Rock Island’s Illinois State Representative Mike Halpin (D-Rock Island) led a bi-partisan resolution in support of the Bison Bridge Foundation’s proposal to repurpose the Interstate 80 bridge over the Mississippi River. The proposal passed through the Illinois house with bi-partisan support. Bison Bridge’s proposal, led by East Moline environmentalist, Chad Pregracke, includes  a wildlife crossing on one side of the bridge and a park on the other. Pregracke has been leading the charge on the bridge since last year, collecting over 40,000 signatures of support on their website at... Read More

The following article is part of QuadCities.com’s partnership with local music website The Echo. For more, check out theechoqc.com! Downtown LeClaire has long been a popular Quad-Cities destination for its quirky, locally-owned shops, the Buffalo Bill Museum and Riverboat Twilight cruises, scenic riverfront, and its excellent variety of food and drink establishments. For several years, it’s also become known as a great place to hear live music, and a newly rebranded monthly series is raising the bar on promoting free live music. Ryan Burchett, the owner of Mississippi River Distilling Company... Read More

The morning after he gave a visionary talk on repurposing the I-80 bridge across the Mississippi River, Chad Pregracke was back at the Rust Belt Friday to push the process of gathering public support for the planned Bison Bridge. Jake Ford, director of government affairs with the Quad Cities Chamber, led a morning legislative forum on the project with Pregracke, president/founder of Living Lands & Waters; Matthew Hughes, consultant with MRH Solutions, Kevin Marchek, retired engineer from the Illinois Department of Transportation, and Illinois state Sen. Neil Anderson. Before the meeting, Quad... Read More

EXCLUSIVE: River cleanup champion Chad Pregracke and a newly formed foundation unveiled conceptual plans tonight (March 18) for repurposing the Interstate 80 bridge over the Mississippi River into a wildlife crossing and pedestrian parkway called Bison Bridge. Pregracke, President & Founder of Living Lands & Waters, joined fellow members of the Bison Bridge Foundation in announcing the grassroots effort and professional concept for the existing Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge. Halfway between Chicago and Des Moines, it connects Illinois and Iowa in the Quad-Cities, the largest metropolitan... Read More