BREAKING NEWS: Illinois is expanding mental health programs for farmers and those working in agricultural programs, Gov. JB Pritzker announced this morning at the Illinois Farm Progress Show, the nation’s largest outdoor farm event. Farmers’ mental health is being addressed and helped by the new program, which is especially crucial during the spiking covid-19 pandemic, Pritzker said. “No industry merges innovation and tradition quite like this one,” Pritkzer said, “and doing so while maintaining sustenance, which is integral for our communities. That is no small responsibility... Read More

One of the best Thai restaurants in the Quad-Cities is hanging up its menus. Exotic Thai is closing its Moline location on John Deere Road. The Davenport restaurant on 53rd Street will remain open. Exotic Thai announced the following on their social media today: We have mixed feelings today – sadness and excitement – in announcing the Closure of the Exotic Thai Moline location. Tomorrow, August 31st, will be our last day. We will be closed for some months, giving our staff a break, and preparing for our next chapter of tasty Thai food in Moline. We very much want to thank our loyal... Read More

ROCK ISLAND, IL – A Family Fun Day & Bike Rodeo, a joint event with the Rock Island Police Department, will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, August 27, at Lincoln Residences, located at 809 6th Avenue, Rock Island, IL. Lincoln Residences includes forty-six homes in a combination of triplexes, duplexes and single-family homes. “We hope this Family Fun Day becomes an annual community event,” said Susan Anderson, Community Home Partners (CHP) Chief Executive Officer. All Quad-Citians, including Community Home Partners families, are invited. Family fun events include: A variety of resources for... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: According to several reports, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker will announce early Thursday a covid-19 vaccine mandate for all school employees in K-12 and higher education facilities statewide, with potential further mitigations and possible virtual learning plans looming. All educational system employees will be mandated to get the covid-19 vaccination or submit to regular testing for covid, reports say. Sources also say that there is a potential that Illinois schools could go to a hybrid model or full virtual learning if covid-19 numbers do not improve. Already, several schools,... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois is bringing back a statewide indoor mask mandate, and Governor JB Pritzker will announce it, and possibly other statewide covid-19 mitigations, in a press conference tomorrow (Thursday), several sources are saying tonight. The mask mandate is expected to apply to anyone over the age of two, regardless of vaccination status, echoing the same mask mandate brought back to Chicago two weeks ago, and to Cook County surrounding Chicagoland last week, as reported by QuadCities.com. QuadCities.com had previously reported this afternoon that new mitigations were being considered... Read More

For the past seven years, Sherry Ristau has focused on transforming the Quad Cities Community Foundation. After Friday, when she leaves as president/CEO, the 60-year-old will focus on transforming herself. “When I arrived in the Quad-Cities, I was welcomed as the new leader of this organization with overwhelming warmth and openness. That’s a testament to the good will of this community, but it speaks to something else equally important for our future: our willingness to embrace change and the chance to improve—to transform ourselves for the better,” Ristau said in a blog post Tuesday. “This... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed into law today sweeping new programs to overhaul the state’s mental health care system, including groundbreaking new laws regarding sending mental health professionals to 9-1-1 and 9-8-8 calls. Under the new law, the Community Emergency Services And Support Act, Illinois is just the third state in the nation to now require insurance to cover mental health disorders and substance abuse issues. It also requires officials receiving 9-1-1 and 9-8-8 calls involving mental health issues to include not just a police response but response from a... Read More

Visit Quad Cities, the region’s official destination management and marketing organization, announces the launch of the new QC Pro. This fun and interactive program leads Quad Citizens on a journey of discovery about all things Quad Cities. To get started, people can register at QuadCitiesPro.com. Once registered, Visit Quad Cities will send three videos emailed in succession to view and answer interactive questions about the QC right within each video, according to a Wednesday release. After the three videos are completed correctly, a QC Pro digital badge, toolkit, and certificate will be... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL — Kirk Hare, Western Illinois University Facilities Management supervisor, has been named the deputy director of maintenance and operations. Hare has served as a supervisor for WIU Facilities Maintenance moving crew since August 2011. He joined the Facilities Maintenance staff as a building service worker in December 2008, serving in that role until his promotion to supervisor in 2011. Hare also owned and operated Pro-Clean in Macomb from 2004-2013. Before joining WIU, he worked as a salesperson for Western Distributing Company in Macomb from 1996-2008, and as the building... Read More

While we all age, the aging process is relative to numerous life variables that impact each of us at different rates. Regardless of where your aging parents are on the aging spectrum, there is a senior-living community that is designed to meet you’re their lifestyle and care needs. The good news is that today’s senior living communities are NOT like your grandparents’ nursing homes… Today’s options for elder care and senior living are plentiful. For those that want to remain at home, visiting homecare may be an option. Those that want to maintain an active lifestyle (without the yard... Read More