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Staff reports | Tuesday, January 30, 2007 11:54 PM CST | () comments

Bettendorf library to hold poetry contest

The Bettendorf Public Library will hold a poetry contest to be judged by renowned poet Naomi Shibab Nye.

The theme of the contest is “Coexistence.” Poems will be judged in youth (middle and high school) and adult categories. Prizes include $100 for first place and $25 for two runners-up. Up to two poems, no longer than one page, may be submitted and the poet must live within 50 miles of the Quad-City area.

Adults can submit their work to Hedy Hustedde and youths can submit their writings to Maria Levetzow at the Bettendorf Public Library, 2950 Learning Campus Drive. Call (563) 344-4179 for more information.

Children can enjoy Valentine party

Children in grades kindergarten through third can invite their parents to a Valentine party from 2-4 p.m. Feb. 10.

The party, called “Littlest Sweetheart,” will provide activities, a craft project and refreshments for children and parents. Moonlighting disc jockey service will provide an hour of music for dancing.

To register, stop by the administrative office of the Ericksen Community Center, 1401 11th Ave. North, Clinton. The early registration deadline is Feb. 1 will fees of $3.50 per resident and $4.50 per non-resident. The regular deadline is Feb. 8, with fees of $4 per resident and $5 per non-resident.

Daddy-daughter dance set for Feb. 11

The Davenport Parks & Recreation Department has limited tickets available for its annual Daddy-daughter dance from 5-8 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, 2815 W. Locust St., Davenport.

The cost is $25 per couple and includes a flower for each daughter, craft projects, a buffet dinner, cake, punch and a night of dancing. Also this year, the parks and recreation department will host a mother-son formal from 5-8 p.m. in the Mississippi River ballroom at the RiverCenter, 136 E. 3rd St., Davenport. The cost is $25 per couple and includes a flower for each mother, a keepsake book made with each son, a buffet dinner, cake, punch and dancing.

Both events are expected to fill up fast. To register, call (563) 326-7812.

Event will benefit toddler with cancer

A benefit to raise money for 15-month-old Ava Guy, a toddler who has a rare form of childhood eye cancer, will be from 3-11 p.m. Feb. 10 at Blue Grass Community Center, 232 E. Orphed St.

The tumor required the removal of Ava’s left eye. The child will require close observation and testing to insure the cancer does not invade her right eye. A prosthetic eye will be costly and will require replacement annually for the next seven to nine years.

Admission to the benefit is $10. There will be food, 50/50 drawings, raffles, dancing and more. For more information, e-mail avasbenefit@yahoo.com.

Man sentenced for re-entering country

A 51-year-old Mexican man convicted of illegally re-entering the United States has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison.

Fernando Gausin-Chavarria, of Zapata, Mexico, received an enhanced sentence during a hearing in U.S. District Court in Davenport on Monday because he was deported once previously, and also because he has a previous drug-trafficking conviction.

He was sentenced in 1997 to 10 years in prison in Marshall County, Iowa, for possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine and also theft, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s office. Shortly after his conviction he was turned over to U.S. immigration officials and deported in February 1998.

Gausin-Chavarria illegally re-entered the United States by foot near El Paso, Texas, in April 2004, according to the U.S. Attorney. A short time later he was arrested and returned to Iowa to complete his prison sentence on the drug conviction.

He was discharged from the Iowa Department of Corrections in September 2006 and taken into custody by the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and entered a guilty plea, according to the U.S. Attorney.

Man is sentenced for smuggling illegal aliens

A 22-year-old Mexican man was sentenced Monday to time served in federal custody for smuggling illegal immigrants.

Jesus Gilberto Armentia-Ruiz was arrested Sept. 21 after an Iowa State Patrol officer discovered 12 illegal immigrants in a van during a traffic stop on Interstate 80 near Tiffin, Iowa, according to a release by the U.S. Attorney’s office.

He entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Davenport less than a month later.

Clinton man charged with drunken driving

SABULA, Iowa — A Clinton man has been charged with third-offense drunken driving and driving with a revoked license after his vehicle fell through the ice on the backwaters of the Mississippi River near Sabula.

Steven A. Parker, 51, had driven his 1996 Chevrolet Blazer down a boat ramp and onto the ice to do “doughnuts” when the vehicle fell through the ice into about 4 feet of water about 6:30 p.m. Sunday, said Kevin Baskins, a spokesman for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Parker and his son, Steven A. Parker Jr., 28, of Waynesville, N.C., escaped the vehicle uninjured and walked back to the shore, according to a DNR news release.

The vehicle was recovered by officers from the DNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Parker was released from the Jackson County Jail. Third-offense operating while intoxicated is a Class D felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $2,500 to $7,500. Driving with a revoked license is punishable by a $1,000 fine.