The masks could soon be coming off in Illinois schools, finally, officially. While many schools have already begun removing mask regulations, and many students and staff have been refusing to wear them since covid numbers have plummeted in recent weeks, technically the mask mandate put in place by Gov. JB Pritzker has remained the rule statewide. However, that mandate took a huge hit yesterday when a bipartisan legislative committee rejected Illinois Department of Public Health’s attempt to reintroduce the governor’s emergency COVID-19 protocols for classrooms across the state. The department’s... Read More

QC Fit Fest will be held Feb. 26-27 at East Moline’s Bend Xpo Center! Tickets are now available for online purchase for their 2022 Expo at QCFitFest.com QC Fit Fest is a community event designed for all ages to engage with local experts and learn more about health, fitness, nutrition, and athletic performance no matter where you are on your health journey. “My partners and I created this event to help take the confusion out of health. We highlight the very best the Quad Cities has to offer when it comes to finding the flavor of movement and activity that suits you best. From yoga and weightlifting... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois will drop its indoor mask requirement starting Feb. 28, but the mandate will remain in place for all Illinois schools, Gov. JB Pritzker announced in a press conference today. “We’re seeing the fastest rate of decline in our COVID-19 hospitalization metrics since the pandemic began,” Pritzker said, “Our daily total of patients has fallen…66 percent. Our ICU bed care has seen a 63 percent drop… as a result of that, if these trends continue, as we expect them to, then on Monday, Feb. 28, we will lift the indoor mask requirement for the State... Read More

Don’t let the cold winter weather stop your fitness goals. Stretch yourself with Zoom Chair Yoga, a weekly, 45-minute virtual class hosted by the Moline Public Library.  Classes are available Thursdays, February 10, 17, and 24 at 11:00am upon registration. To sign up, please call the Library at 309-524-2470 or visit //molinelibrary.com/events. Certified yoga instructor Daina Lewis will instruct you on the essentials of chair yoga, which offers modification for standing and seated poses for those that need the extra support. New to yoga? This is a perfect way to play in poses and learn how to... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois will drop its indoor mask requirement starting Feb. 28, but the mandate will remain in place for all Illinois schools, Gov. JB Pritzker announced in a press conference today. “We’re seeing the fastest rate of decline in our COVID-19 hospitalization metrics since the pandemic began,” Pritzker said, “Our daily total of patients has fallen…66 percent. Our ICU bed care has seen a 63 percent drop… as a result of that, if these trends continue, as we expect them to, then on Monday, Feb. 28, we will lift the indoor mask requirement for the State... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced today that he will be ending the state’s indoor mask mandate — but Illinois schools may still have a mask restriction in place. During a press conference, Gov. Pritzker said he will lift the mandate for the state, with certain exceptions, by Feb. 28. “My intention is as we’ve seen these numbers peak at about 7,400 hospitalizations, and heading downward significantly – we’re now I think under 2,500 hospitalizations, so that’s almost a third of where we were at the peak and heading even further downward –... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Thousands of students and parents statewide in Illinois are defying Gov. JB Pritzker’s order for mask mandates in schools upon the announcement of Sangamon County Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow granting a request from downstate attorney Tom DeVore to temporarily halt the governor’s executive orders on masking and quarantining for schools. Across social media, parents from schools throughout the state posted pictures and messages about their children not wearing masks anymore, and the parents posted celebratory messages calling for a permanent end to masks in schools and during... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: An Illinois judge’s ruling prohibiting mask mandates has got schools statewide in a tizzy over whether or not to continue to enforce Gov. JB Pritzker’s mask rules and other covid restrictions. On Friday, Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow granted a temporary restraining order effectively prohibiting mask requirements for students in numerous school districts across the state. A group of parents had filed lawsuits downstate against more than 140 school districts statewide, as well as Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education last year,... Read More

Iowa covid numbers remain high overall, with a positivity rate over 20 percent, leaving some to wonder if Gov. Kim Reynolds should be so quick to end all covid precautions. Over the last seven days, there were 19,161 positive tests reported. That’s down from 23,461 at last report on Monday, but still a high number. In addition, while the state’s 14-day positivity rate fell from 22.9 percent, it only slipped a bit to 21.5 percent. Other covid numbers continue to fall, but not a huge amount. For example, there are currently 794 patients hospitalized with the virus, down from 849 on Monday. Just... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says the state is over the hump in terms of covid, and she’s taking down the covid websites and letting the Public Health Disaster Emergency Proclamation for the state expire. Reynolds announced Thursday that she has signed the final extension of Iowa’s Public Health Disaster Emergency Proclamation, letting it expire at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 15. Reynolds first issued the public health emergency proclamation on March 17, 2020, as covid first began to bloom and spread throughout the U.S.  Iowa’s covid numbers continue to remain problematic,... Read More