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

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. If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind item to cherish this holiday season, with the personality and charm of a watermark, you’ll want to check out  WaterMark Corners, a 21-year-old gift shop at 1500 River Drive, Moline. Amy Trimble, co-owner of the store, says she historically does half of their entire year’s business in the fourth quarter, between October and December, and a full 25 percent of their revenue is typically in December... Read More

The following first-person testimonial about her experiences was written by Cara Crumrine, RN for UnityPoint Health As an intensive care nurse at UnityPoint Health, I’ve seen fellow medical personnel in my life putting out scary memes and begging posts asking people to help them. I’ve seen other community members speak about how it’s not right or fair to have government officials interfere in their livelihood. I’ve seen these comments, plus countless more, and decided it’s time to speak up. This is hard. I haven’t been in a situation where I watch the world I’ve built with hard work... Read More

Many of us feel powerless during the relentless, unending onslaught of Covid-19, but Brent Tubbs is not taking it laying down. The co-owner of Moline’s Spotlight Theatre (with his wife Sara), Tubbs recently filmed and edited a special music video highlighting several Quad-Cities theaters – including his – that have been shuttered again due to the pandemic. Available at thespotlighttheatreqc.com, the three-minute video – set to the inspiring “From Now On” from “The Greatest Showman” — features many masked performers dancing outside local theaters. It is meant to be shared with... Read More

An alumna of Western Illinois University Sport Management graduate program was promoted to associate director of athletics and compliance, business and internal operations for the Prairie Fire athletics programs at Knox College. Lexie Vernon received her master’s degree in sport management from WIU in 2015. She joined the Prairie Fire staff in 2010 as a graduate assistant athletic trainer and has served as an assistant athletic trainer, assistant softball coach, assistant director of athletics and interim co-director of athletics at Knox College. Vernon is also the athletic department’s... Read More