MACOMB/MOLINE, IL – To commemorate World Environmental Day Saturday, June 5, three Western Illinois University professors will speak during a virtual event, from 10 a.m.-noon, themed “Ecosystem Restoration.” The lecture series, organized by WIU biology graduate student Oladele Dickson Owasoyo, of Nigeria, will take place over Zoom and can be joined at wiu.zoom.us/j/98840645382. The event is divided into three sections, including: • WIU English Professor William Knox will deliver “How Combating Climate Change Can Help Restore the Ecosystem.” • WIU Associate Professor... Read More

The Quad-City Music Guild Youth Chorus will perform their spring concert Saturday, May 22nd, at 2:00pm at the Music Guild Theater. Under the direction of Valeree Pieper, Moline and accompanied by Randin Letendre, also of Moline, the Youth Chorus will present a program entitled Songs of the (QCMG) Season, which features selections from some of Music Guild’s past productions, such as Singin’ in the Rain and Oliver as well as the upcoming summer productions of Monty Python’s Spamalot, Mamma Mia and Matilda. The songs include Singin’ In the Rain, Consider Yourself, Comedy Tonight, Take a Chance... Read More

G.I.T. Improv and The Black Box Theatre of the Quad Cities are excited to announce the long-awaited return of the The Late Nite Shows — a popular line-up of original, uncensored comedy performances — to The Black Box , 1623 5th Ave., in downtown Moline, beginning Saturday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m. “To say we are more-than-ready to get back on stage and make the Quad-Cities laugh again would be a massive understatement,” said Jeff Adamson, owner of G.I.T Improv. “We have maintained great communication with the Black Box over the past year and are approaching these shows with a renewed... Read More

Derek Watts, the interim director of the Western Illinois University’s Office of Public Safety (OPS), has been named the director of the department, effective June 1. Watts has served as the interim director since March 2019. He becomes the first internal candidate named to the director/chief position. Watts joined OPS in 1998 as a patrol officer. He was promoted to corporal in 2006 and to sergeant in 2009. A 1996 and 2015 graduate of the WIU School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration, Watts was promoted to lieutenant in 2018. He started his law enforcement career with the Bushnell... Read More

The Quad-City Music Guild Youth Chorus will perform their spring concert Saturday, May 22nd, at 2:00pm at the Music Guild Theater. Under the direction of Valeree Pieper, Moline and accompanied by Randin Letendre, also of Moline, the Youth Chorus will present a program entitled Songs of the (QCMG) Season, which features selections from some of Music Guild’s past productions, such as Singin’ in the Rain and Oliver as well as the upcoming summer productions of Monty Python’s Spamalot, Mamma Mia and Matilda. The songs include Singin’ In the Rain, Consider Yourself, Comedy Tonight, Take a Chance... Read More

Black Box Theater is holding auditions for the upcoming spring/summer season. Auditions will be held at the theatre located in downtown Moline at 1623 5th Avenue, Moline, IL on Saturday, May 15 from 10 am to noon. If you are unable to attend the audition, please contact the theatre at thebbtheatre@gmail.com and arrange for a video audition to be delivered no later than May 15th. Roles open include: Hate Mail – One male, one female. Late 20’s – early 30’s (these are readers roles and require nominal memorization.) Runs late May early June.  Directed by Lora Adams I and You – One male... Read More

Solar energy is coming to the Quad Cities International Airport by late this summer. Solar panels affixed to the terminal roof and a new carport structure will provide a clean, renewable energy source for the airport, and a covered parking option for nearly 200 spots in the short-term lot – at no cost to the Moline airport. Two additional electric vehicle charging stations will be added to the existing three once the project is completed. At the time of this announcement, only 20 percent of public U.S. airports are using solar power. “We are fortunate to have this opportunity to bring a clean... Read More

Angela Rathman joins Susan Perrin-Sallak, Liz Coin, Joanna Mills, Kim Kurtenbach, and Kayla Jo Pulliam in Nora and Delia Ephron’s “Love, Loss and What I Wore” – a funny, sad, hopeful, truthful slice of clothing life, running through next weekend at Black Box Theater in Moline. Rathman and her friend Perrin-Sallak are making their third appearance in the series of monologues and ensemble pieces, again directed by Black Box co-founder Lora Adams. Performances at BBT will be 7:30 p.m. this Thursday to Saturday, and 2 p.m. this Sunday. Tickets are $13 for Thursday performances and $16 for all... Read More

The wait is officially over! It is once again time for some deliciously amazing Belgian Waffles! The Center for Belgian Culture’s magnificent Belgian Waffle Breakfast is back in business, after a year-long hiatus due to the Covid outbreak. The first breakfast will take place Saturday May 1 from 8 – 10:30 a.m. (or until the batter runs out) at the Friend Circle Club, 701 18th Avenue Moline. For only $7 you will receive one large malty Belgian Waffle (Catherine Van Hecke’s secret recipe), two massive juicy sausages and your choice of orange juice or coffee. Take advantage of the amazing toppings,... Read More

The last time Angela Rathman performed on stage was over two years ago – in Prenzie Players’ “Macbeth,” in January 2019 – when she embodied a witch, a murderer, a thane and a doctor. The Prenzie veteran – who also co-starred in Genesius Guild’s “Taming of the Shrew” (as Kate) in 2011 – is making her debut at the four-year-old Black Box Theatre of the Quad Cities, 1623 5th Ave., Moline, in a familiar staged reading. Starting Thursday night, Rathman joins Susan Perrin-Sallak, Liz Coin, Joanna Mills, Kim Kurtenbach, and Kayla Jo Pulliam in Nora and Delia Ephron’s “Love, Loss... Read More