The Royal Family! Taylor dating Jen’s ex! Kanye West says something stupid! Ever notice that the more heinous things get regarding the economy, wars, presidential scandals, etc., the more intensely the media ignores the real news to concentrate on either celebrity scandals or deviant crimes? Sometimes I wonder if there’s a grand conspiracy regarding celebrities as well. What if celebrities are nothing but programmed Manchurian candidates, Stepford performers, who are hypnotized and controlled by secret government handlers who then program them to do silly crap to distract the masses every time... Read More

I just got a friend request from a Hotel. The Super 8 in Moline. I approved the request, as I normally do approve requests from commercial entities seeking to pad their friend count (hey, I’m a businessman too, I know the game), and also because I thought it was funny that a hotel, particularly the Super 8, sent me a friend request. However, the friend request I really want to get is from the Traveler Inn. The Traveler is a little off-the-highway craphole in Davenport that boasts closed circuit TVs on their sign. I guess at one point that was a big draw. That one point? 1955. I’ve never been... Read More

There have not been many constants that have stood the test of time in downtown Rock Island, through the passing of several eras, over the last three decades. Theo’s Java Club has been one of the few. The unique, quirky, fantastic java and performance space at 213 17th St. has been a haven for local creatives and characters, blending with area lawyers and courthouse types, business folks, and tourists popping over from the hotel across the street. Theo’s has long been a magnet for the Quad-Cities, drawing a broad range of people because it was a singular destination. Sure, you could... Read More

As an entertainment writer, part of my job entails periodically going out to hit the local scene and check out what, if anything, is new and exciting, especially now that things have been opened up again, and hopefully will remain so (damn Delta variant!) However, a night out at the bars, clubs and haciendas isn’t only recreational. Sometimes it can be educational as well. Here are some of the observations I made, after a recent night’s cogent examination of the local night life: Birds aren’t the only ones with mating moves: You can pretty much scan the crowd and see who’s... Read More

Well, there’s still time to stock up on toilet paper. As previously reported on QuadCities.com, your local news source for breaking news about time travelers on TikTok and alien invasions, our old friend the time traveler from 2485, as well as a couple of other time travelers (do they call each other and coordinate this stuff?) have predicted the earth will be invaded by aliens this week. When will this event occur? Don’t worry, it won’t interrupt your Labor Day barbecue and celebration. Those considerate aliens are going to let us have our holiday before completely rocking our... Read More

Listen, folks, if you can’t trust time travelers and aliens posting on TikTok, really, who can you trust? And those time travelers and aliens are BOTH in agreement that the Pumpkin Cold Brew is far superior to the overhyped Pumpkin Spice Latte. And I agree with them. But aside from that incredibly important information, the aliens and time travelers also agree that this is going to be an astoundingly eventful week for us — especially next Tuesday, when a number of humans are going to win the alien abduction lottery, treating them to fabulous cash and prizes! According to one TikTok... Read More

UPDATED: After a lengthy question and answer session with American Water, I still think Rock Island selling its water and sewer would be a horrible idea, and I think the Rock Island mayor and city council needs to stop being disingenuous about stringing the idea along and put it aside. After I’d previously written on the subject, I was happy to hear from Karen Cotton, Senior Manager, External Communications, for Illinois American Water. I understand it takes a good amount of courage and initiative to contact someone who has expressed a contrary idea, particularly one going against a goal... Read More

The past couple weeks have been unbelievably active in the Quad-Cities, and statewide. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced new covid-19 mitigations, including a return to masks in schools and mandatory vaccinations for some state employees. This comes on the heels of covid numbers spiking across the state. Along those same lines, Codfish Hollow Barnstormers said they would no longer allow people to attend their concerts without proof of vaccination, and would not allow anyone under the age of 12 to attend concerts since they’re not eligible to receive vaccinations. And then on top of... Read More

EXCLUSIVE: There’s been a wellspring of controversy over the past few months as the Rock Island Mayor and City Council have contemplated selling the city’s water and sewer systems to a private company, American Water. On July 26, American Water gave a presentation to the city government officials pitching them the potential sale. After that, the council and mayor had their regularly scheduled meeting, at which there was a full house of local residents protesting against the sale, not just to American Water, but to any private company. In addition, the American Federation of State, County... Read More

So, is Donald Trump president yet? I’m writing this column around 10 p.m. Thursday night and it’s scheduled for 9:09 a.m. Friday, and I’m not sure what the exact scheduled time is for Trump to be officially reinstated as president or, according to some people, revealed as always having been president all along. Nope, I’m not kidding. No less of a reliable source than the MyPillow guy has said that Trump is going to be reinstated as president today, Friday, Aug. 13. This has followed previous claims that Trump was going to be reinstated as president on Jan. 20, March 4, and... Read More