BREAKING: Covid-19 is raging through Iowa and Illinois, with Iowa in the midst of a “severe outbreak” and Illinois surging upward into the “extreme” danger category, according to the latest statistics. Iowa covid-19 cases and deaths are continuing to triple the number in Illinois, which continues to experience a rise in cases of its own, despite Illinois’ much larger population. 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... Read More

Covid-19 numbers in Illinois are soaring as post-Thanksgiving infections begin surging in, with infection numbers doubling and record-high death tolls reported. Illinois had 238 people die from covid-19 over the past 24 hours, marking the deadliest day for the virus since the beginning of the pandemic. The previous high had been 192 deaths on May 13, during the first wave of the pandemic. The total number of deaths in the state recorded is now 12,639 deaths since March. Over the past week, numbers have spiked dangerously, with 116 fatalities per day over the past week, near the record high... Read More

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

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

Covid-19 is now the third-highest cause of death in Illinois, according to statistics announced one day before additional statewide coronavirus mitigations are slated to go into effect. As businesses and workers gird themselves for financial hardships the federal government and both political parties have ignored in lieu of political games, Illinois was hit with its highest single-day death count since mid-May, suffering 168 new coronavirus-related fatalities, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Thursday, 14,612 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases were reported, and the... Read More

Is “Tiger King” coming back too? With covid numbers spiking again, general unrest about the election and the political and economic landscape, and more state restrictions looming this week, the familiar spectre of dwindling supplies on shelves — particularly toilet paper — is starting to loom in some area stores. A visit to four area locations — a Target, a Walmart, and two HyVee stores — showed that shelves in some are starting to look a little short, and one store — the Moline Target on John Deere Road — has already put up signs limiting customers... Read More