• The Iowa Lottery posted profits of $55.8 million - an increase of more than 16 percent - for the fiscal year that ended June 30. Preliminary figures show that overall sales from lottery games totaled more than $208.
Singer-songwriter Chris Smither has been around long enough that not much surprises him. His latest album, though, came together in a way he didn't expect. But his producer knew what he was doing, and that's the way the Smither prefers it.
• The Electronic Privacy Information Center reports that it has obtained documents through the Freedom of Information Act revealing that the Census Bureau gave the Department of Homeland Security statistical information on people who identified themselves on the 2000 census as being of Arab ancestry.

Bushed in Iowa

One thing is certain about the Republicans: When it comes to campaigning, they run a tight ship. I have never seen so many people moved in and out of a public forum so efficiently as I did last Wednesday when President Bush held a rally in LeClaire Park.

The Agendas

While the visits to Davenport last week of President George W. Bush and chief political rival John Kerry were campaign events, their simultaneous appearances provided a good opportunity to compare the two candidates' proposals.
• The Vickie Anne Palmer Foundation has announced the purchase of the three-story building at 300 Brady Street in Davenport. This building will become the Palmer Family Museum and headquarters for the foundation and operational offices for the World Leadership Institute.
• In June, 42,112 passengers boarded planes at the Quad City International Airport (QCIA), the first time more than 40,000 people boarded planes at the facility in one month. The new record replaced one set only a few months earlier; in March, the airport had 37,910 boardings.
In the eyes of Jim Bowman, Moline's downtown is full of "sales waiting to happen." With the Mark of the Quad Cities and various John Deere-related tourist destinations, the city's downtown should be thriving.
• You might not have heard of the American Community Survey (http://www.census.gov/acs/www), but you will. The new survey, unlike the traditional census every 10 years, will be taken every year at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Nobody expected it to happen this soon, but the Iowa Values Fund is up for its first performance evaluation, and the results are mixed. The program - which was supposed to attract high-paying positions in natural areas of growth for Iowa such as agriculture - has brought new jobs, but not nearly as many as promised.

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