The Illinois Quad-Cities will open up more today and leave many covid restrictions behind as the state moves into a “Bridge Phase,” dropping many covid restrictions on businesses and the public. Governor JB Pritzker announced the lifting of the restrictions this week, and said that he foresees a full state reopening by June 11, given the increasing numbers of people in Illinois being vaccinated. Under the Bridge Phase: Bars and restaurants: Can now operate within their regular liquor license hours and reopen standing areas at 25 percent capacity. Social events: Indoor events can have... Read More

Some call me a pessimist. Some call me a cynic. Some call me the space cowboy, some call me the gangster of love. I prefer to think of myself as, no, not Maurice, but, rather, a pragmatist. A realist. And realistically, I don’t see the next few months going well in terms of covid-19. Today, Kim Reynolds is going to talk about potentially pulling back restrictions she put in place a month ago in regard to the pandemic ripping its way through the Midwest, and especially Iowa. Many think she’s going to pull back the restrictions. I don’t think she should. I know everyone wants to get back to... Read More

UPDATED: Iowa covid-19 cases and deaths continued to have a massive surge after the Thanksgiving holiday week, tripling the number in Illinois, which continues to experience a rise in cases of its own. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, there were 30,328 new confirmed and probable cases of covid-19 in Iowa on Dec. 3, with 258 deaths reported; and even more cases and deaths Dec. 4, with 30, 629 cases and 340 deaths. The numbers dwarf those in the larger neighboring state of Illinois. The Illinois Department of Public Health today reported 10,959 new confirmed and probable cases of... Read More

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 10,959 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 192 additional deaths. Some data reported to IDPH is delayed from the weekends, including this past holiday weekend. Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 759,562 cases, including 12,830 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years.  Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 106,778 specimens for a total 10,806,364.  As of last night, 5,653 in Illinois were reported... 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

Quad-Cities stores are far from flush with toilet paper. With new covid-19 restrictions in place for the Iowa and Illinois Quad-Cities, toilet paper is flying off the shelves again in local stores, although other staple food and supply items seem to be remaining stable on shelves. A visit to six area locations — two Targets, a Walmart, a Sam’s Club, and two HyVee stores — showed that shelves are barren in some, but still in ok shape in others. Iowa side stores seem to be in more of a frenzy, given Governor Kim Reynolds’ proclamations and immediate restrictions put in place... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: Illinois High School sports will be put on hold effective immediately, and could be delayed through 2020 and into spring 2021 due to covid-19 mitigations, according to a statement released this evening by IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. The statement was released following Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s announcement of moving Illinois to Tier 3 mitigations for covid-19 starting Friday. There’s no set date for the return of sporting activities, however the statement says the IHSA remains “optimistic” for a return soon. The statement reads as follows: IHSA... Read More

Today is the first day of Iowa’s new covid mitigation plan, but how does the new mandate impact you and your life? At midnight last night, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds implemented new rules to mitigate the spread of covid-19 in Iowa. The rules impacted all state bars and gathering places, eliminated all sporting events under high school age, and severely limited the number of people able to gather together. What are the rules and how do they potentially change your life and your family’s? Here’s the rundown: When in an indoor public space and unable to socially distance, masks are... Read More

A new shutdown and restrictions could be coming this week as covid numbers continued to skyrocket in the Illinois and Iowa Quad-Cities and their respective regions and states over the weekend. The Illinois Quad-Cities’ region’s positive testing number roared to almost 15 percent (at 14.6), as all regions in the state moved over the 12 percent positivity rate, triggering numbers Governor JB Pritzker said could lead to a lockdown, especially with the Thanksgiving holiday looming. On Nov. 15, the Rock Island County Health Department reported 104 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number... Read More