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

Tuesday, August 11th, 2026
	Nearly 5,000 without power in Quad Cities areas MidAmerican Energy has identified widespread outages in the metro and surrounding communities.
	RiverCenter, Adler name new Executive Director VenuWorks has named James “Jim” Wynkoop, CVE, as executive director of the RiverCenter and Adler Theatre in Davenport, effective Monday, August 17. Wynkoop is a Certified Venue Executive with over 30 years of industry experience, as well as operational expertise, financial discipline, programming knowledge, staff leadership and relationship-building skills. His experience managing arenas, theatres, stadiums, [...]
	Seeing severe weather, send in your photos and video With strong storms moving into the Quad Cities viewing area, it's important to remain weather aware. If you capture any photos or video of the weather in your area, submit them through our News 8 app or text them at (309)304-0888.
	Quad City Arts names Ben Gougeon new Executive Director Quad City Arts has a new Executive Director. The organization’s Board of Directors announced that Ben Gougeon will be the next Executive Director, effective August 10. He has over 30 years of experience working in the arts as a theatre and film artist and in leadership and administrative positions with nonprofit organizations in Illinois, Iowa, [...]
	Tornado Warning from TUE 8:38 AM CDT until TUE 9:15 AM CDT Tornado Warning in Effect Until 9:15 AM CDT for Parts of Illinois and Iowa
	Sterling organization recovering after last week's fire Self Help Enterprises' cardboard recycling center caught fire Friday, Aug. 7. The center supports its programs for people with disabilities.
	Harkeys, restaurant and bar, grand opening celebration Saturday Harkey’s, restaurant and bar, celebrates grand opening with live music from CraZy Ex.
	Cook review: Creativity of wild, unexpected 'Maddie's Secret' is there for all to see I wasn't familiar with John Early's work until I saw "Maddie's Secret," a surprising, fresh approach to comedy and movie-making in general. Early ("Now More Than Ever") satirizes influencer culture, foodies and even friendships as he stars in this comedy that he also wrote and directed. He plays Maddie Ralph, a super-nice woman who lives [...]
	Uplifted Energies Wellness Center set to open in downtown Davenport this fall The space will bring together a growing collective of independent practitioners, offering a wide array of wellness services.
	Iowa Barn Foundation tour includes historic QCA barns: See a slideshow here The Iowa Barn Foundation will hold its 26th Annual All-State Barn Tour on Saturday and Sunday,Sept. 19-20, featuring more than 100 barns across the state - including Jackson County, Muscatine County, and Scott County - that will be available for visitors inside and out from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. both days in the largest barn tour [...]
	Gretchen Teske: Women's Professional Baseball League proves the time is right for a league of their own For those who can't make it to Springfield, ESPN is streaming the WPBL games live.
	The secret economics inside the new Planet Money board game From Nobel Prize-winning research to the Laffer Curve, Scabby the Rat, Veblen's peacock, and more — the economic ideas and inside jokes hiding throughout Planet Money's new board game.
	Former Syrian President Assad sentenced to death in absentia A Syrian court sentenced Assad along with his brother to death in absentia for crimes against humanity and war crimes during Syria's 14-year conflict that left about half a million people dead.
	V. O. This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.Every community seems to have one man so important he is known only by his first two initials. Talk about "F.W." or…
	Perseid meteor shower: When is the best time to watch the summer light show? The Perseid summer light show is back — and viewing conditions are especially promising for the Northern Hemisphere.
	A midwife crosses 'maternity deserts' to make a difference for Black moms and babies New research from the March of Dimes says more than half of U.S. counties have no labor and delivery hospitals. One Black midwife tries to make a difference for moms in Alabama.
	A year in, thousands of armed troops have quietly become a fixture of D.C. life The deployment is expected to cost in the billions after it was quietly extended until Inauguration Day of 2029.
	In Minnesota and Wisconsin, competitive primaries will again test power of progressive candidates A week after the Michigan primary, tests of progressive power will play out in the Midwest, raising questions of whether far left candidates can win come November or if the GOP can pick up moderates.
	Readers tell us how they became Deadheads We asked people to share the story of how they became a Deadhead and received hundreds of responses. Their stories are tender, comical and sometimes spiritual.
	The school year begins in LA with one big change: limited screen time As educators in the nation's second-largest district prepare for the new limits on classroom screen time, some teachers say it will be a difficult adjustment.
	Turkey's parliament approves a pardon-like bill for thousands of PKK militants Turkey's parliament approved legislation that would introduce a conditional pardon for thousands of Kurdish militants in a bid to advance the government's peace initiative with their insurgent group.
	Trump pivots back to sanctions for Iran as other strategies to end his war fizzle The shift comes as U.S. stockpiles of key weapons have dwindled and as stop-start talks seem again to have stalled. But Trump insists the pressure can lead to a breakthrough.
Monday, August 10th, 2026
	Magnitude 7.4 quake rocks western Colombia, killing at least 111 people Search teams and civilians picked through the remains of destroyed buildings in the country's third-largest city, Cali, passing large pieces of concrete and rubble down a long line of volunteers.
	College students present their summer research on Nahant Marsh The projects focused on topics such as wildlife, habitat restoration and water quality.
	Rock Island approves regulations on small off-road vehicles driving on city streets Since March 1, Rock Island Police have received about 75 complaints involving dirt bikes, mini-bikes and ATVs driving recklessly.
	Rock Island approves ordinance regulating small off-road vehicles driving on city streets Since March 1, Rock Island Police have received about 75 complaints involving dirt bikes, mini-bikes and ATVs driving recklessly.
	Self Help in Sterling recovering after last week's fire The organization's cardboard recycling center caught fire Friday, Aug. 7. The center supports its programs for people with disabilities.
	Over 100 employers, organizations expected at Eastern Iowa Success Fair The free event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the NorthPark Mall and is open to the public.
	Operation Tiger brings year-round support to Sherrard students and families Operation Tiger unites Sherrard School District resources to offer continuous support for families, providing essentials and hosting community events year round.
	Quad City Arts names Ben Gougeon as executive director He brings more than 30 years of experience working in the arts, both as a theater and film artist and in leadership and administrative roles with nonprofit organizations.
	Rock Island passes ordinance on safe use of minibikes, dirt bikes, ATVs By a vote of 6-1 Rock Island City Council passed an ordinance regulating the safe operation of minibikes, dirtbikes, ATVs and similar vehicles on city streets.
	Davenport Schools sells Iron + Grain location to the business The property where Iron + Grain Coffee House’s Davenport location is would have been included in a district construction project, but the district instead is selling it to the coffee shop.
	Gov. Reynolds reviewing President Trump’s child vaccination executive order Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds' office said that she is reviewing President Donald Trump's executive order on childhood vaccination recommendations.
	Former Bettendorf resident, Pleasant Valley graduate killed in firefighting mission crash A Pleasant Valley graduate who was an aerial firefighting pilot was killed Friday during a firefighting mission in a crash in central Utah. U. S. Army veteran Christopher V. Andersen, 64, was a veteran Army aviator and an accomplished civilian helicopter pilot whose 40-year career carried him from the NATO frontier to oil fields in [...]
	‘Dogust’ campaign connects ImpactLife blood donation to support for local animal shelters ImpactLife’s Dogust campaign invites blood donors throughout August to direct their donor rewards to participating animal shelters and humane societies across the region, supporting rescue pets while helping maintain the community blood supply.
	Muscatine firefighters test precision in 'cone challenge' On Friday at Muscatine Fire Station One, members of the Muscatine Fire Department turned aerial ladder training into a full‑blown game of skill. The goal: Practice precise control of Truck 310’s aerial ladder — but with a twist. To make the drill both fun and competitive, firefighters were tasked with placing an orange cone attached [...]
	Davenport Country Club hopes to open doors for aspiring youth caddies Summer break offers many high schoolers the time to work longer hours and gives many their first taste of joining the work force. For some that means becoming a waiter at a local restaurant, a barista at their favorite coffee shop, serving up delicious ice cream or even becoming a youth caddie at the Davenport [...]
	Red Cross issues blood crisis; blood drives scheduled for Illinois QCA The American Red Cross continues to experience a national blood crisis and donors of all blood types are needed. While many have rolled up a sleeve to give, demand for blood from hospitals is still outpacing donations, according to a news release. Blood drives have been scheduled for: Bureau County Henry Knox County Lee County [...]
	Bettendorf native remembered after Utah wildfire helicopter crash Two men lost their lives fighting wildfires in Utah over the weekend. One of them has ties to the Quad Cities.
	New Culver's restaurant opens in LeClaire The new location is locally owned and will provide 100 jobs to the community.
	Firefighting helicopter crashes in Utah, 2 people on board Two people were on board the aircraft but there's been no update on their condition so far.
	Davenport dueling-piano spot closes, according to social media post A new Davenport night spot that featured dueling pianos is closed for good, according to a Facebook post. "After such a short but exciting beginning, we are heartbroken to announce that Collette’s will not be reopening," the post begins. "We opened Collette’s because we wanted to bring something truly different to the Quad Cities—a place [...]
	Rideshare unionization, drug-pricing oversight, plastic pellet and light pollution bills become law Rideshare drivers can unionize in Illinois, a new law seeks to regulate and classify plastic pellets as a pollutant, and the state will exercise greater oversight of a federal prescription drug discount program.
	MAP: How many Flock cameras are in your neighborhood? Flock Safety, a surveillance equipment company, says it partners with more than 5,000 law enforcement agency partners across 6,000 communities. Is your city one of them?
	Speaker Welch’s “Informal Investigation” of Rep Benton a Nonfiction Novel of Congressional Procedure Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch sat down for interviews with selected reporters last week. He told most of them that his office had conducted an “informal investigation” into sexual harassment allegations against former Representative Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, in 2023.
	Traum-Com: “One Night Only,” “I Want Your Sex,” and “Ice Cream Man” There's nothing much wrong with director Will Gluck's romantic comedy One Night Only that couldn't have been fixed by ditching its leading man, leaning into its premise about 10 times harder, and turning it into a musical. Granted, we're talking about it being a different movie altogether. But I'd certainly have been on-board with those changes, because the movie we're stuck with largely sucks.
	Federal dollars aim to boost Des Moines River recreation, tourism Outdoor recreation already brings nearly $6 billion a year to Iowa’s economy, and the state’s capital city accounts for about 25 percent of all tourism, according to Catch Des Moines. New federal dollars are now aimed at pushing those numbers even higher.
	17th annual Floatzilla coming up The largest paddle event on the Mississippi River will take place on Saturday, Aug. 15.
	Grace City Church remains closed after apparent storm damage Grace City Church in Rock Island remains closed after apparent storm damage caused part of its spire to collapse. A structural assessment is pending.
	DeWitt woman turns recovery journey into mission to help mothers Six years after getting sober, a DeWitt woman is using her experience with addiction to help other women find a path toward recovery.
	Jury trial date set for former Carroll County sheriff's deputy charged in death of Jackson Kradle Matthew Herpstreith's trial is set to start on Nov. 16.
	How much of the $905 million Powerball jackpot you'd take home: Map The Powerball jackpot is growing closer to the $1 billion mark, but taxes would send a winner home with far less.
	Princeton, Iowa, man charged in Clinton Kwik Star shooting A Princeton, Iowa, man has been charged after shooting into a SUV in a Kwik Star parking lot, police say.
	2026 Floatzilla sets sail on Saturday The largest paddle event on the Mississippi River will take place on Saturday, Aug. 15.
	Sherrard launches year-round support program for students, families Operation Tiger combines Operation Santa and the Tiger Closet to provide students and families with year-round access to food, clothing, school supplies and more.
	Alternating Currents returns to the Quad Cities Aug. 13-16 The four-day celebration of creativity features over 230 events and more than 600 artists, with events taking place in Davenport, Bettendorf and Rock Island.
	What's ahead at Alternating Currents? Get out and enjoy more than 200 performances across over 40 venues with music, comedy, film and visual arts at Alternating Currents! Kyle Carter joined Our Quad Cities News with a look at what to expect at Alternating Currents. For more information, click here.
	Alternating Currents events taking place throughout the Quad Cities Aug. 13-16 The four-day celebration of creativity features over 230 events and more than 600 artists, with events taking place in Davenport, Bettendorf and Rock Island.
	Man charged in assault case now facing new gun charge A judge set his bond at $10,000 cash-only on Monday.
	3 brief tornadoes confirmed during Sunday night storms in Henry County, Illinois None of the tornadoes caused any damage, resulting in an EF-Unknown rating for all of them.
	After his Reflecting Pool vandalism case is dismissed, David Hearn looks for closure The ex-Olympian accused of damaging the reflecting pool tells NPR the experience has been "Orwellian" and "Kafkaesque." And it's not over yet: His lawyers are fighting to close the case permanently.
	Doggy Splash back at the Bettendorf YMCA Water Park at the Landing on Labor Day Area dogs can get their splash on at the YMCA Water Park at the Landing on Labor Day.
	Trump and RFK Jr. try again to upend vaccines for kids President Trump expected to sign executive order that once again tries to upend the vaccines children receive to protect them against measles, mumps, tetanus, whooping cough and other dangerous diseases.
	NWS confirms 3 Sunday night tornadoes Meteorologists with the National Weather Service have confirmed there were at least 3 tornadoes late Sunday evening East of the Quad Cities. Without much damage to survey, they relied on storm spotter reports and video, along with radar data. All 3 tornadoes were given EF-U ratings, which stands for "unknown" as the lack of damage [...]
	Woman wanted in Scott County marijuana conspiracy, eight of nine alleged conspirators arrested Davenport police are looking for the ninth conspirator in a Scott County marijuana conspiracy case.
	Parents putting screens in front of their kids is more about their own stress than other factors It is 6 p.m. after a full workday. A tired parent is trying to prepare dinner and clean up the kitchen before their children’s evening routine implodes. A minor disagreement between the children quickly escalates into shouting and shoving. The parent also suddenly remembers an email from their supervisor about an upcoming deadline. Quiet and a sense of control is an arm’s reach away. All the parent has to do is place a tablet in each child’s hands, knowing it will quickly stop their fighting. I am a doctoral student of child and adolescent clinical psychology. My new research suggests that whether a parent reaches for the tablet during stressful moments depends less on the child’s behavior and more on the adult’s ability to cope with the stress of a particular situation. Parenting stress and screen time Screens have become an almost integral part of childhood and parenting. Nearly all U.S. children use or view screens every day, and 42% of children ages 2 to 4 have their own tablets. The American Pediatric Association offers different screentime recommendations for children depending on their age. The organization recommends that parents not allow children ages 18 months to 2 years to use media by themselves and that they limit media use among children 2 to 5 to less than one hour per day. Most young children do not meet these recommendations. It is no surprise, then, that managing children’s screen use can be very stressful for parents. Parenting a child comes with unique stressors, from small daily hassles like getting kids out the door on time for school to the bigger assignment of raising a functioning, happy and healthy human. These particular stressors that come with the job are what researchers call parenting stress. Nearly 70% of parents in a 2020 national survey said that managing their child’s technology and social media use is a primary source of their parenting stress. While research on children’s screen use is growing, most of it has focused on how a child’s behavior and temperament influence how much time they spend on screens. Yet far less attention has gone to parents’ role in children’s media use. In 2024, the U.S. surgeon general identified parenting stress as a public health concern. Researchers, clinicians and policymakers were called to action to better understand parents’ needs, with the goal of supporting them in raising children and maintaining a healthy family. Parents’ level of stress weighs more heavily than their children’s actual behavior when it comes to setting screen time limits. Sigrid Olsson/PhotoAlto Agency RF Collections via Getty Images via The Conversation The study’s focus Every day, caregivers make big and small decisions about their child’s media and screen use. Researchers call these screen media parenting strategies. For example, caregivers may decide that kids can use a smartphone or tablet to speak with other family members or while they are traveling. Caregivers also often place time limits on how long their child can spend on screens each day or week. My 2025 research set out to test parents’ stress in relation to their screen media parenting strategies. In an online nationwide survey of 822 parents of children ages 4 to 8, the adults rated their levels of parenting stress, their child’s behavior problems and how they managed their child’s screen use. This includes how consistently they set limits around screen time and how often they used screens to help manage their child’s behavior. We looked at three distinct types of parenting stress: the stress parents feel of their own accord; the stress parents feel because of their relationship with their child; and the stress parents experience because their child’s behavior is difficult to manage. Our findings suggest that parents who experienced high levels of stress because of their own personal struggles and experiences in life set fewer limits for their child’s screen use, regardless of their child’s behavior. Parents who experienced stress because of their child’s temperament or challenging behavior were also more likely to hand over a screen to manage or avoid their child’s behavior. Finally, parents who felt stress because of their parent-child relationship were not more likely to give their child a screen. Our findings held true even after we accounted for the child’s actual behavior in our analysis. In other words, it wasn’t just how the child was acting, but how hard the caregiver felt it was to deal with the child’s behavior at a particular time. Transition into the new school year Most families will likely experience some stress as they launch into the busy routines of a new school year. Some caregivers might find it helpful to create an action plan to support their well-being and their family’s screen media routines. Specifically, they can create a family media plan, deciding whether to implement screen-free zones or times each day, for example. Or they can set other limits, like no screens at the dinner table or before bed. Parents can also limit what online apps and programs their children can use. Where possible, children can be involved in helping to develop the family media plan. Together, these strategies can support the next 6 p.m. moment when dinner isn’t ready and the noise won’t stop. Instead of scrambling to make a decision in the moment, a decision made proactively, at a calmer time, can support the entire family. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Enid A. Moreira, Florida International University; Daniel M. Bagner, Florida International University, and Shayl Griffith, Florida International University Read more: Kids spending too much time staring at screens? Focus on positive goals to get them moving and reading and talking Kids and their computers: Several hours a day of screen time is OK, study suggests Rethinking screen time: A better understanding of what people do on their devices is key to digital well‑being Daniel M. Bagner receives funding from the National Institutes of Health. Enid A. Moreira and Shayl Griffith do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
	Learn to manage stress with Sauk Valley Area Chamber Professional Women's Network The Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce’s Professional Women’s Network (PWN) is hosting a presentation on “How to Tame Your Stress” by Natalie Moeller, LCSW, on Wednesday, September 30 from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Mexicali Rose, 1409 8th Avenue in Rock Falls. Traditional gender roles, societal expectations and the mental load of balancing [...]
	5 unsung films that dramatize America’s rich labor history The U.S. is in the midst of a new upsurge of union organizing. Is a Hollywood drama about angry Starbucks baristas or frustrated Amazon warehouse workers far behind? Hollywood studios and independent producers have long depicted the collective efforts of working people to improve their lives and gain a voice in their workplaces and the larger society. Some of the most well-known labor movies champion the struggle of the everyday worker: “Modern Times,” released in 1936, stars Charlie Chaplin going crazy due to his job on an assembly line. It features the famous image of Chaplin caught in the gears of factory machinery. “The Grapes of Wrath,” a 1940 adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel, tells the story of sharecropper Tom Joad’s radicalization after his family and other migrant workers experience destitute conditions in California’s growing fields and overcrowded migrant camps. 1979’s “Norma Rae,” is based on the life of Crystal Lee Sutton, who worked in a J.P. Stevens mill in North Carolina. The textile worker and single mom inspires her fellow workers to overcome their racial animus and work together to vote in a union. “Bread and Roses,” a 2000 film about low-wage janitors in Los Angeles, is based on the Service Employees International Union’s “Justice for Janitors movement. In an iconic scene from ‘Modern Times,’ Charlie Chaplin gets caught in the gears of factory machinery. There is also an anti-labor strain of Hollywood history, particularly during the post-World War II Red Scare, when studios purged left-wing writers, directors and actors through an industrywide blacklist. Red Scare-era releases such as 1952’s "Big Jim McLain” and the 1954 film “On the Waterfront” often depicted unions as corrupt or infiltrated by communist subversives. When I teach labor history, I’ve used films to supplement books and articles. I’ve found that students more easily grasp the human dimensions of workers’ lives and struggles when they are depicted on the screen. Here are five unsung labor movies, all based on real-life events, that, in my view, deserve more attention. 1. ‘Northern Lights’ (1978) This is a fictionalized account of a fascinating but little-known political movement: the Non-Partisan League, which organized farmers in the upper Midwest in the early 1900s. During this period, Midwestern farmers worked long hours to harvest grain that they were then forced to sell for low prices to elevators, while paying high prices to the big railroad companies and banks. Economic insecurity was a part of life, and foreclosures were routine. The film follows Ray Sorenson, a young farmer influenced by socialist ideas who leaves his North Dakota farm to become a Non-Partisan League organizer. In his beat-up Model T, he travels the back roads, talking to farmers in their fields or around the potbellied stoves of country stores. He eventually persuades skeptical farmers that electing NPL candidates could get the government to create cooperative grain elevators, state-chartered banks with farmers as stockholders, and limits on the prices that railroads can charge farmers to haul their wheat. ‘Northern Lights’ is based on an early-20th-century farmer-led political uprising in the Midwest. In 1916, the Non-Partisan League did, in fact, elect farmer Lynn Frazier as governor of North Dakota with 79% of the vote. Two years later, the NPL won control of both houses of the state legislature and created the North Dakota Mill, still the only state-owned flour mill, and the The Bank of North Dakota, which remains the nation’s only government-owned general-service bank. 2. ‘The Devil and Miss Jones’ (1941) In this screwball comedy with a pro-union twist, Charles Coburn plays John P. Merrick, a fictional New York City department store owner. After his employees hang him in effigy, the tycoon goes undercover to ferret out the agitators of a union drive led by a store clerk in the shoe department and a union organizer. As he learns more about their lives, Merrick grows sympathetic to his workers – and even falls in love with one of his employees – none of whom know his true identity. As the workers prepare to go on strike, and even picket his house, Merrick reveals that he owns the store and agrees to their demands over pay and hours – and even marries the employee he has fallen for. The film was likely inspired by the 1937 sit-down strikes by employees of department stores in New York City. 3. ’Salt of the Earth’ (1954) Decades ahead of its time, this story of New Mexico mine workers deals with issues of racism, sexism and class. After a mine accident, the Mexican-American workers decide to strike. They demand better safety standards and equal treatment, since white miners are allowed to work in pairs, while Mexican ones are forced to work alone. The strikers expect the women to stay at home, cook and take care of the children. But when the company gets an injunction to end the men’s protest, the women step up and maintain the picket lines, earning greater respect from the men. Made at the height of the Red Scare, the film’s writer, producer and director had been blacklisted for their leftist sympathies, so the film was sponsored by the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, not a Hollywood studio. Will Geer, a blacklisted actor who later portrayed Grandpa Walton on the TV drama “The Waltons,” played the repressive sheriff. Mexican actress Rosaura Revueltas played the leader of the wives. The other characters were portrayed by real miners and their wives who participated in the strike against the Empire Zinc Company, which served as the inspiration for the film. The film itself was blacklisted, and no major theater chain would show it. 4. ‘10,000 Black Men Named George’ (2002) Andre Braugher stars as A. Philip Randolph, who organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first Black-run union. Being a porter on a Pullman railroad car was one of the few jobs open to Black men. But wages were low, travel was constant and trains’ white passengers patronized the porters by calling all of them “George,” after George Pullman, the mogul who owned the company. The company hired thugs to intimidate the porters, but Randolph and his top lieutenants persisted. They began their crusade in 1925 but didn’t get the company to sign a contract with the union until 1937, thanks to a New Deal law that gave railroad workers the right to unionize. Randolph became American’s leading civil rights organizer during the 1940s and 1950s and orchestrated the 1963 March on Washington. Members of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters display their banner at a 1955 ceremony celebrating the organization’s 30th anniversary. Bettmann/Getty Images via The Conversation 5. ’North Country’ (2005) Charlize Theron portrays Josey Aimes, a desperate single mom who flees her abusive husband, returns to her hometown in northern Minnesota, moves in with her parents and takes a job at an iron mine. There, she is constantly groped, insulted and bullied by the male workers. She complains to the company managers, who don’t take her seriously. The male-dominated union claims there’s nothing they can do. Aimes sues the company, which, after a dramatic courtroom scene, is forced to settle with her and other women. With stellar performances by Theron, Sissy Spacek, Frances McDormand and Woody Harrelson, “North Country” is based on a groundbreaking lawsuit brought by women miners at Minnesota’s Eveleth Mines in 1975 that helped make sexual harassment a violation of workers’ rights. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Peter Dreier, Occidental College Read more: Why police unions are not part of the American labor movement Disney hasn’t found itself in this much trouble since 1941 Amazon, Starbucks and the sparking of a new American union movement Peter Dreier does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
	Cyclospora spreads through human waste – so how did it get on food? The nationwide cyclospora outbreak is very likely a result of sewage contamination in the food supply, according to scientific researchers and public health officials. The parasite’s spread can become a self-perpetuating cycle. Cyclospora is found only in humans, where it replicates in the intestinal tract, causing severe diarrhea. The organism reproduces by releasing oocysts, which are excreted in those human feces. In the U.S., feces usually end up in sewage systems. In many states, sewage water is treated – though not always in ways that remove or kill the oocysts – and then released into waterways and can be used to irrigate crops. The oocysts mature in the environment with warm temperatures in about a week. Then a human comes along and eats the irrigated food or drinks the water and gets sick, releasing more oocysts into sewage systems. I am a public health water microbiologist who collects sewage water and tests it for evidence of harmful pathogens, such as cyclospora. The first time I studied cyclospora was in the first outbreak ever documented in the U.S., a small, 45-case outbreak in Florida in 1995. The cause was initially suspected to be strawberries grown in California, but later it was determined it was more likely due to imported contaminated raspberries from Guatemala. That country’s raspberries were also associated with much larger outbreaks in 1996 and 1997. At the time, little was known about this single-celled protozoan pathogen. More than 30 years later, the largest outbreak ever recorded in the U.S. has sickened more than 22,000 people, and contributed to the deaths of two in Michigan, where I live and work. Using treated sewage to irrigate crops is common in many places, especially where groundwater and surface water are in short supply. What’s in wastewater There are two reasons researchers like me collect sewage and monitor what’s in it. The first is to evaluate levels of disease in a community. Measuring viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 in untreated sewage helped paint a picture of the spread of COVID-19 and the emergence of variants as the pandemic continued. The second reason is to determine whether and how sewage treatment removes, inactivates or kills pathogens. It is not easy to measure cyclospora oocysts in sewage, contaminated water or food. Even modern laboratory methods have trouble reliably detecting low levels of oocysts, which can still cause disease. Cyclospora oocysts have been found in sewage around the world. A range of studies across the world shows that they can be detected in up to 25% of sewage samples – but not all studies report how high or low the concentrations of the oocysts were. So it can be hard to say exactly how widespread it is. A person who is infected with cyclospora excretes somewhere between 100 and 10,000 oocysts per gram of feces for as long as 60 days. Based on what is known about other fecal pathogen excretions from patients, related to the concentrations of those pathogens in sewage, I estimate that there could be anywhere from 1 to 100 oocysts per liter in sewage. Our laboratory at Michigan State University is developing a method to more accurately detect this parasite even at lower levels in sewage. This type of wastewater surveillance may help determine when an outbreak is beginning to subside and where larger numbers of people are still affected. In addition, this information could allow sewage treatment plant managers to regularly monitor their discharges. A magnified view of a stool sample, seen through a microscope, reveals Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images via The Conversation What happens during sewage treatment? There isn’t clear data on how well standard sewage treatment processes reduce the numbers of cyclospora oocysts. But there is information on two other similar protozoa that also cause significant diarrhea in humans: Cryptosporidium produces an oocyst about half the size of cyclospora, and giardia produces a cyst that is similar in size to cyclospora. From 2001 to 2003, my laboratory studied the occurrence of those protozoa at six sewage treatment plants – one each in Arizona and California and four in Florida. All had been approved by their respective state regulators for nonpotable reuse, including irrigation of landscapes and, in some cases, crops. In that study, we found these protozoa in all the untreated sewage we tested, indicating there is some portion of the population that is infected and excreting their cysts or oocysts. The five treatment plants whose processes included disinfection with chlorine were able to get rid of a high percentage – but not all – of the protozoa in their discharged wastewater. Some cysts and oocysts remained intact, with the potential to cause disease, even in water that had gone through the entire treatment process, as it is known that wastewater chlorination does not kill these protozoa. From that data, it seems reasonable to assume that at least some small proportion of cyclospora oocysts also survive sewage treatment processes and are released back into the environment, where they can survive for months. Crops are commonly irrigated with reclaimed sewage wastewater. David McNew/Getty Images via The Conversation What about reuse? Across the U.S., 200 billion gallons of treated sewage wastewater are used for irrigation of agricultural lands each year. Some of that wastewater undergoes additional filtration and disinfection for reuse before being spread directly on landscapes or crops. The volumes, however, are not readily known. And other treated sewage, which undergoes only standard secondary treatment, is discharged into rivers, streams and reservoirs that could provide irrigation water. But few states regulate efforts to remove or monitor protozoa such as cyclospora in treated sewage. Filtration can remove protozoa but must be designed and operated correctly. Chlorination is not effective, but ultraviolet light does inactivate cryptosporidium and eimeria, a chicken protozoan highly related to and used as a surrogate in studies testing methods of killing cyclospora by the food safety industry. What is needed for better risk assessment and management? As floods and droughts occur routinely across the U.S. and around the world, sewage may overflow into bodies of water or be used directly on crops. That increases the risk that diseases, including protozoa such as cyclospora, which are transmitted through ingestion of fecal matter, may spread through food and water supplies. And because cyclospora oocysts mature in outdoor heat, it is possible that increasing temperatures, such as heat domes, could speed up their maturation, exposing more people to the infectious form of the parasite. Modern technology and techniques are capable of monitoring water quality, detecting harmful pathogens and eliminating them. Expanding monitoring of wastewater for protozoan diseases and other dangers can help prevent outbreaks and slow the spread of disease from sewage-contaminated water in the future. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Joan Rose, Michigan State University Read more: Should you wash your prewashed lettuce? An infectious disease expert explains how to eat your greens safely during the cyclospora outbreak Cyclosporiasis sickens some people worse – why your diarrhea could be more explosive than others Summertime can be germy: A microbiologist explains how to avoid getting sick at the barbecue, in the pool or on the trail Joan Rose receives funding from Michigan Department of Human Health Services for Wastewater Surveillance. In the past she has been supported by the USEPA and the Water Research Foundation to evaluate microbes in wastwater and water. She is affiliated with International Water Association, Water Environment Federation and American Water Works Association. She is co-chair of the International Joint Commission's Health Professionals Advisory Board.
	REVIEW: Puffs or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic at The Black Box Theatre If you’re a fan of Monty Python and a Harry Potter nerd (and I know you’re out there), you’ll want to hurry to The Black Box Theatre to take in the wacky and quirky Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic, a 2015 original comedy by playwright Matt Cox directed by Kailey Ackerman. The play is a parody of the Harry Potter book series by J. K. Rowling, but from the perspective of the "Puffs": that is, members of the Hogwarts house, Hufflepuff.
	REVIEW: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Quad City Music Guild …could I get that in a sentence, please? Um…H.I.L.A.R.I.O.U.S…hilarious! So describes the Quad Cities Music Guild’s current production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee directed by Quad Cities gem: Mike Turczynski.
	LIST: Dips, salsas sold in Illinois, other states recalled over salmonella concerns The salsa, dips, guacamole, and more were sold at Kroger, Target, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Walmart locations across half the U.S.
	20-year-old woman injured in Rock Island shooting on Saturday A woman was taken to the hospital after sustaining a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the leg early Saturday in Rock Island.
	REVIEW: Murder by Poe at Playcrafters Barn Theatre This was another marathon theatre weekend with shows opening in three different venues. Playcrafters Barn Theatre’s offering is Murder by Poe by Jeffrey Hatcher and is an adaptation from the works of Edgar Allan Poe stories. Pam Cantrell, a well-known Quad Cities actor, makes her directorial debut with this script and, as a first effort, delivers a show worth watching.
	28-year-old airlifted after crashing ATV in rural Henry County, Iowa The crash happened Monday morning near the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 335th Street.
	Boil order in place for parts of Silvis after water main break The City of Silvis issued a boil order for 7th Street from 1st Avenue to 4th Avenue due to a water main break.
	Part of Silvis under boil order due to water main break The boil order is for 7th Street from 1st to 4th avenues, according to a media release.
	2 arrested after shots fired in Clinton Two people have been arrested after the Clinton Police Department responded to reports of shots fired at a Kwik Star.
	How does online dermatology compare to in-person care? How does online dermatology compare to in-person care?For many chronic skin conditions, the most important advantage of teledermatology is shortening the distance between a problem, a clinical decision, and the next adjustment.Skin problems rarely respect calendars. A painful acne flare does not wait for a convenient week, nor does eczema pause because a patient has used all their paid time off.The conventional system nevertheless asks patients to call an office, find an appointment, arrange transportation, miss work or school, sit in a waiting room, and eventually spend a few minutes with a clinician.In 2025, the average wait for a nonurgent dermatology appointment in the United States was reported to be 36.5 days, according to an AMN Healthcare report. For many patients, the debate between virtual and in-person care comes down to receiving expert care online this week versus receiving expert care in person next month.Here, Honeydew looks at how online dermatology compares with an office-first system for treating chronic dermatological issues, such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis.Treating acne, eczema, psoriasis, or rosacea usually requires a feedback loop rather than a single encounter. A clinician chooses a treatment for the patient to try. Then, the patient’s skin either improves, stays the same, becomes irritated, or changes in some unexpected way. The clinician then adjusts the dose, changes the formulation, addresses a side effect, adds another medication, or allows the treatment more time.The quality of care depends on how quickly and reliably the next decision can be made, something that is challenging for the traditional in-person model for dermatology.Online care compresses the loop.Patients can submit their history and photographs when symptoms are actively present. Clinicians can review that information asynchronously rather than requiring both parties to be available at the same moment. Follow-up can happen while a treatment question is still relevant, rather than weeks after the patient first noticed it.Done well, online dermatology transforms the smartphone camera into part of a longitudinal medical record. Instead of relying on a patient to describe what a rash looked like three weeks ago, the clinician can examine what it looked like at the time.Equivalent OutcomesThe strongest argument for online dermatology is that, for appropriately selected conditions, it can produce clinical results comparable to office care.In a small 2023 randomized trial of 24 patients receiving follow-up care for mild-to-moderate acne, teledermatology and in-person visits produced similar improvements in acne severity and similarly high levels of patient satisfaction over six months. Patients assigned to teledermatology spent about 30 minutes in total completing their online assessments, compared with nearly one hour and 52 minutes on visit-related procedures in the in-person group, a cumulative savings of approximately one hour and 22 minutes. The time savings were primarily patient-facing, however: physicians spent about eight minutes more in total conducting teledermatology assessments than face-to-face consultations.A 12-month randomized trial conducted from 2015-2017 involving 296 patients with psoriasis similarly found that an asynchronous online model was as effective as in-person management in improving clinical outcomes. More recently, a 2026 randomized trial of 300 adults and children with atopic dermatitis found that asynchronous online care produced improvements equivalent to in-person care across clinician-assessed disease severity, patient-reported symptoms, and global disease assessments.In short, removing the office does not remove the medicine or care.Convenience Becomes a Clinical VariableFor certain chronic diseases, convenience and quality come hand-in-hand.A treatment plan that is difficult to access is a weaker treatment plan. A follow-up process that requires repeated phone calls, transportation, childcare, and time away from work introduces more opportunities for care to stop.Consider a patient starting acne medication. During the first several months, the patient may need help distinguishing normal dryness from excessive irritation, understanding whether an initial flare is expected, deciding when to increase a dose, and determining whether the treatment is working quickly enough.None of those questions necessarily requires an examination room. All of them can influence whether the patient continues treatment correctly.The same is true for eczema. A patient may need a clinician to review a new flare, clarify where and for how long to apply a topical medication, or decide whether the current regimen is sufficient. In psoriasis, regular visual updates can help a clinician assess whether plaques are responding and whether escalation should be considered.The faster these questions enter the clinical feedback loop, the less likely patients are to spend weeks guessing.Online care can also change what a clinician sees. Office visits offer controlled lighting and the ability to examine the skin directly. Digital care offers the ability to document a condition repeatedly, in the patient’s ordinary environment, at the moment it is changing.When To Choose In-Person vs. Online Dermatology?Some dermatology problems should be examined in person.For example, a suspicious mole may require dermoscopy or biopsy. A widespread or rapidly changing eruption may require palpation, laboratory testing, or urgent assessment. Moreover, procedures cannot be performed through a screen, of course.For nonurgent problems and those requiring management over time, however, online dermatology can be better than in-person.Managing conditions such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea can be faster to address through online dermatology platforms than in person. Waiting times are shorter, photographs can be taken to provide updates, and questions may be answered faster.A Better Definition of AccessFor decades, access to dermatology has been measured by whether a patient could eventually obtain an appointment. Online care solves that in many cases and provides additional benefits like faster answers to questions and more frequent tracking, which helps patients find and keep up with treatment that is right for them.The important innovation is the creation of a tighter clinical loop, one in which patients can enter care sooner, communicate more easily, and receive adjustments when those adjustments matter.This story was produced by Honeydew and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Part of Silvis under boil order A section of Silvis is currently under a boil order. A news release from the city said residents on 7th Street from 1st Avenue to 4th Avenue must boil water before use, due to a water main break. The boil order is given as a precaution and pursuant to IEPA’s Safe Drinking Water Act, Boil [...]
	Man faces felony charges after allegedly beating man unconscious in Davenport Augustin Gutierrez of Davenport faces multiple felony charges after allegedly beating a man unconscious downtown.
	Central States Shrine Association holding Ceremonial Session in Davenport Davenport is welcoming the 2026 Central States Shrine Association (CSSA) for its Ceremonial Session on August 19-22. The Ceremonial Session will feature a grand Shrine parade through downtown Davenport, a marketplace at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, a pub crawl, a golf tournament and a full lineup of activities. ”We are thrilled to welcome the Central [...]
	3 of America's most expensive summer weekend destinations for private jets 3 of America's most expensive summer weekend destinations for private jetsHigh-net-worth individuals targeting summer destinations face predictable cost inflation during peak season. Bookings to desirable locations—like the Hamptons, Martha's Vineyard, or Aspen—impose dynamic pricing premiums that compound across landing fees, repositioning costs, and parking surcharges. Peak-season flights to regional airports multiply baseline costs significantly due to structural constraints and demand-driven pricing. Understanding what drives these premiums is critical for budgeting private aviation spend.The problem: These oases of tranquility and fresh air are nowhere near a big-city airport. However, the good news is you can fly privately to the nearest regional airport, then reach your destination by car, speedboat, or yacht.Still, during summer, some of these airports can be expensive even from a wealthy flyer’s perspective. Jettly explored what exactly makes it more expensive to land at smaller airports like East Hampton Town Airport or Martha’s Vineyard Airport.What Makes an Airport Expensive for Private Jets?Let’s make something clear first: It’s not the airports that hike prices. Landing fees are legally fixed and set by the town or county. Also, under Federal Aviation Administration Fair and Reasonable access guidelines (and even under local municipal operations), airports cannot arbitrarily jack up landing fees for any reason.One of the main reasons why popular summer destinations become more expensive to fly to is dynamic pricing. Private charter providers adjust their rates based on demand, aircraft availability, and seasonal travel patterns.As it is natural with this pricing strategy, prices rise during peak hours, holidays, or major events. This is done to offset the inconveniences associated with crowded airports. After all, if everyone is boarding their private jet to go to Aspen, there won’t be enough room for everyone to park at the airport.This is why busy seasons mean asymmetric traffic patterns (empty legs), structural limitations at airports, and aggressive slot/parking restrictions. And this is why prices go sky-high.The Empty Leg FactorOn summer weekends, traffic is highly directional because everyone wants to land at the destination on Thursday or Friday and leave on Sunday or Monday.To make room for everyone to land and move around, charter operators can’t leave their aircraft sitting on the tarmac all weekend, so they are forced to fly the plane back empty to a hub. They’ll fly back when it’s time to pick up their clients.In this case, the charterer is billed for both legs (the live leg and the repositioning empty leg), which can double flight-hour costs.Ramp and Overnight Parking FeesParking fees are usually not something private operators need to worry about, except when they land and park at a structurally constrained airport (like Aspen). Here (and at similar hubs), parking fees are mandatory, nonnegotiable, and strictly weight-based.Because ramp space is at an absolute premium, these airports have quite steep parking fees just to keep the plane on the tarmac. Of course, everything, including extra fuel consumed, will be added to the final bill.Slot Reservation and Peak-Surcharge PricingSecuring a slot at a peak location airport is quite a challenging task, and missing it can put any travel plans in jeopardy. Of course, this comes with additional costs, as the crew and the plane will have to spend more time than expected with a single client.Additionally, peak season means fixed base operators (FBOs) increase handling fees during high-demand windows (e.g., July Fourth weekend, major summer galas).3 of America's Most Expensive Summer Weekend DestinationsNow that you know why flying privately to high-end destinations during the summer will cost more, let’s have a look at the most exclusive vacation spots where the wealthy like to spend their weekends.1. The Hamptons, New YorkWhen New York’s intense summer heat becomes too much, but you don’t want to go too far from Manhattan, a quick flight to the Hamptons is the best solution. Here, you’ll enjoy pristine beaches, elite social galas, luxury estates, and plenty of fun times with or without company.The area is served by two regional airports (East Hampton Town Airport and Francis S. Gabreski Airport).Neither airport grants overnight parking clearance during peak weekends (with some exceptions), so charter quotes factor in repositioning legs to Teterboro (TEB) or Long Island MacArthur (ISP), saving the flyer money.2. Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, MassachusettsThese two islands are quite isolated, as the only means of access is by slow ferries. This naturally limits tourist crowds and opens access to private flyers. Both islands offer pristine beaches and highly private, understated luxury where you can truly relax and recharge.However, both Nantucket Memorial Airport (ACK) and Martha’s Vineyard Airport (MVY) are small, so ramp space is tightly managed. During peak summer weekends, ACK frequently issues ground delay programs and slot restrictions due to volume.Overnight parking fees can skyrocket if you can even secure a slot. If forced to "drop and go," operators must reposition the aircraft to mainland hubs like Providence (PVD) or Boston (BOS), billing the client for the extra flight legs.3. Aspen, ColoradoPeople usually flock to Aspen during winter for skiing, but due to events like the Aspen Ideas Festival and the Aspen Music Festival, it has become a summer destination as well. Plus, the heat dies down in the mountains, and the landscape is gorgeous.But it’s exactly the mountains that pose a problem for private flyers. The thin mountain air reduces engine performance, and the environment forces Aspen/Pitkin County Airport to impose a 95-foot wingspan limit. This means that larger private airliners like the Gulfstream G650 or Global 7500 are out of the question.Due to a lack of available tarmac space, many private jets have to drop passengers off and immediately reposition to Denver International Airport (DEN) or Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT). If we consider multileg repositioning, mountain crew premiums, and high landing fees, a round-trip midsize jet charter from Chicago or Texas can quickly become expensive.Plan Your Summer WeekendsOne of the biggest perks of flying private is the freedom to decide on Thursday evening that you'd rather spend Friday somewhere else, and actually make it happen.Yet, that kind of flexibility comes with an even heftier price tag than usual if you choose a popular destination during peak season. So, if you truly must spend at least one summer weekend in the Hamptons, make sure to plan ahead and let your charter operator know so they can make the necessary preparations. Otherwise, you might pay double or triple the price.This story was produced by Jettly and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Davenport man and woman charged with first-degree theft, third-degree burglary A Davenport man and woman are facing up felony charges after allegedly breaking into a house left abandoned from a fire.
	Celebrate America's 250th birthday at Bishop Hill Chautauqua Bishop Hill is celebrating America’s 250th birthday at this year’s Chautauqua with the theme, Founding Figures: People Who Helped Create Our Nation. This year’s Bishop Hill Chautauqua will be at the gazebo in the town square on Saturday, August 22. A Chautauqua is a free public event where storytellers, historians and musicians perform first-person portrayals [...]
	Woman injured in early morning shooting on 12th Street in Rock Island A 20-year-old woman was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after an early morning shooting in Rock Island
	Monarch Tagging Monarch butterflies are getting ready for their journey south, and a local event is giving people a chance to help researchers track their migration. Michelle Berns from the Muscatine County Conservation Board explains why the tags are important to researchers and how you can get involved. The monarch tagging event is scheduled for September 12.
	10-year-old and school principal killed in Dubuque County crash The Dubuque County Sheriff's Office has released new information about a crash that killed two people Saturday night.
	Despite Mideast wars, 20 million gather in Iraq for Shia pilgrimage Despite wars ranging across the Middle East, more than 20 million Shia pilgrims gather in Iraq shrine city for Arbaeen festival
	National Dog Day is August 26. Here's how to celebrate the real meaning National Dog Day is August 26. Here's how to celebrate the real meaningEvery August 26, the internet does its thing. Coffee chains hand out Pup Cups. Pet stores run promotions. Your feed fills up with golden retrievers wearing party hats. National Dog Day has become one of those holidays that's easy to celebrate without knowing anything about it.Before it was a hashtag, National Dog Day was a rescue campaign. It still is, technically. The freebies and the photos came later. And this year, the mission underneath the holiday lines up with what’s going on in American shelters, something most people scrolling past the party-hat photos haven't heard about.Below, Spot & Tango shares the full context of National Dog Day: where the day came from, why 2026 is a strange and important year for shelter dogs in particular, and some ways to celebrate that go a bit further than a free cup of whipped cream. Though, to be clear, get the whipped cream too. Your dog has earned it.Where National Dog Day Actually Came FromNational Dog Day was founded in 2004 by Colleen Paige, an animal welfare advocate and pet lifestyle expert. She's also behind National Puppy Day and National Cat Day, which makes her arguably the most influential person in the pet holiday industrial complex.The date wasn't random. August 26 marks the day Paige's family adopted her first dog from a shelter when she was 10 years old.The founding purpose had two parts. The first was rescue awareness: using the day to draw attention to the number of dogs sitting in shelters and rescues, waiting. The second was honoring working dogs, the ones who spend their lives doing jobs most people never think about: service dogs guiding their handlers, detection dogs finding drugs and explosives, and search-and-rescue dogs pulling people out of rubble. Dogs put their lives on the line for people with impressive regularity, and one of the day's original goals was simply to notice.Over two decades, the holiday has grown into something bigger and fuzzier, the way successful holidays do. But the rescue mission at the center of it never went anywhere. And in 2026, it's more relevant than it's been in years.The Shelter Story Most People Celebrating Won't Hear AboutHere's what's happening behind the party hats. Roughly 5.8 million dogs and cats entered U.S. shelters and rescues in 2025, according to Shelter Animals Count, and about 2.8 million of them were dogs. That same year, approximately 2 million dogs were adopted, per the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The gap has been stubborn for years.There's genuinely good news in the data too. Euthanasia rates in shelters have dropped from 10% in 2019 to 8% in 2025, and total euthanasia declined nearly 7% for dogs last year alone. The no-kill movement has made real structural progress. Fewer animals are entering shelters than before the pandemic. The system is slowly bending in the right direction.But inside those overall numbers is another problem, and it's the one worth knowing about this National Dog Day: America is leaving its big dogs behind.Shelter Animals Count's midyear data found that adoptions of small dogs rose 6% in the first half of 2025, while adoptions of large dogs fell 9%. The ASPCA reports that dogs, especially large dogs, are staying in shelters longer than at any point in the past five years, which strains a system that was already short on space, staff, and veterinarians.The reasons are mostly economic and mostly understandable. Vet care and pet food costs have climbed, people went back to offices, and plenty of rentals restrict dogs by weight, which disqualifies the big ones. Nobody set out to leave the labs and shepherds behind. It's just what happens when individual constraints point in the same direction.This is exactly the kind of problem a holiday about noticing dogs was invented for.How To Actually CelebrateThe classic National Dog Day moves are all fine. But if you want the day to feel like more than a photo op, here are some ideas, loosely sorted into two categories: things for your own dog, and things for the dogs who don't have their person yet.For your dog1. Upgrade their dinner. Holidays generally involve good food. Your dog's version of that isn't cake but an otherwise special meal, whether that's a freshly cooked recipe or just a homemade topper on their usual bowl (plain cooked chicken and a little pumpkin go a long way). One night of eating like a king is a fitting tribute.2. Let them lead the walk. Most walks run on your schedule and your route. For one day, try what trainers call a "sniffari": Let your dog pick the direction and set the pace, and let them sniff as long as they want. Research has shown that sniffing is genuinely enriching for dogs, lowering pulse rates and giving them the mental workout a fast march never does. It costs nothing, and dogs love it disproportionately.3. Take them somewhere new. A new trail, a new beach, a swim, a friend's fenced yard — novelty is enrichment.4. Do the things you've been putting off. This may be the overdue nail trim, the vet checkup, or the look inside their mouth that many owners never do. None of these photographs well, but it's the most loving item on this list by a wide margin.5. And sure, hit the freebie circuit. Pup cups, pet store events, and dog bakery specials all pop up every year around August 26.For the dogs still waiting6. Give your local shelter something they need. Money is best, but most shelters also post wishlists: old towels and blankets, unopened food, toys, and crates. Ten minutes of gathering stuff from your closet is a real contribution.7. Walk a shelter dog. Many shelters are short on staff and long on dogs, and volunteer dog walkers are one of the most needed and least glamorous roles in rescue. An hour of your Saturday is an hour a kenneled dog gets to be outside being a dog.8. Foster, even briefly. Short-term fostering frees up kennel space, gives shelters critical information about how a dog behaves in a home, and dramatically improves that dog's odds of getting adopted. It's the highest-impact move available short of adopting.And if you've been thinking about adopting anyway: Consider the big ones, those 60-pounders sitting in kennels while the small dogs get scooped up. Large dogs are staying in shelters longer than they have in the past five years, and none of it is their fault. Big dogs tend to be easy to find. Ask any shelter which dogs have been there the longest, and prepare for them to get visibly excited that you asked.About All Those Social Media Photos You’ll SeeEvery August 26, social media turns into a wall of dogs. Party hats, bandanas, gotcha day tributes, blurry action shots of a tennis ball mid-air. It's easy to roll your eyes at, and plenty of people do.Don't. The photos are the point. National Dog Day runs on visibility, and a few hundred million people posting their dogs is the mechanism, not the distraction. The holiday was built to make people notice dogs.If you want your post to do a little more work, though, here's a small trick: Tag your local shelter or rescue instead of just the holiday hashtag. Shelters posting their adoptable dogs are competing in that same flood of dog content. A tag, a share, or a comment on their posts pushes their posts in front of people who would never otherwise see them. It costs you nothing. For one specific dog in one specific kennel, it might be the whole ballgame.And if you happen to post a photo of a big, gray-muzzled shelter alum sprawled across your couch, even better. Nothing markets adopting an adult dog like the evidence.The Best Version Of This HolidayAs for National Dog Day, of course, your dog has no idea it exists. August 26 means nothing to them.What dogs actually want is simple, and it's the same list every day of the year: good food in the bowl, enough exercise, and your attention, ideally undivided.So on the 26th, do the sniffari, upgrade the dinner, post the photo, and tag the shelter. And then let it leak into the rest of the year, because a dog who eats well and moves well and gets their person's full attention on some random Thursday in February is living the dream, whether or not there's a hashtag for it.The underlying job of a pet owner is the same one Colleen Paige had in mind back in 2004: notice the dogs. The one on your couch, and the ones still waiting for a couch of their own.This story was produced by Spot & Tango and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Iowa gas prices fall 9.5 cents in a week, Quad-Cities prices down 6 cents Prices in Iowa are 0.5 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 83.3 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.
	Who’s driving the bus? QCA schools in need of bus drivers The big yellow school bus that is responsible for getting students to class faces a challenge.
	Learn about caregiver support at Cancer Support Community Iowa and NW Illinois at Gilda’s Club Cancer Support Community Iowa and NW Illinois at Gilda’s Club is hosting a free educational workshop on caregiver support. The workshop is offered in a hybrid format and participants will be able to attend in-person or via Zoom. The workshop will be held on August 24 from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. at Gilda’s Club Davenport, [...]
	What SCOTUS didn’t say about transgender athletes, and what the ruling means for schools and students What SCOTUS didn’t say about transgender athletes, and what the ruling means for schools and studentsThe U.S. Supreme Court’s June 30 decision on transgender sports participation in some ways simply upheld the status quo.States that prohibit transgender athletes from playing on teams that match their gender identity can keep doing so — there’s no constitutional problem, the court’s conservative majority found.But states without such bans can maintain more inclusive policies. Nothing in the ruling requires that states keep transgender athletes out of women’s and girls’ sports.But that’s just one piece of the story. Advocates on both sides expect the fight in states and the courts to continue. And the Supreme Court majority’s reasoning raises new questions about the boundaries of transgender rights and gender protections more broadly.Fight over transgender athletes to continue in statesMore than 20 states still allow transgender athletes to participate on sports teams that match their gender identity, provided they meet certain criteria, and the Supreme Court ruling doesn’t change anything in those states.Bolstered by the Supreme Court ruling, people who don’t believe transgender athletes have a place in girls’ sports hope to change that through the legislative process. Voters in Colorado and Washington will also get to decide whether to adopt bans through ballot measures.Beth Parlato, an attorney with the conservative Independent Women’s Law Center, said she can now reassure lawmakers and the public that any ban they adopt is legal. Parlato said she’s also fielding calls about how the ruling might affect interstate competition when states have different standards.“As litigators, we keep making these arguments until we win,” she told Chalkbeat.LGBTQ advocates, meanwhile, hope they can succeed in the court of public opinion in a way they didn’t with the Supreme Court.“We’ve never been favored by the laws, and we know that the courts are not the be-all, end-all,” said Shawn Meerkamper, managing attorney at the Transgender Law Center. “We’re on to the next fight.”All youth need opportunities to be physically activeSoju Hokari, a transgender athlete who described sports as a vital part of her childhood and her development as a person, said those who care about trans youth must find ways for them to get the benefits of sports, even in states with bans. That might mean creating clubs outside school or officially sanctioned teams.Hokari said everyone involved in sports has “an obligation to make sure we’re making space for trans athletes to thrive.” Sophie Hayssen // Chalkbeat, Source: Movement Advancement Project Writing in the newsletter QueerED, teacher and researcher Benjamin Lebovitz pointed to data from Wisconsin that showed transgender and questioning youth were much less likely to participate in sports or be physically active than their peers. That gap grew as the political debate over transgender athletes heated up, and Lebovitz fears the Supreme Court ruling will only exacerbate that withdrawal.Schools should make sure all students have access to physical education, open gym time, and intramural and club sports, and they should make co-ed teams when dividing students, Lebovitz wrote. Oliver Contreras // AFP via Getty Images The definition of sex remains legally ambiguousTitle IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education and athletics while allowing sex-separated sports teams. But it doesn’t define sex. Federal courts have said that sex discrimination includes discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex stereotypes — the idea that boys should be one way and girls another. Civil rights guidance from Democratic presidents supported this interpretation.Conservatives disagree. They say there’s little doubt lawmakers were thinking of biological sex when they passed Title IX in 1972. (Biological sex feels intuitive to most people in most situations, but it can be a mushy concept scientifically.)Conservatives hoped that the Supreme Court might use the Hecox v. Little and West Virginia v. B.P.J. cases that were the basis for Tuesday’s ruling to find that sex means biological sex. The justices did not go that far.And the ruling doesn’t officially endorse the Trump administration’s interpretation of Title IX, which the Office for Civil Rights has used to justify investigations into school districts and states with inclusive sports policies.But Justice Brett Kavanaugh did write that sex, especially in the portions of Title IX dealing with sports, “cannot plausibly be interpreted to refer to anything other than biological sex.”Advocates and legal experts said that position could play a role in future lawsuits.Neil Gorsuch’s balancing act confuses both sidesConservative Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion in the 2019 case Bostock v. Clayton County, which found that Title VII’s protections against sex discrimination on the job also protected gay and transgender employees.In a concurrence to the sports decision, Gorsuch tried to explain how he could hold that view and still vote to uphold bans on transgender athletes. Title VII bans discrimination while Title IX allows for separation of men and women in some circumstances, he noted.“It is a mistake to assume that, just because firing someone in part because of his biological sex amounts to unlawful discrimination in violation of Title VII, sponsoring a single-sex sports team limited to biological women or girls must also amount to unlawful discrimination in violation of Title IX,” he wrote.Gorsuch seems to have pleased no one.Parlato of the Independent Women’s Law Center said Gorsuch tried to “thread a needle” but that his logic doesn’t hold up.And Meerkamper of the Transgender Law Center said “there’s no principled way” to support both the Bostock decision and the court’s new sports ruling. What’s changed, he said, is the political environment for trans rights between 2019 and 2026.Still, unlike Justice Clarence Thomas, Gorsuch didn’t call transgender identity a mental illness.SCOTUS remains silent on what protections transgender students haveRace and sex are protected classes, and potentially discriminatory laws must demonstrate some significant public interest to pass legal muster.The conservative majority’s opinion did not find that transgender people have similar protections. But it didn’t find that they did not have such protections either. In short, they evaded the issue.For Deborah Drake, a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh, that leaves an opportunity to challenge transgender discrimination in the courts — though she has few illusions that the Supreme Court’s current justices will be receptive to those claims.But Anna Kirkland, an attorney and professor of gender studies at the University of Michigan, said it’s deeply concerning that the majority gave so much deference to state laws without requiring more evidence that women and girls are harmed when transgender athletes participate in women’s sports.Under this approach, she said, women might not have been admitted to elite military academies, for example. And it could mean other policies that only affect a small number of people who don’t conform to gender stereotypes are allowed to stand in the future.“This ruling shows how the conservative majority is narrowing what equal protection means for everyone,” she said.This story was produced by Chalkbeat and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Camanche imports biological sludge to clear wastewater plant odors after capacity overload City leaders said the odors are from the disruption to the Regional Water Reclamation Facility’s treatment process and biological sludge being used to help fix it, according to a media release.
	Special Weather Statement until MON 8:00 PM CDT Heat Indices Approaching 100 This Afternoon
	Odors caused by biological sludge in parts of Camanche, officials say City leaders said the odors are from the disruption to the Regional Water Reclamation Facility’s treatment process and biological sludge being used to help fix it, according to a media release.
	Mississippi Valley Fair wood carving auction showcases artists’ work Visitors at the Mississippi Valley Fair had a chance to bid on unique wood carvings today after artists spent the week demonstrating their skills.
	How community-focused homebuilding is preserving character amid rapid growth How community-focused homebuilding is preserving character amid rapid growthHousing shortages have forced American developers to prioritize volume over design. The U.S. currently faces a deficit of approximately 1.2 million housing units compared to pre-2008 levels, pushing builders toward standardized, cost-efficient models that maximize density.Yet this volume-first approach creates a secondary problem: Neighborhoods increasingly lack character, walkability, and community infrastructure. Triple Crown Homes explored how a growing number of developers are testing community-focused homebuilding that balances affordability with local identity and livability. Triple Crown Homes What is Community-Focused Homebuilding?Community-focused homebuilding is an architectural and urban planning approach that prioritizes public spaces, local architectural history, custom designs, and multigenerational layouts over maximizing the number of identical houses on a grid.There are builders implementing this approach, from building for volume to creating for the well-being of the locals and the environment.They work by building for a specific community, such as retirees, active adults, or growing families. Buyers also have a say in the design, as they can customize certain aspects to make the home feel more like their own and differentiated from standard designs.Beautiful houses, however, are not enough to make a community. Third spaces (parks, gardens, trails, bike lanes, coffee shops, etc.) allow locals to meet and interact freely.The Benefits of Community-Focused DevelopmentStandard tract housing appears efficient theoretically because it’s a system optimized for developer profit margins and rapid assembly. However, efficiency comes at a cost: Neighborhoods can end up feeling interchangeable, with little flexibility and even less connection to the landscape that made the area appealing in the first place.Empowers First-Time BuyersCommunity-focused builders are rethinking the familiar formula of ever-larger detached houses. Instead, they're embracing the "missing middle”: pocket-neighborhood cottages, townhomes, duplexes, and courtyard homes that fit comfortably between a suburban mansion and a high-rise apartment.By making smarter use of land, these homes often come with a lower price tag, offering first-time buyers an entry in the housing market. Homeowners trade a sprawling backyard for a smaller private footprint, but they gain access to shared parks, walking trails, and neighborhood gathering spots.Boosts the Local RegionCommunity-focused developments prioritize local sourcing. Rather than depending exclusively on sprawling national supply chains, these developments choose to source materials from nearby quarries and lumber mills, hire local tradespeople, and bring regional artisans into the mix. As a result, more of a project's investment circulates within the local economy rather than leaving it.These neighborhoods are also designed around resident lifestyles (walkable streets, nearby amenities, and shared gathering spaces).That emphasis on livability helps sustain demand even when the broader economy stumbles, providing local governments with a steadier tax base to support public schools, emergency services, parks, and other community amenities.Homes Built for SustainabilityThis building philosophy favors green spaces, pocket parks, and native landscaping over massive high-maintenance lawns. Also, because these homes are clustered efficiently and built to modern energy standards, they feature lower heating, cooling, and utility overheads.An example of a sustainable community-focused city comes from America’s first solar-powered town, Babcock Ranch. Powered by a nearby utility-scale solar array, the community pairs clean energy with practical design choices, from native landscaping and bioswales to strict energy-efficiency standards.The result is a town built not just to run on renewable energy, but to handle Florida’s increasingly intense weather while keeping its environmental footprint in check.At the center of the city, a communal hub integrates retail, civic meeting spaces, open-air coworking areas, and recreational trails in a single, connected environment. This design prioritizes walkability and reduces resident car dependency, which lowers both transportation costs and carbon emissions for the community.The Future of American NeighborhoodsThere is a need for new homes, but that doesn’t mean every new neighborhood has to look like it was built to standardized designs.Community-focused design shows there’s a middle path, one where affordability doesn’t come at the expense of character, environmental responsibility isn’t an afterthought, and local history isn’t paved over in the name of speed.Done well, growth gives residents more options instead of taking them away through the removal of green spaces.This story was produced by Triple Crown Homes and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	YWCA Clinton Street Fest kicks off half marathon weekend Clinton is kicking off its half marathon weekend with an evening full of family fun. The YWCA Clinton Street Fest will bring live music, local food and fun to the 200 block of 5th Avenue South in downtown Clinton on Saturday, September 12 from 5 – 8 p.m. The evening will offer live music from [...]

Tuesday, August 11th, 2026

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