Western Illinois University senior broadcasting major Devin Brooks is close to setting a state record for winning the most scholarships from the Illinois News Broadcasters Association (INBA). Brooks, of St. Louis, MO, has won the INBA scholarship three times and has the opportunity to win a fourth award this spring. “I would not have come across these opportunities without the help of my teachers at WIU,” said Brooks. “They deserve the real recognition for caring about students’ success. It makes a difference when I can worry less about how I’m going to pay for school... Read More

The R.I.A. Federal Credit Union – which today is celebrating the opening of its new branch at the booming BettPlex – is partnering with a brewery there to help fund the Honor Flight of the Quad Cities (HFQC). The credit union is holding a ribbon-cutting for its BettPlex location at 3 p.m. Feb. 11, at 4880 Forest Grove Dr., Bettendorf. This location originally opened in July 2020 and has been in operation since then. The credit union had wanted to celebrate the opening of this state-of-the-art facility last year with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, but at that time, the Covid-19 pandemic reached... Read More

Linda Phan does not consider herself a child prodigy, but the 11-year-old Bettendorf student is the youngest musician to perform as a soloist with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra in recent memory. Linda – who’s in sixth grade at Riverdale Heights Elementary – won the Grand Prize at the 2019 Quad City Symphony Youth Ensembles Concerto Competition. This past Saturday night, she joined the QCSO for the first movement of Wolfgang A. Mozart’s charming Third Violin Concerto, written when that child prodigy was 19, and you can buy digital access to the concert through March 9. It was performed,... Read More

A local group of volunteers has begun a project to preserve the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer (GLBTQ+) history of the Quad Cities. This project began shortly after Joyce Wiley, a local social activist in the GLBTQ+ community passed away in June of 2020. Joyce’s long-time friend Kathy Bowman was talking with Joyce’s husband Jack and the conversation turned to how much GLBTQ+ history disappeared with Joyce and how it would be great to preserve it for the benefit of future generations. The project is currently holding interviews of current and former GLBTQ residents of the Quad... Read More

We’re all looking to save money, and if there’s one thing that we’re always having to buy, it’s gas! But where can you find the cheapest gas in the Quad-Cities? You can find out by checking out the QuadCities.com Gas Prices Map! Bookmark our page HERE to get the scoop EVERY DAY on the best spots to gas up your vehicles in the Quads!  Read More

Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors celebrated 2020 as their best year in the company’s 158-year history, at their virtual annual awards event on Friday, Jan. 29. Chris Beason, President, and Caroline Ruhl, CEO, honored 215 award winners for their 2020 achievements. Over 300 agents, staff and affiliated business partners cheered on their co-workers during the virtual celebration. “Though we had more than our fair share of bleak moments, I had no doubt that you and our company would prevail,” Beason told his team. “In times of struggle, we have served and stood by our clients, our communities and each... Read More

As the nation celebrates Black History Month in February, United Way Quad Cities and its African American Leadership Society (AALS) are working with community partners to make it easy to learn about local racial disparities and to lift up contributions and successes of Black Quad Citizens. United Way’s African American Leadership Society is launching multiple initiatives throughout this month — such as recruiting blood donors, publishing a Black experience video series, and partnering with Black authors to support youth literacy in the Quad-Cities. “Black History Month is a time of celebration... Read More

Bettendorf’s Emily Tinsman, in her second year as Miss Iowa and first teaching at a Des Moines middle school, is part of a new Miss America Organization program where state title holders speak with teens in their area to discuss the dangers of substance use and addiction. The new partnership with Advanced Recovery Systems’ Real Talk program has served the Florida community since 2016 (led by Miss Florida) and has impacted over 15,000 students since its founding. This partnership with Miss America Organization will expand the educational ambassador program nationwide. There are currently 20... Read More

Saturday In The Arts offers an in-depth look at a local person, trend or event of interest in the Quad-Cities. It runs weekly on your free local media for arts and entertainment, QuadCities.com. Joe Maciejko has been shooting beautiful photos for far longer than Paige Magistrelli has been alive, but both passionate Bettendorf residents are among 23 area artists who will have their photography on display in February at the Bereskin Gallery and Art Academy, 2967 State St., Bettendorf. Five other Q-C photographers are part of a new ongoing campaign to promote the work and purpose of United Way Quad... Read More

Wednesday was a day not only for national celebration, with the inauguration, but for the Quad Cities Cultural Trust. The organization gathered its six funded partners in person for the first time since the pandemic started, to mark exceeding its 2021 fundraising goal; record-breaking allocations in 2020 for the partners, and a new Quad City Arts mural that bursts with color and purpose on the west side of the River Music Experience building at 2nd and Main streets, Davenport. Over the last 13 years, QCCT has provided annual unrestricted funds (over $11 million total) to the Figge Art Museum, Putnam... Read More