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By The Quad-City Times | Friday, December 29, 2006 11:28 PM CST | () comments

Aledo, Ill.

EPA cleans up environmental mess

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, has cleaned up illegally dumped waste at 1207 240th St. in Aledo, Ill. The cleanup was part of the recently enacted Illinois Removes Illegal Dumps, or I-RID, program.

“Illegal open dumping around Illinois can potentially pose health and safety hazards to both people and the environment, but the I-RID program has begun to tackle those environmental eyesores,” said Doug Scott, director of the Illinois EPA. “This is the first time in the 36-year history of the Illinois EPA that we have had significant state funds to address orphan, open dumps that have festered for years.”

Among the almost 100 cubic yards of waste removed were appliances, tires, scrap metal, construction and demolition debris and general household waste. The cleanup area was located on public property, but over time had extended to private property. The Illinois EPA will periodically inspect the site to ensure that the problem does not recur, and has the authority to issue administrative citations to violators.

The I-RID program became law in 2005 to give the Illinois EPA additional authority to combat open dumping and clean up existing dumps. The program uses part of existing landfill fee revenues to cover costs of additional Illinois EPA inspection and staff cleanups.

Davenport

Silver Skates competition gears up

The City of Davenport Parks and Recreation will hold its 68th annual Silver Skates competition at 1 p.m. Jan. 7 at Vander Veer Botanical Park Lagoon, Davenport.

In case of warm weather, the event will begin at the same time at the Quad-City Sports Center, 700 W. River Drive, Davenport.

Registration will be accepted through Jan. 5 at the Davenport Parks and Recreation office and the Quad-City Sports Center. Advance registration is free; race day registration is $2. Race day registration begins at 12:30 p.m. Contact: (563) 326-7812

Davenport

Martial arts master to help charity

John Morrow, owner of John Morrow’s Academy of Martial Arts, will attempt to perform 1,000 pushups, sit-ups and leg lifts all within a 55-minute period at 2 p.m. Jan. 6 at the Center for Active Seniors Inc., 1035 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport.

Morrow will exercise the display of strength to raise money for cancer patient Jim Schick as well as the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Twilight Wish Foundation. Morrow is collecting pledges of cents per repetition, meaning if eight cents per repetition is pledged, then $240 will be owed for an anticipated 3,000 repetitions.

To make a pledge, call the academy at (309) 764-1929 or stop in at 1321 5th Ave., Moline. Pledges also will be accepted the day of the event.

Fulton, Ill.

Annual eagle watch is set for Jan. 6

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Thomson park rangers, in coordination with Clinton Community College, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state and local agencies and volunteers will host the 23rd annual eagle watch from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 6 at the Lock and Dam 13 visitor overlook building. Lock and Dam 13 is located 5 miles north of Fulton, Ill., off Illinois 84.

Educational programs and environmental exhibits will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Clinton Community College, 1000 Lincoln Blvd., Clinton, Iowa. A bus service sponsored by local businesses and provided by the Municipal Transit Association will shuttle participants between Lock and Dam 13 and Clinton Community College every half hour from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

For more information or a complete schedule of events, contact the Thomson park rangers at (815) 259-3628 or Clinton Community College at (563) 244-7001.

Bettendorf

Museum to offer Africa program

The Family Museum will focus on Africa, particularly Mali, Ghana, Guinea and Senegal, all day Jan. 6.

Kevin Collins from Flint, Mich., will perform and offer drum and dance workshops. He will bring along a collection of traditional percussion instruments from Africa.

For workshop details and registration information, call Julie Arneson at (563) 344-4172.

Clinton, Iowa

YWCA to offer several free classes

The YWCA of Clinton, 317 7th Ave. South, will offer several free exercise classes during an open house Jan. 8-9. Classes will include aquacise, yoga, stretch, swimming and more. For a complete listing of classes, call the YW at (563) 242-2110.

Clinton, Iowa

Dog obedience class to begin soon

The Clinton Department of Parks and Recreation will hold a dog obedience class from Jan. 11 through March 1. The class will meet from 7-8 p.m. in the teen room of Ericksen Community Center.

Any breed of dog will be accepted as long as they are at least 6 months old and have proof of rabies vaccination. A 6-foot leather or nylon leash and training collar are required.

The same person should handle the dog at each session. The handler must be at least 12 years old.

Early registration fee is $20 for Clinton residents and $25 for nonresidents by Jan. 11.

Quad-Cities

Web site helps local Humane Society

The Humane Society of Scott County now is listed under the recipients of nonprofits to choose from on the search engine Goodsearch.com.

To help the Humane Society raise money, go to www.goodsearch.com. Under “Who do you Goodsearch for?” enter “Humane Society of Scott County.” Each time the search engine is used, the Humane Society gets one cent.

For more information, go to www.goodsearch.com or call (563) 388-6655.

Davenport

Cocoa, quilters to warm museum-goers

The Figge Art Museum, 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport, will host “Cocoa, Cookies and Quilters” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 6.

Local quilters will demonstrate their craft in the galleries. Garry and Donna Lanman of Davenport will assist participants from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in creating quilted pillows that can be used as home decorations or given as gifts. Registration is not required, and the museum will provide materials.

Visitors also can see a related exhibition, “Accidentally on Purpose: Improvisation in African Textiles and African-American Quilts” on display through Feb. 11.

Admission to the event is free for museum members or those who pay museum admission, which is $7 for adults, $6 for students with identification and those 60 and older and $4 for children ages 3-12.

Area

Picnic shelters available for rent

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers park rangers in Muscatine, Iowa, will begin to take picnic shelter reservations for 2007 on Tuesday for Clark’s Ferry, Shady Creek and Andalusia Slough recreation areas.

People who do not make reservations for the shelters must use them on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost to reserve a shelter is $25.

To reserve a shelter, call the Muscatine Park Rangers at (563) 263-7913.

Quad-Cities

Web site promotes smart finances

A new Web site created by QC DollarWise offers visitors a host of personal finance education topics.

The site, www.qcdollarwise.org, was designed by a consortium of financial institutions, community-based agencies and local governments working to promote financial literacy within the Quad-Cities.

The Knowledge Through Neighbors Task Force of Neighborhood Partners has been involved with the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ national DollarWise campaign since July 2005. Funding for the site was provided through a start-up grant provided by the Doris and Victor Day Foundation.

The Web site features consumer alerts and information about local organizations that provide financial education classes and debt management services. It also promotes upcoming financial literacy programs available in the Quad-Cities, highlights policy issues and directs residents to timely topics such as local tax filing resources.

The site also features an online resource library, which is a collection of topics related to financial education.

Clinton, Iowa

Holiday gym memberships offered

The Clinton Department of Parks and Recreation is offering short-term memberships for the fitness area of Ericksen Community Center.

A 30-day membership, ideal for college students on break, cost $18 for Clinton residents and $21 for nonresidents. For more information, call the Parks and Recreation Department office at (563) 243-1260.

Bettendorf

Library to begin reading program

The winter reading program at the Bettendorf Public Library will be Jan. 15 to Feb. 24.

Registration begins Jan. 15 and will continue through Feb. 10. Children ages 3 through sixth grade can participate by keeping track of their reading during the time frame. Participants who complete the set goals by the end of the program will receive a reading award and certificate.

There also are winter reading programs for teens and adults. Stop by the library to find out how to participate.

Bettendorf

Discovery Shop debuts cruise wear

The American Cancer Society’s Discovery Shop, 2397 Cumberland Square Drive, Bettendorf, will debut its annual Cruise Wear on Thursday.

From swimsuits and beach wear to colorful artwork, items will be available to brighten a winter’s day. There will be many items to choose from for a fresh spring wardrobe.

The shop welcomes donations of men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, accessories, jewelry, collectibles and items for the home. Donations are accepted any time the shop is open and tax receipts will be given. Shop hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Bettendorf

Chiropractic office collects toys

Caras Chiropractic and Performance Center collected hundreds of toys during the holiday season in support of the Toys for Tots program for needy children.

On Dec. 14, Nick Caras donated his time and services by providing free chiropractic care, spinal screenings and health consultations to Bettendorf residents. More than 100 people participated and more than 500 toys were collected.