Continuity matters. Just ask Hunt and Diane Harris, who recently moved from Moline to Naperville to be closer to their son and his family. As they settle into their new home, they’re making sure that their giving remains grounded in the Quad Cities, that generosity keeps thriving in their family, and that their legacy lives on after their lifetimes, too. How? By converting their two existing private foundations into a donor-advised fund at the Quad Cities Community Foundation. With the support of the Community Foundation staff, Hunt and Diane will be able to use the newly established Harris Family... Read More

The 50th annual Western Illinois University Performance Tested Bull Sale was held March 11 at Lowderman Auction Center in Macomb. The event had 60 registered buyers from Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri and Iowa, and sold 35 yearling Angus, Red Angus, Charolais, Simmental and SimAngus bulls across the five states. The bulls averaged $4,073 in this year’s sale, which is record-breaking, averaging almost $1,000 higher per bull than in 2021. The top sale was an Angus bull consigned by Marda Angus, of Lodi, WI, Marda Black Pearl 1905, which sold for $9,500 to Larry O’Hern of Vermont,... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois officials are closely monitoring the increasing spread of the more virulent BA.2 omicron subvariant of covid-19, ready to take action should it start to hit the state heavily. The subvariant is said to be up to 50 percent more infectious than any other variant of covid, and although covid numbers are going down overall statewide, the BA.2 is already making up 25 percent of all new covid infections, according to Illinois Department of Health numbers, Illinois governor JB Pritzker said today in a press conference. The BA.2 variant has ripped across Europe and pushed infections... Read More

Western Illinois University has partnered with Illinois Central College and its Motorcycle Safety Program to offer motorcycle safety courses to the public, as well as to WIU students. The Motorcycle Safety Program was seeking an alternative location for its Macomb classes, which will be offered during the summer months and weekends on campus. The classes are free for beginning and experienced riders, and are offered at 50 locations across Illinois. Each class will be offered in Q-Lot. WIU students are invited to take the coursework and instruction needed to obtain their motorcycle license. The... Read More

Every night for seven nights can be a date night, girls’ night out, family gathering, or get take-out because it’s been a long day as QC Restaurant Week is your chance to expand your taste buds by trying new things from more than 55 participating businesses.  In its tenth year, the annual event on March 21-27, 2022, organized by Visit Quad Cities is the perfect time to support and celebrate Quad Cities restaurants. Visit Quad Cities encourages food lovers to explore www.qcrestaurantweek.com for all of the restaurants’ details.  Small businesses are a key part of the Quad Cities region,... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – The Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA) and the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Western Illinois University are introducing Maria Ramos as a new business advisor for the Illinois SBDC at WIU’s Quad Cities campus. Ramos, who joins Assistant Director Ann Friederichs in the QCs office, is bilingual (Spanish) and will be in charge of minority outreach and community engagement. She will also be helping Quad City entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. Ramos has served as a graduate assistant for the Illinois SBDC at WIU-QC for the past... Read More

Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17), helped to pass legislation to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus to further isolate Putin from the global economy. Passing the House with overwhelming bipartisan support, the bill now heads to the U.S. Senate.   “As Vladimir Putin continues to wage violence against innocent Ukrainians, the United States will continue to escalate sanctions against Russia’s economy,” said Congresswoman Bustos. “Today’s bipartisan action is a continuation of our work to increase pressure on Putin, and further isolate him from the world.... Read More

Western Illinois University’s School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration has been named the best online criminal justice degree in Illinois for 2021. WIU was ranked number one out of the 10 schools on the list compiled by Criminal Justice Degree Hub, who used data from IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and Niche to rank programs according to tuition, reputation and graduate salary. “I am pleased to receive this recognition as the number one online criminal justice program in Illinois,” said School of LEJA Director Jill Myers. “We continuously... Read More

Today, I’m going to write about a brilliant creator and comedian. Someone who has made a mark on the field of comedy and the arts. Someone who is continuing to innovate and gain recognition and stardom on the national stage. Of course, I’m talking about Sean Leary. That’s right, Sean Leary. Not me, Sean Leary. This Sean Leary. The other Sean Leary. Well, one of the other Sean Learys. There are actually a few of us. And this week, I was once more reminded of that. This week, I had a guy named Norman Fink trying to contact me via facebook messenger. The message was short, and was initially... Read More

The Western Illinois University Department of English will host the Fred Ewing Case and Lola Case Writer-in-Residence Friday, April 29 in Sherman Hall’s third-floor auditorium. This year’s writer is Kelli Jo Ford. A question-and-answer session with Ford will begin at 3 p.m., and a reading will begin at 5 p.m. Ford’s debut novel-in-stories, Crooked Hallelujah, includes stories about four generations of Cherokee women. She is also a teacher of fiction at the Institute of American Indian Arts Low Residency MFA program in Santa Fe, NM, as well as a freelance writer and editor. One... Read More