Free Republic

MOLINE -- Building the new Interstate 74 bridge will take years, but certification to bid on the jobs building it should only take about 90 days. The Illinois Department of Transportation held a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certification and supportive services workshop Monday evening at the Moline Public Library, 3210 41st St. At the workshop, officials from IDOT shared information on how those who are in presumed disadvantaged groups can bid on contracts associated with the project. To qualify for DBE certification, the business owner must have a personal net worth of less than $1.32 million. Engineering consulting businesses must average...

McCain says he would veto farm bill Published: May 2, 2008 at 9:11 PM DES MOINES, Iowa, May 2 (UPI) -- Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told an audience of Iowans that if he were president, he would veto a farm subsidy bill now making its way through Congress. "I do not support it. I would veto it," McCain told the audience of about 250 people in Des Moines Thursday. "I would do that because I believe that these subsidies, the subsidies are unnecessary." The Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee later told The Des Moines Register in an interview, "At this...

The U.S. government has set aside $1.123 billion to keep the National Guard on the border through September 2007, according to a Guard official. Since President Bush announced the guard's deployment in support of the Border Patrol, at least $225 million has been spent. The National Guard has helped build roads, extend and improve fencing and vehicle barriers, and even man lookout posts, but it does not have the authority to stop and detain illegal entrants. The cost is likely to continue beyond the current fiscal year as the Border Patrol encounters difficulty in finding, training and keeping agents, making...