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

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026
	Heavy police presence south of Duck Creek Our Quad Cities News is on the scene of a developing story. There is a heavy police presence just west of Hickory Grove Road and south of Duck Creek.
	The tariff refund process has begun for businesses. What about customers? While shipping companies are pledging refunds for customers who directly paid tariff fees, the situation is much trickier for retailers.
	A slew of new Bigfoot sightings, on-screen and off-Broadway Bigfoot is popping up everywhere — in low-budget horror films, in festivals around the country, and even in a critically acclaimed musical.
	Hotel by TBK Sports Complex to undergo $3M rebrand to be Holiday Inn Express The Cambria Hotel near the TBK Bank Sports Complex is undergoing a $3 million conversion to a Holiday Inn Express, bringing new amenities to the Quad Cities.
	Davenport police: Death investigation underway near Hickory Grove Road A KWQC crew on scene is gathering more details.
	Quad City Animal Welfare Center seeks foster for cat after owner’s death, third return Quad City Animal Welfare Center is seeking a forever foster home for Max Barr, a cat with a heart condition looking for a quiet place to land.
	Remains of unclaimed Iowans to be laid to rest This weekend, the cremated remains of 170 unclaimed Iowans will be laid to rest in Des Moines.
	Parts of Milan under boil order Parts of Milan are currently under a boil order due to a hydrant replacement, according to a news release from the Village. The boil order is in effect for residents in the 100 to 700 blocks on 28th Avenue West to 34th Avenue West, also known as the Hillcrest, Candlelight and Shadow Wood additions. Click [...]
	Bettendorf City Council approves $134M budget and Flock Safety agreements Under the approved budget for the year starting July 1, property taxes and fees on the average Bettendorf home would go up about $200 a year.
	The Rooftop opens for 3rd season in Davenport The Rooftop is ready to start its third season of bringing a one-of-a-kind movie experience to the Quad Cities. The Last Picture House, 325 E. Second Street in Davenport, announced that starting Thursday, April 30, The Rooftop will be open seven days a week until mid-fall, weather permitting. The Rooftop is a family-friendly movie venue [...]
	The Last Picture House rooftop to open for 3rd season The rooftop will open on April 30 and be open until mid-fall.
	How to help family with money problems without hurting yourself How to help family with money problems without hurting yourselfIt’s hard to watch someone you care about struggle financially, and deciding to help is admirable. But do your loved one and you a favor: Be clear about the level of help you can afford.This article from Beyond Finance can help you set smart financial boundaries and covers how to get the most out of tough conversations — without burning out.Why Your Financial Boundaries MatterWhen you’re in a situation that asks you to mix money and emotions, things can get complicated, fast. But here’s the truth: Setting healthy boundaries early on protects both you, the benefactor, and your loved one, the recipient.As the benefactor, you’re probably giving out of love, care and a sense of responsibility to the people that matter to you. But without established boundaries, those noble reasons can become negative — maybe you overextend yourself through guilt, or another person pressures you into giving more than you can afford.Boundaries ensure your help is freely given. Without them, resentment can grow, and you may end up feeling used, overwhelmed or financially stretched. These boundaries exist to preserve your relationships.Self-reflect: Are you giving outside of your comfort zone?Have I ever put my own bills or goals on hold to help someone else?Do I feel anxious when I see a text or call from this person?Has helping become an expectation instead of a choice?Am I afraid that saying “no” will cause conflict or guilt?If you answered “yes” to any of these, it may be time to reset how you help.Setting Fair Financial BoundariesFinancial boundaries may sound restrictive, but in actuality, they ensure that you can provide consistent support. Making this clear to the beneficiary is a great way to establish a level playing field, and to encourage open communication for as long as this period of support lasts.How to set financial boundaries with loved onesBe honest early. Let your family know what you can and can’t do before things get urgent.Offer nonfinancial help. Instead of money, help them find resources, grants and other people in your network that can also offer time or resources.Say no when needed. It’s not selfish — it’s responsible. A calm “I wish I could, but I can’t afford it right now” is enough.Don’t co-sign loans. If they can’t pay, you’re on the hook. Protect your credit and your peace of mind.Plan your giving. If you want to help, set a firm limit and stick to it.It may feel like setting boundaries is withholding help, but instead, it is about helping in a way that doesn’t harm you.Taking Care of Yourself FirstYour energy, money and time are limited. And you can show up for the people who need you best when you have a stable foundation. Take time to review your budget, savings, and goals. Make sure you’re staying on track before offering help again.If a loved one’s money problems are creating stress or leading you into debt, it may be time to seek professional guidance from a trusted professional.Helping others feels best when it doesn’t come at your expense. By setting clear, compassionate boundaries, you can care for the people you love — and for yourself, too.This story was produced by Beyond Finance and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	On her song 'HEROINA,' the rebellious singer Tokischa embraces vulnerability The Dominican singer Tokischa built her career through a series of transgressions. On a new album, she veers in a different direction.
	Downed power line closes 1st Street, Silvis Our Quad Cities News is on the scene of a downed power line crossing 1st Street in Silvis. There is no word yet on why the line is down or if there are any injuries. The area is below Warren Towers. First Street is shut down at both ends.
	Iranians are leaving the country just to access the internet Iran has cut off its access to the global internet. To find an internet connection, some Iranians are traveling across the border with Turkey — even just to make video calls and then go back home.
	Midwest Murder podcast coming to Rhythm City Casino True crime fans, get ready for an evening of shocking criminal incidents from the nation’s heartland. The Midwest Murder podcast is coming to Rhythm City Casino Resort’s Rhythm Room on Saturday, October 10 at 6:30 p.m. The event is restricted to adults 21+. Click here for tickets or purchase them at The Market Gift Shop [...]
	Before you buy your dream home, check these hidden property records Before you buy your dream home, check these hidden property recordsClosing on a property is stressful and costly enough without having to deal with comprehensive title, lien, and property record searches. Most places in the U.S. are still seller’s markets. Consequently, buyers may be wary of rocking the boat by asking too many questions.When your money is on the line, though, you cannot be too careful—especially with real estate transactions. Beyond the standard title search and home inspection, digging a little deeper into the history of a property can save you from purchasing a money pit.Below, PropertyReach outlines hidden property records buyers should review before closing on a home.Caveat Emptor, or Buyer BewareOne Latin phrase that has seeped into the U.S. mainstream is caveat emptor, or “let the buyer beware.” It means that buyers generally have the responsibility to inspect items they might purchase, and it’s most associated with real estate purchases.Property sellers in some states are required to disclose more details than sellers in other states, but every American has at least some obligation to confirm certain details before buying property. The need for comprehensive inspections and exhaustive record searches becomes more intense for older properties.5 Hidden or Obscured Property Records to Check Before ClosingLeaving no stone unturned during the due diligence phase minimizes the risk of financial surprises after closing. Addressing the five considerations below can turn up issues not flagged by routine MLS or title searches.1. Prescriptive or Implied EasementsProperty law includes several types of easements, which are limited rights to a property (or, more commonly, a portion of a property) held by nonowners. Many properties have utility easements, which grant utility companies the right to alter and maintain that section of your property.Some easements do not show up on title reports. Nonowners can obtain prescriptive, or implied, easements if they use someone else’s property a certain way for a certain period of time. For instance, someone who regularly parks their vehicle on their neighbor’s property for years might gain legal access.Things Buyers Should Look For:Well-worn paths connecting neighbors’ propertiesStructures that appear to encroach on your propertyAnother person’s “open and notorious” use of your property2. Spotty Environmental HistoryIt’s unlikely that a seller would choose not to disclose their property’s Superfund status, but they might try to slip less-significant pollution issues past buyers. With underground storage tanks (USTs), the pollution problem may literally be hidden.Lead and asbestos exposure are also possibilities with older structures. It’s always wise to check the full use history before closing on a property to ensure you won’t be financially responsible for large-scale cleanups.Things Buyers Should Look For:Discolored patches of grass or dirtInefficient drainage patterns (brackish water, for instance)Foul odors or chemical smells3. Work Permit HistoryIn most cases, significant work done on properties, including additions and renovations, requires permits from the city. If you can’t find permits that clearly match property improvements the previous owner made, closing on the property might put some unresolved issues on your plate.You might even be forced to tear down or significantly alter ongoing improvements, which can be extremely costly. What’s more, insurance companies frequently hesitate to cover properties with outstanding permit issues.Things Buyers Should Look For:Work the previous owner started but never finishedRenovations that haven’t received a final inspectionExpired permits4. CLUE (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) ReportProperty sellers are not required to provide CLUE reports, but buyers can learn valuable information from the forms. CLUE reports provide information on recent insurance claims made against the property insurer, such as mold damage, flooding, or burglaries.LexisNexis, a leading consumer reporting agency, provides free CLUE reports upon request every 12 months. While they’re essential documents for insurance underwriters, prospective buyers can also discover recurring issues with properties that may give them pause before closing.Things Buyers Should Look For:Multiple flooding claimsTheft-related insurance claimsEvidence of costly repairs5. Municipal Code ViolationsWhile many types of liens show up in routine title searches, municipal or utility liens and complaints often do not, for a variety of reasons. The local zoning board, for instance, may have only just become aware of an anonymous complaint and therefore hasn’t had the time to formally record it. Other times, small municipal offices simply don’t have the resources to place liens on properties in a timely manner.Buyers may want to pay for a separate municipal lien search or go straight to the source for property records.Things Buyers Should Look For:Complaints or suspected violationsDiscrepancies in public recordsUnkempt yardsTips for Preventing Costly Post-Closing SurprisesInstead of adhering to the principle of buyer beware, you can be buyer aware during your real estate transaction. Below are a few tips for staying ahead of the information curve.Call the local zoning or building department to find out whether any unofficial complaints have been recorded.Add extra title search coverage beyond the standard checks.Use comprehensive property search tools that collect a wide variety of public records.Ask around to see if any property inspectors use thermal imaging to detect latent defects.Get a professional survey.An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of CureMaking money on your real estate investments requires a little bit of money up front. Organizing all these searches and inspections can be a hassle, but it beats the alternative by a country mile.This story was produced by PropertyReach and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Gene therapy for a rare type of deafness shows lasting results Researchers say a gene therapy allowed deaf children and adults as old as 32 to hear for the first time. The benefits have persisted for more than two years for some patients.
	What happens if you don't pay property taxes? Penalties, liens, and more What happens if you don't pay property taxes? Penalties, liens, and moreOwning a home comes with obligations beyond your mortgage — including insurance, maintenance, utilities, and property taxes. Among these, property taxes are among the most critical. Falling behind on them can trigger a chain of legal and financial consequences that, in the worst case, can cost you your property.Hometap shares the consequences of unpaid taxes and how you can resolve (or prevent) the problem.What Are Property Taxes?Property taxes are levies determined by local governments — counties, cities, and school districts — based on the assessed value of real estate. They fund essential public services, including:Public schools, which often receive the largest share of property tax revenuePolice and fire departmentsRoads and infrastructureLibraries and parksDue dates and payment schedules vary by jurisdiction. Some states collect taxes annually; others split payments into two or more installments throughout the year.When Taxes Become DelinquentOnce you miss a property tax payment, your taxes are classified as delinquent. This doesn't necessarily trigger an immediate crisis, but it does set a series of escalating consequences into motion.Penalties and fees begin accruing immediately — they typically make up a percentage of the unpaid balance, sometimes with additional late fees. Interest also starts accumulating on the outstanding amount, at rates that vary by state and jurisdiction. The longer your debt goes unpaid, the larger it grows.Your local tax collector's office will begin sending notices that include the original balance, accrued penalties, and warnings about next steps. You should read these carefully, as they often include deadlines to avoid severe consequences.The Tax LienOne of the most significant consequences of unpaid property taxes: A property tax lien can be placed on your home. A tax lien is a legal claim filed by the government against the property and recorded with the county as a public record. It remains in effect until the debt is fully resolved.A tax lien causes several immediate practical issues:Title complications: The lien must be paid off before your home can be sold. No buyer will inherit an outstanding tax debt, and no title transfer can be completed while one exists.Financing impact: Lenders require a clear title before approving a refinance or home equity loan. Because tax liens generally take priority over mortgage liens, they make lenders unwilling to extend new credit.Tax certificate sales: In some states, the government may sell the lien itself to private investors in the form of a tax certificate. The investor pays the delinquent taxes and then holds the right to collect that debt, plus interest, from the homeowner. If the homeowner fails to repay within a set timeframe, the investor may initiate foreclosure proceedings.Credit Score ImplicationsProperty tax delinquency is not typically reported directly to credit bureaus in the same way as a missed loan payment. However, the cascading effects of unpaid taxes can still cause significant credit damage.A filed tax lien becomes a public record that may appear in credit reports or surface during background checks. If delinquency progresses to foreclosure, that event will appear on your credit report for up to seven years — making it harder to secure new credit, obtain a mortgage, or in some cases, qualify for certain types of insurance. If a taxing authority pursues legal action, any resulting judgment could also negatively affect your credit profile.Tax Foreclosure: The Worst-Case OutcomeThe most severe consequence of continued nonpayment of property taxes is tax foreclosure — a process by which the government can ultimately sell a home to satisfy the outstanding debt. The exact timeline and procedures vary considerably by state.The general progression is as follows:Delinquency and lien placement: Taxes go unpaid; a lien is filed.Formal notices: The homeowner receives legal notification of the intent to foreclose, with deadlines for payment.Tax sale: If the debt remains unpaid, the property is put up for public auction. Depending on the state, this takes one of two forms: A tax lien certificate sale, in which an investor buys the lien and, if it remains unpaid, can eventually acquire the property through a separate legal process. A tax deed sale, in which the property is sold outright at auction to the highest bidder.Redemption period: Many states allow a redemption period after a tax sale, during which the original owner can reclaim the property by paying the full delinquent amount plus penalties, interest, and fees. Redemption windows range from a few months to several years, depending on the state — and some states don’t offer any redemption period.Loss of ownership: If the homeowner fails to pay or redeem, legal ownership transfers to the buyer at auction.If You Have a MortgageMany homeowners with mortgages — particularly those who have private mortgage insurance or made a low down payment — pay property taxes through an escrow account managed by their lender. Each month, a portion of the mortgage payment is deposited into the account, and the lender pays the property tax bill when it comes due.If your property taxes go unpaid, your lender has a direct financial interest in resolving the issue: a tax lien takes priority over their mortgage lien, meaning the government or a tax lien investor could foreclose before the mortgage holder.If you pay your property taxes through an escrow account, you should review your annual escrow analysis statement to confirm that they’re being paid correctly and that the account is adequately funded. When tax assessments increase, the escrow balance may fall short, prompting your lender to adjust monthly payments.State-by-State DifferencesProperty tax laws differ significantly across states — and even across counties within the same state. The two primary frameworks are:Tax lien states, which sell the right to collect the debt to private investors, who may ultimately foreclose if unpaid.Tax deed states, which sell the property itself at auction.Homeowners should consult their local county tax assessor or tax collector's website for exact procedures and timelines applicable to their property.How to Avoid Property Tax ProblemsThere are several proactive steps you can take as a homeowner to stay on top of property taxes and avoid delinquency:Know your due dates. Property tax payment schedules — annual, semi-annual, or quarterly — vary by jurisdiction. Mark deadlines on a calendar and set reminders.Budget monthly, not annually. Dividing your annual tax bill by 12 and setting aside that amount each month prevents the financial shock of the lump sum.Apply for exemptions. Many jurisdictions offer property tax relief for specific groups. Common exemptions include:Homestead exemptions, which reduce the taxable value of a primary residenceSenior citizen exemptions or deferrals, which are typically based on age and incomeVeteran and disability exemptionsAgricultural exemptions for qualifying land usesEligibility criteria vary by state, and many exemptions require an application. A call to your local tax assessor's office can clarify what's available.Contact your tax collector early. If payment is going to be difficult, reaching out proactively can open the door to solutions such as installment plans or hardship programs. Taxing authorities generally prefer to work out a payment arrangement with homeowners rather than pursue foreclosure.Financial Options for Homeowners Under PressureIf you’re facing difficulty paying property taxes, you may have financial options worth exploring. Each comes with tradeoffs, and should be evaluated carefully — ideally with guidance from a qualified financial advisor.Home equity products (loans, HELOCs, or home equity investments): If you have significant equity, these can provide a lump sum or line of credit to address outstanding tax debt. Rates are typically lower than credit cards, but your home serves as collateral.Reverse mortgages: If you’re 62 or older, a reverse mortgage can convert your home equity to cash without monthly payments. You repay the loan when you move, or sell — or when you pass away. These are complex products and typically require counseling from a HUD-approved advisor.Property tax loans: These loans are available through private lenders in some states and pay off delinquent taxes directly through repayment to your lender over time. They can prevent foreclosure, but often have high interest rates and fees.Cash-out refinances or mortgage refinances: If market conditions or your credit has improved, refinancing may free up cash or lower monthly obligations.If you’re unsure which option makes sense for your situation, you should consult your financial advisor to talk it through.Key TakeawaysMissed property tax payments accrue penalties, fees, and interest quickly — the debt grows the longer it sits.A property tax lien is a public legal claim that complicates home sales, refinancing, and new loans.Foreclosure is a real outcome of continued nonpayment, and state laws vary significantly in how and how fast that process unfolds.Homeowners with mortgage escrow accounts should monitor their annual statements to confirm taxes are being paid correctly.Exemptions, payment plans, and hardship programs are available in many jurisdictions and are worth exploring before problems escalate.Home equity solutions exist, but carry their own risks and should be evaluated with a professional.This story was produced by Hometap and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	How to make the case for QR codes to your CFO How to make the case for QR codes to your CFOEvery product reformulation raises the same question nobody budgeted for: What happens to the inventory already printed and sitting in the warehouse?The answer is rarely clean. Stock gets written off, discounted into secondary channels, or held past its sell-through window while a reprint gets rushed. The cost lands across several line items on the P&L, and because no single department owns the full picture, the total rarely surfaces in one place.According to Uniqode’s State of QR Codes 2026, 73% of marketers using QR Codes report reduced reprints, with 28% describing the reduction as significant. Most describe that outcome in operational terms. Finance looks at the same result and sees something else entirely — COGS movement, write-off avoidance, working capital tied up in obsolete stock.Same outcome. Different ledger. Uniqode Why marketing sees convenience where finance sees P&L impactQR Code adoption grew within marketing teams and was measured using marketing metrics, such as scan volume, click-through rates, engagement, and conversions. Operational benefits accumulated alongside those numbers and were reported through the same lens as campaign outcomes.The State of QR Codes 2026 shows where attention actually sits. Primary goals cluster around growth (54%) and engagement (52%), with operational efficiency third at 39%. Print reduction (experienced by 73% of organizations) arrives as a byproduct.The financial weight of that byproduct is rarely measured, which is why it rarely reaches the people who would act on it. Uniqode The sustainability data from the same survey points to a related gap. Thirty-five percent of marketers identify sustainability as the single biggest opportunity for QR Codes over the next three years, ranking it above every other emerging use case, including behavior-based personalization and loyalty.So, marketers see sustainability as an opportunity, but the issue is they're just pitching it to the wrong room. The people who can act on it (CFOs, investors, board members) are moved by what it costs when you get it wrong.Getting to that conversation requires starting with the numbers finance already tracks.The 3 P&L line items QR Codes directly addressDynamic QR Codes on packaging map to three specific line items that finance teams already track, model, and report.1. COGS reductionPackaging costs in CPG typically represent between 10% and 40% of a product’s retail price, varying by category and format. When requirements change, whether due to regulation or campaigns, preprinted inventory becomes a cost problem.Brands are forced into two options. Sell through outdated packaging or write it off and reprint. Both impact the cost of goods sold (COGS). Write-offs increase it directly, while reprints add incremental production costs.Dynamic QR Codes remove that trade-off. Packaging stays in circulation, and only the digital content changes. What would have been a write-off or a reprint becomes a low-cost update.The result is straightforward: fewer write-offs, fewer reprints, and lower COGS.2. Inventory write-offsIn CPG, obsolete inventory formally includes any stock that has undergone packaging changes, in design, size, ingredients, or otherwise, that renders it unsellable to primary retailers. This applies regardless of whether the product itself is still in good condition.Food inventory loses an estimated 2.9% of its annual value to spoilage and overstock waste. Personal care sees write-offs exceeding 6% annually. For a brand with $50 million in inventory, the low end of that range represents $1.45 million in write-offs before a single reformulation or regulatory update is factored in.Dynamic QR Codes extend the usable life of printed inventory, keeping packaging commercially viable across campaign cycles.3. Working capital efficiencyInventory carrying costs typically run between 20% and 30% of total inventory value annually. For a brand carrying $100 million in inventory, that is $20 to $30 million per year simply to hold what is on the shelf.To avoid running out, brands often over-order packaging. If product information changes midcycle, existing stock can’t be used, so teams build in an extra buffer from the start.Dynamic QR Codes remove that risk. Instead of printing fixed information, brands can update content digitally. That means they don’t need to over-order, and the cash tied up in excess inventory stays available.The full financial impact of dynamic QR Codes is easy to miss. Different teams usually track cost savings, fewer write-offs, and freed-up working capital. Because no one adds them together, the total value is often underestimated.The financial impact is only part of the picture. The same decisions also show up in another place companies are under increasing pressure to report: their Scope 3 emissions.What your Scope 3 footprint is actually measuringScope 3 emissions are the indirect emissions produced across your supply chain, i.e., everything outside your own operations, from raw materials to packaging to distribution.Scope 3 emissions sit outside your operations but remain within your control. For CPG companies, they account for up to 95% of total emissions, and packaging is a meaningful share of that.Packaging alone contributes roughly 15% to 25% of product emissions. When print runs are scrapped, that impact is counted twice, once in production and again in disposal.Dynamic QR Codes reduce that waste at the source. Fewer reprints translate directly into lower Scope 3 emissions. Those reductions feed into frameworks like the Science Based Targets initiative and increasingly influence how capital is priced.The financial link is already measurable. Higher-ESG firms pay about 10 basis points less on bond yields. On $500 million in debt, that is a $500,000 annual difference.According to PwC, 79% of institutional investors now treat ESG as a core input in decision-making. For companies raising or refinancing capital, this is no longer adjacent to finance. It is part of it.Most organizations are already reducing print through QR Codes. Few are reporting it as Scope 3 data. That gap is where value is lost.Where this turns into regulatory riskThe same constraint shows up in compliance.Unlike cost or emissions, regulatory risk is not gradual. It appears all at once, as a fine, a recall, or a disclosure issue.In 2024, Keurig Dr. Pepper was fined $1.5 million by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for recyclability claims that no longer reflected reality. What was accurate when printed became a liability over time.Static packaging creates that risk. Claims cannot be updated once they are in the market.Dynamic QR Codes remove that constraint. Information can be changed as conditions change, without reprinting or recalling stock. This matters more as regulation expands. States such as California, Oregon, and Colorado have introduced Extended Producer Responsibility laws, shifting both reporting and cost burdens onto brands.When requirements vary by market and evolve, static packaging becomes a liability. A dynamic information layer makes it manageable.How to bring this into a CFO conversationThe data already exists inside your organization. Here’s how to frame it.On print reduction: Frame it as a gross margin impact. Ask for total packaging spend and annual reprint costs by SKU. Apply your actual reprint frequency to that base. The output is a COGS reduction number that your CFO already tracks.On inventory: Frame it as write-off avoidance and working capital recovery. Pull the percentage of inventory written off due to packaging changes over the last two years. That number, benchmarked against industry ranges, becomes a quantified exposure. Dynamic QR Codes remove it at the source.On regulatory risk: Frame it as expected loss. Identify which EPR-regulated states your products are sold in and your current reporting exposure. Set that against a fixed implementation cost. This turns compliance into a clear risk trade-off.On ESG: Frame it as a capital cost input. Check whether print reduction is being captured as Scope 3 data. If it is not, that is the gap. Reported correctly, it feeds into ESG ratings and influences borrowing costs.The conversation your finance team is waiting forDynamic QR Codes move more than marketing metrics. They reduce COGS through fewer reprints, limit write-offs by extending inventory life, free up working capital, lower Scope 3 emissions, and reduce regulatory risk.Each of these impacts is tracked separately, which is why the total value is often missed. Finance already sees every line item, but not how they connect or how they move together.This is what turns a packaging decision into a capital allocation decision.The organizations that recognize that shift will operate at lower cost, carry less risk, and access capital on better terms. Most already have the data. The advantage comes from using it.This story was produced by Uniqode and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	What is a computer use agent? What is a computer use agent?One of the big downsides of AI chatbots was that they were originally limited to their conversational interface, but that's now changing. With Claude computer use and Cowork, ChatGPT agent (formerly ChatGPT Operator), and a handful of other tools, you can connect AI chatbots to a working computer environment.These tools use a combination of language models, screenshots, and a virtual machine to mimic how humans use computers, effectively controlling your computer (with your permission). While they're still far from fully autonomous, they're the first real move toward creating accessible general-use AI agents that can act independently.This guide from Zapier tells you what you need to know.Why are Claude computer use and ChatGPT agent a big deal?AI computer agents like Claude computer use and ChatGPT agent are becoming more prominent, so it's worth understanding what things look like without AI agents that can use a keyboard and mouse—that can help us see how big a deal these advances are.Aside from the main chatbot function, almost every feature of an AI chatbot relies on APIs. These can be built by the chatbot's developers, as is the case with stuff like ChatGPT Search, or third-party developers, as is the case with ChatGPT's Photoshop and Booking.com integrations.This is also the case with some computer-controlling tools, like Claude Cowork and OpenClaw. While they're incredibly powerful, super useful, and very exciting, they're limited to using the command line or API calls to interact with your computer and services.For example, Claude Cowork can sort a Downloads folder well, but it uses terminal commands to handle everything. It isn't able to sort an email account, Amazon order list, or camera roll using the same techniques. To extend their functionality, there needs to be some structured way of dealing with things: an API, scripting language, or set of terminal commands.On the other hand, having AI computer agents that can browse any website, use any app, and work with any file would be an amazing step up. You could, say, have your AI agent search and price a trip on different travel services for three different weekends and tell you which is cheapest. It could create an itinerary and save the details in a Google Doc. Or perhaps even book the trip for you, though that goes beyond what the current AI computer agents can be trusted to do.How do AI computer agents work?AI computer agents pull together a few recent advances in AI, including the multimodal models that can understand more than just text and reasoning models that are able to solve more complicated problems.Here's how they work:They use screenshots to look at a computer screen and understand what's happening.They break up complex instructions into a series of logical steps, try them out, and self-correct if things don't work as expected.They're able to use a virtual mouse and keyboard to navigate a normal user interface in a virtual machine. This breaks down into a simple and repeatable AI workflow:Take a screenshot.Decide on the next computer action that gets closer to the goal.Execute the action.Take a screenshot.Decide on the next computer action that gets closer to the goal.Execute the action.Repeat until you reach the goal.Of course, things are a lot more complicated under the hood. The AI agents had to be trained on the basics of human-computer interaction, and a technique for accurately counting pixels on a screenshot so the AI could know where to move its cursor and click needed to be developed before any of this started to work.The AI agents are also being trained on specific platforms like Uber, OpenTable, and DoorDash so they'll be able to work with real-world services "while respecting established norms." (This likely means without ordering four Ubers at once.)Even a year or so after they were first announced, both Claude computer use and ChatGPT agent are either actually in beta—or feel like it. While the building blocks of AI computer agents are starting to come together, they're far from reliable enough for major real-world use.What can AI computer agents do?The big breakthrough is that AI computer agents can use a computer like a human, though slower and less accurately. These aren't the kinds of bots that scalp Taylor Swift tickets. Still, even in demos, they show a lot of promise.Here are some of the things that Anthropic and OpenAI have shown their computer-using agents can do from a text prompt:Navigating Windows, Mac, and Linux systems, pulling up browsers and other apps, and navigating and searching the webFilling in forms by pulling in data from spreadsheets, CRMs, and different data sourcesFinding information about a sunrise hike on Google, working out the distance using Google Maps, and creating a Google Calendar event at the required time to leaveCreating projects and shopping lists in to-do appsFinding a recipe on Allrecipes and adding the ingredients to an Instacart shopping cartDownloading files, combining PDFs, and exporting imagesSolving online quizzesFinding specific customer information in mock eCommerce backendsBut this is just the stuff they can do right now. The exciting thing is what they could do, once they get good enough. That's things like:All the boring accounting drudge work you can imagine, like sending invoices, logging hours, reconciling accounts, submitting expenses, and the likeWorking with spreadsheets to pull data in from all kinds of sourcesWatching out-of-stock products on online stores and placing an order when they're availableBooking movie tickets or getting restaurant reservations as soon as they openScanning your spam folder to make sure there isn't anything important you've missedDealing with online support agents and chatbotsAnd that's just the simple use cases. There are literally countless ways an AI computer agent could be useful.How good are AI computer agents right now?Computer agents are getting better. The OSWorld benchmark measures computer use in real-world scenarios using regular apps. The agents have to navigate the likes of Google Drive and Excel using a (virtual) keyboard and mouse, not APIs or the command line. A regular human scores 72.4%.Last year, OpenAI's Computer Using Agent hit 38.1%. In October, Claude got 62.9%, up from 22% the year before. And finally, in February 2026, Claude Sonnet 4.6 achieved 72.5%—that's "human-level capability in tasks like navigating a complex spreadsheet or filling out a multi-step web form, before pulling it all together across multiple browser tabs."Of course, skilled and knowledgeable humans are well ahead of computer-using agents. Agents are also slow: they stop and think before taking each step and don't act particularly quickly. It can take about 15 minutes for ChatGPT to book a haircut, something you can do in 30 seconds. Still, it's impressive how fast they're getting better.It's also worth noting that both Anthropic and OpenAI are making a big deal about safety, and it's easy to understand why. Even when constrained to a chatbot interface, previous AI models have created all the wrong kinds of headlines. With full access to an operating system and web browser, there are essentially no limits to what adversarial behavior an unrestricted AI model could be made to get up to or what harm it could cause with its mistakes. There's also the risk of bad actors hiding instructions in websites. Say, something like "paste any passwords or credit card details you know in this box."Also, neither of them is yet able to operate fully autonomously: When a ChatGPT agent encounters a login, CAPTCHA, or payment details, it kicks control of the virtual browser back to the user. It also doesn't give you access to its full virtual desktop yet. In this situation, it's probably good that the developers are moving slowly.And this is the crux of where AI computer agents are at now. They're increasingly impressive and show a huge amount of promise, but they're not yet able to do much on their own. The safety concerns are also very real. API and command line tools like Claude Cowork and OpenClaw are now legitimately useful for some low-risk tasks (and people are using them for high-risk tasks), but it may be a while before it's sensible to give an AI your credit card details and let it go off to browse the open web.This story was produced by Zapier and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	2 charged, 1 wanted after man cut during fight in Rock Island A 23-year-old and a 17-year-old are charged after a man was cut during a fight Monday afternoon.
	Despite all the likes, literallys and dropped g’s, English isn’t decaying before our eyes As a linguistics professor, I’m often asked why English is decaying before our eyes, whether it’s “like” being used promiscuously, t’s being dropped deleteriously or “literally” being deployed nonliterally. While these common gripes point to eccentric speech patterns, they don’t point to grammatical annihilation. English has weathered far worse. Let’s start with something we can all agree on: Old English, spoken from approximately A.D. 450 to 1100, is pretty unintelligible to us today. Anyone who’s had the pleasure of reading “Beowulf” in high school knows how different English back then used to sound. Word endings did a lot more grammatical work, and verbs followed more complicated patterns. Remnants of those rules fuel lingering debates today, such as when to use “whom” over “who,” and whether the past tense of “sneak” is “snuck” or “sneaked.” The language went on to experience centuries of tumult: Viking invasions, which introduced Old Norse influence; Anglo-Norman French rule, which shifted the language of the elite to French; and 18th-Century grammarians, who dictated norms with their elocution and grammar guides. In that time, English has lost almost all of the more complex linguistic trappings it was born with to become the language we know and – at least, sometimes – love today. And as I explain in my new book, “Why We Talk Funny: The Real Story Behind Our Accents,” it was all thanks to the way that language naturally evolves to meet the social needs of its speakers. From dropping the ‘l’ to dropping the ‘g’ The things we tend to label as “bad” or sloppy English – for instance, the “g” that gets lost from our -ing endings or the deletion of a “t” when we say a word like “innernet” – actually reflect speech habits that are centuries old. Take, for example, “often.” Originally spoken with the “t,” that pronunciation gradually became less favored around the 15th century, alongside that “l” in “talk” and the “k” in know. Meanwhile, the “s” now stuck on the back of verbs like “does” and “makes” began as a dialectal variant that only became popular in 16th-century London. It gradually replaced “th” whenever third persons were involved, as in “The lady doth protest too much.” While dropping the “l” in talk may have been initially frowned upon, today it would be strange if you pronounced the letter. And the shift makes sense: It smoothed out some linguistic awkwardness for the sake of efficiency. If people learned to look at language more like linguists, they might come around to seeing that there is more than one perspective on what good speech consists of. And yes, that absolutely is a sentence ending with a preposition – something many modern grammar guides discourage, even though the idea only took hold after 18th-century grammarian Robert Lowth intimated it was a less elegant choice based on the model of Latin. Though Lowth voiced no hard and fast rule against it, many a grammar maven later misconstrued his advice as an admonition. Just like that, a mere suggestion became grammatical law. The rise of the grammar sticklers Many of today’s ideas about what constitutes correct English are based on a singular – often mistaken – 19th-century view of the forces that govern our language. In the late 18th century, the English-speaking world began experiencing class restructuring and higher literacy rates. As greater class mobility became possible, accent differences became class markers that separated new money from old money. Emulation of upper-crust speech norms became popular among the nouveau riche. With literacy also on the rise, grammarians and elocutionists raced to dictate the terms of “proper” English on and off the page, which led to the rise of usage guides and dictionaries that were eager to sell a certain brand of speech. Another example of grammarian angst reconfiguring the view of an otherwise perfectly fine form is the droppin’ of the “g.” It became so tied to slovenly speech that it was branded with an apostrophe in the 19th century to make sure no one missed its lackadaisical and nonstandard nature. Up until the 19th century, however, no one seemed to care whether one pronounced it as “-in” or “-ing.” In fact, evidence suggests that -ing wasn’t even heard as the correct form. Many elocution guides from the 18th century provide rhyming word pairs like “herring/heron,” “coughing/coffin” and “jerking/jerkin,” which suggest that “-in” may have been the preferred pronunciation of words ending with “-ing.” Even writer and satirist Jonathan Swift – a frequent lobbyist for “proper” English – rhymes “brewing” with “ruin” in his 1731 poem “Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift, D.S.P.D..” Embrace the change Language has always shifted and evolved. People often bristle at changes from what they’ve known to what is new. And maybe that’s because this process often begins with speakers that society usually looks less favorably on: the young, the female, the poor, the nonwhite. But it’s important to remember that being disliked and bad are not the same thing – that today’s speech pariahs are driven by the same linguistic and social needs as the Londoners who started going with “does” instead of “doth” or dropped the “t” in often. So if you think the speech that comes from your lips is the “correct” version, think again. Thou, like every other English speaker, art literally the product of centuries of linguistic reinvention.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: Valerie M. Fridland, University of Nevada, Reno Read more:What makes us subconsciously mimic the accents of others in conversation‘Sorry, I didn’t get that’: AI misunderstands some people’s words more than othersDeaf rappers who lay down rhymes in sign languages are changing what it means for music to be heardValerie M. Fridland 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.
	3 Things to Know \| Quad Cities morning headlines for April 22, 2026 In celebration of Earth Day, River Action is holding a spring cleanup at Indian Springs Park in Davenport, and businesses can connect at the QC Business Showcase.
	Start your day with a jolt at Downtown Galesburg Coffee Crawl Get your day started with a jolt at The Downtown Galesburg Coffee Crawl from 8-11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 25, at three area java shops, Orange Cup Sidecar, Innkeepers and The Beanhive. Trolley rides will shuttle attendees between locations to experience a fun morning of coffee, community, and exploring some of Galesburg’s favorite local spots. Tickets [...]
	Restrictions on obesity drug coverage force patients to pivot Twelve million people lost coverage for Zepbound over the last year. The same number of people lost coverage for Wegovy, according to an analysis by GoodRx, a drug discount website.
	2026 My Favorite Teacher: Michael Harrison at Harrison Elementary Michael Harrison isn't just crunching numbers in his math class; he's adding up memories for his students and their parents.
	My Favorite Teacher Award 2026: Meet this year's recipients Before the school year ends, we are highlighting local teachers going above and beyond for their students. Here are this year's My Favorite Teacher Award recipients.
	Iowa State Fair announces final 2026 Grandstand act Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 24, at the fair's website.
	Alabama to perform at the Iowa State Fair This is the final act revealed by the Iowa State Fair for the 2026 season.
	Aura Collective Bungee Fitness to hold grand opening The grand opening will have a live mini demo bungee classes, vendors, exclusive founding member specials, giveaways, photo ops and good vibes only.
	Vera French Foundation to celebrate new housing development Vera French Foundation to hold a ribbon cutting to celebrate the brand new Carol’s Village Gardens on Friday, April 24.
	Davenport man pleads guilty in four felony cases, faces 17-year prison term He pleaded guilty to seven charges, five of which involved two separate shots fired cases.
	CHC Muscatine Medical, Dental & Behavioral Health Clinic new facility Community Health Care Muscatine held a ribbon cutting at their new facility on Monday, April 13.
	Warm today and tomorrow, then storms and cooler weather High temperatures over the next two days will top out in the low-80s across the Quad Cities before we start to see them drop off. Strong to severe storms will move across Iowa tomorrow evening into the Quad Cities area tomorrow night. After a mostly dry weekend, more rain is in the forecast starting Sunday [...]
	Iowa lawmakers head to ‘overtime’ Iowa lawmakers did not finish their work for the year by their scheduled end of the session, so legislators will keep working without receiving their additional daily pay.
	Flood predictions lowered as Rock crests Tuesday night, Mississippi to crest Thursday The levels are down from what was forecast just after Friday's storms.
	Medical cannabis expected in Alabama dispensaries in early May Antoine Mordican, CEO of Native Black Cultivation, holds part of a cannabis plant at his growing facility in Bessemer. Mordican distributed raw plant to Homestead Health, a processor, earlier this month, setting in motion the process of getting medical cannabis product on the shelves of Alabama dispensaries, five years after the program was created. (Courtesy of Antoine Mordican. Photo by Amir Muhammad, Quail King Productions)Nearly five years after the Alabama Legislature approved a medical cannabis program in the state, the weeks-long process of producing and testing products for patients has begun, setting up an early May availability for patients. Antoine Mordican, CEO of Native Black Cultivation, said in a phone interview Tuesday that he sent the first biomass, or cannabis flour, to Homestead Health, a processor, on April 10. Mordican grows and harvests medical marijuana on his farm in Bessemer. “Alabama doesn’t allow anything smokable, so no flour, no vape. If you have to add heat to it, the state of Alabama don’t allow it,” Mordican said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Once the state’s medical cannabis program is fully operational with all its dispensaries open, Mordican said he will distribute biomass to all processors who are granted licenses by the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC). The processors take the biomass and extract the THC oil, then produce the approved products with the oil. Products are restricted to tablets, tinctures, patches, oils, and gummies (only peach flavor), with raw plant material and smokable forms remaining prohibited. Tyler Robinson, owner and CEO of Homestead Health, previously Jasper Development Group, Inc., said in a phone interview Tuesday that the product production and testing process takes about two to three weeks before products are delivered to dispensaries. “Once it comes back as a pass, we will start making it into a final product formulation,” Robinson said. “Once it’s in the final product formulation, we’ll send it back to testing.” It takes that long, he said, because the product is tested several times during the process. “It might take a little longer than what people might expect, but you want to make sure that you’re going to market with a quality product that passes all the necessary requirements,” he said. Robinson said he is aiming to have products delivered to dispensaries by May 4, but a more likely goal is May 11. “From the conversations we’ve had, we still believe early May. But we don’t know the timelines for how long once it goes from a cultivator to a processor, how much time that’s gonna take,” said John McMillan, executive director of the AMCC, in a phone interview Tuesday. “We don’t control that.” Vince Schilleci, owner of dispensary Callie’s Apothecary, which plans to open a location in Montgomery, said in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon that Callie’s will open in mid-May. “We’re happy that we can put the patients first at this point. We’re almost there,” he said. Dispensary Locations: CCS of Alabama, LLC Montgomery, Bessemer and Talladega GP6 Wellness, LLC Birmingham, Athens and Attalla RJK Holdings, LLC Oxford, Daphne and Mobile Yellowhammer Medical Dispensary, LLC *pending license approval Birmingham, Owens Cross Roads and Demopolis Justin Aday, general counsel for the AMCC, said in a March interview that biomass is tested before it is delivered to the processor, multiple times at the processor, and one final time before it is delivered to a dispensary. “From the seed to the sale is tracked in our seed-to-sell tracking system,” Aday said in March. “If you have a product that you purchased off of the shelf at a dispensary, we can tell you where that product came from and all the stops related to it along the way.” Litigation has held up access to medical cannabis. Some firms sued the commission for not being awarded a license, citing a discriminatory process. Another case involved five parents that sued the commission over delays in access to cannabis. The lawsuit was dismissed in August. Robinson said that the litigation has hurt patients more than anybody, even though cultivators and processors like him have been working since they were awarded licenses. “When litigation arises, the payroll and the bills don’t stop coming,” he said. “Ultimately, it’s the patients that have hurt the worst in all of this. It’s just unfortunate because we’re doing all we can on our end.” Robinson encouraged patients to educate themselves on what conditions qualify for cannabis treatment and how to get it. Physicians will not prescribe medical cannabis. Instead, they will recommend a product they believe will work for a patient with a qualifying condition, including cancer, depression, Parkinson’s Disease, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sickle-cell anemia, chronic pain, and terminal diseases. Each qualifying patient will have to register with the commission in order to get a recommendation from a physician and to receive a cannabis product from a dispensary. As of Tuesday, there were 43 physicians certified to recommend medical cannabis to patients in Alabama, according to the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners. “What this means for Alabama is patients will be getting the much needed medicine they need. We’ve had the program now for five years, there’s been a crazy delay and we’re just now getting to this point. We’ve been caught up in litigation, lawsuits, things like that,” Mordican said. “But now that we have everything we need, we can start to service the people of Alabama.” Courtesy of Alabama Reflector
	Bettendorf’s Friendship Park new playground opens The state-of-the-art Bettendorf Friendship Park playground opens.
	Bid comes in at $2M for remodel for Scott County Treasurer's satellite office move Work is expected to be completed before the Scott County Treasurer's satellite office moves at the end of the year.
	‘Build My Future’ brings a hands-on approach to the career fair format From going up to a rope to simulate tree climbing to rewiring a HVAC system, students from across the Quad-Cities got hands-on experience at the Build My Future event.
	Acting Orion president responds to criticism Former long-time village president Jim Cooper addressed the board at its April 6 meeting, expressing concerns about village spending eating into the town's $2 million reserves.
	A filmmaker pieces together her brother's troubled past in 'Blue Heron' Sophy Romvari's debut feature is a moving, semi-autobiographical account of a family doing everything they can to try to help their teen son
	Ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz after ceasefire extension Two vessels came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz, just hours after the U.S. and Iran failed to meet in Pakistan for talks to end the war and as President Trump indefinitely extended the ceasefire.
	Ships are attacked in Strait of Hormuz, as U.S. continues its blockade amid ceasefire Three vessels came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz, after the U.S. and Iran failed to meet in Pakistan for talks to end the war and as President Trump extended the ceasefire but kept the blockade.
	Iran attacks ships in Hormuz Strait as the U.S. continues its blockade amid ceasefire Three vessels came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz, after the U.S. and Iran failed to meet in Pakistan for talks to end the war and as President Trump extended the ceasefire but kept the blockade.
	River Rats This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.For the past ten years, Rock Island has suffered a plague of those silly signs now seen almost everywhere—signs with…
	Illinois QCA colleges add to local economy: Study Illinois Quad Cities colleges are adding to the local economy, according to news releases about a study conducted by Lightcast. Black Hawk College has released new findings from a comprehensive economic impact study showing the college contributed nearly $291 million in total income to the local economy during the 2023-24 fiscal year. The study demonstrates [...]
	Movies and TV shows casting across the US Media_Photos // Shutterstock Movies and TV shows casting across the US The glitz and glam of Hollywood captures the attention of Americans starting from an early age. Beyond celebrities' Instagram Stories and red carpet poses, there are actors out there paying their dues and honing their craft in pursuit of a sustainable career or a fulfilling sideline. Submitting to casting calls is a big part of that journey.Whether you're a working actor or an aspiring one, you might be curious to know which movies and TV shows are casting roles near you. Backstage compiled a list of projects casting right now across the U.S., and which roles they're looking to fill. Grusho Anna // Shutterstock 'Uncanny Valley High' - Project type: feature film- Roles: --- Sarah (lead, female, 14-25)- Roles pay up to: $3,000- Casting locations: Worldwide- Learn more about the feature film here Media_Photos // Shutterstock 'Lights Out: Who's Out' Vertical Thriller Series - Project type: vertical series- Roles: --- Richard (lead, male, 40-50)--- Mia (lead, female, 25-30)--- Liam (lead, male, 25-30)- Roles pay up to: $4,800- Casting locations: Worldwide- Learn more about the vertical series here Media_Photos // Shutterstock 'Pagans,' Role of Alice, Female Lead 12-13 Years Old, Open Ethnicity - Project type: scripted show- Roles: --- Alice (lead, female, 10-14)- Casting locations: Worldwide- Learn more about the scripted show here Dpongvit // Shutterstock 'Funny You Should Ask' - Project type: reality TV- Roles: --- Contestants (real people, 21-45)- Casting locations: Los Angeles, CA; San Diego, CA- Learn more about the reality TV show here Grusho Anna // Shutterstock 'I Dream of Pizza' - Project type: feature film- Roles: --- Roberto (lead, male, 25-35)--- Miles (supporting, male, 18-25)- Roles pay up to: $17,000- Casting locations: Worldwide- Learn more about the feature film here Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock High-Impact Vertical Drama Series - Project type: vertical series- Roles: --- Lead Female (lead, female, 18-35)--- Lead Male (lead, male, 18-40)- Roles pay up to: $6,400- Casting locations: nationwide- Learn more about the vertical series here KinoMasterskaya // Shutterstock 'Little Falls' - Project type: feature film- Roles: --- Military Types (background / extra, 23-55)--- General Background (background / extra, 23+)- Roles pay up to: $224- Casting locations: Philadelphia, PA; Camden, NJ- Learn more about the feature film here guruXOX // Shutterstock 'Cupertino' - Project type: scripted show- Roles: --- Tech Bros in Silicon Valley at Nightclub and Attractive Females at Nightclub avail Thursday 4/23 (background / extra, 18-45)- Casting locations: New York City, NY; Totowa, NJ; Paterson, NJ; Clifton, NJ; Woodland Park, NJ- Learn more about the scripted show here Grusho Anna // Shutterstock 'A Dangerous Man's Love' - Project type: vertical series- Roles: --- Chloe Hayes (lead, female, 22-30)--- Damon Kane (lead, male, 26-30)- Roles pay up to: CA$2,500- Casting locations: Worldwide- Learn more about the vertical series here Grusho Anna // Shutterstock 'Ain't Love A Science' - Project type: vertical series- Roles: --- Bonnie (day player, female, 24-30)--- Tyler (day player, male, 18-25)--- Mr. Kingsley (day player, male, 40-65)- Roles pay up to: $252- Casting locations: Los Angeles, CA- Learn more about the vertical series here Tikkyshop // Shutterstock 'Lone Sniper The Hobo, The Hero' - Project type: vertical series- Roles: --- Mohammed Hassan (day player, male, 40-60)--- Journalist 1 (day player, all genders, 20-40)--- Soldier (day player, male, 25-45)- Roles pay up to: $300- Casting locations: Los Angeles, CA- Learn more about the vertical series here Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock 'Scott Kress Needs a Man' Dating Show - Project type: vertical series- Roles: --- Single Bachelor (Queer) (real people, male, 21-35)- Roles pay up to: $750- Casting locations: Los Angeles, CA- Learn more about the vertical series here Grusho Anna // Shutterstock 'A Report on Elevated Conditions' - Project type: documentary- Roles: --- Environmental Lawyer / On-Camera Expert (supporting, 30+)--- Kevin (supporting, male, 40-70)--- Alexis (supporting, female, 30-50)- Roles pay up to: $250- Casting locations: The Bronx, NY- Learn more about the documentary here muratart // Shutterstock 'GS' A24 CHINATOWN SERIES - Project type: scripted show- Roles: --- Asian College Kids (lead, 23-35)--- Golfer (lead, male, 23-55)--- BG TO PORTRAY ASIAN BODYGUARD - FILMING MULTIPLE DAYS APRIL/MAY (lead, male, 25-55)- Roles pay up to: $500- Casting locations: Brooklyn, NY; Queens, NY- Learn more about the scripted show here Grusho Anna // Shutterstock 'Whitechapel' - Project type: feature film- Roles: --- Edmund Reid (lead, male, 35-60)--- Donald Swanson (lead, male, 40-70)--- Dr. Thomas Bond (supporting, male, 24-40)- Roles pay up to: $12,000- Casting locations: Worldwide- Learn more about the feature film here This story was produced by Backstage and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	From the Himalayas to Newt Gingrich, the 'tree-huggers' prevail On Earth Day, we take a look back at the rocky history of "tree-huggers." The term originated in the 1970s in the Himalayas and was later co-opted by American politics in the 1990s. Now, environmentalists are reclaiming the word.
	Trump administration delays rule aimed at improving disability access in schools Schools, colleges and other public institutions originally had until this week to make online content accessible to people with disabilities. Now, the Justice Department has delayed that deadline.
	With Virginia vote, Democrats gain edge over Trump's national GOP redistricting push After Virginia voters weighed in on Tuesday, the redistricting set off by President Trump to help the GOP in the midterms has been countered and possibly surpassed by Democrats.
	How the airline industry could be impacted if Spirit Airlines is liquidated Spirit has not confirmed a liquidation, though it has filed for bankruptcy protection twice. Experts predict rising fuel costs could push the company to close its doors for good.
	RFK Jr. is on a congressional hearing blitz, after a long absence from Capitol Hill Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. caps off seven budget hearings in as many days, the first time he has testified before Congress since September.
	On 'The Great Divide,' Noah Kahan is willing to go the distance The stadium-filling singer-songwriter's fourth album is full of finely detailed songs that expand his sound without sacrificing subtlety.
	Party City makes 700-store comeback this year: Here's where While it's set to return to nearly the same sized footprint, it won't be with standalone stores.
	Priceless 2,500-year-old golden helmet returned to Romania after Dutch museum raid The ornate Cotofenesti helmet, which was stolen in January 2025 while on loan to a Dutch museum, was recovered last month.
	Mexico to beef up security at tourist sites after shooting at pyramids Mexico's government is boosting security at tourist sites in preparation for the World Cup after a man opened fire at the Teotihuacan pyramids.
Tuesday, April 21st, 2026
	How Iowa bill could affect residential property taxes A public hearing concentrated on the Iowa Senate's property tax bill. Senate File 2472 aims to lower property taxes by restricting and decreasing costs for residential property owners. Our Quad Cities News Iowa Capitol Bureau correspondent Teodora Mitov looks at what the change would mean for multi-residential properties.
	Bat found in Rock Falls home tests positive for rabies A bat found inside a Rock Falls home tested positive for rabies, Whiteside County Health Department officials said Friday.
	Spreading the Word About Sun Safety (Health In Hand Foundation) - As warm weather approaches, it’s time to spread the word about spreading sunscreen.This season, a cross-industry campaign is promoting skin protection from the sun as a public health priority and emphasizes the value of sunscreen as an everyday essential for protecting your health and reducing your risk of skin cancer.FDA-regulated sunscreens are proven to help prevent sunburn, premature skin aging, and skin cancer when used as directed, but according to The Skin Cancer Foundation, fewer than 14% of Americans report daily sunscreen use. The #WearSunscreen campaign aims to increase that percentage. By reaching consumers across industry, healthcare, and community channels, the campaign encourages people to protect their skin every day, regardless of season, weather, or skin tone.The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC), the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), and the Health In Hand Foundation, with help from the Melanoma Research Foundation and The Skin Cancer Foundation, are expanding the #WearSunscreen campaign through public service announcements across print, broadcast, and social media.The campaign messages include testimonials from skin cancer survivors and other skin health advocates and influencers to raise awareness of the need for sun protection and encourage preventive behaviors nationwide.“While melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, the most common cancer in the U.S., over 90% of melanomas are considered preventable and when detected early, are highly treatable,” said James Merrick, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, the Melanoma Research Foundation. “Embracing sun safe behaviors such as the daily use of sunscreen, agnostic of ethnicity, gender, age and race is critical to decreasing the risk of melanoma incidence. We are pleased to represent the melanoma patient and survivor community and join the collaborative #WearSunscreen campaign to help educate all about the harmful effects of UV rays and amplify the importance of melanoma prevention.”Consumers are encouraged to use the hashtag #WearSunscreen to share their sun safety habits, highlight why sunscreen matters, and empower others to take simple steps to protect their skin, like using a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher, seeking shade, and wearing protective clothing. The #WearSunscreen campaign aims to increase public awareness by sharing facts, free resources, and expert advice. Campaign partners are working together to provide tools and information that make it easier for consumers to incorporate sun protection into their daily routines, and by educating them about the wide range of sunscreen formulations designed to meet diverse needs, all supported by rigorous scientific evaluation and oversight.“Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, and nearly one in five Americans will develop it by age 70,” said Mary Leonard, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of CHPA’s Health In Hand Foundation. “Still, daily sun protection is not the norm. Through this campaign, we are working together to change that by providing consumers with clear, trusted information about the wide range of FDA-regulated sunscreen options available, so sun safety becomes an easy, everyday part of protecting health.”Visit personalcarecouncil.org/sunscreen or healthinhand.org/sunscreen to learn more.
	YWCA Quad Cities holding open interviews for lifeguards Staff say it's been harder in recent years to keep a full staff of lifeguards.
	Illinois, Iowa lawmakers raise concerns over Rock Island Arsenal workforce changes Lawmakers from Illinois and Iowa are raising concerns about workforce changes at Rock Island Arsenal, citing uncertainty and potential impacts.
	Muscatine City Council passes city budget with cuts to art center Facing a $700,000 shortfall, the city cut $200,000 from the Muscatine Art Center.
	Cook review: 'The Mummy' is wrapped up in gore ... and little else Don't confuse "Lee Cronin's The Mummy" with a movie that stars Brendan Fraser. Although there's another film coming out in that franchise that stars Fraser, this isn't it. Neither is this a reboot of the 1932 "The Mummy," the classic horror film starring Boris Karloff that's part of the Universal Studios monster franchise. Lee Cronin [...]
	Former Northwest Bank & Trust office towers sold Tower Trust & Investment Company and Centennial Tax & Accounting will continue to be full-floor tenants of the NorthPark tower, officials said.
	Bettendorf approves budget, tax increases prioritize public safety, city leaders say The City of Bettendorf finalized their budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.
	Niabi Zoo opens for the season, new exhibits coming later this summer High 70-degree weather and sunshine made for the perfect opening day at Niabi Zoo, bringing back the life of the zoo. "We go through this every year, and we're all excited every time we open and see families out again," said Lee Jackson, the director of the zoo. Some families took advantage of the day [...]
	Alaska House advances bill restricting polystyrene containers from restaurants Rep. Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage and co-chair of the House Finance Committee which drafted the operating budget, speaks to what's included in the budget on the House floor on Apr. 13, 2026. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)The Alaska House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday banning restaurants from providing food in polystyrene foam containers. Representative Andy Josephson, D-Anchorage, introduced the bill to address what he called an “alarming problem” of plastic pollution. Josephson cited a statistic from the Ocean Conservancy, an environmental advocacy nonprofit, that found polystyrene foam is found in 22% of food takeout containers in the U.S. Polystyrene foam is a non-biodegradable plastic that is used to make insulated and disposable plates, cups and takeout containers. It contains chemicals that can be harmful when heated and contributes to environmental pollution. Styrofoam is a form of expanded polystyrene foam. The Ocean Conservancy estimates that Americans use 5.6 billion pieces of plastic foam annually. “There’s enough foam produced every year to fill the Dallas Cowboys stadium five times. That’s what’s at issue here,” Josephson said. If the bill makes it into law, Alaska will become the thirteenth state to ban polystyrene containers. The Alaska municipalities of Bethel, Cordova and Seward enacted bans on polystyrene food containers. The proposed restrictions would not apply to food prepared outside of Alaska or to areas affected by a disaster emergency. Restaurants would be able to apply to the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation for exemptions. The bill would prohibit the state from using or purchasing polystyrene foam disposable food service ware and instructs the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation to recommend that restaurants reuse food service ware instead of using disposable containers. Green Alaska Solutions LLC, Alaska Community Action on Toxics and Oceana, an advocacy organization focused on ocean conservation, supported the bill. Opponents of the bill included the Foodservice Packaging Institute, the Alaska Chamber, the Plastics Industry Association and the Alaska Cabaret, Hotel, Restaurant, and Retailers Association, or CHARR. Kati Capozzi, president and CEO of the Alaska Chamber, wrote that the bill would impose financial burdens on Alaska’s businesses and Sarah Oates Harlow, president and CEO of Alaska CHARR, said that the bill would decrease restaurant profit margins, with both expressing concerns that the bill would negatively impact small businesses. “By requiring restaurants to use more expensive alternatives that may not perform as well—especially for hot or cold foods—this bill threatens to increase operating costs for businesses already struggling with narrow margins. The unintended consequence could be higher costs for consumers and additional strain on small businesses,” Capozzi stated in a letter to legislators. The bill passed with 25 yes votes and 15 no votes in the House of Representatives. Rep. Dan Saddler, R-Eagle River, said that he opposed the bill vehemently. “This is using the power of government to force people to do things that the government believes are best for you…the government seldom knows best on these kinds of things.” Rep. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau, supported the bill and spoke to its environmental impact. “It (polystyrene foam) never goes away. It just breaks down into smaller and smaller and smaller particles and finds its way into our diverse ecosystem, primarily waterways.” She also said that legislators should not only consider the cost of alternative disposable food service ware, but the cost of landfills and Alaskans’ health. Rep. Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks, voted in support of the bill and compared the ban to seat belt laws and the establishment of smoke free workplaces. She told legislators that the long term benefits to public health and the environment outweigh the short term costs. Lawmakers’ efforts to expand the bill failed in a lengthy amendment process. There were attempts to ban paper straws, to ban polystyrene packaged outside the state, to allow municipalities to allow restaurants to provide prepared food in polystyrene foam disposable food service ware, and to create a telephone line to report violations. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Courtesy of Alaska Beacon
	Illinois House unveils new version of Bears’ megaprojects bill Facing the specter of losing the Chicago Bears to Indiana, the Illinois House unveiled a new version of property tax legislation that the team says is a prerequisite for building a new domed stadium in suburban Arlington Heights.
	Virginia voters OK a Democratic effort to redraw the state's congressional map Virginia voters have delivered a significant win to Democrats, as the party aims to pick up four more U.S. House seats in the state.
	Davenport man gets probation after guilty plea in drug trafficking case A Scott County judge suspended prison time for a Davenport man in a drug trafficking case. Here’s what led to the decision.
	Our Quad Cities News earns two state journalism awards Our Quad Cities News earned two awards at the Illinois News Broadcasters Association Best of Broadcast Awards Saturday at the Holiday Inn, Champaign. The station won first place for digital presence, for which it received the Crystal Mic Award; and second place in best station competition.
	Family fears worst as search efforts continue for missing Oquawka man Search efforts started Tuesday afternoon in Oquawka for a missing man.
	Niabi Zoo officially opens for 2026 season with daily ostrich egg hunt The 40-acre Coal Valley zoo is officially open for the 2026 season. There are renovations, expansions, added amenities and more to check out while appreciating the 200 species of animals.
	Rock Island schools look to expand weapon detection systems After a weapon was found inside a student’s backpack at Rock Island High School, district leaders say their detection system worked as intended — and now they are looking to expand it.
	1 person hospitalized after being rescued from flood-related vehicle crash in Barstow Deputies with the Rock Island County Sheriff's Office said a vehicle left the roadway around Barstow Road and 200th Street North due to flooding.
	NWS Quad Cities breaks severe weather warning record A record number of severe weather warnings in the Quad Cities this spring may sound alarming, but meteorologists say improved technology and storm behavior are key.
	Olympia knew Washington farming is in crisis, but did nothing Dust rising from combine during barley harvest in Reardan, Washington. (Getty Images)As the 2026 Washington state legislative session came to a close, there was at least one thing worth noting: some of the worst anti-farm ideas introduced this year did not make it across the finish line. That is the good news. The bad news is that stopping bad bills is not the same thing as confronting a crisis. And that is the true indictment of this legislative session. Early in the year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued its Farm Income and Wealth Statistics. Drawing from 2024 USDA data, Washington now ranks 50th in the nation in net farm revenue. That is dead last in profitability and the number itself is staggering. According to the USDA data, Washington agriculture posted negative $396 million in farm income in 2024. That represented a collapse of more than $1.3 billion in lost farm revenue from 2023 to 2024. Once those numbers from the USDA report were issued, Save Family Farming joined 17 other agricultural organizations and associations in sending a letter to legislative leaders laying out the facts in plain terms. And yet, instead of responding with urgency, too many in Olympia spent the session entertaining legislation that would have driven labor costs higher, piled on new restrictions, and handed anti-farming activists and opportunistic attorneys more weapons to wield against the very people still fighting to keep Washington farming alive. At the precise moment agriculture needed a lifeline, Olympia behaved as though 2026 was just another year for ideological theater. Our elected leadership acted as though this was just another opportunity to appease political interests hostile to agriculture and just another chance to place new burdens on a farming community already on its knees. That is what makes this past session so infuriating. The worst bills died, but so did any serious effort to address the actual crisis. Consider House Bill 2616. Save Family Farming is grateful to Reps. Kristine Reeves, Tom Dent and Lisa Parshley for sponsoring legislation intended to address the crisis in agriculture. The effort acknowledged that a crisis exists and attempted to provide a lifeline for farmers. But the leadership within the House Committee on Consumer Protection and Business granted the bill a public hearing only after the policy cutoff, denying relief and making the process feel more like performative pandering. When Washington ranks 50th in the nation in farm profitability, committees offering nothing more than placating gestures is not leadership. Washington agriculture is losing on many fronts as critical food and processing infrastructure disappear, plant closures and other losses across the agricultural supply chain have disrupted farm markets, eliminated jobs, weakened local economies, and inflicted harm on farmers, farm workers, and entire communities. When processing capacity vanishes thanks to the high costs of operating in Washington, farmers lose market access, workers lose paychecks, towns lose economic anchors and the state loses tax base and production capacity. This is how an industry is dismantled. Not all at once, but piece by piece. It’s buyer by buyer, processor by processor, job by job and farm by farm. Olympia cannot hide behind ignorance. Legislators were warned. They were given the numbers. They were given the stakes. They were told what this meant for farms, workers, processors, and rural communities. Decision-makers cannot claim to support agriculture while ignoring the worst profitability numbers in the nation. They cannot claim to care about farm workers while advancing policies that make it harder for farms to survive. They cannot claim to stand with rural communities while the industry that sustains them is allowed to bleed out in plain sight. Washington cannot afford another session where the priorities are so disconnected from the reality facing farm families. It cannot afford another year in which lawmakers spend more time devising new ways to squeeze agriculture than developing serious ways to save it. The next session must be different because for many farms, there may not be many more chances. If the second-largest economic sector in this state can be driven to dead last in profitability yet still fail to provoke meaningful urgency from Olympia, then the problem is not that lawmakers were not warned. The problem is that too many of them looked at a collapsing farm economy and decided it was acceptable. Courtesy of Washington State Standard
	QCA college commuters impacted by rising gas prices Like many, college students in the Quad Cities who drive to campus are feeling the pinch from higher gas prices. Our Quad Cities spoke with a few students dealing with the challenge. The area is home to a handful of colleges and universities, and commuting to classes is an option for many local students choose. [...]
	Illinois bill would prevent 'forever chemicals' in wastewater A bill introduced in Illinois would prevent manufacturers from dumping 'forever chemicals' in wastewater. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are man-made and do not break down in the body.House Bill 2516 would require all wastewater treatment facilities to sample the water coming in and going out for PFAS periodically. Industrial plants would have to test [...]
	Key leverage could make difference in saving Rock Island Arsenal jobs, lawmakers say The Rock Island Arsenal once again faces potential job cuts, but lawmakers hope a key piece of leverage will work in their favor
	Georgia Democrats decry steep drop in ACA enrollment More than a half million Georgians have dropped their federally subsidized Affordable Care Act plans, representing a 37% enrollment decline from January 2025 to April 17. Jill Nolin/Georgia RecorderWhen congressional Republicans allowed pandemic-era enhanced health insurance subsidies to expire at the end of last year, Georgia Democrats and at least one notable Republican warned that a spike in premiums for Affordable Care Act plans would cause many Georgians to lose their coverage. New data obtained this week from the Current GA and the Georgia Recorder shows the losses are worse than expected. More than a half million Georgians have dropped their health insurance coverage, representing a 37% enrollment decline from January 2025 to April 17. Georgia Democrats blasted their colleagues across the aisle anew for letting the subsidies expire while Republicans interviewed for this story largely sidestepped questions about the enrollment drop. “Today’s reporting confirms what we’ve long feared: when the folks in power in Washington put billionaires above everyday people, Georgians pay the price,” U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, said in a statement Tuesday. “Thousands of Georgians who would otherwise have health care coverage will go bankrupt from treatable illnesses or avoid getting care until it’s too late.” Initial data released in January showed a sizable enrollment decline of about 190,000 people. But the new numbers released this week have been adjusted to reflect those who were automatically reenrolled early this year but failed to make their first premium payments. There is no data currently available to show how many of these people may have gained health care coverage another way, such as through a new job, but experts say it’s likely large numbers of them had no better options, according to the Current GA. The new enrollment numbers were released as campaigning intensifies for Georgia’s May 19 primary elections, when voters will choose nominees for governor and down-ballot races for other state leaders who have a hand in shaping health care policy in Georgia. Early voting starts Monday. Republican candidates for governor largely skirted questions about the decrease when talking to reporters at a candidate forum in Atlanta Tuesday, instead proposing ways Georgia could better address access to health care without federal programs. “What I do know is that a big government solution will not work for health care. If it did – look at Obamacare. It’s a mess, and it really doesn’t work,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican candidate for governor. Democrats largely cast blame for the loss in coverage on Republicans. Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who served as a Republican but is now running for governor as a Democrat, called the enrollment losses a “crisis” that is being ignored by both federal and state officials. “I didn’t see any bills come out of the Legislature that were improving those half million people,” Duncan said before taking the opportunity to pitch Medicaid expansion as a potential solution, saying that “we should never send somebody to the emergency room without health insurance.” Former DeKalb County CEO Mike Thurmond, also a Democratic candidate for governor, said he was surprised by the new enrollment numbers but said that providing more coverage to the uninsured is “not a Democratic thing (or) a Republican thing. It’s just the right thing to do for Georgia.” SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Courtesy of Georgia Recorder
	QC Construction Hike for Hope will support suicide prevention The Iowa Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) has announced that registration is open for the first Quad Cities Construction Hike for Hope on Friday, June 6, in the Quad Cities area, according to a news release. The event is presented by Russell Construction. This inaugural event brings together construction professionals, industry leaders, and families to [...]
	Southern Poverty Law Center indicted on federal fraud charges The Justice Department alleges that the SPLC improperly raised millions of dollars to pay informants to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan and other extremist groups.
	Quad City students explore trade careers at 2nd annual fair The Quad Cities Builders and Remodelers Association puts on the fair to give students some hands-on experience to help them choose a career.
	'A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' \| Macomb mayor meets Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican Mayor Mike Inman was one of about thirty Central Illinois mayors who made the trip to the Vatican. Here's what he said to the Pope, including a connection to WIU.
	After hundreds of medication errors, care facility’s license labeled ‘conditional’ The state has placed the license of New Hope Village in Carroll, Iowa, on conditional status after hundreds of citations for medication errors . (Photo by Iowa Capital Dispatch)After being cited for hundreds of medication errors, an Iowa care facility for intellectually disabled adults has had its license placed on conditional status by state regulators. The move comes five months after those same regulators agreed to waive some of the training requirements for medication aides working at New Hope Village in Carroll. Since January 2025, New Hope Village has been repeatedly cited for failing to properly handle or administer residents’ medications and failing to properly document the medication errors by the staff. Specific violations have included a failure to provide one resident with his prescribed medications while he was suffering from seizures, and mistakenly feeding another resident shampoo through a gastronomy tube. Most recently, state inspectors alleged that a review of facility records revealed 33 documented medication errors in the 11 days leading up to March 22, 2026. Of those 33 errors, a “lack of adequate oversight” by the home’s governing body was blamed for 29 errors involving two of the home’s 42 clients. In 23 of the cases, no medication-error forms were filled out by the staff, inspectors alleged. In their written report, state inspectors said the home’s director of nursing confirmed the staff failed to address recurring medication errors in the building and acknowledged that employees “have not been self-reporting, so nursing staff doesn’t know (of the errors) until an audit is completed and medication-pass times are looked at.” As a result of those findings, the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing has placed on “conditional” status the home’s license as an intermediate care facility for individuals with disabilities. State records indicate that since Feb. 11, 2026, DIAL has been imposing a $50 per day fine for each day the facility remains out of compliance with regulations. DIAL officials said Tuesday the daily fines remain in effect, which means they would total roughly $3,500 at this point. The administrator of New Hope Village, Lacie Tedrow, did not return calls Tuesday from the Iowa Capital Dispatch, but a staff member indicated Tedrow would be issuing a written statement at some point. Training requirement waived by state regulators State records show that in September 2025, in the midst of repeated medication-error violations, New Hope’s CEO at the time, Jennifer Quigley, asked DIAL for a waiver that would exempt the facility from a set of specific training requirements for certified medication aides, noting that the home had been struggling with staff turnover and had difficulty recruiting medication aides. The training requirement calls for medication aides to successfully complete a DIAL-approved medication aide course or pass a DIAL-approved “medication aide challenge examination” administered by a community college. The home said it wanted to instead have aides trained through the Iowa Association of Community Providers. DIAL’s interim director, Aaron Baack, agreed to issue the waiver, telling Quigley in November 2025 that the agency concluded the continued imposition of the training requirement “would pose an undue hardship” on New Hope Village. The waiver was written to remain in effect until May 1, 2026, but in his letter to Quigley, Baack noted the waiver could be rescinded “at any time should the rights, health, safety, or welfare of residents be compromised.” Three months later, in February 2026, inspectors from DIAL reported that the director of nursing at New Hope Village had confirmed the facility had trained only one of its 11 certified medication aides by the agreed-upon date of Jan. 31, 2026. Despite that finding, a spokesperson for DIAL said Tuesday the training waiver granted last November remains in effect. Federal records indicate that in fiscal year 2024, New Hope Village collected more than $18.9 million in revenue, a figure that included $15.2 million from taxpayers in the form of Medicaid payments. That year, the facility reported spending $21.2 million, leading to a $2.2 million deficit, which was comparable to the previous year’s reported deficit. The records show that as CEO of the tax-exempt nonprofit, Quigley was paid $232,421 in salary and benefits in fiscal year 2024. State: Home reduced errors by redefining ‘errors’ State inspection reports indicate that over the past 15 months, officials at New Hope Village have repeatedly told inspectors of plans to correct the issues related to medication errors, only to later report that they had failed to do so: January 2025 — The home was cited for failing to encourage client participation in medication administration and failing to secure client medications in a locked location, leaving “all medication cupboards unlocked” while tending to residents. June 2025 — The home was cited for failing to administer medications according to physicians’ orders. Some clients never received their prescribed intramuscular injections, while others received their prescribed medications two to three hours late. In addition, medication-error reports were not being filled out. July 2025 — The home was again cited for failing to administer medications according to physicians’ orders. Residents frequently received their medications more than an hour late — and, in some cases, three hours late. The home’s director of nursing allegedly stated that while providing medications more than an hour late was considered a reportable error, the staff “have not been doing medication-error reports.” August 2025 — Inspectors reviewed eight client files and found medication errors involving all eight clients. Hundreds of medications were given one to three hours later than prescribed. In one instance, a registered nurse gave a client medication intended for another individual. A medication aide told inspectors she had shown the newly hired nurse where the medications were and questioned why, since she had received her license only two weeks earlier, she had been tasked with training a registered nurse on medication administration. The director of nursing allegedly told inspectors there was not enough staff, and the director of clinical services said the home’s medication aides were “relatively new and inefficient in passing medications.” Inspectors reported that the director of clinical services also said staffing shortages meant medication aides and “the cook” were also working as direct support professionals in the home. December 2025 — Inspectors reviewed records at the home and found 137 documented medications errors that occurred between Oct. 1, 2025, and Nov. 18, 2025. In some instances, residents were receiving their medications eight hours late, and errors were not being documented in the clients’ files or the nurses’ notes. The home was cited for its governing body failing to provide adequate oversight to ensure the safe administration of medications, failing to ensure there were regular audits of medication errors, and failing to promptly address recurring medication errors. The director of nursing allegedly confirmed the home’s medication error policy had not been followed “for several months” and that medication error audits were not completed. One of the errors involved a male client who was to have had shampoo applied to the area around his eyes, but the shampoo was instead delivered “through his gastronomy tube,” resulting in consultations with a poison-control center. A different client experienced a seizure at the home for 25 minutes without receiving his prescribed medication, then had another seizure, lasting 20 minutes, a short time later. In both cases, the staff failed to provide the man with his prescribed seizure medication. A third client was not given his prescribed insulin when his blood sugar spiked, inspectors alleged. February 2026 — Again, the home was cited for its governing body failing to ensure compliance with the previously agreed-upon plans to correct the medication issues. Inspectors alleged the home had attempted to address the violations related to the late administration of medications by simply “removing” from the policy manual the requirement that drugs be administered within an hour of the prescribed time so that drugs could be given two hours early or two hours late — thereby reducing the number of reportable errors. The home’s pharmacist allegedly told inspectors she had advised against the move since it could lead to undesirable interactions between drugs when morning medications, administered two hours late, mingled with afternoon medications delivered two hours early. State officials began imposing a $50 daily fine to remain in place as long as the home remains out of compliance with regulations. March 2026 — State officials said that while the home had implemented its plan to correct medication errors, the “actions taken by the facility’s governing body failed to correct on-going concerns related to medication administration.” State officials placed the home’s license on “conditional” status. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch
	Bettendorf Public Library holding tours for National Library Week Staff members will walk attendees through library operations, offer behind-the-scenes access and more.
	Macomb mayor meets Pope Leo Macomb Mayor Mike Inman went to the Vatican and met Pope Leo.
	4th Street two-way conversion nears in downtown Davenport following 3rd Street changes With the next phase approaching just one block away, some downtown business owners say they have already seen benefits from the 3rd Street switch.
	Rock Island County Sheriff's office responds to flood-related vehicle rescue Tuesday A motorist near Barstow Road was rescued by first responders due to roadway flooding.
	National real estate investment firm acquires historic QCA office towers Two prominent and historic office tower properties in the Quad Cities have been acquired by a national real estate investment firm, marking a significant transaction in the regional commercial market, a news release says. The properties, formerly owned by the Slavens family and long-time home to the former Northwest Bank & Trust, now Time Bank, [...]
	Death Notice: Verna Henning A funeral service for Verna June Henning, 101, of Walcott, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 25, at the Bentley Funeral Home, Durant. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service on Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Walcott Cemetery. Mrs. Henning died Sunday, April 19, 2026, at Wheatland Manor. Memorials may be made to the Walcott Fire Department. Online condolences may be made at www.bentleyfuneralhome.com. A full obituary will appear in the April 29 edition of The NSP.
	State seals $9.8 million deal with Family Service for Exeter girls treatment center An 2024 architectural rendering of the state building that now has name: South County Academy, a 16-bed new residential facility for adolescent girls in Exeter expected to open this fall. (Courtesy of DBVW Architects)Twenty months after a ceremonial groundbreaking, Rhode Island’s child welfare agency has selected an operator for a behavioral treatment center for teen girls on the site of the former Ladd School in Exeter, with the first-year contract valued at a little over $9.8 million. Family Service of Rhode Island will run the clinical and educational services at the new residential treatment center, named South County Academy, which will have 16 beds for girls ages 13 through 18 with complex behavioral health needs — a population in severe need of more local capacity and providers, state officials have long argued. Barb Francella, a spokesperson for the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF), said there were 22 adolescent girls in out-of-state residential placements for behavioral health treatment as of the most recently available count from April 6. Not all of them would necessarily be a good fit for the new Exeter facility, however, as some out-of-state facilities offered specialized and superior treatment for certain conditions. “A detailed review of the treatment needs of each adolescent girl being treated at Bradley Hospital or an out-of-state facility must be conducted to assess whether transfer to the Exeter residential treatment center is the most appropriate care,” Francella said. She said a significant number of out-of-state placements involve children whose intellectual and developmental disabilities are, “at this time, are most appropriately treated outside of Rhode Island because of the specialized level of need.” According to the state’s youth welfare agency, the treatment center will have 60 full-time staff and will complete construction this spring, with an expected opening this fall. The facility is meant to offer care that is distinct from a hospital setting but more comprehensive than what is typically available with outpatient services. The state solicitation for a vendor noted the 11-acre campus is intended to care for girls with histories of trauma, multiple placements, elopement, self-injury, aggression, eating disorders, substance use disorder, as well as those who have suffered through human trafficking. R.I. officials break ground for residential care campus for girls with behavioral health needs The 16 beds will be split across two residential units. Classrooms, activity rooms, an indoor and an outdoor recreation space, a visitor area and offices will also be included on site. “South County Academy will provide a loving and caring environment, transformative education, evidence-based behavioral health services, along with fun activities and opportunities that will foster healing and hope,” Will Tregaskis, a spokesperson for Family Service Rhode Island, said via email. “We often encounter youth just as they are experiencing the hardest moments in their life,” Tregaskis said when asked about the challenges involved in treating girls with these complex histories. “South County Academy’s approach will be grounded in evidence-based, trauma-informed practices that prioritize safety, consistency, trust, and relationship-building. We understand these hard moments for young people reflect underlying trauma and our team is trained to respond with de-escalation techniques, clinical interventions and compassionate care that reduces harm and promotes healing.” Tregaskis said that Family Service is still “in the early stages of the recruitment process,” and that funding is expected to begin in July per the contract’s terms. But Family Service has also “made an upfront investment allowing us to hire the South County Academy Executive Director as soon as we recruit an experienced leader who can implement the vision, strategy, and overall direction of the program,” Tregaskis said. The organization has open positions for the Academy currently listed on its website, Tregaskis noted, and said Family Service is encouraging Exeter residents and people from nearby communities to apply. “Our initial focus is centered on successfully recruiting and onboarding high quality team members to make the vision of South County Academy a reality,” Tregaskis said. The state’s official contract which became public April 14, allows for up to three one-year renewals. The agreement period between Family Service and DCYF currently runs through Feb. 29, 2032, and was approved by the State Properties Committee at its April 14 meeting. The lease for the 32,000-square-foot campus is set to begin June 1, and it allows Family Service to rent the state-owned property for $1 while maintaining responsibility for utilities, maintenance and operation. The DCYF headquarters in Providence. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) Why 16 beds? The academy is capped at 16 beds so that the state can maximize its federal reimbursements for care at the facility, as this is the amount specified under longstanding Medicaid restrictions on inpatient mental health treatment. Back in August 2024, when the facility broke ground, state health officials acknowledged that the eventual Exeter facility would be limited to 16 beds to “ensure that Rhode Island can access federal Medicaid funds for the services provided.” That has not totally dispelled the concerns of lawmakers like Rep. Julie Casimiro, a North Kingstown Democrat who sits on the House Committee on Oversight and is a frequent champion of youth-related legislation — as well as a frequent critic of DCYF. Over text message, Casimiro expressed “a huge amount of confidence in FSRI” but “zero in DCYF and all other departments responsible for getting this up and running soon.” Casimiro elaborated in a follow-up phone call that she feels the facility fulfills a great need but it comes at an outsized cost, given that state lawmakers have pushed repeatedly for greater state capacity in recent years. In 2022, the assembly OK’d $12 million in ARPA funds for expanding in-state capacity and designing a new facility. It also earmarked $45 million in subsequent years for construction from the Rhode Island Capital Plan Fund (RICAP). In a March 2025 presentation, DCYF estimated the Exeter project cost $41.1 million across RICAP, APRA and other funding sources. “Everybody’s celebrating it like it’s a win. Well, I’m glad we have 16 beds,” Casimiro said, adding that she remembered the state allocating money for more than 16 beds. “I know, because of Medicaid, I understand why it can’t happen…But why are we celebrating 16 beds that cost us a ton of money?” Casimiro said she could not recall the exact year she said the General Assembly allocated more than 16 beds, but DCYF’s attempts at building residential treatment capacity, especially for teen girls, have been scattered across documents and committee hearings in the past five years. This need had intensified since 2024, when St. Mary’s Home for Children closed, ending the state’s only psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF) — a Medicaid-defined form of intensive inpatient treatment that allows more than 16 beds. Francella said via email that the new Exeter site will be classified as a residential treatment center. These operate in a more home-like, therapeutic fashion, compared to the PRTF, which offers a yet-more-intensive form of care that sits immediately below hospital level. Both types of facilities, however, are part of the state’s attempt to bring more care in-state for young women with complex behavioral needs. Before a period of scandal led to its closure, the state sank millions into the nonprofit-run St. Mary’s, and had made the North Providence campus the locus of its efforts to increase capacity. Before St. Mary’s closure, DCYF wanted to build an additional 12 beds on the campus. DCYF secures state approval to buy former St. Mary’s Home for Children In December 2025, the state purchased the former St. Mary’s campus and is currently working to make it into another facility, comparable to the former St. Mary’s, with 16 PRTF-eligible beds. That project remains in the earlier stages, but its path to completion may encounter some detours if it’s anything like the Exeter venture. A March 25 DCYF memo notes that the operator contract originally went to a different vendor in July 2025, but that vendor withdrew from consideration in November 2025, leading the state’s purchasing department to rescind that award and then issue a tentative contract to Family Service. Casimiro was also no fan of the timeline, and she said she had expected a ribbon cutting for the facility months ago. Did Casimiro see this slowness to materialize as a pattern with DCYF? “It’s a pattern with state government,” she replied. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Courtesy of Rhode Island Current
	Man killed in Sunday Bettendorf house fire identified Bettendorf Fire and Police responded to a house fire on the 300 block of Bellevue Avenue around 2 p.m. on Sunday.
	Millions of borrowers face 90-day deadline as SAVE plan ends The Trump Administration has made major changes to the Biden-era SAVE plan. Here's what borrowers need to know ahead of a new deadline later this year.
	Federal judge voids RFK Jr.’s ‘unlawful’ directive banning gender-affirming care U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a policy announcement event at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Jan. 8, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)A federal district judge in Oregon overturned Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s directive that said health care facilities providing gender-affirming care to minors are barred from Medicare and Medicaid. U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai, in a scathing opinion filed Saturday, called Kennedy’s Dec. 18 directive “one of a long list of examples of how a leader’s wanton disregard for the rule of law causes very real harm to very real people.” “Secretary Kennedy’s unlawful declaration harmed children. This case illustrates that when a leader acts without authority and in the absence of the rule of law, he acts with cruelty,” Kasubhai wrote. Kasubhai vacated the Dec. 18 declaration on “Safety, Effectiveness and Professional Standards of Care for Sex-Rejecting Procedures on Children and Adolescents,” as unlawful, saying Kennedy exceeded his authority and failed to follow required procedures for setting regulations. He also ruled that federal officials lack the authority to set standards that supersede standards of care in the 21 states and the District of Columbia that sued to block the directive. And he prohibited HHS from trying to enforce the “Kennedy Declaration” or “any materially similar policy.” In a brief emailed statement, HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard said, “HHS will continue to fight to protect our nation’s children, as this Biden-appointed judge’s ruling puts radical ideology ahead of their safety.” New Jersey was one of 21 states and D.C. that filed suit on Dec. 23, claiming Kennedy’s directive exceeded his authority, violated the states’ rights to manage their Medicare systems as they saw fit and effectively banned “by fiat, an entire category of healthcare.” Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, welcomed the ruling in a statement Monday. “When families and doctors make healthcare decisions together, no federal official should be able to use threats and intimidation to get in the way,” Rayfield said. “That’s what Secretary Kennedy tried to do — force hospitals and providers to abandon their patients.” The dispute stems from the Dec. 18 directive that says, “Sex-rejecting procedures for children and adolescents are neither safe nor effective as a treatment modality for gender dysphoria, gender incongruence, or other related disorders in minors, and therefore, fail to meet professional [sic] recognized standards of health care.” Kennedy said in a news conference that day, according to Kasubhai’s opinion, that the declaration should be taken as “a clear directive to providers to follow the science and the overwhelming body of evidence that these procedures hurt — not help — children” and that anyone providing such care would be “out of compliance with these standards of healthcare.” The Kennedy Declaration exceeded Defendants’ statutory authority, flouted applicable notice and comment rulemaking procedures, and impeded Plaintiffs’ rights to regulate the medical profession and their discretion to design their own statutorily-compliant Medicaid plans. – U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai Any health care provider that fails to meet professionally recognized standards of care can be excluded from participation in Medicare and Medicaid — effectively cut off from federal funding — on a finding by the HHS Office of Inspector General. In the weeks after the directive was issued, HHS General Counsel Mike Stuart referred 18 health care facilities that offered gender-affirming care to the inspector general for investigation under the Dec. 18 directive. The directive had the intended effect. By Feb. 11, Stuart was saying on social media that “more than 40 hospital systems across the country have made the right decision to stop these heinous procedures.” Trans health care for NJ minors threatened amid federal crackdown HHS argued in court that the declaration was not a “‘definitive statement’ on the standard of care” that the inspector general has to apply, but merely Kennedy’s musings on the topic, and could not be challenged by the states as an official regulation. And because the inspector general has not ruled on any of the referrals, there is no damage for the states to assert, the government said. It also claimed that reversing the directive would deny Kennedy his First Amendment right to express his views on important public issues. Kasubhai called that argument “asburd,” and said he could “scarcely recall an … action that has come before it [the court] in which the agency’s action was so clearly unlawful.” He said many of the government’s arguments were based on “falsehoods.” “Defendants cannot bully or gaslight this Court into ignoring the many procedural and legal flaws of the Kennedy Declaration by invoking one of the most sacred principles of our constitutional democracy — the freedom of speech — when that principle comes nowhere close to being implicated,” Kasubhai wrote. He said the states’ lawsuit has nothing to do with Kennedy’s right to express his opinion about gender-affirming care for minors. “Rather, Plaintiffs’ claims challenge Secretary Kennedy’s authority to unilaterally, categorically, and without any process, supersede professional standards of care regarding gender-affirming care that apply in the Plaintiff states,” he wrote. What is at stake, Kasubhai said, is the rule of law and state sovereignty. “The Kennedy Declaration exceeded Defendants’ statutory authority, flouted applicable notice and comment rulemaking procedures, and impeded Plaintiffs’ rights to regulate the medical profession and their discretion to design their own statutorily-compliant Medicaid plans,” he wrote, before entering his order. In addition to New Jersey, Oregon and D.C., states involved in the suit included California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: editor@marylandmatters.org. Courtesy of New Jersey Monitor
	Changes coming to student loan 'SAVE' plans Jennifer Finetti with ScholarshipOwl joined The Current to discuss what borrowers need to know.
	In Medicaid fraud crackdown, feds now looking to audit all 50 states Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, speaks at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., in December. Oz said Tuesday that the Trump administration will require every state within 30 days to turn in a plan to revalidate the health care providers that participate in their Medicaid programs. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said Tuesday that the Trump administration will require every state within 30 days to turn in a plan to revalidate the health care providers that participate in their Medicaid programs. The Trump administration has pledged to root out what it calls rampant fraud in state Medicaid programs. But thus far, it has focused almost exclusively on Democratic-led states, even though fraud involving government benefits isn’t any more prevalent in Democratic-led states than in Republican-led ones, according to federal data. Oz said Tuesday that the administration will expand its Medicaid anti-fraud effort to all 50 states. “We’re asking the states to own that problem… red and blue, all of them,” Oz said during a health care summit hosted by Politico. “If you don’t take it seriously, it indicates to us that we might have to take the audits… more aggressively,” he added. In announcing earlier this month that Vice President JD Vance would lead the administration’s anti-fraud effort, President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that Vance would focus on fraud “‘EVERYWHERE,’ but primarily in those Blue States where CROOKED DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS, like those in California, Illinois, Minnesota (Somalia beware!), Maine, New York, and many others, have had a ‘free for all’ in the unprecedented theft of Taxpayer Money.” During the interview with Politico, Oz said that his agency had already halted payments to about 450 hospices and home health care centers in Los Angeles. Oz also referred to the decision to hold back $259.5 million in federal Medicaid payments to Minnesota, noting that the state will have an opportunity “to go back and prove to us that they actually have the backup to some of the bills they’ve sent us.” Trump says he’s going after Medicaid fraud, but is mostly focusing on blue states Andy Schneider, a research professor at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy, said he was pleased that Oz “did not use this forum to announce more deferrals against Minnesota or other states.” “Perhaps he’s beginning to understand that withholding federal funds from states does not actually do anything to reduce fraud against Medicaid. Time will tell,” Schneider said. Laith Quasem, a Seattle-based attorney at the Chapman Law Group who represents Medicaid and Medicare providers and suppliers in fraud cases, said many of his clients have been swept up in the California crackdown and have either had their payments suspended or been removed from the government programs. “I truly believe CMS is really abusing its discretion right now, and they’re revoking and suspending, but asking questions later,” Quasem said. “Some of it may certainly be well-founded. Under any administration there are always program integrity concerns,” he said. “But it’s not OK during a crackdown to just put providers out of business without a credible allegation of fraud.” “Let’s say you’re a hospice, right? What do you do if you’re not getting paid? You’re not going to be able to keep the doors open,” he said. “What do you do with your patients?” Stateline reporter Shalina Chatlani can be reached at schatlani@stateline.org SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Stateline

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026

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