I got two election fliers in the mail the other day. Being that we’re only a few days away from the April 6 election, and the mayoral race in Rock Island is, from most reports, closely contested between incumbent Mike Thoms and challenger Thurgood Brooks, this is not surprising. But what has been pleasantly surprising is the positive nature of this campaign. While the Moline mayoral race slides around in the mud, with a bunch of slanderous and poorly spelled fliers by a dark money group peddling lies about Stephanie Acri’s challenger, Sangeetha Rayapati, the two men vying for Rock Island’s... Read More

When Jack Cullen first visited Rock Island in 2008, to look at Augustana College, he fell in love with downtown. After he graduated from Augie in 2013, downtown is one reason he decided to settle in the Quad-Cities. Come April 1, the enthusiastic 30-year-old (who grew up in Madison, Wis.) will return to Rocktown as the first downtown Rock Island director for the Quad Cities Chamber. Under a new two-year-contract with the city, Cullen will provide place management services for the historic riverfront business district and create a new downtown organization. “It’s really gonna be filling... Read More

In partnership with the City of Rock Island, the Quad Cities Chamber has hired Jack Cullen for the new role of Downtown Rock Island Director to provide place management services for the historic riverfront business district. According to Kyle Carter, vice president of place management for the Chamber, focused placemaking efforts are vital to a community’s growth, and having vibrant and inclusive downtowns helps attract residents, amenities and businesses. “It’s great to see a diverse group of energized and engaged downtown Rock Island stakeholders with long-term placemaking goals in mind,”... Read More

Rock Island Mayoral Candidate Thurgood Brooks has released an ambitious 100 Day Plan which he will be striving to achieve in his first 100 days in office should he be elected over current Mayor Mike Thoms in the April 6 elections. The plan is as follows: To hear Brooks talk about elements of his plan and his campaign, listen to our conversation on the podcast QCUncut here.  Read More

Imagine it’s Super Bowl Sunday, pre-covid. You’re in your home, minding your own business, watching TV, having a couple beverages with a number of friends, having a good time. Across the street, you see lights on in your neighbors’ houses. You see cars out front. They have guests too, and all of you are enjoying a weekend night. Suddenly, the evening is split by the flashing lights and squeal of two police cars, and an ambulance in tow, roaring down your street and pulling up to your neighbor’s house. Everyone is looking out the windows to see what’s going on. You all see your neighbor... Read More

EXCLUSIVE: Controversy erupted with the ferocity of a barroom brawl on social media Monday night after the Rock Island City Council voted 4-3 to indefinitely maintain a 2 a.m. closing time for bars in the downtown Rock Island District area. It’s worth noting that one of the people voting against the measure was alderman Dylan Parker, whose ward includes the District. The other two were Ivory Clark and Dave Keenan. It’s also worth noting that Parker’s vote against the continued closure is representative of the opinions of his constituency, the bar owners, which were hoping that the council... Read More

As it does for downtown Davenport and Bettendorf, the Quad Cities Chamber is contracting with the city of Rock Island to provide downtown place management services. “Revitalizing our downtown area is a key component to economic growth opportunities for the city, which is why we’re excited to bring this public/private partnership forward,” Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms said Tuesday. “Bringing people, new events, activities and vibrancy to downtown Rock Island also brings increased revenue, improved quality of life and greater value for existing assets. That’s why it’s so important for... Read More

BREAKING NEWS: The City of Rock Island’s city council has approved a contract with the Quad Cities Chamber to provide downtown place management services effective immediately. “Revitalizing our downtown area is a key component to economic growth opportunities for the city, which is why we’re excited to bring this public/private partnership forward,” said Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms. “Bringing people, new events, activities and vibrancy to downtown Rock Island also brings increased revenue, improved quality of life and greater value for existing assets. That’s why it’s so important... Read More

As it does for downtown Davenport and Bettendorf, the Quad Cities Chamber is looking to contract with the city of Rock Island to provide downtown place management services. On Monday, Jan. 25, at 6:45 p.m., the Rock Island City Council will discuss the issue at Council Chambers (3rd Floor), 1528 3rd Ave., Rock Island. You can also watch the meeting at www.youtube.com/user/RockIslandIL/live. “Revitalizing our downtown area is a key component to economic growth opportunities for the city, which is why we’re excited to bring this public/private partnership forward,” Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms... Read More

Today, negotiations are set to continue on another covid stimulus bill. Nancy Pelosi has said, to her credit, that she doesn’t want Congress to adjourn without another one. And, Steven Mnuchin, also to his credit, has seemed eager to likewise get a deal done. And make no doubt about it, there NEEDS to be another deal. And it NEEDS to get done before Congress goes home for a month for the window dressing of campaigning for votes during a time in which they should be earning them by actually doing something for the people whom they claim to represent. Recent numbers show as many as 60 percent... Read More