To meet the public request for U. S. passports, Scott County will provide extended hours (ONLY Passport Services) once a week for the month of February. In addition to regular business hours, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Scott County Recorder, Rita Vargas, will offer extended passport acceptance hours to accommodate applicants whose work and school schedules conflict with the general office hours.  These hours will be Wednesdays from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., only on these dates: February 3, 10, 17 and 24, 2010.

"I am very pleased with the significant increase in the number of request for passports we are seeing in the Recorder's Office. We have received numerous inquiries regarding after hour service for passport services and wanted to accommodate those request with no overtime cost to the county.  We have been encouraging anyone planning to travel outside the U.S.to apply for their passport early and my guess is people are taking that advice" says Vargas.    Applications will be provided on site.  Each minor child applying for a passport must appear in person.

Requirements for Passport Application can be found at www.qcpassport.com or www.scottcountyiowa.com at the Recorder's link.

Please bring the following items with you when applying for your passport:

1. Evidence of Citizenship: One of the following 3 documents must be submitted with your Application and will be returned with your new passport.
   0. Birth Certificate: A certified copy of Birth Certificate issued by the county or state. A notarized copy or a hospital birth certificate is not acceptable.
   1. Naturalization Certificate: A person who claims US citizenship by naturalization must submit the original Certificate of Naturalization with the application.
   2. Expired Passport: This is acceptable. However, if the child was under 16 when the passport was issued, you must submit a certified copy of the birth certificate along with the expired passport.
2. Two (2) Identical Passport Photos: (2"x 2" color) Front view of applicant, taken within the last six months.   The Recorder's does offer photo services for $8 per person fee.
3. Personal Identification: A valid driver's license (not driver's permit).  Expired ID is not accepted. Anyone under 18 must have a parent along with the parent's ID for parental consent and signature. Both parents' signatures are required for children under 16.
4. Payment: Each passport should be paid by two (2) checks or money orders as indicated below (debit or credit cards are not accepted):
   • $25 payable to "Scott County Recorder" and • $75 payable to "U.S. Department of State" - Valid 10 Years 
   (if under 16 years of age - $60 - Valid 5 years)

Chicago, January 26, 2010 ? A report released today shows Illinois has made dramatic improvements in the website designed to disseminate information about their share of the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), while other states have failed to make vital information available.

This is the finding of Show Us the Stimulus (Again), a report released today by the Illinois Public Interest Research Group (Illinois PIRG) and produced by Good Jobs First, a non-profit research center based in Washington, DC. The report updates a similar study published last July.

"The state of Illinois has turned it around. Last summer we were a national embarrassment when it came to transparent stimulus spending," said Brian Imus of Illinois PIRG. "Now we are a national leader. Transparency in government is an important step in restoring the public's confidence in Illinois government."

The full text of the report as well as the appendix for Illinois and other states can be found at www.goodjobsfirst.org/stimulusweb.cfm.

"Some states are making great strides in fulfilling President Obama's promise that the Recovery Act would be carried out with an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability," said Good Jobs First executive director Greg LeRoy. "Led by Maryland, which again receives the highest score, these states' ARRA websites do a good job in helping taxpayers understand and evaluate the role of the Recovery Act in job creation and state fiscal relief."

The study examines the quality and quantity of disclosure by official state websites on the many different ways that more than $200 billion in ARRA funding is flowing through state governments to communities, organizations and individuals. It examines the availability of information on spending programs as well as specific grants and contracts including data relating to jobs and the geographic distribution of spending within states. Using seven main criteria, each state was graded on a scale of 0 to 100. Illinois received a score of 69 and ranked 7th nationally.

The states scoring highest for transparency of stimulus funds in the new report are: Maryland (87), Kentucky (85), Connecticut (80), Colorado (72), Minnesota (72), Wisconsin (72), California (69), Illinois (69), Oregon (67), Massachusetts (65), Georgia (64), West Virginia (64), New Mexico (62), New York (62), Pennsylvania (62), Montana (61) and Arkansas (60).

At the other end, the ten states with the least adequate information on ARRA programs and specific projects, starting from the worst scoring, are: North Dakota (5), District of Columbia (6), Missouri (10), Alaska (13), Vermont (13), Louisiana (16), Mississippi (17), Idaho (18), Oklahoma (18), Texas (18) and South Carolina (19).

Although changes in methodology make exact comparisons impossible, some states improved greatly since a similar ranking in July. Kentucky soared from 47th place to 2nd; Illinois jumped from 50th to 7th; Minnesota climbed from 34th to 4th and Utah rose from 50th to 24th place.

"We are impressed by 'Cinderella' states such as Kentucky and Illinois, which were ranked at the bottom in our previous assessment but broke into the top tier in the new ranking," said Philip Mattera, research director of Good Jobs First and principal author of both reports. "Numerous others have also improved their sites and are effectively incorporating the data states are helping to collect for the federal government's Recovery.gov website. The state sites and Recovery.gov both have vital roles to play in helping the public evaluate the Recovery Act's performance."

Here are highlights of specific findings:

• Most states do a good job of providing information on the composition of their ARRA spending, both in broad program categories (energy, housing, transportation, etc.) and in narrower ones. Only the District of Columbia provides no program allocation information at all.

• Geographic breakdowns (by county or locality) are less common than summaries of spending by program category. Twenty-seven states provide geographic information, often with interactive maps, including Illinois.

• Only three states?Kentucky, Maryland and Wisconsin?provide side-by-side comparison of the geographic distribution of spending with patterns of economic distress or need within the state.

• Besides overall spending amounts, state residents can see where individual ARRA projects such as the repaving of a road or repair of a school building are taking place. More than half the states (28) now have some kind of project mapping feature on their ARRA site, including Illinois.

• Via maps or otherwise, Illinois was among 41 states in providing one or more of the following types of detail on projects funded through ARRA grants and contracts: description, dollar amount, recipient name, completion status, and the full text of contracts or grant awards. Four states?Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts and New Hampshire?included all these elements.

• Ten states have no information about actual job creation on their websites: Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina and the District of Columbia. By contrast, 16 states list jobs data on individual projects as well as totals by program area and for the state as a whole.

• Only five states?Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi and New Hampshire?provide the full texts of at least some ARRA contract awards.

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February is American Heart Month, drawing attention to heart disease, America's No. 1 killer, and the strides being taken through research and education to raise awareness of risk factors and to decrease death rates. Appropriately kicked off on National Wear Red Day (Friday, Feb. 5, 2010), the American Heart Association and its Go Red For Women movement urge everyone to support the fight against heart disease in women by wearing red that day.

REASONS TO BELIEVE

1. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women age 20 and over, but it is largely preventable. In fact, up to 80% of cardiac events in women may be prevented if women make the right choices for their hearts, including diet, exercise and not smoking.

2. Go Red BetterU is a FREE 12-week online nutrition and fitness program that can makeover your heart. Each week will focus on a different area and provide step-by-step guidance. You'll have access to everything from daily expert tips and an online journal to a downloadable BetterMe coaching tool.  Visit www.GoRedforWomen.org for more information.

3. While 1 in 30 American women die of breast cancer, 1 in 3 women die from cardiovascular disease.

4. Cardiovascular disease kills approximately 450,000 women each year, which is about one each minute.

5. FEBRUARY 5^th: Today is National Wear Red Day! Join dozens of women, as well as companies and organizations in Iowa and cities across America by wearing red today. It's a simple, powerful way to raise awareness of heart disease and stroke.

6. Overweight children are more likely to have abnormally thick heart muscle tissue when they become an adult, which increases the risk of heart attack and heart failure. Learn how to get your kids on the right track at www.heart.org.

7. Visit www.GoRedForWomen.org and join the online discussion about heart health.

8. If you or someone you know shows signs of heart attack or stroke, call 9-1-1 right away. An Emergency Medical Services (EMS) team can begin treatment when it arrives. That means treatment can begin sooner than it would if the patient arrived at the hospital by car. What's more, the EMS team is also trained to revive someone whose heart has stopped, which can save hundreds of lives each year.

9. Children of mothers who smoke during pregnancy have more damage to their arteries in young adulthood than offspring of non-smokers and the association is even stronger if both parents smoke.

10. Choose to speak up, not remain silent. Support legislation that would improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease and stroke in women at www.yourethecure.org.

11. Too many lives have and will be cut short from heart disease and its risk factors; however, early detection, lifestyle changes, and other intervention can improve certain conditions.

12. Plan meals in advance - visit www.heart.org for recipes from a number of heart-healthy cookbooks and use the online grocery list builder to quickly identify heart-healthy products to add to your grocery list.

13. Schedule a doctor's appointment each year and get a complete blood screen. Visit www.GoRedForWomen.org and download "What to Know BEFORE Your Doctor Visit." Only 1 in 5 women believes that heart disease is her greatest health threat.

14. This year about 1.2 million Americans will have a first or repeat coronary attack. About 452,000 of them will die. Coronary heart disease is our nation's leading cause of death.

15. Nearly 8 million Americans age 20 and older have survived a heart attack (myocardial infarction). About 8.9 million have angina pectoris (chest pain or discomfort due to reduced blood supply to the heart).

16. An estimated 25.1 million men and 20.9 million women increase their risk of heart attack and stroke by smoking cigarettes.

17. One of the best ways to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease is to start getting regular, moderate exercise, at least 30 minutes a day, most days of the week.

18. Some heart attacks are sudden and intense, causing someone to gasp dramatically, clutch her heart and drop to the ground. No one has any doubts about what's happening. But most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often the people affected aren't sure what's wrong and wait too long before getting help.

19. The American Heart Association dedicates more monies to research than any

other voluntary health organization. Only the federal government funds more cardiovascular research.

20. Start thinking about your heart. By adding one hour of regular, vigorous physical activity, adults may gain up to two hours of life expectancy. Start by including more physical activity into your daily routine. Take a walk, ride a bike or take the stairs.  Visit www.StartWalkingNow.org for some free tools and tips.

21. About 36.6 million American adults have cholesterol levels of 240 or higher ? the point at which it becomes a major risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke. Your total cholesterol should be below 200, and your HDL (good) cholesterol should be 40 or higher.

22. Americans think they are in better heart health than they really are. According to a recent American Heart Association survey, nearly 40 percent thought they were in ideal heart health, when in reality less than 1 percent of Americans have an ideal profile.

23. To find out how healthy you are, the American Heart Association developed a new health assessment tool, called My Life Check, at www.heart.org/mylifecheck. It will give you an overall health score and create an action plan to move you closer to your individual health goals. No matter what you score, any healthy change can help you live a longer, better life.

24. During a heart check up, your doctor takes a careful look at your "numbers," including your cholesterol and triglyceride levels, your blood pressure and more. Knowing your numbers is an important part of keeping your heart-healthy. It can help you and your doctor know your risks and mark the progress you're making toward a healthier you.

25. Smoking is the single most preventable cause of premature death in the United States. If you smoke cigarettes (or cigars), you have a higher risk of illness and death from heart attack, stroke and other diseases. So if you don't smoke, don't start. If you do smoke, love your heart and quit today. Need more motivation? Visit www.heart.org for help quitting smoking.

26. Uncovering family history can help you to better understand your risk for heart disease. If you have a blood relative with heart disease or a risk factor for genetic heart disease, your risk for developing it significantly increases.

27. More women die of cardiovascular disease than the next five causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer.

28. Ninety percent of women have one or more risk factors for developing heart disease.  Learn about your risk factors and how to reduce them at www.GoRedForWomen.org.

Iowa native and Super Bowl Champion Dallas Clark will return to Iowa in April to receive the Ray Pillar of Character Award.  Character Counts In Iowa annually presents the Ray Award to an Iowan who has demonstrated a commitment to being a person of good character.

"Dallas has been an extraordinary model of good character.  He has been an outstanding representative of our state throughout his football career." said Character Counts In Iowa Chairman, former Gov. Robert D. Ray.  Past award recipients include Norman Borlaug, Hayden Fry, Shawn Johnson and former Governor Robert D. Ray, for whom the award was named.

After playing for the University of Iowa, Clark was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2003.  In 1997 he helped the Colts win Super Bowl XLI.  He was recently named to the 2009 Pro Bowl team and will be playing in Super Bowl XLIV on February 7.

Dallas will be presented with the Ray Award at Hy-Vee's All Star Evening to benefit Character Counts In Iowa on April 16, 2010.  Event chairpersons are Randy Edeker (President, Hy-Vee) and his wife, Dawn Edeker and Suku Radia (President & CEO, Bankers Trust) and his wife, Dr. Mary Radia.  Gary Palmer (President & CEO, Prairie Meadows) and his wife, Ginger Palmer will serve as chairpersons of the event reception.

To learn more about An All-Star Evening or Character Counts In Iowa, visit CharacterCountsInIowa.org.

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