Today is your last chance to pick up some awesome gifts for yourself and others on your holiday list from the Midwest Monster Fest! Midwest Monster Fest Cares will be holding an auction of horror and monster culture memorabilia, with proceeds going to Linnea Quigleys Animal Rescue called Moulin Rouge! The auction is live now and items will be added all throughout the weekend! Check it out here! New items will be posted every hour til 5pm and all day Sunday! Get yourself something pretty cool or do a little holiday shopping! Items signed by Linnea Quigley, Michael St Michaels (Big Ronnie)... Read More

BREAKING: Covid-19 is raging through Iowa and Illinois, with Iowa in the midst of a “severe outbreak” and Illinois surging upward into the “extreme” danger category, according to the latest statistics. Iowa covid-19 cases and deaths are continuing to triple the number in Illinois, which continues to experience a rise in cases of its own, despite Illinois’ much larger population. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, there were 30,328 new confirmed and probable cases of covid-19 in Iowa on Dec. 3, with 258 deaths reported; and even more cases and deaths... Read More

Midwest Monster Fest Cares will be holding an auction of horror and monster culture memorabilia, with proceeds going to Linnea Quigleys Animal Rescue called Moulin Rouge! The auction is live now and items will be added all throughout the weekend! Check it out here! New items will be posted every hour til 5pm and all day Sunday! Get yourself something pretty cool or do a little holiday shopping! Items signed by Linnea Quigley, Michael St Michaels (Big Ronnie) donated by Dr San Guinary Creature Feature, Stone Sour, Randy Couture, Wyatt Weed, Shaun Foist drummer Breaking Benjamin,... Read More

UPDATED: Iowa covid-19 cases and deaths continued to have a massive surge after the Thanksgiving holiday week, tripling the number in Illinois, which continues to experience a rise in cases of its own. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, there were 30,328 new confirmed and probable cases of covid-19 in Iowa on Dec. 3, with 258 deaths reported; and even more cases and deaths Dec. 4, with 30, 629 cases and 340 deaths. The numbers dwarf those in the larger neighboring state of Illinois. The Illinois Department of Public Health today reported 10,959 new confirmed and probable cases of... Read More

To say it’s been a difficult year for creators in the local, and national, arts scene is a massive understatement. All of us have lost money, jobs, our careers and found our artistic outlets severely curtailed. Any of us within the live performance and audience interaction area — from live music to theater to book signings — have had our livelihoods completely decimated. One local creator, however, Kristin Bruchmann, is looking to help out. She told me recently, “I’ve been quite concerned about the number of folks in the Q-C arts scene who have lost their livelihoods... Read More

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 10,959 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 192 additional deaths. Some data reported to IDPH is delayed from the weekends, including this past holiday weekend. Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 759,562 cases, including 12,830 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years.  Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 106,778 specimens for a total 10,806,364.  As of last night, 5,653 in Illinois were reported... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: UnityPoint Health – Trinity is modifying its current visitor limitations to only allow one designated visitor per inpatient, during visiting hours throughout the length of the patient’s hospitalization. This change is effective Monday, December 7, and until further notice. This temporary modification creates added protections for our patients and health care workers while allowing hospitalized patients an opportunity to have a designated family member or loved one visit. We recognize there are times when having a visitor or family member present is crucial. In these cases, a... Read More

There are just 28 days left in this nightmare of a year. But will 2021 really be much better? Yes, but we’ll need to be patient, according to an economic forecast Thursday presented by the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce. “Pivot and acceleration are two new favorite words in our dictionary,” Paul Rumler, chamber president/CEO, said before the formal virtual presentation, done online. “The Quad Cities Chamber has pivoted very aggressively this year to meet the increased demand,” he said. “We are so gratified to hear about your resiliency and determination to fight through 2020, and be... Read More

Forget Amazon and Walmart this holiday season, let’s rally around our small businesses! Join us for a new take on pop-up markets as we feature 30+ Midwest Makers and the Iron + Grain Boutiques this season. Join us beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday at Iron + Grain, 585 12th Ave., East Moline for local small business shopping. Per the state of IL, masks are required at Iron + Grain and no more than 25 people will be allowed in at a time. Thank you to our sponsor, MetroNet. MetroNet is a customer-focused company providing cutting-edge fiber optic telecommunication services, including high-speed Fiber... Read More

It’s time to hustle for a great local charity when you get your hustle on with the Festival of Trees Holiday Hustle through Dec. 5 — location optional! That’s right, you can do the walk or run or combo of each from anywhere! Get the details here. Rock River Hospice & Home is hosting a Festival of Trees Holiday Hustle Virtual 5K Walk/Run. The idea is to set your own goal of doing a 5K and do it at your own pace, completing your goal within a week. Walk around your house, the neighborhood, favorite park or on your treadmill, while maintaining social distancing and still have... Read More