As the rising number of Quad-Cities covid-19 cases put it near the top 10 worst covid hot spots in the United States, and other Iowa communities already fill the top 10, Iowa is enacting a number of mask and social distancing mandates to curb the spread of covid-19. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ proclamation prohibits indoor gatherings of 25 or more people, and outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people, unless mandatory mask procedures are observed. Groups at bars and restaurants are limited to eight people unless everyone is part of the same household, and individuals must remain seated... Read More

EXCLUSIVE — Illinois Quad-Cities businesses have been notified by the state to begin preparing for a shutdown and covid mitigation procedures beginning Wednesday, multiple sources who asked not to be identified told QuadCities.com today. The sources are all local small business owners, and were notified last night so they could begin preparing. An official announcement from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker will be forthcoming Monday. According to the sources, there will be a number of mitigation actions put in place, including no indoor dining, limits to the number of people gathered in any... Read More

(Editor’s note: QuadCities.com is proud to publish this guest editorial by Tony-nominated playwright Sarah Ruhl, whose parents grew up in Davenport. Ahead of the Nov. 3 election, former vice president Joe Biden will visit Iowa Friday, though further details were not yet available. According to his campaign, he plans to discuss “bringing Americans together to address the crises facing the country and win the battle for the soul of the nation.” It will be his first in-person trip to Iowa during the general election. He last campaigned here ahead of Iowa’s Democratic caucuses in... Read More

I’m sick of the politics. I’m sick of the politicians. With more people struggling than ever, with more businesses closing, with the covid numbers increasing yet again, just like the scientists predicted (amazing how you can listen to intelligent, learned people and get accurate predictions on what’s likely to happen, isn’t it?), IT’S TIME TO PASS ANOTHER STIMULUS BILL TO HELP PEOPLE STRUGGLING FROM COVID. I wrote another story today, one of probably over 100 this year, about a business closing down due to covid. This time it was Big Swing, in downtown Rock Island,... Read More

HEY LOCAL WRITERS!  QuadCities.com is starting up the QuadCities.com Virtual Writers Gallery, featuring local authors and their works! If you’re interested in being a part of it, email Sean@QuadCities.com with up to three .jpgs of your book covers and 1-2 paragraph descriptions of the books, a picture of you, a short 3-4 sentence bio of yourself and your website, facebook page or patreon link ASAP! Also, if you’re interested in doing a podcast reading of up to five minutes of your work, let us know, because we’re going to include those as well in a NEW podcast called As Read... Read More

Peaceful River Creations is hosting the 3rd Annual Body, Mind & Spirit Expo this Saturday Aug 29 at the Riverfront Event Center (516 S 1st St. Clinton). Pre-registration is not required. Tickets are $10.00 in advance on Eventbrite, or at Peaceful River Creations (246 5th Avenue S. Clinton). Tickets are $15.00 at the door. For more information, please visit https://bodymindandspirit.info/. Vendors This will be a place for like-minded individuals to come together in the spirit of fun, self-exploration, self-empowerment, and self-improvement. Learn from experts in the field and have some new experiences.... Read More

ATTENTION LOCAL ARTISTS! QuadCities.com is starting up the QuadCities.com Virtual Art Gallery to display your work! We’ll display up to a half-dozen of your artworks, along with an artists bio and pic of you and a link to your patreon, paypal or contact info so interested patrons can contact you to buy your artworks! If you’re interested, email Director of Digital Media Sean Leary at Sean@QuadCities.com!  Read More

Several Quad-Cities artists were honored this past weekend with awards at the 29th-annual Iowa Motion Picture Association (IMPA) award ceremony. Due to Covid-19, the Aug. 8 event was held online this year. The IMPA recognized outstanding creative and technical achievement in Iowa’s moving image production industry, in all its forms. “Sons & Daughters of Thunder,” a docudrama produced by Moline-based Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, received seven awards, out of eight IMPA nominations. It won five top Awards of Excellence: Best Live Action Entertainment — Long Form... Read More

Saturday in the Arts is a comprehensive, in-depth feature on a topic, trend or personality impacting the Quad-Cities, posted every Saturday morning on QuadCities.com.   The day before the state of Illinois entered Phase 4 of reopening, affecting his longtime acting home of Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse, Moline’s Tom Walljasper was filming scenes as a farmer in small-town Iowa. A full-time actor, Walljasper had not acted since “Kinky Boots” closed at Circa in March, and both he and his wife Shelley were cast in small parts for a TV pilot, “Complete Bull,” filmed in June and July (with... Read More

A little more than two weeks after the Mississippi Valley Fair announced it would scale back its offerings this year, including no big-name grandstand acts, on Tuesday it said it would cancel the 101-year-old tradition altogether. The fair, at 2815 W. Locust St., was scheduled for Aug. 4-9. “We have continued to work closely with the Scott County Health Department to ensure that if we put on a fair this year we met all the requirements of the principles shared by both organizations,” MVF general manager Shawn Loter posted Tuesday on Facebook. “Health leaders determined our safety plan was... Read More