QCA.news - Quad Cities news and view from both sides of the river

Tuesday, April 21st, 2026
	Illinois, Iowa lawmakers raise concerns over Rock Island Arsenal workforce changes Lawmakers from Illinois and Iowa are raising concerns about workforce changes at Rock Island Arsenal, citing uncertainty and potential impacts.
	Support Big Brothers Big Sisters with Lancer Productions Each year during the spring musical, Lancer Productions teams up with a community organization for an outreach opportunity. This year, with “The Addams Family,” LP is working with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley. Lancer Productions will be offering BOGO tickets for young people and their mentors. “This partnership was exciting for many reasons,” said Leni Grap, volunteer recruitment and engagement coordinator with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley. “We are looking forward to connecting further with the North Scott community and the opportunity for our matches and Littles to be connected with the arts. ‘The Addams Family,’ specifically, is all about the importance of family, belonging, and showing up for one another — values that are at the very core of Big Brothers Big Sisters.” BBBS-MV serves Scott and Rock Island counties and works to provide mentorship opportunities for youth. “Our main way to get involved is by becoming a Big in one of our mentor programs. The relationships our Bigs build with their Littles have a lasting impact, from improved confidence to simply having someone to enjoy new experiences with,” said Grap. Mentorship opportunities can be long-term relationships, but individuals and organizations can also sign up for BBBS-MV’s Big for a Day programs, which include having lunch and activities with students at area schools. But there are many other ways BBBS-MV accepts support. The organization is always accepting financial contributions, and during the month of April, it will be working with Alter Metals to host a can drive. Cans and other scrap metal can be dropped off at BBBS-MV’s Davenport location at 3247 E. 35th St. Ct., from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Every dollar raised will be matched by Alter Metal. The organization is also collecting donations for its 14th annual Golf Outing, scheduled for June 22. In addition to financial contributions, BBBS-MV also accepts new and gently used board games and also has an Amazon Wish List for supplies. The annual Plant Sale is also scheduled for May 8-9 in the parking lot of Time Bank, 100 E. Kimberly Road in Davenport. Retail hours are from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. “Our Plant Sale is our longest-running fundraiser; 37 years and going strong! It’s a once-a-year event with a wonderful selection of annual plants,” said Grap. Items for sale include hanging baskets, potted plants, and other individual flowers, such as delphiniums, geraniums, zinnias and marigolds. Grap said the plant sale is also looking for volunteers, and individuals can sign up to help at plantsale.org. BBBS-MV will have a table set up in the lobby of the North Scott Fine Arts Auditorium during performances of “The Addams Family” with more information about how individuals and organizations can volunteer. Additional information is also available at bbbs-mv.org. Mentors interested in BOGO tickets may contact Grap directly at mgrap@bbbs-mv.org.
	'Addams' is frightfully delightful It never ceases to amaze me how Lancer Productions takes my already high expectations and super-exceeds them every single time. So too it is with this year’s production of “The Addams Family.” This was another show that I wasn’t super familiar with when it was announced, so I spent some time with the soundtrack over the summer. I quickly realized it was going to be a fun show, and I knew Lancer Productions already had some great kids coming up for this year. Plus, director Ashley Becher and musical director Bobby Becher have already turned out some crowd pleasers over the last few years. So, I had no reason not to be really excited about this production. It was clear when I was there on April 9 to take promo photos that the show was really going to be a sight to see. Aside from the usual tech week hiccups, the cast was in a good place, and the technical aspects were starting to hum along nicely. Still, seeing it all finally come together on Saturday night was a dazzling experience. This show is gorgeous and incredibly dynamic. Right from the jump, it’s a scenic delight. The set, designed by Josh Tipsword, is dramatic and moody, while still being quite functional. And the paint crew, which included Emma Zrostlik, Haidyn Koberg, Mya Kelsey and Parker Herrington, worked overtime to bring it from the white walls I saw on April 9 to the spooky, kooky finished product. Even the proscenium gets into the act, with its lighted windows adding to the Addams home. Speaking of the lighting, it’s absolutely beautiful, and lighting designer Hannah Nelson and her assistant, Kallen Rohlf, created some delightful effects. Between the lighting and the sound, designed by Kora Thiessen, there’s a lot of cues to keep track of and call, and stage manager Madi Brus and her assistant Alliana Ray, kept this show moving smoothly. Also gorgeous are the makeup and costumes. While LP got an assist from Circa ’21 on some of the costumes and set pieces, costume and wig designer Renae Mohr headed up a student team that included Emma Reif, Eva Wyatt and Charli Conner, as well as Sophia Frahm, Eleanor White, Charlotte Mendenhall, Natalie Yanke and Ally Sosnowski. The students spent hours creating individual makeup designs for the ghostly ancestors and the Addamses, including old age looks for Grandma and the harsh lines for Lurch. How about that cast It’s hard for me to remember an actor with a better senior season than Brayden Serrano, having played three absolutely iconic roles this year. But he was completely born to play Gomez. Brayden elevates every scene he’s in, with unflagging energy, and is devastatingly charismatic. And be sure to have your tissues ready, because he’ll break your heart during “Happy/Sad.” Much of the tension in the show centers on the relationship between mother and daughter, as Morticia chafes at her daughter Wednesday growing up. Charlotte Madden brings Certified Baddie energy to Morticia, while Natalie Sierk’s glorious, huge voice and deadpan mien highlight Wednesday’s struggle to bridge the gap between her family and her boyfriend, Lucas. Grady Kirst is also perfectly charming as the kooky Uncle Fester. The voice work is spot on, and he makes a lot of great character choices that give Fester depth, rather than just strictly being silly. He also gets a solo that’s just lovely, during “The Moon and Me.” The Addams family is rounded out by Pugsley and Grandma. As the youngest Addams, Bella Suarez gives a performance that is by turns devious, heart-rending and tremendously funny. Pugsley, you see, has a hard time accepting that his sister is growing up and might not have time for him anymore now that she has a boyfriend. Meanwhile, Grandma, played by Emily Stutting, is a kooky cougar, on the prowl for some 90-year-old hotties. Grandma is a bit of a firecracker, even if she is 102. Making his Lancer Productions debut as Lurch is sophomore Alexander Simmons. Lurch is mostly a man of few words, so Simmons relies on a lot of physicality with this role. He’s also quite protective of the family, and his introduction to Wednesday’s boyfriend’s family is very funny. Jack McCarthy is sweet and earnest as said boyfriend, Lucas. He drags his parents along to dinner. Ben Lightle and Taylar Vondal play his repressed parents – Alice speaks in rhyme when she gets nervous (frequently, as it turns out), and Mal is a stick in the mud. They’ve also got some secrets, which tumble out during an awkward dinner. But who needs marital counseling when you’ve got Uncle Fester? All in all, “The Addams Family” is just delightful, with some terrific dancing and toe-tapping songs to boot. And it’s a joyous exploration of what it means to be a family, whether by blood or by choice. Three chances remain, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. On Sunday, we’ll also be handing out the Tom Goodall Fine Arts Awards. Tickets are selling fast, so get them in advance at tix.nshslp.com. Happy/Sad While the spring musical is an opportunity to welcome new faces to Lancer Productions, it also marks the end for LP’s seniors. And though it’s been a privilege to watch those students grow over the last four years, you always kind of want to put them in your pocket and keep them forever. I talked to two seniors, Brayden Serrano and Charlotte Madden, and asked what this program has meant to them over the last four years. I distinctly remember both of their first performances as freshmen. Charlotte played The Fish in the Children’s Theatre production of “The Cat in the Hat.” Brayden made his debut as part of the on-stage crew in “The Play That Goes Wrong.” Even though he had no lines, I can still see his eyes wide with shock as the whole set came tumbling down. “Honestly, being in LP has meant a lot,” said Brayden. “I’ve always wanted to do theatre, and finally being on stage, let alone shining in a show, is something that I always wanted as a kid. It’s been amazing. “I’ve grown up with Charlotte through this program, so us being the two parents is like us passing it on to, I guess, our children here. It’s done a lot for me, and obviously there’s still more to come for them. I’m really happy with where I’m leaving off.” As for Charlotte, this program has always been special to her for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that her brother, SJ, was a much-loved member of the LP family. Charlotte’s very first role with Lancer Productions was in the Guppy Chorus of “The Little Mermaid,” and SJ played Flounder. SJ passed away in a car accident in 2018, during the Children’s Theatre run of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” but his memory has lived on through the program. “This program has just meant a lot to me and my family,” said Charlotte. “Just seeing my brother on stage, and now I’m where he was. And just being able to do what he never got to finish has just been such a big thing for me.” Brayden and Charlotte are both off to Iowa next year, but I hope to see them, as we’ve seen so many alumni these past few years, come back to support the next generation of Lancer Productions. And should you happen to catch me wiping away a tear or two during the second act this weekend, just remember, I’m happy, completely happy. And a tiny bit sad.
	Nothing prepared me for midwestern storms Nothing in a childhood on the east coast can prepare you for a midwestern storm erupting out of a clear day. So much of Iowa is laid flat and so little of it built up that every storm is entirely in view, yet impossible to wrestle into your field of vision. Storms where I grew up in New England set off in August and campaign through the winter, but they are gone by April. They begin with a gray morning and gather force over a gray afternoon. You can see just a window of sky, framed by hills and rooftops and a spare oak canopy. Here it is completely different. You wait under a pleasant spring day, the leaves restless, for an indigo curtain to close on the afternoon. On Friday, as the first storms emerged in the sky west of Eldridge, I had the sense that I could see the future marshalling up before me. If our days tend to trail lazily into one another, storms here mark the hour and the day. Nothing brings me into an awareness of time like their approach. You native Midwesterners have a cool distance towards spring storms, the result of abundance experience and disappointments. Scouting town on Friday, I saw life as normal: Frank King with the door to his garage open, plows in the acreage west of 1st Street. I could hardly sit still at my desk, because I have only recently attempted life as normal under the threat of an evening tornado. The prairie wore my anxieties out of you generations ago. My girlfriend was unbothered by the week I spent staring into the sky. She told me that a tornado once blew a trampoline into the backyard of her Minneapolis home, which is unthinkable. Storms make up the background pattern of her life. It occurred to me that when we try to explain the force of American regionalism—that mysterious thing which has kept me from encountering virtually any east coasters in ten months in the Quad Cities—we do not adequately account for the patterns of the weather. It has taken me all four seasons to realize just how often unfamiliar weather is like a pothole I stumble through early in the morning, which keeps me off balance for the rest of the day. Sometimes in Iowa I feel like I am out to sea: the place spare and flat and unfamiliar, now the tempest thundering in. In the first scene of Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, the boatswain of a ship urges his passengers belowdecks. “Make yourself ready in your cabin for the mischance / of the hour, if it so hap,” he urges. The noble counselor Gonzalo searches for reassurance. “I have great comfort in this fellow,” he says. “Methinks / he hath no drowning mark upon him.” A drowning mark—what could that be? Even honest men invent the signs of their own salvation. No one can live with the fact of their powerlessness. Because I have no personal history of tornadoes and thunderstorms, I have found myself searching for marks and signs that the future cannot bring any harm. The modern world has obliged me with radar, and social media has supplied a regress of colorful stop-motion maps and accompanying technobabble. In the past few weeks, I have learned about drylines, cold fronts, dew points, advection, convection, helicity, humidity, and their assembly in all manner of parameters and composites. Of course, there is no understanding all of this—not for a layman like me, and marginally more so for the experts themselves. Time spent looking at forecasts is time spent savoring in their inadequacy. You cannot conciliate chance, and every attempt is a reminder of that fact. I learned last week that the rough clouds beneath a thunderstorm are called whale’s mouth clouds. I thought about Jonah swallowed by the whale. Storms always set me thinking about God. Jonah is a simple case: struck by the storm and swallowed by the whale for his disobedience to God. But God elsewhere the Old Testament, the real God in the storm, is jealous and capricious, an embodiment of chance. He holds out no promise of salvation—no promise of anything, he tells Jonah after sparing the Ninevites. Peace with God is acceptance without reward, comfort without signs. In the end, Friday brought nothing but rain and warnings to Scott County. On Saturday evening I cleansed my phone, deleting X, formerly Twitter, the social media app which had become flooded with meteorological signs. Already they had begun to forecast next week’s storm, parsing daily reports from the federal Storm Prediction Center, running high-resolution rapid refresh radar models through the coming mornings and afternoons. There is no need to be brought every day into a weary awareness that trouble awaits: that is a fact best taken for obvious. And we cannot hope, or even pray, for a sign in the radar that fate will swing around us. Just when we believe such a thing, the storm will remind us we are fools.
	2001: NS grad named U.S. Trade Ambassador by Bush April 21, 1976 • The Eldridge Jaycees and the Eldridge Bicentennial Committee, in cooperation with officials from the North Scott School District, were planning a large-scale tree planting project at North Scott Junior High. Community members were invited to purchase a tree to be planted near the school, which would serve as a “living memorial” to the bicentennial, “for the enjoyment of future generations.” Organizers hoped to plant 60-100 trees. • The North Scott community was stunned as three high school students were killed in a car accident near West Liberty. Randy Appleby, 15, of Davenport, James Steiger, 16, of Dixon, and Kenneth Fausey, 18, of Dixon, died when the car they were riding in crashed into the rear of an oil transport truck on Interstate 80. The boys had been returning home from Iowa City. • Caterpillar officially unveiled plans for an addition to its Mount Joy Plant. This would include a 585,000 square foot manufacturing building and a 212,000 square foot shipping and receiving building, as well as an expansion of the office area. “The expansion of the Davenport plant reflects Caterpillar’s confidence in the people who make up our workforce here, as well as confidence in the entire community,” said plant manager Walter Dunbar. • Princeton city officials announced plans to dedicate a riverfront park in honor of James R. Clemons, who had lived in the town for 24 years and served as a Boy Scout leader prior to his death in 1971. The request was made by Boy Scout Troop No. 30. Clemons was associating with Scouting for 27 years, and in 1948, became a Life Scout with 14 merit badges. He received the Boy Scouts of America’s highest honor for adult volunteers, the Silver Beaver Award, in 1970. • The North Scott boys’ track team won the Pleasant Valley Spartan Relays for the second year in a row. The team won seven of 15 events, including three relays. Keith Jansen set a new school record in the discus, with a throw of 151’8. However, that was only good enough for second place at this meet, with Steve Schaaf of Camanche hurling the discus 160’11”, the second best in the state so far that season. Meanwhile, meet records were set by Randy Lage in the pole vault, with a leap of 12’; Gregg Strobbe in the mile run, at 4:45.0; the mile medley ream of Dan Glunz, Jon Griggs, Randy Lage and Rick Engler, at 3:51.4; and Brian Carter, Mitch Glunz, Chuck Mohr and LaVerne Keeny in the 480 low hurdle shuttle, in 58.0. April 23, 1986 • The North Scott School District and its insurer, Employers Mutual Casualty Company, were being sued by a Long Grove family. Their son was injured after he fell into the open orchestra pit in the high school auditorium in June of 1985. The family further said that the insurance company “intentionally misled” them about the statute of limitations on receiving a settlement. The suit did not specify an amount for putative damages, and superintendent Doug Otto said attorneys for the insurance company would decide whether there would be a settlement or if the case would go to court. • Barb Geerts joined the staff of The North Scott Press. A native of Moline, she graduated from Black Hawk College and Northern Illinois University. She had been previously employed by The Quad-City Times and the Moline/East Moline News. • Brenda Schaeffer of rural Davenport was chosen by the Walcott American Legion Auxiliary to attend Girls State, while Lisa Hinshaw of Blue Grass was chosen by the Blue Grass American Legion Auxiliary. Kristine Knutsen of Walcott was named an alternate. • Mr. and Mrs. Harland Rohlk of Donahue planned to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with a reception at Don’s Pub. Pearl Karstens and Mr. Rohlk were married May 6, 1936, in Davenport, and they were the parents of three daughters. • The North Scott boys’ golf team was off to a 3-0 start. They defeated Davenport North and Davenport Central in dual meets and then won the West Liberty Invitational, where Tim Albers was the meet medalist. Other members of the varsity team included Clay DeCock, Joe Meyer, Tim Schneckloth and John Franklin. They were coached by John McQuary. April 25, 2001 • As the North Scott School Board continued to narrow its superintendent search, it also hired John Netwal of Park View as the district’s new operations manager, to replace the retiring Dean Bassett. Netwal was the former superintendent of TPC Deere Run Golf Course. Meanwhile, the board also accepted the resignations of varsity girls’ basketball coach Dan O’Flahrity and teacher and coach Rusty VanWetzinga, who planned to return to his high school alma mater, Pleasant Valley. • Long Grove native Allen Johnson was nominated by the Bush administration to serve as the chief agricultural negotiator for the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. A 1978 North Scott graduate, he had held a series of national agriculture posts and was currently serving as president and CEO of the National Oilseed Processors Association. His appointment was praised by Sen. Charles Grassley. “With Al’s appointment, farmers can know they have a real friend in the USTR,” Grassley said. • Sara Berger was crowned Scott County Sheep Queen, while Amanda Berger was named Sheep Princess. They were the daughters of Jim and Carol Berger of Walcott. • Lancer Productions presented “Really Rosie” as its Children’s Theatre show. Cast members included Megan Jepsen, Dustin Saldivar, John Abdul-Masih, Tony Tandeski, Chris Estes, Cori Bell, Karen Meyer, Danae Reyman, Kerry Wilson, Sarah Hayungs, Chris Olsen, Nick Mixdorf, Eric Percuoco, Ian Klink and Jack Kloppenborg. • The North Scott girls’ golf team defeated Pleasant Valley, 186-204, at Glynns Creek Golf Course. Lauren Cole carded a 41. Other team members included Emily Darland, Stephanie Beert, Kate Yorde, Kelly Brownson, Rachel Regan, Chelsea Bleymeyer and Kourtney Flenker. April 27, 2011 • Nearly 130 people showed up for an update on Lost Grove Lake at the Bettendorf Fire Station, hosted by Partners of Scott County Watersheds and the Scott County Soil & Water Conservation District. As water began to flow into the lake, bids for shoreline protection and access and fish habitat sites were scheduled to be opened in May. The dam was expected to be completed by November. The lake process began in 1987, and construction of the dam started in July of 2010. “I think you’ll find it exceptional,” said Chad Dolan, a fisheries biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “It’s going to be a pretty magnificent lake, something you may have never seen before.” • Jay Menke (Class of 1997 – basketball), Ryan Arnold (Class of 2000 – football and basketball), Karen Olson (Class of 1994 – girls’ tennis) and NSP editor Scott Campbell were chosen for induction into the North Scott Hall of Fame. • Dan Collins was named the new director at Grand Haven Retirement Community, replacing Joni Fahrenkrog, who had been director since the facility opened in 2006.Collins said he’d had a passion for working with the elderly since his days working as a junior volunteer at Mercy Hospital in Clinton as a teenager. He had been employed by Grand Haven for the last three years as assistant manager and marketing director, and later as manager. • While North Scott’s athletic director, Frank Wood, offered to postpone a girls’ soccer match against Davenport West due to the weather, coach Dion Ayers said no thanks. “What sport plays in 20 mph winds, driving rain and temps in the upper 20s? That would be the North Scott Lady Lancer soccer team,” said Ayers. “The early season weather has not been a joy to play in, but watching these young ladies certainly has been. The team, which was ranked third in the state, upped its record to 5-1 with a 5-0 win over the Falcons. Shalynn Eldredge-McMillan scored a pair of those goals, with Abbie Cahill, Chelsey Blake and Sarah Schwarz contributing the rest. • North Scott’s only four-time state semifinalist, Adam Perrin, signed a national letter of intent to continue his wrestling career at the University of Northern Iowa. “I wanted to go to a Division I program,” said Perrin. “Northern Illinois was the first to contact me, but I was pretty excited when Coach Schwab called. UNI was pretty much No. 1 since that day.” April 21, 2021 • Twenty North Scott students were participating in a brand-new program offered at the high school through Eastern Iowa Community College. These students were studying to become certified nursing assistants (CNAs), and after 75 hours of classroom time, many planned to take the CNA exam over the summer. If they passed, the would be able to work in hospitals, medical offices, and assisted living and long-term care facilities. While some students already knew they wanted to work in the medical field, others were just testing the waters and learning new skills. “I was totally surprised by the number of students who wanted to do this,” said principal Shane Knoche. “It blew my mind. We actually had 22 students interested, but two of them were sophomores, and they’ll take it in the future. This semester we have 18 seniors and two juniors taking the course.” • Following a 5-2 “no” vote by the Eldridge Planning & Zoning Commission, the North Scott School District withdrew a request to rezone property just south of the junior high as single-family residential for five new student-built home lots. More than 300 residents signed a petition against the rezoning proposal. Many said the area was needed for youth activities, including soccer, and worried that Fifth Street traffic was already too heavy to handle five new residences. Others said more homes would block pedestrian access to the junior high athletic fields. • Princeton held a “dog scamper,” with proceeds benefitting Princeton Recreational Trails. The dogs and their owners followed a two-mile trail along the riverfront, and the event raised $1,500. Meanwhile, committee member Terri Applegate said she was exploring pricing to fence off a portion of Woomert Park for use as a dog park. • Grace Graham qualified for four events at the Drake Relays, including the high jump, 100 hurdles, shuttle hurdle relay and 4x100. Also on the shuttle hurdle unit were Alyssa Atzen, Sydney Skarich and Kaci Johnson, and the 4x included Madison Ahrens, Savanna Bruck and Athena Nelson. Nelson was also set to compete in the open 100, with Skarich joining Graham in the high jump. On the boys’ side, Will Kruse qualified in the 100 high hurdles, with Owen West in the open 800. The 4x100 team of Darnell Butler, Hunter Davenport, Dane Treiber and Miles Robertson also made the grade. And Sam Skarich was set to compete in the high jump. • Scott Madden of Park View, who operated his Pioneer Seed agency in Long Grove, was named the Iowa Certified Crop Adviser of the Year at the Agribusiness Association of Iowa Showcase and Conference. “It is a great honor to be nominated, let alone win an award like this,” said Madden. “I didn’t even know I was nominated, so I was pleasantly surprised when I got the phone call that I won. There are a lot of great CCAs in Iowa, so it truly is a great honor.”
	Our finest hour? Full and fair disclosure. I lost my wife of 40-plus years to breast cancer on Christmas 2021. She was a nurse, educator, mother and grandmother and my best friend. So, yes, when it comes to cancer, I’ve got strong feelings. But I’m not alone. There are far too many Iowa families suffering such devastating loss. But what really saddens me is knowing so many of the seats around Iowa family dinner tables shouldn’t be empty today. You know, we’ve heard it all before. Iowa suffers the second highest cancer rate in the nation. And, while cancer rates nationally are declining, Iowa's are increasing, sharply. But why? Science confirms that common cancers—breast, prostate, lung, colorectal, and skin melanoma—are associated with environmental risk factors, such as pesticides, nitrates, PFAS and radon. Quick review. We know that Iowa has one of the highest pesticide application rates in the nation. Research tells us that pesticides, including herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and rodenticides, remain active in the environment for decades. And, we know that nitrate loads have grown dramatically in Iowa’s water, increasing the risk of colorectal, ovarian, bladder, thyroid and prostate cancers. We also know the connection between radon and lung cancer. And due to its unique geology, Iowans suffer from the highest indoor radon levels in the U.S. We also have compelling evidence that links PFAS, so-called “forever chemicals,” to kidney, testicular, prostate and ovarian cancers and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. And, sadly, PFAS have been detected in 94% of Iowa’s surface waters. Bottom line, we’ve researched, measured, counted, weighed, dissected, analyzed and studied the ties between environmental degradation and growing cancer rates enough. We just haven’t done enough about it. It’s time we sharpen our focus and take a lesson from business. First, let’s set a goal. What if we dedicate ourselves to reverse the current rate of cancer growth by 2040. Then, resolve to match the declining national rates by 2050 and exceed them by 2060. Ambitious? You bet. But whatever goal we choose, commit. What better legacy to leave our grandchildren? Think of this as our Operation Warp Speed. Then let’s align our fiscal policy with our public health priority and create a leadership structure to oversee a strategy and stand accountable for success. Let’s create the state with the lowest cancer risk in the nation. By the way, it’s not a three-month project. We’ll need the state’s legislature’s on-going engagement, supervision and “interim” session attention. We’ve got to be done with vague, campaign-season promises to “Fight Cancer!” How? When? Where? We then need to segment the population and devise multi-layered plans. Let’s focus on those at-risk, involuntarily. For instance, we can increase water quality monitoring and reduce nitrate loads. We can identify and remediate radon exposure. We know how. Next, let’s encourage behaviors that reduce voluntary exposures, such as school-based education, increased tobacco taxes, eliminating PFAS-based food packaging and bags. We also need to address the need of early screening and diagnosis in order to mitigate the harm from past exposure. Ensure mandatory insurance coverage for routine mammography, chest X-rays, prostate-specific antigen check-ups and other tests that can prevent an inconvenience developing into a terminal diagnosis. And, finally, we need to make 21st-century cancer-fighting innovation, such as “next generation sequencing” and other individual DNA-based treatments more accessible and more affordable to those facing advanced cancer progression. Sound expensive? Disruptive? No doubt. Vision usually is. But, so is the meaningless loss of life we tolerate now. The choice is clear. We can live with the problem or say: “enough.” Maybe this will be our finest hour?
	House Republicans support EMS funding and tax credit House Republicans spearheaded the effort to create the EMS levy to ensure dedicated emergency medical services funding. When an Iowan calls 911—they should feel confident a prompt response is coming and House Republicans are ensuring that. This week a pair of EMS bills passed the House Ways and Means Committee in support of that goal. Currently, 21 counties have a county-wide, voter-approved EMS levy. House File 92 relates to that levy found in Iowa Code 422D. The bill stops TIF districts from swiping the increment on the EMS levies and spending it however they want. Although it seems obvious the money was specifically for EMS funding because the money was voted on by the residents of the county specifically for EMS funding, that hasn’t always been the case. TIF related development project were never meant to receive that money and any other interpretation is misleading and dishonest. The bill applies to property taxes due and payable in fiscal years beginning on or after July 1, 2026. Another bill that passed the House Ways and Means Committee this week is House File 2280. Currently, an emergency medical services member who is certified as a first responder under Code chapter 147A may claim an individual income tax credit for services performed in the amount of $250. House File 2280 modifies the credit to also allow EMS personnel to claim the tax credit if they are a volunteer ambulance driver. House Republicans will continue to recognize the local responders who donate their time and talents for the safety of their community. This tax credit is just a small token for the sacrifice they make. The bill applies retroactively to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026. Both EMS bills are now available for full consideration by the House.
	Volunteers needed for hospice care Even at the end of life, there can be a lot of living to do. Hospice volunteers help patients and families create meaningful moments and lasting memories. Right here in our community, trained volunteers work with Compassus hospice patients and families, giving selflessly to help people live as fully as possible at the end of life. In times of crisis, volunteers are even more integral to the health and safety of vulnerable patients. Our volunteers are lending their time in different ways: reading, reminiscing and spending time with the patients and loved ones we serve. Through every face-to-face interaction, the support of Compassus volunteers is unwavering. Our community is a better, more compassionate place because of their service. Across the U.S., more than 420,000 hospice volunteers give more than 19 million hours of service every year. Hospice volunteers are an indispensable part of the care team, bringing companionship to people in the final months and weeks of life, providing respite to families and caregivers and supporting the administrative responsibilities of hospice programs. April is National Volunteer Month, and every single volunteer deserves our appreciation and grateful acknowledgement. I encourage anyone who may be interested in becoming a hospice volunteer to contact Compassus-Iowa Volunteer Coordinator Jill Venden at 928-899-8546 or Jill.Venden@Compassus.com. You may also visit https://www.compassus.com/volunteers/volunteers/ to learn more. Hospice volunteer opportunities are endless, and all hospice volunteers receive free training. Whether volunteering a few hours a month or six hours a week, all efforts are appreciated and needed. Jill Venden Volunteer Coordinator Compassus Hospice
	Iowans have the right to clean air and water As the scientific evidence predicted, climate change is being seen throughout our planet. There are record high temperatures causing droughts, flooding, wildfires, intense tornadoes, and stronger hurricanes. For decades, the coal, oil, and natural gas industries have persisted in their propaganda campaign to mislead the people, even as the costs resulting from the above weather events totals into the billions of dollars, and insurance companies raise there premiums or leave areas that are vulnerable to unsustainable monetary risks. It is time to stand up to the polluters and those who gain politically and monetarily from continued fossil fuel usage. Iowa shouldn’t be struggling with unacceptable water quality. Iowa shouldn’t have high rates of cancer. Iowa shouldn’t be the major contributor to the dead zone at the end of the Mississippi River. Utility companies shouldn’t further pollute the environment by building natural gas power plants. Utility companies shouldn’t still be generating electrical power using coal. Utility companies have known what would happen if Iowa didn’t keep investing in renewable energy. Legislators, and the people, have failed to support them. Big agriculture interests have known their business practices were not viable, and that they have needed to make environmentally responsible changes that would have minimal impact on their profits. Elected officials have failed to hold them accountable. Iowans have the right to clean air and water. They have the right to demand this from their leaders. Please vote for candidates in November who prioritize our environment and our health. Ida Weibel Long Grove
	Dramatic time drops help Lancers qualify for six events at Drake Relays For an April track and field meet, last Thursday’s Assumption Last Chance Qualifier is as good as it gets. 10 individual personal records. Four relay season-bests. Three Drake Blue Standards. Two school records. One team title victory. “You hope for that in one season, not in one meet,” Lancer coach Troy Matthaidess said. From the very first events, the Lancers knew this was going to be a great night. By the end of the evening, North Scott amassed 124 team points in one of its best regular-season meets in recent memory. Right at 5 p.m., when juniors Olivia Graham, Micayla Ramirez, Sophi Schneckloth and sophomore Emmalia Ranson rebroke the school record in the sprint medley relay, the Lancers were off to the races. “I would say that event in particular propelled our whole night,” Matthaidess said. The relay got under the Blue Standard time, and the school record now sits at 1:48.11. “I think the girls were nervous before that event. When they went out there and did that, it was a collective sigh of relief. The floodgates just opened up.” That Lancer quartet dropped nearly two full seconds from the 1:49.80 mark they set on this same track exactly a week before. The Lancers altered their race strategy a bit, changing steps for some runners inside the exchange zones to give Ramirez more time with the baton. It worked — and Ramirez went on to have an all-time night. Not long after the sprint medley, she would crush the 100-meter dash, running a personal-best 12.13 seconds, tying the school record, and winning the actual race by 0.65 seconds. “I was so amazed,” Ramirez said. “I was thinking, ‘It’s me and the clock. That’s it. Nobody else.’ I just needed to get through the finish line and go as fast as I could. “I never thought I’d run that fast. I am so thankful for God and everything else that is going on in my life.” Ramirez had been stuck at 12.37 seconds for multiple races, and she would achieve the Blue Standard by more than two-tenths of a second. Her time of 12.13 seconds is now the second-fastest in the state this season. “She wanted the Blue Standard badly,” Matthaidess said. “I didn’t have her in the 100 in this meet. She came up to me and asked to be put in the 100. I said sure. “When the heat sheets came out, she’s been battling (Tatum) Miller from Bettendorf at most of these meets. Miller wasn’t in there. I said, ‘You’re going to have a good chance to win.’ Then she runs it, and holy smokes. It was super neat. Her reaction, and to see all of her teammates, was really amazing.” Later in the night, Ramirez teamed up with Graham, Ranson and junior Kamilah Eller to set a Blue Standard time in the 4x100-meter relay at 49.62 seconds. They won the race at Assumption by 0.13 seconds. Ramirez, Graham, Ranson and freshman Kaylee Ervin missed the Blue Standard time in the 4x200, but running a 1:44.98 was still good to get them to Drake this week as the 20th fastest relay in the state. The Lancer girls will represent in six events at the Drake Relays. Junior Alyssa Schroeder secured her spot in the high jump back on March 26, but she will be accompanied by junior Natalie Nwatchock, whose 5-foot-5-inch jump from April 11 is tied for ninth in the state. Schroeder and Nwatchock tied for first at Thursday’s meet as both got over the 5-foot-4-inch bar. Lastly, senior Adalynn Johnson has surged up the leaderboard in the shot put and set another career mark on Thursday. Her throw of 39 feet 5.25 inches won her the event at Assumption and snuck her into the Drake Relays field as the last thrower in. In total, nine different Lancers will run at Drake with six of them having a hand in a Blue Standard. It’s the most North Scott is sending to Drake since 2021, when they also sent nine. “I was trying to think back to the COVID year,” Matthaidess began. “In terms of Blue Standard, I think Jorie Hanenberg hit it her senior year (in the shot put). I was talking to the other coaches, and I think we have not had a single Blue Standard since. To have four of them is awesome.” It takes more than six events to win a track and field meet, and there were plenty more performances to celebrate from last week. Ervin and Ranson translated their relay success to the long jump runway, taking first and second place with jumps of 16 feet 10.25 inches and 15 feet 10.75 inches, respectively. The distance medley relay crew of Eller, Nwatchock, junior Kendall Behm and freshman Vivian Ohsann won the event at 4:31.51. North Scott’s hurdlers also ran well. Schroeder set a PR in the open 100 at 15.75 seconds, placing third. She joined with senior Addison Allen, Ervin and Schneckloth to take the runner-up position in the shuttle relay at 1:07.54. Additionally, sophomore Alexis McCloy set a PR in the discus at 103 feet 11 inches, placing fifth. She also scored points in the shot put, placing seventh. “One of the messages we shared afterwards is that it’s neat this year to see everybody excited for each other,” Matthaidess said. “It’s not about one person or this and that. It’s neat to see people excel and being so happy for everyone. “We get a few coed meets each year. Thursday was one of them. We watched the boys and they had a bunch of PRs. It’s a neat thing for the boys and girls to show up to a meet, compete their tails off and cheer each other on. It’s a culture that we’ve tried to create, both (Coach) Joe (Greenwood) and I.” North Scott will compete on all three days of the Drake Relays this week, which starts on Thursday and ends on Saturday. Despite having a larger number of qualifiers, the approach won’t change. The Drake Relays is a highlight of the Lancers’ season, but it should not be the highlight. “We’ll treat this like a normal week,” Matthaidess said. “Qualifying for Drake is a great honor and something that’s very hard to do. It’s right in the middle of our season. If this is the peak, quite honestly, I’ll be disappointed. We’re going to continue training like we will. At the same time, our season isn’t over yet. We have a lot more that we want to accomplish.”
	Adoptable pet: Meet Tequila Sanders said Tequila enjoys a fenced in yard and may pair well with another small dog.
	Ridgewood and Bureau Valley softball programs come together to strikeout cancer The Ridgewood softball program held its’ 9th annual strikeout cancer event to raise money and awareness.
	Mercado on Fifth launches public input survey ahead of 10th anniversary Mercado on Fifth is asking for public input through a survey as it begins planning for its next decade serving the Quad Cities community.
	Fast times at Assumption High North Scott’s boys’ track team has been waiting for a breakout moment. Thursday’s meet provided just that. With a third-place finish out of 12 schools at the Assumption Last Chance Qualifier, a true collective effort led to lots of team points. Perfect running conditions helped the Lancers shine bright. The team won four events and were top three in five others. “Finally, with the weather, that allowed us to do what we wanted to do,” Lancer coach Joe Greenwood said. “Just before we got off the bus, I told everybody we’ve been waiting for this weather. It was a perfect night. Don’t waste the opportunity. They did not. We had a really good night.” North Scott scored 106 team points, only behind Central DeWitt (121) and Bettendorf (114) on the leaderboard. It beat out Solon (98) and Davenport Central (96) to place as the third team. The meet was bookended by two excellent relay races. First out of the gates, with a win in the sprint medley, were junior Dylan Kelsey, sophomore Evan Kuhn, and seniors Sam Dickman and Nolan Reese. “They were a tenth of a second away from our school record,” Greenwood said, referencing their 1:35.79 time, which won the race by exactly two seconds. “That got us off to a good start. I was really happy with them getting the baton around and running so well. That was a bright spot.” Then, at the end of the night, the 4x100-meter relay team of Kelsey, Kuhn, Dickman and junior Ryan Block secured their spot at the Drake Relays with a 43.39-second race. It earned them a runner-up placement at the Assumption meet. Any concerns with this race from the beginning of the season have been put to rest, as this crew has nearly matched the team’s fastest 4x100-meter time from last season. “They’ve put it together. It’s good for them to see that and know what they’re capable of,” Greenwood said. “I truly feel we have a lot of room to improve on that. Our handoffs are OK. I know they can be better. I feel we are just scratching the surface.” These four will run at Drake Stadium on Saturday at approximately 10:30 a.m. Dickman and Block ran this race at Drake last year and helped the team place 35th. This year, North Scott enters with the 47th fastest time. “It’s going to be a normal week for us. I don’t want to overemphasize Drake,” Greenwood said. “It’s so much more important to get training in. In years past, if I felt like we had a chance to make finals, I might have altered their week. Being realistic about where we’re seeded, we’re totally focusing on May. “We’re going to treat Monday through Wednesday the same and train hard. On Thursday, we’ll make sure to get some handoff work in. I want to start thinking about Drake on Thursday. I got four agreements on that. We are going to do our best, and I expect them to run well.” These runners still got after it in a number of other events Thursday night. Dickman once again set a personal record in the 200-meter dash, winning the race in 22.68 seconds. Block placed fifth in the 110-meter hurdles at 15.43 seconds. Kuhn ran with a brand-new shuttle crew of himself, sophomore Brendin Bohannon, sophomore Landon Leppert and senior Gabe Skyles. They placed second at 1:05.11. “We didn’t run Ryan or Nolan (Reese), but we ran some of our next guys and gave them an opportunity. I think every single one of them ran a significant PR (split),” Greenwood said. “We’ll have some options coming up for the later part of the season.” The perfect weather did not apply to the shot put and discus with those athletes having to throw into a lake. That did not stop senior Behren Radech and junior Trey Feist from sweeping the competitions. Feist unleashed a PR in the shot put at 51 feet 10 inches, while Radech won the discus at 139 feet 1 inch. Radech also placed fourth in the shot put with a chuck of 45 feet 3 inches. “Nobody made excuses (about the conditions). Everybody competed,” Greenwood said. “For Trey to set a PR there, in those conditions, is incredible. Those guys work hard every day and I’m excited when we get to see it pay off.” North Scott’s distance runners also had their best meet of the season. Across the board, from the 4x800-meter relay, the open 800 and 1600, and the distance medley relay, Greenwood said they made the biggest improvements of any crew on Thursday. “I felt like they broke out, and nobody was more excited than Coach (Josh) Pestka,” Greenwood said. “We haven’t had anybody break 2:10 in the 800 all year. Ben (Clayton) and Nate (Holst) crushed it in the 800. The 1600, kind of the same thing. Nobody broke 4:50, and we had two of them from Parker (Hamly) and Carter (Unwin). Our 4x800 ran well. It was a really good night for our distance crew for sure.” That 4x800-meter relay team had the best finish of any Lancer distance event. Freshman Miles Unwin, freshman Bryton Dougherty, senior Henry Rieck and sophomore Trevor Matthaidess placed third with a time of 9:03.76. North Scott is also making great strides at the 400-meter distance. Reese continues to excel in the 400-meter hurdles, placing third at 56.94 seconds. In the open 400, senior Koen Krambeck hit a PR at 54.11 seconds, also good for third place. The 4x400 team of junior Kade Kelly, Clayton, Holst and sophomore Dillon Hager ran a 3:40.99 race, which is the school’s fastest 4x400 time in nearly three years. Add in senior Renan Lewison, who ran a career-best 400-meter split in the distance medley relay, and there is a lot to like in the middle-distance area. “I’m really excited for that group. It’s been a while since we’ve had depth at that position,” Greenwood said. “Getting ourselves in position to end the season well and with a couple weeks of training we have coming up, that’s the crew we’ll see it the most from. We don’t get a lot of dedicated 400 training, but they are going to get it. They are ready to make a huge improvement.” After the Drake Relays, North Scott will implement this training block as the team will not run again until the postseason. The Lancers’ next meet is the Mississippi Athletic Conference championships on May 7 at Brady Street Stadium.
	Tony Danza brings 'Standards & Stories' to Dixon Actor, performer, author, tap dancer, ukulele player and singer Tony Danza is performing his live show, “Standards & Stories” at the Dixon Theatre, 114 S. Galena Avenue in Dixon. His show combines classics, stories, tap dancing and songs on the ukelele. Danza spoke with Our Quad Cities News via Zoom to preview his upcoming show. [...]
	Obituary: Pamela Williams Pamela Sue Williams, 77, of Eldridge, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, Bettendorf. A graveside service will be held at the Rock Island National Cemetery at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 24. Those wishing to attend her service should meet at the McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home in Bettendorf by 10:30 a.m. Friday for a procession to the cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, Bettendorf. Pamela Brooks was born on May 19, 1948, in Davenport, the daughter of Wayne and Janice (Anderson) Brooks. On May 10, 1969, she married the love of her life, David F. Williams, in Davenport. He preceded her in death on Sept. 28, 2025. Together they shared over 56 years of marriage filled with love, devotion, and cherished memories. She worked as a Registered Nurse for ORA for 30 years, retiring in 2013. Her love language was cooking, each dish was more than food; it was a warm embrace, a reminder that family and friendship are best savored around a table. She poured her heart into every recipe, seasoning with care and serving with joy. Those left to honor her memory include her children, Carrie (Michael) Piazza of Princeton; her son, Andrew (Wendy) Williams of Blue Grass; and her grandchildren, Nicholas Piazza, Nora Piazza, Payton Williams, Sawyer Williams; and her half-brother, Richard L. Cole of Kennesaw, Ga. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband. Custom obituary
	Obituary: Donald Rathjen Donald H. Rathjen, 90, of Davenport and formerly of Eldridge, passed away on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, at MercyOne Genesis in Davenport. Funeral services were held on Monday, April 20, at Chambers Funeral Home in Eldridge. Burial was at Long Grove Christian Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to Holy Family Catholic Church to benefit the Blessing Box food pantry outreach program or to Faith Lutheran Church of Eldridge. Don was born June 4, 1935, in Scott County, the son of Arthur and Wilma (Goettsch) Rathjen. He was a veteran of the United States Army and was a longtime member of the Donahue American Legion. On Feb. 15, 1958, he was united in marriage to Delores Jean Dittman in Eldridge. She preceded him in death on April 24, 2025. Don had been employed for 42 years with the Eldridge Cooperative. He was a longtime member of the Long Grove Volunteer Fire Department and the Lions Club of Long Grove. Don had also served for a time with the Long Grove City Council. In recent years, he could be seen helping out at the pumpkin patch in Long Grove. Among those left to honor his memory include his children, Debra (Frank) Sadd of Davenport, Donald (Sharon) Rathjen of Grand Mound, Denise (Vincent) Jackovich of Eldridge and Daniel Rathjen of LaHarpe, Ill.; six grandchildren, Jennifer (Michael) Howard, Laura (Brian) Nagle, Megan (Jeremy) Swanson, Justine (Jon) Hines, Katharine (Tye) Correy, and Hope Rathjen; his sisters, Charlene Littrel and Marlene Paulson; his brother, Alan (Joyce) Rathjen; and sister-in-law, Carol Rathjen. In addition to his wife, Delores, Don was preceded in death by his parents and five brothers. Don’s full obituary may be found at www.McGinnis-Chambers.com. Custom obituary
	Obituary: Patricia Fatty Patricia Ruth (Alley) Fatty, lovingly known as “Patty” or “Gram,” was born on Feb. 6, 1963, in Jonesport, Maine, the youngest daughter of Clifford R. Alley Jr. and Ethelyn Alley. Patty passed away on April 9, 2026, after a year‑long battle with pancreatic cancer. Throughout her journey, she never lost her love for life or her positive spirit. Patty spent most of her life in DownEast Maine and was deeply proud of where she came from. Later in life, she followed her only daughter, Abby, to Iowa, where she found great joy in being closely involved in the lives of her grandchildren. Patty never met a stranger and had a remarkable gift for making lifelong friends wherever she went. She formed many meaningful friendships during her years working at Hy‑Vee and McDonald’s. Known as the life of the party, Patty believed in seeing the good in every moment and brought laughter and light to those around her. She was preceded in death by her parents, Clifford and Ethelyn Alley. Patty is survived by her daughter, AbbyLynn Andrews; her son‑in‑law, Matthew Andrews; and her three beloved grandchildren, Blake Allen James, Madison Lynn, and Brysen Ray Andrews. She is also survived by her brothers, Maurice (Emily) Alley, Ronnie (Wanda) Alley, and Raymond (Benita) Alley; her sister, Sherry (Everett) Scott; and many cherished nieces, nephews, and special friends who were fortunate to know her. A Celebration of Life will be held at the Maysville Community Center on April 24 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The family requests that monetary donations be made to the Ohl Strong Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer or the Humane Society of Scott County in Davenport. A special thank you from the family to the many healthcare professionals they encountered during this time, including MercyOne Genesis Davenport Cancer Center, University of Iowa Health Care, and Harmony at Utica Ridge. The family will travel to Maine this summer to lay Patty to rest. Condolences may be expressed to the family by viewing her obituary at www.McGinnis-Chambers.com. Custom obituary
	Eldridge VFW honors essay contest winners Edward W. Knapper Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 6174 honored its annual Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy student essay winners. Post Commander Ron Sebastian (left) and Post Quartermaster Brad Striegel (right) presented each winner with a cash award and a VFW certificate. North Scott Junior High School student Hayden Hythecker won $100 for her Patriot’s Pen student essay competition for grades 6-8. North Scott High School student Kelsie Hilsenbeck won $200 her Voice of Democracy student essay competition for grades 9-12. The topic of this year’s essay contest was, “How Are You Showing Patriotism and Support for Our Country?” Nationwide, the VFW sponsors the student essay competitions every year, and students can compete at the local VFW post, District, State and National competitions for a chance to win their share of up to $3 million in cash and scholarships. Each first place VFW Department (state) Patriot’s Pen winner for grades 6-8 receives a minimum of $500, and the national first place winner wins $5,000. Each first place winner from each VFW Department (state) Voice of Democracy receives a scholarship of at least $1,000, and the national level first place winner wins receives a $35,000 scholarship. Visit the link below to learn more about the VFW essay competition and encourage a student you know to submit their essay for the 2026-27 competition (topic to be announced) to their local VFW post by Oct. 31. For students to enter locally, contact VFW Post 6174 at 563-223-9262. Applications can be filled out by going to: www.vfw.org/community/youth-and-education/youth-scholarships.
	Two North Scott seniors among DuTrac scholarship winners Two North Scott students are among 10 recipients of $1,000 scholarships through DuTrac Community Credit Union’s 2026 Academic Scholarship Program. Eligible recipients must be graduating seniors and members of DuTrac Community Credit Union. Mallory Deutmeyer is the daughter of Gretchen and Cory Deutmeyer. She plans to attend the University of Iowa and major in biochemistry and molecular biology. Aubrey Toohey is the daughter of Chris and Jennifer Toohey. She plans to attend Luther College to study nursing. “Education builds the foundation for a knowledgeable, thriving society, empowering individuals to grow personally and professionally while making meaningful contributions to their communities. DuTrac’s Scholarship Program was established to recognize Credit Union members who demonstrate strong academic achievement, active involvement in extracurriculars, and a commitment to community service, all while pursuing higher education at an accredited community college, trade school, technical college, or university,” said Andrew Hawkinson, DuTrac president and CEO.
	Officials identify 76-year-old man killed in Bettendorf house fire Officials identified 76-year-old Donald Jones as the man killed in a Bettendorf house fire Sunday afternoon.
	Florida Democrat Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, facing possible expulsion, resigns The Florida Democrat faced a potential expulsion vote in the House as she prepares for a federal trial on allegations that she stole disaster funds and used some of the money to finance her campaign.
	View the Scott County Sheriff's report from the April 22 NSP! SUNDAY, APRIL 5 5:16 p.m. — Christian James Kleppe, 48, Wilton, was charged with OWI – 1st offense and cited for speeding, following a traffic stop near 295th Street and Allens Grove Road, Dixon. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8 9:37 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of theft in the 3000 block of 240th Street. 9:43 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of theft on Manor Drive. 9:59 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem in the 26000 block of Bluff Road. 10:03 a.m. — Deputies performed a welfare check in the 11300 block of 140th Street. 11:43 a.m. — Clifford Eugene Olson, 37, Davenport, was charged with a sex offender registration violation – 2nd or subsequent offense, following an incident in the 400 block of West 4th Street, Davenport. 1:08 p.m. — Deputies responded to a drug complaint in the 11600 block of 140th Street Place. 1:31 p.m. — Jarian Tymetrious Beason, 34, Davenport, was charged with driving while barred (habitual offender), following a traffic stop near West 65th and Brady streets, Davenport. 1:48 p.m. — Tommy Chester Moore, 66, Davenport, was charged with driving while barred (habitual offender), following a traffic stop in the 2300 block of West Locust Street, Davenport. 1:59 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 300 block of West Pine Street. 3:14 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage in the 500 block of Belmont Road. 5:50 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 500 block of Huckleberry Lane. 7:03 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of theft in the 2300 block of West Locust Street. 7:05 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 100 block of 3rd Street. 7:30 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of a one-vehicle accident near North Pine Street and Northwest Boulevard. A vehicle driven by Elijah Emanuel Cuevas, 19, Davenport, attempted to make a left turn from North Pine Street to Northwest Boulevard. Cuevas reportedly lost control of the vehicle, which spun out and struck the median. Cuevas was cited for failure to maintain control. 8:47 p.m. — Aqsheana Debbie Dhere Dixon, 22, Davenport, was cited for driving while barred (habitual offender), following a traffic stop in the 2400 block of East 53rd Street, Davenport. 9:43 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 700 block of West Iowa 80 Road. 9:46 p.m. — Brandy Renae Gheer, 45, Davenport, was charged with child endangerment, possession of a controlled substance (cannabidiol) – 1st offense and possession of drug paraphernalia and cited for violation of financial liability coverage and improper brake light, following a traffic stop near 140th Street and Coonhunters Road, Blue Grass. THURSDAY, APRIL 9 1:15 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an iPhone crash notification near 160th Street and 110th Avenue, Davenport. When deputies arrived at the scene, they did not observe a traffic accident. An iPhone with a heavily damaged case was discovered in the roadway. Deputies attempted to contact the owner of the phone and were unsuccessful. 1:33 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 2300 block of Jackson Avenue. 2:30 a.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 8200 block of Northwest Boulevard. 2:46 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 100 block of West 65th Street. 3:03 a.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 8300 block of Hillandale Road. 5:45 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of a one-vehicle accident in the 17900 block of Great River Road, where a vehicle driven by John K. Thompson, 62, Geneseo, Ill., struck a deer that entered the roadway. 7:44 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with personal injury in the 26600 block of 276th Avenue. 8:27 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage near East River Drive and Mound Street. 10:16 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 100 block of South Park View Drive. 11:48 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 700 block of West Walcott Road. 12:32 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 700 bloc kof West Walcott Road. 3:02 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with personal injury near East 53rd Street and Corporate Park Drive. 3:21 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage near Highway 61 and 267th Street. 4:08 p.m. — Chad Michael Metcalf, 48, Eldridge, was charged with stalking using a technological device, following an incident on Park Crest Court, Park View. FRIDAY, APRIL 10 2:06 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 1500 block of West Locust Street. 7:32 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage in the 600 block of Belmont Road. 10:39 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem on Grove Road. 11:05 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 400 block of West 4th Street. 12:58 p.m. — Deputies responded to a harassment complaint in the 100 block of Crest View Drive. 4:17 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem in the 200 block of West Main Street. 4:29 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of a one-vehicle accident in the 200 block of South Cadda Road, Long Grove. A vehicle driven by Stetson Levi Picolet, 17, Long Grove, was southbound on Cadda Road. Picolet reportedly told deputies the gearshift on his vehicle stuck, and the vehicle left the roadway. The vehicle went into a ditch before crossing a residential driveway and coming to rest in a residential yard. Picolet was cited for failure to maintain control. 4:55 p.m. — Islaine Thelumsa, 45, Moline, was charged with interference with official acts and cited for speeding and failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, following a traffic stop near Franklin and West Front streets, Buffalo. 5:41 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem in the 31700 block of 10th Avenue. 6:57 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 300 block of East James Street. 7:44 p.m. — Deputies responded to an abuse/neglect claim in the 3200 block of South 16th Avenue. 8:04 p.m. — Deputies responded to a fraud complaint in the 13900 block of 110th Avenue. 8:39 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage in the 9600 block of River Camp Road. 10:30 p.m. — Amada Rosa Trujillo, 19, Davenport, was charged with interference with official acts and possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) – 1st offense; and Haley Marie Lopez-Ganzer, 23, Davenport, was charged with possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) – 1st offense and cited for driving while license suspended, denied, cancelled or revoked and speeding, following a traffic stop near West 76th and North Division streets, Davenport. 11:11 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of a one-vehicle accident near Highway 61 South and Interstate 80 West, Davenport. A vehicle driven by William Robert Albers, 22, Davenport, was exiting Interstate 80 to Highway 61. Albers reportedly told deputies he swerved to avoid striking a deer in the roadway and the vehicle hit a guardrail. Albers was cited for defective tires. SATURDAY, APRIL 11 12:49 a.m. — Andrew James Nsubuga Oliver, 19, Janesville, Wis., was charged with possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) – 1st offense; Adrius D. Christianson, 19, Janesville, Wis., was charged with possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) – 1st offense; and Brian K. Jarrett, 68, Janesville, Wis., was charged with possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) – 1st offense and possession of a controlled substance, following a traffic stop near mile marker 298 on Interstate 80 West, Davenport. 1:26 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage near West Locust and Washington streets. 2:45 a.m. — Brayden Robert Sproston, 21, Eldridge, was charged with OWI – 1st offense and cited for speeding and failure to maintain control, following a traffic stop near Highway 61 and East LeClaire Road, Eldridge. 8:45 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with personal injury. 10:49 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 10100 block of 298th Street. 6:09 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage in the 700 block of West Iowa 80 Road, Walcott. A vehicle driven by Firdavs Khakberdiev, 34, Brooklyn, N.Y., struck a legally parked vehicle in the lot at the Iowa 80 Truckstop. 6:24 p.m. — Deputies responded to a harassment complaint in the 22600 block of Maysville Road. 6:38 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance near East Walcott Road and 70th Avenue. 8:01 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem in the 31400 block of Big Rock Road. 8:06 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance near Jones and North 9th streets. 10:21 p.m. — Deputies responded to a harassment complaint in the 100 block of 3rd Avenue. SUNDAY, APRIL 12 1:52 a.m. — Seth William Kollman, 38, Bettendorf, was charged with OWI – 1st offense and cited for violating one-way traffic designation and violation of financial liability coverage, following a traffic stop near North Pine and West 3rd streets, Davenport. 2:53 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 1200 block of Canal Shore Drive Southwest. 2:54 a.m. — Travis Wayne Feddersen, 43, Eldridge, was charged with OWI – 1st offense, following a traffic stop near Interstate 80 East and Brady Street, Davenport. 3:14 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 11300 block of 140th Street. 3:50 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 400 block of Betsy Ross Place. 10:20 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with personal injury. 11:14 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem in the 14900 block of 110th Avenue. 1:32 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of a two-vehicle accident in the 17900 block of Great River Road. A vehicle driven by Paul Wayne Imm, 69, Toluca, Ill., was stopped at the exit of a business driveway, waiting to turn onto Great River Road. A vehicle driven by Kayla Sue Evanovich, 41, LeClaire, pulled into the driveway of the business and swerved into Imm’s vehicle. Imm was transported by Medic to Genesis East Medical Center. Evanovich was charged with OWI – 1st offense and cited for failure to maintain control. The Bettendorf Fire Department assisted at the accident scene. 4:18 p.m. — Deputies responded to a harassment complaint in the 1700 block of Pleasant Court. 6:08 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 600 block of 15th Avenue. 8:08 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance on Valley View Drive. 9:35 p.m. — Kameron James Pawski, 22, Eldridge, was charged with interference with official acts and public intoxication – 1st offense, following a traffic stop near Lincoln Avenue and Grove Road, Eldridge. MONDAY, APRIL 13 2:47 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of a one-vehicle accident near 130th Avenue and 210th Street. A vehicle driven by Venasi Nyange, 29, Rockford, Ill., was eastbound on 210th Street. Nyange reportedly told deputies he was attempting to make a left turn onto 130th Avenue and the brakes went out on the vehicle. The vehicle left the roadway and went into a ditch. Nyange was cited for driving while revoked, driving under suspension and failure to maintain control. 8:34 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of theft in the 9200 block of 114th Street. 12:01 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of theft in the 2300 block of West Locust Street. 12:13 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of a two-vehicle accident in the 21600 block of Highway 67. A vehicle driven by Bruce Alan Joens, 67, Preston, was northbound on Highway 67. Joens’ vehicle crossed the centerline and struck a vehicle driven by Grace L. Kelly, 20, Moline, that was southbound on Highway 67. Joens was transported by Medic to Genesis East Medical Center and was later transferred to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Kelly was transported by Medic to Genesis East Medical Center. 3:43 p.m. — Deputies responded to a fireworks complaint in the 5300 block of 306th Street. 6:19 p.m. — Deputies began a death investigation in the 500 block of Holland Street. 11:46 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 1700 block of Iowa Drive. TUESDAY, APRIL 14 8:48 a.m. — Deputies responded to an abuse/neglect claim in the 600 block of Belmont Road. 1:24 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage in the 400 block of West 4th Street. 3:05 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage in the 600 block of Belmont Road. 3:45 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem. 7:00 p.m. — Isiah Anthony Heard, 33, Chicago, Ill., was cited for general assault, after deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 4800 block of State Street, Riverdale. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 6:26 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem in the 10800 block of 158th Street. 10:31 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage in the 500 block of Belmont Road.
	Shutouts bolster strong second week Wins are wins, and North Scott’s girls’ soccer team has four of them in its first five games. They won’t all be blowout barnburners like Tuesday’s (April 14) 10-0 55-minute win over Clinton, but North Scott earned its 1-0 win on Thursday against Muscatine. “In the MAC, you have to win these games. It wasn’t pretty. We will take it,” Lancer coach Dion Ayers said. “I’m proud. We had a couple of girls really fight through some injuries. They are tough kids.” An unranked but physical Muscatine team pushed North Scott for all 80 minutes on Thursday. It’s a school the Lancers couldn’t afford to overlook having lost to them last season and nine times since 2012. The Muskies’ stingy defense showed up again, limiting what the Lancers wanted to do on offense. “They did a really good job of denying our through balls,” Ayers said. “They were just a step quicker than our forwards. Our big through balls weren’t working. We worked on some different runs last night in practice, and it was a half-touch off. It was close, but we did miss a few.” Senior Bella Mohr scored the game’s lone goal off a broken play in the box. Sophomore Camryn Jones played a ball back to Mohr at the top of the penalty area, and Mohr ripped a ball to the back post for the score. North Scott played the second half on its back foot as Muscatine had multiple good looks at Nora Barnett on the other side of the field. The junior goalkeeper came up with 12 saves and kept the Muskies off the scoreboard. “What stood out most was our grit. Even when things were not as clean as we wanted, the girls battled and found a way to protect the lead. That toughness may have been the difference between a win and a tie or a loss,” Ayers said. Unselfishness, too, is another blossoming trait for this year’s team. “Everybody is accepting right now. There is nobody worried about their minutes, even though I know they want minutes,” Ayers said. “I don’t see that. I don’t look down the sideline and get ‘the eye.’ Everybody is cheering each other on throughout the whole process.” North Scott combined to score 11 goals and give up zero this week with its big win earlier in the week over Clinton. Sophomore Reese Barnett scored her third hat trick of the season, and she now has 10 goals on the year. Jones came away from this game with two goals, and all of Mohr, senior Kenzie Moeller, sophomore Julia Solis, freshman Sawyer Koberg and freshman Ellie Wilske scored a goal. Koberg and Wilske scored their two goals on penalty kicks for the ninth and 10th goals of the game, which ended midway through the second half due to the mercy rule. Solis and Barnett each had two assists, while Moeller, Koberg, Jones and junior Saeler VenHorst all had one. Nora Barnett defended the net for the first half, and freshman Kelsey Clayton played the final 15 minutes. Neither goalkeeper recorded a save because the River Queens did not get a single shot up in the match. “A major point of emphasis in recent training has been switching the point of attack and avoiding forcing balls into tight spaces, and the team executed that beautifully tonight,” Ayers said. “The girls showed great composure, found open lanes, attacked off the dribble and made intelligent runs off the ball in the attacking third.” North Scott bumped up one spot in the Class 2A rankings to No. 5, trailing No. 1 Waverly-Shell Rock, No. 2 Norwalk, No. 3 Dallas Center-Grimes and No. 4 North Polk. For any fans who want to watch this team up close, this week will be the last to do so at The Pitch for many weeks. After hosting Davenport West (April 21) and Moline (April 23), the Lancers won’t play another home game until May 12 against Pleasant Valley. In between, the Lancers will play two conference road games in Davenport as well as two tournaments in Bettendorf and the Des Moines suburbs.
	Lancers sweep conference nine-hole meets Lancer girls’ golfers are swinging into spring with a pair of Mississippi Athletic Conference nine-hole meet wins during the first week of competition. On Monday (April 13), the Lancers won a quad meet at Duck Creek Golf Course by 30 strokes, winning with a 165 team score over Davenport West, Davenport North and Clinton. Then, the Lancers defended Glynns Creek Golf Course with a 172 team score to defeat Central DeWitt, Davenport West and Davenport Central. North Scott’s senior quartet had the top four scores at both meets, with Addison Eckhardt taking home medalist honors each time. On Monday, Eckhardt shot an even-par 35 to lead the group. AJ Blevins was next up with a 41, followed by Aubrey Toohey at 43 and Bryn Stephens at 46. Sophomores Anna Nicholson and Reese Hubner got the starts in both meets and backed up the seniors. They shot scores of 48 and 51 on Monday, respectively. At the home meet, Eckhardt shot a 37 to win her second medal. She had a putt for eagle on her last hole to get consecutive even-par rounds. A birdie forced her to ‘settle’ for one-over on Thursday afternoon. Blevins, Toohey and Stephens all matched with 45s to score for the Lancers. Hubner shot a 53, and Nicholson shot a 59 to round out the Lancer lineup. The top-scoring non-Lancer on Thursday was Leah Brown of Central DeWitt, who shot a 49. On Monday, it was Davenport West junior Reagan Walker, who posted a 46. North Scott begins tournament play this week with back-to-back meet days. First is a Wednesday trip to Emeis Golf Course for the 10-school West Falcon Invitational. Here, the Lancers will get their first look at No. 1-ranked Pleasant Valley. Three ranked teams will be in attendance for Thursday’s home meet, the Lancer Girls Golf Invitational, at Glynns Creek beginning at noon. The No. 1 Spartans, the No. 9 Dubuque Senior Rams and the No. 10 Cedar Rapids Prairie Hawks are among 14 schools teeing it up in one of the best events on the calendar. Bettendorf, along with North Scott, enter this event as honorable mentions in the first release of the Iowa Golf Preps Class 4A rankings. On the individual side, the MAC has six of the top 15 ranked golfers. North Scott is represented by Eckhardt who comes in at No. 10. The other five are Pleasant Valley’s Camille Wood (No. 3), Muscatine’s Rylee Brockhouse (No. 5), Pleasant Valley’s Ella Sherrick (No. 7), Bettendorf’s Liliana Graham (No. 13) and Pleasant Valley’s Stella Roemer (No. 15).
	MAC slate begins for Lancer tennis North Scott’s boys’ tennis team discovered the fun end and the tough end of 5-4 duals this week, winning one against Davenport North but losing one to Clinton. The Lancers also lost a closer-than-it-looks 8-1 dual to Bettendorf to cap off its three-meet week. The team’s first win of the season came on Tuesday (April 14) at Davenport North with three singles wins and two doubles victories. Senior Lucas Persson and junior Jacob Link once against swept their matches. Persson won at No. 1 singles 6-1, 6-0 over Alexander Creighton, and Link won at No. 2 singles by the same score line over Thomas Kern. They paired up at No. 1 doubles and cleanly dispatched Creighton/Kern 6-0, 6-0. Freshman Camden Wenck also went undefeated on the day. He won his match at No. 4 singles 6-1, 6-1 against Conner Crowell. He then teamed up with junior Alex McKay to win a nail-biter at No. 2 doubles, 6-3, 6-7, 1-0 (10-7) against Crowell and Keian Price. Freshman Lachlan Suarez battled at No. 5 singles but his comeback bid came up just short. Carson Snyder won in a match tiebreaker 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (14-12). Against Clinton, Persson and Link won at the No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions. Persson won 6-1, 6-2 and Link got by in straight sets 6-2, 7-6. In doubles, Persson and Link won an unconventional straight set match, 6-0, 7-5, over their singles opponents Tanner Feddersen and Lucas Hilgendorf. Wenck earned his victory at No. 4 singles, 7-6, 6-3, over Jace Burgland. While North Scott lost to Bettendorf in lopsided fashion on the score board, four of the nine matches went to a third set tiebreaker. Persson was the lone lucky Lancer, defeating Henry Moran in dramatic fashion: 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (15-13). Wenck, freshman Aiden Feller and the Persson/Link doubles duo were not as fortunate in the match tiebreakers. Persson/Link dropped a match after winning the first set 6-0, falling 4-6, 0-1 (7-10) in the next two sets to Henry Moran/Truman Brooks. Feller and Wenck lost their matches from a set down. Miles Miranda beat Feller 6-2, 5-7, 1-0 (10-3) and Johnny Gauna beat Wenck 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (11-9). Now, North Scott begins the toughest part of its schedule with a road dual at Central DeWitt on April 21, a home dual against Davenport Assumption, and its first invitational in Camanche on April 25.
	Split week, rainout halts progress Improving to 2-1 in the Mississippi Athletic Conference, the North Scott boys’ soccer team earned its first shutout win of the season in a 3-0 victory over Clinton on Monday (April 13). It was a game dominated from start to finish by the Lancers, evidenced by time of possession and the volume of shots on goal. The Lancers attempted 29 shots in the game, 18 of which were on goal. Clinton attempted two shots, neither of which were on target. North Scott could have scored many more than just three goals as the entire first half was played on Clinton’s side of the field. Freshman Lukas Mena put the game’s first goal through in the opening minutes, but Clinton’s defense held the line and did not let the game get out of hand. Junior Darek Kiesey and sophomore Max Ronnebeck broke through in the second half, scoring two goals to seal the victory. Junior Tyler West had two assists in this game, and North Scott goalkeeper Scott Hartin did not need to record a save for his clean sheet. The game got tougher three days later with a road trip to Cedar Rapids to face Xavier. The Saints lead the historical series 11-2 since 2013. Xavier got up 3-0 after the first half, and the Saints put two more goals between the pipes in the second half to put the game out of reach. Sophomore Yedidiya Schwartz scored his first career varsity goal in the second half, an unassisted goal, to prevent the shutout. Freshman goalkeeper Gavin Lindle entered the game midway through the first half, and he played the entire second half. He stopped 12 shots in his first extended look in the net. In this contest, North Scott put four shots on goal, forcing Xavier goalkeeper Abraham Renze to make three saves. North Scott’s game on Friday against Wahlert Catholic was postponed due to severe storms. The schools are looking to schedule a make-up date. With sunny skies forecasted this week, North Scott is likely to see its first three-game stretch of the season. It will travel to Muscatine on April 21 and Davenport West on April 23 before hosting Dubuque Hempstead on April 24.
	View the Eldridge Police report from the April 22 NSP! MONDAY, APRIL 13 8:57 a.m. — Complaint of loud music in the 100 block of West LeClaire Road. Handled by officer. 10:20 a.m. — Daidra Ashby, 36, of DeWitt, was arrested for driving under suspension, following a traffic stop on Highway 61. 4:56 p.m. — Assisted Medic with an EMS call in the 200 block of North 4th Avenue. 6:03 p.m. — Benjamin Sloat, 34, of Davenport, was cited for no insurance and operating a non-registered vehicle, following a traffic stop on Highway 61. 7:54 p.m. — Complaint of a carbon monoxide alarm going off in the 700 block of South 5th Street. Handled by officer. 7:55 p.m. — Assisted Medic with an EMS call in the 20800 block of 168th Avenue. TUESDAY, APRIL 14 12:08 a.m. — Thomas Santilli, 21, of Long Grove, was cited for operation without registration, following a traffic stop on Highway 61. 8:57 a.m. — Assisted another agency with an incident in the 200 block of West LeClaire Road. Handled by officer. 10:53 a.m. — Complaint of a domestic disturbance in the 500 block of West Prairie Vista Drive. 11:23 a.m. — Assisted Medic with an EMS call in the 200 block of East Franklin Street. 3:12 p.m. — Report taken for a cat bite in the 500 block of South 5th Street. 3:53 p.m. — Complaint of theft of property in the 400 block of West Price Street. Handled by officer. 4:28 p.m. — Complaint of a dog left in a vehicle in the 400 block of East LeClaire Road. Handled by officer. 5:57 p.m. — Assisted another agency with an incident in the 500 block of South 1st Street. Handled by officer. 8:10 p.m. — Complaint of a fire out of control in the 1100 block of West Donahue Street. Handled by officer. 8:35 p.m. — Complaint of a reckless driver near East LeClaire and North Scott Park roads. Unable to locate. Handled by officer. 9:15 p.m. — Complaint of suspicious subjects in the 800 block of North 1st Street. Handled by officer. 10:09 p.m. — Jerquarius Richardson, 24, of East Moline, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) – 1st offense, following a traffic stop on Highway 61. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 8:00 a.m. — Removed debris from the roadway on Highway 61. Handled by officer. 12:24 p.m. — Marty Hansen, 51, of Clinton, was cited for failure to maintain control, after being involved in a two-vehicle accident on Highway 61. 1:36 p.m. — Complaint of loud music in the 100 block of West LeClaire Road. Handled by officer. 4:46 p.m. — Complaint of suspicious subjects in the 800 block of East LeClaire Road. Unable to locate. Handled by officer. 5:47 p.m. — Complaint of a juvenile found with no parents around in the 200 block of West Spring Street. The juvenile was returned to parent. Handled by officer. 6:29 p.m. — Complaint of juveniles causing a disturbance in the 600 block of East LeClaire Road. Handled by officer. THURSDAY, APRIL 16 8:42 a.m. — Assisted another agency with a traffic stop on Highway 61. Handled by officer. 11:34 a.m. — Riley Webster, 18, of Eldridge, was cited for improper use of a handicapped parking space, following an incident in the 200 block of South 1st Street. 12:37 p.m. — Report of a parking complaint in the 500 block of West Donahue Street. Handled by officer. 4:06 p.m. — Assisted another agency with a report of a civil issue in the 100 block of North 2nd Street. FRIDAY, APRIL 17 1:22 a.m. — Complaint of a suspicious vehicle on Highway 61. Handled by officer. 6:45 a.m. — Complaint of a reckless driver on Highway 61. Unable to locate. Handled by officer. 9:18 a.m. — Report of a parking complaint in the 400 block of North 6th Street. Handled by officer. 2:35 p.m. — Assisted a motorist in the 200 block of East Price Street. Handled by officer. 6:42 p.m. — Complaint of a low-hanging wire in the 500 block of West Lincoln Road. Handled by officer. 11:50 p.m. — Jody Phillips, 65, of Iowa City, was arrested on an outstanding warrant for OIW – 2nd offense and eluding, possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) – 2nd offense, and possession of contraband in a correctional facility, following an incident in the 900 block of Trails Road. SATURDAY, APRIL 18 1:10 a.m. — Thomas Santilli, 21, of Long Grove, was cited for operation without registration, improper rear lamps and defective or unauthorized muffler system, following a traffic stop near North 1st and West Davies streets. 4:21 a.m. — Complaint of a disabled vehicle near South Buttermilk Road and West Spring Street. Handled by officer. 8:25 a.m. — Report of an alarm sounding in the 200 block of Trails Road. Keyholder contacted. Handled by officer. 12:08 p.m. — Complaint of a disabled vehicle on Highway 61. Handled by officer. 3:53 p.m. — Alexandra Kleinsmith, 28, of Eldridge, was cited for operating a non-registered vehicle, following a traffic stop near South 1 Street and East Lincoln Road. 5:59 p.m. — Joseph Krenzelok, 34, of Eldridge, was cited for no insurance and operating a non-registered vehicle, following a traffic stop in the 2200 block of South 1st Street. 9:37 p.m. — Complaint of suspicious juveniles in the 200 block of South 1st Street. Unable to locate. Handled by officer. 9:47 p.m. — Complaint of juveniles vandalizing property in the 500 block of South 5th Street. The complaint was unfounded. Handled by officer. SUNDAY, APRIL 19 10:37 a.m. — Complaint of suspicious activity in the 600 block of East LeClaire Road. Handled by officer. 11:18 a.m. — Assisted Medic with an EMS call in the 1000 block of Fox Ridge Road. 11:34 a.m. — Assisted another agency with an incident in the 1800 block of South 11th Avenue. Handled by officer. 11:36 a.m. — Complaint of theft of property in the 400 block of East LeClaire Road. Handled by officer. 1:37 p.m. — Complaint of a trespassed subject on property in the 400 block of South 14th Avenue. Handled by officer. 5:52 p.m. — Jenna VanHoosier, 22, of Eldridge, was cited for failure to stop within the assured clear distance, following a traffic accident in the 100 block of South 4th Avenue. 5:53 p.m. — Kayla Reddick, 26, of Davenport, was cited for operating a non-registered vehicle, following a traffic stop in the 100 block of West Slopertown Road.
	Students build North Scott’s newest homes Drive past it and you’d never know the job site at 414 S. Diamond Drive was anything but another spec home sprouting up in Long Grove. Even with a closer look you might not notice that the men in jeans and work boots are conspicuously clean shaven. But the site is the latest student-built home, and each of the students are North Scott seniors. “We have 24 students, about 12 students every other day just working away here,” instructor Dave Linnebrink said. “These are our best, brightest students here at North Scott, and they want to get into the trades, and they're doing a great job building this home.” The simple ranch home—“farm style, Chip Gaines style,” Linnenbrink said—will be complete next month. Drywall has been hung and painted; siding is nearly finished; sinks and showers are largely in place. North Scott senior Bennett Hamerlinck has spent the past year bringing the site from a foundation to finished home. “So far, it's been pretty good. I'd say we're learning as we go,” he said. “We've messed up quite a bit of stuff, but then we fix it. That's a part of the process.” Hamerlinck and his 23 peers spent months in the classroom before arriving on the job site. Each took Introduction to the Build Environment and Building Trades I & II before they could apply to join the construction crew, and they spend alternate Fridays in building trades internships. Students participate in nearly every step of the construction project, instructor Jason Cousino said. “We patch drywall, we set trim, we fill the holes in the nail on the trim, we'll end up touching up paint,” he said. “We do a little bit of everything.” They cannot do everything, he admitted. Students shadow licensed electricians and plumbers, and drywall the basement. “We usually do the flooring, siding, roofing,” he said. “They got to finish some concrete work while the concrete guy was here.” Most of the contractors who work alongside students are from the North Scott area. “A lot of the people we have connected to the program are connected to North Scott in some way,” Cousino said. “They either graduated from North Scott or they’re from the community.” That way local employers have a chance to meet new recruits. “Think of us as the minor leagues,” Linnenbrink said. “We're getting them ready. They're going to the major leagues.” “I think it's a really good opportunity to put yourself ahead,” senior Matt Williams said of the student built home, “a good opportunity to, like, learn the trade before most people do. You put your foot in the door before other people do.” On alternate Fridays, he interns with classmate Scott McCoy at Petersen Plumbing. The program offers “competitive advantages,” Linnenbrink explained, “because they’re just getting that experience before they're 18.” With young builders, not everything goes right the first time around. “The siding… we had to redo a few times,” Hamerlinck said. “I think there's been redos everywhere around the house…. We’re all learning. But at the end of the day it looks good.” Tour the home Step inside 414 S. Diamond Drive to an open kitchen and living room—a “great room,” Linnenbrink said, warmed by a fireplace. To the right, a door opens onto a deck and a backyard, where students will roll sod in coming weeks. Around and to the left, a walk-in pantry features its own sink, butcher block and low “Costco door.” “You can unload your groceries from the garage into here,” Linnenbrink explained. The garage has room for three cars, and a setback on the left-hand side opens room for storage and lets into the basement. Linnenbrink said access to the basement from the garage and main home is an increasingly popular feature. The home features three bedrooms. Two kids’ or guest rooms share a bathroom with a double vanity and bathtub. The master suite features a walk-in closet and a bathroom with a dark tiled shower and double vanity. The owners purchased the home early, in December, which gave them the opportunity to add design features to the project. The master bedroom, for instances, features handsome rectangular wall molding, and a raised ceiling. “We usually wouldn't do something like that, but they wanted to do that,” Linnenbrink explained. The home is only a single story. “We haven't built a two story home in a long time,” Linnenbrink said. We don't really want the kids up on a roof, doing the siding.”
	Man killed in Sunday Bettendorf house fire identified Bettendorf Fire and Police responded to a house fire on the 300 block of Bellevue Avenue around 2 p.m. on Sunday.
	Homes spring up in Maple Grove The 36 lots of Maple Grove Estates, on the south end of Donahue, are some of the only tracts open for development in the North Scott School District. So it’s no surprise to Colin Woods of Diamond Builders that families are racing to buy and build in the former tree nursery. Diamond has already completed their first home in the subdivision. They are two months from completion of their second home, a 2,000 square foot south-facing ranch. They will begin to dig foundations for two additional homes as soon as next week. “There’s going to be a half-dozen families out here by the end of the summer,” Woods said. Two of the four families working with Diamond have school-age children. “Rooftops breed rooftops, and we're doing our best to bring people here,” he said. The Rose family of Donahue began planning the subdivision nearly six years ago. The city voluntarily annexed the land in 2023. Roads were paved and utilities in place last July. “When somebody invests this kind of money—like the Roses did here—I want to see them succeed. And so we just continue to promote it like crazy,” Woods said. A paved loop separates the Maple Grove lots from traffic on 115th Street. A row of maple trees hems the northern edge of the subdivision. Large lots facing south and west, including three of the four properties presold by Diamond, boast an open view of Scott County farmland and a private Rose family pond. The home Diamond now has under construction was designed with those views in mind, Woods said. The owners, from Illinois, originally wanted a sizeable Iowa-side acreage. Woods designed a lofted great room with windows looking out over the backyard, pond and farmland. “I said I'll design the home to be able to maximize your views, and I think we were able to accomplish that,” Woods said. A high patio will allow the owners to step directly into the outdoors. “They put a patio door off their primary suite,” Woods point out. “So get up in the morning, go outside on the deck overlooking the pond. A pretty cool thing.” “This family just loves the outdoors and wanted to be somewhere they could get some extra space,” he explained. “Currently, where they're living, they're really close to their neighbors. They don't mind neighbors, but they wanted a little extra breathing room.” The home’s three-car garage faces the subdivision cul-de-sac and lets directly into the home without a single step. Woods said “zero-entry” features have become standard for Diamond homes. The main floor of the house filters guests through a mudroom before opening onto the great room. A guest bedroom and “pocket office” open to the right. “These days, you're not really having that dedicated office anymore,” Woods said. Most families have shifted towards laptops and other portable devices. “So we're doing a lot of what I call little pocket offices,” which combine workspace and storage space. The primary suite, to the left of the main entrance, features a walk-in closet that wraps around to the mudroom—keeping laundry concentrated in one corner of the house, Woods explained. Stairs lead to a basement which lets out directly onto the backyard. Two basement guest rooms will accommodate visitors. Construction on the home has moved quickly, Woods said. Diamond Builders raises a typical home in 5–6 months. It takes just a month to design and permit a home before breaking ground. “Most people are pretty decisive,” Woods said. “For example, we sat down with a couple on one of these other presolds. We had the contract put together and prints designed within three to four weeks, and now permits are submitted and we dig here in the next week or two.” “We've been in business 27 years now. I feel as though we have some good systems in place that help to expedite things and keep things on track,” he said. A successful build requires committed owners. “I always tell people, when you're going to build with Diamond, we're getting married for five to six months,” Woods joked. “Communication is key. And when we sign the contract, their homework begins. They've got assignments—they get to go back to school a little bit, and our team helps keep them on track.” Woods has faith that Maple Grove will fill in quickly. About a half-dozen lots have sold to date. “These are bigger lots and less expensive than in Eldridge,” he said. He pointed out that the drive to businesses and amenities in Eldridge was just a few minutes. But the most important amenity isn’t a HyVee or Genesis clinic. “I think the reason this is growing and will continue to grow, is it's in North Scott School District,” Woods said.
	Knox County residents asked to submit damage reports from April 17 storms Emergency management teams will use the information to see if the Knox County area meets the threshold for federal assistance to help affected property owners.
	“The Zone of Interest,” May 7 A two-time Academy Award winner The Times deemed a "landmark movie, hugely important, that's unafraid of difficult ideas," writer/director Jonathan Glazer's Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest will be screened at the Figge Art Museum on May 7, this powerful 2023 work the latest presentation in the Davenport venue's series of provocative, suspenseful films set in the context of authoritarian fascism.
	Eldridge rejects 3 proposals seeking to provide new future for shuttered community center The Eldridge City Council previously voted to close the community center due to financial difficulties.
	Additional tornadoes confirmed from April 17 outbreak Six tornadoes have been confirmed in eastern Iowa and western Illinois.
	Bettendorf Police Department plans contract with Flock Safety for drones The drones would provide early awareness to first responders in some emergencies, such as a burglary in progress, a chemical spill or a traffic crash, Police Chief Doug Scott said.
	Rock River rises above flood stage after recent storms The Rock River is on the rise after storms last week dropped rain across the area.
	Attorney General Bird relaunches protective order alert system Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has restarted a notification system for victims of domestic violence.
	Students across Illinois invited to help choose Illinois’ state colors Students have until May 1 to vote and will be able to select one rural color, one urban color, and one statewide color.
	Quad Cities marks Holocaust remembrance with survivor testimony, student awards The event included testimony from child Holocaust survivor Yvonne Aronson, Violins of Hope presentations and prayers.
	Quad-Cities gas prices fall nearly 13 cents in a week, still 27 cents higher than last month Average gas prices fell in 48 states over the last week, while diesel prices fell in 46 states.
	Build a backyard oasis There’s lots of choices to consider when installing a backyard pool or spa. When homeowners are thinking about these new amenities, it helps to have an experienced technician. Jim Wahl just might be your guy. Wahl is the owner of Dolphin Pools & Spas, located at 3690 W. 83rd St., Suite 103, in Davenport. Although he’s only been in this location for about a year, Wahl has more than 40 years of experience in the pool and spa business. He comes by it naturally. Wahl’s parents, Tom and Mary Lou, moved to Davenport from the Twin Cities in 1979 with the dream of starting their own business. They started small, selling in-ground pools out of their home, and eventually opened a retail location on Hickory Grove Road in Davenport. When that store opened, a young Wahl started tagging along with his dad to installations and helping his mom in the office. He worked stocking shelves and helping customers with chemicals and supplies. Wahl said that’s where his love and understanding of the pool and spa business began. Eventually, the Wahls expanded their product line and moved the store to North Brady Street. While Tom passed away in October of 2022, Wahl and his mother have continued the business, and now, Dolphin Pool & Spas offers a full range of options, from installations and seasonal openings and closings to a line of supplies and chemicals. Getting started First-time pool owners have a lot of factors to consider. But Wahl recommends talking to the city first, to make sure their aquatic dreams are even feasible. “There’s a lot of codes,” he said. “There’s easements, property lines, underground utilities and things that you have to make sure aren’t in the way of the pool. A lot of times, people buy a house and then they can’t have a pool because they don’t check into those things.” From there, it’s time to consider budget and function. “When I first started 40-ish years ago, we did all diving pools. And now, it’s pretty predominantly non-diving, because people want to play,” said Wahl. “Basketball and volleyball are absolutely huge in pools today.” Other functions can include exercise, such as a lap pool. There’s a wide range of options that can fit a lot of budgets, from fully in-ground, semi in-ground or semi above-ground to fully above-ground. Pool owners have other options to consider. There’s the traditional pool with chlorine, but Wahl said saltwater and mineral pools are also popular. However, all pools require some level of chlorine. “There’s no cure-all,” said Wahl. “Salt doesn’t just take care of everything, and it’s making chlorine. I think that’s a big misnomer for people.” While traditional chlorine pools might be somewhat cheaper to install, there’s more monitoring required, and the owner will have to spend more money on chemicals throughout the life of the pool. Saltwater and mineral pools can require more of an upfront cost on installation, and can require more electricity, but there’s less long-term cost for chemicals. And materials can also be a factor. Concrete or gunite (which is a mixture of cement and sand) are highly durable and customizable, but these tend to be the more expensive of the options and require a longer timeframe for installation. Fiberglass or vinyl are more budget-friendly options. Dolphin Pools & Spas strictly handles vinyl liners and can also do replacement vinyl if needed. Ready to dig Once the homeowner has made a decision on their pool, Dolphin Pools & Spas can get to work. “I sell the pools, I dig the pools, and my guys that have been with me for 20-plus years install the pools,” said Wahl. “The only thing we don’t do, because we’re not certified, would be gas or electric and landscaping. But we oversee the project from start to finish. “Above-ground pools are either done by the homeowner or with a subcontractor. We don’t do those in-house.” From start to swim, Wahl said the process takes approximately three weeks, although that’s variable based on materials and weather. “Some can go quicker, some can go longer,” he said. “The weather is the key. We’re just like farmers in the pool business. Farmers can’t work, we can’t work.” Once the pool is in though, that doesn’t mean the homeowner can just sit back and relax. And Wahl recommends homeowners keep up on preventative maintenance. But it doesn’t have to be a full-time job. “Anymore today with the chemical systems, be it salt or mineral systems or the automatic pool cleaners, we’re doing a lot of iPhone controllers,” said Wahl. “It’s like a car. If you do preventative maintenance, it’s pretty simple. If you think you’re going to go out and swim once a week, then you might be in the wrong boat. But preventative maintenance goes a long way.” Wahl said if a pool owner can devote about an hour a week to making sure the pool is clean, that can be sufficient. That includes testing the water once or twice a week and emptying the skimmer basket and pump baskets. “We’re big into preventative maintenance and getting on a weekly schedule.” Dolphin can also help pool owners with seasonal openings and closings. “A local opening costs $350 and then it’s an additional $50 to take the cover off,” said Wahl. “We give discounts on chemicals; we deliver them for free. We do free water testing in the store. Out-of-town jobs we add a little travel expense. We do both openings and closings, and we probably do double the closings than openings, because people typically can open their own pool.” Wahl and his crew are also willing to travel for a job, in addition to work in the greater Quad Cities region. They’ve done work in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City metro area, and north to Maquoketa, Dubuque and Dyersville. Creating an outdoor oasis But Dolphin doesn’t just offer pools. They also have a range of spa options, and Wahl said that line is ever-expanding. “Spas are crazy right now. The industry has changed a lot from the old wooden hot tub,” he said. “Now they have Wi-Fi, TVs, stereos, pop-up speakers, lights, water features. You can really get a spa from $5,000 to a swim spa up to $50,000 to $60,000, as much as starting in-ground pools. The industry is all over the place and there’s so many options for people to choose.” Spas and pools in general have started to become increasingly popular as homeowners look to expand their living areas to include the outdoors. “We’re starting to see a lot of people build rooms that are like bars, kitchens and entertaining areas,” said Wahl. “Since COVID, people’s mindset has been, we’re going to do more at home. “We used to just do a pool for X amount of dollars. Now the landscaping and the building and the bar and kitchens quadruple the amount of the pool. People are just enjoying everything at home now.” To help with that outdoor living experience, Dolphin offers more than just chemicals and pool cleaners in-store. There’s also plenty of toys, accessories and floaties, and even aromatherapy for spas. Wahl has also recently added a line of grills to his inventory. For as long as he’s been in the business, Wahl said he’s still passionate about the work. “I started with my parents when I was young. I was out holding the pole grader for my dad. We started with wheelbarrows and no equipment, and times have just progressed and changed. We have excavators and skid loaders and power buggies now. Yesterday, we used a pump truck on a job because we couldn’t get access around a pool.” Making homeowners happy is a pretty nice perk, too. “I just love the families. I love getting the pictures from customers of their kids jumping in the pool for the first time, and all the happy faces.” For more information, visit dolphinpoolsandspasqc.com or call 563-296-9555 to make an appointment to visit the showroom.
	What to know before you decide to get a pool When it comes to putting a pool in your yard, it’s important to know city code before you start construction. Jim Wahl of Dolphin Pools & Spas recommends a visit to city hall as part of your pool planning. Eldridge recently updated its pool and spa code to be in line with other communities in Scott County, including Davenport and Bettendorf. A swimming pool is defined as any structure intended for swimming and recreational bathing that contains water more than 24 inches deep. That includes in-ground and above ground pools. All pools are subject to inspection before residents are cleared to swim. While the pool permitting paperwork is available on the city website, building inspector Ray Nees also has a pamphlet available with basics on fencing and other barriers as well as electrical information. Nees said there’s a lot to be aware of. “Above ground pools are really difficult because they’re fairly inexpensive. They go up pretty easy, and there’s a lot of regulations, and that makes it hard.” For starters, swimming pools cannot be constructed in a front yard, nor can they be built on a drainage easement. And, all pools, regardless of whether they are in-ground or above ground, must be surrounded by a four-foot fence or other barrier. Nees said that for an above-ground pool, the size of the pool could be the barrier, but most yards are not completely flat. “So, if you have to dig in one side of the pool four inches, that side of the pool is no longer four feet tall. Now you have to put in a fence, and that can be expensive.” If there are gates on the fence, there are also regulations. The gates must be self-closing and self-latching, and must open away from the pool and not open towards the pool. “Above ground pools, they’re great. They make some really nice ones now,” said Nees. “They last a long time. You can build a deck up to the pool. You still have to have that four-foot barrier though. So, if you don’t have a fence, you may have to put a barrier where the steps are on the deck. If you do have a fence all the way around everything and you can still get to the pool from the house without having to go through a barrier, then you have to have alarms on the doors.” Door alarms must be a minimum of 54 inches high. Nees said there are easy to install alarms that use a battery and adhesive. When an above ground pool is not in use, the ladder must also be removed. Another factor in pool installation is making sure the electrical work is done correctly. “It’s really best if people just hire an electrician, unless they’re going to explain to me that they know what equal potential bonding is,” said Nees. “It’s a lot easier that way, because an electrician, they know what they’re doing. They’ll come out and whip it out in an hour or two, and it’s just money well spent. It’s done; it’s done right. I’m always really enthusiastic when I see somebody has an electrician. That will make this project so much easier.” While spas don’t have quite the same electrical requirements, because most plug in, it’s important to think about where the spa will be located. “The big thing with spas is, I’ve seen people try to put them on their decks,” said Nees. “If your deck is not built for that, water weighs eight pounds per gallon. So, if you’ve got 1,000 gallons, that’s like setting two F150s up there. If your deck is not built to put a spa on, you might not want to do that. “A lot of times, you’ll see decks that are up high, and the spas will be on the patio at ground level. That’s why.” Nees also recommends homeowners take the time to consider where they are buying their pools from, especially above ground. “You’ll go to a place, pick out a great pool. A lot of times, they’ll have free installation specials, or $300 installation specials. And they’re going to come out and they’re going to set up the walls and put the bladder in, and they’re going to walk away. And the rest of the stuff still needs to be done. “So, what happens is, I go tell the homeowner, ‘No, you can’t fill it, because you’ve got to do this, this and this,’ and they’re really mad at me because the pool company didn’t tell them everything they needed to do. “There are some pool companies that are doing a very good job of that. I would literally tell people, if you go look at a pool and they don’t tell you that all of this other stuff needs to be done, you probably want to go someplace else to get your pool.” While the requirements may seem arduous, Nees says they are in place to ensure good outcomes for homeowners. “Earlier in my career, when I was a building official for Rock Island County, we did have a gentleman – a grandfather – who absolutely refused to do the things that were necessary. And we had documentation where we had to set a court date to try to get him to do these things. And his six-year-old grandson went out into the pool area and did not survive. So, I’m a little bit adamant on this stuff. I know there’s a lot of regulation for pools. I also think that it’s difficult. But it really does need to be done that way.”
	Henderson County Sheriff's Office searching for missing Oquawka man Henderson County deputies are searching for a missing Oquawka man last seen on April 12. Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office or 911.
	Sister Jane Wakahiu named St. Ambrose 2026 commencement speaker St. Ambrose University has named Sister Jane Wakahiu, LSOSF, PhD, as the keynote speaker for its 2026 Spring Commencement ceremony. She will receive an honorary degree for her leadership in global philanthropic and nonprofit work. The ceremony will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 16, at Vibrant Arena at The MARK, 1201 River Drive [...]
	Shingles Raises Heart and Stroke Risk: Protect Yourself with Vaccination (Feature Impact) Shingles isn’t just a painful rash and nerve pain. It’s also linked with a higher risk of serious cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke, especially in the weeks to months after infection. However, shingles is largely preventable with vaccination. The world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on changing the future of health for all, the American Heart Association, reminds eligible adults to protect themselves by getting vaccinated and staying on top of their heart health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. will get shingles in their lifetime. If you’ve had chickenpox, the virus that causes shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is already inside you. It can “wake up” years later, causing painful blisters and nerve pain that can last for months or longer. After a shingles episode, one large study published in the “Journal of the American Heart Association” found the risk of heart attack and stroke was nearly 30% higher in the short term and may persist over time. “Shingles can be very painful and knock you down for weeks,” said Eduardo Sanchez, M.D., FAHA, the American Heart Association’s chief medical officer for prevention. “It’s also associated with a higher chance of heart and stroke problems afterward. If you’re 50 or older, or have a weakened immune system, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the shingles vaccine. It’s a simple step that can keep you healthier.” Knowing your risk is the first step toward prevention. Age is the most important risk factor for developing shingles. As people age, their immune systems naturally weaken, making it easier for the virus to reactivate. People over 50, and especially those living with heart disease, diabetes or other chronic illnesses, are more likely to develop shingles. The risk of serious complications from shingles increases: As you get older If you take drugs that keep your immune system from working properly, like steroids and drugs given after an organ transplant If you have medical conditions that keep your immune system from working properly such as certain cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, or HIV infection Heart Health Made Simpler In addition to ensuring you’re up to date on your vaccines, talk to your health care professional about ways you can improve your overall heart health. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease remains the leading cause of death, taking more lives in the United States than any other cause. Following healthy lifestyle guidance like Life’s Essential 8 can make inroads toward preventing heart disease and stroke, and improving brain health. The set of four health behaviors (eat better, be more active, quit tobacco and get healthy sleep) and four health factors (manage weight, control cholesterol, manage blood sugar and manage blood pressure) are key measures for improving and maintaining cardiovascular health. How to Get the Shingles Vaccine Check eligibility: Recommended by the CDC for adults 50-plus and adults 19 and older with weakened immune systems. Find a location: Most national pharmacies, many primary care and specialty clinics and local health departments offer it. Search your pharmacy’s app or website, or call your clinician’s office. Book it: Make an appointment online or by phone. Sameday or walkin options may be available at pharmacies. Bring what you need: Photo ID, insurance card and a list of medicines and allergies. Wear a shortsleeve shirt, if you can. Plan for two doses, 2-6 months apart: When you schedule dose one, set a reminder or book dose two before you leave. Cost and coverage: Many health plans, including Medicare Part D, cover shingles vaccination at low or no cost. Check your benefits or ask the pharmacy to verify coverage. After your shot: A sore arm, fatigue, headache or mild fever are common and usually go away in 2-3 days. Call your clinician about severe or persistent symptoms. If you’ve had shingles before: You can still get vaccinated after you recover. Ask your health care provider about timing. Learn more at heart.org/shingles. Sidebar: Signs and Symptoms of Shingles Symptoms to watch for: tingling, itching or burning on one side of the body or face; a stripelike rash that turns into fluidfilled blisters; headache; fever; or chills. Act fast: If you think you have shingles, contact your health care professional right away. Treatment works best within 72 hours of the rash appearing. If the rash is near your eye or you have eye pain or changes in vision, seek urgent care. Lasting impact: The rash typically scabs over and clears within 2-4 weeks, but the pain in the rash area can last about a month. The duration of pain seems to increase with age. Sidebar: Protect Yourself (and Others) from Shingles If you have shingles, you can stop the spread by covering the rash and avoiding touching or scratching it. You should also wash your hands often, for at least 20 seconds, and avoid contact with people who may be at heightened risk until your rash scabs over, including: Pregnant women who never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine Premature or low-birthweight infants People with weakened immune systems Photos courtesy of Shutterstock
	Knox County residents invited to report storm damage through survey Damage from ongoing flooding through April 30 can be reported as well, organizers said.
	Quickest ways to find your employer identification number Quickest ways to find your employer identification numberYou need your EIN and you need it now. Maybe a vendor sent over a W-9, a lender is waiting on a loan application, or your accountant asked for it before a filing deadline. Your Employer Identification Number is the nine-digit number the IRS assigned to your business, and it tends to be easy to misplace precisely because you don't use it every single day. The good news is that it lives in more places than you probably realize.In this article, Brex walks through where to look, starting with the fastest options and working toward the IRS if everything else comes up empty. Before you start, one thing is worth flagging. If you've already been assigned an EIN, don't apply for a new one. Getting a duplicate EIN for the same business creates tax account confusion and delayed refunds that can take months to untangle.The fastest places to look for your EINBefore you make a single phone call, check these three sources. Most business owners find their EIN quickly this way. If none of them pan out, the sections below cover every other place it's likely to be hiding.Your IRS confirmation letter (CP 575)When the IRS assigns an EIN, it sends a confirmation notice called the CP 575. This is the original source of record for your number, and it should be stored with your other foundational business documents alongside your operating agreement and IRS correspondence. If you applied online, the IRS issued the CP 575 as an immediate PDF download at the end of the session. If you applied by mail, it arrived by post a few weeks later.The CP 575 cannot be reissued. The IRS won't send you a duplicate, so if you can't find it, you'll need to use one of the other methods below to retrieve your number and request a different verification document going forward. It's worth treating this letter with the same care you'd give your articles of incorporation.Before you give up on it entirely, do a thorough search. If you applied online, the IRS instructs applicants to print or save the confirmation at the end of the session, so check cloud storage folders, scanned document archives, and any physical files from around the time you formed the business. It turns up more often than people expect once they know where to look. The IRS typically initiates contact by mail rather than email, so an inbox search is unlikely to surface it.Your business banking accountOpening a business bank account requires an EIN, which means your bank already has it on file. This is often the single fastest way to retrieve your number if you don't have the CP 575 in front of you. Log into your online banking portal and check your account profile. If you already reconcile a bank statement monthly, you may have spotted your EIN there before without realizing it. The original paperwork from when you first figured out how to open a business bank account is another quick option. If none of those work, a call to your bank's business support line will get it done in minutes since they'll have it tied to your account.Your accountant or payroll providerAny CPA or tax preparer who has filed a business return on your behalf has your EIN on every return they've ever prepared. Send them a quick message and expect a fast turnaround. It's not information they need to dig for.If you run payroll through a third-party provider, your EIN is already sitting in your expense accounts alongside your tax settings. Log in and check your company profile or tax settings. Most platforms surface it within the first few clicks without any phone calls or waiting.Your tax returns are a reliable backupIf your accountant is unavailable and your bank records aren't handy, your own tax returns are a reliable backup. Your EIN appears at the top of every business return you've ever filed, and since it never changes once assigned, any prior year works just as well as the most recent one. If you work with a tax preparer and don't keep your own copies, ask them directly. They're required to maintain filed returns and can confirm the number immediately.Where exactly it appears depends on your business structure. Sole proprietors filing a Schedule C will find it in the top right corner of the form, in box D, labeled "Employer ID number (EIN)." Partnerships and multi-member LLCs filing Form 1065 will see it at the top of page 1 in box D. C corporations filing Form 1120 will find it at the top of page 1 in box B. S corporations filing Form 1120-S will also find it at the top of page 1, but in box D.If you have employees, Form 941 (the Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return) is another strong option. Your EIN appears in the header of page one, clearly labeled, and since it's filed four times a year, recent copies are typically easier to locate than an annual return. Any enterprise expense management platform or HRIS will have electronic copies going back several years.Other places your EIN can be foundYour EIN has appeared on more documents over the life of your business than you might expect. If tax returns and bank records aren't accessible, it's worth checking a few other places before picking up the phone. Most businesses have a paper trail that goes back further than they realize.W-9 forms you've submittedEvery time your business completed a Form W-9 for a client or vendor during onboarding, your taxpayer identification number was listed in Part I. For corporations, partnerships, and multi-member LLCs, that number is the EIN. If your business is a sole proprietorship or a single-member LLC that hasn't elected corporate or partnership tax treatment, the W-9 may show your SSN instead, so it's worth checking what you actually entered before assuming the EIN is there.With that in mind, this is one of the most commonly overlooked sources, and it's often immediately available. Check your accounts payable vendor files, procurement onboarding records, or any shared drive where your team stores client-facing documents. Many businesses keep a pre-filled W-9 in a shared folder for quick distribution to new clients, which makes retrieval easy.If your internal records don't surface one, contact a major client or vendor directly. They have the W-9 you submitted during onboarding and can send it back. This is especially useful if your business has changed accounting platforms or moved offices and lost paper records in the process.Business formation documentsLLC operating agreements and partnership agreements frequently include the EIN in the opening sections where basic business information is defined, but only if they were drafted or amended after the EIN was assigned. One common mistake is checking Articles of Incorporation or Articles of Organization. Those are filed with the state before the EIN exists, so they won't show it.Stick to post-formation documents instead, things like IRS correspondence, tax filings, account applications, and licenses. Business licenses and local permits are a solid option since most states and municipalities require your EIN on those applications, and it typically appears in the business identification section of the license itself. If you've registered in multiple states, any one of them should work.IRS notices and correspondenceMost official notices the IRS sends to your business display the EIN near the top of the letter or in the address block. Balance due notices, late payroll filing notices, and income adjustment letters all follow this pattern. Check any IRS mail received at your business address, your registered agent address, or the owner's home address, since the IRS routes correspondence to whatever address it has on file. If you keep a folder of IRS letters, your EIN is almost certainly in there.Employment and contractor formsEvery W-2 you've issued to an employee shows your business EIN in box b. If you've paid contractors and filed Form 1099-NEC, your EIN appears in the payer information section, and those same filings factor into what business expenses are tax-deductible at year-end. The reporting threshold is $600 or more for payments made in 2025 and $2,000 or more for payments made in 2026, so the forms may be more or less common in your records depending on your payment activity.State unemployment insurance correspondence, quarterly payroll tax reports, and workers' compensation documents are all tied to your EIN. If you're tracking these as part of an LLC expenses cheat sheet, the number will show up across all of them.Business loan and credit documentsLenders require your EIN on every loan application and financing agreement, typically within the first two pages. Many of these products also require a personal guarantee, and the EIN appears alongside it in the business identification section. Business lines of credit for startups, equipment financing, and SBA loan paperwork all follow the same pattern. The best business credit cards with EIN only will display it on statements, and if you're a Brex customer, your EIN is tied to your account from the moment you apply.Still can't find it? Here's how to get it from the IRSIf you've worked through the options above and still haven't found your number, the IRS has two official channels. Neither delivers results instantly, but both are reliable. What they will give you is certainty, which matters when a lender or institution needs verified confirmation of your EIN.Call the Business and Specialty Tax LineThe IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line is available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time at 800-829-4933. Before you call, have your business's legal name, business address, and your own Social Security number or personal TIN ready. The IRS representative will ask identity verification questions and then provide the EIN over the phone.Not everyone at your company can make this call. The IRS restricts EIN disclosure to specific authorized parties, including the responsible party named on the original Form SS-4, a third-party designee who was listed on that form at the time of application, or someone with written authorization on file. It's worth knowing that a designee's authority to receive the EIN ends once it's been assigned, so that path only applies during the initial application process.Written authorization options include Form 2848, which grants Power of Attorney, and Form 8821, which authorizes tax information access. The IRS also recognizes oral disclosure in limited circumstances. If a controller or office manager needs to make this call on behalf of a founder, getting the right authorization documented before an urgent deadline arrives saves real time.Request Form 147CDuring that same IRS phone call, you can request Letter 147C. This is the official EIN verification letter, and it functions as a replacement for the CP 575 in most situations where a lender, bank, or institution needs written confirmation of your EIN rather than just the number itself. You can have it faxed to you the same day or mailed within 7 to 14 business days.If you need to provide written EIN verification to a third party going forward, Letter 147C is what you want. File it alongside your other permanent business records once you receive it. That way, future requests don't require another call to the IRS.How to store your EIN so you're not hunting for it againNow that you have it, take ten minutes to store it properly so you're not doing this again in six months. Keep your EIN in at least two secure locations, an encrypted password manager for digital access and a locked physical file alongside your CP 575, formation documents, and any IRS correspondence. That combination means you'll always have a backup if one source becomes inaccessible.Share your EIN only with parties who have a legitimate reason to ask for it, like banks, payroll providers, government agencies, and vendors who need it for formal tax reporting. It's not a number to include on public-facing materials or marketing documents. Treat it with the same care you'd apply to any sensitive business identifier, because in the wrong hands it can be used to open fraudulent accounts or file false returns in your business's name. If you ever suspect your EIN has been misused, contact a tax professional and report it to the IRS promptly.What to do once you have your EINOnce you have your EIN confirmed, you're ready to set up the financial infrastructure your business actually runs on. That means corporate cards, expense management, and business banking that helps you establish business credit fast without putting your personal assets on the line.Whether business credit cards affect personal credit depends on which card you choose. Once your account is live, you can set up a corporate credit card program, manage expenses, and handle business banking from one place rather than across five separate tools.This story was produced by Brex and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Oscar Isaac struggled with 'Beef.' So he turned to 'Frankenstein' for help In Season 2 of Beef, Isaac plays Josh, a country club manager whose life is unravelling. He got into character by imagining how Victor Frankenstein would feel trapped inside Josh's "small life."
	‘We got to get out of here’: University of Iowa students recall Ped Mall shooting Students in the Ped Mall at the time of the shooting early Sunday are recalling the moment when they heard the shots ring out.
	Finance teams are using AI more than you think Finance teams are using AI more than you thinkAsk most people outside of a finance department how much they think finance teams use artificial intelligence, and they'll likely underestimate it. That's one of the findings revealed inside the 2026 AI in Finance Report, where about a third of respondents say their team uses AI more than outsiders realize.It makes sense when you consider how AI actually shows up in finance work today. It's not always visible. It runs in the background of invoice processing systems, surfaces anomalies in payment data, and powers the analytics tools that produce the reports finance teams present to leadership every week. It doesn't always announce itself. But it's there, and it's more widespread than the industry conversation typically acknowledges.Two-thirds of finance teams say they’re currently using or piloting AI. Confidence is rising, and the appetite for more is real. The report commissioned by Yooz examines results from a January 2026 survey of 500 finance professionals. The findings make it clear that finance teams have already gotten their foot in the door with AI, and they're ready to take the next step.Where Finance Teams Are Using AI Right NowThe most common home for AI in finance today is reporting and analytics, cited by 43% of respondents. It's not hard to see why. Reporting is a high-volume, high-frequency activity where AI can generate outputs quickly and where results are relatively easy to validate. Finance professionals who use AI to build dashboards, generate narratives, or surface trends in spend data get immediate, tangible feedback on whether the tool is working. That makes it a natural entry point and a confidence builder for teams that are still finding their footing with the technology.Forecasting and financial planning come next, with 27% of teams reporting AI use in that area. This is a more demanding application. Forecasting requires AI to work with more complex, interconnected data sets, and the stakes of getting it wrong are higher. The fact that more than a quarter of finance teams are already using AI here signals that adoption is maturing faster than many expect.Accounts payable and receivable, along with expense management, each come in at 18%. Vendor and invoice management sits at 14%. These figures are lower than reporting, but they represent areas where AI has already demonstrated clear, measurable value in organizations that have deployed it well.Using AI to automate accounts payable, for example, reduces manual processing time and improves accuracy. AI can automate the entire invoice lifecycle, from capture and data extraction to approvals and fraud detection. It allows teams to catch errors before they clear. The result is faster processing, lower costs, and stronger vendor relationships, while finance teams gain more time to focus on strategic priorities.Confidence Is GrowingOne of the most important findings in the report isn’t about what finance teams are doing with AI, but how they feel about it. More than half of respondents (53%) say they’re more confident using AI than they were a year ago. Only 7% say they feel less confident. The dominant mindset across the field is "curious but cautious," cited by 42%, with another 26% describing themselves as excited and confident.That combination of growing confidence and disciplined optimism is exactly the right orientation for a function that manages financial controls and fiduciary responsibility. Finance teams are building familiarity carefully and systematically, which is precisely what creates the conditions for durable, trustworthy integration.Confidence also has a compounding effect. As finance professionals become more fluent with AI in lower-stakes applications like reporting, they build the literacy and the trust in outputs that make it easier to extend AI into more complex and consequential workflows. The groundwork being laid today in analytics and forecasting is what will enable the next phase of adoption.The High-Potential Areas Where AI Is Still UnderdeployedThe most striking finding in the data is in the areas where AI arguably has the most to offer. Only 19% of finance teams say they use AI for audit, risk, compliance, or fraud detection and prevention. At a time when payment fraud attempts are hitting the vast majority of organizations annually and growing in sophistication as fraudsters increasingly use AI themselves, that figure represents a significant and urgent opportunity.Fraud detection is precisely the kind of application where AI can do things that humans simply can’t do at scale. AI can handle high-volume pattern-recognition tasks like screening every invoice for signs of document manipulation, flagging unusual vendor behavior, catching duplicate payment attempts, and identifying out-of-policy transactions before they're approved with a consistency and speed no manual review process can match.The same logic applies to compliance and audit preparation. AI that’s integrated into financial workflows can maintain a continuous, real-time audit trail. It can highlight exceptions, document approvals, and flag anomalies as they happen rather than discovering them weeks later during a review cycle. For finance teams under pressure to do more with less, that kind of embedded oversight is a force multiplier.Finance Leaders Need To Play a Stronger Role in AI AdoptionUnderstanding where AI is being used is only half the picture. Understanding who’s driving those decisions matters just as much.Twenty-four percent of respondents say IT or technology teams are the primary driver of AI adoption in finance. Only 13% point to the chief financial officer or vice president of finance. Another 22% say no one in particular is leading the effort.This explains why so many organizations are stuck in the middle. AI is present but not fully operational, and active in some areas but not embedded across the workflows that matter most. When finance leaders aren't visibly driving the AI agenda, teams end up with access to capabilities that aren't integrated into their actual workflows and aren't supported by the training and governance infrastructure that would make them usable at scale.The opportunity in front of finance leaders right now is enormous. The curiosity is there. The confidence is building. What's missing is direction and ownership.Finance leaders who step into that void will find that the conditions for rapid progress already exist inside their organizations. As finance leaders take ownership of building the process foundations that support AI, it moves from experimentation to embedded capability. And with that shift comes something more valuable than efficiency: a finance function with the speed, visibility, and control to be a true strategic force inside the business.This story was produced by Yooz and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Knox County residents can report storm property damage online The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) is asking Knox County residents to report property damage from the April 17 – 18, 2026 storms and tornadoes or ongoing flooding through April 30, 2026. The voluntary survey collects information on damages and will be used by emergency management teams to assess the extent of damage and determine [...]
	Loan demands rise as new study reveals roughly 3 in 4 students feel financially insecure Loan demands rise as new study reveals roughly 3 in 4 students feel financially insecureWould you be able to pay for college out of pocket? If you said no, you’re not alone. The majority of students are feeling the sticker shock of college courses as they scramble to apply for financial aid.A new trend report from Ascent Funding reveals how today’s college students navigate costly decisions and what fuels their anxiety. Based on tens of thousands of student responses and third-party research from Trellis Strategies and CFP Board, the report explores topics from financial confidence to the majors students borrow to pursue.The findings show that their top concern is not about debt. It’s about making high-impact financial decisions without enough information or support.Roughly 3 in 4 Students Don't Feel Confident About MoneyOnly 26.5% of students feel very confident managing their personal finances, according to Ascent's new report.That means roughly 3 in 4 students are facing one of the biggest financial commitments of their lives (tuition, housing, loans, interest rates) without feeling equipped to handle it. And it’s not just a background worry. The survey data says that 1 in 3 students say financial concerns have a major influence on their academic or career decisions.Consider what this means in studentsâ€™ daily lives. For example, a student who might perform well in a liberal arts program may choose a different path due to financial concerns. Another might postpone graduation to work extra hours. These experiences reflect the direct impact of financial stress on studentsâ€™ educational journeys.What would help? Students said it themselves: 31% believe better access to scholarship tools and guidance may build their financial confidence. They are not asking for handouts. They are asking for a map.Tuition Is the Monster Under the BedAscent's analysis of 24,500 scholarship program submissions found that 49.2% of students cite tuition and fees as their top financial concern, making it the single largest source of stress for college students.That alone is not surprising, but the full picture is worth considering. The second-biggest concern, reported by 25.9% of students, was finding enough scholarship or grant funding. So the top two stressors are the same problem from two angles: College costs too much, and there is not enough free money to help cover it.Students are doing everything they can to bridge the gap. About 47% rely primarily on scholarships or grants to fund their education or manage their debt load.But here is the catch: That well runs dry fast. According to Bold.org, which aggregates national scholarship data, only 0.1% of students receive full-tuition awards. The other 99.9% are stitching together a patchwork of partial scholarships, work-study hours, side gigs, and loans.This generation shows impressive resourcefulness, but there are clear limits. The data suggest their toughness is being challenged.First-Generation Students Are Carrying a Heavier LoadThe report's findings on first-generation students tell a familiar and frustrating story. These students, who represent 38% of respondents in the Trellis survey and 41% at two-year institutions, experience financial stress at a higher rate than peers with college-educated parents.Sixty-eight percent of first-gen students worry about paying for school. Nearly a quarter (24%) aren't even sure how they'll afford their next semester.They are not sitting on their hands: first-gen students are more likely to receive grants than continuing-generation peers (66% versus 48%). That sounds like good news until you see what is happening on the other side of the ledger.First-gen students are also more likely to take out loans (40% versus 33%) and more likely to charge college costs to a credit card (35% versus 28%).So even when the system delivers more grant support to students who need it most, the cost of attendance still pushes them toward higher-risk financing options. More grant money comes in, more debt goes out.This shows the difficulty of the current system, which provides support while also presenting new obstacles for students.Students Want Financial Education, But Access Is LackingTwo-thirds of Gen Z college students say they want to learn more about personal finance, according to the CFP Board's research. Students are not checked out; they are actively signaling they want financial literacy tools to make better decisions.Yet 40% of those students identify money as a primary source of stress and anxiety, while 83% say financial well-being is tied directly to their overall happiness.The gap between what students want and what they get is where much of the anxiety lives. These students are not inactive recipients of financial aid packages. They are trying to make informed decisions about borrowing, earning, and spending.They need better information to do it well. Schools, lenders, and organizations that meet that demand with real tools rather than fine print will earn much trust.The Majors Students Are Borrowing to Pursue Say a LotWhen Ascent reviewed the declared majors of approved borrowers between July and August 2025, the top five fields were nursing, business, biology, psychology, and mechanical engineering. This finding shows that students are focused on practical, stable career options.Students are not just choosing what interests them; they are making calculated bets on their return on investment. When taking on debt to earn a degree, you think differently about what that degree should deliver.That does not mean passion is dead in the college application process. But it suggests the strain of student loan debt is quietly reshaping which fields students feel safe enough to pursue and which they see as a financial gamble they cannot afford.MethodologyThis report draws from three primary data sources. Ascent's survey data captures studentsâ€™ self-reported financial confidence and decision-making. Scholarship application data comes from over 24,500 student submissions collected through Ascent's Summer Scholarship program between May 15 and Sept. 15, 2025. First-generation student data is sourced from Trellis Strategiesâ€™ 2023 Student Financial Wellness Survey, which included 62,367 undergraduate respondents from 142 U.S. institutions. Financial wellness attitudes come from a CFP Board study conducted with College Pulse, which surveyed 2,025 verified college students between September and October 2025, weighted for demographics with a margin of error of ±2.2% at a 95% confidence level. Borrowing trends and major preferences reflect Ascent's approved borrower data from July to August 2025.This story was produced by Ascent Funding and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Want to lighten your mental load? First, let go of these gender myths "Men can't see the mess." "Women are better at chores." These myths position women to take on more emotional thinking, says researcher Leah Ruppanner. She shares what works to reclaim your headspace.
	2026 My Favorite Teacher Award \| Kate Kies at St. Malachy Catholic School For 20 years, Ms. Kate Kies has shared her love of teaching with multiple grades at St. Malachy Catholic School.
	QC students take top honors at MTI welding competition Midwest Technical Institute (MTI) hosted its annual High School Welding Competition at its Moline campus on Saturday, April 18. The competition awarded $16,000 in MTI scholarships to 15 QCA high school students to help them pursue careers in the skilled trades. “We look forward to the annual welding competition at MTI, and this year, we [...]
	QC Chamber relaunches spring business showcase: Hob Nosh ‘26 to feature new format, features Hob Nosh ’26 returns April 22 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. with an expanded business showcase, food and beverage tastings, live entertainment and networking opportunities for members and the public.
	Energy stocks: The effect of the Feb. 28 strikes on Iran on shares of popular energy companies Energy stocks: The effect of the Feb. 28 strikes on Iran on shares of popular energy companiesThe escalation of conflict in the Middle East following the U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, 2026, sent shockwaves through the energy industry and financial markets. Oil prices surged amid global supply fears tied to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, and investors rushed to reposition for higher crude valuations. According to the data, there was plenty of upside.To add to the uncertainty, the full effects on global supply chains are still unfolding.The following data is of energy stock price action from Feb. 27, 2026 (the day before the strikes) through April 17, 2026. Finder explores the data of energy stocks and the impact of the Iran war globally to see which oil stocks have accelerated since the Feb. 28 military action began.The Iran war on oilThe military action has disrupted key oil supply routes and heightened geopolitical risk, driving up global crude prices and boosting revenue potential for producers and midstream operators. While companies with diversified or non-Middle East production could gain a competitive edge, industry analysts believe this conflict drove strong gains across most of the energy sector as higher oil prices flow through to the bottom line.The energy industry has complex, cross-border operations, meaning no major player is completely insulated from global price swings.5 stocks experiencing the most and least growth in response to the Iran warEven as the conflict continues to create significant global uncertainty, the Feb. 28 strikes are driving solid returns for many energy stocks, though results are mixed.As of the close of April 17, 2026, the stocks experiencing the most growth in response to the Iran war are BW Energy (BWEFF), Sky Quarry (SKYQ), TC Energy (TCANF), La Française de l’Énergie (FDENF) and NCS Multistage Holdings (NCSM). These stocks have seen the largest gains since Feb. 27 — the day before the strikes.The biggest laggards are Oil States International, Inc. (OIS), Sinopec Kantons Holdings Limited (SPKOY), Mexco Energy Corporation (MXC), Texas Pacific Land Corporation (TPL) and SandRidge Energy (SD). These stocks have seen the smallest gains or outright declines since the strikes began. Finder The impact of the Iran war on stocks of different regionsEnergy stocks across the board responded positively to the U.S.-Israeli strikes, with solid gains reflecting the surge in oil prices. U.S. producers stood to benefit the most from the price surge with limited direct exposure to the conflict, as investors favored domestic producers less exposed to direct Middle East risk.Regional impact on energy stocks (approximate averages)U.S.: Strong double- and triple-digit gains for many producers and midstream names.Europe: Solid gains for integrated majors and operators with limited Middle East exposure.Canada/North America: Healthy appreciation, especially for pipeline and E&P names.Asia/other: More varied results depending on production exposure and refining margins.Impact on US energy stocksIt’s been a strong period for many U.S. energy companies, including ConocoPhillips (COP), EOG Resources (EOG), Occidental Petroleum (OXY) and Phillips 66 (PSX). While smaller and more leveraged names posted triple-digit gains, even the largest integrated and E&P players delivered healthy double-digit returns. Finder Impact on European energy stocksEuropean names posted solid gains as higher oil prices flowed through to integrated majors and operators with limited direct Middle East exposure. No major European energy company was left behind in the broad sector rally. Finder Impact on Canadian energy stocksCanadian producers and pipeline operators saw healthy appreciation, especially those with strong North American exposure. Pipeline names like TC Energy delivered outsized gains while larger integrated players posted steady double-digit returns. Finder Key takeawayU.S. producers and midstream companies — particularly smaller and more leveraged names — delivered some of the strongest gains, as they were largely insulated from direct Middle East supply risks while capturing the upside of higher global oil prices. European and other international integrated majors also posted solid returns, but gains were generally more moderate due to their broader global exposure.What investors should watch nextIf the conflict de-escalates quickly, the stocks with the most growth could give back some gains as oil prices pull back.Companies with heavy refining exposure (some of the laggards) may continue to lag if crude prices stay high but refining profit margins shrink.Pipeline and midstream names have shown the most resilience so far because their revenue is tied more to volume than price volatility.This story was produced by Finder and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	10 US cities with the highest rent prices in 2026 10 US cities with the highest rent prices in 2026As rent growth cools across some major U.S. metros, don’t expect that trend to translate to the country’s most expensive cities. As stagnant job growth and persistently high inflation squeeze renters from both sides, the 10 cities on this list come with price tags that feel out of touch with real-world paychecks.Sure, the cities you’ll find here have always been costly, but today’s mix of limited supply, high-income demand, and slow construction continues to push them out of reach for many Americans. While it’s true that renters might catch a slight dip here or there, for most, these markets still feel unattainable.Today, TurboTenant breaks down where rent prices are highest in the U.S. This analysis includes average rent, price per square foot, and year-over-year growth. Whether you’re a landlord looking for your next premium market or a renter mulling over your next move, it helps to know exactly which markets the pressure is hitting hardest.1. San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco is the most expensive rental market in the U.S., packing roughly 800,000 residents into a tight 7-by-7-mile cluster (with millions more spread across the broader Bay Area). The region’s tech sector continues to attract high-earning professionals, but a chronic housing shortage means even well-paid renters often struggle to lock in a lease.San Francisco consistently commands some of the highest rents in the country, and prices have surged again as AI companies boom across the region and workers return to the office en masse. After years of headlines about a COVID-19 pandemic-era exodus to places like Austin, the city is luring back old renters who once fled to seemingly greener pastures.Average 2BR rent: $5,200 per monthYoY rent growth: 15.8% increaseProperty price per square foot: $9522. New York City, New YorkNew York City’s rental market remains one of the most competitive in the country, with more than 8 million residents packed into a dense, bustling metro. Buoyed by the finance, tech, and healthcare industries, the Big Apple continues to attract high-earning workers, but housing supply hasn’t kept pace with demand across its five boroughs.Rising development costs, strict zoning, and limited development sites constrain new inventory, while demand remains relentless. Even as rent growth stabilizes, prices stay elevated, forcing renters to compete aggressively for available units. Landlords, meanwhile, must navigate complex regulations and some of the country’s most tightly controlled rent laws just to stay competitive.Average 2BR rent: $3,700 per monthYoY rent growth: 4.29% increaseProperty price per square foot: $7623. Boston, MassachusettsEducated, high-earning workers in Boston’s core industries (biotechnology, healthcare, and higher education) keep demand for housing consistently high. At the same time, limited space and surging material costs make new builds prohibitively expensive. As a result, Boston faces a persistent housing shortage (especially for affordable units), pushing rents higher year after year.Unlike other metros facing comparable shortages, Boston lacks rent control laws (though ongoing policy proposals have sent rents soaring even higher as a preemptive measure). In the meantime, Boston recorded one of the nation’s lowest vacancy rates in 2025, leaving renters with few options and forcing hasty decisions in a highly competitive market.Average 2BR rent: $3,400 per monthYoY rent growth: 2.6% increaseProperty price per square foot: $8894. Honolulu, HawaiiNowhere in the U.S. has a higher cost of living than Hawai‘i’s capital, where housing drives much of the cost. Surrounded by thousands of miles of the Pacific Ocean, there’s only so much land to build on in Honolulu, and competition from vacation rentals and overseas buyers continues to eat away at long-term rental supply.Oahu’s large military presence keeps demand steady year-round, tightening an already constrained market for renters and new arrivals alike. Even without statewide rent control, high operating costs and strict development limits make housing unaffordable, leaving renters with few realistic options in one of the country’s most desirable places to live.Average 2BR rent: $3,250YoY rent growth: 1.7% increaseProperty price per square foot: $7715. Miami, FloridaYear-round sunshine, zero state income tax, and a steady stream of new residents keep Florida atop relocation lists, with Miami often at the heart of that demand. Remote workers, retirees, and out-of-state buyers continue to compete for limited housing, pushing rents higher even as new builds struggle to keep pace.While Miami is Florida’s hottest rental market, rising insurance costs are reshaping it fast. Some insurers have pulled back or stopped writing policies altogether, making it harder for property owners to secure coverage. In response, landlords pass those inflated costs on to tenants, tightening supply and keeping rents elevated across the metro and surrounding suburbs. For now, Miami isn’t cooling off anytime soon.Average 2BR rent: $3,200YoY rent growth: 1.6% increaseProperty price per square foot: $4856. San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego’s coastal lifestyle and near-perfect weather keep this SoCal city in constant demand, but that desirability comes at a hefty price tag. High construction costs and tenant-friendly protections limit the availability of new housing, making it especially difficult for lower-income renters to find affordable options across the region.As a result, landlords face rising operating costs and complex local regulations, while tenants compete for a dwindling pool of available units. Demand remains strongest near the city’s beaches, downtown, and major employers such as UC San Diego and Scripps Health, where proximity often commands a premium and rentals fly off listing sites.Average 2BR rent: $3,087YoY rent growth: 0.17% decreaseProperty price per square foot: $6927. San Jose, CaliforniaIn San Jose, new housing development hasn’t kept pace with demand, and a high-income population (largely tech workers) has created a severe housing shortage. With historically high interest rates and average home prices well over $1.4 million as of early 2026, many residents still struggle to buy property despite high salaries, leaving landlords with the upper hand in the rental market.San Jose also has one of the country’s highest rent-per-square-foot ratios. Major employers like NVIDIA, eBay, and Adobe keep rental demand strong. However, landlords must navigate strict regulations, zoning laws, and local rent control measures, making San Jose harder to navigate than its price tag might suggest.Average 2BR rent: $3,019YoY rent growth: 3.5% decreaseProperty price per square foot: $8028. Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles has nearly 4 million residents, and even with its massive sprawl, there still aren’t enough rental units to meet demand across the city. Strict land-use regulations, high building costs, steep property taxes, and growing corporate ownership have all contributed to a tight, highly competitive housing market that continues to price out swathes of renters.Property management companies in Los Angeles face high operating costs and strict landlord-tenant laws, too, making it one of the more frustrating cities in the country for landlords to operate in. Even so, rent prices remain high and vacancy rates low, giving the City of Angels a high-risk, high-reward profile for would-be rental owners willing to take on the challenge.Average 2BR rent: $2,887YoY rent growth: 2.7% decreaseProperty price per square foot: $6849. Washington, D.C.Housing construction in Washington D.C. hasn’t kept up with demand from its wealthy, highly educated population. Local zoning laws favor low-density, single-family homes, leaving fewer options for apartments and condos across the city. On top of that, historic district rules make it even harder to build anything new or expand the existing housing stock.Although D.C. has strong tenant protections and rent control, limited supply and high demand have historically given landlords significant leverage. But that balance is shifting. In 2025, the city ordered one landlord with more than 100 housing violations to pay $6.8 million in fines and damages, signaling stricter enforcement across the city’s rental market.Average 2BR rent: $2,803YoY rent growth: 0.41% increaseProperty price per square foot: $48610. Jersey City, New JerseyAcross the Hudson River from Manhattan, Jersey City is home to many commuters looking to save on rent while working in NYC. While the city has room for new development, skyrocketing property taxes and a new wave of luxury construction are pushing up rents for residents and reshaping the housing landscape, particularly in neighborhoods near transit and the waterfront.Even though rent prices dropped by nearly 17% between 2024 and 2025, Jersey City remains one of the country’s most expensive metros to rent as of 2026. Rent control limits what landlords can charge, but affordable units remain scarce for the city’s many cost-burdened tenants trying to stay close to jobs and reliable public transit.Average 2BR rent: $2,500YoY rent growth: 2.6% increaseProperty price per square foot: $639Is investing in these high-rent cities worth the risk?While these 10 U.S. cities with the highest rent prices promise high demand and low vacancy rates, landlords should thoroughly research each location before taking the leap. After all, just because you can charge more rent in a certain city doesn’t always mean it’s a good market to buy a rental property or a savvy long-term investment.Remember, many of the cities on this list have rent control regulations, strict tenant protections, and other landlord-tenant laws in place that can make ownership and day-to-day operations more challenging. Then there are the steep costs investors must consider. After all, you can only run a property in a location you can realistically afford to enter and sustain.Before investing in a new home, apartment, or condo in any market, real estate investors should use a rental property calculator to determine how much they could earn before committing. Calculating your potential return on investment will make it easier to decide whether to strike a deal or walk away and look elsewhere, especially when rent prices only tell part of the story.This story was produced by TurboTenant and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	The Hooten Hallers will be in concert in Bishop Hill Crossroads Cultural Connections will present an electrifying night of live music with The Hooten Hallers on Sunday, April 26 at Bishop Hill Creative Commons, 309 North Bishop Hill St., a news release says. For tickets and more information, visit here. The event is open to all ages, with a suggested donation of $20–$30, 100% of which goes directly to the performers, supporting artists [...]
	Dollinger will conduct final concert of Clinton Symphony Orchestra season Clinton Symphony Orchestra’s former music director and conductor has been invited back for a “farewell” concert this weekend, closing the orchestra’s 72nd season. Brian Dollinger, who served with the orchestra from 2007 through 2025, will conduct the final concert of the present season at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Clinton High School’s Durgin Performing Arts Center. The [...]
	Niabi Zoo kicks off 2026 season with new attractions, renovated exhibits Zoo Director Lee Jackson joined Quad Cities Today to detail what visitors can expect this season.
	When a client won't pay: A practical guide to recovering unpaid invoices When a client won't pay: A practical guide to recovering unpaid invoicesThe weeks post-tax season hit differently when you're running a business. You've just filed—or scrambled to file—and somewhere in the back of your mind is a stack of invoices that should have been paid months ago.You're not alone. More than half of small businesses in the U.S. (56%) reported being owed money from unpaid invoices, with the average amount sitting at $17,500 per business, according to the 2025 Intuit QuickBooks Small Business Late Payments Report. Nearly half (47%) said some of those invoices were already more than 30 days past due.That's not a rounding error—it can cover rent, payroll, or delayed equipment purchases.Getting that money back requires more than a reminder email—it requires a clear process and knowing when to escalate.Below, Intuit QuickBooks outlines a step-by-step process for recovering unpaid invoices.Why overdue invoices pile up after tax seasonCollections tend to feel more urgent in April, when tax season highlights cash flow gaps. Tax time forces small business owners to look at the books honestly, often for the first time in months. Unpaid invoices that felt like minor annoyances in January become impossible to ignore when you're staring at your actual cash position.Late payments also compound cash flow problems fast. Small businesses carrying a high volume of overdue invoices are 1.4 times more likely to face cash flow obstacles than businesses with fewer late payments, per the same QuickBooks research. And those cash flow crunches push owners toward loans, lines of credit, and credit cards—businesses most affected by late payments reported higher use of loans (21% versus 11%), lines of credit (31% versus 21%), and business credit cards (54% versus 46%) compared to less-affected peers.Acting early on overdue accounts improves your chances of recovering payment.Start with the paper trailBefore you send a single email, pull together your documentation: the original invoice, any signed contract or statement of work, email threads confirming the project scope, and proof of delivery.This isn't about building a legal case at this stage. It's about knowing exactly what you're owed and being able to show it clearly. A client who "forgot" responds faster when you can forward the invoice number, the date, and a brief summary of what was delivered.How to follow up without burning the relationshipMany late payments aren't intentional and stem from administrative issues—an invoice lost in someone's inbox, a billing dispute, or a client's own cash flow crunch. That means your first few touchpoints should assume good faith.A practical follow-up timelineDay 1 (invoice due date): Send a brief, friendly reminder. Reference the invoice number and amount. Don't apologize for following up.Day 15: Follow up again, noting your late payment policy. If you charge a late fee—typically 1.5% to 3% per month, or a flat $25 to $50—reference it here. Give the client a clear path to resolve it.Day 30: Shift your tone. Be direct and professional. State clearly that the invoice is 30 days past due and that you need a confirmed payment date.Day 60: Final notice before escalation. Communicate that clearly. Let the client know you're prepared to refer the matter to a collections agency if payment isn't received.When to pick up the phoneWhile emails are easy to ignore, a phone call is much harder to avoid.If you've hit day 30 with no response, call the client directly. Stay calm and solution-focused. Ask if there's a dispute you're not aware of, or if there's a payment plan that would work for them. Sometimes invoices get buried or stuck in approval—and a quick call resolves the issue.Document every conversation. Date, time, who you spoke with, and what was said.The collections agency decisionIf you're at 90 days past due with no payment and no credible communication from the client, it's time to consider a collections agency.This decision comes with financial and relationship tradeoffs. Collections agencies typically charge contingency fees of 20% to 50% of whatever they recover—meaning you won't see the full amount even if they're successful. Flat-rate options exist (usually $15 to $25 or more per account), but those come with their own costs.Before you hand the account over, weigh a few things: How much do you stand to recover after fees? Is the business relationship worth preserving? Is there a realistic chance the client pays without formal collections pressure?One important note: a collections account can stay on a client's credit report for up to seven years from the date of the first missed payment. That's a serious consequence—and one worth communicating before you pull that trigger.Small claims court as an alternativeFor amounts under your state's small claims limit—which ranges from $2,500 to $25,000 depending on the state—small claims court is often faster and cheaper than a collections agency.You don't need a lawyer; filing fees are typically under $100, and the process is relatively straightforward for clear-cut cases. One limitation: even if you win, collecting on the judgment still requires effort on your part. The court doesn't collect for you.How to protect yourself going forwardSet clear expectations upfront to reduce collections issues.Businesses that require payment upon receipt of an invoice are 20% less likely to need loans, lines of credit, or business credit cards to manage cash flow, according to the QuickBooks Late Payments Report. Getting paid faster is less about chasing clients and more about making it easy—and expected—from the start.A few practices that make a difference:Spell out payment terms clearly. Include the due date, accepted payment methods, and your late fee policy on every invoice.Offer multiple payment options. The more friction you remove, the faster clients pay.Send invoices immediately. The longer you wait to invoice after completing work, the longer the payment cycle.Set up automated reminders.Consider partial deposits upfront. For larger projects, a deposit reduces your exposure if a client goes quiet.On reminders: businesses using AI-powered invoice reminders get paid an average of four days faster than those sending standard reminders—a meaningful difference when you're managing cash flow month to month.Late payments are a common financial stressor, but a clear process makes them manageable. The goal isn't to become a collections expert—it's to stop letting money you've already earned sit on someone else's desk.MethodologyData in this article is drawn from the 2025 Intuit QuickBooks Small Business Late Payments Report, based on the January 2025 wave of the Intuit QuickBooks Small Business Insights survey (n=2,487 U.S. small businesses with 0–100 employees). Collections process guidance sourced from the QuickBooks guide to pursuing collections on unpaid invoices and the QuickBooks past-due invoice resource. Statistics on AI-driven payment speed sourced from QuickBooks: 20 Ways to Get Clients to Pay Bills & Invoices Faster. All cited findings are statistically significant.This story was produced by Intuit QuickBooks and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Where Americans are headed in 2026: Top and trending flight destinations Where Americans are headed in 2026: Top and trending flight destinationsAs travelers plan their spring and summer vacations, new data from Expedia’s 2026 Air Hacks Report identifies the top destinations Americans are traveling to this year. The analysis, based on millions of bookings and searches collected between December 2024 and November 2025, captures both longstanding favorites and fast-rising travel hotspots.America’s Most Flown Domestic DestinationsThe most popular domestic cities reflect a familiar mix of cultural hubs and warm-weather getaways. According to the report, the top U.S. destinations Americans are flying to include:New YorkOrlandoLos AngelesLas VegasMiamiAtlantaDallasBostonHoustonPhoenixThese destinations continue to draw travelers with their mix of entertainment, accessibility, and year-round appeal.Top International Destinations for American TravelersBeach escapes, major cultural capitals, and key transit hubs are driving international demand. The ten most popular international flight destinations include:Cancun, MexicoMexico City, MexicoSanto Domingo, Dominican RepublicEl SalvadorTokyo, JapanPunta Cana, Dominican RepublicLondon, United KingdomMontego Bay, JamaicaGuatemala City, Guatemala This list reflects a diverse range of travel interests, from short-haul beach escapes across Mexico and the Caribbean to long-haul trips to London and Tokyo.Trending US Destinations: The Fastest Risers of 2026Trending destinations are defined by the fastest year over year increases in search activity, highlighting places where traveler interest is rising rapidly. These locations are gaining visibility early in the year and indicate where U.S. travelers are increasingly curious to explore next.The top trending domestic destinations include:Carlsbad, California (+1210%)Vero Beach, Florida (+840%)Portsmouth, New Hampshire (+440%)Taos County, New Mexico (+405%)St. Simons Island (+320%)San Bernardino, California (+295%)Las Cruces, New Mexico (+155%)Orange County, California (+150%)Morgantown, West Virginia (+30%)Maui, Hawai‘i (+25%)The momentum across these destinations points to growing interest in coastal towns, mountain communities, and second city escapes that offer quieter experiences without sacrificing access to local culture and outdoor activities.Trending International DestinationsInternationally, American travelers are broadening their horizons with notable year-over-year search increases across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. The fastest growing international destinations include:Alghero, Italy (+560%)Toluca, Mexico (+225%)Nha Trang, Vietnam (+185%)Naxos, Greece (+160%)Hyogo Prefecture, Japan (+105%)Ontario, Canada (+85%)Minas Gerais, Brazil (+85%)Rome, Italy (+60%)Guatemala (+45%)This mix highlights interest in culturally rich and less crowded destinations across Europe and Southeast Asia. Emerging cities in Mexico and Brazil show similar momentum, reinforcing the variety of destinations capturing attention among U.S. travelers this year.Why These Destinations Matter in 2026These patterns align with other insights from the 2026 Air Hacks Report, including shorter, more flexible trips and shifting traveler behavior. With travelers heading into the busiest planning months of the year, this combined look at established and emerging destinations provides a useful snapshot of where interest is building for 2026.MethodologyThe most popular and trending destinations are based on searches on Expedia.com from December 2024 to November 2025, compared with those from December 2023 to November 2024.This story was produced by Expedia and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	The Taco & Margarita Festival returns for its 4th year The 4th Annual Taco & Margarita Festival brings together food, music, and family fun.Patricia Hansen with East Moline Main Street tells us what we can expect at the festival.
	Zookeepers at Niabi Zoo gear up for crowds on Opening Day News 8's Emma Buker took her first trip to Niabi Zoo in Coal Valley to see what visitors new and old can expect this year at the zoo.
	Road construction across the Quad Cities causing detours for residents Sewer work and water main repairs are taking place across the Quad Cities metro, so be prepared to take alternate routes as work begins.
	Henderson County sheriff’s office searching for missing Oquawka man Henderson County deputies are searching for a missing Oquawka man last seen on April 12. Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office or 911.
	How do I avoid checking account fees? How do I avoid checking account fees?Look closely at your last few bank statements. Have you had to shell out for overdraft, ATM or maintenance fees? Even if it was $10, that's $10 too much.The good news is that once you understand the common types of checking account fees, you can take precautions to better avoid them. In this article, Ally Financial breaks it down.What are some common checking account fees?Banks and credit unions have various fees and requirements for maintaining a checking account with them. When deciding where to keep your money, look out for the following:Monthly service fee: For holding the account, usually waived with minimum balance requirements or direct depositsOverdraft and insufficient funds fee: Charged when a bank pays a transaction despite insufficient fundsATM fee: For using an out-of-network ATM, which can include both the bank’s fee and the ATM operator’s surchargeMinimum balance fee: Applied when an account drops below a bank’s required minimum thresholdWire transfer fee: For sending or receiving money via wire transferHow to avoid checking account feesFees can add up quickly. Fortunately, many of them are avoidable.1. Pay attention to minimum balance requirementsA minimum balance requirement isn’t a fee itself, but a condition to avoid one. If your account balance falls below your minimum balance requirement, banks could charge a monthly maintenance fee.At some banks, minimum balance requirements apply to the combined total deposits of all your accounts at that financial institution. Check the terms at your bank.2. Use direct deposit and automatic transfersDirect deposit and automatic transfers can help you avoid a monthly maintenance fee, which is charged when an account falls below the minimum balance requirement. To take advantage of them, first have your paycheck automatically deposited into your checking account.3. Link your savings and checking accountsOpening a checking and savings account at the same bank makes it easy to move money to savings. It also helps to avoid overdraft fees, because your bank can instantly move funds from your linked savings account to cover transactions that exceed the amount in your checking account.4. Use in-network ATMs or cash back at storesUsing an out-of-network ATM can cost you several dollars per transaction to get cash from your own account. You can avoid most ATM fees just by using your bank's ATMs.5. Take advantage of special account featuresDo some homework on your checking account fees. As fees and rules vary significantly from bank to bank, so do perks and features.6. Find the right fee-free checking accountIf your bank requires you to jump through too many hoops to avoid getting nickel-and-dimed, it might be time to break up. Look for a bank with simple, straightforward terms and excellent customer service.Take control of your checkingChecking account fees might seem small in the moment, but they can add up over time. By monitoring your balance, understanding your bank’s fee structure, and choosing an account that works with how you spend and save, you keep your money where it belongs: in your pocket.This story was produced by Ally Financial and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Quiet weather for a few more days in the Quad Cities After a frosty, cold start Monday, it'll be much warmer for the rest of the week. While an isolated shower or two can't be ruled out this evening, it'll likely stay dry until storms arrive later Thursday. Survey teams are still analyzing data from last Friday's tornado outbreak and the count is now over three [...]
	Un nuevo plan para impulsar la prosperidad de la comunidad latina y fortalecer la economía nacional. (BPT) - Por Janet MurguíaLa comunidad latina cree profundamente en la promesa de los Estados Unidos. Es por esta razón que los hispanos se mantienen entre los estadounidenses más optimistas, según décadas de encuestas. En el centro de ese optimismo está la creencia de que si trabajas duro y sigues las reglas, cualquiera puede alcanzar su sueño americano.Pero para demasiadas familias latinas y familias de clase trabajadora hoy en día, el camino hacia su propio sueño americano nunca ha sido más desafiante. Y eso no es solo una mala noticia para los latinos — es una mala noticia para Estados Unidos, porque cuando las familias latinas enfrentan dificultades, también lo hace la economía en general: nuestras empresas, contribuciones a la fuerza laboral y el consumo son motores del crecimiento nacional, y limitar nuestra prosperidad limita el potencial colectivo de la nación.Por eso, durante el último año, UnidosUS viajó a 15 estados, se reunió con más de 600 personas y formuló una pregunta sencilla: ¿Qué se necesita para salir adelante en Estados Unidos hoy?UnidosUS fue pionero en establecer la conexión entre el bienestar de los trabajadores latinos y la prosperidad futura de la nación hace más de 25 años. Muchos de los mismos temas que hemos escuchado a lo largo de los años resonaron en nuestras conversaciones: una economía impulsada por nuestra comunidad que está dejando atrás a demasiadas personas.Esto es lo que estamos escuchando: La vivienda está fuera del alcance. Los salarios no dan abasto. La atención médica es demasiado costosa. Las familias están a una sola factura inesperada de un colapso financiero.Lo que surgió de esas conversaciones es una nueva visión. La Agenda de Prosperidad Económica de UnidosUS crea un plan de acción nacional, enfocado en áreas donde la acción puede marcar la mayor diferencia, incluyendo el costo de la vivienda, la calidad y estabilidad del trabajo, la capacidad de crear y hacer crecer un negocio y los apoyos básicos que las familias necesitan para mantenerse a flote.Este no es solo un plan para fortalecer la movilidad económica de las familias latinas, es un plan para maximizar la prosperidad compartida del país — porque invertir en la prosperidad de los latinos es una estrategia económica central que impulsará el futuro económico de Estados Unidos.Nuestra propuesta de vivienda es uno de los ejemplos más claros.Para muchas familias, el sueño de ser propietarios de una vivienda se está alejando. No porque no estén trabajando para lograrlo, sino porque las reglas del juego siguen cambiando. Los latinos han demostrado contundentemente que desean convertirse en propietarios de un hogar. Brindar apoyo a los compradores potenciales ayudará a cerrar la brecha en la propiedad de vivienda y creará 2.9 millones de nuevos compradores, al mismo tiempo dando un impulso al mercado de vivienda para la clase media trabajadora y las familias de bajos ingresos. Incluso mientras las familias avanzan hacia convertirse en dueñas de hogar, algunos emprendedores latinos están iniciando negocios, creando empleos y fortaleciendo sus comunidades, muchas veces sin el mismo acceso a capital o redes de apoyo que otros tienen. Los latinos representan uno de cada cinco estadounidenses, pero son propietarios de muchos menos negocios que en esa proporción. Cerrar esa brecha podría desbloquear 11 billones de dólares en ingresos empresariales y 2.5 billones de dólares en salarios para los trabajadores durante la próxima década. Para muchas familias, los compromisos más difíciles son los más personales: elegir entre un sueldo o cuidar a un ser querido; pagar el alquiler o pagar medicamentos. Ya hemos visto lo que funciona. La ampliación del Crédito Tributario por Hijos llegó a 61 millones de niños, impulsó el consumo a 28 mil millones de dólares y creó 500,000 empleos. Ampliar el acceso a la atención médica, la licencia remunerada y el cuidado infantil no es un lujo; es lo que permite a las familias sobrevivir y planificar su futuro.Los latinos son el segmento más joven y de más rápido crecimiento de la fuerza laboral estadounidense; y UnidosUS proyecta que los latinos representarán casi uno de cada tres nuevos trabajadores para el 2030. Esto es un hecho económico central de esta década. La escalera que las familias latinas han pasado generaciones ascendiendo es la misma que elevará esta economía.Nuestra Agenda de Prosperidad Económica es una declaración de nuestros valores, un llamado a la acción y una visión para nuestro futuro.Janet Murguía es presidenta y CEO de UnidosUS, la organización de defensa y derechos civiles hispanos más grande de Estados Unidos. Más información en unidosus.org.
	As the U.S.-Iran ceasefire deadline looms, here are the main sticking points The status of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear enrichment program are among the biggest obstacles to extending the truce, which expires Wednesday evening.
	World-renowned troll sculptures take shape in Clinton, built from recycled materials Three massive wooden troll sculptures by a globally recognized Danish artist are nearly complete, adding another stop to an international art project.
	A young mom turns to OnlyFans to make ends meet in 'Margo's Got Money Troubles' This TV adaptation of Rufi Thorpe's 2024 novel is a wild ride from start to finish. Its all-star cast includes Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman and Nicole Kidman.
	Scott County may consider request to change road name, update comprehensive plan The Board of Supervisors and the Planning and Zoning Commission held a joint meeting last week, covering topics such as a proposed long-term RV campground and the county's comprehensive plan.
	Spring lawn care: Expert tips for the first mow of the season (BPT) - As temperatures rise and lawns come out of winter dormancy, the first lawn mowing of the season becomes a critical reset point for overall turf health. Lawn care experts say how homeowners approach this first cut can influence everything from root development to how well the lawn holds up against heat, drought and weeds in the months ahead."Early in the season, your lawn is transitioning into an active growth phase, so it's more sensitive to stress," said Jason Wilk, senior product manager at ECHO Incorporated. "How you handle that first mow can either support that transition or set it back."Clear debris and address winter damage firstA strong start begins with clearing what winter left behind. Sticks, leaves and compacted debris don't just get in the way, they can block airflow and sunlight at the soil level, leading to slower, uneven growth.Before that first mow, Wilk recommends walking the yard to remove buildup and assess any light damage to shrubs, small branches or overgrowth. For quick cleanup, a battery-powered blower like the ECHO DPB-2500 Blower can efficiently clear debris, while a compact pruning tool like the ECHO DHS-3006 Pruning Saw is well-suited for trimming small limbs and winter dieback.Taking the time to fully reset the yard before mowing creates a more consistent surface and reduces the likelihood of damaging equipment during that first pass.Prep your equipment to protect the lawnAfter months of sitting idle, lawn equipment should be checked to ensure it's operating properly before the first use. Even small maintenance oversights can impact cut quality and stress your lawn during a critical growth period."A sharp blade doesn't just improve how your lawn looks, it helps protect it," Wilk explained. "Clean cuts heal faster, while torn grass blades can lead to moisture loss and make the lawn more vulnerable to disease."Before your first mow, Wilk recommends running through a quick equipment check:Inspect and sharpen mower blades: Dull blades tear grass instead of cutting it cleanly, which can lead to browning and increased susceptibility to diseaseCheck battery charge and connections (for battery-powered models): Ensuring a full charge and secure connection helps deliver consistent power throughout the mowCheck and top off engine oil (for gas-powered mowers): Proper lubrication helps ensure smooth operation and prevents unnecessary wearClean or replace the air filter: A clogged filter can reduce engine efficiency and impact performanceInspect the deck and undercarriage: Built-up grass or debris can affect airflow and cut qualityTest safety features and controls: Making sure everything is functioning properly before use helps avoid interruptions once you begin mowingTaking a few minutes to address these basics helps ensure more consistent performance and a cleaner, healthier cut from the start.Control the first mow and trim lawn edgesOne of the most common early-season mistakes is cutting too much at once. While overgrowth is normal coming out of winter, removing too much of the grass blade can shock the plant and weaken its ability to recover.Turf experts widely follow the "one-third rule," meaning no more than one-third of the grass blade should be removed at a time."People want that fresh-cut look right away, but taking too much off too quickly can set your lawn back," Wilk added. "A more gradual approach helps it recover and grow in more evenly."For areas a lawn mower can't easily reach, like around trees, fences and tight edges, a string trimmer such as the ECHO DSRM-225 String Trimmer can help create a clean, finished look without overcutting those more delicate areas.Choose the right lawn mower for early spring conditionsEarly-season lawns are often thicker and uneven, making that first mow more demanding than routine cuts later in the year. Using a lawn mower that can maintain consistent power and cutting performance in these conditions helps prevent uneven results and reduces unnecessary stress on the lawn.Walk-behind mowers like the ECHO DLM-2100SP Self-Propelled Lawn Mower are designed to handle these conditions with features like a brushless motor for gas-like power and a self-propelled system that helps maintain a steady pace.This type of consistency is especially important during the first mow, where uneven cutting can impact how the lawn fills in throughout the season."Consistency is key on that first mow," Wilk noted. "You want a mower that can handle those early-season conditions without forcing you to overwork parts of the lawn."Dial in mowing height to support root developmentMower height plays a major role in how your lawn performs throughout the season. For many common cool-season grasses, experts recommend maintaining a height between 2.5 to 4 inches, especially early in the season when the lawn is still establishing.Keeping grass slightly taller helps retain moisture, encourage deeper root systems and improve the lawn's ability to withstand heat and weeds over time. Wilk recommends erring on the taller side early in the season, allowing the lawn to build strength before gradually adjusting to a maintenance height.Time your mow and finish cleanConditions on mowing day can directly impact results. Cutting wet grass often leads to clumping, uneven distribution and added strain on equipment, while also increasing the likelihood of soil compaction.Waiting until the lawn is dry allows for a cleaner, more precise cut and helps maintain the integrity of both the grass and the mower. After mowing, using a blower like the DPB-2500 to clear clippings from driveways and sidewalks can help complete the job and maintain a polished look.Start strong to simplify the season aheadTaking a more intentional approach to the first mow creates long-term advantages. By improving cut quality, reducing stress and using the right tools, homeowners can set their lawns up for more consistent growth and easier yard maintenance.With the right preparation, that first mow becomes less about catching up after winter and more about setting the pace for a healthier, more resilient lawn all season long.
	The hidden power keeping wages low For decades, economists gave short shrift to the idea of monopsony — a power employers can have to suppress wages. Now a wave of research suggests it's everywhere, and a new book argues it's key to understanding today's inequality.
	Al Tunick, Entrepreneur This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.Like most Midwesterners, the folks who live around Rock Island are sturdy, but cautious. Seldom the first to try a new…
	3 things to know about Fed chair nominee Kevin Warsh President Trump's pick to lead the Federal Reserve goes before a Senate committee today — but Kevin Warsh's confirmation could be held up by forces that are outside his control.
	She raised concerns about her company's contracts with ICE. Then she lost her job Billie Little had worked for Thomson Reuters for about two decades. She was fired after questioning whether federal immigration agents unlawfully used their products.
	The surprising origin of 4 features that superglue kids — and adults — to screens Taken together, these four features can create a trancelike state that can keep us stuck on social media apps or video games for hours. Children are particularly vulnerable.
	The dissenting musical life of John Luther Adams The Pulitzer-winning composer, whose unconventional music reflects the rugged landscapes he lives in, talks about his relationship to nature and his new piece Horizon.
	Gunman shoots several tourists at historic pyramids in Mexico A man standing atop one of the historic Teotihuacan pyramids opened fire on tourists Monday, killing one Canadian and leaving at least 13 people, authorities said.
	Cuba confirms meeting with US officials on island, wants energy blockade lifted Cuba's government confirmed that it had recently met with U.S. officials on the island as tensions between the two sides remain high over the U.S. energy blockade of the Caribbean country.
	87-year-old fitness instructor helping seniors thrive At CASI in Davenport, Jan Dorgan is helping seniors stay healthy and happy.
Monday, April 20th, 2026
	Japan approves scrapping a ban on lethal weapons exports The approval clears a final set of hurdles for Japan's postwar arms sales and facilitate its future sale of weapons such as a next-generation fighter jet and combat drones.
	Revving Up and Reaching Out: Marine Toys for Tots Delivers Year-Round Hope to Children in Need (NewsUSA) - For nearly eight decades, the Marine Toys for Tots Program has brought hope and joy to disadvantaged children across the United States. What began as a Christmastime tradition has become a year‑round mission to deliver emotional comfort, educational resources, and critical support to millions of children in need. This impact is possible because of the generosity of the American public and through partnerships that raise awareness about the year-round mission and of the needs of children nationwide.This Spring, two powerful forces amplified the mission: the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) team and The Balancing Act, the nationally televised morning show on Lifetime Television, hosted by longtime Toys for Tots advocate Montel Williams. These partnerships underscored one simple truth: Hope is most powerful when it is shared.On Friday, April 17th, The Balancing Act aired a dedicated segment on the Marine Toys for Tots Program. During the segment, Marine Toys for Tots President & CEO Lieutenant General Jim Laster, USMC (Retired) joined Montel Williams to discuss how the Program has evolved into a year-round force for good. Their conversation showcased the breadth of Toys for Tots’ programs—all created to support children long after the holidays have passed. Montel’s personal commitment to service, veterans, and uplifting families made this segment especially meaningful and introduced millions of viewers to the heart behind the mission.“Our segment on The Balancing Act gave us an extraordinary opportunity to show families nationwide that Toys for Tots delivers hope throughout the year,” says LtGen Laster. "Reaching viewers in their homes deepened our ability to connect children with the support and comfort they deserve."Then, on Sunday, April 19th, the No. 3 Toys for Tots Chevrolet, driven by Austin Dillon, took to the track in Kansas City as part of the Rev Up for Hope initiative to raise awareness for the Toys for Tots Disaster Response and Recovery Program.Race weekend represented more than the excitement of competition. Just as Austin Dillon relies on focus and preparation, Toys for Tots maintains year‑round readiness to deliver toys, books, and emotional relief packages to families facing devastating loss—whether from natural disasters, displacement, or financial hardship.“As Austin Dillon took the track, he carried with him the impact of every donor who believes in our mission. Each lap symbolized the hope we deliver to children facing hardship,” said LtGen Laster. “This partnership with Richard Childress Racing and race day gave us a powerful platform, but it’s the generosity of our supporters that transforms awareness into real, life‑changing help for children.”By joining forces on the track and on the air, these partnerships help extend Toys for Tots’ impact to more children and families when it matters most. Thanks to the American public’s generosity, Toys for Tots can continue uplifting children across America—one lap, one story, and one act of kindness at a time. Hope doesn’t happen by accident; it happens because people choose to care.To learn more about the Marine Toys for Tots Program and its year‑round mission, or to donate, visit www.toysfortots.org.
	AI Joins the Army (NewsUSA) - Artificial intelligence is likely to have a greater impact on the military’s wartime operations than on peacetime tasks, according to a new report from the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), a nonprofit and nonpartisan initiative with a goal of making recommendations to strengthen America's long-term competitiveness in AI.The new report mapped 131 Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) to their closest civilian equivalents to assess the impact of AI on army personnel. Although the sample size was small and based on private sector task classification, the data provide a foundation for further study of AI in the military, the authors wrote.“AI won’t replace the Army’s people, but it will transform how they work,” the experts emphasized.Common AI tasks such as gathering information and identifying objects can take on life-or-death importance in a wartime setting, when actions may be simpler and more structured, thus suited to AI, according to the report. For example, infantry officers in peacetime settings currently have approximately 25% of their work affected by AI, mainly related to administrative tasks. By contrast, AI’s wartime applications, estimated at about a third of activity (33%) for infantry include situational awareness, analyzing data, gathering information, and targeted objects or events.Based on the report, SCSP experts offered four policy priorities to help the U.S. prepare to optimize an AI-enabled military in the future.-Lethality. Save time by using AI on automation of administrative or routine tasks, and spend it on active training and readiness for warfighting.-Commercial Alignment. Optimize interactions with private sector counterparts by using AI to align workflows for more efficient commercial research and development, and reserve custom development for unique wartime functions.-Combat Investment. AI’s greatest potential military application may be in actual wartime use for information gathering, situational awareness, and targeting.-Retention. Last, but not least, AI has potential to help address the problem of burnout in the military. Company commanders work more than 12 hours a day. Using AI for routine administrative tasks “could transform quality of life for junior officers and their families; a strategic retention tool,” the experts concluded.Visit scsp.ai to learn more.
	World-renowned troll sculptures take shape in Clinton, built from recycled materials Three massive wooden troll sculptures by a globally recognized Danish artist are nearly complete, adding another stop to an international art project.
	I-80 bridge cleaning begins Starting at 8 p.m. every night and continuing until 6 a.m., the bridge will be reduced to one land in each direction.
	No jail time for Rock Island Arsenal fire captain found guilty of felony battery Timothy Weller was sentenced to 18 months of conditional discharge and must partake in anger management treatment.
	Developers break ground on apartments in old Moline Dispatch building By the end of the year, the space could be home to 40 market-rate apartments.
	QCA students push for bill allowing bachelor's degrees from community colleges Gabby Olson has ridden horses for most of her life. Now, she has an associate's degree in equine sciences from Black Hawk Community College. It's one of the few schools that offer that degree in the area. There are only eight schools in Iowa and Illinois that offer a degree or certificate in that study. [...]
	Rock Island Arsenal firefighter sentenced after battery in school parking lot: Records A 41-year-old Rock Island Arsenal firefighter was sentenced Monday in Mercer County Court hearing in connection with a Dec. 1, 2023, battery in a school parking lot, according to court documents. Tim Weller, of Coal Valley, appeared in court during the hearing, according to Mercer County Court documents. Weller was involved in a battery with [...]
	Behind the scenes of Davenport West's music performances The spring musical and fall marching band performances are some of the most intricate performances from Davenport West High School's performing arts programs, involving over 100 students and countless hours of prep, and all to "wow" the audience. Our Quad Cities News went behind the scenes of that preparation to see how the magic happens. [...]
	US soldier surprises daughter in return home at Rock Island High School U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Eli Phipps reunited with his daughter Patricia after nine months apart during his fourth deployment overseas.
	Vision coming to life at Main Street Landing along Davenport's riverfront Work at Main Street Landing in Davenport is continuing with warm weather in the forecast. Vertical construction is set to begin soon.
	Iowa House passes bill on foster, adoptive parents’ beliefs The Iowa House passed a bill prohibiting the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services from precluding prospective parents from consideration to foster or adopt a child on the basis or their sincerely held religious or moral beliefs about sexual orientation and gender identity. (Photo by Chinnapong via iStock / Getty Images Plus)Republican state lawmakers said a bill passed by the Iowa House Monday will increase Iowa’s pool of foster and adoptive parents — but Democrats argued the bill could put LGBTQ+ youth at risk. The House passed Senate File 473 in a 58-34 vote Monday, a measure prohibiting the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services from precluding prospective parents from consideration for licensing or qualification to foster or adopt a child on the basis or their sincerely held religious or moral beliefs about sexual orientation and gender identity. The measure includes language that a person’s “intent to guide, instruct, or raise a child in a manner consistent with the person’s sincerely held religious or moral beliefs” cannot be a reason to rule out a person as a potential parent, nor can their decision not to “affirm, accept, or support a policy related to sexual orientation or gender identity” that conflicts with their beliefs. Several Democrats said the measure would put LGBTQ+ youth who are in the foster care system in harm’s way. Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, read from the Foster Parent Handbook published in 2023, which states “foster parents must respect the right to religious freedom and culture of children in their care by demonstrating respect for the child’s culture, religious background, and affiliation.” This meant foster parents are required to respect cultural clothing and hairstyles, provide children with the option to attend religious services of their choosing, not require participation in religious observations contrary to their wishes or the wishes of their parents — as well as “respecting the child’s sexual orientation and gender identity, regardless of personal beliefs.” The legislation “tilts the balance away from children and toward the fostering adults,” Wessel-Kroeschell said, by limiting the state’s ability to ensure children are placed in appropriate environments. “This bill forces us to answer a simple question: When there is a conflict between the beliefs of an adult and the needs of a child in foster care, who do we prioritize?” Wessel-Kroeschell said. “This bill prioritizes the adult. I prioritize the needs of the child. The best interest of the child must be first and foremost, not a second mention.” Rep. Craig Williams, R-Manning, floor manager for the language, pointed to the language in the measure stating DHHS retains the ability to consider a child and their family of origin’s moral and religious beliefs when determining an appropriate placement. “This bill does not require the state to place a child in a home that is not in the child’s best interest,” Williams said. “The state retains full discretion to evaluate each placement individually, and ensure that the needs of every child are met.” Another measure passed by the House this session, House File 2557, also would make changes to language on how a parent’s beliefs regarding their child’s gender identity is considered under state law. This bill proposes adding exemptions to the definitions of “child abuse” and “child endangerment,” stating a parent cannot be considered abusive or be removed from foster parent licensing, adoption or custody proceedings based on their “intent to raise, guide or instruct a child in a manner consistent with the child’s sex.” The bill, which Democrats said could legalize the discredited practice of conversion therapy, passed the House in March, and is available for consideration in the Senate. Williams and other Republicans have argued both this earlier bill, as well as the measure discussed Monday, are needed because more individuals — particularly those with Christian beliefs — will be willing to become foster and adoptive parents, as the process would not force them to take actions in conflict with their religious beliefs if they do not accept LGBTQ+ identities. But Rep. Aime Wichtendahl, D-Hiawatha, disputed this argument, pointing to testimony from Chuck Hurley with the Family Leader, a conservative Christian organization, who supported the bill and spoke on his family’s experience fostering 15 children. “In a companion bill on this topic earlier in the session, the proponents of this legislation spoke about fear that they’re being denied (the ability) to be foster parents because of their sincerely held beliefs upon their beliefs on gender identity and sexual orientation,” Wichtendahl said. “But those same families — including a lobbyist for the Family Leader — confirmed in the testimony that even in expressing those beliefs, they are still foster parents. They are not being denied because of their religious beliefs on those topics. So either one of two things must be true — either one, this is a messaging bill, which fundamentally changes nothing, or two, this bill is designed to bring people into the foster care system who choose to impose their beliefs through coercion, upon the children in the foster care system, in a manner that supersedes the rights and beliefs of the foster child.” Wichtendahl also said the provision requiring a child or their family’s beliefs to be taken into account during placements may not help LGBTQ+ youth, as the disputes or safety concerns with their family of origin may have been caused by their family rejecting their identity. But Williams said lawmakers have heard from individuals who felt they were precluded or rejected from the foster care or adoptive process due to their religious beliefs. “If that discrimination’s not happening, as some have suggested, then this bill should change nothing,” Williams said. “Agencies in the state will already be operating exactly as this bill requires. But if it is happening, even occasionally, then we should all agree it must stop.” The measure, amended with some clarifying language changes, moves back to the Senate for further consideration. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch
	Candidate for governor plans to legalize marijuana in Iowa Sand’s plan would legalize and regulate cannabis for adults like alcohol, according to a media release.
	State health officials announce 2026’s first confirmed case of measles in Maryland Following the detection of the first measles case in 2026, Maryland health officials urge Marylanders to ensure they are vaccinated against the virus. (Photo by Jerry Saslav/U.S. Air Force)Maryland health officials warn that a Baltimore-area resident was confirmed to have measles after traveling internationally, marking the first measles outbreak of the year. With Maryland’s high vaccination rate for measles, most Marylanders are protected from the highly contagious virus that spreads easily through the air. But officials and public health researchers urge those with lower immunization to take caution. “Vaccination remains essential to protecting ourselves, our families, and our communities against measles and other infectious diseases,” said Dr. Meg Sullivan, Maryland’s deputy secretary for Public Health Services, in a statement Sunday. “Talk with your healthcare provider to ensure you and your family are up to date with all recommended vaccines, including the MMR vaccine.” A notice from state officials announcing a measles case is becoming a near annual occurrence, as outbreaks continue to pop up across the country in areas with lower vaccination rates, and as international travel exposes Marylanders to areas of higher measles risk. Last year, there were three cases of measles detected in Maryland, part of the 2,288 cases detected across the United States in 2025, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Religious exemptions for school vaccinations have been growing since COVID There was only one case detected in Maryland in 2024 and one case in 2023. There were no cases identified in Maryland from 2020 through 2022, during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. William Moss, a professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says that Maryland benefits from a high vaccination rate in the state and said there isn’t reason to expect that there will be a great increase of measles cases this years. “Maryland has historically had very few measles cases, and I think that’s a reflection of the overall high measles vaccination rate in Maryland,” Moss said. “If history is proof of what’s going to happen, I would suspect that we won’t see many secondary cases of transmission in Maryland.” According to the most recent data, about 96.4% of Maryland kindergarteners were vaccinated against measles for the 2024-2025 school year, a common metric used to measure immunization in states. But what does concern Moss about this case is the amount of time the sick individual spent in emergency medical settings, including a pediatric-focused facility. Health officials say the department is continuing to identify people who may have come into contact with the affected individual. According to the Sunday advisory announcing the measles case, state health officials warned that those traveling on the evening of April 12 through customs at the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in the arrivals area and baggage claim may have been exposed to the infected individual. Then, that individual went to FastMed Urgent Care in Baltimore on the evening of April 14 and early afternoon on April 17. Later that day, the individual went to Sinai Hospital’s emergency department main waiting area and pediatric emergency department from early afternoon into the evening. Health officials declined to answer questions about the infected individual’s age, citing patient privacy protections. But Moss noted that people going to emergency rooms are more likely to be at higher risk of severe illness if they are exposed to measles. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE “That’s of concern because there are a lot of people in a relatively small space – but more importantly, you could potentially have unvaccinated individuals there … as well as potentially immunocompromised individuals in a health care setting,” Moss said. “Those would be individuals who would be at risk for not only infection but more severe disease.” A pediatrics emergency room is also of concern because the measles vaccine is not recommended for children until they are at least 1 year old, though there are exceptions that would allow a child to get vaccinated as early as six months. Measles starts as a standard respiratory disease, with a fever, runny nose, cough and red, watery eyes. A couple days after the initial symptoms, people sick with measles may develop the illness’s calling card – a red, bumpy rash that starts on the head area and spreads to the rest of the body. The health department urges those who may have been exposed to check their vaccination status against measles. Those who were potentially exposed should monitor for symptoms, especially if not fully vaccinated or otherwise immunized against measles. Symptoms typically develop within two to three weeks after exposure. Those showing symptoms should not go to school, work or out in public and should contact a health care provider. Courtesy of Maryland Matters

Tuesday, April 21st, 2026

Monday, April 20th, 2026