The new 52,000-square-foot Peter J. Lindberg, M.D., Center for Health and Human Performance at Augustana College not only stands at Rock Island’s intersection of 7th Avenue and 35th Street, but stands at a key intersection of academics and athletics. The gleaming $18-million building was celebrated and opened Monday morning, on the first day of classes for the 2021-22 year at the private school. The Lindberg Center’s primary objective will be to prepare graduates for health-related careers requiring a major in kinesiology or public health. Kinesiology, derived from the Greek word for movement,... Read More

The Davenport Public Library is pleased to host the “Toward a Universal Suffrage: African American Women in Iowa and the Vote for All” traveling exhibit beginning September 1st through October 15th at the Main Library (321 N. Main). The exhibit honors and celebrates the contributions of African American women in Iowa to the women’s suffrage movement. It includes profiles of several leading suffragists and civil rights activists, historical information on voting rights in Iowa and the nation, and a map of important Iowa locations in suffrage and civil rights history. “Toward a Universal... Read More

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently signed an Executive Order that requires all Illinois higher education employees and students, as well as K-12 employees, receive the COVID-19 vaccine. For employees and students who cannot, or will not, get vaccinated, the governor has also mandated weekly COVID testing, which is already in place at WIU. Those individuals who are unvaccinated and who attend classes and/or work on either of our WIU campuses (Macomb and Quad Cities) must comply with the required weekly testing to avoid disciplinary action. Test clinics (saliva-based tests) are held on both the... Read More

Regardless of vaccination status, masks will be required for all persons inside Rock Island Public Library facilities, as of  Monday, August 30, 2021. If you prefer, curbside pickup is still available. Just call us when your library items are in, and we will arrange to run them out to your car. Downtown: 309-732-7323 Southwest: 309-732-7338  Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – To help DREAMers (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) in the United States achieve educational and future success, a new Western Illinois University scholarship, created by WIU Political Science Professor Julia Albarracin-Green, has raised nearly $20,000 to provide annual scholarships to undocumented students who attend WIU. The scholarship fundraiser, which closes Aug. 31, has raised over $18,500 to date, and applications are now open for the first WIU DREAMers Scholarships to be awarded this fall. “We are so close to our $20,000 goal. As DREAMers have... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Western Illinois University faculty, staff, and students will be required to participate in the University’s weekly COVID-19 testing program. Individuals may opt out of testing if proof of vaccination is provided. Testing will be required each week for those individuals who have not received a COVID-19 vaccination. WIU-Macomb COVID-19 Fall 2021 test clinics began Monday, Aug. 23. Fall 2021 test clinics on the Macomb campus will be held from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday thru Thursday in the WIU Student Recreation Center MAC Gym (south gym). Test clinics will be held in Riverfront... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – – While working full time, Joel Thys was able to complete four degrees–one of them is a bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University. To give back to his alma mater, Thys has established the Dawn and Joel Thys Scholarship. Thys, who was raised on a dairy farm in rural Iowa, owns Thys Automotive in Blairstown, IA. After earning a bachelor’s degree in the Board of Governors program (now known as a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies) at Western, he worked his way up to receive a Master of Business Administration (MBA). He and his wife, Dawn,... 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

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

Rock Island Public Library children’s librarians will continue to show up at our Longview Park Library2Go bookmobile stop from 2:30 to 3:30 pm on Wednesdays in August for Full STEAM Ahead. Stop by for some fun with our STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) kits. Miss Ranell will bring a new kit each week. This event is great for grades K-6! (Wednesdays are early dismissal days for Rock Island-Milan School District #41.) For more information, see www.rockislandlibrary.org.  Read More