BREAKING NEWS: At long last, an over $900 billion covid stimulus deal has been reached by Congress, and will be finalized and voted on within the next 24 hours, according to various reports. According to reporting from CNN, as well as direct video on CSPAN, YouTube and other sources, House and Senate Democratic and Republican leaders have announced the deal will be voted on in the House tonight, and is expected to be passed by the Senate tonight or tomorrow and signed into law by the president by tomorrow at the latest, allowing direct stimulus payments and programs to go into effect immediately,... Read More

Curt Roseman loved history and made history in the Quad-Cities. More importantly, the 79-year-old Moliner, who died Dec. 13, made history come alive for so many others. A prolific writer, historian and university professor who taught around the world, Roseman died at UnityPoint Health – Trinity Rock Island, with his loving wife Elizabeth by his side. There will be a gathering of friends and family to celebrate his life at Moline’s CityView Celebrations at Trimble Pointe in the future, when we are able to do so safely. Cremation will take place at Trimble Crematory, Moline, under the direction... Read More

Western Illinois University students Hannah Akers (Cambridge, IL) and Samuel Ogali (Flossmoor, IL) have been chosen as the 2020-21 recipients of the William H. and Eva Little Graham Libraries’ Student Assistant Scholarship. Akers and Ogali, both student employees at University Libraries, will each receive the $500 scholarship for the Spring 2021 semester. The scholarship is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated excellence in the performance of their assignments, and the funds are applied to the selected students’ tuition. Akers is a junior early childhood education major. She... Read More

A Western Illinois University music major has been awarded first prize in an international music competition; the only student from the United States. Madalyn Pridemore, of Macomb, a sophomore violin performance major, is one of 21 finalists in Asociația Culturală Arta Sonoră’s “Rezonanțe Sonore Online” International Festival. She is the winner of the violin category and one of the winners featured on the George Enescu Museum’s website. The competition included 137 participants from Germany, Spain, Portugal, the United States, the Republic of Moldova and Romania. A total... Read More

It’s Sunday, and QuadCities.com proudly presents FUN10, a list of the top 10 things to do in the Quad Cities this week, and every week! Every Sunday, we drop a new FUN10, to give you a head start on your week and a heads up on what’s going on over the coming seven days. Check out FUN10 every Sunday for the details on ten awesome events happening around town. It’s a cool read, and a great way to get started planning your entertainment for the week. FUN10 — ten ways for you to have fun in the Quad-Cities, this week and every week, running every Sunday, only on your site for fun, free, local... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Western Illinois University’s live mascot, “Ray,” and his retired brother, “Rocky,” are getting into the holiday spirit, trying to raise at least $1,000 to buy food and treats for animals housed at the McDonough County Animal Shelter. The effort launched seeking 200 people to donate $5 each, and the food and treats will be purchased from local and small businesses. Ray and Rocky have also partnered with the Old Dairy to buy homemade, gourmet dog treats as part of the event. This is the last week for the fundraiser so the treats can be delivered... Read More

An effort to create a public art project, co-founded by a Western Illinois University history professor to commemorate the lives lost during the 1919 Chicago Race Riot, has received a grant from Illinois Humanities to further the project and related events. WIU Professor Peter Cole and Franklin Cosey-Gay, executive director of the Chicago Center for Youth Violence Protection, co-direct the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project (CRR19). Its goal is to create and install markers at each of the 38 locations where a life was lost in 1919 – still the deadliest incident of racial violence... Read More

It’s been a rough year, honchos. So, damn it, you OWE IT to yourself to check out Khalil’s Christmas Special, sponsored by QuadCities.com. Yes. You OWE it to yourself. Khalil’s Covid Christmas Special premieres December 20, and will be a Christmas Special for the ages! Join your hosts, Khalil Hacker and Tristan Tapscott as they wrap up this dumpster fire year the only way they know how… with a Christmas special! Filled with surprise guest stars, a fruit cake eating contest and many laughs! Shot safely in the beautiful Renwick Mansion of Davenport Iowa! Sit back, poor some... Read More

The Western Illinois University Social Media Lab, connected to the Department of Communication, is helping promote a program to raise money for teachers in the Macomb School District who are teaching remotely during the pandemic. As K-12 classrooms across the area transition to online learning, the local teachers are spending their own money to purchase and adapt online learning materials. The Community for Classrooms program was born from this need and the Social Media Lab is helping promote the fundraiser. WIU senior communication major Elizabeth Lutz, of California, MO, is creating and posting... Read More

Goodwill of the Heartland on Friday announced a significant donation of $10 million from billionaire writer and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott as part of a generous gift presented to 384 organizations across the nation. This is the largest single gift to Goodwill of the Heartland in its 55-year history, the nonprofit said in a release. The investment comes at a time when more than 10 million Americans are unemployed and urgently need help finding their next jobs. This gift will enable Goodwill of the Heartland to expand and deliver its mission in the 19 counties that it serves (including the... Read More