MACOMB, IL – Two Western Illinois University Department of Broadcasting and Journalism students are finishing the school year strong after a semester no one will soon forget. The Illinois News Broadcasters Association (INBA) conference, set for late April, was cancelled due to COVID-19. The convention was supposed to be held in Champaign-Urbana, but organizers moved the competition for student awards and scholarships online. WREX in Rockford broadcasted the awards live on Facebook April 25. WIU students won seven different awards for outstanding television newscast, soft television program, radio... Read More

MACOMB, IL — The Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center (GBCC) at Western Illinois University is accepting applications for its annual Black Alumni Scholarship. The scholarship is open to full-time, currently enrolled, students with a GPA of 2.5 or better, and a record of community service. New, incoming, first-year and transfer students are also eligible to apply. The application deadline is Aug. 1. “Scholarships provide an opportunity for many students to earn an education,” said Brandon Smith, a graduate student with the GBCC. “Without assistance from an outside source, most... Read More

DAVENPORT—Grace Bjustrom of Eldridge has been named as the 2020 recipient of the Thomas K. Evans Memorial Scholarship. Bjustrom, a soon-to-be graduate of North Scott High School (Eldridge), will receive $5,000 toward tuition, room and board at Iowa State University (Ames), where she plans to study agricultural engineering and marketing in the fall. “Grace has an impressive academic record, and she wowed us with her involvement in STEM activities. She also has met significant challenges in her life with much determination and the will to succeed. We are so pleased to present her with this year’s... Read More