MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – On Saturday, April 24, 2021, Western Illinois University alumni and friends from across the country and around the world will come together as one Leatherneck community for WIU’s fifth annual Western Challenge online day of giving, which also coincides with the annual Purple & Gold Day celebration. This 24-hour online giving event unites the Leatherneck community in giving back to support their favorite colleges, departments, programs, teams and causes on campus. Many participants will be giving for the first time. “I always thought the only people who gave... Read More

April 4 through 10th is National Library Week, when the nation celebrates libraries, library workers, and the use and support of libraries. The 2021 theme is “Welcome to Your Library.” The Rock Island Public Library kicked off their Grow a Reader giving campaign this week to welcome young users back to the library. Grow a Reader donation “trees” are on display at the Rock Island Downtown and Southwest Libraries. Each display contains tags with an account balance of over $5 or more for an anonymous young person between 6 and 18 years of age with an active library card. Donors can choose... Read More

Do you have questions about estate planning? Do you wonder if you even need to do any estate planning? Join Jaime Ragins and Ray Kozicki from the Society of Financial Awareness on Wednesday, April 7th at 6:30 pm on Zoom as they discuss different aspects of estate planning. They will talk about: ✓ Distribution of estate, wills, and trusts ✓ Specific estate planning strategies ✓ The purpose of estate planning ✓ Avoiding probate Registration is required to receive Zoom meeting details. Register here: https://bit.ly/dpl-estateplanning Keep up with our virtual programming on our Virtual Branch... Read More

Iowa’s rich part in African American history will be explored on April 8th at 7:00 PM at Community Connections – Endless Possibilities: Iowa’s African American History. The online program will feature the African American Museum of Iowa as they highlight historical events and people such as York, the first African American in Iowa and member of the Lewis and Clark expedition to Iowa becoming the first state to officially integrate its public schools. This free presentation will take place via GoToMeeting. Those wishing to attend can register online at http://events.bettendorflibrary.com/event/4957090... Read More

Xixuan Collins of Bettendorf, a biology professor at Black Hawk College, is taking her personal and professional experiences to heart to help other students facing special challenges. She and her family are starting an endowed scholarship, “ABC All-Star,” for students with disabilities at BHC. “ABC” are the initials of their son Ari – a 5th grader who lives with autism and ADHD. It also stands for “American-Born Chinese” (in tribute to their family background) and “all students can be stars and shine,” Collins said recently. Currently, there is no scholarship for these students... Read More

The Davenport Public Library is partnering with Oelerich, Reiling, & Miller PC & Shred-It to present a Free Shred Day on Thursday, April 22nd from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm at the Davenport Eastern Avenue Branch (6000 Eastern Ave.). Community members can bring up to three standard file containers, maximum size 15 x 12 x 10 inches, for secure shredding. Documents will be confidentially shredded on-site. Binders must be removed, but staples and paperclips are fine. To ensure that this popular event moves smoothly and efficiently, follow the posted signs to drop off their materials in the order... Read More

April 2021 marks the official 20th anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and to commemorate the anniversary, the Western Illinois University Women’s Center 31st annual Take Back the Night event will begin at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 15 at the Sherman Hall circle drive. Participants must wear masks and socially distance. The annual march and rally is held to increase awareness of — and seek an end to – sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, stalking and other forms of sexual and power-based interpersonal violence, as well as to remember and honor victims and survivors.... Read More

Spring is here, the weather is looking better, and there’s an optimism in the air! Things are looking good, Quad-Cities! And so, it’s a great time to check out some of the POSITIVE news and stories from around the area, which we do every month in our What’s The Good News feature on QuadCities.com and KWQC-TV6’s “Paula Sands Live.” So, what’s the good news this month? Let’s find out… New Book Offering Advice To Teenagers Yours truly, Sean Leary, is working on a new book, Advice To A Teenager, based upon advice I’ve learned, been given, and will be giving to my son Jackson, who... Read More

I got two election fliers in the mail the other day. Being that we’re only a few days away from the April 6 election, and the mayoral race in Rock Island is, from most reports, closely contested between incumbent Mike Thoms and challenger Thurgood Brooks, this is not surprising. But what has been pleasantly surprising is the positive nature of this campaign. While the Moline mayoral race slides around in the mud, with a bunch of slanderous and poorly spelled fliers by a dark money group peddling lies about Stephanie Acri’s challenger, Sangeetha Rayapati, the two men vying for Rock Island’s... Read More

University of Illinois Communication Professor Leanne Knobloch will deliver Western Illinois University’s 30th annual Wayne N. Thompson Scholar Lecture via Zoom at 4 – 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 7. The lecture is sponsored by the WIU Department of Communication. Knobloch will deliver “Navigating the New Normal: Communication of Military Families during the Transition from Deployment to Reintegration.” Her lecture will focus on the importance of communication in how military families transition from a family member being deployed to returning home. Knobloch has conducted many... Read More