Xixuan Collins of Bettendorf, a biology professor at Black Hawk College, is taking her personal and professional experiences to heart to help other students facing special challenges. She and her family are starting an endowed scholarship, “ABC All-Star,” for students with disabilities at BHC. “ABC” are the initials of their son Ari – a 5th grader who lives with autism and ADHD. It also stands for “American-Born Chinese” (in tribute to their family background) and “all students can be stars and shine,” Collins said recently. Currently, there is no scholarship for these students... Read More

Ryan Wille, a former marketing manager of Quad City Botanical Center, has been chosen next executive director of the Rock Island-based nonprofit, succeeding Ami Porter. A 2009 graduate of Bradley University in Peoria, Wille was the marketing manager at QCBC (2525 4th Ave., Rock Island) from March 2016 to October 2018, and since then has been development manager of the Humane Society of Scott County. “Ryan, he is a great leader. He is a wonderful person,” Porter said Tuesday morning. “He is very passionate about the gardens. He cares very much about the success of the gardens and he’s... Read More

Quad-Cities based Jambrella Productions plans to present big musical lineups for indoor festivals at Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, both for June 12, and a 20th-anniversary commemoration of the U.S. terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Scheduled in part to celebrate the 17th anniversary of Davenport-based River Music Experience, the June 12 event will be co-sponsored by RME and Realty ONE Group, Jambrella founder Michael Moncada said. After starting his business just in February, he recently moved into office space at Realty ONE Group, 4726 N. Brady St., Davenport. “It beats working out of my... Read More

Kortney Gaura and her daughter were really looking forward to swimming with the pigs. A co-owner of K&K Hardware in Bettendorf with a heart of gold, Gaura was among 2019 winners of Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) Encore Moments campaign. The 51 winners nationwide (Gaura was honored for the state of Iowa) were feted in New York City in December 2019, an initiative to recognize and reward everyday heroes across the U.S. and Canada for the positive impact they have on those around them. The winners, who were nominated for their selfless efforts, were treated to an afternoon appreciation event... Read More

If you have a personal or professional event you typically go out of town for, Visit Quad Cities wants you to consider bringing it back home. Visit Quad Cities – the area’s destination management marketing organization — officially launched its new “Bring It QC” initiative today, April 5. The program is designed to connect Quad Citizens with the Visit Quad Cities team to identify potential new meetings, events, conventions, and conferences that could be held in the Quad Cities regional destination. Many Quad Citizens travel out of town to attend conferences, professional association... Read More

Saturday in the Arts is a weekly feature covering a trend, subject, event or personality of local interest. It runs every Saturday morning on your site for the best entertainment and arts coverage in the area, QuadCities.com! Especially after this past year, we could all use more joy, color, light and life in our lives, and backers of a new public art plan for Moline want that all for downtown. This past week, Moline Mayor Stephanie Acri and the City Council heard a presentation on the new 102-page Public Art and Placemaking Plan, commissioned by Renew Moline and the city. A nine-member Public... Read More

Quad City Arts on Friday announced the winners of the 44th Annual High School Art Invitational. It presented $6,000 in cash prizes and scholarships to area high school students and teachers for excellence in fine art. The awards are as follows: Senior Scholarship sponsored by Morency Family Foundation and Quad City Arts’ board members: Sophia Utsinger, Bettendorf High School Senior Scholarship sponsored by Deere Employee Credit Union and Quad City Arts’ board members: Jaide Logsdon, Bereskin Gallery and Art Academy Best of Show sponsored by Butterworth Center/Deere Wiman House Laurel Hynes,... Read More

John Deere is known the world over for its signature green – in its iconic deer logo; its gleaming ag equipment, and literal link to the land. But another kind of green is playing a larger role in the Moline-based institution as it continues a long tradition to devoting time and treasure to communities it serves, through corporate citizenship and charitable contributions. This week, the John Deere Foundation announced it will invest $200 million over the next 10 years in initiatives that will bring to life John Deere’s higher purpose: “We run so life can leap forward.” That recalls the... Read More

Being a full-time professional musician is hard enough. The Covid pandemic has made that a million times harder, as Davenport’s Lojo Russo learned over the past year. An ovarian cancer survivor, the popular singer-songwriter (unlike many Q-C bands and musicians) decided not to perform public gigs indoors. For St. Patrick’s Day this year, Russo did a private event at a company’s break room, while wearing a mask, and it was awkward. On Tuesday night, April 6, Russo will return for the first time playing in public since October, at a special event. The “You First Music Celebration” – starting... Read More

The timing of the Quad Cities International Airport (QCIA) announcing its ambitious, sleek renovation plans Tuesday was no coincidence. The public unveiling of more than $20 million in passenger terminal improvements came the day before President Joe Biden today announced his ambitious $2-trillion infrastructure plans, dubbed “The American Jobs Plan” – which includes $25 billion for airport improvements nationwide. “A lot of the funds we get, we pull in federally into the community. So we’re not big on pulling taxes from our neighbors,” QCIA executive director Benjamin Leischner... Read More