The Rock Island County Health Department is reporting three additional deaths from COVID-19: two men in their 70s who had been hospitalized and a man in his 90s who had been living in a long-term-care facility. The number of deaths in the county from this virus, as of Dec. 1, is now 151. “We offer our heartfelt sympathies to their friends and family,” said Nita Ludwig, administrator, Rock Island County Health Department. “Throughout the pandemic, we have a seen about a three-week lag between a surge in cases and an uptick in deaths. We unfortunately are bracing for more COVID-19 deaths in... Read More

UPDATED: Illinois will remain under tier 3 covid mitigations for at least two to three more weeks, and could elevate to a more restrictive level if numbers get worse, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said during his press conference today. Illinois covid numbers leapt back up after a few days of numbers getting better. After yesterday’s report of just 6,190 new cases, today’s report listed 12,542 new cases in Illinois and 125 new deaths over the past 24 hours. It should be noted that today marks six days from “Blackout Wednesday,” that traditional unofficial day of inebriation... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Statewide tier 3 mitigations put in place Nov. 20 will remain in place ‘for the foreseeable future,’ Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said during his press conference today. “We have got to take the time to evaluate any Thanksgiving effect before we make any premature adjustments,” Pritzker said. “I spoke with Dr. Fauci last week, and he said the massive number of indoor gatherings will likely bring another post-Thanksgiving surge, and this is no time to pull back on mitigations.” Pritzker spoke to a number of other doctors and experts, and all agree the... 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

It is with deep sadness the Davenport Sisters Cities and the Freight House Farmers Market announces the cancellation of the 2020 Christkindlmarkt in its current form.  Christkindlmarkt Quad Cities has grown to be one of the area’s most popular winter-time activities, last year drawing more than 25,000 people to the December holiday event.   Christkindlmarkt Chair Sarah Mullins stated, “While we are disappointed, we, first and foremost, want to do what is best for our community.  Out of deep respect for our healthcare workers, and the health and safety of our guests, we have made... Read More

More people died from covid-19 in Iowa over the last week, and over the past month, than any other time this year, according to new numbers from the Iowa Department of Heath. Today, Iowa Department of Health reported 37 more deaths from covid, pushing the total to 2,349 since the first death on March 24. The new numbers reflect 222 deaths in the last week (Nov. 20-27), making it the highest week yet for covid deaths. The new numbers also reflect 634 deaths reported so far in November, making it the highest month yet, with four days still left to go in the month. Since the beginning of November,... 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

It was a surreal Thanksgiving. My ex-wife and I alternate years on holidays, and it’s always strange and depressing for me when I don’t get to see my son on those days, especially when I’m reminded of the fun times we had the year before in the memories section of social media. This year was even more downcast, given the dark cloud of covid. Whereas in previous years when I was without my son, I would go to visit family or friends, or have people over to my house, this year there was none of that. I wasn’t going to be visiting my family, nor would there be my usual open door to people to... 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

UPDATED: Iowa covid-19 numbers are soaring to record rates, on pace for a “100 percent infection rate” for the state, according to numbers from the Iowa Department of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Covid Act Now, a not-for-profit data aggregation center affiliated with the medical departments of Harvard, Stanford and Georgetown Universities. “COVID cases are exponentially growing and/or Iowa’s COVID preparedness is significantly below international standards,” according to Covid Act Now. “Over the last week, Iowa has averaged 3,599... Read More