Early morning update: Election Day in Scott County

By Rick Rector | Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Good Monday, Quad-Cities. At 6 a.m., it’s 16 degrees, 3 degrees with the wind chill, under fair skies. The 4100 block of Elm Street in Bettendorf will be closed to traffic all day during gas line work under the pavement. The street should reopen Wednesday, weather permitting, according to Lauran Haldeman, the city’s information director.



Today is Election Day on the Iowa side of the Quad-Cities and in Muscatine. The special election is for the school infrastructure local option 1-cent sales tax in Scott County for Davenport, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley and North Scott school districts. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The 10-year countywide tax is set to expire in 2009. The districts use funds from the tax to pay for building projects that include renovations to existing buildings to construction of new buildings.  To find your polling place go to http://scottcountyiowa.com/auditor/polling_places.php on the Web. For Muscatine County, go to http://www.co.muscatine.ia.us/departments/aud_pol.shtml

It’s primary day again in the race for president with voters going to the polls in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont. Some say it’s a make-or-break day for Hillary Clinton.

Quad-City libraries are offering a free program called, “Record Keeping -- What to Keep and Why.” The program helps people determine what paperwork to keep, how to store it and for how long, and what to discard. The program will be offered at 6:30 today and Mar. 27 at the Moline and Davenport Libraries; at the Rock Island Library on Mar. 6 at 10:30 a.m.; and Mar. 20 at 6:30 p.m.

Flood warning

A flood warning continues for the Q-C region including the Rock River at Joslin and Moline affecting Henry, Whiteside and Rock Island counties and the Green River near Geneseo affecting Henry and Rock Island counties until further notice. The flood warning includes the Iowa River near Lone Tree affecting Johnson, Louisa and Washington counties and the Wapsipinicon River near DeWitt affecting Clinton and Scott counties. Rapid snow melt combined with rainfall overnight have resulted in significant rises on area rivers. There is a high risk for ice jams which may create localized flooding conditions beyond the expected river flooding. This may cause rapid and localized higher water levels with enhanced risk of flash flooding at locations near area creeks and rivers.

Red Cross is ready help flood victims

In response to the rising floodwaters along area creeks and rivers, the American Red Cross of the Quad-Cities is ready to assist those affected by flooding. Clean-up kits are available to residents in the affected areas. Also, those who may be displaced by the flooding should contact the Red Cross at (309) 743-2166.

In addition to providing clean-up supplies for the flood victims, the Red Cross will continue to monitor the water level and respond to residents as their needs are identified. The American Red Cross urges the Quad-City community to begin preparing for flood season now by following these tips:

-- Know the difference between “watches” and “warnings.” A National Weather Service watch is a message indicating that conditions favor the occurrence of a certain type of hazardous weather. For example, a severe thunderstorm watch means that a severe thunderstorm is expected in the next six hours or so within an area approximately 120 to 150 miles wide and 300 to 400 miles long. A National Weather Service warning indicates that a hazardous event is occurring or is imminent in about 30 minutes to an hour. Local National Weather Service forecast offices issue warnings on a county-by-county basis.

-- Be aware of flood hazards. Floods can roll boulders, tear out trees, destroy buildings and bridges, and scour out new channels. Regardless of how a flood occurs, the rule for being safe is simple -- head for higher ground and stay away from floodwaters. Even a shallow depth of fast-moving flood water produces more force that most people imagine. The most dangerous thing you can do is try walking, swimming, or driving through flood waters. Two feet of water will carry away most automobiles.  

-- Develop a disaster supplies kit. Kits should contain a first aid kit and essential medications, canned food, bottled water, flashlights, and a battery-powered radio with extra batteries, and other emergency items for the whole family.

-- Learn about your area's flood risk and elevation about flood stage. Contact your local Red Cross chapter, emergency management office, local National Weather Service office, or planning and zoning department about your area's flood risk.  

-- Talk to your insurance agent. Homeowner's policies do not cover flooding. Ask about the National Flood Insurance Program.

-- Use a NOAA weather radio with a tone-alert feature, or a portable, battery-powered radio for updated emergency information.

-- Develop a family evacuation plan. Everyone in your family should know where to go if they have to leave. Trying to make plans at the last minute can be upsetting and create confusion.

--  Discuss floods with your family. Everyone should know what to do in case all family members are not together. Discussing floods ahead of time helps reduce fear and anxiety and lets everyone know how to respond.

School closings/delays

Some area schools buses are only running on hard surfaces today because of the weather. CLICK HERE  to stay up to date with your school’s situation.

Today’s weather

It will be mostly sunny today with a high near 35 degrees Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a low around 20 degrees. Source: National Weather Service.

Road conditions

Traveling today? Check out the road conditions before you hit the road. CLICK HERE for Illinois road conditions. CLICK HERE for Iowa road conditions.

See news happening? Share it

Stuck in traffic? See an accident or fire on your way to work? Drop us an e-mail at newsroom@qctimes.com or give us a call at (563) 383-2235 if you see breaking news such as house fires, traffic accidents and road conditions, street closures/detours and water main breaks in the Quad-Cities region.

Flight times

Flying? CLICK HERE to check flight status, wait times and more for regional airports, including the Quad-City International Airport in Moline and O’Hare International Airport in Chicago.

Plot a pothole

Had your teeth rattled by a car-eating pothole? First, call the city where the pothole is located. Here are the phone numbers: Davenport: 326-7923; Bettendorf: 344-4088; Moline: 797-0425; Rock Island: 732-2200; East Moline: 752-1573. Second, go online CLICK HERE and add it to our pothole map. Find out where the worst potholes are in the Quad-Cities.

Road work

Here is a list of some of the road construction work in your area. CLICK HERE  to view complete list.

Henry County

-- Eastbound traffic is restricted to one lane on I-80 at Cleveland Road until December.

-- Drivers on Illinois 78 from 2 miles north of I-80 to Coal Creek should expect lane restrictions during road improvements until December.

-- Osco Road from Illinois 81 to U.S. 6 until May 1. Max gross vehicular weight is 10 tons. All permit loads prohibited. Slow down and watch for heavy congestion in the construction area. Use alternate routes when possible.

-- Grange Road from Geneseo to Illinois 92 until May 1. Max gross vehicular weight is 10 tons. All permit loads prohibited. Slow down and watch for heavy congestion in the construction area. Use alternate routes when possible.

-- Midland Road from U.S. 34 to Kewanee until May 1. Max gross vehicular weight is 10 tons. All permit loads prohibited. Slow down and watch for heavy congestion in the construction area. Use alternate routes when possible.

Carroll County

-- Eastbound and westbound traffic on U.S. 52 and Illinois 64 from east of Savanna to east of Illinois 78 will be restricted to one lane and controlled by traffic signals until December.

Bureau County

--  Illinois 89 over Interstate 80 beginning March 17.  Expect lane restrictions until  Nov. 23 for road improvements. Slow down and watch for workers. Drivers are urged to use extreme caution when driving through the construction area.

-- U.S. 6 from Mary Street to Elm Street until May 15. Expect lane restrictions for roadway improvement. Expect delays.

Mercer County

-- Illinois 94 from 1.9 miles north of Illinois 17 to Edwards River from March 15 to Oct. 17.  Traffic will be restricted to one lane and controlled by temporary traffic signals. Oversize loads restricted to max width of 10 feet 6 inches. Expect delays.