09
Jul
2002
• Governor Tom Vilsack and Lieutenant Governor Sally Pederson announced the appointment of Jamie Howard of Davenport to the Commission on the Status of African Americans. Howard currently serves as alderman at-large and mayor pro-tem of the City of Davenport. Previously, Howard served on the Davenport School Board. The Commission on the Status of African Americans looks at the needs and concerns of the African-American population of the state and makes recommendations to the governor and General Assembly on how to address these issues. You can learn more about the Iowa Commission on the Status of African Americans at its Web site at (http://www.state.ia.us/government/dhr/saa/index.html).
• Bettendorf's Family Museum has raised its general-admission price from $4 to $5, effective immediately. All other prices stay the same. Family Museum admission is $5 for visitors ages 2 through 59, and $2 for visitors 60 and older. For more information, call (563)344-4169 or look on the museum's Web site at (http://www.familymuseum.org).
• The National Weather Service Forecast Office provides up-to-date information regarding current weather conditions, including a seven-day forecast. You can search by state, city, or the zip code. As an example, the forecast for Scott County can be found at (http://www.crh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin-dvn/forecast.cgi?IAZ068). Links to other weather-related information are also available.
• Milan's new playground is a water version of a traditional playground. The new 30-by-100-foot "SprayGround," located in Dickson Park, will open in July and boasts a digital water system that reacts to children's footsteps by spraying water on them. The Village of Milan wanted a new facility for the children of the community but knew it would need local support to make it happen. The Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union 25 got involved and deemed the SprayGround its 2002 "Building for Kids" project. With the additional funding and manpower available, the new water-themed playground became a reality. More than 20 members of Local 25 volunteered their time and talents to help complete the SprayGround.
• The annual "Youth Risk Surveillance" survey released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reveals a youth population still eager to experiment with alcohol, cigarettes, and illicit drugs but more likely to buckle up behind the wheel and less likely to be carrying weapons. Fewer teenagers have had sex, yet more are wearing condoms. The trade-off between increased high-school drug use and decreased levels of violent or reckless behavior could save teenage lives. The CDC identified the four most likely causes of death for those aged 10 to 25 as motor-vehicle crashes, other intentional injuries, homicide, and suicide. Though suicide rates remain steady, the increase in seat-belt use and decrease in riding with a drunk driver are likely to reduce motor-vehicle fatalities. Also, a decrease in violent behavior will likely mean fewer homicides. The most recent available data, from 1999, suggest that use of all legal and illegal drugs other than alcohol contributes to less than 1 percent of all deaths in the United States. That rate doubles, however, when alcohol is included. You can see the report for yourself at (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5104a1.htm).
• The St. Patrick Society Quad Cities USA is in the planning stages of establishing an Irish-American memorial in Davenport. The memorial is to commemorate the victims of the Irish famine in the 1800s as well as immigrants from Ireland who settled in the Quad Cities and surrounding area. The estimated cost to complete the memorial is $65,000. To finance the construction, a proposal has been made to sell family and individual nameplates. The memorial complex would accommodate 2,000 or more nameplates that would be prominently and permanently displayed in bronze. Questions, comments, or suggestions should be directed to the planning committees at St. Patrick Society Memorial; 1227 4th St.; Moline, IL 61265.
• Last year marked the first session of Congress in a decade in which lawmakers of both major parties in the House and Senate had net average agendas that would increase federal spending. This is according to an exhaustive BillTally analysis released by the non-partisan National Taxpayers Union Foundation (NTUF). All cost estimates for bills were obtained from third-party sources or calculated from neutral data. This latest survey identified 690 House and 404 Senate bills introduced during 2001 that had a fiscal impact of at least $1 million (out 5,501 bills of all kinds). Among the findings: House bills that proposed to increase spending outnumbered decrease bills at a rate of 17.65 to 1; on the Senate side, the ratio of increases to cuts was 30.1 to 1. Of the 13 spending reductions introduced in the Senate, just four came from Republicans. The average House Democrat had a net (increases minus cuts) agenda that would raise federal spending by $262.4 billion per year (an increase of more than 13 percent over current outlays). House Republicans on average posted a net overall agenda of $19.8 billion - a switch from last year's average that proposed to cut spending by $4.6 billion. The BillTally report can be found at (http://www.ntu.org/taxpayer_issues/ntuf_policy_papers/pp_ntuf_136.php3). In addition, BillTally can be found at (http://www.ntu.org/ntuf_billtally/). Both should provide interesting reading for people considering a candidate for the November election.
• Applications are now being accepted to become Habitat for Humanity partner families that will help build and ultimately own Habitat homes. To receive an application, interested volunteers must complete four hours of volunteer work at a construction site or another Habitat project. Upon completion of the volunteer work, applicants will be given a coupon to mail to the Habitat Office. Families will then be sent an application that must be returned by July 30. For more information about the application process or about volunteering for Habitat, call (563)359-9066.
• The Bettendorf Police Department, using a $73,500 local-law-enforcement block grant, has purchased a Global Positioning System to keep track of the location of squad cars. The system indicates where squad cars are at all times and includes features to notify dispatchers if a squad car is involved in a crash and the air bag is deployed. The system refreshes itself every quarter-mile a vehicle travels or every few seconds.
• Bettendorf's Family Museum has raised its general-admission price from $4 to $5, effective immediately. All other prices stay the same. Family Museum admission is $5 for visitors ages 2 through 59, and $2 for visitors 60 and older. For more information, call (563)344-4169 or look on the museum's Web site at (http://www.familymuseum.org).
• The National Weather Service Forecast Office provides up-to-date information regarding current weather conditions, including a seven-day forecast. You can search by state, city, or the zip code. As an example, the forecast for Scott County can be found at (http://www.crh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin-dvn/forecast.cgi?IAZ068). Links to other weather-related information are also available.
• Milan's new playground is a water version of a traditional playground. The new 30-by-100-foot "SprayGround," located in Dickson Park, will open in July and boasts a digital water system that reacts to children's footsteps by spraying water on them. The Village of Milan wanted a new facility for the children of the community but knew it would need local support to make it happen. The Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union 25 got involved and deemed the SprayGround its 2002 "Building for Kids" project. With the additional funding and manpower available, the new water-themed playground became a reality. More than 20 members of Local 25 volunteered their time and talents to help complete the SprayGround.
• The annual "Youth Risk Surveillance" survey released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reveals a youth population still eager to experiment with alcohol, cigarettes, and illicit drugs but more likely to buckle up behind the wheel and less likely to be carrying weapons. Fewer teenagers have had sex, yet more are wearing condoms. The trade-off between increased high-school drug use and decreased levels of violent or reckless behavior could save teenage lives. The CDC identified the four most likely causes of death for those aged 10 to 25 as motor-vehicle crashes, other intentional injuries, homicide, and suicide. Though suicide rates remain steady, the increase in seat-belt use and decrease in riding with a drunk driver are likely to reduce motor-vehicle fatalities. Also, a decrease in violent behavior will likely mean fewer homicides. The most recent available data, from 1999, suggest that use of all legal and illegal drugs other than alcohol contributes to less than 1 percent of all deaths in the United States. That rate doubles, however, when alcohol is included. You can see the report for yourself at (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5104a1.htm).
• The St. Patrick Society Quad Cities USA is in the planning stages of establishing an Irish-American memorial in Davenport. The memorial is to commemorate the victims of the Irish famine in the 1800s as well as immigrants from Ireland who settled in the Quad Cities and surrounding area. The estimated cost to complete the memorial is $65,000. To finance the construction, a proposal has been made to sell family and individual nameplates. The memorial complex would accommodate 2,000 or more nameplates that would be prominently and permanently displayed in bronze. Questions, comments, or suggestions should be directed to the planning committees at St. Patrick Society Memorial; 1227 4th St.; Moline, IL 61265.
• Last year marked the first session of Congress in a decade in which lawmakers of both major parties in the House and Senate had net average agendas that would increase federal spending. This is according to an exhaustive BillTally analysis released by the non-partisan National Taxpayers Union Foundation (NTUF). All cost estimates for bills were obtained from third-party sources or calculated from neutral data. This latest survey identified 690 House and 404 Senate bills introduced during 2001 that had a fiscal impact of at least $1 million (out 5,501 bills of all kinds). Among the findings: House bills that proposed to increase spending outnumbered decrease bills at a rate of 17.65 to 1; on the Senate side, the ratio of increases to cuts was 30.1 to 1. Of the 13 spending reductions introduced in the Senate, just four came from Republicans. The average House Democrat had a net (increases minus cuts) agenda that would raise federal spending by $262.4 billion per year (an increase of more than 13 percent over current outlays). House Republicans on average posted a net overall agenda of $19.8 billion - a switch from last year's average that proposed to cut spending by $4.6 billion. The BillTally report can be found at (http://www.ntu.org/taxpayer_issues/ntuf_policy_papers/pp_ntuf_136.php3). In addition, BillTally can be found at (http://www.ntu.org/ntuf_billtally/). Both should provide interesting reading for people considering a candidate for the November election.
• Applications are now being accepted to become Habitat for Humanity partner families that will help build and ultimately own Habitat homes. To receive an application, interested volunteers must complete four hours of volunteer work at a construction site or another Habitat project. Upon completion of the volunteer work, applicants will be given a coupon to mail to the Habitat Office. Families will then be sent an application that must be returned by July 30. For more information about the application process or about volunteering for Habitat, call (563)359-9066.
• The Bettendorf Police Department, using a $73,500 local-law-enforcement block grant, has purchased a Global Positioning System to keep track of the location of squad cars. The system indicates where squad cars are at all times and includes features to notify dispatchers if a squad car is involved in a crash and the air bag is deployed. The system refreshes itself every quarter-mile a vehicle travels or every few seconds.
