Midwest Monster Fest 2020 is proud to welcome Richie Ramone to our September 5th and 6th event at The Rust Belt in East Moline, Illinois! Richie joined the Ramones in February 1983 til 1987. He played on the Ramones albums Too Tough to Die, Animal Boy and Halfway to Sanity and appears on their compilation albums Greatest Hits, Loud, Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits and Weird Tales of the Ramones, and on the Ramones live DVD It’s Alive 1974-1996. He penned the Ramones’ hit song “Somebody Put Something in My Drink” which is included on the album Ramones Mania, the first Ramones... Read More

MACOMB, IL – A Western Illinois University alumna has been awarded a United States Department of Energy, Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) award to study at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory this summer and fall. Hannah Drake, a 2016 WIU graduate with a bachelor’s degree in forensic chemistry, is currently pursuing a PhD in chemistry at Texas A&M University, specializing in light responsive materials for gas storage and separations. She is in her fourth year of doctoral study, studying under Professor Hong-Cai Zhou, who is considered to be one of the world experts... Read More

Every great scientist starts somewhere, and Eva Kershaw has begun a string of brilliance at a young age. The soon-to-be-fifth grader at Andalusia Grade School swept to nine awards in her recent school scholastic awards ceremony, including Future Scientist and Ingenious Inventor, and she recently participated in a Zoom science conference with Mayim Bialik. Eva talks about her awards, her interest in science, and more, on the latest QCUncut. #Andalusia Grade School, #Eva Kershaw, #Mayim Bialik Other Episodes ... Read More

MACOMB, IL – Two Western Illinois University Department of Broadcasting and Journalism students are finishing the school year strong after a semester no one will soon forget. The Illinois News Broadcasters Association (INBA) conference, set for late April, was cancelled due to COVID-19. The convention was supposed to be held in Champaign-Urbana, but organizers moved the competition for student awards and scholarships online. WREX in Rockford broadcasted the awards live on Facebook April 25. WIU students won seven different awards for outstanding television newscast, soft television program, radio... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – This year’s 15th annual celebration of Western Illinois University authors, originally planned for April, will be held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The project, put together by University Libraries, honors anyone who published during the 2019 calendar year, while employed or enrolled at Western. This year’s published works include books, chapters, articles, reviews, poetry, audio recordings, software and exhibitions. University Libraries has compiled a bibliography that includes 260 citations, which represents the work of 185 different WIU authors.... Read More

Rock Island Library is offering curbside service! The Rock Island Public Library will introduce contact-free curbside pick-up for library materials beginning Tuesday, May 26. There will be no public access to library buildings during this phase of the library’s gradual reopening plan. Curbside pick-up will be available during limited hours by appointment only at the Rock Island Public Library Downtown and Southwest locations. Materials must be requested in advance, either through the Library’s online PrairieCat catalog, or with staff help via phone, email, and Ask a Librarian chat. Library... Read More

MACOMB, IL — The Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center (GBCC) at Western Illinois University is accepting applications for its annual Black Alumni Scholarship. The scholarship is open to full-time, currently enrolled, students with a GPA of 2.5 or better, and a record of community service. New, incoming, first-year and transfer students are also eligible to apply. The application deadline is Aug. 1. “Scholarships provide an opportunity for many students to earn an education,” said Brandon Smith, a graduate student with the GBCC. “Without assistance from an outside source, most... Read More

It’s that time of year…time for EMSSC Competitive Soccer tryouts for the Fall 2020/Spring 2021 season! EMSSC’s competitive program is for those athletes with advanced skill and high ambition for the sport.  Our program teaches advanced soccer skills, teamwork, patience, and respect on and off the soccer field. For more information about the competitive program or to register for tryouts, head to https://www.emssc.org.  Read More

MACOMB, IL – As the COVID-19 pandemic has altered nearly every aspect of higher education delivery, Western Illinois University College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean Sue Martinelli-Fernandez has taken steps to promote work by CAS faculty and students beyond the traditional classroom. Martinelli has been working since late April with several campus offices to develop a college-based podcast series. She collaborated with the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Research, uTech and Tri States Public Radio to set up the series “CAS Chats,” which already has two episodes on file and... Read More

MACOMB, IL – When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and St. Paul School Principal Laura Cody was looking for ways to reach students, she came up with a unique idea that includes assistance from two Western Illinois University students. Before the pandemic began, Laura had been trying to find a way to get her son Drew, a junior Spanish education major, into St. Paul’s classrooms to teach her elementary school students Spanish. Drew had been tutoring at Spoon River College as part of his WIU Spanish class and enjoyed the opportunity. “I wanted to try and get him more experience in the classroom,... Read More