This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island. To cooperate or to compete is one of those dilemmas at the heart of the American experience. Is that classroom best which turns students into rugged individuals competing for the single A, or should students be put in groups to solve problems as a team? Other Episodes December 27, 2023 The Special Edition ... Read More

This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island. For a nine-year-old cowboy—me in the 1940s—there was no badder bad guy than an Indian. Cap guns blazing, my buddies and I regularly put away dozens of Indians every summer evening, skillfully avoiding a massacre. Contrast this with a real massacre. It’s August the 1 st , 1832. In Wisconsin, where the Bad Axe River flows into the Mississippi, several hundred Sauk Indians—men, women, and children—are trapped. They are the remnants of a thousand Sauk under their leader, Black Hawk, who have been fleeing from Federal troops, Rock Island Rangers, and... Read More

This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island. In July of 1863, Union troops arrived on this island to build a prison. By December, some 5,600 Confederates—many captured during the Battle of Lookout Mountain—had arrived here to face one of the worst winters on record in Rock Island. By March, 679 prisoners had died. Other Episodes December 27, 2023 The Special Edition ... Read More

Tim Carney discusses his book, Alienated America: Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse, and why many Trump voters view the American Dream as dead, the economic and cultural divide that separates America, and why we should be more worried about churches closing than factories closing. This book adds to the ongoing analysis of the 2016 election outcome and its meaning for America. Other Episodes April 25,... Read More

This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island. Like all humans who put words on paper, I suffer from bouts of Writer’s Block. I think, how many Rock Island Lines can there be; what stories are left to tell? I’ve done them all. Other Episodes December 27, 2023 The Special Edition This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island. ... Read More

Other Episodes April 25, 2024 The Rising Costs and Policy Changes: Why Arrowhead Ranch Had to Close In this episode, we delve into the closure of Arrowhead Ranch, a long-standing residential facility for troubled youth in Illinois. Dr. Luis Moreno, the executive director, provides a comprehensive... ... Read More

This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island. Henry County just south of Rock Island is a farm county of formerly rolling prairie, as if gentle ocean swells had solidified, crested now with corn and soybeans. In the shallow valleys between the swells, small streams feed stands of willow and cottonwood trees. Other Episodes December 27, 2023 The Special Edition ... Read More

Other Episodes April 27, 2024 River Action Fish and Fire 2024 Listen · 4:00 ... Read More

Other Episodes June 23, 2023 Scribble: The Finale Listen · 29:02 June... Read More

This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island. You may know that professors before they go out to colleges and universities to teach take an oath to never ever have a practical thought. Don’t want to tarnish the image of the Ivory Tower. Other Episodes December 27, 2023 The Special Edition This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island. ... Read More