Every year the Rock Island-Milan School District hosts its “Medal of Honor” program. The program was held at the Holiday Inn in Rock Island. The purpose of this award is to honor outstanding students who have proven themselves to be all-around good students, good citizens, and caring individuals who bring with them a positive force that helps to influence the school to be a better place to learn and grow. Each school in the district asked its faculty to select students based on the following criteria: makes the most of his/her talents; makes others a priority and demonstrates this... Read More

Don’t miss QC Rock Academy’s Summer Kickoff Concert from 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 21st at Schwiebert Riverfront Park in Rock Island. This event is FREE and ALL AGES so bring the whole family for some live music right on the banks of the Mississippi. Learn more here: QC ROCK ACADEMY  Read More

Perspective: Basically NOBODY under 20 today knows who Elvis is. Hardly anyone knows who Paul McCartney is. Basically no one knows who the Bee Gees are. Nobody knows Madonna for her music, they know her for being a freaky looking plastic surgery casualty on TikTok. A small group are starting to discover Nirvana. Eminem and Snoop Dogg are old guys parents like. Also perspective: Basically NOBODY over 30 knows who Lil Peep is, who Lil Uzi Vert is, who Machine Gun Kelly is. Entertainment and pop culture are a distraction and escape from the real world, but one which can only be maximally utilized... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois is in the midst of a massive covid-19 resurgence, as cases are up 174 percent over the last month and the state is averaging more than 6,000 new probable and confirmed covid-19 cases per day, with hospitalizations also beginning to climb across the state. Illinois is averaging 6,065 new cases of COVID per day over the last week, marking the first time the state has eclipsed the 6,000-case barrier since Feb. 9, according to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Public Health. In the last seven days, the state’s daily average of new COVID cases has gone up by 17.7%,... Read More

Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse in downtown Rock Island is thrilled to present Beauty And The Beast! Circa ’21 is a professional dinner theater employing the finest actors, directors and designers from across the country! Step into the enchanted world of Broadway’s modern classic, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, an international sensation that played a remarkable 13-year run on Broadway, was nominated for nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and has been produced in 37 countries worldwide. The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really... Read More

The Rock Island Arsenal invites the greater Quad Cities to be a part of our 160th Anniversary and Armed Forces Day Celebration on Saturday, May 21, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Rock Island Arsenal welcomes the Quad Cities to come together and thank those who serve in America’s Armed Forces. This year’s celebration includes military equipment displays, watercraft, armed forces recruiters, history of the Arsenal displays, a large Kid’s Zone with a petting zoo, six food trucks, a festival pavilion with local favorite beverages, a spring bazaar, music from “Cody Road Live,”... Read More

Today, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17), a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, announced that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded Project NOW an additional $1.6 million in federal funding for Head Start programs. Project NOW is a Community Action Agency serving Rock Island, Henry and Mercer counties in Illinois. Bustos announced an initial $1.6 million in funds for the organization in February 2022. “For more than 50 years, Project NOW has been working to improve living standards for low-income families and seniors in our community – and their... Read More

The INCubatoredu Entrepreneur and Enterprise Class at Rock Island High School pitched their business models to 5 “sharks” at FINAL PITCH event on Wednesday, May 11 in the Rock Island High School INCubatoredu classroom. Seven entrepreneur projects vied for three awards: Best Pitch Award, Best Business Potential Award, and Best Business Model Award. Teams/Individuals Luxury Lockers: Aden Farrell and Joe Thompson Fracture Sound: Nathan Krug Pocket Coach: App based program to help coaches connect with students and parents. App organizes practices and schedules and acts as a communication... Read More

Summer Reading and Events Are Coming! From a special kickoff for all ages at the Quad City Botanical Center on June 1 to special events for campers of all ages, Rock Island Public Library is the place for summer fun! For a heads up on what we’re planning, open (or pick up) our Summer Guide Newsletter, or  check our events calendar.  Details about our Summer Reading Challenge  for ALL ages are linked on our website under About/News & Updates. Choose the linked feature (look for the image above) from our homepage for fast access. Though the Beanstack app is... Read More

Coal Valley software developer Divya Badri appeared on “Jeopardy!” Monday night, attempting to win the title and knock off Ryan Long, a rideshare driver from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Badri and Long were joined by Nick Dee, a photographer from Los Angeles, California. The match started off raging and rocking, as Long showed his days of experience at the buzzer in the “Jeopardy!” round. He finished the first part of the show in the lead with $8,600, followed by Nick Dee with $4,000 and Divya Bardi with $400. However, the squares turned in the next round, “Double Jeopardy!”... Read More