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

Since March, the Quad-Cities has been singing the quarantine blues. And due to the dissonant chords of Covid-19, that beloved music will be silenced later this year, as the 35th-anniversary of the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival is canceled. Though it initially pushed back the fest from the July 4th weekend, to Sept. 18-19, the Mississippi Valley Blues Society board decided “that it is in the best interest of our fans, artists and vendors to cancel a live Festival until the ongoing pandemic is far behind us,” president Bob Clevenstine posted on mvbs.org. The potential for a second coronavirus... 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

EAST MOLINE, Illinois (May 2020) — Earlier this month, the Rock Island County Fair Board voted to cancel the 2020 Rock Island County Fair, originally scheduled for July 14-18. “This decision was made for the health and safety of our fairgoers, exhibitors, participants, volunteers, staff and animals. It was not made lightly,” said Gin Wray, fair manager. “We are devastated to cancel a family-fun event that has taken place in our community for 150 years but look forward to using this as an opportunity to strengthen our offerings for the 2021 RICO Fair.” Last year marked the official 150th... Read More

Beginning Friday, May 22, 2020, the Family Museum will once again open its doors to the public. New guidelines have been implemented to help ensure the health and safety of Museum staff and guests. Family Museum Reopening Guidelines: ·       Up to 75 guests will be permitted in the Museum at any given time. ·       The Museum will be open Monday through Saturday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm and Sunday Noon – 5:00 pm. ·       Guests are welcome to wear masks, but it is not required. ·       Guests are asked to practice social distancing throughout their visit. ·      ... Read More

Haley DeGreve knows what matters in life. The passionate, driven Moline native – who graduates from Augustana College on Saturday (virtually) – will succeed not only by making a living, but more importantly, by making a difference. An Alleman High School grad, DeGreve majored in communication studies and business administration marketing. She’s already made her mark as founder of the 16-month-old Gray Matters Collective, a student mental-health group that led her this year to being chosen a winner of the George Orley Student Mental Health Advocate Award from the University of Michigan Depression... Read More

Quad City Arts’ online exhibit through June 19, 2020, will be photography by Ken Urban of Durant, IA and paintings by Margaret Ertz, of Burlington, IA. Ken Urban’s photographs tell a story. He travels the backroads of the Midwest with his camera in hand. This show is about the forgotten silos that blanket the countryside, no longer in use, but towering symbols of days gone by. In the rural American landscape, with its ever-changing farm practices and abandoned barns on the verge of collapse, the silos are often the only reminder of the past. Occasionally a tree blooms and grows in the protection... Read More

The coronavirus crisis continues to play havoc with outdoor music events in the Quad-Cities, as more summer series are being canceled, while others optimistically remain on the 2020 calendar. Given the ongoing uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic surrounding when exactly public gatherings will once again be permitted, and out of concern for the health, safety and well-being of the Quad-Cities community, Moline Centre has made the difficult decision to suspend the 2020 Bass Street Landing Thursday Night Summer Concert Series until further notice. “This decision did not come easily, as it... Read More

The music industry was among the first to close and will be among the last to reopen as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, placing musicians who depend on income from live performances in very dire financial positions, according to John Taylor, concert organizer and head of the now-canceled Galva summer concert series. To support musicians during this critical time, Heartland Connections, through non-profit support of the Galva Arts Council, has launched the “Play it Forward” campaign. This program will distribute 20 grants, starting at a minimum of $500, to musicians facing financial emergencies... Read More