The sun sets on the Crow Creek Park baseball complex off Tanglefoot Lane, Bettendorf. The shortening days and cooler evenings signal the turning of the season from summer to fall. Only a few players remain at the ballparks as high school football kicks off this week in the Mississippi Athletic Conference.

The bronze sculpture "Skipper" on the Bettendorf riverfront readies a stone to toss into the Mississippi River just downstream of the Interstate 74 Bridge.

Gamblers visiting the Isle of Capri riverboat casino fell to a five-year low in 2006 while gambling revenues at the Bettendorf riverboat declined below its 2002-03 level, according to the most recent annual report by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.


For fiscal 2005-06 ending July 31, the Isle of Capri had 1,612,809 admissions with adjusted gross revenue of $98.7 million. That compares to 1,797,773 admissions and revenues of $97.9 million in 2001-02.

Admission data for the past five years shows a steady drop at the Isle of Capri, falling more than 10 percent from the 2001-02 level. Gambling revenues at the Isle peaked at $105 million in 2003-04 and have declined the past two years. Revenues during the last fiscal year were off more than 6 percent from the 2003-04 high.

Reflecting the overall decline in revenues, the gambling taxes paid to the City of Bettendorf in 2005-06 were down 6 percent from 2003-04. The city received $527,080 in gambling tax revenue in 2003-04, compared to $493,436 in the most recent fiscal year. Scott County saw the same drop in gambling taxes as the city.

Meanwhile, the state's gambling take increased slightly compared to 2003-04. The state received $19.94 million from the Isle of Capri in 2003-04, compared to $20 million in the most recent fiscal year. The state tax paid by the boat was virtually the same, but the regulatory fee was $100,000 higher last year, compared to 2003-04.

The Isle of Capri's other Quad Cities gambling boat, The Rhythm City Casino in Davenport, showed similar declines in attendance falling from a high of 1,575,669 admissions in 2001-02 to 1,355,165 in 2005-06. Revenues at the Rhythm City peaked in 2004-05 at $78.2 million and declined to $77.3 million in the latest 12-month period.

Bettendorf riverboat casino admissions (adj. gross revenue)


2005-06 - 1,612,809 ($98.7 million)

2004-05 - 1,750,797 ($103.9 million)

2003-04 - 1,764,844 ($105.4 million)

2002-03 - 1,759,816 ($99.6 million)

2001-02 - 1,797,773 ($97.9 million)

2000-01 - 1,870,810 ($93.5 million)

1999-00 - 2,018,936 ($89.4 million)

1998-99 - 1,944,630 ($84.9 million)

1997-98 - 1,717,663 ($73.8 million)

1996-97 - 1,778,387 ($67 million)

1995-96 - 1,443,113 ($55.7 million)


Note: The figures for 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998 are for operation of the Lady Luck Casino (predecessor to the Isle of Capri Casino Riverboat). Source: Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

A backhoe removes concrete paving from the north end of the Hy-Vee Food Store along Devils Glen, Bettendorf. A new Hy-Vee store will be built on the site, just south of the Luther Towers (in background), to replace the current Glenroads Hy-Vee.

The Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House takes shape along Tech Drive, Bettendorf. The $7.4-million facility will have 16 beds to provide care for terminally ill patients. Genesis VNA & Hospice has been providing hospice care in the Quad Cities for 15 years, and the new facility will be area's first free-standing hospice.

A pile of rubble to be hauled away is all that's left of the old Jackson Elementary School, Bettendorf, this afternoon (8/15). The former elementary, most recently the district's Ray Stensvad Administrative Center, is being torn down to make way for a new Armstrong Elementary School. Jackson School opened for the 1952-53 school year with kindergarten, first, second and third grade classes. It became a kindergarten through 5th grade school in 1954. Jackson closed in 1985 when Paul Norton Elementary opened in north Bettendorf. The building was remodeled and has served as the district's administrative office since 1986.

Work continues on reconstruction of 15th Street, Bettendorf, from Central to Mississippi Boulevard. The project will bring the street up to city standards with curb and gutters to handle stormwater runoff.

Golfers enjoy an early morning round at Palmer Hills Golf Course despite the hazy, humid summer weather.

The new clubhouse at Palmer Hills Golf Course, Bettendorf, provides golfers with new, upgraded facilities, and offers a great location for breakfast and lunch in the clubhouse restaurant overlooking the 9th green.

The twin towers of the Interstate 74 bridge across the Mississippi River between Bettendorf and Moline are backlit by the early morning sun.