Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. lost nearly $2.7 million during the first quarter, with the poor financial news Tuesday (August 31) prompting a 24 percent drop in the company's stock price.

The Isle operates four casinos in Iowa, including "riverboats" in Bettendorf and Davenport. The quarterly loss would have been even higher, $4.5 million, without a one-time income tax benefit of $1.9 million.

The company's stock was trading at $8.91 per share August 30, and fell to a low of $6.75 after the earnings release August 31. The stock was trading at $6.79 as of Friday (Sept. 3).

Facing added expenses with a new elementary school and declining state aid, the Pleasant Valley School Board has told LeClaire officials it is "fully opposed" to expanding a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) area in the city.

"While the current proposed TIF expansion in LeClaire does not extend a TIF expiration date, it is the district's understanding that it does add approximately $750,000 of valuation to a TIF area," the district wrote in a statement to the city of LeClaire.

Sivyer Steel in Bettendorf has promised to remove the huge pile of used foundry sand at its facility along the Mississippi River over the next four years, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR).

The sand, used in the molds to make castings, has accumulated on the riverfront despite Iowa regulations requiring no more than a six-month quantity to be stored on the plant property.

Last week while riding my bike along the swollen Mississippi, my mind took me back to the architect selection process for the Figge Art Museum. One of the reasons David Chipperfield was chosen was he’d designed several projects alongside rivers, most notably (at that point*) the River and Rowing Museum by the Thames near Henley.

Republican Roby Smith spent more than $37,000 on the hotly contested June party primary, leaving him with an apparent $2,700 debt headed into this fall's general election campaign for the Iowa District 41 Senate seat.

Smith defeated Republican incumbent David Hartsuch 2,487 (52%) to 2,307 (48%) in the June 8 primary.

Before setting up her studio in Hot Springs, wife returned to site of a previous residency in west central Arkansas* to visit with the two horses - Fred and Molly - that lived in the barn below the apartment in which the resident resided.

The situation is remote, hot and dusty. National Park Rangers visit only rarely and the horses thus largely must fend for themselves. Pat them on the neck or rump, flies scatter as dust cloud erupts. When he did appear, rider ranger made a big deal about showing them “who’s boss.”

New LED electronic signs in Bettendorf would face tighter controls on brightness and rate of message display under a revised ordinance approved by the city planning and zoning commission and sent to the city council for consideration.

The intensity of such signs would be limited to 5,000 candelas per square meter during daylight hours and a maximum of 500 candelas per square meter between dusk to dawn under the proposed changes.

The two top executives at MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company (MEHC) cashed in stock options worth a total of $123 million last year. The stock options were given the two executives 10 years ago when the utility was acquired by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate.

The newest Mississippi Riverfront park in the Quad Cities – Rock Island's Schweibert Park – opened the first week in July and is a riverfront jewel rivaling the historic LeClaire Park, just across the river along Davenport's riverfront. The new park features a soaring performance stage, large spray feature for children (and adults), covered gazebos with picnic tables, lots of greenspace, and perhaps the best place to view the majestic Mississippi River and river towboats. Click on the link below for more photos of the new park.