As the nation celebrates Black History Month in February, United Way Quad Cities and its African American Leadership Society (AALS) are working with community partners to make it easy to learn about local racial disparities and to lift up contributions and successes of Black Quad Citizens. United Way’s African American Leadership Society is launching multiple initiatives throughout this month — such as recruiting blood donors, publishing a Black experience video series, and partnering with Black authors to support youth literacy in the Quad-Cities. “Black History Month is a time of celebration... Read More

After being bruised and battered from the spring 2019 flood and the 2020 pandemic, downtown Davenport is looking to a much brighter 2021, as the Davenport City Council officially accepted a comprehensive downtown master plan at its Jan. 27 meeting. That marks a milestone for the project started a year ago by the Downtown Davenport Partnership (DDP), an affiliate of the Quad Cities Chamber. “As downtown goes, so goes Davenport and the Quad-Cities,” said DDP executive director Kyle Carter. “Our community is well-prepared to rebound quickly from a challenging couple of years with this roadmap... Read More

The Genesis heart program marked a milestone January 22 when the first WATCHMAN™ implant procedures were performed in the Cath Lab at Genesis Medical Center-East Rusholme Street. The implant is a minimally invasive, one-time procedure designed to reduce the risk of strokes that originate in the hearts of patients with atrial fibrillation. The procedures were performed by electrophysiologist and cardiologist Kelly Airey, M.D., FHRS, FACC, Cardiovascular Medicine, P.C. Both patients who successfully received the implant were discharged after an overnight stay in the hospital and are scheduled for... Read More

Improving equity is a major priority on the national and local level, and the Quad Cities Community Foundation continues to make big strides in the effort. It recently awarded two $100,000 transformation grants to help bring equitable solutions to the bi-state region, and the nonprofit’s new board chair is focusing on aiding minorities and disenfranchised populations in the Q-C. The East Moline and United Township School Districts, and Humility Homes and Services, will each receive $100,000 transformation grants from the Quad Cities Community Impact Fund at the Community Foundation. “The past... Read More

A yearly donation from the Illinois Farm Bureau, earmarked for student development projects in Western Illinois University’s School of Agriculture, has been transitioned because of the COVID-19, and used to purchase technology to enhance remote student learning. School of Agriculture Director Andy Baker said he asked Illinois Farm Bureau representatives to revise spending requirements for the funding after the pandemic hindered the ability of students to travel or participate in traditional development activities. “They graciously agreed to allow us to spend $2,500, so we have purchased... Read More

As it does for downtown Davenport and Bettendorf, the Quad Cities Chamber is contracting with the city of Rock Island to provide downtown place management services. “Revitalizing our downtown area is a key component to economic growth opportunities for the city, which is why we’re excited to bring this public/private partnership forward,” Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms said Tuesday. “Bringing people, new events, activities and vibrancy to downtown Rock Island also brings increased revenue, improved quality of life and greater value for existing assets. That’s why it’s so important for... Read More

Yeah, this stinks, doesn’t it? You wake up, and your driveway is buried under a ton of snow, your sidewalks are completely covered, it’s a mess. Do YOU want to go out and shovel all that stuff? If not, you might want to check into a local business to help you out. Well, QuadCities.com is here to help. HERE you can click on and find a great list of locally-owned businesses that can help dig you out from this “winter wonderland.” Give them a call, and have a HAPPY and snowshovel free new year!  Read More

BREAKING: Things are going back to normal — for the most part — in the Illinois Quad-Cities. According to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in his daily press conference, the region including Rock Island County and the Illinois Quad-Cities has met the metrics to be moved to phase 4 in covid-19 mitigations. The move means that things can get much more back to normal, as restaurants and bars can accommodate groups of up to 10 at tables and gatherings such as meetings and weddings can have up to 50 people at one time. Youth sports, including basketball and soccer can resume, according to the... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: The City of Rock Island’s city council has approved a contract with the Quad Cities Chamber to provide downtown place management services effective immediately. “Revitalizing our downtown area is a key component to economic growth opportunities for the city, which is why we’re excited to bring this public/private partnership forward,” said Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms. “Bringing people, new events, activities and vibrancy to downtown Rock Island also brings increased revenue, improved quality of life and greater value for existing assets. That’s why it’s so important... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Western Illinois University has been selected as the winner of the second annual Regroup Ready Award after demonstrating exceptional implementation and usage of mass notifications to serve its campus community. According to Regroup Mass Notification, which is the provider for Western’s Emergency Alert System (WEAS), the Regroup Ready Award program was created to recognize organizations and institutions that use the power of mass communication in exceptional ways. This includes implementing day-to-day communications to improve operational efficiency and emergency messages... Read More