• Operation T.I.P.S. (Terrorism Information & Prevention System) is a new nationwide volunteer-reporting government program scheduled to begin in August. According to a government Web site, "The program will involve the millions of American workers who, in the daily course of their work, are in a unique position to serve as extra eyes and ears for law enforcement. Workers such as truck drivers, bus drivers, train conductors, mail carriers, utility readers, ship captains, and port personnel are ideally suited to help in the anti-terrorism effort because their routines allow them to recognize unusual events." Information gathered will be reported to the Department of Justice for inclusion in a government database. Operation T.I.P.S. will, in the pilot stage, involve a million workers who will be able to report "tips" via the Internet or a special phone number. Learn more at the two public Web sites I was able to track down at (http://www.citizencorps.gov/tips.html) and (http://www.citizencorps.gov/enews/tips01.html).
• Requests for $18 million in federal funds for courthouse projects in Cedar Rapids and Davenport are expected to be approved by a Senate appropriations committee. It will include $12.6 million for remodeling of and repairs to the Davenport federal courthouse, which was built in 1933. The $12.6 million will be used to build additional courtrooms and office space as well as upgrade the building's security and electrical systems.
• Judicial Watch, the conservative public-interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, reports that a federal court has ordered the Justice Department to release documents concerning contacts by Attorney General John Ashcroft with representatives of the Holy Land Foundation, a Hamas-connected group shut down by the Bush Administration in the wake of complaints by Judicial Watch and other organizations about its financial backing of terrorism. Despite the Holy Land Foundation's being under investigation since 1996, the attorney general met with George Salem, a lawyer for the group, on October 16, 2001. Salem is also reportedly a major Republican donor and fundraiser. Judicial Watch had been seeking documents since December 2001 from the Justice and Treasury departments and filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit on February 22, 2002. For more information, and more about Judicial Watch, look on its Web site at (http://www.judicialwatch.org).
• The Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend is requesting grant applications for its Community Impact Fund and Field of Interest Funds. The recipients of grants represent the full range of not-for-profit organizations. The grants range from $250 to $5,000 and are awarded in the following categories: community development, cultural programs, education, health care, and human service. Application forms are located online at the Community Foundation Web site (http://www.cfgrb.org) and are due September 1.
• The Upper Mississippi Basin Stakeholder Network (http://www.umbsn.org) is offering a limited number of embroidered T-shirts and caps to contributors who submit 250- to 300-word stories about recent successes in soil and water conservation; about rural family history related to settling and farming the land; or about history related to water issues in rural towns and in cities. Copies of photos, drawings, and maps are welcome and encouraged. The Upper Mississippi Basin Stakeholder Network is a collection of organizations and individuals interested in the upper basin's soil- and water-conservation issues, the loss of sediment and nutrients, and the related effects on water quality. To subscribe to the organization's electronic newsletter, send a blank e-mail message to (join-umbsnlist@booboo.smumn.edu). Send your submissions electronically to (umbsn@smumn.edu) or by regular mail to John Gabbert; Upper Mississippi Basin Stakeholders Network; 700 Terrace Heights; #7; Winona, MN 55987. Please include your name, address, and phone number, and your preference for a T-shirt (with size) or cap.
• Davenport Assistant City Administrator/Public Works Director Dee F. Bruemmer has been named as a 2002 recipient of the International City Management Association (ICMA) Assistant Excellence in Leadership Award. This award recognizes assistants that have made significant contributions toward excellence in leadership while serving as an assistant in a local government. Bruemmer will receive her award at the ICMA annual conference in Philadelphia in October.
• Davenport School Board Member Patt Zamora has announced her intentions to run as the Democratic candidate for Iowa's 84th House District. The Iowa House District 84 includes the following areas: western Davenport, Buffalo, Blue Grass, Walcott, Maysville, New Liberty, Dixon, Eldridge, and Long Grove.
• The Quad City Youth Symphony Orchestra awarded $8,100 in scholarships to 26 members of the orchestra at its annual spring concert. The Youth Symphony Orchestra's scholarship fund is derived from donations from individuals, civic organizations, and the Symphony Association's Board of Trustees and Volunteers for Symphony. Since 1961 the scholarship program has awarded thousands of dollars to its student musicians. Awards are made based upon the students' musical ability and progress, attitude, attendance, and general contribution to the musical life of the Youth Orchestra.
• Requests for $18 million in federal funds for courthouse projects in Cedar Rapids and Davenport are expected to be approved by a Senate appropriations committee. It will include $12.6 million for remodeling of and repairs to the Davenport federal courthouse, which was built in 1933. The $12.6 million will be used to build additional courtrooms and office space as well as upgrade the building's security and electrical systems.
• Judicial Watch, the conservative public-interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, reports that a federal court has ordered the Justice Department to release documents concerning contacts by Attorney General John Ashcroft with representatives of the Holy Land Foundation, a Hamas-connected group shut down by the Bush Administration in the wake of complaints by Judicial Watch and other organizations about its financial backing of terrorism. Despite the Holy Land Foundation's being under investigation since 1996, the attorney general met with George Salem, a lawyer for the group, on October 16, 2001. Salem is also reportedly a major Republican donor and fundraiser. Judicial Watch had been seeking documents since December 2001 from the Justice and Treasury departments and filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit on February 22, 2002. For more information, and more about Judicial Watch, look on its Web site at (http://www.judicialwatch.org).
• The Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend is requesting grant applications for its Community Impact Fund and Field of Interest Funds. The recipients of grants represent the full range of not-for-profit organizations. The grants range from $250 to $5,000 and are awarded in the following categories: community development, cultural programs, education, health care, and human service. Application forms are located online at the Community Foundation Web site (http://www.cfgrb.org) and are due September 1.
• The Upper Mississippi Basin Stakeholder Network (http://www.umbsn.org) is offering a limited number of embroidered T-shirts and caps to contributors who submit 250- to 300-word stories about recent successes in soil and water conservation; about rural family history related to settling and farming the land; or about history related to water issues in rural towns and in cities. Copies of photos, drawings, and maps are welcome and encouraged. The Upper Mississippi Basin Stakeholder Network is a collection of organizations and individuals interested in the upper basin's soil- and water-conservation issues, the loss of sediment and nutrients, and the related effects on water quality. To subscribe to the organization's electronic newsletter, send a blank e-mail message to (join-umbsnlist@booboo.smumn.edu). Send your submissions electronically to (umbsn@smumn.edu) or by regular mail to John Gabbert; Upper Mississippi Basin Stakeholders Network; 700 Terrace Heights; #7; Winona, MN 55987. Please include your name, address, and phone number, and your preference for a T-shirt (with size) or cap.
• Davenport Assistant City Administrator/Public Works Director Dee F. Bruemmer has been named as a 2002 recipient of the International City Management Association (ICMA) Assistant Excellence in Leadership Award. This award recognizes assistants that have made significant contributions toward excellence in leadership while serving as an assistant in a local government. Bruemmer will receive her award at the ICMA annual conference in Philadelphia in October.
• Davenport School Board Member Patt Zamora has announced her intentions to run as the Democratic candidate for Iowa's 84th House District. The Iowa House District 84 includes the following areas: western Davenport, Buffalo, Blue Grass, Walcott, Maysville, New Liberty, Dixon, Eldridge, and Long Grove.
• The Quad City Youth Symphony Orchestra awarded $8,100 in scholarships to 26 members of the orchestra at its annual spring concert. The Youth Symphony Orchestra's scholarship fund is derived from donations from individuals, civic organizations, and the Symphony Association's Board of Trustees and Volunteers for Symphony. Since 1961 the scholarship program has awarded thousands of dollars to its student musicians. Awards are made based upon the students' musical ability and progress, attitude, attendance, and general contribution to the musical life of the Youth Orchestra.
