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Boaters Should Keep Safety In Mind This Season

With boating season around the corner the Iowa Department of Resources would like to remind boaters to be safe out on the water. Doreen Youngberg lives on her boat on the weekends.

“It’s a lifestyle,” says Youngberg.

However, out on the open anything can happen, “Safety is at most importance. I don’t care what size vessel you have,” says Doreen.

Iowa DNR conservation officer, Jeff Harrison says boaters should monitor weather conditions before going out,  “Wind can be very hazardous on the water.”

With water levels being high it can push a lot of debris around as well.

“The stuff you can’t see that you can hit, can damage a vessel or leave you stranded,” says Youngberg.

Before heading out on the water people should make sure to check their equipment to make sure everything is working well.

Frost Advisory in effect, covering sensitive plants recommended

A frost advisory is in effect for the Quad City area.

According to the National Weather Service, the advisory is in effect from 2 a.m. – 7 a.m. Monday, May 13. Temperatures are forecast to be in the low to mid-30s.

The frost will pose a threat to tender and exposed vegetation. The National Weather Service is advising sensitive plants be covered or moved indoors.

A report by the National Gardening Association recommends covering plants with old sheets, blankets, or burlap.

Check back with News 8’s Weather page for updated advisories in your area.

Prevent tick bites, prevent illness

Due to a high number of illnesses in 2012, the health department is offering residents ways to avoid tick bites this season.

According to the Illinois Department of Health, tick bites can lead to illnesses that can cause mild symptoms, severe infections requiring hospitalization, and even death.

In 2012, Illinois saw 50 cases of ehrlichiosis, four cases of tularemia, 204 cases of Lyme disease, and 151 cases of Rock Mountain spotted fever, from which one person died.

Click here to see where different types of ticks are in the United States.

The department’s director, Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck said antibiotics can treat tick bite illnesses, but there are simple precautions people can take to avoid them altogether.

Davenport parents fight school boundary changes

Some Davenport parents are speaking out against the district’s new boundary proposal, saying their neighborhood school is being ripped away from their kids.

On nice days, a walking caravan leaves Harrison Elementary School. A group of neighborhood kids walks seventh-tenths of a mile, across no busy streets, on the way home to Meadowview Lane.

“What better way to form a community than to have schools that kids are walking to, that they feel ownership in, that parents are able to walk to and from the school with their kids?” said parent Gabe Knight.

That community was a selling point for some neighbors when picking a house in the area.

“We actually even came in the morning-time during the week and saw kids in groups, backpacks, trekking their way to Harrison, and that is really what sold the deal for us,” said Ryan Cannady.

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Iowa memorial honors fallen officers

People gathered at a memorial to honor law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Governor Terry Branstad was at the Oran State Office Building in Des Moines, Iowa on Friday, May 10 to cut the ribbon for the Iowa Peace Officer Memorial. The piece honors officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the last 140 years.

In honor of the day, the Iowa governor asked businesses, state buildings, schools, and individuals to fly their flags at half-staff Friday.

The National Peace Officers Memorial Day is Wednesday, May 15- on this day fallen officers will be honored in Washington, D.C.

Local students float in cardboard boats

Nearly 100 Quad Cities high school students braved a chilly morning for a unique competition.

The teens were part of a cardboard boat regatta competition Friday, May 10, 2013 at Middle Park Lagoon.

Competition rules required the vessels must be built from cardboard, they must be maneuverable and they had to stay afloat for 600 yards.

Ninety-nine students from eight area schools competed in the event.  A special event featured teachers showcasing their own cardboard boats as well.

Competing schools were Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley, Moline, Durant, United Township, Ellicot Home School, Quad City Christiand and Geneseo high schools.

Equal Rights Advocate Shares Personal Experience With Students

The I-Wireless Center will be packed as hundreds of students graduate from St. Ambrose University. Before they graduate, they’ll get one last lesson to send them off and this year’s commencement speaker has quite the story to tell.

Protestors filled the streets of Selma, Alabama, in March of 1965. Among the crowd was Sister Barbara Moore, “They were feeling strong enough about the situation that they were willing to come and put their lives on the line for something they believed in.”

Now, nearly 50 years later, it’s an experience she’s sharing with the next generation.

“I feel like I have a story to share many of them probably weren’t even born for example when Selma did happen.”