Recent Articles

Judge orders removal of 300 remaining animals from Cricket Hollow Zoo in decade-long legal battle

An Iowa District Court judge Monday (11/25) ordered the removal of the remaining 300 animals confined at Cricket Hollow Zoo, apparently ending a nearly decade-long legal battle over cruel treatment and neglect of endangered and exotic animals at the troubled roadside zoo near Manchester.

In the most recent lawsuit brought by four Iowa residents and the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) in 2018, the roadside zoo owned by Pamela and Thomas Sellner was found to violate Iowa's animal cruelty standards.

Lawsuit seeks permanent shutdown of troubled Cricket Hollow Zoo near Manchester

A trial seeking permanent closure of the troubled Cricket Hollow Zoo near Manchester is under way.

The lawsuit was filed by four state residents after years of seeking enforcement of state and federal animal treatment standards at the roadside zoo run by Pamela and Tom Sellner.

The trial in Delaware County District Court began last week (10/17) and after a tour of the zoo Judge Monica Wittig termed conditions at the facility "deplorable," according to a report in the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald newspaper.

Davenport/Bettendorf get 4-month extension on sewage treatment plant's UV disinfection plans

Iowa environmental officials have okayed a four-month extension for the Davenport Wastewater Treatment Plant to finalize plans for ultraviolet (UV) disinfection of the facility's effluent.

Under terms of a 2014 administrative consent order, the treatment facility (which handles sewage from Davenport, Bettendorf, Riverdale and Panorama Park) agreed to add the UV treatment to kill bacteria before the effluent is pumped into the Mississippi River.

Bettendorf taxpayers would fund position to market private sports complex under city staff proposal

Just weeks after facing public criticism for not fully staffing its three fire stations, Bettendorf aldermen are poised to approve spending $35,000 a year to help pay the salary of a new marketing position primarily benefiting the privately owned TBK Bank Sports Complex.

The city would contribute $35,000 annually for "a minimum of two years" to "Visit Quad Cities" (formerly the Quad Cities Visitors and Convention Bureau) under the deal, scheduled for approval at tonight's (9/17) city council meeting.

Bettendorf eyes spending $61,000 to prove Trump's 'Buy America' requirement a bad deal for taxpayers

Bettendorf aldermen are considering spending $61,000 to prove President Trump's "Buy America" requirement is a bad deal for local taxpayers, costing tens of thousands of dollars more to build the free-standing elevator connecting the Mississippi River recreation trail with the new I-74 Bridge.

Lee Enterprises earns 10 cents a share in 3rd quarter despite 4 percent drop in operating revenues

Lee Enterprises – parent company to the Quad City Times and Dispatch/Argus newspapers – earned $6.17 million, 10 cents per share, during the third quarter ended June 30, up slightly from 8 cents per share for the same period a year ago.

Third quarter operating revenues totaled $127.3 million, compared with $132.6 million a year ago, a 4 percent drop, according to the Davenport-based firm that describes itself as "a leading provider of quality, trusted, local news, information and a major platform for advertising in 50 markets."

Environmental council analysis shows Iowa nutrient reduction strategy a very slow road to nowhere

Big ag groups like the Iowa Farm Bureau along with Iowa Republicans like to tout the state's Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS) as the path forward to reduce pollution of state streams and rivers from farm runoff.

A new Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) report issued Tuesday (July 16) paints the NRS as a very slow road to nowhere.

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