River Cities' Reader - Issue #771 - February 3, 2011

8/7/2019 River Cities' Reader - Issue #771 - February 3, 2011

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y3-16,2011

Continued On Page 9

dispatching system at a raction o the cost.

Instead, we got something entirely dierent,without the knowledge let alone the consent

o the public.

Our supervisors indebted us by bonding

or $14 million in equipment costs (including

interest, but not including the $3-million bond or

the GIS) or 20 years, even though the equipment

has an estimated lie o seven years at worst, 10

years at best. So we will be paying or equipment

or at least 10 years beyond its useul lie.

Obviously, we will need to purchase replacement

equipment along the way, and odds are high it

will be more costly in the uture. No problem,

because there is a no-cap tax levy available to

pay or it.

Te consolidation study called or a rst-

year capital outlay o $4 million or equipment,

not counting the radios (whose omission is

highly suspect when doing a study or dispatch

consolidation). Te county instead bonded or

it, along with the $7-million radio purchase

(estimated rom a separate 2007 radio study) or

20 years.

Interestingly, however, there is no accounting

in the consolidation study or the $7-million-

radio-equipment expense, only the $4 million orall other equipment in the rst years equipment

expenses, even though the equipment bond

included both radio and other equipment capital

New SECC Means Emergenc r Sctt Cunt Taxpaers

by Kathleen McCarthy

[email protected]

For the past decade, taxpayers have elt

helpless while Congress, along with thehost o bureaucrats behind the scenes,

spends our tax dollars like drunken sailors. Well,

we may not be able to eect the change we desire

at the ederal level, but we absolutely can create

such change here at home, at the city and county

levels.

Since 2007, the creation, via Iowa Code

28E (new legislation that allows the ormation

o intergovernmental agreements to include

emergency-management projects that cede

jurisdictional authority to a newly created

body), o the Scott Emergency Communications

Center (SECC) has ballooned into a massive

new expenditure on the backs o Scott County

taxpayers.

Trough a series o ever-intrusive policies,

including burgeoning agency authority in

the newly established SECC board that is

autonomous o county supervisory oversight, and

a no-cap tax levy as an ongoing and mandatory

means to pay or the acility, including its building

and operations, the SECC is scheduled to open

or business in late March 2011.

SECC began as a proposal to consolidate

the areas emergency-dispatch system underone umbrella operation, promising to save

taxpayers $4.6 million over 20 years. In truth,

not only is there no savings, but it will cost

Scott County taxpayers $7 million annually, up

rom the $4 million per year it would have cost

i we had ollowed Virginia consultant CACommunications Scott County Emergency

Responders Consolidation study we paid$103,000 or in 2006.

What was supposed to be the consolidation

o a specic service emergency dispatching

occupying 6,000 square eet at a cost o $2million plus another $4 million to equip it has

morphed into a monstrous 28,000-square-oot

acility, costing us $14 million or the building

and other improvements, and another $14 millionor equipment, plus an additional $3 million or

the GIS that provides mapping or emergency

management.

Tere is no possible justication or the sheer

magnitude o a acility such as this serving acounty population o 166,650 in 2009 (up rom

158,668 in 2000). Which begs the question: Why?

My prediction is that this is one o a string o

such acilities that will dot the heartland ederalFusion Centers established on the backs o

taxpayers in county jurisdictions. In other words,

county taxes are paying the lions share o a ederal

acility under the authority o the Department oHomeland Security.

And even though Scott County has received

approximately $6.2 million in ederal and state

grants, the cost to taxpayers in qualiying or thesepublic unds has been egregious. We ultimately

will have spent $31 million to attract $6.2

million in grant unds or SECC . Tis is scal

incompetence, especially under current economicconditions. Te new SECC now represents the

second-largest budget item in the county budget.

In 2007, at the time the SECC project

was voted on by Davenport and Bettendor

city councils and the Scott County Board o

Supervisors, the public was told the levy would

be 53 cents per $1,000. Now, in 2011, the rate is

actually 90 cents per $1,000! And this is a no-cap

tax levy! Tis is only the beginning, olks. Te

new legislative authority or this levy is ound

in 29C o the Iowa Code. You can bet this new

taxing ability will be implemented whenever and

wherever possible.

In the case o SECC, all three bodies ceded

authority or all expenditures to the SECC board,

which has the newly created authority to spend its

budget without oversight by those we elected to

do just that. In other words, the two city councils

and county board completely abdicated their

duciary responsibility in this extremely critical

matter by giving SECC carte blanche.

Consider that the countys own commissioned

study, which under the intergovernmental

agreement that ormed SECC dictated that it be

ollowed or implementing any dispatch-system-consolidation plan, was partially abandoned in

practice along the way. Te study showed that

we could have spent $3 million and gotten the

same level o service a unctioning integrated-


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y3-16,

2011

parties structured an agreement. Tats a bigreason why House Speaker Michael Madigandemanded Republican votes or so long onthe income-tax-hike bill, and a large reasonwhy the Republicans reused to play ball.And ever since then, the Republicans havetaken every chance they could to ding theDemocrats or raising taxes. Coverage ollowscontroversy, and the Republican talkingpoints have received a ton o coverage.

So unless the Democrats decide to go it

mostly alone on yet another proposal thatgets inside the voters pockets not likely,especially since the GOP is sharing equallyin the projects the Republicans will haveto put several votes on this thing. And ithey do, they could seriously undercut theirplanned assault on Democrats over the

income-tax hikenext year. Unlikelast time, the publicis ar more likely topay attention now,

and they wont likeit. Not to mentionthat the nationalRepublican Partyjust took over theU.S. House andmade gains inthe Senate on aplatorm o rolling

back government spending, including oninrastructure.

Te hope is that the Illinois SupremeCourt will quickly stay and then overturn the

appellate ruling. Te operative word therewould be quickly. I the Supremes taketheir time, Illinois will miss the upcomingconstruction season.

Tere is reason to believe that theSupremes might overturn this decision.Te appellate court ruled that the mainbill violated the state Constitutions SingleSubject clause. Te opinion zeroed in on thestates deense that the legislation in questionwas about revenue and thereore wasunied.

But the bill isnt necessarily about revenuealone. Its about the capital constructionprogram. Tat would be the natural andlogical connection to the single subjectthat the court demanded and then ignored.Attorney General Lisa Madigan wiselypointed this out in a legal motion with thestates high court last week.

Te last thing Illinois needs right nowis more drama, more gridlock, and moreroadblocks in the way o economic recovery.Hopeully, the powers that be can gure thisthing out.

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax (a dailypolitical newsletter) and CapitolFax.com.

by Rich Miller

Billions o dollars worth o badlyneeded state construction projects onroads, bridges, schools, and t ransit

were abruptly halted last week when a stateappellate court tossed out Illinois entirecapital construction program and all itsunding sources.

Te state is appealing to the IllinoisSupreme Court, but i the appellate-courtruling is upheld, its probably not going to beeasy to replace this thing.

About 21 House Republicans voted orthe $31-billion capital plans controversialunding mechanisms video poker, vehicleees, and tax hikes on candy and booze.

Except or video poker, those ee and taxhikes have gone almost completely unnoticedsince the bill was passed in May o 2009. Butwith a brand-newand tremendouslyunpopular income-tax hike still burningwhite-hot in the

publics gullet, and awhole bunch o newconservatives electedlast November, re-approving the tax andee hikes isnt going tobe a simple matter.

Indeed, the video-poker componentcould be entirely out the window. Te HouseRepublicans pushed video poker to keepother tax and ee hikes to a minimum. Butinsiders in both parties shed serious doubt

last week on whether that unpopular turkeycould be passed again.

Newspaper editorial boards haveuniversally panned the idea, which essentiallylegalized, regulated, and taxed an industrythat has been operating in the legal shadowsor years. Dozens o municipalities andcounties have already taken advantage othe local opt-out and banned the legalizedmachines. Chicago has not yet approvedthem because the votes arent there on thecity council, and Mayor Daley was neverthrilled with the idea.

On paper, the unding sources or thecapital plan couldve passed both chamberswithout Republican votes. In reality, however,there was no way the majority Democratswouldve advanced any o those ideas withouthelp rom the GOP.

Te bipartisan roll calls are why the publics(and the medias) hue and cry have beenkept to an almost invisibly bare minimum.Nobody in power has been constantlyreminding anybody about the tax and eeincreases. No controversy, no news.

Te same thing happened aer the lastincome-tax increase, by the way. Nobody losttheir elections over that tax hike because both

Diferent Climate Means

Derailed Inrastructure Plan

Unliel t Pass Again

Te bipartisan roll calls on

tax and fee increases are

why the hue and cry have

been kept to a minimum.

No controversy, no news.

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2011

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Marriage AmendmentClears First Hurdle

Hundreds o passionate people packed

the old Iowa Supreme Court chamber atthe Capitol to advocate or and againstHouse Joint Resolution 6, which calls or a

constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domesticpartnerships.

Te hearing came beore members othe House Judiciary Committee decidedin a 13-8 vote on January 24 to move the

amendment to the House foor. A publichearing on the amendment was scheduledor Monday.

Te Reverend Matt Mardis-LeCroy oPlymouth Congregational Church, whohas married many same-sex couples, urged

lawmakers not to write discrimination intothe state constitution.

I plead with you on behal o the

couples that I have married: Do notreduce them to the status o second-classcitizens, he urged. Our state is strongerwhen everyone has the right to make this

commitment to marry the person theylove.

Mardis-LeCroy said there is more than

one religious perspective on marriagein Iowa, and the current arrangementrespects the diversity in this state. He said

the state should not be in the awkwardposition o adjudicating this theologicaldispute, which those in the religious

community have debated or thousands oyears.

With all due respect, this one is above

your pay grade, he told lawmakers.But Danny Carroll, a ormer state

lawmaker whos now chair o the Iowa

Family Policy Center, said all advocates othe resolution want to do is give the peoplea chance to vote.

Te people who ramed ourconstitution probably knew what theywere doing when they wrote into that

constitution that all political power isinherent in the people, because they knewthat was the ultimate check and balance

or tyranny and or an elite ew to orcetheir will upon the bill, Carroll said. Tepeople have been denied that opportunity,

and theyve been denied that opportunityor too long.

For an expanded version of this article, visitRiverCitiesReader.com.

Tis weekly summary comes fromIowaPolitics.com, an online government andpolitics news service.

by Lynn Campbell, IowaPolitics.com

Governor erry Branstad

emphasized scal responsibility

in his budget address last week

to a joint session o the Iowa legislature,

proposing a budget or the next two

scal years that makes $360 million in

total budget cuts, reduces the corporate

income tax and commercial property

taxes, and increases the tax on state

casinos.Te rebounding agricultural economy

gives us a unique opportunity to bind up

Iowas budget wounds quickly, Branstad

said. We must not squander that

opportunity. It will not be easy. It will

require difcult and painul choices. But

the pain we endure by xing our budget

today will lead to great opportunities or

Iowa in the uture.

Branstads proposed budget would

spend nearly $6.2 billion in Fiscal Year

2012 and nearly $6.3 billion in FiscalYear 2013. It includes $194 million in

reductions throughout the state budget in

the general und, would save $89 million

by not providing extra money to pay or

state-worker salary increases, and would

save $75 million by not continuing some

programs currently unded with one-

time sources.

Te small-business income-tax rate

would be cut in hal and made a at 6

percent, at a cost to the state o $200

million. o oset that cut, the casino tax

would be increased rom the current 22

percent or most casinos and 24 percent

or racetrack casinos up to 36 percent.

Each state agency would ace cuts o

around 5 to 8 percent. Following through

with promises he made on the campaign

trail, Branstads budget would reduce

money or state-unded preschool rom

$71 million to $43 million, and the Iowa

Power Fund would be eliminated.

Democrats said Iowa corporations

were the big winners in Branstads budget

as they decried the plan or causing morepainul cuts and layos than necessary.

Tis sense o panic, this seems to

be irresponsible, said House Minority

Leader Kevin McCarthy (D-Des Moines).

We have $920 million in surplus right

now between our ending balance and

cash reserves. Our resources right now

to the state in terms o receipts are 4.5

percent above last year at this same time.

So the idea that the sky is alling and

we need to wipe out hundreds o state

workers and we need to cause teacherlayos, it just does not comport with the

reality o our current budget situation.

Branstad Budget Maes$0 Millin in Cuts,Increases Casin Tax


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y3-16,

2011

Does Davenport Have the Stomach for the Fight?

Demlitin b Neglectby Jef Ignatius

[email protected]

When the Davenport City Council

ended an 18-month ordeal inDecember by allowing John Wisor a

permit to demolish a designated historic homeat 1125 Jersey Ridge Road, Mayor Bill Gluba

called or a moratorium on the demolition o

historic properties.He reused to sign the demolition resolution

delaying but not stopping it rom going intoeect and the Quad-City imes quoted him

as saying: I hope it sends a signal to Mr. Wisor

or anyone else who seeks to aunt the gaps inthe ordinances. Tis council will stand up to

those people.Tose were big words, and the council will

soon have the opportunity to back them up.Te core issue here is demolition by

neglect when the owner o a historic

structure lets it deteriorate to the point that itbecomes nancially impractical to repair or

restore. Tis is one way that property ownersget demolition permits or buildings that are

protected as historically or architecturally

signicant or part o designated historicneighborhoods.

Later in December, the Davenport CityCouncil passed a moratorium on issuing

demolition and building permits or historic

properties, allowing or a review o citycode. Te moratorium expires on April 1,

and recommendations or code changes areexpected to go beore the Plan & Zoning

Commission and the city council in March.

Davenports Community Planning &Economic Development, legal, and re

departments are all looking at the issue ohistoric-property preservation and demolition.

Based on discussions with representatives

o those departments, it seems likely theirrecommendations will be modest such

as being clearer on the demolition-permitprocess, requiring the marketing o a property

beore a demolition permit is issued, andorbidding building permits or several years

aer a historic structure is demolished.

But i Davenport wants to stop thedeterioration o historic properties, the city

council will need to demonstrate politicalbackbone beyond those ideas. o this point,

Ward 3 Alderman Bill Boom said, we have not

had the stomach or the ght.One approach to halt demolition by neglect

is to orce owners o historic structures tomaintain their properties instead o merely

punishing them when they dont. Te city

council could do this through code changes,or it could simply mandate more aggressive

enorcement o the citys existing property-maintenance code.

And other communities have craed

ordinances specic to demolition by neglect,but they require signicant resources and

willpower rom local government. In the

February/March 1999 issue o the NationalAlliance o Preservation CommissionsAlliance Review, author Dan Becker wrote

that addressing demolition by neglect head-

on through a specic ordinance is not or

the aint o heart. It is aggressive, proactive

preservation. Recognize that such a program

is sta-resource intensive, and requires great

precision in the application o due process.

A November/December 2003 article in

the same publication highlighted some o the

political and nancial challenges in addressing

demolition by neglect. It argued that eective

implementation requires uniorm enorcement

and clear denitions and procedures. It also

suggested some techniques that will likely

cause Davenport leaders to balk: Provideeconomic incentives to encourage the

maintenance and rehabilitation o historic

properties; authorize the government to

make the repairs directly and charge the

owner by putting a lien on the property; and

authorize the acquisition o the property

by local government, by eminent domain i

necessary, along with its rehabilitation and

resale.

Put Up or Shut UpTe Wisor situation brought to a head a

problem aced by many communities. How

can a city preserve its historic properties and

neighborhoods? Can it do so while still being

sensitive to the property rights and nancial

situations o owners? And can it do so without

becoming a property developer?

According to Matthew G. Flynn, a senior

manager in Davenports city-planning division,

there have been 14 requests or demolition

o historic structures in Davenport since

early 2006. Once the house owned by Wisor

is demolished, only two o those will remainstanding.

But while these situations arent common,

Flynn said, they tend to be pretty emotional,

pitting property owners against historic-

preservation advocates.

Tat conict is to some extent

institutionalized, as the city code requires

that members o the Historic Preservation

Commission which rules on historic-

property demolition requests show a

positive interest in historic preservation and/or

cultural-resource-management issues.

With commission members required to

be pro-preservation, its understandable

that demolition-permit requests or historic

structures are oentimes contentious.

However, there are several problems with

Davenports city code as it relates to historic

properties, and several city departments are

looking at ways to x them.

One area is clariying when a structure

should come down instead o being repaired.

Tere are no standards or criteria under

which we as a city will evaluate documentation

provided to us that would make the argumentthat a structure is beyond repair, Flynn said.

Teres no threshold such as cost o repair to

assessed or appraised value. [Were] looking to

quantiy things more there.Flynn said it will be a council decision

whether there will be a magic ormula to

make that determination, or whether somesubjectivity should be built into the process.

Repair estimates are currently requested inthe demolition-permit procedure, but the code

doesnt talk about how its actually applied

to the decision whether to issue a demolitionpermit, Flynn said. He added that a separate

change could be to allow the city to order asecond cost estimate at its own expense.

Another question the council needsto answer is whether appeals o HistoricPreservation Commission rulings should go

to the city council (as they presently do) or

straight to district court. Bypassing the councilwould remove the politics rom the situation,

but it would also deny city elected ofcials theopportunity to speak on issues that aect the

community. (O the 14 recent demolition-

permit requests, only two have gone to the citycouncil; both were approved there.)

Still another potential change would beto build into the demolition-permit process

a waiting period during which an owner

would be required to investigate alternativesto demolition, including marketing the

property to potential new owners. I this isapproved, the whole act o demolishing a

historic property kind o takes the path o a

moratorium in itsel, Flynn explained. Youapply or demolition, but what it does is

prohibits demolition or a period o time. Hecalled it kind o a cooling-o period ... . It

allows the whole community to step back and

give one more chance to try to nd solutions.

Davenport Corporation Counsel omWarner said the 180-day waiting period

common in other communities is kind o aput-up or shut-up approach to the situation or

preservation advocates. Either come orwardand take over the property yoursel or let it go.

Warner said that one potential downsideo that policy, however, is that the deault

position in many communities is the automatic

approval o the demolition permit i thewaiting period passes without a sale.

For his part, Warner said hes looking at two

specic areas or code changes.One is increasing the ne or intentionally

damaging a historic property. Right now, hesaid, a rst oense carries a ne o $30. Te

way things are structured right now, theresreally not that great o a penalty, he said.

Warner said he might recommend increasing

the penalty, and allowing violations to bewritten either civilly or criminally. (While this

addresses a dierent situation rom demolitionby neglect, its a related issue.)

His second area o exploration is making

an owner wait to redevelop a historic property

post-demolition. Well ask the council to putin there that or a certain number o years,you wouldnt be able to get a building permit,

Warner said. He added that he doesnt know

what time rame hell recommend, but itll be

at least two years. So it may be enough to make

people think long and hard about whether

theyre going to take the approach o sitting

on a property and letting it rot. Because they

dont have that reward then, where they can

immediately start building.

Its critical to note, however, that nearly all

o these would kick in when a building has

already deteriorated. Neither Flynn nor Warner

is presently oering ideas to address the

problem beore its likely too late.

Tools in TheoryLike Davenport, Rock Island has struggled

with demolition by neglect. A ew years ago,

said city urban planner Jill Doak, we were

denitely acing these issues with some o our

landmarked buildings long-term deerred

maintenance ... and our existing codes were

not handling it.

At the same time that the city was exploring

whether to dra an ordinance specic to

demolition by neglect, it was also looking at

adopting a property-maintenance code an

ordinance that applies to all properties in the

city, and requires owners to properly maintain

their buildings. Complaints typically health-

and-saety issues such as broken windows or

holes in a roo trigger property-maintenance-

code enorcement, and owners can ultimately

be subject to nes, court orders, and liens

against their person and property i they dont

make repairs.

Rock Island adopted its property-

maintenance code in 2005, and Doak said it

made it unnecessary to adopt a demolition-by-neglect ordinance. Tis ordinance, we elt, was

going to not protect only historic properties

but all properties, she said.

She added that the city has prevented several

demolition-by-neglect situations through

the code. In a typical ownership situation, I

think its a good tool, she said. Te property-

maintenance code is ideal.

But Tomas G. Ayers, Rock Islands chie

building ofcial, stressed that enorcement

o the property-maintenance code requires

coordination and will: It takes competent,aggressive legal support ... .

Moline similarly applies its property-

maintenance code to all properties, and

economic-development manager Patrick Burke

said he thinks the city has used it to eectively

avoid some demolition-by-neglect issues.

But a property-maintenance code cant

address all problems. Rock Island ofcials said

an absentee owner can make enorcement

difcult. And i a property owner doesnt

have the nancial resources to make repairs,

theres little that can be done. All these things

[repairs] cost money, Ayers said. I you dont

Continued On Page 18


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Vl. 1, N. 1Feb. 1, 011

532 W. 3rd St.

Davenport IA 52801


(563)324-0049 (phone)

(563)323-3101 (ax)

Publishing since 1993

The River Cities Readeris an independent newspaper

published every other Thursday, and available reethroughout the Quad Cities and surrounding areas.

2010 River Cities Reader

DEADLINES

To purchase a display ad,

([email protected]): 5 p.m. Wednesday

To purchase a classifed ad,

([email protected]): 10 a.m. Monday

PUBLISHERTodd McGreevy

EDITORKathleen McCarthy

EDITORIALManaging Editor: Je Ignatius [email protected]

Arts Editor, Calendar Editor: Mike Schulz [email protected]

Contributing Writers: Amy Alkon, Rob Brezsny, Lynn Campbell,

Michelle Garrison, Luke Hamilton, Rich Miller, Thom White

ADVERTISINGAccount Executives:

Jason Farrell [email protected] Walljasper [email protected]

Advertising Coordinator: Nathan Klaus

Advertising rates, publishing schedule, demographics,and more are available at

QCAdvertising.com

PRODUCTIONArt Director, Production Manager: Shawn Eldridge

[email protected] Artist - Nathan Klaus

Interns: Amy Garbin, Je Miller

ADMINISTRATIONBusiness Manager: Kathleen McCarthyOce Administrator, Classifeds Manager, Circulation Manager:

Rick Martin [email protected]: William Cook, Cheri DeLay, Greg FitzPatrick, Tyler

Gibson, Daniel Levsen, J.K. Martin, Jay Strickland

S

ince its called Love Stories, youd

rightully expect Ballet Quad

Cities latest presentation to bechockablock with stirring physicality

and sensualpas de deux. And indeed,this Valentines Day-inspired outing given the same title as lastFebruarys

Ballet Quad Cities production, butboasting new vignettes by a quinteto choreographers will nd the

companys proessional dancersexpressing, in thrillingly nonverbalashion, what Executive Director Joedy

Cook describes as the many angles tolove.

Yet or her contribution to LoveStories, 29-year-old choreographerand Ballet Quad Cities veteran LynnAndrews appears to have been inspired

less by romantic love than her sheerlove o dance. Tat, and perhaps herlove o a challenge.

We did it in ve days, said

Andrews o the clever, exuberant piecethat I watched, in rehearsal, during ourearly-January conversation. And it was

crazy. It was like, Eleven dancers! Five

days! Seventeen minutes o music! Go!So I havent been sleeping so well

these past ew nights, she added witha laugh. But now, Im in a pretty goodspot.

As, I must say, are Ballet QuadCities company members. LoveStories will be staged at Davenport North High

Schools Holzworth Perorming Arts Centeron February 12 and 13, but at the rehearsal Iattended, with more than a month beore the

rst perormance, Andrews vignette alreadylooked to be in outstanding shape.

itled Delicatessan, and borrowing music

rom the 1991 French lm o the same name,Andrews Love Stories contribution is a tightlypaced blend o mixed- and same-sex group

routines and the inevitable romanticpas dedeux, all underscored by a variety o songswith Latin, French, and 1920s-American

stylings. And with Ballet Quad Cities companymembers not only tackling the demandingchoreography, but doing so while also miming

such activities as attening dough with rollingpins, baking cakes, and ipping pizzas in

the air, Andrews oering is a dynamicallyengaging yet down-to-earth piece o work ashowcase or both the dancers gis and its

creators obvious talent and imagination.

I like people-watching, said Andrewso the inspiration or her choreography. Ilikepedestrians. And so I really like inusing

everyday gestures with this kind o large,virtuosic movement.

Tough Andrews is now back home in

uscaloosa, Alabama, the Bettendor nativesLove Stories tenure served as a return to BalletQuad Cities or the choreographer, who was

a dance student with the company or seven,eight years, all through middle and highschool.

I started pretty late, said Andrews oher beginnings in ballet at age 12. But in themid-90s, I saw Te Nutcrackerat the Capitol

[Teatre in Davenport], and I ell in love. Iwasnt, like, I want to be a airy princess, butI was energized by the movement, and the

excitement, and the energy everything. AndI wanted to be part o it. I was like, Ill pull thecurtain. I dont care.

A ew months aer her Capitol

Teatre visit, said Andrews, her

mother enrolled her at City CenterSchool or the Arts, the ormer name

o what is now Ballet Quad CitiesSchool o Dance. And aer her manyyears as a student with the company

with which she was eventuallyable to realize her Nutcrackerdream Andrews adoration or dance led

a theatre-dance major at Decorah,Iowas Luther College, a year spent atLondons prestigious Laban Centre

or Contemporary Dance, an MFAin choreography rom the Universityo Iowa, and proessional credits

throughout the country as a dancer,choreographer, and instructor.

Currently teaching a course

at the University o Alabamaand choreographing projectsor uscaloosas Shelton StateCommunity College, Andrews said,

I really grew up doing ballet here[at Ballet Quad Cities], even thoughI knew I was never going to be a

ballerina. But I knew I wanted to keep

on dancing, so this teaching danceand choreographing was a way to

keep that going.Yet in addition to teaching and

working with the Birmingham-based

modern-dance company AROVAContemporary Ballet, Andrews also

continues to assume guest-choreographer

responsibilities or other companiesnationwide, and is happy that her scheduleallowed her to accept Cooks oer made this

past July to choreograph or Love Stories.Its all about networking, said Andrews.

I had stayed in contact with Joedy and with

Courtney [Lyon, Ballet Quad Cities artisticdirector], and expressed my desire to makesomething or the company. And since I was

going to be here anyway, and I could stay withmy olks, it was perect timing.

Cook agreed: Lynn graduated rom [the

University o] Iowa last spring, and thats whenwe seriously started thinking about bringingher back to do a piece. ... And because she was

going to be in the area or the holidays, we wereable to bring her in.

I mean, she is just a really good

Eleven Dances! Five Das! Seventeen Minutes f Music! Go!Ballet Quad Cities Veteran Lynn Andrews Choreographs for Love Stories, February 12 and 13

by Mike Schulz

[email protected]


Ballet Quad CitiesJacob Lyon and Heidi Dunn


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563.326.7804www.ggeartmuseum.org

Davenport, Iowa

TRACKS:

RAilRoAd imAgeS covering 160 years evoke cherished memories of playing

with model trains and waiting on a platform for a glimpse of an oncoming train,

hearing its whistle in the distance. Explore how trains transformed our countrys

social and physical landscape.

leCTuRe The Worlds Most Perfect Servant: The Pullman Porter Company and the

African American Experience 7 pm Thursday, February 17 Peter A. Hansen offerssurprising insights on the Pullman porters, their work and their role in the modern civil

rights movement. Learn more at www.figgeartmuseum.org.

Through April 24, 2011

Th Rairoad in Photoraphsfro th gor eastan Hos Coction

Tracks: The Railroad in Photographs is sponsored by Riverboat Development Authority

This program is supported by Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities.The views and opinions expressed by this program do not necessarily reflect those of Humanities Iowa or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Contributing SponsorRiver Cities Reader

Aaron Siskind, American 1903-1991, Pullman Portersfrom the series Pullman Porters (detail), ca. 1935, gelatin silver

print, gift of Aaron Siskind, Aaron Siskind Foundation, courtesy George Eastman House 1969:0081:0002

Crossin th mississippi:Th Qad Citis, th Rairoad and ArtThrough April 24, 2011

Explore the history and significance of the rail-

road in the Quad Cities. This companion exhibition

includes works on loan from the Rock Island Arsenal

Museum, the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections

Center of the Davenport Public Library and the

Putnam Museum.

at left: Davenport Locomotive Works, ca. 1940s,

courtesy of the Davenport Public Library

expenditures. In other words, the budget is tiedto the consolidation study when convenient,but denounced as inaccurate when it is not, asoccurred during the November 2010 SECC boardbudget-approval meeting.

Meanwhile, this 28,000-square-oot acility,which Scott County taxpayers are obligated tosupport with a no-cap tax levy, projects a sta o57 employees at an annual cost o $2.7 million insalaries, with benets calculated at $1.2 million,which represents nearly 50 percent o theirsalaries!

Divide the building size by the number o

employees it will house during a single work shi(approximately 44 workers on site) and you have636 square eet per employee the size o a smallapartment. What is wrong with this picture?Review the budget or yoursel, then compare itto the consolidation studys recommendations. Itwont take long to see the inconsistencies. Makeno mistake: Any shortalls are already coveredwith a no-cap tax levy increase when necessary.

For years the county has own under theradar with respect to its budget and spending.Mostly because it was reasonable. Tose daysare over, as the county extends its reach into

our pockets, and into our lives with publicprograms designed to nd new ways to tax ouractivities. It is no secret that the EnvironmentalProtection Agency is working behind the scenes,through executive order, to implement cap-and-trade principles through state and local greenprograms, including smart and sustainablegrowth programming. Congress couldnt passcap-and-trade, so it is being implementedthrough administrative procedural acts that giveederal, state, and county agencies authority thathas the eect o law in imposing programs intheir respective jurisdictions, and in some cases

creating brand-new jurisdictional authority withintergovernmental agreements and/or regionalgovernments. I cannot state this strongly enough:Tis programming impacts upon property rightsand land use, and is ramping up right here inScott County. ip: Watch agendas or smartplanning and sustainability.

Te act that these programs are largelyunconstitutional couldnt matter less to thosecreating them. But it likely explains why theimplementation is oen covert and ast-tracked.Te new legislative provision or specialassessments/levying to pay or these agency

programs is evidence that there is no limit tothe growth o government, even in the worst oeconomic times. Te only potential hindrancewould be an inormed elected body voting againstgiving up their jurisdictional authorities, but thishas clearly not been the case with respect to thetwo city councils and county board that voted orSECC.

Te malaise that plagues the nations civicendeavors is institutional laziness, propped upthrough grants and other public subsidies thatare dangled like carrots. Counties and cities mustcomply with a specic set o rules to qualiy or

the money. Sta and politicians justiy imposingthese new standards on the public, even whilecreating taxing authorities to pay or it aer the

grants run out, by pointing to the grant money assome kind o economic boon. Once counties andcities accept grant money, they are obligated tothe program, and must comply with a host o newregulations. Ultimately, however, the taxpayersbecome the nanciers o costly, inefcient,intrusive, and ineective regulations that do armore harm than good to the public, especiallyover time. Can you think o any public programor which this has not been the case? Name onepublic program that boasts proper efciencyand/or containment o costs over time. Grantstraditionally enlarge programming rather than

reduce costs to taxpayers.As it stands now, there are additional

inconsistencies that deserve serious scrutiny asthey relate to SECC: more detailed itemizationo budget items to account or all the dollarsbeing spent (e.g., the 2012 budget appears to bemissing the $750,435 annual equipment debtpayment, bringing the actual budget or 2012to $7,939,317, not the $7,188,882 declared);ar greater accountability to the public relativeto the operation o this acility; the increasein personnel costs in the rst year rom theconsolidation studys projected $2.9 million to the

countys current projection o $4.4 million withno increase in actual number o employees, anda lower annual cost-o-living scale; and reductiono the new levy rate back to the original 53 cents(or less) sold to the public to gain its support orthe consolidation o dispatching systems. We arebeing told the levy rate was increased 37 cents(beore the building is even open) because o thecost o radios not being included. Explain howany responsible dispatch service plan/budgetomits the cost o radios, a key component, whenestablishing a new tax-levy rate to pay or it?SECC calls or a $7-million purchase o dierent

radios, and twice as many, to qualiy or a $2.7-million ederal grant that a special 2007 radiostudy recommended. Te radio study estimated$4,500 per radio. Te actual cost is $4,954 each.Obviously there was a bona de estimate or radiocost in 2007, so why was the estimated tax levyle at 53 cents instead o 90 at that time? Instead,taxpayers were presented with the increase ontheir property-tax bill this past September.

It is time to re-engage, olks. Monitor thecounty-board Web site or public hearings(ScottCountyIowa.com/board/agendas.php) andattend some meetings to see how much diligence

you think your elected ofcials are applyingto their role as stewards o our resources. VisitScottCountyIFA.com and sign up or periodicRubber Stamp Alerts, download the supervisorscontact inormation, and call your supervisors toget their perspective directly and lend them yoursdirectly.

Tey are here or your convenience, not theother way around. Unlike DC, these olks areaccessible, thereore persuadable. Tey arentabsent rom the eld, so to speak, Tey mustlisten to the public, continuously. Empoweryoursel by getting inormed, then getting heard.

I you cant muster this much civic action, thenyou deserve nothing less than governmentsobvious contempt or you.

Continued From Page 3

New SECC Means Emergencr Sctt Cunt Taxpaers

by Kathleen McCarthy

[email protected]


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Business

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Arts

Culture

Now

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127 HOURSAt my rst screening o Danny Boyles 127

Hours (which I initially caught in Chicagolandover Tanksgiving weekend), I was immediately

knocked out by how vibrantly entertaining it was hardly afait accompli when a movie climaxes

with a bloody act o sel-amputation.Based on a 2004 memoir by Aron Ralston,

the lm concernsRalstons ve-day-

plus ordeal in Utahs

Blue John Canyon,when a rock-climbing accident

led to the amateuradventurers right

arm getting wedgedbetween a boulder

and a canyon wall.Facing certain death

aer his manyattempts to dislodgehimsel ailed, Ralston nally escaped by cutting o

his arms lower hal with a plastic, barely unctional

multipurpose tool. And Boyle doesnt or aninstant blanch in his detailing o this (literally)painstaking process; Ralstons predicament, and its

nal, bloody ew minutes, are about as aurally andvisually harrowing as you could imagine. (A amily

member with whom I saw 127 Hours said hedkick my ass i I revealed how he watched a goodly

portion o the movie peeking through his ngers,and since it was his birthday on February 1, I wont

mention his name. Youre welcome, bro.)But this is a Danny Boyle picture were talking

about, so it should come as no surprise thatthe director is able to make Ralstons struggle

as singularly exhilarating as it is horric. (Tisis the man who got audiences cheering a swim

through excrement in Slumdog Millionaire ... and

rainspotting.) Beginning with the jazzily editedopening-credits sequence, underscored to the

propulsive rhythms o Free Bloods Never HearSur Music Again, Boyles lm is vital and alive in

ways that eel inexorably linked to Ralstons owncharacter or at least the character as personied

by the spectacularly engaging James Franco.Barreling into his weekend getaway with almost

reckless gusto, Francos Ralston is high on thereedom o the outdoors and his own devil-may-

care nature, and that kinetic joy is expressed inBoyles lmmaking even when 127 Hours lead

is pinned between two rocks. With its numerousashbacks and hallucinations, the lm is an

incredibly lively depiction o orced stasis, andin Ralstons mordantly droll video recordings o

his plight, theres cheeky dark humor to spare,especially in the sequence o him imagining hisexperience as a tacky talk-show anecdote, with

Ralston playing both host and guest (and a studioaudience providing raucous guaws).

All this I appreciated loved on my rstviewing o127 Hours. On my second, though,

which took place this past weekend, it was the

heartbreaking emotionalism o Boyles work that

really got to me; Id say I watched more thanhal the movie on the verge o tears. We know

in advance, o course, that Ralston will indeedsurvive his entrapment, not that his doing so here

is any less involving or being preordained. Butwhat became clearer on a second exposure to the

lm was how precisely Boyle and co-screenwriterSimon Beauoy aided immeasurably by their

leading actorssoulul portrayal

craed the piece

to explore a youngpersons gradualacceptance o

impending death.Given too muchtime to reect on

his lie and liechoices, Francos

Ralston takes stocko his situation, and

comes to recognizehow his every experience and decision, rom

childhood on, seems to have led directly tothis;Ralston eventually looks upon his ate as a naturalconsequence o a lietime o individual actions(or inaction). Yet the lms expansive and hopeul

philosophy is that, knowingly or not, we choosethe paths we nd ourselves on, and i destiny, luck,

and perhaps a higher power allow, we can alsochoose to correct them. (Tere may be no more

moving moment in 2010 lms than Ralston, aersuccessully reeing himsel, looking to the heavens

and uttering a quiet Tank you.) Fast, thrilling,and deeply aecting, 127 Hours is a movie abouta man who looks death in the ace and decides,

however grim the cost, to instead ght or lie, andits one o the most truly inspiring inspirational

movies Ive ever seen.

THE RITEA hal hour into director Mikael Hstrms

Te Rite, aer perorming what is apparently a

weekly scheduled exorcism o a pregnant Italiangirl, Anthony Hopkins elder priest turns to ColinODonoghues obviously underwhelmed seminary

student and asks, What did you expect? Spinningheads? Pea soup? Um ...yes, please. Considering

how ludicrously over-the-top most demonic-possession horror icks are, it seems churlish to

bitch about one that deigns to treat the subjecto exorcism seriously. But Te Rite, which nds

ODonoghues dour crises o aith occasionallyinterrupted by visits rom the devil, takes itselso

seriously that you have almost no choice but tolaugh at it, particularly in its nal reels. Hopkins

is enjoyable, to be sure, but in making theirdeadly somber religious thriller, didnt Te Rites

lmmakers recognize that the actors liver-and-ava-beans act stopped being scary about two

dozen lms ago?

For reviews ofTe Mechanic, Inside Job, Dogtooth,and other releases, visit RiverCitiesReader.com.

LISTEN To MIkE EVEry FrIDAy AT AM oN roCk 10- FM WITh DAVE & DArrEN

out n a Limb

Movie Reviewsby Mike Schulz [email protected] Mike Schulz [email protected]

Movie Reviews

James Franco in 127 Hours


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MoviesThe Ultimate Wave: Tahiti 3DOpens Friday, February 4

Barbados: Island in the SunTuesday, February 15

Putnam Museum & IMAX Theatre

Its reezing outside. Its snow-covered. And over the next

two weeks, the Putnam Museum& IMAX Teatre will presentscreenings o two new lms: the 2009documentaryBarbados: Island in theSun, and the 2010 surng experienceTe Ultimate Wave: ahiti 3D. Wouldit be somewhat untoward i I walkedup to the venue and gave it a greatbig hug?

Te latest oering in the PutnamsWorld Adventure Series beingshown at 1, 4, and 7 p.m. on February15 Barbados: Island in the Sun is abeautiully photographed travelogue

that delivers reams o insight intothe island, its culture, its people, andits awe-inspiring sandy beaches, andis being hosted by lmmaker SteveGonser, who will also participate inpost-lm Q&A sessions.

Meanwhile, 2010s Te UltimateWave: ahiti 3D which begins itsPutnam run on Friday, February 4 will plunge audiences headrstinto the visual rapture o this islandparadise, as it ollows nine-time

Wats happenin

TheatreIndependenceRichmond Hill Barn TheatreThursday, February 10, through Sunday, February 20

Steve Schmidt, a well-known Republican campaign strategist,was once quoted as saying, Te price or independenceis oen isolation and solitude. Silly man. Te price or

Independence is actually only 10 bucks.

Uh ... he wastalking about the

Richmond Hill Barn Teatres new

play, right?

Directed by venue veteran

Emmalee Moftt, this comedic drama

by ony Award-nominated author

Lee Blessing takes its title rom the rural Iowa town that providesits setting not that the plays rustrated characters arent seeking

lower-case independence o their own. An all-emale oering

thats like a less emotionally violentAugust: Osage County,

Blessings work concerns a troubled amily matriarch, Evelyn

Briggs, and her three daughters: Jo, an incurable romantic dealing

with a quite unexpected pregnancy; Kess, a lesbian university

proessor returning home under duress; and Sherry, a rebellious

high-schooler aching to escape her clan or good.

As the women nd themselves under the same roo or

the rst time in many years, Independence explores themes o

dysunction, sel-sacrice, and unbreakable amilial bonds with

biting humor and heartelt candor. Ohios ribune Chronicle

called Blessings brutally honest work a nely honed domestic

drama, while Colorado Backstage praised the plays thought-

provoking, delightul down-home humor and uncanny

realism.

And with Richmond Hills season-opening production

oering meaty roles to Stacy Herrick, Dana Skiles, Nancy

eerlinck, and Jennier Uen, the show is sure to be a memorable

one. Aer all, in the words o Daniel Webster, Independence

now, and independence orever!Another silly man Independence only runs rom February

10 through 20. For tickets and inormation, call (309)944-2244 or

visit RHPlayers.com.

MusicCivil Rights Song FestBettendor Public LibraryThursday, February 17, 78:30 p.m.

As seems appropriate or the climactic event in its 2010-11 Civil Rights Program, the Bettendor Library iscelebrating Black History Month in song. Or rather, a bunch

o songs.

aking place on February 17, the librarys Civil Rights

Song Fest will eature dozens o area

artisans singers, dancers, poets, and

storytellers joining orces or a rousingand inspiring evening o community spirit,

with Bucktown Revue host Scott unnicli

and Quad City Poet Laureate Shellie Moore

Guy serving as emcees. And while the

entertainment is sure to be sensational,

a question does linger: How is this much

talent going to be squeezed into a mere 90 minutes?

Te Civil Rights Song Fests perormance lineup includes

local singers and musicians Ellis Kell, Barbara Buddin, BillCampbell, Chris Dunn, Barb Kuttler, the Quad Cities womens

chorus Hersong, and the Redeemed Voices Gospel Choir.

A dance perormance will be delivered by members o the

Imani Dance roupe, while poetry will be read by two ormer

Quad City poet laureates, Dale Haake and Dick Stahl. And in

addition to audience sing-alongs o new and traditional Civil

Rights-themed music, the event will eature perormances by

the winners in both the adult and youth categories o the

librarys recent Civil Rights Songwriting Competition.

In short, the Bettendor Librarys Civil Rights Song Fest

promises to be a stellar salute to Black History Month, and also

to the February birthdays o ve renowned Americans known

or their dedication to civil rights: Rosa Parks (born 1913),

Langston Hughes (1902), Susan B. Anthony (1820), Frederick

Douglass (1818), and Abraham Lincoln (1809). Cant wait to

see library staers roll out that cake with 793 candles.

More inormation on the Civil Rights Song Fest is available

by calling (563)344-4175 or visiting BettendorLibrary.com.

MusicBarbra & Frank: The Concert That Never WasQuad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center

Thursday, February 10, 6 p.m.

Frank, honey!

Barbra, baby!Can you believe it?! Were

nally perorming together!

Happy days are here again!Dont get sentimental, baby. Tats lie.And just think Te Concert Tat Never Was!

Itll be us, just the way we were!

Remember how that swhen I lost you in New Ysomethin stupid aer yo

around and our love aaiin your heart. It was likenight.

Well, no more tears. Yfowers, but Id rather bewith somebody else. Oh,

when youd kiss me in thething youve ever done!

When somebody love

be close to you. And I belall through the day and a

But will I just be comi

Like a memory?

Rosa Parks


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world surng champion Kelly Slaterand ahitian surer Raimana VanBastolaer as they tackle some o theheaviest and most astonishing suron the planet.

Both lms are sure to providewelcome respite or anyone sueringrom the wintertime blues, and willno doubt be chock ull o ascinatinginormational tidbits on these sun-drenched locales. But how amiliarare you with these islands before

entering the Putnam? Lets see, shallwe? Which o the ollowing can be

ascribed to Barbados, and which toahiti?

1) Located in the Atlantic Ocean.2) Located in the Pacic Ocean.3) otal area: 167 square miles.4) otal area: 403.5 square miles.5) Largest city: Bridgetown.6) Largest city: Papeete.7) Ofcial language: English.8) Most economical vacation

option on a journalists salary.

A) BarbadosB) ahiti

For Barbados: Island in the Sunand Te Ultimate Wave: ahiti 3Dtickets and showtimes, call (563)324-1933 or visit Putnam.org.

MUSICFriday, February 4, and Saturday,

February 5 NINE-1-1. Farewellperormances with the area rockers. The RustyNail (2606 West Locust Street, Davenport).9-1:30 a.m. $3. For inormation, call (563)386-1900 or visit NINE-1-1-Rocks.com.

Saturday, February 5 Tomorrows BadSeeds.Concert with the alternative, reggae,and rock musicians, with an opening set byRude Punch. The Redstone Room (129 MainStreet, Davenport). 9 p.m. $15. For ticketsand inormation, call (563)326-1333 or visitRedstoneRoom.com.

Saturday, February 5 Come Togetherfor Music Education with the LiverpoolLegends.Fundraising concert eaturingMoline High School music studentsperorming with the noted Beatles tributeband. Moline High School Auditorium (3600Avenue o the Cities, Moline). 7:30 p.m. $25-30.For tickets, call (309)743-8833 or visit KUUL.

com.Saturday, February 5, and Sunday,

February 6 Quad City SymphonyOrchestra.The ourthMasterworksconcertso the season, with guest Gary Bordner ontrumpet, and a program including BachsCantata No. 51,Hertels Concerto orTrumpet & Oboe,and Mozarts Requiem.Saturday Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street,Davenport). 8 p.m. Sunday AugustanaColleges Centennial Hall (3703 SeventhAvenue, Rock Island). 2 p.m. $12-52. For tickets,call (800)745-3000 or visit QCSymphony.com.

Monday, February 7 Fitz & theTantrums.Indie, pop, and soul musicians inconcert, with an opening set by Bermuda

Wat ElseIs happenin


by Mike Schulz

[email protected]

TheatreAs You Like ItAugustana Colleges Centennial Hall

Thursday, February 3, 8 p.m.

Shamelessly entertaining. Bursting with energy. High quality thatsauthentic but not antiquarian.No these arent the engravings I imagine or my tombstone ... though

I quite like that last one. Rather, theyre exampleso the critical praise rom the Washington Post,Boston Globe, and Wall Street Journal, respectively or productions by the Virginia-based American

Shakespeare Center, and local audiences can ndthemselves in thrall to the companys talents onFebruary 3, when troupe members oer their take on

the Elizabethan comedyAs You Like Itat Augustana Colleges CentennialHall.

Located in the heart o the Shenandoah Valley, the American Shakespeare

Centers home venue is the Blackriars Playhouse, the worlds only re-creation o the Bards original indoor theatre at Londons BlackriarsMonastery. (Inormation on, and photos o, this gorgeous building can be

ound at AmericanShakespeareCenter.com.) Yet while the playhouse iscurrently celebrating its 10th year o staging thrillingly resonant Shakespeareproductions, troupe members also routinely tour both nationally and

internationally, andAs You Like It a poetic arce involving sibling rivalry,

mistaken identities, and sets o gloriously mixed-up lovers will no doubtoer a primer in what to expect rom American Shakespeare Center

productions. Namely, the unexpected.For one thing, when the show begins, dont be surprised i the lights

dont dim; as Shakespeares actors could see their audiences, this troupes

actors want to seeyou. For another again, as in the Bards day expectall manner o reverse-gender casting, deliberately simple set and costumeselections, and the employment o numerous songs, oen presented in

anachronistically contemporary stylings. And do not be shocked i you ndyoursel, either willingly or accidentally, taking on a ew roles yourselves, asaudience members (according to the Web site) are requently asked to serve

as Cleopatras court, Henry Vs army, or simply as the butt o innumerable

jokes. With all the practice I get at the ofce, Im thinking Ill be cast in thatlast part.

ickets toAs You Like Itare $8, and are available by calling the Augustanaticket ofce at (309)794-7306 or visiting Augustana.edu/tickets.

mmer wind blewrk, New York? I saidturned my world

vanished somewheree were strangers in the

u dont bring melue over you than happyhose evergreen days

rain it was the best

you, baby, they want to

eve Im gonna love youways. in and out o your lie?

You make me eel so young, baby! Te worldwe knew, over and over, can be ours the secondtime around. Lets do it! Lets all in love!

I nally ound someone! My man! How luckycan you get?

Luck be a lady, and shes unny that way!

A real unny girl!

ickets to Barbra & Frank: Te ConcertTat Never Was starring acclaimed Streisandand Sinatra impersonators Sharon Owens andSebastian Anzaldo are $25 in advance and $35

at the door. For tickets, call (800)724-5825 or visitBettendor.IsleOCapriCasinos.com; or video andaudio clips o the show, visit BarbraAndFrank.com.

Answers:1A,2B,3A,4B,5A,6B,7A,8DoIreallyneed

totellyouthatthisisatrickquestion?


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Mercers directorial debut, and hes wiselychosen to not overdo the show, which holdsup on its own without unnecessary diversions.Mercer seems to have allowed his actors tocarry the (not-so-heavy) weight o the veryunny script and songs, rather than addingtoo much specied movement or distractingprops; to over-direct, so to speak, woulddetract rom a show that begs to be keptsimple. Te same is true o the work o musicdirector Danny White and choreographerKelly Lohrenz, both o whom enhance theactors perormances but dont let the music,

vocals, or dancing grab the ocusfrom them.It is a show, aer all, about the tr ials andtribulations o relationships, not an emptyshowcase or song and dance.

Despite my having so many positivethings to say about Harrison Hilltops I LoveYou, Youre Perfect, Now Change, Turs daysproduction wasntperect. But there wasntanything really bad about it, either; a ewmissed notes here and a stumble on a line ortwo there didnt detract rom the eectivelyunny, enjoyable work o Mercer and hiscast.

For tickets and information, call (563)449-6371or visit HarrisonHilltop.com.

subtle ways. Ivelong been a ano Kings work,having beenwon over whenI rst saw her inHarrison Hilltops2009 presentationoTe RockyHorror Show. (AndI still marvel ather turn as Lucyin the theatresDog Sees Godlastyear she was thehighlight o theshow.) Teres thisslightly acerbicnature to Kingsdelivery that setsher apart romthose she actswith, yet insteado it being presented negatively, that dry,slightly condescending way about her isused to add sometimes unexpected, delicatehumor to her lines. Personally, I think Kingis underexposed in the local-theatre scene,and while its good to see her on the HarrisonHilltop stage so requently, I would love to see

Iall or Adam Overbergs onstage charmwith every new perormance. He has ademeanor, a presence, that captivates me,

and he proves his diversity as an actor overand over again. With the Harrison HilltopTeatres I Love You, Youre Perfect, NowChange, though, he adds singing to the longlist o talents he possesses, and while his voicemay lack polish, Overbergs vocals remainenthralling through his interpretations andcomedic delivery.

Yet while my respect or Overbergs

work was renewed with Tursday nightsperormance o musical vignettes, it grewconsiderably or Cari Downings. Ive neverthought her bad in a role, but Ive also notthought hergreat; or me, shes generallyhovered between ne and good. Here,however, her knack or comedy is showcasedas she sings, s mirks, and accents her waythrough the shows look at the humorousdownsides to relationships rom the rstdate to marriage, rom parenthood to death.Downings comedic timing is remarkable inI Love You...; rom the inections on her line

readings to her simple lip curls or tilts o thehead, she embellishes the s cripts jokes togreat eect.

So, too, does Sara King, but in even more

Musical Paisby Thom White

I Love You, Youre Perfect, Now Change, at the Harrison Hilltop Theatre through February 19

her more oen,and in bigger, orat least stronger,roles. I Love You...,however, doesgive King a chanceto shine, showingo her exceptionalsinging ability andskill or comedywith a hint odarkness.

Te shows

ourth and nalcast member,Kevin Grastor,is unamiliar tome, this beingthe rst time Iveseen him on alocal stage (or,perhaps, the rstshow in which

hes really caught my attention). While Kingsperormance is amusingly cynical, Grastorsperormance has an enjoyable, guy-who-

could-be-your-best-bud eel to it. His humorhas less bite to it than Kings, but its no lesspleasing.

Harrison Hilltops I Love You... marks Matt

Sara King, Kevin Grastorf (foreground),Adam Overberg, and Cari Downing (background)


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nature.Te John Deere Art

Collectionsagriculturallandscapes less directly

address the connectionbetween machines andthe land, but its there by

implication; contemporaryarms could not exist withouttechnology.

Te 1968 oil paintingGromance #6, by Croatian

artist Oton Gliha, shows an abstractedagricultural landscape. Tis work only suggestsa landscape through lines, standing in or rowso crops, and a thin strip o white at the top,

portraying a horizon. Gliha used thick impastoto render the soil, with coils o paint squeezeddirectly rom the tube, and valleys carved

into the thick surace. Te paint showschunky layers o unblended colors,mostly white with black, but with red,

green, and yellow peeking out betweenthe layers. Te sky, incontrast, is thick paint

that was smeared onwith a palette knie,resembling icing on a

cake. Its white, withhints o blue and gray,as though during

winter, or seen througha smoggy haze. Tebottom strip o the

painting has the sametexture, balancing the smooth sky, and ismeant to suggest the stone walls surrounding

arms in Croatia. (Te title o the piece reersto these walls.) With its overwhelmingly graycolor scheme and its rough, ragged textures,Gromance #6eels isolated and bleak, yet

intriguing through the hints o bright colorsemerging rom the haze. Like Te Last Condor,Gromance seems to question agricultures

transormation o the earth.Other landscapes show

more o what one would expect

rom a Deere-themed exhibit romanticized Americanagricultural scenes. Te wall

to the le o the entrance isdominated by our large olk-art-paintings rom the 1960s

by Streeter Blair. Tese works,each approximately six eet byour eet, present high-angle views o dierent

agricultural landscapes. exas, the largesto the our, demands attention, with its sizeand intense golden colors. Its style isskewed

and simplied, with a child-like quality. Wesee one-point perspective in the crop linesconverging toward the horizon, yet an entirely

dierent perspective used in creating thebuildings. Folk art such as Blairs oen hasthese technically imperect qualities. Tis

creates an eect in whicheach section o the paintingappears as an individualelement, demandingcloser consideration o thedetails o each part. Teoverall eect is whimsical,and hearkens back to thewholesome, simple, andpeaceul aspects o ruralAmerica. Unlike Glihas andObregons paintings, Blair

seems to celebrate the arm as earth, man, andmachine working together in harmony.Te three paintings by Walter Haskell

Hinton also evoke warm nostalgia, especiallythe largest o the trio, Boy Driving ractorrom 1935. Tis oil painting, about two-and-a-hal eet squared, eatures a young

adolescent upon a tractor.Te composition is roma low angle, as thoughlooking up at the boy romground level. Behind hishead, there is nothing but

blue sky with uy clouds.He has a slight smile,and appears completelycondent controlling themachine. Te mechanicaldetails o the tractor, andits John Deere logo, areprecisely included, anhomage to the relationshipbetween a armer, his

machines, and his land. All three Hintonpaintings are saccharine but eel at home in

the exhibit as a balance to some o the moreclouded international work.Te John Deere Art Collection ends up

as a mini-survey o Modernism acrossthe world. Its scope and diversity romidealized realism to mysterious abstraction provide interesting are or both art and

agricultural enthusiasts, andthe educational video andinormation sheet at theexhibits entrance provide clearand illuminating backgroundinormation. Te idyllic

arm images might seemout-o-place in proximity tolarge-scale abstract paintingsand metallic sculptures, yetthe underlying connection

between the organic and the inorganic ties thework together. As arms are a perect exampleo this conceptual hybrid, Deere & Companyseems a logical patron or this body o work,and the exhibit demonstrates the resonance othe core theme across cultures and decades.

Michelle Garrison is a mixed-media artist whoteaches art and design at Geneseo Middle Schooland J.D. Darnell High School.

The John Deere Art Collection, Through May 22 at the Figge

Wing te Landby Michelle Garrison

[email protected]

rolling arms stretching to the horizon.Salt-o-the-earth armers. ractors

sputtering to lie at sunrise. Tese arethe images one would expect to see in theDeere & Company art collection. However,

the Figge Art Museum and the agricultural-machinery manuacturer have put togetheran exhibit that delves much deeper, into a

diverse visual exploration o the natural, themechanical, and the interplay between thetwo. Contrary to what one might expect given

Deeres corporate identity, the show presents

more than idealized visions o agrarian lie; itrequently allows or artistic ambivalence about

the industrialization o arming.During the 1960s, Deere & Company began

establishing an international art collection

to complement its new modernly designedheadquarters, and to represent its new globalperspective. A majority o the collection

represents work that was contemporary at thetime it was purchased, but Deere also acquiredart rom earlier, including pieces by Grant

Wood and Henri de oulouse-Lautrec. TeFigges Te John Deere Art Collection exhibit,

which opened in November and runs throughMay 22, contains 36 works spanning rom 1896to the late 1970s and representing modernartists rom around the world. Tis show is the

rst time that part o the collection has been ondisplay outside o Deere headquarters.

A prime example o the tension between the

natural and mechanical themes o this exhibitis Te Last Condorby Alejandro Obregon. Tis1965 oil painting looks like a hulking cluster

o machinery rising up rom the bottom o thepainting, implying that we are seeing only the

top o a larger orm. Te mystery machine ismostly black, with sharp edgeslike wire or blades, giving ita threatening air. In contrast,

in the center o the orm is anexplosion o brightly coloredcircles and eather-like shapes,

an apparent expression o natureor hope. Obregons application obright colors resembles the lush

tropics rom his boyhood homeo Columbia, yet the paintings orebodingtone aligns with its political unrest and ear.

Te title also reerences the country, as thecondor is a traditional symbol o Columbia,yet its meaning could be interpreted as either

hopeul or despairing. Doesthis black shape represent thedestruction o the condor,or do the bright colors

suggest the birds poweroverwhelming the darkness?Te visual combination

o the mechanical andnatural is ambiguous here,

posing questions about theconsequences o the relationship.Te exhibit includes three sculptures that

also combine the biological and mechanized.Manuel Izquierdas metal sculptureAnvil

Flowerpresents an industrial-looking plant. Itsan abstracted, cubist-style ower orm, withits petals and stamen radiating asymmetrically

rom its center. Te result

shows the natural beautyo the ower used with the

visual appeal o clean edgesand metallic suraces.

akeo Kimuras Protean 4

emphasizes the mechanicalthrough a nonrepresentationalthree-pronged orm. Te

radiating arms o thesculpture are parallel andprecise, yet briey morph into

a curving and sinuous line at the point wherethey branch o rom the base, with each prong

straightening out again on aslightly dierent plane romthe others. Te result mixesthe implied unctionality

o a tool-like shape with acurvilinear are, resembling aork designed to look like thebranches o a tree.

Magdalena Abakanowicz,in her workRelief Ore rom1975, uses a mechanical

process to create an organic image. Relief Ore

is a woven textile that includes wool, sisal, andax used to create the visual eect o roots

in soil. Te basis o the work is a traditionalwarp-and-we weaving,with some loops pulled out

o the matrix to orm smallbulges. Across the entiresurace, coils o varying

thickness cross and overlapeach other, like tree roots orvines. Te reddish-brown

color enhances the soil-likeeect. Tis work employs

the rigid, grid-based medium o weaving tocreate a owing representation o an aspect o

Walter Haskell Hinton - Boy Driving Tractor

Alejandro Obregon -The Last Condor

Magdalena Abakanowicz- Relief Ore

Streeter Blair- Texas

Oton Gliha - Gromance #6

Takeo Kimura - Protean 4

Manuel Izquierda - Anvil Flower


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Donations to QCRTL Education Fund are tax deductible.Make checks payable to QCRTL Education Fund

and mail along with this form to 2906 Brady St., Davenport, IA 52803.To donate by credit card use the form below or call 563-324-0035.

For more information visit www.QCRTL.org

Name________________________________________ Phone_____________________

Address_________________________________________________________________

City________________________________ State_______________ ZIP______________

E-mail_____________________________________@____________________________

To donate by credit card: circle one- Visa Mastercard Discover

Card number_______________-_______________-_______________-______________

Expiration date _______/_______ Signature_____________________________________

Thank-you for supporting LIFE!

After 38 years of Roe v. Wade,what do you know about abortion?

Numerous published studies confirm that abortion signifi-

cantly raises the risk ofbreast cancer. Aborting a firstpregnancy during the first trimester can double a womansrisk. Multiple abortions can triple or quadruple the risk.

Abortion can produce many serious medical problems.

For example, studies show that the risk of an ectopic ortubal pregnancy is twice as high for women who have hadone abortion, and up to four times as high for women with

two or more previous abortions. There has been a 300%increase of ectopic pregnancies since abortion was legal-ized.

Studies have shown that women who have had abortions

have higher rates of suicide than women who carry theirpregnancies to term.

Seventy percent of women who have had abortions say

they would not choose it again if faced with an unplannedpregnancy.

It is extremely rare when abortion is required to save the

mothers life. Less than 1% of all abortions are performedfor this reason.

Over 49 million abortions since Roe. Every 23 seconds a baby dies from abortion.

More than 2 million couplesacross America are waiting toadopt children. For every 1000

abortions there are only 16 infantadoptions. There are waiting lists offamilies ready to adopt children withmedical problems. Studies indicatethat adopted children generally do bet-ter in school, have higher self-esteem,live in more stable and economicallyadvantaged families, and are less prone tobehavior problems than other children.

An unborn babys heart be-

gins to beat with its ownblood 18-25 days after concep-tion usually before the mothereven knows she is pregnant.

The current birthrate in Amer-

ica is less than what is neededto maintain our populationlevel.

The right to live doesnt in-

crease with age and size; oth-erwise toddlers and adoles-cents have less right to livethan adults.

When pictures of aborted ba-

bies are shown, people are

outraged. Strangely they arenot outraged that babies arebeing killed...only that some-one had the audacity to showwhat they looked like after be-ing killed.

Abortion clinic bombings and

violence are rare, and are nei-ther done nor endorsed by pro-life organizations.

Unborn at 16 weeks

Because health is defined so broadly in Roes

companion case of Doe v. Bolton, abortion islegal through all nine months of pregnancy.In 1983 the Senate Judiciary Committee stated ...no significant legal barrier of any kindwhatsoever exists today in the United States fora women to obtain an abortion during any stageof her pregnancy. There are more than 140,000

second and third trimester abortions each year. Statistics reveal a sharp rise in child abuse in

countries that legalize abortion. It hasdramatically increased in the US since 1973. Itis illogical to argue that we will have less childabuse with abortion. It is the earliest form ofabuse and the most deadly.

Scientific evidence suggests abortion is

excruciatingly painful for the unborn child. Somepro-abortion advocates have claimed that, since anunborn baby's brain is not fully developed until29 weeks, the child will not feel pain during an

abortion. But evidence from neonatal studiesshows brain circuits start developing before 29weeks of age and an incomplete circuit maycause more pain than a complete circuit. Anypain the unborn child experiences is likelyworse than an older child or adultexperiences.


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some li and just inventsomething, and go

into something else, and Id go, Hmm ... I like

that! Teres a lot o happy accidents involved.

A lot o Keep that!

Unortunately or Andrews, her schedule

will likely prohibit her rom catching Love

Stories during its Davenport perormances.

But she is grateul or the opportunity to have

briey returned to Ballet Quad Cities, and said

she knows that her piece is in good hands

with the ballet mistress, Erica [Attwood]. She

was a ballet dancer when I was growing up

here, and shes very clear and claried in what

she does.Im hoping Ill get a nice copy on video.

Ballet Quad CitiesLove Stories will be

performed at Davenport North High Schools

Holzworth Performing Arts Center at 2 and

7 p.m. on Saturday, February 12, and at 4

p.m. on Sunday, February 13. For tickets,

call (515)244-2771; for further information,

contact Ballet Quad Cities at (309)786-3779 or

BalletQuadCities.com.

For more information on Lynn Andrews, visit

her Web site at LynnDances.com.

choreographer, enthused Cook, who stressed,

and I like her style because it isfresh and

happy. Te movement is so upliing, and her

choices o music are just so wonderul ... .

And, I have to say, her style looksgreaton

our dancers, she added with a laugh.

Andrews Alabama schedule, however,

meant that while she was in the Quad Cities,

she could only work with her dancers or

ve days, with between our and six hours a

day scheduled or rehearsal. Te Love Stories

choreographer, however, came prepared.

Because I knew I was going to be working

in such a short amount o time, said Andrews,

I really tried to get super-organized. I mean,sometimes I start with music, then go to the

dance; sometimes I start with movement, and

then decide on the music way later. But or

this, I had all the music picked out ahead o

time, and I knew Tis is going to be the group

section, this ones the double duet, this ones

just the ladies, this ones just the men ... .

Yet even given her preparation, Andrews

said her planned choreography would

routinely change based on how the dancers

themselves responded to both her music and

her movements.Id give them choreography, she said, and

all o a sudden the dancers would be doing


Eleven Dances! Five Das!Seventeen Minutes f Music! Go!

by Mike Schulz

[email protected]


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