“Hey, have you ever heard the one . . .” And that’s how it would usually begin. With a mischievous grin, a conspiratorial wink, and then that little aside, voiced down as if imparting some ribald secret, which, let’s face it, he usually was. That’s how Ed “Jonesy” Jones would greet me pretty much every time I walked in to Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse in downtown Rock Island. Jonesy shuffled off to that spotlight in the sky on Tuesday, at age 92. He’d been retired from Circa for a few years, since 2014, although he was sorely missed. Jonesy was always one of my favorite elements... Read More

Valentine’s Day is this week, and we at QuadCities.com are giving you our own gift from the heart with the most and best positive news about the Quad-Cities! So, in partnership with our friends at KWQC-TV6’s “Paula Sands Live,” every month we give you What’s The Good News? A column here on our site written by yours truly, and an on-air segment presented again by your truly on Paula’s show every month. It showcases some of the great things going on in our community, including some great opportunities for young writers in the Quad-Cities! So, what’s the good news for February 2020?... Read More

You could tell there was something afowl in Iowa for a while. The scent of something bold, spicy, hot, was in the air. It was an original recipe for chaos that turned extra crispy as the night dragged on. And so it’s no surprise, that we at QuadCities.com have unplucked a savory scoop. And when the national media gazes a popeye on it, they’ll be fileting those who have tried to cover it up, probably in panko. What have they been covering? That the REAL winner of the Iowa caucuses is … None other than… CHICKENZILLA. That’s right. Chickenzilla. That half-chicken, half-dinosaur bird of... Read More

When’s the last time you listened to WOC? How old are you? If you’re somewhere under the age of 65, you probably couldn’t remember your answer to that first question. And if you’re somewhere over the age of 65, you probably couldn’t remember either, only for a different reason. I keed! I keed! In all seriousness though, the audience for local talk radio has been growing older and older over the decades. Most of the shows appeal to a decidedly conservative audience and the demographic for those kinds of shows skews older, and not just in radio. Median age of a Fox News prime time viewer?... Read More

It was worth a shot. But you can stop calling and e-mailing the stations. It ain’t happening. When it was announced first here on QuadCities.com that a number of on- and off-air personnel were let go from local I Heart Radio stations, including WOC’s Jim Fisher and Dave Levora, Debbie McFadden of Mix 96 and Q106, Todd Alan of KISS-FM and Ron Evans of Mix 96, fans of those shows were understandably upset. When it was learned that, a day later, two shows and six jobs had been restored to Des Moines sports talk station KXnO, due to, as they put it “overwhelming fan outcry,” there was some... Read More

The Rock Island County Courthouse battle will take a new turn at the County Board Meeting tonight. According to courthouse preservation advocate Bridget Ehrmann, local commercial real estate developer, Joe Lemon, will bring a $500,000 written offer to purchase the historic Rock Island County courthouse at the county board meeting at 5:30 p.m. at 1504 3rd Avenue on the 3rd floor.  The offer includes a purchase price of $500,000 and an agreement to invest $8 million into the restoration of the 124-year-old courthouse. That’s $8.5 million. In writing. And that, up to this point, has been one of... Read More

I was never a big fan of Jim Fisher’s show. I know him personally, but not very well. I was a guest on his show a handful of times (where we would often disagree, on live radio), and when we ran into each other in social situations, we could get along fine as long as we avoided any hot button topics. As a person, a human being, I got along with him alright because we had a fairly superficial small talky interaction. But I can’t say I was ever a fan of his show. It’s not just that Jim and I often disagreed on topics and politics, it’s that the show, especially in the last decade, went off... Read More

It’s a new year and a new decade, and everyone is making resolutions for a more positive life, and we at QuadCities.com are sticking to our resolution to give you the most and best positive news about the Quad-Cities! So, in partnership with our friends at KWQC-TV6’s “Paula Sands Live,” every month we give you What’s The Good News? A column here on our site written by yours truly, and an on-air segment presented again by your truly on Paula’s show every month. It showcases some of the great things going on in our community, including some great opportunities for young writers in the... Read More

With the doldrums of winter weather upon us, there’s a need now more than ever for some journalistic sunshine in our lives, and you’ve come to the right place! Every month we look at some of the great positive news going on around the Quad-Cities, and, in partnership with KWQC-TV6’s “Paula Sands Live,” we shine the spotlight on the GOOD news in the area! Let’s get started!   Like, OMG Becky, We HAVE To Go To This Fest! Crafted QC will be hosting its sixth indie arts festival, OMG Beckyfest, Friday, December 6, 6-9 PM and Saturday, December 7, 10 AM-4 PM,  in the Great Hall of... Read More

A new craft beer festival celebrated their inaugural debut today and successfully jumped ahead in all the competition. Frog Town Craft Beer Festival filled The Rust Belt in East Moline with craft beers, hard cider, delicious food, amazing live music and good vibes all over this Saturday Nov 30. QCScene was on the premises and captured the following images. Stay tuned to QuadCities.com for more info on Frog Town Craft Beer Festival. Have some pictures from today that you want to share? Please send them to Tess@QuadCities.com.        Read More