by Budge Gierke

I started taking all of my children rock-climbing at a very early age and have enjoyed the experiences more than I ever could have imagined. Usually. Upon a few occasions, terror and/or minor injury was/were unwelcome companions. Matter of fact, I probably did visit both upon each repeatedly. Has made me realize that child abuse is not as easy to define as I’d thought. And that, perhaps, it is sometimes inflicted without intent.

Early one morning many, many years ago, son Andrew and I made our way to the base of a cliff overlooking the river. As we hiked beneath its lush deciduous canopy that was yet spring green, Andrew gestured toward a broad soaring bird that we could only sporadically glimpse.

“Look at the hawk!” he exclaimed.

“Vulture,” I corrected without really looking.

Amid the ruin from Wall Street's decline, an astonishing re-shuffling has occurred in local stocks: the Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. ($3.40 per share; $104 million market cap as of 12/3/08) is now worth more than Lee Enterprises ($.67 per share; $30.2 million market cap as of 12/3/08).

Lee (parent of the Quad City Times) has continued its steady decline falling from $15 a share a year ago to well below $1 a share this week. Isle has been on a steep fall-off from $18 a share a year ago, but at this writing is three times the value of the fourth largest owner of daily newspapers (7th largest in daily circulation) in the country. Lee owns 49 daily newspapers and 300 weekly newspapers, but is carrying the burden of more than $1.3 billion in debt, principally from the purchase of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in June 2005.

Lee recently reported fourth quarter financial results (ended Sept. 28) of 12 cents per share, down from 43 cents per share for the same quarter last year. For the year ended Sept. 28, Lee lost $15.23 per share, compared with earnings of $1.77 per share for the same period in 2007.

Total advertising revenue for the 52-week period ended Sept. 28 totaled $865 million, down 9.4 percent compared with the 12-months ended Sept. 30, 2007. The decline in daily newspaper revenues included a 5 percent drop in retail display advertising, a 17 percent drop in classified advertising, a 20 percent decline in national display ads and a 2 percent decline in online advertising revenues.

Even Republican stronghold Bettendorf voted for Democrat President-Elect Barack Obama, but just barely – 9,753 (50.3 percent) to 9,631 (49.7 percent).

The narrow loss for the Republican presidential ticket came despite an overwhelming advantage in Bettendorf's two most populous and wealthiest precincts, 4th Ward 1st Precinct (4-1) and 5th Ward 2nd Precinct (5-2).

In those two precincts, which include the newest northern areas of the community, the Republican McCain-Palin ticket was the easy winner by a 60-40 margin. The Republican margin was 1,153 to 801 in 4-1 and 1,784 to 1,211 in 5-2.

Only a better showing by the Democratic ticket in 4-2 (1,080 to 1,053 votes for Obama) and 5-1 (927 to 684 votes for Obama) made the overall ward results less of a Republican majority in the 4th and 5th Wards.

Each of the other three city wards voted for the President-Elect to give the majority to Obama by a slim 122 votes city-wide.

Indicative of the Republican leanings in 4-1 and 5-2 were the number of "straight party" ballots - voters casting their vote for all Republicans candidates on the ballot.

Nearly 70 percent of the ballots in 4-1 were "straight party," while 65 percent of the ballots cast in 5-2 were by straight party vote.

In the other Republican-Democrat face off among Bettendorf voters, Democratic incumbent U.S. Congressman Bruce Braley narrowly defeated Republican David Hartsuch 9,552 (51 percent) to 9,155 (49 percent).

Hartsuch won handily by nearly 600 votes in 5-2 and 300 votes in 4-1. He also carried 3-1 and 4-2 by narrow margins.

In the overall congressional voting results, Braley defeated Hartsuch (a Bettendorf resident now serving as a state senator) 60 percent (49,732 votes) to 40 percent (32,766 votes).

And, in keeping with the trend seen nationally, record numbers of Bettendorf voters cast their ballots early. "Absentee" ballots in eight of the 11 city precincts outnumbered votes cast on election day.

Nearly $100,000 in public and private dollars are being spent on lobbying and "sponsored research" in an effort to convince the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) not to designate Scott, Rock Island and Muscatine counties as "non-attainment" for fine particulate pollution.

The taxpayer money from the cities of Bettendorf, Davenport and Muscatine, Scott County and the Iowa Department of Economic Development is being used to help fund a study by noted University of Iowa researchers on "Understanding Iowa's Particulate Matter Episodes." The private funders of the $40,000 study include Alcoa, Blackhawk Foundry, Grain Processing Corporation, Muscatine Power and Water and IPSCO Steel.

Another $51,000 is being paid by the Quad City Development Group, the local advocacy organization for industry, to The Clark Group, a Washington, D.C. lobbying firm which specializes in air quality issues. The funds are being used for "strategic outreach" to federal agencies and for advice on environmental and legislative policies.

The firm has experience working with communities seeking to avoid "non-attainment" designations by EPA. In 2005, the firm was hired by the Middle Georgia Clean Air Coalition which sought unsuccessfully to avoid the "non-attainment" designation for ground-level ozone emissions.

The lobbying efforts are aimed at getting the EPA to narrow the area it designates as non-attainment for Particulate Matter less than 2.5 microns (PM 2.5). The industry lobbying group would like only those areas closest to the air monitors exceeding PM 2.5 standards to be classified "non-attainment."

The Bi-State Planning Commission's participation in the recent foray to lobby U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials to reduce the local "non-attainment" area for fine particulate pollution clearly exceeded the organization's mission and purpose.

Bi-State's mission is "to serve as a forum for intergovernmental cooperation and delivery of regional programs and to assist member local governments in planning and project development." On its web site, the organization goes further to say it is NOT "another layer or higher authority of government. . ."

Grain Processing Corporation (GPC) in Muscatine and Blackhawk Foundry in Davenport have promised to invest in facility upgrades to reduce fine particulate emissions in hopes of avoiding a "non-attainment" label from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for all of Muscatine, Scott and Rock Island counties.

The pledge to clean up their emission of PM 2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers) came in the Iowa Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) most recent submission (10/20) to the Region VII Office of the EPA in Kansas City.

The day after losing his city council seat in Bettendorf's special First Ward aldermanic election, Norm Voelliger filed papers with the state: creating a campaign committee, disclosing $1,700 in election expenses and dissolving the campaign committee.

Candidates for city, school, county and state elections must form a campaign committee within 10 days of incurring or expending more than $750, list the campaign committee name on all campaign materials, and file reports listing all donations and expenditures of the campaign committee.

The papers filed with the state list the committee name as "Voelliger for Council." Mailers sent First Ward residents stated they were paid for by "Norm Voelliger." One of the mailers was an endorsement letter signed by Mayor Mike Freemire and five other aldermen.

Admissions at the Bettendorf Isle of Capri casino in fiscal 2008 were virtually the same as 12 years ago despite the opening of two hotels next to the riverboat aimed at boosting the number of gamblers.

For the 2008 fiscal year ended June 30, the Isle reported 1,451,452 admissions, nearly identical to the admissions in fiscal 1996 of 1,443,113 when it operated as the Lady Luck casino.

Last year's admissions also were off 28 percent from fiscal 2000, the boat's peak admission year when 2,018,936 gamblers came through its doors.

The Isle's first hotel was completed in August of 1998, while its second hotel opened in July of 2007.

At the Isle's sister boat, the Rhythm City Casino in Davenport, the decline has been even more severe, dropping nearly 47 percent from 1,775,317 admissions in fiscal 1996 when it operated as "The President" to 947,373 for fiscal 2008.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to designate Scott and Rock Island Counties as "non-attainment" areas for fine particulate pollution.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Governor's Office have sent letters to the EPA saying the state is working with industries to lower such pollutants and asking for designation of a much smaller area near the air monitoring stations as "non-attainment."

The Bettendorf High School Homecoming festivities kicked off Thursday (10/2) with the traditional parade along Spruce Hills and 18th Street, followed by a pep rally at the high school stadium. The Bulldogs, 3-0 on the season with wins over Pleasant Valley, Burlington and North Scott, face winless Davenport West in Friday's homecoming contest.


School board members Scott Tinsman, left, Barry Anderson, Jeannine Crockett and Betsy Justis toss candy to onlookers along the parade route.