18
Jun
2002
• I was surprised when I learned that I live merely 3.6 miles from the nearest proposed nuclear-waste route, Interstate 80, which will be used to transport nuclear waste to Nevada's Yucca Mountain. According to the Environmental Working Group, one in seven Americans live within one mile of a proposed nuclear-waste-transport route. The Environmental Working Group has a Web site that shows possible routes for waste, projecting 70,768 truck shipments of nuclear waste traveling through Iowa over the 38-year life of the Yucca Mountain project. The main routes by road would be Interstates 35, 80, and 29. Iowa would rank sixth in the nation among states in truck shipments of spent nuclear fuel from nuclear-power plants passing through its borders. If trains are used instead, there would be 6,142 shipments by rail through the state over the life of the project. This would place Iowa 16th in the nation for those kinds of shipments. You can find out how close you live to a proposed shipping route by following the links from the Environmental Working Group Web site at (http://www.ewg.org), or just jump to the map directly at (http://www.mapscience.org/).
• The Scott County Regional Authority (SCRA) handed out more than $2 million in riverboat-gambling proceeds to educational, not-for-profit, and governmental organizations in its spring round of grants. Some winners include the Scott County Library System, which received $50,000 toward the new library headquarters, and local fire departments, including Eldridge, Walcott, and New Liberty. The next grant cycle will be in the fall, and applications will be due by October 1.
• Qwest Communications International, the primary telephone service provider in the Iowa Quad Cities, plans to file papers asking for permission to provide long-distance service to Iowa. Qwest estimates that consumers will save $58 million yearly if its request is approved. Regional Bell companies such as Qwest have tried for several years to break into the long-distance market. Qwest, a Denver-based company that serves 14 Midwest and Rocky Mountain states, says that it will initially ask to serve Iowa, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, and North Dakota. While the FCC is the ultimate authority in this decision, the federal agency will ask the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) for input. IUB has not yet said whether it will endorse Qwest's anticipated petition. The FCC has 90 days to act on the request. You can see the particulars, including a copy of the applications, at Qwest's Web site at (http://qwest.com).
• If you filed your Illinois income tax return on paper and close to the deadline, you might have to wait a while for your refund. The current budget woes mean that refunds are running at least three weeks behind. This means that some taxpayers might not see their refunds until September. Another problem is that the average refund is larger this year. Taxpayers who filed their returns electronically got their refunds within a week. The state is required to pay 6 percent interest on every refund delivered after July 15. You can check the status of your tax return on the Web at (http://www.iltax.com).
• Iowa budget woes have potentially just gotten worse with an Iowa Supreme Court ruling that race tracks shouldn't have to pay higher taxes on slot-machine revenue than riverboat casinos pay. The 4-3 ruling, which overturned a district-court decision, was a stunning victory for Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Altoona and for greyhound tracks in Council Bluffs and Dubuque. The ruling prohibits state officials from taxing racetrack slots at higher rates than gambling vessels, and it means the state could owe the three tracks refunds totaling approximately $110 million.
• The Illinois Humanities Council has devoted the newest issue of its online magazine, Detours, to humor. Contributors were asked not just to write a funny article, but rather to explore humor as a genre or topic. The result is an issue full of humor diversity, from Illinois humor to dark comedy to social satire. To see for yourself, check out the Illinois Humanities Council Web site at (http://www.prairie.org).
• For the second year, a cooperative summer event has been planned among several Museum Hill visitor attractions, including the Davenport Museum of Art, the Family Aquatic Center, Fejervary Park Children's Zoo, and the Putnam Museum & IMAX Theatre. Admission tickets from the four different facilities will be discounted when visiting more than one of the attractions on the same day this summer through Labor Day. Anyone wishing to participate must show a receipt from any of the four facilities from that same day to receive a 50-cent discount on the ticket cost.
• Scott County Center for Alcohol & Drug Services received $99,214 through the Drug-Free Communities Support Program. In association with the Quad City Red Ribbon Coalition, the Scott County Center for Alcohol & Drug Services works to increase youth prevention programs and reduce substance abuse among young people. This grant will enhance the group's efforts to develop a youth-leadership program and speakers bureau, and to establish family-resource centers in eight local neighborhoods. The grants are awarded through the U.S. Department of Justice.
• The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has a great page, titled "EFF's Top 12 Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy," that contains many more than 12 ways to protect yourself while wandering the Web. It can be found at (http://www.eff.org/Privacy/eff_privacy_top_12.html). While a little plain-looking, it's packed with information and interesting links.
• The 16th Annual Iowa Public Transit Association Bus Roadeo will be held Saturday, June 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the northeast corner of the NorthPark Mall parking lot (behind Sears). Professional drivers from all 35 Iowa public-transit systems will demonstrate their bus-driving skills as they work their way through challenging obstacle courses. Drivers will compete in three classes of transit vehicles, from vans to 40-foot buses, and are judged on accuracy, safety procedures, and time. The winner of each class qualifies to compete in the national bus "roadeo" held next spring in Philadelphia. The general public is encouraged to attend this free event and watch Iowa's professional public-transit drivers show their driving skills. Food and beverages, craft booths, and public-transit-safety demonstrations will be available for the public to enjoy. Call River Bend Transit for more information at (563)386-7484.
• The Scott County Regional Authority (SCRA) handed out more than $2 million in riverboat-gambling proceeds to educational, not-for-profit, and governmental organizations in its spring round of grants. Some winners include the Scott County Library System, which received $50,000 toward the new library headquarters, and local fire departments, including Eldridge, Walcott, and New Liberty. The next grant cycle will be in the fall, and applications will be due by October 1.
• Qwest Communications International, the primary telephone service provider in the Iowa Quad Cities, plans to file papers asking for permission to provide long-distance service to Iowa. Qwest estimates that consumers will save $58 million yearly if its request is approved. Regional Bell companies such as Qwest have tried for several years to break into the long-distance market. Qwest, a Denver-based company that serves 14 Midwest and Rocky Mountain states, says that it will initially ask to serve Iowa, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, and North Dakota. While the FCC is the ultimate authority in this decision, the federal agency will ask the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) for input. IUB has not yet said whether it will endorse Qwest's anticipated petition. The FCC has 90 days to act on the request. You can see the particulars, including a copy of the applications, at Qwest's Web site at (http://qwest.com).
• If you filed your Illinois income tax return on paper and close to the deadline, you might have to wait a while for your refund. The current budget woes mean that refunds are running at least three weeks behind. This means that some taxpayers might not see their refunds until September. Another problem is that the average refund is larger this year. Taxpayers who filed their returns electronically got their refunds within a week. The state is required to pay 6 percent interest on every refund delivered after July 15. You can check the status of your tax return on the Web at (http://www.iltax.com).
• Iowa budget woes have potentially just gotten worse with an Iowa Supreme Court ruling that race tracks shouldn't have to pay higher taxes on slot-machine revenue than riverboat casinos pay. The 4-3 ruling, which overturned a district-court decision, was a stunning victory for Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Altoona and for greyhound tracks in Council Bluffs and Dubuque. The ruling prohibits state officials from taxing racetrack slots at higher rates than gambling vessels, and it means the state could owe the three tracks refunds totaling approximately $110 million.
• The Illinois Humanities Council has devoted the newest issue of its online magazine, Detours, to humor. Contributors were asked not just to write a funny article, but rather to explore humor as a genre or topic. The result is an issue full of humor diversity, from Illinois humor to dark comedy to social satire. To see for yourself, check out the Illinois Humanities Council Web site at (http://www.prairie.org).
• For the second year, a cooperative summer event has been planned among several Museum Hill visitor attractions, including the Davenport Museum of Art, the Family Aquatic Center, Fejervary Park Children's Zoo, and the Putnam Museum & IMAX Theatre. Admission tickets from the four different facilities will be discounted when visiting more than one of the attractions on the same day this summer through Labor Day. Anyone wishing to participate must show a receipt from any of the four facilities from that same day to receive a 50-cent discount on the ticket cost.
• Scott County Center for Alcohol & Drug Services received $99,214 through the Drug-Free Communities Support Program. In association with the Quad City Red Ribbon Coalition, the Scott County Center for Alcohol & Drug Services works to increase youth prevention programs and reduce substance abuse among young people. This grant will enhance the group's efforts to develop a youth-leadership program and speakers bureau, and to establish family-resource centers in eight local neighborhoods. The grants are awarded through the U.S. Department of Justice.
• The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has a great page, titled "EFF's Top 12 Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy," that contains many more than 12 ways to protect yourself while wandering the Web. It can be found at (http://www.eff.org/Privacy/eff_privacy_top_12.html). While a little plain-looking, it's packed with information and interesting links.
• The 16th Annual Iowa Public Transit Association Bus Roadeo will be held Saturday, June 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the northeast corner of the NorthPark Mall parking lot (behind Sears). Professional drivers from all 35 Iowa public-transit systems will demonstrate their bus-driving skills as they work their way through challenging obstacle courses. Drivers will compete in three classes of transit vehicles, from vans to 40-foot buses, and are judged on accuracy, safety procedures, and time. The winner of each class qualifies to compete in the national bus "roadeo" held next spring in Philadelphia. The general public is encouraged to attend this free event and watch Iowa's professional public-transit drivers show their driving skills. Food and beverages, craft booths, and public-transit-safety demonstrations will be available for the public to enjoy. Call River Bend Transit for more information at (563)386-7484.
