• After more than a decade of research and analysis, the Restructured Upper Mississippi River & Illinois Waterway System Navigation Study is nearing completion. Public participation now and at upcoming public meetings is key to developing a plan to ensure the Mississippi and Illinois rivers continue to be nationally treasured ecological resources, as well as effective transportation systems.
• Iowa Republican legislative leaders have filed a lawsuit against Governor Tom Vilsack, challenging his use of a line-item veto on economic-development legislation approved earlier this year. The lawsuit in Polk County District Court, which names House Majority Leader Christopher Rants and Senate Majority Leader Stewart Iverson as plaintiffs, stems from Vilsack's June 19 selective veto of income-tax cuts, changes in the worker's compensation system, and limits on some jury awards.
The office of Steve Bahls, the new president of Augustana College, is filled with images of Themis, the goddess of Justice. That's no surprise, because Bahls came to Augustana after nine years as dean of the Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio.

At the end of an interview last week, Bahls showed off one particular image: a print of Justice by Pieter Bruegel the Elder from the 16th Century. In it, Themis - blindfolded and holding her scales - is surrounded by all manner of bad behavior, including torture. "She has no idea what's going on," he said of Themis.

Bahls wants to ensure that the same can't be said of Augustana College, the private Lutheran liberal-arts college in Rock Island. The new president, who replaced retiring President Thomas Tredway on July 1, is committed to making Augustana College, its faculty, and its 2,200 students active participants and leaders in the community. There will be no Augustana ivory tower on his watch.

Bahls' tenure at the Capital University law school, also a Lutheran institution, suggests that he'll stay true to that vision.
When you're already hauling in 400 tons of sand, adding another 20 to the mix is no big deal. That's the thinking behind one of the new additions to the Ya Maka My Weekend festival this week in The District of Rock Island.
• The Davenport Parks & Recreation Department has announced the opening of its new Children's Wildlife Sensory Garden, located in Fejervary Park, three blocks west of Division Street. The Children's Wildlife Sensory Garden has taken two years to construct and is designed to serve all ages.
One of the big changes to this year's ArtStroll event this Friday will be something those in attendance probably won't notice. But the emergence of a performing-arts coalition as one of ArtStroll's organizers signals a new commitment to help the arts grow in the Quad Cities.
• The Davenport Police Department has been granted accredited status by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Incorporated (CALEA). The Davenport Police Department agreed to come into compliance with 443 standards set by CALEA, a process that generally takes two to three years to complete.
When the City of Davenport submitted its application for Vision Iowa funds, one project was called the AgTech Venture Capital Center. Now it's known as the New Ventures Initiative, and the concept has been expanded: It will become a full-service development center for emerging technologies.
• According to a new report by the conservative watchdog group Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), Iowa has the 15th lowest cost of government among the 50 states, while Illinois has the 12th highest. The study, published in each of the past 11 years, is designed to show key policymakers and the public the cost of government at the local, state, and federal levels.
Last week, the City of Davenport hosted a different type of tour, spotlighting locations that officials would usually prefer residents and tourists didn't see: the old city dump between West River Drive and Marquette Street, blighted commercial and industrial areas further to the west on River Drive, and a pocket of abandoned commercial buildings on Dittmer Street.

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