For 14 years, Geneseo’s Seth Ernst Soccer Slam has been an annual tradition of fun and competition for area kids loving the game of soccer. This year, for the first time since its inception, it won’t be held. Seth Ernst officials announced they’re canceling the event for 2021 due to covid, looking to start it up again in 2022. The following email was sent out to area soccer coaches and team officials: Greetings Fans of Seth Ernst Memorial Soccer Slam! Our Executive Committee met to determine whether our 15th annual Slam could take place, and it was decided that in the best interests... Read More

The Quad-Cities has rocketed up to SIXTH among the top 10 worst covid outbreak spots in the nation, according to data from the CDC, the New York Times reported today. According to the data, the Illinois/Iowa Quad-Cities is now inside the top ten most rapidly spiking hot spots nationwide for a second week in a row, roaring from number 13 to number 7 to number 6 in just two weeks. The rising number of Quad-Cities covid-19 cases have put it consistently among in the top 10 worst covid hot spots in the United States over the past month, with other Iowa communities in the top 10. Iowa continues to be... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds just announced sweeping new rules to mitigate the spread of covid-19 in Iowa taking place at midnight which will impact all state bars and gathering places, eliminate all sporting events under high school age, and severely limit the number of people able to gather together. In a press conference shortly after 6 p.m. tonight, Reynolds said that starting at midnight tonight, the following mitigation rules will be in effect: When in an indoor public space and unable to socially distance, masks are required to be worn by all, and masks will be required to be... Read More

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker sounded a somber and sometimes irritated note during his daily press conference on covid-19 today, warning “we’re in for a very difficult few months” and saying we might very soon get to a point where he has “no other choice than to have a mandatory shutdown.” “What will it take to make this real for you?” Pritzker said. “Do we have to reach a positivity rate of 50 percent like we’re seeing in Iowa today? Are you waiting for your health care workers to get sick to a point where you don’t have enough staff in the local... Read More

U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Moline, has tested positive for coronavirus, she posted Monday on Twitter. “I am experiencing mild symptoms, but still feel well. I have been in contact with my medical provider and, per CDC guidance, am self-isolating,” she tweeted. “Consistent with medical advice, I will be working remotely from my home in Illinois until cleared by my physician,” Bustos, 59, wrote. “All individuals that I had been in contact with have been notified. Across the country and the Congressional District I serve, COVID case numbers are skyrocketing.” “We must all continue to... Read More

Ian Hutto is struggling to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, both at work and home. The 35-year-old native of Chicagoland is an ICU nurse at UnityPoint Health – Trinity in Rock Island. His wife, Annette, owns Cool Beanz Coffeehouse at 30th Street and 14th Avenue, Rock Island, and they’re raising their nine-month-old daughter, Lydia, while Ian also is studying for his master’s in nursing from University of Illinois-Chicago. “It has been a stress like I’ve never felt in my life,” Ian said recently. “In a good and very bad way at the same time. It’s overwhelming; I am the type of person... Read More

One person is a man in his seventies, a true entrepreneur who took a massive risk and put in over four decades of long hours to build a business that became a hub of a local downtown. Another person is a middle-aged woman who has been working since she was 16, and, over three decades, has put in countless hours working to build up her own business. And still another person is a younger man, who has also been an entrepreneur, starting up various businesses, who is one of the hardest working people I know. All of these people exemplify what we like to call the American dream. They’re... Read More

UPDATED — The Illinois Quad-Cities could see another mandatory stay-at-home order as soon as next week if numbers in our region continue to soar. The Quad-Cities has exploded in its number of cases and is now inside the top ten most rapidly spiking hot spots nationwide, sitting at number 7 today, according to CDC numbers. In his media address today, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said that the rapidly spiking numbers statewide — with numbers in some regions doubling daily — could lead to another statewide mandatory stay-at-home order similar to the one imposed in the spring,... Read More

MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – From Monday, Nov. 16 through Friday, Nov. 20, free COVID-19 simple nasal swab tests will be provided to any member of the Western Illinois University Macomb campus community (students/faculty/staff) prior to the holidays. Quad Cities faculty, staff and students can continue to obtain a free COVID saliva test at Riverfront Hall. Individuals who wish to obtain a test must go to beuonline.wiu.edu to schedule a time. Instructions for the online appointment setup are: • Open the website beuonline.wiu.edu, • Login through the Central Sign-on, • Click the Appts link towards... Read More

As a service to our readership and the public, QuadCities.com will be including coverage of local covid-19 information and stories on our site. Given that QuadCities.com is always free to the public, this will allow readers to access accurate and timely local information at no cost. According to Genesis Health Center, they have three urgent requests at this time: With COVID-19 testing demand increasing, some people are showing up at emergency departments to be tested. Unless you have severe symptoms, the emergency departments are not efficient as community testing sites. If you have COVID-19... Read More