MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – After a year-long promotion process, Western Illinois University Veterans Resource Center Director Ron Pettigrew was promoted to the military rank of captain (0-6). His new rank was pinned on his uniform this summer. This branch of service is a familiar one to Pettigrew’s family. “My dad served in the Navy for 22 years. When he got out, he worked in civil service in the same field,” he said. “I traded my dependent military identification card for one of my own. I grew up in military towns, with Navy role models, and families who cared about me and impacted... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: The Quad-Cities has reached the “severe” covid outbreak level, according to the latest statistics from the Illinois and Iowa Departments of Health and Covid Act Now, a not-for-profit national data aggregation website affiliated with the medical departments of Stanford, Harvard and Georgetown Universities. Both Scott and Rock Island Counties have spiked up to the “severe outbreak” level, counting cases over the past few days, but NOT including outbreaks expected to bump up after last week’s Thanksgiving social activity trifecta of Black Out Wednesday,... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL — Western Illinois University has merged five undergraduate majors, three master’s degrees and one post-baccalaureate certificate to form the School of Accounting, Finance, Economics and Decision Sciences (AFED). The new school, located within the College of Business and Technology, will allow curricular synergies between the multiple disciplines. This merger will serve as an opportunity to strengthen the curriculum, encourage collaboration between the students and faculty across the disciplines and benefit WIU overall. “Although each of the four primary academic... 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,... Read More

Seven months after launching their weekly “Double Threat” podcast about musical theater, choreographer/dance teacher Steph DeLacy and music director/vocal coach Megan Warren are extending their brand to the new Double Threat Studios. The performing arts studio at 882 Middle Rd., Duck Creek Plaza, in Bettendorf, will open in January, aiming to provide high-quality, comprehensive musical theater instruction for young performers in grades 3rd-12th. “We aim to encourage boldness, confidence, creativity, and community through performance,” the women posted Friday morning on Facebook. “Our... Read More

Covid cases continue to soar in Illinois and Rock Island County, and health department officials are dreading the coming two weeks as potential infections from Thanksgiving weekend, Blackout Wednesday and Black Friday gatherings arise. The Rock Island County Health Department is reporting three additional deaths from COVID-19: a man in his 90s, a woman in her 90s and a woman in her 80s, all of whom had been living in long-term care facilities. The number of deaths in the county from this virus is now 140. “We send our heartfelt condolences to their loved ones,”said Janet Hill, chief operating... Read More

All is not lost, procrastinators! If you’ve let your thanksgiving planning go to the very last minute, if you desperately searched around at various spots today for a turkey without having any luck (as we did and reported on earlier!), don’t fret! There are TWO spots in the Quad-Cities where we found turkeys just a little over an hour ago! Moline HyVee, at 4200 John Deere Road, had been dry of turkey earlier in the day, but a few new birds must’ve flown in from the back storage because as of 8 p.m. tonight they had a half-dozen turkeys available for purchase. HyVee also had a... Read More

The Covid-19 pandemic has not only devastated the U.S. economy and cost more than 260,000 American lives, it is driving record hunger in the greater Quad-Cities region. “The number of people who don’t have enough food to eat in the QCA has increased by over 50 percent since Covid,” Mike Miller, president/CEO of River Bend Foodbank, said this week. “There are now almost 150,000 in the 23 counties we serve, 1 in 7 people and 1 in 4 children who are food insecure.” “The Foodbank has responded with record-setting food distributions in April, May, June, and July, with over 2 million meals... Read More

Thanksgiving turkeys and supplies have been gobbled up quickly off Quad-Cities grocery store shelves, so if you’re still on the hunt for a bird, you might have tough time. A trek to three area HyVee and two Aldi stores and a Target on the Illinois and Iowa sides of the river found ALL six of them SOLD OUT of turkeys, as of this morning. As for other supplies, the Aldis in Davenport and Rock Island were also sold out of cranberries, mashed potatoes and some stuffings, although still had gravy and a good supply of vegetables. The HyVees in Moline, Davenport and Milan were likewise out of cranberries,... Read More

QuadCities.com is offering a series of features running today between 2 and 5 p.m. showcasing local businesses in advance of Small Business Saturday.  Lagomarcino’s in Moline and the Village of East Davenport has long been a sweet destination for Quad-Citians, and now it’s getting recognition statewide for its terrific treats. The Illinois Office of Tourism has an annual Illinois Made Holiday Gift Guide, featuring one-of-a-kind products by small businesses around the state – including the iconic Lagomarcino’s in downtown Moline. All products featured in this year’s gift guide... Read More