QC Forum - 5-19-24

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to Quad City Forum, aweekly community service program produced by iHeartMedia to
look at the issues and opportunities thatexist in our community. Now here's your
hosts for a Quad City Forum,Pt. Luke and Denny Linhowe. We
have a timely interview on the forumhere this morning for a big job fare
that's coming up here in just acouple of days. And thanks to Martha

(00:22):
Garcia, TAPA and Iowa Works forletting us know about it. But the
heavy load that's being thrown on theshoulders of this guy, and it's Edgar
Ramirez And Edgar, how are youconnected to this big job fare? I
am a refugee workforce Liason. Itis a shared position between Iowa Workforce Development,
Iowa Works, and Iowa Human Healthand Human Services with the Bureau of

(00:46):
Refugee Services. Then you've got abig job fare that's coming up here and
for a lot of people that arejust new to the area when we talk
about immigrant refugees, this is aworkforce that's really almost like a secret weapon
for a lot of employers that they'llbe able to get some jobs and maybe
a job right away when they showup. This coming up, this coming

(01:08):
Thursday, make twenty third. Thatis correct, That is orry can you
and you're not you're you're You're definitelyright when you say the best kept secret
is an untapped resource on tap workforcethe immigrant and refugee population in the Quad
Cities. It is something that we'vedone it before. We did it last

(01:30):
year. It was our first timedoing it. We welcome over thirty employers
and at the event we welcome aboutninety ninety five job seekers and from that
event we were able to connect successfullyseventy job seekers were higher. This is

(01:53):
incredible now and so for this year, do we think we're going to be
able to get just as many vendorsor our employers or even more that they're
going to be there. So thistime we are because we are expecting larger
numbers. We change the venue.Last years we were at Eastern Iowa Community
College. This time we're going tobe at the Holiday Inn in Rock Island,

(02:15):
which is going to be a largerroom because we are expecting a larger
number of employers, but we aredefinitely anticipating a larger number of job seekers,
somewhere around one hundred and fifty ormore job seekers and this will then
give opportunity for all the employers participatingto be able to connect and be able

(02:37):
to feel those positions that they haveavailable. Now, this holiday In is
two twenty six seventeen Street in RockIsland, and we're talking about Thursday,
May twenty third, so that's comingup here in a few days. Why
don't you just run through the wholething. I'll just say it's eleven of
one. But what will people beable to find when they show up at
the holiday in this Thursday, orhow exactly are things going to play out?

(03:02):
So the event is scheduled, likeyou say, from eleven to one.
However, employers are welcome to startcoming in around ten or earlier to
start set up. Tables are goingto be provided, chairs are going to
be provided. Table cloths are alsogoing to be provided. However, we
know that employers have their own tableclothes and sometimes they have their own advertising

(03:23):
tools that they bring. We're goingto be providing interpreters. So interpreters are
going to be on site throughout thewhole event, and that's going to help
facilitate communication and understanding how that usuallyworks. If an interpreter will be walking
with a group of individuals that requiretheir services, and they will be going

(03:44):
table by table and listening to whatthe men or woman behind the table is
sharing about their industry, and ifthere's any questions from the group, the
interpreter will also be able to askus questions. It's great, it's very
comforting to know so that they willbe able to just easily be able to
start interviewing right away for the job. And there's a real good possibility that

(04:08):
somebody's going to walk away that momentwith the new job that's going to change
their life here in the Quad Cities. Absolutely absolutely, you know, and
many many employers in the Quad thatis have already connected to immigrant populations over
the past few years. So tothem it's not necessarily new. It's just
maybe a new language. Perhaps perhapsto some of the employers, this is

(04:31):
going to be something new. Sosomething that I do want to mention is
that we're not saying that, youknow, we're going to connect you to
the immigrant refugee job seekers and that'sit. What we're saying here is not
only we're interested on helping employers connectto the populations and the populations connect employers,
but we're going to be there toassist on whichever way we can to

(04:54):
make the transition helpful, providing resources, information so that the connection is a
succes all right, long term help. You're not just gonna drop them off
with the door and then then go. And for those of you just tuning
in, we're talking to Edgar Ramirezwho is really spearheading. You're one of
many that are spearheading this big jobfair that's coming up on Thursday, May

(05:15):
twenty third, from eleven am toone pm at the Holiday Inn that's to
twenty six seventeenth Street in Rock Island. And again that's this Thursday. Are
there maybe there's an employee right nowthat's saying, hey, wait a minute,
I didn't know this is coming up. Would they be able to maybe
contact somebody and make sure that theycan get a table set up at the
Holiday Inn if they want to bethere this Thursday. Absolutely, If they

(05:39):
want to call your the local IOWAworks there in Davenport and just say that
they want to participate, that willbe the best way to go. We
have sent by email the communication andthe link. If they're not able to
receive it, or they haven't receivedit for one reason or another, I

(06:00):
will definitely invite him to call directlyto the Iowa Works office and just basically
mention that they want to participate.They will be a register and we'll be
there waiting for them. This soundsgood. Thursday May twenty third, a
new job or certainly a new startto things here in the Quad Cities.
Edgar Ramirez, thank you so muchfor your time here today. Hopefully well

(06:23):
whatever numbers you have, hopefully yousurpass them big time and have to get
an even bigger room in twenty twentyfive. Thank you very much. I
appreciate it. We've definitely looked forwardto continue on supporting the community as we
grow together. If you or yourorganization would like to be featured on Quad
City Forum, please visit the contactpage and our station website. Now back

(06:45):
to Pat Luke and Danny Linnoue.We have Emily Switheart, Extension educator of
Horticulture with us today. And Emilypeople have been talking about this for a
while, the cicadas. We're goingto have like an overload of cicadas over
in this part of the country herethis summer, and I'm looking at it
just like a total naive person,going okay, it's going to get a
little loud, but it's a lotdeeper than this. It is. Yeah,

(07:10):
I mean, you're not wrong.It is going to get loud in
some areas because they are cicadas andthey sing, but this is that way.
Wait a minute, Emily, Emily, is that what we're gonna call
it? They're singing? Okay,yup, that's what we call it.
Mm hmm. Yeah. So thisyear is an unusual year for a couple
of different reasons. First, wehave two species of cicadas emerging this year.

(07:34):
So we always have the dog daycicada coming out in about July,
but this year, right now,we've got what it's called the periodical cicadas
emerging. And these are cicadas thathave synchronized their life cycle so they all
come out at the same time,but they only come out every seventeen years.
So that's what part of why thisis an exciting kind of ecological event.

(07:59):
On top of that, in Illinois, so there are what we call
broods, So we have a broodof the seventeen years tokeda emerging here.
Well, southern Illinois has a broodof what is known as these thirteen years
to Cata and you might guess thatthose emerge every thirteen years. Wow,
that makes sense. Yeah, andso they're the timing of these two broods

(08:22):
emerging in the same year only happensonce, or it only happens every two
hundred and twenty one years. Wow. So this is the last time it
did it. We didn't even theUnited States wasn't even well it was eighteen
oh three Louisiana purchase. There've justbeen made, you know, for some
historical contexts. That's you know,this is a multi generation it's been I

(08:45):
guess the point is it's been awhile. It has been a while.
Yeah, So that's that's kind ofwhy it's exciting for us, you know,
to know about not only the seventeenyear of Toketa, because seventeen years
is nothing to you know, sneezeat. But then we've got the thirteen
year happening too, so kind ofexciting. It is exciting, And obviously
it's going to get it's going toget loud. And when we tell you

(09:05):
know, I don't even want todiscount that because this is it's ninety decibels
at times, and that's just likesticking real close to a lawnmower. Yeah,
yep, it be. It canbe quite loud, quite irritatingly loud
conversations might be hard to have whenyou're in areas of really high population.
Ninety decibels. It's kind of likea lawnmower or a hair dryer, you

(09:28):
know, kind of a significant soundin areas of a high population. Now,
I don't want people to get worried, right, so we won't have
such high populations everywhere. These cicadashave been feeding on the root material of
woody plants for the last seventeen years. So if you live in an area

(09:48):
that has a lot of woody vegetation, think like woodlands, or like along
the rivers that we have in ourarea, back alleys or you know whatnot
that have been there for more thanseventeen years, you'll probably have high population.
If you are not in an area, you know, let's think of
like our downtown areas where there justisn't a large woodland area where they would
have survived for seventeen years, notgoing to have as high as populations.

(10:11):
So kind of you folks can judgewhere they're at and get ready well,
and it's kind of a trade offisn't it. Yeah, there may not
be many of a brood seventeen orbrood thirteen down there, but there'll still
be traffic noise that'll be going on, so it'll kind of it'll it'll still
be loud, but yet maybe itwon't be because long. Yeah, there
you go. So this is onlygoing to be for a few months really,

(10:33):
And for those of you just tuningin, we have Emily Swiheart,
University of Illinois Extension Educator of Horticulture. And when we talk about the cicadas
and the females laying their eggs,is there damage that could happen to our
soil or trees or is there anythingthat we could maybe do to keep that
from really the damage being stepped up? Sure? Sure, So it's actually

(10:58):
going to be beneficial to our soils. So the nymphs is what it's called.
It's kind of the teenage age ofthe life cycle. So they'll actually
be emerging through the soil and naturallyair rating our soil. So that's a
benefit. Now, when they emerge, they'll climb up a vertical surface and
then they will they will shed theirexoskeleton, they'll develop those wings and get
to the business of reproducing so thatthen another generation can be produced. When

(11:26):
the females lay their eggs, theycan do damage to small twigs on like
newly planted trees or the outer branchesof our more mature trees because they're cutting
little slits into that bark and layingeggs underneath the bark. So if we
have newly planted trees or trees andshrubs that are smaller, smaller twigs on

(11:46):
them, what we can do iswe can wrap them in a fine netting
to exclude the periodical cicadas from gettingto those. That's the insecticides is not
recommended. It's not shown to bevery effective. Just exclusion, keep them
away from your plants that you wantto protect. Larger trees, they're going
to be okay. They have alot of plant material left. Even if

(12:07):
they do the same thumb damage,they'll they'll be okay. Now they will
feed a little bit on the leafmaterial of woody plants. That's not their
primary focus for these next four tosix weeks, but you might see a
little bit of chewing again, nota big concern, nothing to get excited
about in terms of having a tree, your plant with the sapling or those
younger trees. Where can you buythe I would gather any nursery or would

(12:31):
some of the big box stores havethat kind of wrap that you can use,
or do you come up with somethingthat you maybe have around the house.
Yeah, you can kind of allof them. There are your sources
on the internet you can order from. I would hurry up with that shipping
right local. You know, largeretailers nurseries could have this type of material.
It's almost like a tool material thatyou would want. It doesn't have

(12:52):
to be anything overly expensive because you'rejust going to be wrapping these trees for
four to six weeks and then you'regoing to be taking it off. Ideally,
you would want something that has afiner mesh, so like bird netting
is not recommended because that is alarger mesh than the cicadas can get through,
but like a less than a quarterof an inch in diameter openings would

(13:13):
be ideal tool, you know,like from a craft store I've seen recommended.
You can choose whatever color you want, it doesn't matter. Decorate your
trees with that. If you wantput a little fashion thing, let the
trees be able to don't want anythingclashing. Yeah, sure, yes,
yeah, yep, So yeah,you can find it. You just need

(13:35):
to make sure it's secured all theway to the base of the plant so
that those cicadas cannot crawl up andget trapped actually in your netting there,
right, And again the main thingis to move right now because this is
starting to it's starting to happen aroundour area. So you don't want to
wait until it's too late. Forthose younger trees and the adult trees that

(13:56):
already have a fairly good bark onthem, they should be okay, Yeah,
they should be okay. You mightsee some damage later in the summer,
so they will do what it's calledflagging, So the outer perimeter of
the tree might have some branches die, they might even fall to the ground.
You know, if folks are concernedabout it, certainly reach out to
extension. I'm happy to talk withpeople about it if they see that kind

(14:18):
of damage. But keep in mindwhat had happened earlier in the year with
these cicadas, and just know thatthose larger trees will recover from that outer
perimeter damage. It is amazing ifwe give them a chance, they can
get through a lot we just haveto take care of them, do our
work now, and they'll be readyto bounce back here soon. Now.

(14:39):
Is there anything that is outside ofthe ararating the lawn and some of the
things that the cicadas do. Arethere other benefits or is this just more
of a cicadas just come into driveus a little crazy with all of the
loud noises every summer. Yeah,well besides being just really cool occurrence,

(15:01):
you know, every seventeen years,that's an odd odd number. Well so
thirteen, you know, thirteen andseventeen or so odd anyway, Yeah,
they are. And one of thetheories as to why they do that is
so that because everybody's emerging at thesame time, unlike our dog dayed cicada,
they're not all emerging at the sametime. All the entire population of

(15:22):
these cicadas are emerging here in thenext four to six weeks. One of
the theories for happening is predator association, so like there's just not enough predators
to eat all of them. Becauseone of the benefits of the cicadas is
that our birds are going to havemore food resources, some of our small
mammals are going to have more foodresources, and so what we might see

(15:43):
actually this next year is an influxin population in like say, songbirds.
We might see more butterflies and modssurvive because those caterpillars are not being eaten
during this time period, the cicadaswould be eat Isn't that something just the
it's you know, I feel likewe have to sing something from the Lion
King the Circle of life on this. But it really is amazing, isn't

(16:06):
it How it all works and everythingkind of relies on another part to make
it all go. Yeah, it'sreally incredible. Nature is incredible. And
yes, the singing is quite loud, that is to attract mates. And
even though I really love humans,we are not the center of nature.
And so when things like this happen, it's a nice reminder that there are

(16:29):
other things that work here, youknow, that we get to enjoy,
but we're not We're not in chargeof or the center of I do think
it's interesting. It just hit onme now when you talked about brood thirteen
and then Brood's seventeen, and thenthere's the dog day cicadas, and those
are not they're cicadas, but they'reseparate in some ways yeah, it's a

(16:51):
different species. There are different speciesof cicadas. Even in the seventeen year
and thirteen year cicadas, there aredifferent species emerging. They're very hard to
tell apart. So nobody needs toworry about that. Yeah, don't.
I don't have to go out andstart the idea. Oh I know what
this one is. Just to showoff to my wife. If she's impressed
by that, knock yourself out.But it's just a different cicada that we'll

(17:17):
also have in July. So thisis you know, when July comes and
we start hearing the cicadas again,know that that is that's our annual cicada
emerging. Well, this is great. And Emily Swiheart, University of Illinois
Extension, educator of Hulta Culture,I think it's it's interesting. Obviously we
didn't cover everything here so and thereare other things that will come up that
won't be cicadas related. But whatis a way to maybe get a hold

(17:42):
of you or the website for theUniversity of Illinois Extension. Yeah, you
can find out that extension dot Illinoisdot edu. Backclast h m RS will
be a direct link to the localextension and folks can get a hold of
me there. You can email orcall as well. There are other program
offerings through extension. Well, I'velearned more about the cicadas than I've had

(18:04):
and I've been around for a while, but I've learned more just in these
last few minutes here with you,Emily. Thank you for educating the rest
of us too, and look forwardto talking to you again. That sounds
great. Thanks for having me.If you or your organization would like to
be featured on Quad City Forum,please visit the contact page on our station
website. Now back to Fat Lukeand Danny Linnowe executive director Ryan Willie from

(18:29):
the Quad City Botanical Center on ourforum here this morning in this segment.
And even though this interview will airon Sunday, Ryan, big stuff happened
on Friday with a ribbon cutting ofanother incredible exhibit there at the Botanical Center.
Yes, sir, we're opening anotherone. It's our fourth exhibit in
the last three years, you know, and something we try to focus on.

(18:52):
You know, a lot of ourcollection is permanent. You know,
we're not going to take flowers outof the ground every year, you know,
across our five acres so we're verymindful to always have something in the
works so that when people do cometo see us, there's something new to
see. Well, this is soneat because the storybook, uh, the
opening of the storybook Landscapes. Yougot a lot of help from Rock Island

(19:17):
Public Library and their their mobile librariescoming by. But we love the instead
of the what is it the freelittle libraries that we've seen all over the
place all over the country, reallyyours different kind of a twist with the
wheelbarrow thing. Yep. So we'reyou know, today or Friday rather also
picked off to give away of athousand books that we're given to us by

(19:38):
Rock Island Rotary and at the QuadCities Community Community Foundation. The Young family
has an endowment for the Quad CityBotanical Center, so we took some of
that funding. We purchased a varietyof a thousand books, including multiple languages,
and we're going to start giving thoseaway. Is kind of a fun
twist to connect people to nature throughliteracy. And you know, we like

(20:00):
the little libraries as much as thenext guy. But if you can put
a book in a wheelbarrow at abotanical garden, I think that's the winner.
Well, sometimes it kind of fitsthe setting. They look beautiful.
The little libraries look fantastic on somebody'sedge of their property and watching people walk
by and check it out. Butas they're coming in and just all the
people that are pulling together because theQuad Cities Community Foundation is incredible. You've

(20:25):
got the rock on the roadary whatgreat things they've been doing for a long
time now, and the rock onthe public library, and just to make
sure they know that this is afriendly place, the mobile library is in
there too. Oh yeah, youknow they'll be here. You know,
they were here for the ribbon cutting, and they've got open access, you
know, to program this new spot. So you know, reading books obviously

(20:48):
is extremely vital. Nature's vital.So we're hoping to connect them and you
are you're successful in that. Andcertainly when we talk about all the great
things that the botanicals send is done. You talked about some of the things
that you've just opened up. Therestill are some of those, like you
had said, those things that willstay there the whole time. How can

(21:08):
people kind of find out what youguys have not only for this weekend,
but in the following weeks and months, as summertime is fast approaching, how
can they find out what's going onat the botanical center Because you're changing all
the time. It seems like websiteQcgardens dot com is where all our exhibits

(21:29):
live. Facebook or Instagram is ahuge place where we post what's blooming,
you know, what's coming up thisyear because it changes so quickly, you
know, especially with the weather mmhmm. And then you know, here
at the front desk, we've gotactually a map of the facility and we
point out highlights. You know,we say, hit the hotspots where we've
got blooms here, or you mightsee some butterflies over here. So we're

(21:51):
always aware of what's going on aroundour acreage and sending the guests in that
direction so they can see something uniqueor special on whatever particular data come to
see us. And I also loveit with all the blooms, that's great.
But you still have the train yardgoing there too, don't you.
Oh gosh, yeah. The HeartlandCentral Railroad Club has been volunteering their time
and talent and their treasure here foryears. So they run that on Sunday

(22:15):
during let's call it May October,weather, depending and it's just such a
fun way to again engage people.It's not just kids with those railroad I
tell you, I've seen six yearolds and eighty six year olds, you
know, oohing and ah over thesame No kidding, it's another cool way,
Oh it is. It's fantastic.So again to find out more,

(22:37):
keep in touch with what you've gotgoing on, because there are different programs
that will pop up occasionally too.Website. As we're heading out Qcgardens dot
com. If you or your organizationwould like to be featured on Quad City
Forum, please visit the contact pageand our station website. Now back to
Pat Luke and Danny Lynnoue, DonaldWren, Director of Public Affairs, US

(22:59):
Army Garrison, and Rack. I'man Arsenal on the phone today, and
Donald, this is exciting because it'snot like it's a bouncing little baby boy,
but it's a tank, a symmetryin this that started actually at the
Arsenal a long long time ago.Yeah, that's right, Pat. The
tank was originally produced here back innineteen nineteen or nineteen twenty. So it's

(23:22):
returned to its home here in atthe Arsenal and to its home here in
the Cloud Cities where we're proud tohave this on display here on the installation.
It came back to the installation intwenty twenty one and has been restored
by the folks that originally manufactured itover at the Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center

(23:45):
here on the Arsenal. They've touchedit up and we've got it out on
display for anybody that visits the installation. They can drive by and walk up
and take a look at it andget up close and personal. It's like
a touch a truck event. Well, we've got several displays across the installation

(24:06):
with military equipment that they can visitand take a look at. So it's
just another added display on the installation. So and tell us exactly the name
of this tank, because this isreally an oddity because there's not many left.
Right. This is the Mark eightLiberty Tank, as you alluded to.

(24:30):
It's one of three that are stillin existence. Got the one here,
there's one more in the Army HistoricalInventory at Fort Moore, Georgia,
and the other one is on displayover in England in their Tank Museum.
Well, I just think that it'sso great, but just with all the
other things that are going on onthe Arsenal this month that people can check

(24:53):
that out anytime. Well, andPat, you bring up a great point.
Another message that I'd like to getout is the Arsenal is open to
the public at any time. Allyou have to do is go to our
visitor Welcome Center at the Mouline Gatewith either two forms of ID or if
you happen to have a real ID, you just need one form of ID

(25:14):
and know your Social Security number.They'll do their magic and they will issue
a pass that's good for a yearfor you to be able to come on
the installation. That opens up alot of things that we have here to
include our museum, the Lock andDam Visitor Center down at the Mississippi River
Visitor Center, the Davenport House Historicalhome here on the installation for the guy

(25:38):
that Davenport is named after, andour Rock Island Arsenal Museum. So that's
just to name a few of thethings that are available here on the installation
that anybody can do at any timeonce you visit and get a pass.
The Arsenal has added history to thisarea and the people of this area are

(25:59):
a part of that history. Sowe want to be able to open up
the things here on posts to beable to come in and see it for
the community. Matt Tolmes, thedirector of Rock Island National Cemetery, is
on the phone talking to us rightnow with big stuff that's happening on Thursday,
the Thursday before Memorial Day, whichis May twenty third, at four
pm. We are asking volunteers tocome out and help us put flags on

(26:25):
every grave site we have at thecemetery, and we have approximately twenty seven
thousand headstones here, so it,as you can imagine, that takes some
time if it was just our staffdoing it. So we typically get you
know, around I would say,four to five hundred volunteers every year to
do this, and we can wecan get through it in about forty five

(26:45):
minutes with the help of all thegreat Quad City folks out there. Yeah,
whoa after Matt, you're blowing mymind right now. Did you just
say, first off, twenty sevenhundred gravesites. No, it didn't because
said twenty seven thousand, Yeah,twenty seven thousand, yes, And you
can get through that in forty fiveminute. That's really impressed that that just

(27:06):
to me says a lot about onethe organization that you have for this,
and two just the fact that peoplepour out for that four or five hundred
people, that's amazing. It isamazing. It's it's awesome to see it.
And when when everybody's when we're alldone, the cemetery looks awesome with
the flag on every grave site,So it's really cool to see. And
if the folks haven't been out tobe part of this event, it's a

(27:30):
good event. You probably have somepersonal requests sometimes, can where can I
go? Can I put the flagover here? We do, and that's
not a problem at all. Wejust ask people to let us know,
you know, if they can giveus a call ahead of time or something,
just let us know and we'll makesure that we can say that for
them to put the flag there whenyou're talking a forty five minute to an

(27:52):
hour commitment for the actual work time. That makes it doable for a lot
of people. And I don't thinkthey're aware of that always. Yeah,
it's it's really it goes by prettypretty quick. I mean, it's it's
a good time. A lot ofpeople come out here, so you know,
there's a lot of conversations going onand it's it's you know, it's
not you know, cemetery's a somberplace, but it's not a somber event.

(28:15):
It's a good event. And yeah, we just we really appreciate all
the help we get. You alsotake care of people with some food and
drink there at the end too.Yeah, we're doing that again this year.
We'll have hot dogs available and bottledwater and it's all free. So
for people that want to be apart of this again, run down what
do they have to do and whattime do they have to start doing it?
All you got to do is showup at the cemetery. The event

(28:38):
is on Thursday May twenty third,at four pm. We asked that you
start showing up a little bit earlybecause I'd say around try to be here
by three point thirty because you know, traffic gets backed up closer to four
it's rain or shine, So ifit's raining, we're still going to be
out there putting flags out. Severeweathers in the forecast. We will push

(29:00):
it to Friday the twenty fourth atthe same time and then also we're going
to be picking the flags back upon Tuesday, May twenty eighth at eight
am. We get a lot lesspeople for that event, and that's totally
understandable because everyone's got to work.But if there's anybody that's available to come
out Tuesday morning at eight am tohelp us pick them up, that would

(29:21):
be that would be awesome. Dopeople need to have a visitors pass?
Yeah, they can just show up. This event is considered a special special
request, So there's all they gotto do is show their ID when they
get to the guard check and thentell them to tell the guards that they're
here for flag placement event and atthe National Cemetery, and then they should
let them right in. You've beenlistening to Quad City Forum, a weekly

(29:44):
community service program produced by iHeartRadio.If you were your nonprofit organization would like
to be featured fleas, visit thecontact page and our station website, or
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