Mayor Ed Lee Leader Nancy Pelosi Cut Ribbon on Veterans Commons on 150 Otis Street Chinatown CDC and Swords to Plowshares, a nationally-recognized, community-based veterans' advocacy organization, are partnering to develop the city-owned historic building at 150 Otis Street into permanent, affordable rental housing with on-site supportive services for homeless veterans. The project will provide housing to 76 US veterans, and is scheduled for completion in Fall of 2012. Veterans Commons will accommodate veterans in studio apartments, each with a private bath and kitchen. Support services including case management, mental health counseling, drug dependency, and employment programs will be provided by the City's Human Services Agency, the Veterans Administration, and Swords to Plowshares. The services will be designed to build community and stabilize the health and housing status of the veterans residing at Veterans Commons. By: MayorEdLee … Continue reading →

Regional News of Thursday, 31 January 2013 Source: GNA Vice President Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur on Thursday said there was the need for countries to work closely with drug producer and consumer regions for the world to deal effectively with drug trafficking. He said Ghana is not alone in facing problems of drug trafficking, and therefore would continue to collaborate with the ECOWAS, the African Union and the United Nations to enhance its ability to respond to threats of the drug trade. The Vice President stressed the need to receive accurate information about drugs, adding, we must make every effort to ensure that our youth are given the kind of help that reduces their vulnerability to drug pushers and diminish the risks they run in using drugs. Vice President Amissah-Arthur said this when he addressed the inaugural ceremony of the West Africa Commission on the Impact of Drug Trafficking on Governance, Security and Development, held at the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre, at Teshie, in Accra. The Commission was established by the Kofi Annan Foundation, in consultation with international and regional partners, national governments and civil society organizations, in response to the dramatic surge in drug trafficking through … Continue reading →

For the Daily Gate city ADDS Prevention Specialist Candice Murrell-Cannon serves all of Lee County. With the assistance of the Big River United Way and the IDPH Compre-hensive Grant, I am able to provide prevention education to students and community members, Cannon said. Currently I am in the Keokuk Middle School and Central Lee Middle School teaching Project Alert. ADDS Prevention Programs remain a primary resource for providing Keokuk and the surrounding communities with drug-free information and prevention education services. The Project Alert curriculum is on the Model Program list from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Department of Substance Abuse Prevention, and National Registry of Effective Programs and Practices. This program has been heavily researched and reviewed many times for effectiveness to continue on the Model Program list, Cannon said. Some of the program endorsements include the U. S. Department of Education, the Department of Juvenile Justice, American Medical Association and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse. ADDS Prevention Programs remain a primary resource for providing the Keokuk and surrounding communities with drug-free information and prevention education services. This funding for the prevention department at ADDS from the Big River United Way assists us in delivering programs … Continue reading →