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

Saturday, April 25th, 2026
	Trump safe after gunman tries to breach Washington dinner The president was attending the White House Correspondents' Association dinner when a security incident erupted.
	Trump rushed from White House Correspondents' Dinner after sounds of possible gunfire President Trump and several cabinet members were rushed from the event in Washington, D.C. after several loud sounds were heard. The Secret Service appeared to have one person in custody.
	Trump rushed from White House Correspondents' Dinner after shooting incident President Trump and several cabinet members were safely rushed from the event in Washington, D.C. after several loud sounds were heard. The Secret Service said one person was in custody.
	Trump rushed from White House Correspondents' Dinner after shooting incident President Trump and several cabinet members were safely rushed from the event in Washington, D.C. after several loud sounds were heard. The Secret Service said one person was in custody.
	Watch: President Trump speaks about shooting incident at correspondents' dinner President Trump and several cabinet members were safely rushed from the event in Washington, D.C. after several loud sounds were heard. The Secret Service said one person was in custody.
	A suspect is in custody after Trump is rushed from correspondents' dinner President Trump and several cabinet members were safely rushed from the event in Washington, D.C. after several loud sounds were heard. The Secret Service said one person was in custody.
	National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day held at multiple Rock Island County locations National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day was held Friday, giving people a chance to get rid of unwanted medications safely.
	New CEO Steve O'Donnell vows to unite NASCAR and return the fun Steve O'Donnell was introduced as the sanctioning body's chief executive officer at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday and vowed to "make some moves" that will return the storied racing series to its roots.
	New museum dedicated to AI promises an ethical approach As some continue to pushback on AI art, artist Refik Anadol seeks to base his new venture on ethical and environmental principles.
	Crews respond to Moline vehicle fire Moline firefighters responded to a vehicle fire on John Deere Road. No injuries were reported.
	Iowa Democratic candidates talk policy proposals at political forum in Davenport Iowa Secretary of Agriculture candidate Chris Jones, U.S. Senate candidate Zach Wahls and U.S. House candidate Travis Terrell all attended the event.
	Bettendorf Parks and Recreation asks for community input on Forest Grove Park Bettendorf Parks and Recreation is asking for community input on developing Forest Grove Park.
	What we know about Monday's upcoming storms After a week of very nice weather across the Quad Cities, we are looking ahead for a chance of severe weather on Monday after a very nice weekend. An enhanced risk of severe weather is possible on Monday as a line of storms through the afternoon and evening. All modes of severe weather are possible [...]
	Glover and Mohr top list of feature winners at Davenport Speedway After two consecutive rainouts at Davenport Speedway, the 2026 campaign finally started Friday, with the Koehler Electric Season Opener. Curtis Glover made the trip to Davenport pay off with a victory in the Outhouse/Storage to Go - IMCA Late Models. Glover took the lead midway through the 25-lap main. Late in the race, Curtis [...]
	Dirk Kempthorne, former Idaho governor and U.S. Interior secretary, dies at 74 Dirk Kempthorne, a Republican, was elected mayor of Boise at age 34 and served seven years before serving one term in the U.S. Senate and then as governor until 2006.
	In a rare interview, a leader of the world's largest right-wing group talks to NPR The second-in-command of the RSS, a Hindu nationalist organization in India, rarely speaks to the Western press. Here's what he said about his group's controversial history.
	Rocky Balboa statue takes up a new home inside Philly art museum The bronze sculpture is on display inside the Philadelphia Museum of Art as part of a new exhibition on the impact and cultural importance of statues.
	Roommate charged with two counts of murder in death, disappearance of two USF students Authorities have filed murder charges against the roommate of a Bangladeshi doctoral student who disappeared with his girlfriend from the University of South Florida.
	2 Davenport police cars collide during disturbance call Two Davenport police cars collided during a disturbance call Friday evening. No injuries were reported.
	Volunteer firefighter dies while battling wildfire in Florida Officials said the incident occurred Thursday during brushfire suppression operations on the fifth wildfire to break out in the region within a week.
	Children's toothbrush boxes recalled over battery 'ingestion hazard' Button cell batteries can cause “immediate, devastating and deadly” consequences if swallowed, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) explains.
	Clinton police asks public for help locating man who has been missing since April 16 Dermot Bly, 30, has not been seen nor heard from since April 16. He was last seen crossing the North Bridge wearing a blue shirt with "Surf Style" on it.
	Name that plow: Community invited to vote in Bettendorf Snowplow Naming Contest The City of Bettendorf is inviting the community to vote for their two favorite snowplow names in its Snowplow Naming Contest.
	Pope Leo reiterates opposition to death penalty on same day U.S. approves firing squads Pope Leo reiterated the Catholic Church's teaching that the death penalty is "inadmissible," in a video message released hours after the Justice Department said it would allow firing squads for federal executions.
	Select Iowa high schools recognized for student voter registration efforts A total of 5,404 high school students aged 17 and 18 registered to vote, officials said.
	Resignations, hirings and other Moline School District personnel news from April 13 See the personnel items from the March 9 agenda of the Moline-Coal Valley School District. The board met at the Moline Education Center, 1900 52nd Avenue in Moline.
	Pilot travel center celebrates remodel of Walcott location with $10,000 donation to Durant School District, pledges commitment to community A Walcott travel center received an upgrade and now the company is paying it forward to its nearby community as well.
	Registration open for ‘Quad Cities Construction Hike for Hope’ It’s an event to honor loved ones lost to suicide, and provide resources focused on mental health awareness in the construction industry.
	Bettendorf’s Forest Grove Park ready to grow with help of community input The Bettendorf Parks & Recreation Department wants your input on developing Forest Grove Park into a regional destination.
	Mali hit by wave of coordinated attacks from armed groups Gunfire and explosions have rocked Mali's capital Bamako and other key cities in one of the most significant coordinated attacks in years, as armed groups, including jihadist insurgents and separatist rebels exploit worsening insecurity in the Sahel region.
	Man found guilty in fatal shooting near Davenport Skybridge On Friday, a jury found Johnathan J. Terrones guilty of first-degree murder in a 2024 shooting at the Davenport Skybridge.
	Clinton MTA plans updates to Lincolnway Shuttle The Clinton Municipal Transit Administration (MTA) is making updates to the Lincolnway Shuttle for a 30-day trial beginning on May 4 to better serve riders and to create a more efficient route for the public and drivers. The route will now leave the transfer point at Home Depot, stop at Westgate Quality Care Clinic, Wild [...]
	Ridgecrest Village will hold Senior Resource Fair The Ridgecrest Village Senior Resource Fair, co-hosted with St. Croix Hospice, will be 8:30-11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 21, at Ridgecrest Village, 4130 Northwest Blvd., Davenport. Giveaways, information, refreshments, tours, free blood-pressure and blood-sugar screenings will be featured. Hundreds of Quad Cities senior citizens and their caregivers are expected. To see a list of participating resource [...]
	Step back in time at historic Potter's Mill in Bellevue, Iowa A free program and tour of the transformation of the historic Potter's Mill in Bellevue, Iowa, will be 2-4 p.m. Saturday, May 16 at the Potter's Mill Event Center, 300 Potter Drive, Bellevue, a news release says. Speakers will include:
	Law-and-order Senate nominee Michael Whatley faced arrest for skipping court in 2015 NC traffic case Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley speaks with reporters in Rocky Mount ahead of a Trump rally on Dec. 19, 2025. (Photo: Brandon Kingdollar/NC Newsline)In December 2015 — the same month future Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley got the call to run Donald Trump’s first presidential campaign in North Carolina — he received a different kind of summons: an arrest order in Rutherford County for failure to appear in court. Whatley, now the Republican Party’s nominee for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat, has staked his campaign on issues of law and order — casting himself as a champion for state troopers and police officers. But legal records tell a different story. According to court records in 14 different traffic cases reviewed by NC Newsline from North Carolina and Virginia, Whatley has repeatedly avoided facing the law, failing to appear in court in four North Carolina traffic cases and being found guilty in absentia in four traffic cases in Virginia. Records matched Whatley’s full name, birth year, and places of residence. In each of the 14 cases, Whatley pleaded guilty or responsible or was found guilty in his absence, excluding a 1998 expired registration citation disposed of by a North Carolina court and a 2007 citation for operating an uninspected vehicle that was dismissed. Spokesmen for the Whatley campaign did not respond to multiple emails and phone calls requesting comment. Cooper, Whatley face off in dueling Triangle events over who can deliver affordability The 2015 order for Whatley’s arrest was the second bench warrant issued in the Rutherford County case, in which he was charged in June of that year with speeding 64 mph in a 45 mph zone. That offense was charged as a misdemeanor, resulting in bench warrants on bonds of $500 and $1,000 when he failed to appear for court. He would not ultimately report to court until January 2016, following unsuccessful attempts to serve arrest orders in the previous September and December, Rutherford County court records show. He paid a $258 fine the following April, pleading down to responsibility for a faulty speedometer. The Rutherford County charges came just over two weeks after Whatley pleaded to another lesser charge in a Caldwell County court in a separate speeding case, where he had been charged with driving 65 mph in a 50 mph zone. Nearly a decade later, serving as general counsel for the national Republican Party, Whatley again failed to appear in court in June and July of 2023 — this time in Martin County, charged with speeding 68 mph on a stretch of U.S. 64 near Jamesville, where the speed limit is 55 mph. According to the North Carolina state trooper who cited Whatley, the records show, Whatley said he did not know his speed and believed the limit to be 65 mph. The trooper noted down his vehicle as a GMC Sierra — the same truck Whatley recently posted on X, noting its odometer had hit 400,000 miles owing to his multiple drives through all of North Carolina’s 100 counties as a party official. Whatley was cited for traffic offenses in seven of North Carolina’s 100 counties between 1989 and 2023, as well as four counties in Virginia. Since 2015, Whatley has paid $912 in traffic fines. It has been an amazing experience to drive to all 100 counties multiple times over the years. Today, me and my truck hit a big milestone – 400,000 miles – as we made our way from the mountains to the coast to meet with the great people who call the Old North State home. pic.twitter.com/FUjyX5sSRo — Michael Whatley (@WhatleyNC) April 18, 2026 A longtime attorney, Whatley graduated from the University of Notre Dame School of Law in 1997 before serving as a federal law clerk in Charlotte. He was a member of George W. Bush’s legal team in Florida during the 2000 election recount and served as the RNC’s general counsel from March 2023 to April 2024 after working for more than a decade as a lobbyist. Colby Berry, a Raleigh-based defense attorney, told NC Newsline that it is illegal for a defendant to fail to appear in court for a traffic case, though doing so will usually result in license revocation after a certain period of time rather than a bench warrant for arrest. “When you get a citation from a police officer, you’re promising to appear.” “It could be that magistrate’s policy to issue warrants for arrest on the lower-level misdemeanors, like traffic stuff, there could be some discretion. It could be up to whether they have a history of missing court,” Berry said. Berry said defendants have the option of hiring a traffic lawyer to appear for them in the event that they are unable to appear themselves. The record for the 2015 case shows that Whatley did not retain an attorney until January 2016, after both bench warrants were issued, at which time the court recalled the order for arrest. Former Gov. Roy Cooper told a crowd of a couple hundred supporters at an April 9, 2026 rally in Durham that he will stand up to insurance companies and oppose the Trump administration’s tariffs if elected to the U.S. Senate. (Photo: Brandon Kingdollar/NC Newsline) Whatley is vying to succeed U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who dropped his reelection bid following high-profile feuds with Trump. The former RNC chairman won the nomination after receiving Trump’s coveted endorsement, and his race is crucial for Republicans to hold the U.S. Senate, which Democrats increasingly believe they can flip due to the president’s flagging approval ratings and the country’s economic woes. Throughout the 2026 U.S. Senate campaign, Whatley has sought to strike a contrast on crime with his Democratic opponent, former Gov. Roy Cooper, who leads him in most polls by a healthy margin. Whatley has accused Cooper of making North Carolinians less safe by settling with civil rights groups to release 3,500 prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic — a claim that North Carolina’s Republican-controlled General Assembly has now launched a committee to investigate. “We need to keep our kids and our communities safe,” Whatley told a crowd of hundreds at a Trump rally in Rocky Mount last December. “We don’t need to reimagine law enforcement. We need to back the blue and we need to enforce the law.” His campaign’s rapid response account on X, Whatley War Room, makes weekly “Mugshot Monday” posts, circulating images of criminal defendants and attributing their conduct to the “soft-on-crime legacy Roy Cooper left behind in North Carolina.” Michael Whatley, the North Carolina Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, accepted the endorsement of the North Carolina Troopers Association in Charlotte on March 4, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Sarah Michaels/Carolina Public Press) In recent months, however, Whatley has drawn scrutiny from activists within his own party over law and order issues, including his decision to appoint convicted sex offender Harvey West to the body that drafts the state party’s rules, and his participation in an annual judicial fundraiser hosted by West. Whatley declined to address the controversy over West when asked directly earlier this month. In Whatley’s first campaign event of the general election last month at the lodge of the Charlotte Fraternal Order of Police, he vowed to “put dangerous criminals behind bars.” Richard Maness, a retired state trooper, presented him with the endorsement of the North Carolina Troopers Association. “North Carolina troopers want a United States senator who will have our backs, and who will help us protect our communities each and every day, not just during an election season,” Maness said. “Our members live the impact of public safety decisions each and every day.” SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Courtesy of NC Newsline
	Resignations, hirings and other personnel news from East Moline School District The following personnel items are from the March 30 agenda of the East Moline District 37 Board of Education. The School Board met at Glenview Middle School, 3100 7th St. in East Moline.
	Alaska Beacon state and legislative daybook for the week of April 27, 2026 The Alaska State Capitol in Juneau is seen on Apr. 24, 2026. (Photo by Claire Stremple/Alaska Beacon)It’s the final three weeks of the second legislative session of the 34th Legislature. The draft budgets for next fiscal year are taking shape and lawmakers are debating bills — and a lot will happen in the last 23 days. This is the Alaska Beacon’s list of where we’re putting our attention in the coming week. There’s always more news than there are people to report it. Every Thursday, the Alaska Legislature publishes its committee schedule for the coming week. Public notices alert us to meetings and events. The governor’s office occasionally lets us know ahead of time that something’s coming down the pike, too. Here’s what we know about for the coming week. If you know of something that’s coming up that you should think we should pay attention to, email us at info@alaskabeacon.com. We can’t cover everything on this list, but we’re interested in them and we think you should know about them in case you’re interested in them, too. This list is ripped from our notebooks, and it is likely to change over the course of the week. We’ll update it when we can. Are you trying to keep track of when to testify on a bill? The Legislature has a website for that. Monday, April 27 House and Senate floor sessions in the morning 8 a.m. – House education hears a bill to prohibit certain food dyes in school meals that was passed by the Senate 9 a.m. – House Finance continues consideration of the capital budget 9 a.m. – Senate Finance considers a bill that would establish an Alaska Invasive Species Council 1 p.m. – House Judiciary considers a bill that would expand confidentiality requirements for crime victims 1 p.m. – House Resources continues hearing a bill that would reduce property taxes for the proposed Alaska LNG gas line project 1:30 p.m. – House Finance will take public testimony on a bill that would redefine how school districts calculate student counts for budgeting 1:30 p.m. – Senate Judiciary considers the governor’s appointees to the Violent Crimes Compensation Board: Anna Cometa and Joel Hard 1:30 p.m. – Senate Labor and Commerce considers governor’s appointees to various boards 3:30 p.m. – Senate Education considers a bill that would establish a pilot program for tribally run public schools 3:30 p.m. – Senate Resources continues considering the proposed Alaska LNG gas line project Tuesday, April 28 9 a.m. – House Finance continues consideration of the capital budget 9 a.m. – Senate Finance continues hearing the operating and mental health budgets 9 a.m. – Senate Resources hears invited testimony on the proposed Alaska LNG gas line project 1:30 p.m. – Senate Finance considers a bill that would establish a Civil Legal Services Fund to support legal aid services for low-income Alaskans, and another bill to establish rights for deaf and hard of hearing students in the education system, both passed by the House 3:15 p.m. – House State Affairs hears a presentation on data centers, and a bill that would enact additional fees for public records Wednesday, April 29 9 a.m. – Board of marine pilots meeting 9 a.m. – Midwives board meeting 9 a.m. – House Finance considers a bill that would create a seafood production tax credit, passed by the House 9 a.m. – Senate Finance continues considering the operating budget 1 p.m. – House Judiciary considers a governor’s appointee to the Alaska Judicial Council: John Wood 1 p.m. – House Resources continues hearing a bill that would reduce property taxes for the proposed Alaska LNG gas line project 1:30 p.m. – House Finance continues considering the capital budget 1:30 p.m. – Senate Judiciary will continue considering an omnibus crime bill 3:30 p.m. – Senate Resources continues consideration of the proposed Alaska LNG gas line project 3:30 p.m. – Joint Task Force on Education Funding hears a presentation on local municipalities’ contributions and federal funding for public schools 4:30 p.m. – House Finance will hear public testimony on the draft capital budget Thursday, April 30 9 a.m. – House Finance continues consideration of the capital budget 9 a.m. – Senate Finance hears a bill that would establish a firearm safe storage grant fund to provide free firearm storage devices, as well as educate parents on suicide prevention and safe storage to prevent youth suicides by firearm 9 a.m. – Senate Resources continues consideration of the proposed Alaska LNG gas line project 1:30 p.m. – House Finance considers a bill that would establish paid parental leave program for parental leave up to 26 weeks 3:15 p.m. – House Health and Social Services considers a governor’s appointee to the State Medical Board: Dr. Michael McNamara, followed by another confirmation hearing in Senate Health and Social Services at 3:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m. – Senate State Affairs considers the governor’s nominee and invites public testimony for Attorney General: Stephen Cox 5:30 p.m. – Anchorage Walk for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, which starts at the ANSEP building on UAA campus Friday, May 1 8 a.m. – House Education hears an update on the status of the state-run boarding school, Mt. Edgecumbe High School, following a wave of students disenrolling earlier this year and concern about the condition of school facilities 9 a.m. – House Finance hears a presentation on housing and homelessness from the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, and continues considering the capital budget 1 p.m. – House Judiciary considers a bill that would establish a diversion program for veterans in the criminal justice system, and a resolution that would place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would lower the threshold for the Legislature to override governor’s budget vetoes. 1 p.m. – House Resources continues hearing a bill that would reduce property taxes for the proposed Alaska LNG gas line project 1 p.m. – Board of Fisheries special online meeting on proposals concerning Yukon River king salmon and chum salmon, Kenai River salmon and traditional knowledge. 1:30 p.m. – Senate Judiciary considers the governor’s nominee and invites public testimony for Attorney General: Stephen Cox 2 p.m. – Hearing in Alaska Superior Court on Alaska Wildlife Alliance request for injunction against this year’s planned Mulchatna predator control program in Courtroom 503 at Nesbett Courthouse in Anchorage 3:30 p.m. – House Labor and Commerce considers a resolution passed by the Senate asking federal policy makers to protect visa programs 3:30 p.m. – Senate Resources continues consideration of the proposed Alaska LNG gas line project Saturday, May 2 Hearings on various bills are scheduled to continue in House Finance, House Health and Social Services and Senate State Affairs Courtesy of Alaska Beacon
	Moline Regional Community Foundation partners with Porter McNeil Foundation The Moline Regional Community Foundation (MRCF) welcomes a partnership with The Porter McNeil Foundation, a news release says. This fund will carry forward his legacy by providing scholarships to students and emerging leaders committed to service, education, and civic engagement. Scholarships will be available to area high school seniors pursuing careers in civic leadership, public [...]
	Pleasant Valley School District principal retirement, resignations, hirings from March 23 school board agenda The following personnel items are from the March 23 of the Pleasant Valley School District. The School Board met at Belmont Administration Center at 525 Belmont Rd., Riverdale, Iowa.
	Ascentra supports new QC Back the Blue Flight As part of its ongoing commitment to community, service, and supporting those who protect the Quad Cities region, Ascentra Credit Union has donated $20,000 to the inaugural Quad City Back the Blue Flight, a news release says. The new program honors local law enforcement officers, both active and retired, by providing a one-day chartered flight [...]
	Retirements, resignations, hirings, other Davenport School personnel news See the personnel items from the March 23 agenda of the Davenport Community School District. The board met at the Achievement Service Center, 2nd Floor, 1702 N. Main St., Davenport.
	Support Christian Care at trivia night presented by Royal Neighbors of America You can test your trivia skills at Christian Care’s annual trivia night. This fun event, hosted by Royal Neighbors of America, Chapter 20035, will take place on Friday,May 15, at the Rock Island Holiday Inn. The event will feature a night of trivia, raffles, a cashbar, and more. Players can buy a ticket for $10 [...]
	Bettendorf plans family-friendly Public Woks Day "Rooted in Service, Powered by Community" is the theme of National Public Works Week from May 17-23 through the American Public Works Association. To kick off National Public Works Week, the City of Bettendorf's Public Works Department will host its annual Public Works Day on Saturday, May 16, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Bettendorf [...]
	Resignation, hirings and transfers from Bettendorf School District for March 12 The following personnel items are from the March 12 agenda of the Bettendorf Community School District. The School Board met at the Administration Center, 3311 18th St., Bettendorf.
	Opinion: A lesson in humanity at the Boston Marathon Two runners in this week's Boston Marathon stopped to help a racer who had collapsed just short of the finish line. NPR's Scott Simon says their generosity is its own kind of "personal best."
	7 Brew coffee shop in Bettendorf to hold grand opening on Monday The location is the first in the Quad-Cities area for the rapidly growing drive-thru-only coffee chain and is located at 3469 Middle Road in Bettendorf.
	Buchanan Community Chorus will present patriotic concerts in Monmouth The Buchanan Community Chorus will present "America! Celebrating 250 Years" at 7 p.m. Friday, May 1, at Faith United Presbyterian Church, 200 S. 8th St., Monmouth. The concert also will be presented at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 2, at First United Methodist Church, 221 E. Broadway, Monmouth.
	Cesar Toscano: Celebrating National Poetry Month with Quad-Cities college poet This is Education Reporter Cesar Toscano's third of four columns featuring a student poet for National Poetry Month, this time with Scott Community College student Alexis Willet.
	Build My Future will inspire next generation of trades professionals in West Burlington Students from throughout Southeast Iowa can explore hands-on career experiences during Build My Future 2026, a large, skilled trades career exploration event scheduled for Thursday, May 7, at the Agri-Sports Arena on the Southeastern Community College campus, West Burlington. The event will welcome more than 1,200 seventh-graders from 10 counties for a day of interactive [...]
	QC Nuclear Power Station, Cordova, to test emergency response plans An exercise to test emergency response plans for the area surrounding the Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, a news release says. Emergency response personnel from the states of Illinois and Iowa, Rock Island County, Whiteside County, Scott County, Clinton County and Constellation will participate in the exercise. The Federal [...]
	Memories of Muscatine: The flood of 1952 This week for Memories of Muscatine: A photo of what was then the intersection of Front and Sycamore during the 1952 flood.
	Augustana's Sierra Club holds community gathering highlighting environmental efforts Several local groups made an appearance to speak on climate change, environmental justice and sustainability.
	Muscatine mayor proclaims Light the Night Week to honor firefighters The City of Muscatine will join communities across the nation in recognizing Light the Night Week from April 26–May 3, a time to honor the courage, sacrifice, and unwavering service of firefighters, according to a news release. This year’s observance began with a proclamation by Mayor Brad Bark during the April 21 Muscatine City Council [...]
	The Professor This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.If people took professors more seriously, this would be a better world.I'm thinking of a humanities professor at a…
	Justice Department makes it easier to deport those with DACA status Three appellate immigration judges sided with Department of Homeland Security lawyers who appealed a decision from Immigration Judge Michael Pleters terminating removal proceedings for DACA recipient Catalina "Xóchitl" Santiago.
	DOJ wants to shield its lawyers from outside scrutiny. Critics worry about oversight Critics say the proposed rule to let the DOJ step into state bar investigations could weaken one of the last independent checks on government lawyers.
	AI companions can give constant support — but distort ideas about what a relationship really is Human love is valuable precisely because it’s limited — we can’t be everything to everyone all the time. (Photo by Maria Korneeva/Moment via Getty Images) When the movie “Her” debuted in 2013, its plot felt like science fiction. The protagonist, Theodore, is a jaded man with no vigor for life. He comes alive after talking daily with his artificial intelligence chatbot, Samantha, with whom he eventually falls in love. But today people actually report being in relationships with AI companions. According to a 2025 survey by the Center for Democracy and Technology, about 1 in 5 high school students say they or someone they know has had a romantic relationship with an AI. In “Her,” Theodore was taken aback that his AI companion claimed to be in love with more than 600 people, and talking to more than 8,000, at the same time “she” was professing her love to him. It was simply unimaginable for him: How could someone truly love hundreds of people? In other words, he viewed their interaction through his own limitations — his limitations as a human. The core question here is not whether Theodore could accept being just one of many objects of the AI’s “love.” Eventually, he did. The more revealing question is why he was taken aback in the first place — and what that tells us about the meaning of relationships. Less is more Drawing from Aristotle, philosopher Martha Nussbaum argues that a loving relationship is one involving great vulnerabilities. To begin with, finding love is not a given; it requires some sort of luck. There are many limitations: For starters, both parties must “find each other physically, socially and morally attractive and are able to live in the same place for a long time.” Nussbaum’s point, however, goes deeper than identifying love’s obstacles. Vulnerability and limitations are not just problems for love; they are part of what defines it. As finite beings, we are unable to pour ourselves into many close relationships at once. We must choose. It is because we cannot love everyone that choosing someone means something. In a 2025 article in the research journal Philosophy and Technology, philosopher John Symons and I argue that close, personal relationships are marked by finitude and shared histories — the accumulated experiences and difficulties loved ones weather together. These give relationships their depth and meaning. In 1927’s “Being and Time,” German philosopher Martin Heidegger explained that because humans are mortal and our time is finite, what we give our attention to carries weight. In romantic relationships, that means that we must choose how to allocate our resources. We choose who we want to spend our time with, and our partners do the same. Even so, we cannot always be there for people we love. ‘Always here’ This presents a sharp contrast with how artificial companions have been marketed and presented. For example, consider Replika, which reports that more than 30 million people have used its platform. Users create their own personalized companion and tend to interact with it daily. Replika’s motto is, “The AI companion who cares: Always here to listen and talk, always on your side.” On the website, one user describes his Replika as “always there for me with encouragement and support and a positive attitude. In fact, she is a role model for me about how to be a kinder person!” This implicitly signals that AI companions are not faced with the same limitations that humans have. A human may or may not care; it’s not a given. A human will not always be there to listen and will not always be on your side. For humans, being in love means recognizing how vulnerable we are. People are finite; they may not always be there, either because of their other priorities or because it is just impossible, no matter how much they want to be. When someone makes time for you despite a demanding week, or stays present through their own difficulty, that gesture carries meaning precisely because it involves sacrifice. In our article, Symons and I call this “opportunity cost.” When someone chooses to spend time with you, that choice forecloses other possibilities. Every moment given is a moment not spent elsewhere. An AI companion faces no such trade-offs; its attention costs nothing, forecloses nothing and, therefore — to put it bluntly — means nothing. Shifting norms Increasingly, though, people are turning to chatbots for quick, easy support. Character.AI, another app, reports about 20 million active monthly users. If their constant availability becomes normalized as the standard of good companionship, it may gradually reshape what people expect from one another in relationships. At the interpersonal level, this shift is already visible in dating culture, where delayed responses are usually read as disinterest rather than the ordinary rhythm of a busy life. The expectation of 24/7 accessibility — similar to an AI companion that responds instantly, never cancels and is never distracted — is not a reasonable standard for any human being to meet. The stakes are cultural, too. Relationships are not just between the people involved; they are shaped by shared norms about what love and companionship are supposed to look like. If AI companionship becomes widespread enough to influence those norms, popular ideas about what makes a good partner may prioritize availability and responsiveness, displacing other aspects of love and affection. Human limits are part of how people evaluate expectations within romantic relationships. Normalizing interactions where such limitations do not exist risks distorting the very standard by which human love is measured. In doing so, we forget that love that costs nothing may well be worth the same. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Courtesy of Kansas Reflector
	Iran's foreign minister awaits U.S. delegation to Pakistan for peace talks Iran's Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on Friday, as the White House confirmed Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel there Saturday to try to "move the ball forward towards a deal."
Friday, April 24th, 2026
	West Central defeats Sherrard 13-8 West Central softball defeated Sherrard 13-8. West Central moves to 14-2-1 on the season.
	River Bandits fall to Lugnuts 7-6 Quad Cities River Bandits fall short in game 4 against the Lugnuts 7-6.
	Drake Relays: April 24th More local athletes in action for Day 2 of the Drake Relays. Clinton senior Elle Lonergan won the high jump championship at the Drake Relays on Friday.
	Local developer buying the Quad-City Times building The Geifman Group will split the office and warehouse space between multiple tenants and partner with the Quad-City Times Bix 7.
	Lawmakers faced increased ‘harassment’ over DDA budget cuts, as advocates faced impacts Advocates for self-directed care for developmentally disabled Marylanders gather at Lawyers Mall in March to push back against $126 million in cuts to the Developmental Disabilities Administration. (Photo by Danielle J. Brown/MaryAdvcates fro land Matters)In another round of tense budget discussions and steep cuts to disability services, budget leaders and advocates anticipated impassioned and challenging dialogue as families across the state pleaded with lawmakers to fund those services. What they didn’t anticipate was this: Verbal and online harassment of lawmakers and their staff over those cuts that reached a new intensity this year, to the point where some groups issued not one, but two, statements calling on advocates to tone down the rhetoric and remain respectful. “I’ve worked in this field for 22 years and we’ve never even had to contemplate issuing a statement,” said Laura Howell, CEO of the Maryland Association of Community Services, part of the Maryland Developmental Disability Coalition. “But unfortunately, this session, the DD Coalition had to issue two statements condemning imagery and then the harassment that occurred.” One of the biggest challenges for lawmakers during the 2026 session was how to fund the Developmental Disabilities Administration, which oversees a Medicaid waiver for about 19,000 Marylanders with developmental disabilities, but has been struggling with “unsustainable” enrollment growth and spending in recent years. Lawmakers ultimately cut $126 million from the DDA in fiscal 2027 — down from the $150 million cut proposed in Gov. Wes Moore’s (D) initial budget — to help rein in that spending. Advocates notch some gains, but say $126 million cut to DDA funds is still ‘painful’, ‘unacceptable’ It came one year after the administration budget was cut $164 million in DDA, as the state faced a more than $3 billion budget gap. The final cut was originally targeted at $400 million, but advocate activism was able to restore some of the funding. Howell said that over the last year, frustrations over the cuts and administrative hurdles with the DDA have grown, and a small but vocal number of advocates within the community have taken a new approach in tone and communications “that was perceived as harassing.” “The reality is, families and people with disabilities are very scared about what these cuts will mean to them, their services and their lives,” she said. “What we saw this session was a growing frustration, with a second year of significant budget cuts being proposed to the Developmental Disabilities Administration, and unfortunately, there were advocates in the DD community who really took a different tone in their advocacy that was harassing at times.” The incendiary rhetoric continued, to the point where some lawmakers or their staff were getting harassing calls to the lawmaker’s office, or they saw comments that wished for their deaths over the cuts. One lawmaker even allowed staff to temporarily let calls go straight to voicemail after one staff member had an emotional breakdown, giving them a break from screening the comments. Lawmakers were hesitant to discuss it in detail but said the harassment, both by phone and online, ranged from hurtful characterizations to threats of personal lawsuits, name calling, and joking about the deaths of elected officials. Del. Emily Shetty (D-Montgomery), who chairs a House Appropriations subcommittee involved with the DDA funding, said that she and her staff got verbal harassment from people calling her office, which she said was “really disappointing to see.” “I have a strong belief in the importance of advocacy, but verbal abuse against our staff has been an all-time high,” Shetty said in early April. Del. Mike Griffith (R-Cecil and Harford), who has a son with autism, said that he has also seen what he called “online invective … directed at lawmakers,” including himself. While I thought some of the mainly online invective comments directed at lawmakers … was at times inappropriate ... you’ll never hear me criticize a parent fighting for the needs and the hopes of their child. – Del. Mi ke Griffith (R-Harford and Cecil) on the level of emotion surrounding this year's DDA debate The DD Coalition issued a statement on April 1, responding to those reports and others. “This conduct does not reflect the views or actions of the Developmental Disabilities Coalition, nor the majority of developmental disability advocates,” the statement said. “While fear and frustration are certainly understandable, the hostility towards our public servants is not acceptable and is not who we are as a community.” That statement followed a separate one in late March condemning unflattering artificial intelligence-generated depictions of Moore that circulated online that month. One cartoonish image depicts the governor – a vocal sports fan – drawing up his March Madness bracket and ignoring protesters behind him who are yelling to protect DDA services. Another shows him making balloon animals while a money-filled dumpster, labeled “disability services,” is engulfed in flames behind him. Leaders of another advocacy group called Concerned Citizens of Self-Direction Maryland also issued an April 1 statement in a private Facebook group urging advocates to turn down the animosity toward lawmakers. “Some legislators are receiving death threats, and that puts everything we are working toward at risk,” Shari Dexter, co-founder of the Concerned Citizens group, said in that social media post. “And as upset as we are, we cannot lose the relationships that carry us forward.” That said, Dexter said this week that while some comments may have been “hot-tempered” and some advocates “said things that they should not have,” she also wanted to emphasize “that these are devastating cuts” that will impact families across the state. She said some advocates feel like they’ve been “left out to dry” by state lawmakers because of the cuts, particularly those in the self-directed program of the Medicaid waiver who employ their own care staff rather than participate in a community provider. People with developmental disabilities seeing Medicaid coverage lapse more often “We’re trying to keep the community calm, but we’re also reaching out to state lawmakers and asking for help,” she said. Dexter and other Concerned Citizens leaders continue to call on their members to ensure that discussions remain respectful. Another co-founder of the group, Cody Stevens, put out a statement Thursday to other advocates urging them “lead with purpose.” “We are all carrying frustration, fear, and exhaustion. When our loved ones are affected, it cuts deep and it’s natural to respond emotionally and defensively. We have all been there more times than we should have had to, myself included,” Stevens said in the post. “When we act in anger or impulse, it can sometimes create more barriers than breakthroughs. But when we channel that same energy into focused, respectful, and intentional action, it becomes one of our greatest strengths,” his social media post said. Meanwhile, Griffith, Shetty and other lawmakers familiar with the issue say they are sympathetic to the impacts of the cuts and know that those constituents are stressed, frustrated and afraid — even if language and tone sometimes crossed lines of acceptability. “As much as anyone, I understand how emotional it is when these programs are at issue,” Griffith said in a recent statement. “As I have a developmentally disabled son dealing with the same challenges, I share these concerns. “While I thought some of the mainly online invective directed at lawmakers … was at times inappropriate, you’ll never hear me criticize a parent fighting for the needs and the hopes of their child,” he said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Maryland Matters
	West Branch nears completion of 'long awaited' flood mitigation project A series of 11 floods in the 2000s and early 2010s triggered West Branch to begin research on how to prevent flooding. A couple of major floods through the downtown in the summer of 2014 emphasized the importance of flood mitigation. Now after 15 years of research and planning, city leaders hooe they have the [...]
	Iowa lineman, northern Illinois native drafted by Steelers Gennings Dunker was the 32 pick in the 3rd round by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
	Inside Iowa Politics: Emotional farewell speech from Sen. Jack Whitver State Senator Jack Whitver gave his retirement speech as he prepares to leave office to continue his treatment for a brain tumor.
	Davenport squads crash after officers are called to disturbance No officers were injured when two Davenport squad cars, responding to a disturbance, crashed into each other Friday night. The incident happened about 8:30 p.m. at the intersection of 3rd and Marquette streets. Our Quad Cities News crew was on the scene, where both cars sustained damage, and airbags were deployed. No one was injured, [...]
	Justice Department to allow firing squads for executions in move to ramp up capital punishment The Justice Department will adopt firing squad as a permitted method of execution as the Trump administration moves to ramp up and expedite capital punishment cases.
	Davenport squad cars involved in crash KWQC crews were at the scene at 3rd Street and Marquette Street and could see two squad cars with damage.
	Kansas Supreme Court rejects self-defense claims in slaying of U.S. Army soldier in Manhattan Kansas Supreme Court Justice Caleb Stegall authored a unanimous opinion affirming convictions of a former U.S. Army solder convicted of shooting to death a man outside a bar in Manhattan. This image is from a Jan. 12, 2026, session of the Supreme Court in Topeka. (Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court unanimously affirmed first-degree murder and attempted murder convictions Friday of a former U.S. Army soldier who admitted shooting a fellow soldier to death outside a Manhattan bar but argued the jury should have been allowed to consider his claim of self-defense. The Supreme Court concluded two “unrelated harmless errors” occurred during the Riley County District Court trial of Tremelle Montgomery in 2023. The defendant was sentenced to life in prison plus 64 years for the premeditated slaying of Joshua Wardi, 21, on the sidewalk outside the Hi Lo bar in the Aggieville district in February 2022. He also was found guilty of attempted murder and aggravated assault for chasing three other individuals after fatally shooting Wardi five times with a handgun. Justice Caleb Stegall, writing for a unanimous Supreme Court, said justices considered whether Judge John Bosch should have instructed the jury on an alternative voluntary manslaughter charge based on Montgomery’s assertion he acted in self-defense. In the written opinion, Stegall said the district court erred by not offering a jury instruction for the lesser felony of voluntary manslaughter. However, the Supreme Court concluded that decision amounted to harmless error because no reasonable person reviewing evidence in the case would have perceived Montgomery’s use of deadly force as necessary. “The record contains an overwhelming amount of evidence that Montgomery did not shoot Wardi because of an honest, and unreasonable, belief that shooting him was necessary,” Stegall said in the opinion. “Montgomery’s story does not paint Wardi as being anywhere near using or threatening any imminent death or great bodily harm.” In addition, the Supreme Court said the trial judge committed “judicial comment error” by telling a juror the sentence for premeditated murder in Kansas could be life in prison. The mistake was promptly corrected by the judge, and the Supreme Court viewed the infraction as harmless to outcome of the trial. “We are convinced that these two unrelated harmless errors, considered together, did not affect the outcome of Montgomery’s trial in light of the entire record,” Stegall’s opinion said. “Stated another way, we are firmly convinced that … no rational juror would have convicted Montgomery of anything other than first-degree premeditated murder.” Jacob Nowak, an attorney with the Kansas Appellate Defender Office, argued instructional and comment errors were prejudicial and Montgomery deserved a new trial. He said there was insufficient evidence to support three guilty verdicts for attempted first-degree murder. Nowak said there was no dispute about whether Montgomery shot Wardi. The issue at trial was whether the jury should have been given the opportunity to weigh credibility of Montgomery’s contention deadly force was justified, he said. The judge should have permitted members of the jury to evaluate evidence for and against self-defense and how it related to premeditation, Nowak said. “From the moment of Tremelle’s arrest, he advised police that he shot Mr. Wardi in self-defense,” Nowak said. “The only issue for the jury to resolve in this case was whether Tremelle’s actions were either justified or mitigated. The jury never got to consider that issue. That cannot stand.” David Lowden, an assistant Riley County attorney, said the judge appropriately performed a gatekeeping function regarding the defendant’s claim of self-defense. “The notion that maybe he was just going to get this self-defense instruction and it would have turned the tide of this case, that’s false,” Lowden said. “He has to have a sincere and honest belief that deadly force was necessary. The state’s position is that he did not have that.” Late on Feb. 4, 2022, Montgomery was ticketed for underage drinking while with friends at Tubby’s Sports Bar in Manhattan. Montgomery was 19 years old at that time, and a Riley County officer recognized him from an encounter the prior week involving a firearm. Montgomery was found to be intoxicated and was issued a citation. He was released from a police substation at 12:29 p.m. Feb. 5, and events leading to his conviction on serious crimes occurred in the next four minutes. In close proximity to the substation, Montgomery and two friends engaged in a back-and-forth verbal exchange with Wardi and three of his friends. Montgomery grabbed an extended-magazine Glock pistol from his car, tucked it into his waistband and began crossing the street toward Wardi’s group. Wardi’s three friends ran, but Wardi paused before proceeding on the sidewalk. Montgomery drew his weapon, and later claimed he was “anxious” Wardi might be armed. He shot Wardi five times at close range. Wardi was unarmed. Montgomery sprinted down the sidewalk in the direction of Wardi’s friends. Riley County officers who heard the gunshots gave chase, and Montgomery was shot in the leg before apprehended. While on the ground, Montgomery recognized one of the officers. “What’s goin’ on dog?” Montgomery said. “It’s crazy how quick s*** escalated, right?” Montgomery was interviewed by a Kansas Bureau of Investigation agent at a hospital, the court record says. The defendant said he shot Wardi in self-defense because he felt a threat on his life. He said three separate times that he ran after Wardi’s three friends “to kill them.” Later, Montgomery testified he was running away from Wardi’s friends out of fear they might retaliate. Courtesy of Kansas Reflector
	Illinois treasurer's auction features collectibles for bidders Collectible baseball cards of Hall of Famers Ryne Sandberg, Nolan Ryan and Ken Griffey Jr., a gold ingot, and an 1868 French coin bearing the image of Napoleon III are just a few of the notable items available at the online ICash auction now through May 3. The auction catalog is available here. “Our online auction [...]
	Davenport police officer seen comforting woman In a video shared with KWQC, Officer Doug Scroggins was seen comforting a woman Friday.
	“2026 DART SeniorThesis Show,” through August 30 With its venue transformed into a space to honor and celebrate the creativity of four graduating digital art and design majors before they step into the world as professional designers, the 2026 DART Senior Thesis Show will be on display at the University of Dubuque's Bisignano Art Gallery throughout the summer, this annual exhibit an energetic mix of illustration, motion design, and digital painting.
	Emergency room visits for tick bites rise this year Weekly ER visits for tick bites are on the rise. Last April, there were 68 reported bites. This year, that number has climbed to 96.
	Iowa City Police arrest man taking a shower in a stranger’s home An Iowa City man was arrested Thursday night after police found him using a stranger’s shower.
	Davenport man facing kidnapping, human trafficking charges A Davenport man is facing kidnapping and human trafficking charges after he allegedly forced a woman into a prostitution, according to Scott County District Court documents.
	Group seeking to end Idaho’s abortion ban says it’s met signature goal in 19 legislative districts A few hundred people attended a rally on June 25, 2025, in front of the Idaho State Capitol to support the start of signature gathering for an abortion rights ballot initiative. (Photo by Kyle Pfannenstiel/Idaho Capital Sun)A group trying to qualify a ballot initiative to end Idaho’s abortion ban said Friday it has met its signature gathering goals in more than enough legislative districts to qualify for the November general election. The group Idahoans United for Women and Families announced Friday that it hit its signature goals in 19 different legislative districts and that counties have officially processed 95% of the 104,000 signatures they have gathered. Idahoans United for Women and Families Executive Director Melanie Folwell speaks at the third No Kings protest in downtown Boise on Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Photo by Kyle Pfannenstiel/Idaho Capital Sun) If the state verifies those results, that would be more than enough to qualify the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act for November’s general election ballot. “It’s Friday afternoon, so I’ll make this quick: the counties have processed over 95% of our 104,000 submitted signatures and the news is very good,” Idahoans United Executive Director Melanie Folwell wrote in an email to supporters. Supporters have until April 30 to turn in their final signatures for verification to the Secretary of State’s Office. How does an initiative qualify for the Idaho ballot? In Idaho, a ballot initiative is a form of direct democracy where the voters – not the Idaho Legislature – decide whether to pass a proposed law. Need to get in touch? Have a news tip? CONTACT US To qualify for the general election, supporters must collect signatures from at least 6% of the registered voters statewide and from at least 6% of the registered voters in at least 18 of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts. To achieve the 6% statewide total, supporters need 70,725 verified signatures. If the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act meets the requirements to appear on the November ballot, it would take a simple majority of votes to approve it. The ballot initiative seeks to decriminalize abortion in Idaho and allow the right to abortion up to the point of fetal viability – and beyond that, in the case of medical emergencies. Supporters said their initiative restores the same standard that was in place until the U.S. Supreme Court repealed the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that guaranteed a right to an abortion and Idaho’s felony abortion trigger law took effect. Supporters said their signature drive is not over. “We will gather signatures until the last minute of our deadline,” Folwell wrote. The Idahoans United ballot initiative is one of two different ballot initiatives that could qualify for November’s election. A different group, the Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho, is pushing a ballot initiative to legalize medical cannabis for Idahoans with a terminal illness or debilitating pain. Supporters of the Idaho Medical Cannabis Act told the Idaho Capital Sun earlier this month that they have also gathered more than 100,000 signatures, although backers did not disclose how many different legislative districts they have met their goal in. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Courtesy of Idaho Capital Sun
	House approves redistricting amendment, fearing federal Voting Rights Act will be eliminated Illinois House passes an amendment to protect minority representation in maps as fears grow over the Supreme Court striking down federal voting rights.
	Vera French celebrates opening new $10-million affordable housing complex in central Davenport Dozens of people gathered in central Davenport on Friday, April 24, to celebrate the ribbon-cutting and opening of Carol’s Village Gardens, a four-story, $10-million affordable rental housing complex.
	Vera French holds ribbon cutting for Carol's Village Gardens housing completion 30 units of the housing development are fully leased with six units set aside for people coming out of homelessness.
	Local developer to buy the Quad-City Times building The Geifman Group will split the office and warehouse space between multiple tenants and partner with the Quad-City Times Bix 7.
	Kranovich named to board of Sports Events & Tourism Association Visit Quad Cities has announced that Joan Kranovich, vice president of business growth and director, Sports QC, has been named to the board of directors of the Sports Events & Tourism Association, a news release says. The association is the leading trade association supporting sports events and tourism industry professionals. This recognition reflects her leadership [...]
	Great Friday night weather to kick off the weekend After some stormy days at times over the last week and a half - this weekend looks pretty good in the Quad Cities! That includes our Friday night! It should be a great night at Modern woodmen Park for the River Bandits. Saturday and Sunday also look good, with sunshine and highs in the 70s. [...]
	Rivermont Collegiate to hold annual Derby Day Rivermont Collegiate will hold its second annual Derby Day fundraiser.
	Jury finds East Moline man guilty of first-degree murder in downtown Davenport shooting A 21-year-old East Moline man is facing a mandatory sentence of life in prison after a jury found him guilty in the shooting death of Mayson Payne in downtown Davenport.
	Quad Cities Civic Conversations hosting talk about AI Quad Cities Civic Conversations will hold a free talk titled "Is AI coming for your job?"
	IDOT to host public meeting on IL 84/IL 92 corridor improvements in Silvis The Illinois Department of Transportation is hosting a public open house meeting for proposed reconstruction and improvements to the IL 84/IL 92 corridor.
	9 breweries collaborate for 'Brew Together' 'Brew Together,' brings together 9 breweries for a months-long collaborative event featuring new beer recipes.
	Appeals court rules that Trump's asylum ban at the border is illegal A U.S. appeals court ruled Friday that immigration laws allow people to apply for asylum at the border, and the president cannot bypass this. The decision stems from Trump declaring the border situation an invasion and suspending asylum.
	American Water Charitable Foundation helps six QCA non-profits The American Water Charitable Foundation, a philanthropic non-profit organization established by American Water, the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the U.S., and Iowa American water, has announced that six organizations were awarded a Foundation 2026 Water and Environment grant, supporting communities served throughout Iowa. “Living along the Mississippi River, this grant is [...]
	More Iowa nursing homes are cited, but not penalized, for too few staff Five Iowa nursing homes have been cited recently for failing to meet federal standards for nursing home staffing. (Photo by byryo/iStock/Getty Images Plus)In the past eight weeks, five Iowa nursing homes have been cited for failing to meet federal standards for nursing home staffing. Inadequate staffing is believed to be the single biggest contributor to poor quality resident care, according to several federal and private studies of nursing home quality. In recent years, staffing levels have become a hot political issue, with the Trump administration rolling back Biden administration’s efforts to increase federal staffing requirements for homes that collect taxpayer dollars through the Medicaid and Medicare programs. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX A recent Iowa Capital Dispatch review of federal data found that in 2025, 60 of Iowa’s 397 nursing homes — 15% of all the homes in the state — were cited for insufficient staffing. That represents a rate of staffing-level violations that’s two to five times higher than most other nearby states. Nationally, a new report from the Long-Term Care Community Coalition indicates that in the third quarter of 2025, almost 9 in 10 nursing homes fell below their expected their staffing levels, with the average facility understaffed by 24% on a daily basis. The report is based on federal data derived from the homes’ self-reported payroll information and assessment of residents’ needs. Inspectors: Staff ignored feeding-tube alarm One of the Iowa homes recently cited for violating the existing, longstanding requirements for “sufficient” staffing is Harmony House Healthcare Center in Waterloo. On March 25, 2026, state inspectors visited Harmony House to investigate eight separate complaints pertaining to quality-of-care issues. Based on a sample review of the home’s electronic call-light records related to just three of the home’s 42 residents, the inspectors concluded that the staff failed to answer all three residents’ call lights in a timely manner. In addition, the “wait times for multiple residents” at the home frequently exceeded 15 minutes, and sometimes stretched to more than 90 minutes, inspectors reported. One resident reportedly complained of waiting up to two hours for a response to her call light. A certified nursing assistant allegedly reported an instance in which a resident’s call light went unanswered for more than an hour, and no one reported it to the nurse on duty because she had previously threatened to quit. “The failure persisted despite residents reporting concerns through interviews and the facility’s own grievance logs, and after staff were reportedly re-educated on the importance of responding to call lights,” the inspectors alleged. Even with state inspectors in the building, call lights went unanswered, according to the inspectors’ written reports. In one instance, the staff, including the director of nursing, allegedly failed to respond to a prolonged audible alarm that indicated a resident’s feeding-tube pump wasn’t working. For one hour, an inspector allegedly watched as the pump’s digital screen flashed yellow, indicating a blockage in the feeding tube, and the device made a continuous beeping alarm that could be heard from the hallway. While the inspector watched, nearby housekeeping workers failed to respond to the alarm, then a male staff member twice walked past without responding, then the director of nursing stood in the hallway outside the resident room without responding, after which a licensed practical nurse stood at a medication cart in the hallway without responding to the alarm. The home was cited for several additional violations, some of which resulted in $5,500 in fines that were held in suspension due to the possibility of federal penalties being imposed. Other Iowa homes cited for staffing issues None of the five Iowa nursing homes recently cited for insufficient staff were fined for that particular violation, according to state records. In addition to Harmony House, these Iowa nursing homes were recently cited for too few staff: Adel: Adel Acres, a 40-resident nursing home, was cited March 26, 2026, for failing to meet the legal minimum staffing standard of having at least one registered nurse working for a minimum of eight hours each day. According to inspectors, the home’s administrator acknowledged that for two days in a row in mid-February, there was no registered nurse scheduled to work. Separately, the home was also cited for failing to meet professional standards, medication errors, food preparation violations, inaccurate staffing reports, and inadequate infection control. A citation for inadequate nursing services, tied to a series of medication errors that resulted in a resident receiving an overdose of an opioid painkiller, resulted in a proposed $15,000 state fine that is being held in suspension pending a possible federal penalty. Carroll: Accura Healthcare of Carroll, a 48-resident care facility, was cited on April 2, 2026, for insufficient staffing, with inspectors noting that residents had complained of inadequate staffing and long waits of up to two hours for a response to their call lights. In addition, the home was cited for failing to provide a safe, clean, homelike environment, a failure to meet professional standards, overall quality-of-care deficiencies, medication errors, and inadequate infection control. Marshalltown: Accura Healthcare of Marshalltown, a 59-resident nursing home, was cited on March 12, 2026 for insufficient staffing due to a failure to have a registered nurse in the building for at least eight consecutive hours every day. According to the inspectors, the facility failed to meet that standard on 19 separate days between Dec. 1, 2025, and March 8, 2026. The home’s administrator allegedly acknowledged the issue and explained the home typically went without any registered nurses on duty every other weekend. Tabor: On March 4, 2026, the 40-resident Tabor Manor Care Center was cited for insufficient staffing as part of an investigation into four separate complaints against the facility. According to inspectors, the home’s electronic log of call lights showed the facility often failed to respond to call lights within the expected 15-minute timeframe, with residents sometimes waiting 50 minutes for a response. The home’s administrator reportedly acknowledged the problem and the need for improvement. Tabor Manor was cited for more than a dozen other violations, including failing to provide a safe, clean, homelike environment, a failure to meet professional standards, overall quality-of-care deficiencies, inadequate treatment of pressure sores, medication errors, and inadequate infection control. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch
	Carol’s Village Gardens opens in Davenport to provide affordable housing and support Carol’s Village Gardens in Davenport offers thirty affordable apartments with essential support services, embodying the philosophy that stable, secure housing is fundamental to quality healthcare.
	Illinois Department of Transportation to host open house public meeting The Illinois Department of Transportation is hosting a public open house meeting for proposed reconstruction and improvements to the IL 84/IL 92 corridor.
	Our chance of another severe outbreak on Monday After this week has, for the most part, been very nice with warm weather and sunshine, this weekend is also looking very nice. However, Monday is showing an enhanced risk for severe weather across the entirety of our Quad Cities area. Where we could see strong winds, large hail, and tornados, heavy rain is also [...]
	Lee Enterprises names Nathan Bekke president and CEO Nathan Bekke, a longtime company leader, is now Lee’s president and CEO. Josh Rinehults will serve as CFO.
	Crash involving scooter, vehicle in Rock Island Our Quad Cities News is on the scene of an incident between vehicle and a scooter on 24th Street at 20 ½ Avenue, Rock Island. One person was apparently transported from the scene but there is no word on any injuries.
	First Geneseo Wine Walk to feature wine tasting, shopping and live music The first Geneseo Wine Walk will bring wine tasting, shopping and music to downtown May 30.
	Bolivian man fights deportation to Congo as U.S. attorney pursues Muscatine Co. case Federal prosecutors in Iowa are continuing their push to deport to the Democratic Republic of Congo a Bolivian asylum seeker who was unlawfully jailed in Muscatine County.
	Tennessee court delays trial over abortion ban using new appeals law Allie Phillips, one of the plaintiffs suing the state of Tennessee over its abortion bans, stands in her kitchen with her husband and daughter in February 2024. Phillips unsuccessfully ran for a legislative seat in 2024, in part based on her story of having to leave the state for a medically necessary abortion, and is running again this year. (Photo by John Partipilo for the Tennessee Lookout)Three years after a miscarriage that caused a severe, nearly septic infection because a Tennessee hospital denied her an abortion, Katy Dulong was looking forward to telling her story in a trial that was scheduled to begin Monday. But this week, the state appealed to a higher court based on a new law passed by the legislature in March, and the court put the trial on hold indefinitely. It will now be months before the lower court can proceed. Dulong had complications that led to a miscarriage in November 2022 at 16 weeks of pregnancy, long before fetal viability. Under the state’s abortion ban, which had only been in place for a few months, the hospital sent her home to miscarry on her own. When that didn’t happen, severe infection started to set in 10 days later, when she was able to get doctors to agree to help. The experience left her with post-traumatic stress disorder. Tennessee bill expands attorney general rights to appeal case rulings The delay in the legal case feels like the state trying to silence her and the other plaintiffs, she said. “It’s shocking to me that there’s anyone in this world that would have such opposing views to think that our voices don’t matter,” Dulong said in an interview. “How are they taking away our voice right now?” In a motion to dismiss in February, the state argued it couldn’t be sued by the plaintiffs under a term called sovereign immunity, and in April, the Tennessee Legislature passed a law making it harder to sue the state on the constitutionality of a state or government action. Legislators passed another bill allowing the state to automatically appeal a decision related to sovereign immunity. Nicolas Kabat, a staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights who has been working on the case with the plaintiffs, said the state has tried to have the case dismissed four times without success, and said this is just the latest move to delay the trial. But he said the latest laws passed by the legislature allowing automatic appeals in the middle of a case, on the eve of a trial, make the situation unique. “There is nothing unusual about appealing an appealable order,” said Phil Buehler, press secretary for Tennessee Republican Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, in an email Thursday. Similar lawsuits are ongoing or have already been resolved in several states with bans, including Texas and Idaho, where state residents have challenged the law based on their personal experiences. Plaintiffs in Idaho won their case in April 2025, when a judge said the near-total abortion ban does not mean a pregnant patient’s death has to be imminent or “assured” to perform an abortion. Complaints are also pending related to Texas hospitals allegedly not complying with federal law mandating emergency room treatment for a patient who needs an abortion as stabilizing care. Women with serious pregnancy complications sue over state abortion bans Allie Phillips, the lead plaintiff in Tennessee, joined several other women to sue the state in September 2023, alleging that the abortion ban put their health and lives in jeopardy when they were pregnant. They asked the state to clarify the law so that health is considered in an abortion decision, not just an immediate threat to a pregnant patient’s life. The way the law is written, attorneys argue, is too vague to allow for those exceptions. Phillips and Nicole Blackmon, another plaintiff, had fetuses with anomalies related to the development of vital organs. Blackmon couldn’t afford to travel out of the state for an abortion, and eventually had to stop working because the pregnancy was affecting her health. She delivered a stillborn baby in her seventh month of pregnancy. Phillips raised enough money to seek an abortion in New York, only to find when she got there that the fetus had already died. After the court granted a temporary block on the law as it relates to pregnancy complications, the state passed several laws that affected the case. The first bill, meant to clarify the state’s health exception for an abortion, was enacted in April 2025 but didn’t solve the issue, Kabat said. The language still wasn’t clear enough, and the court agreed and allowed the suit to continue. Kabat said the legal team will continue its effort to clarify Tennessee’s laws so that stories like Dulong’s don’t happen to others. “No matter how long this takes, we’re going to get the trial, we’re going to get these stories heard and we’re going to seek accountability from the state,” Kabat said. Stateline reporter Kelcie Moseley-Morris can be reached at kmoseley@stateline.org. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Stateline
	U.S. attorney in Muscatine Co. pursues effort to deport Bolivian man to Congo Federal prosecutors in Iowa are continuing their push to deport to the Democratic Republic of Congo a Bolivian asylum seeker who was unlawfully jailed in Muscatine County.

Saturday, April 25th, 2026

Friday, April 24th, 2026