reached $400 million in assets-under-management on January 13, up more than 250 percent from the previous year. Iowa residents can deduct up to $2,230 of contributions per account from their adjusted gross income for each child they are saving for. Withdrawals from the plan for qualified higher-education expenses are also free from federal and Iowa income taxes. For more information on College Savings Iowa, visit (http://www.collegesavingsiowa.com) or call (888)672-9116.
• Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack released his budget recommendations to the legislature on Friday, January 31. The governor is recommending a $4.6-billion general-fund budget for Fiscal Year 2004. This is an increase of 1.8 percent, or $81 million over the current fiscal year. While most funding levels will stay the same, education funding is being increased, and a $25-million proposal to "reinvent government" is also being funded. The governor also proposes restoring the Environment First Fund with $35 million from the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund. The governor has left a $128.5 million ending balance that can be used to cover any collective-bargaining decisions once they are finalized.
• The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) reports that the short-term fate of the controversial Total Information Awareness (TIA) program is likely to be decided within the next two weeks. A coalition of senators on January 23 attached an amendment to the omnibus spending bill that would limit the TIA system. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Dianne Feinstein (D-California), Jon Corzine (D-New Jersey), Harry Reid (D-Nevada), and Barbara Boxer (D-California) sponsored the measure, which is known as Amendment 59. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) had offered a similar amendment and supported inclusion of Amendment 59 in the spending package. The amendment will now be the subject of negotiations in a conference between the Senate and the House on the omnibus spending bill. Under Amendment 59, funding for development of TIA will end 60 days after the passage of the omnibus spending bill, unless the intelligence community submits a detailed report to Congress on the privacy and civil-liberties implications of the system. However, exceptions in the amendment would allow President Bush to approve continued funding for TIA if he determines that issuing the report is impracticable and that a cessation of TIA research would endanger national security. For more information, fire up your Web browser and start with these links: Senate Amendment 59 (http://www.epic.org/privacy/profiling/tia/sa59.html); House Joint Resolution 2, Omnibus Appropriations Bill (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:HJ00002); a list of House and Senate conferees (http://www.epic.org/privacy/profiling/tia/conferees.html); and the EPIC Total Information Awareness page (http://www.epic.org/privacy/profiling/tia/).
