Briefly

Font Size:

By The Quad-City Times | Thursday, March 15, 2007 1:36 AM CDT | () comments

Girl Scouts to host fundraiser event today

The Girl Scouts of the Mississippi Valley will hold their sixth annual fundraiser today at the Isle of Capri Center in Bettendorf.

Media personalities from KWQC-TV, WQAD-TV, KLJB-TV, WQPT-TV, Quad-City Times, The Dispatch/Rock Island Argus and Mix 96.1 will sing and dance their way through the decades and entertain more than 250 guests.

The reception and silent auction start at 5 p.m., followed by dinner and the show. Tickets are $50 or corporate sponsorship is available. For information or to purchase tickets, contact Shannon at (309) 788-0833, Ext. 314, or e-mail shannonh@ girlscoutsmvc.org.

EM man sentenced for sexual assault

An East Moline man was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison for sexually assaulting an East Moline child.

Manuel Valdez-Orozco, 48, of 830 1st Ave., Lot 179, pleaded guilty in November in Rock Island County Circuit Court to a single count of predatory criminal sexual assault.

The incident involving a child younger than 13 years old took place sometime between Feb. 25 and March 19, 2006, according to court records. East Moline police investigated the case.

Valdez-Orozco must serve 85 percent of his sentence and three years of supervised release after he gets out of prison.

— Dustin Lemmon

Man charged with beating child gets probation

A Rock Island man who pleaded guilty to striking a child with an electrical cord and a belt has received a sentence of 30 months on probation.

Derek L. Hodge, 40, of 2619 5th Ave., entered the plea to a count of aggravated domestic battery in December, at the conclusion of his two-day jury trial.

He originally was charged in Rock Island County Circuit Court with two counts of aggravated battery of a child but pleaded guilty to a lesser and included count.

The beatings took place between May 25 and July 25, court records state.

Hodge also must participate in any classes recommended by the court.

— Dustin Lemmon

Hare to chat with Colbert on Comedy Central tonight

U.S. Rep. Phil Hare will appear on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” at 10:30 p.m. today, his office said Wednesday.

Hare, a Democrat from Rock Island, taped the cable television comedy show Friday. He will appear on the program’s “Better Know a District” segment.

The segment is a tongue-in-cheek profile of congressional districts, with host Stephen Colbert then interviewing the congressman who represents the chosen district. He often peppers them with questions aimed at getting them to say something embarrassing.

Federal disaster aid available after storms

Federal disaster aid will be available for Iowa to supplement state and local recovery efforts in areas struck by severe winter storms from Feb. 23 to March 2.

Among the 46 counties eligible for aid are Cedar, Clinton, Jackson, Louisa and Muscatine in the Quad-City area. Others are Benton, Black Hawk, Boone, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Des Moines, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Greene, Grundy, Hamilton, Hardin, Henry, Howard, Humboldt, Iowa, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Lee, Linn, Marion, Marshall, Mitchell, Pocahontas, Poweshiek, Story, Tama, Van Buren, Wapello, Washington, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Worth and Wright counties.

David Paulison, the head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency, said federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe winter storms.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures in statewide.