UPDATED: Illinois will remain under tier 3 covid mitigations for at least two to three more weeks, and could elevate to a more restrictive level if numbers get worse, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said during his press conference today. Illinois covid numbers leapt back up after a few days of numbers getting better. After yesterday’s report of just 6,190 new cases, today’s report listed 12,542 new cases in Illinois and 125 new deaths over the past 24 hours. It should be noted that today marks six days from “Blackout Wednesday,” that traditional unofficial day of inebriation... Read More

BREAKING NEWS (UPDATED): Illinois will be moving back to Tier 3 mitigations starting Friday, closing up restaurants and bars to indoor service, severely curtailing all businesses in the state, shutting down sporting events including youth sports, and more. Governor JB Pritzker announced the move in his coronavirus update at 2:30 p.m. today. “With COVID-19 spread now exponential in every region of the state, our statewide positivity rate at record highs and hospitalizations already surpassing our Spring peak, all 11 regions will move into Tier 3 effective November 20 at midnight,”... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds just announced sweeping new rules to mitigate the spread of covid-19 in Iowa taking place at midnight which will impact all state bars and gathering places, eliminate all sporting events under high school age, and severely limit the number of people able to gather together. In a press conference shortly after 6 p.m. tonight, Reynolds said that starting at midnight tonight, the following mitigation rules will be in effect: When in an indoor public space and unable to socially distance, masks are required to be worn by all, and masks will be required to be... Read More

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker sounded a somber and sometimes irritated note during his daily press conference on covid-19 today, warning “we’re in for a very difficult few months” and saying we might very soon get to a point where he has “no other choice than to have a mandatory shutdown.” “What will it take to make this real for you?” Pritzker said. “Do we have to reach a positivity rate of 50 percent like we’re seeing in Iowa today? Are you waiting for your health care workers to get sick to a point where you don’t have enough staff in the local... Read More

UPDATED — The Illinois Quad-Cities could see another mandatory stay-at-home order as soon as next week if numbers in our region continue to soar. The Quad-Cities has exploded in its number of cases and is now inside the top ten most rapidly spiking hot spots nationwide, sitting at number 7 today, according to CDC numbers. In his media address today, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said that the rapidly spiking numbers statewide — with numbers in some regions doubling daily — could lead to another statewide mandatory stay-at-home order similar to the one imposed in the spring,... 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

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

Quad Cities Bicycle Club is riding their bikes for a cause — doing a benefit ride to raise awareness about opening the Riverdale trail Friday, October 2, from 4:00 PM -5:30 PM, weather permitting. The ride Starts in Riverdale at the parking lot on South Bellingham Street. Come show your support to open the gate that connects South Kensington Street to the Mississippi River Trail. Take a 1.9-mile loop around Riverdale with the Quad Cities Bicycle Club. This event is designed to ride, walk, or run at your own pace anytime during the posted tour times. Talk to the frontline advocates to discuss... 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

MERCER COUNTY, Illinois—As school districts across the region consider how education will be delivered this fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the two largest school districts serving Mercer County students in Illinois will continue their pursuit to ensure every single student has access to technology. The Looser-Flake Foundation, a private foundation administered through the Quad Cities Community Foundation, is awarding $212,000 in grants to promote equity in access to learning through technology. This is not the first time that the Looser-Flake Foundation has provided technology support to... Read More