By TOM BARTON | Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus, Ill. | Published: February 6, 2021 (Tribune News Service) While a colossal nightmare for many, 2020 proved a fruitful year for the Quad Cities largest employer in securing federal funding for job initiatives at the Rock Island Arsenal. According to the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce, efforts of local elected officials, federal lawmakers and community and private-sector leaders helped secure more than $240 million in federal dollars to support continued modernization, improvements and workforce training at the Arsenal. The legislative victories build off wins in 2019 that helped align the Rock Island Arsenal with major Army modernization priorities and the National Defense Strategy, said Davenport Mayor Mike Matson.