While Ballet Quad Cities isn’t on the stage right now, they are creating new choreography and partnering with other organizations to present the award winning program “Dance Me a Story; Exploring Literature through Ballet” virtually. They’re also excited to share a couple of projects they’ve been working on! Recently, Emily Kate Long joined The Davenport Public Library to present excerpts from Vampirina Ballerina as part of their virtual visit from illustrator, LeUyen Pham. This interactive program is fun for people of all ages. “Zoom” is Courtney Lyon’s... Read More

Adventure awaits at Davenport Junior Theater in Davenport! Check out some amazing new dance and theatre class topics for 4-week July virtual session: Poetry Slam Dance Break – Drop Ins Acting for the Camera Creative Movement Acting with an Accent Tone It Up – Fitness Classes Character Creation Dance Team Prep Monologue Madness Technical Design Classes Musical Theatre Dance Playwriting and all classics like ballet, acting, hip-hop, improv, and more! Classes for kids ages 3-18! Enroll now or get details at www.DavenportJuniorTheatre.org  Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – Western Illinois University’s virtual summer orientation experiences are underway, and will continue throughout June. Incoming new first-year students on the Macomb campus can sign up for their virtual summer orientation day by logging into their STARS account. During virtual summer orientation, students will meet their orientation leaders and begin to learn how to be a successful student at WIU. New students will continue to have opportunities to engage with staff and have opportunities through the summer to take part in extended online new student orientation sessions.... Read More

MACOMB, IL – – Ten Western Illinois University Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets were commissioned virtually as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during Commencement weekend. LTC Joan Sommers, military science department chair, spoke to the cadets before the commissioning and swore them in as second lieutenants. The 10 WIU cadets who took the oath of office of a commissioned officer include: David Block, of Cary, IL, received his bachelor’s degree in law enforcement and justice administration. He will commission as an active duty signal officer Kevin Dukes, of Mount... Read More

MACOMB, IL – Organizers of Western Illinois University’s Leatherneck Country Meats – The Purple and Gold Standard of Western Illinois, are preparing for the group’s next sale, this time with a shifted focus to pork raised outdoors. Leatherneck Country Meats is a student-run organization that offers pork sales to the public. This is the third year LCM has been holding sales. This year, LCM is raising Berkshire hogs on the University Farm. The first piglets have already been placed outdoors. This year’s retail sale is expected in early October. “Raising berks on pasture... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – All four of Western Illinois University’s libraries have set up a version of curbside pickup to allow access to materials. The Leslie F. Malpass Library, the Curriculum Library, the Music Library and the WIU-Quad Cities Library have created a system to let users arrange for pickup of library materials. Pick-up times vary between libraries and all pick-up is Monday-Friday. Items can be picked up at each of the libraries’ entrances and can be arranged by visiting wiu.edu/libraries/info/pickup_procedures.php. Pick-up is contactless and each library is following safety... Read More

MACOMB, IL – During a time of stretching budget dollars, two Western Illinois University administrators have come up with a creative way to reduce mowing on campus and provide food for livestock at the University Farm at the same time. Facilities Management Executive Director Troy Rhoads and School of Agriculture Director Andy Baker collaborated on the project, which sets aside approximately 32 acres of University property to be baled instead of doing traditional mowing. Rhoads said the idea was born from an informal brainstorming session the two had about the amount of acres Facilities Management... Read More

After being closed since mid-March, Davenport’s German American Heritage Center will reopen with specific health and safety conditions on Tuesday, June 23. The museum at 2nd and Gaines streets, will offer ticketed and timed visits to groups of less than six, every 45 minutes during normal hours – which start at 10 a.m. Tuesday to Saturday, and noon on Sunday. The center will have new cleaning procedures, social distancing, sanitization areas, and mask requirements for all at the front desk, executive director Kelly Lao said recently. All patrons must wear a mask or face covering to enter the... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – A total of 1,349 undergraduate students enrolled at Western Illinois University were named to the 2020 Spring Dean’s List. The total includes 127 students at the WIU-Quad Cities Campus. To receive this award, an undergraduate student must earn at least a 3.6 grade point average on a scale of 4.0, which equals an A in a minimum of 12 credit hours of graded courses; pass-fail hours are not counted (e.g., student teaching, internships). Students earning Dean’s List honors are listed by Illinois counties, cities and towns; as well as other states/towns and other nations. The... Read More

Like most everything else in this time of social distancing, the annual awarding of scholarships and other recognition for Rock Island High School students was done online last month. The Rock Island-Milan Education Foundation (RIMEF), led by executive director Monta Ponsetto, assembled a video presentation to detail and honor the accomplishments of 114 RIHS students, including awarding nearly $90,000 in scholarships. You can see the video at YouTube.com . The ceremony recognized the top 10 students in each Rocky class, the departmental AAAA winners, and scholarship winners through the RIMEF Austin... Read More