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

'Disney On Ice' returning to Vibrant Arena in Moline

Shows run from Thursday, Dec. 3, through Sunday, Dec. 6.

Quad Cities International Airport reports busiest month in 13 years

The Quad Cities International Airport reported on Tuesday that July was their busiest month since 2013.

Quad Cities International Airport has busiest month in nearly 13 years

The airport said the last time passenger traffic exceeded July's total was in October 2013.

Embattled Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills fights to keep his House seat

Mills is the latest lawmaker in a recent string of congressional members facing scandals and allegations of domestic abuse while running for elected office.

ABC and Disney sue FCC, alleging First Amendment violations

The ABC Network has sued the Federal Communications Commission, alleging that the Trump administration is violating its First Amendment rights by challenging ABC broadcast licenses and investigating the network's talk show "The View."

Rick Estrin & the Nightcats, August 30

After Charlie Baty retired from touring in 2008, longtime frontman Rick Estrin brought in guitar virtuoso Kid Andersen and formed Rick Estrin & the Nightcats, an ensemble built around the bandleader's unmistakable harmonica work, vocals, and songwriting, and one performing a special Mississippi Valley Blues Society at Davenport's Gypsy Highway Bar & Grill on August 30.

Hippie Death Cult, September 1

Touring in support of their first live album Live at the Star Theater, guitarist Eddie Brnabic, bassist/vocalist Laura Phillips, and drummer Harry Silvers bring their psych-rock outfit Hippie Death Cult to Davenport's Raccoon Motel, on September 1, the group's latest recording inspiring TheRazorsEdge.rocks to rave that "on every single level, it works so wonderfully well."

Hippies & Cowboys, September 2

Although the band has been lauded by Today's Country Magazine as "one of the must-see acts when you visit Nashville," you'll only have to travel as far as Davenport to see the Southern-rock and soul musicians of Hippies & Cowboys, who, at the Raccoon Motel, will headline a September 2 concert on their Midwestern tour.

Little Hopes, September 3

Currently traveling the Midwest in support of their debut album Georgia, the Atlanta-based Little headline a September 3 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the nascent Americana and country-rock outfit composed of musicians Sydney Rhame and Brock Shanks.

Michael Columbia, August 28

Touring in support of their acclaimed July 31 release Mirrors, Shapes, Objects, the multi-instrumentalist trio of veteran genre benders David McDonnell, Christopher Kalis, and Dylan Ryan bring their outfit Michael Columbia to Rock Island's Rozz-Tox on August 28, the musicians hailed for drifting effortlessly between the Soft Machine-style soprano saxophone leads, interlocking riffs of Discipline-era King Crimson, and psychedelic-hypno-funk rhythms of Can.

Henry County deputy involved in crash on the way to another crash

A Henry County, Iowa, Sheriff’s deputy was involved in a crash on Monday on the way to the scene of another crash.

Enjoy a day of trap shooting, golf in Kewanee

The Illinois Land Improvement Contractors Association (ILICA) is hosting their Area 3 Trap Shoot & Golf Outing on September 18 in Kewanee for a full day of fun and competition. The day starts at the 50-clay trap shoot at Izaak Walton League Trap-Skeet Grounds, 1220 W. 11th Street, followed by lunch at Baker Park Golf [...]

Middle Eastern Jazz Fundraiser with Wanees Zarour, August 28

On August 28, patrons of the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts are invited to join award-winning Palestinian American composer and buzuq/oud player Wanees Zarour and his ensemble for the Middle Eastern Jazz Fundraiser, a special performance in support of Hope Foundation’s Gaza humanitarian relief efforts.

“Come from Away,” August 28 through September 12

Lauded by the New York Times as a "big bearhug of a musical" in which "even the most stalwart cynics may have trouble staying dry-eyed," the Tony Award-winning Come from Away enjoys an August 28 through September 12 run at Moline's Black Box Theatre. This deeply moving entertainment is being presented in honor of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and was hailed by Broadway World as "inspiring, funny, and kick-ass beautiful.”

“Ana Medieta: Traces,” August 29 through February 28

Exploring how the artist used her body to engage with the landscape and create powerful works of art, the fascinating exhibition Ana Mendieta: Traces will be on view in the Figge Art Museum's Gallery 206 from August 29 through February 28, the displayed works generously lent to the Davenport venue by the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art.

Music & Makers Night: “Golden Age for Whom?”, August 27

On August 27, Figge Art Museum Co-Senior Curator Joshua Johnson will lead a special tour in the Music & Makers Night event Golden Age for Whom?, the exhibition of the title designed to bring together contemporary artists who respond to the themes and aesthetics explored in the Davenport venue's concurrent exhibition The Golden Age: Featuring Northern European Works from the National Gallery of Art.

The German American Heritage Center's “The Lost Years of German Cinema: 1948-1963” Film Series, September 2 through 30

With the five featured classics including Academy Award nominees, iconic entertainments, and works that have inspired no end of unforgettable scenes, Davenport's German American Heritage Center teams up with the city's The Last Picture House to present “The Lost Years of German Cinema: 1948-1963," a film-series celebration of cinematic talent and industry boasting Wednesday screenings September 2 through 30.

“The Third Man,” September 2

With the first offering in its series voted "the greatest British film of all time" in a 1999 British Film Institute poll, the German American Heritage Center opens its “The Lost Years of German Cinema: 1948-1963" film screenings with one of the greatest cinematic works of all time, as director Carol Reed's 1949 film noir The Third Man will be shown at Davenport's The Last Picture House on September 2.

Community conversation on data centers to be held in Rock Island

Several groups will host a community conversation on data centers and their impact Tuesday night.

Chicago law firm investigating Tyson Foods for potentially violating WARN Act

Strauss Borrelli PLLC is investigating Tyson Foods after its recent mass layoff in Joslin.

Red Cross honors two Bettendorf YMCA employees

Two Bettendorf Family YMCA employees have been recognized by the American Red Cross for using their CPR and AED training earlier this year to help save the life of a member who suffered a cardiac emergency. Raymond Marquez and Brittney Thornton received the American Red Cross Lifesaving Award for Professional Responders at a ceremony on [...]

North Scott Press — Aug. 19, 2026

Complete results of the 2026 Mississippi Valley Fair!

Click here to view the complete results of the 2026 Mississippi Valley Fair!  

Complete results of the 2026 Mississippi Valley Fair!

Eldridge city council tables fire ordinances until Oct. 5

The Eldridge City Council Monday agreed to table the third reading of ordinances designed to establish a municipal fire department until Oct. 5. The decision followed a discussion held Saturday between council members Brian Dockery and Ryan Iossi and firefighters Dave Engler and Andrew Doyle. During the public comment portion of the meeting, Engler referred to the conversation as “productive” and said the four had discussed meeting again this coming Saturday. Engler also shared that the membership of the Eldridge Volunteer Fire Company held a special meeting on Sunday and voted to postpone the Oct. 1 deadline it gave the city to establish a municipal fire department. The new deadline is Dec. 31. He closed his comments by asking the city council to consider tabling the third reading. Following public comment, Iossi told Engler, and the audience, that he believed the conversations were “genuine. I think that there were no punches held. I think we had honest dialogue. I feel that we had some meaningful conversations. “We need to talk through the available options, determine what is actually viable and then better define the appropriate steps. I’m not necessarily saying that the city’s path that it’s been taking isn’t still the best option. However, given the recent circumstances and information, I personally cannot move forward until I’m confident that we have fully explored and ruled out all viable options,” Iossi continued. He proposed a meeting bringing together more of the stakeholders, including representatives from the city, EVFC, Scott County and the Benefitted Fire District. “I believe having one meeting with everybody at the same table, hearing the same information and discussing the same options would allow us to make much faster and more meaningful progress.” Dockery agreed that the meeting had been successful in, “trying to find a path forward, common ground for everybody involved and the possibility of relief for the citizens of the community.” He said he wasn’t opposed to Iossi’s idea but said it would have to be a committee of the whole if all council members were to be involved, “which I don’t have a problem with either, but it’s got to be constructive.” He said at the Saturday meeting, the four “started a great nucleus to find a resolution to this issue.” He also thanked the EVFC for being willing to come down on the deadline. With that said, he made a motion to table the third reading indefinitely. Iossi said he would be willing to second after he heard from the rest of the council. Council member Scott LaPlante reminded his fellow members that they all took an oath to serve the people of Eldridge. “Both the members of the volunteer fire department and the entire city council are here to serve the people. I will support the necessary steps that we need to take to maintain the safety of our community.” ‘I just want to bridge the gap’ Council member Jeff Ashcraft began his comments on a philosophical note, saying that he’d come to realize something as the council has been meeting back at the community center. “We’ve got this huge gap between us. And it’s such a metaphor for what’s gone on over these last couple months. We have this huge chasm that has fissured throughout our community.” Acknowledging his next step was “unorthodox,” Ashcraft came out from behind the council table and began walking through the audience as he talked. “I just want to bridge the gap. There doesn’t have to be a chasm between all these different groups throughout our city. “We’re all Eldridge. We need to start thinking and acting and talking together like we’re Eldridge. We have spent the last two months airing our dirty laundry out in front of the entire Quad Cities community. And that’s OK, right? Families fight; families are dysfunctional. Families say things that they shouldn’t say. Families do things that they wish they hadn’t done. Families put it out there. And we put it out there. My recommendation is that we figure out a way to come back again. “We all really want the same thing,” Ashcraft continued. “We just have to figure out a pathway to get there, right? And so, we can actually be an example to the rest of the Quad Cities of how community can come back together. And maybe show some grace, maybe accept each other’s apologies, maybe figure out a way that we can actually communicate and come together for the common goal.” Ashcraft asked if Dockery would consider amending his motion to remove the stipulation that the tabling be indefinite and asked instead if it could be postponed until Sept. 28. “Not that that means we’re going to pass it on the 28th, but it gives us a deadline … If we choose to postpone it, tie it to the Sept. 28 meeting, then we can revisit it then and either rescind it, table it indefinitely or make another determination as to what to do with it.” Dockery said that, if the ordinance comes back, he did not believe it would be in the same form it is now. He said, now that the Oct. 1 deadline had been pushed back, he did not see a reason the ordinances could not be tabled indefinitely, though he was willing to listen to other council members on the matter. Mayor Scott Campbell said, “It is time for us to start developing trust, and we really do need to start somewhere.” He said he thought Iossi’s idea of having a stakeholders’ meeting was viable and said he did not believe it needed to be a committee of the whole meeting. “We don’t need 100 voices in the room. We need to develop trust with the fire department, and that means having honest and hard conversations. Not played out on TV. We need to have those conversations, and we have to be able to talk honestly and openly and not play to the crowd, play to applause. Just people sitting around a table, having a conversation, much like Ryan and Brian and Dave and Andrew did last Saturday.” Iossi agreed that he did not think a committee of the whole meeting would necessarily be productive. He also said he wasn’t opposed to Ashcraft’s idea of putting a time limit on the tabling. “It forces us to take action. There’s no more excuses about why it’s delayed and delayed and delayed. If it means we get to that point, if it’s Sept. 28 and it gets killed, so be it. But we’re setting at timeline. If we don’t set benchmarks, I’m afraid it’s going to keep getting drug out.” Dockery then proposed setting a new date to take up the ordinances again on Oct. 5. “I would say by the first meeting in October, we’ll know if the sides are heading in a similar direction.” He said Saturday’s initial conversation had been a good start, and the parties had made good progress, but he added that in order for further discussions to be productive, the sides needed to be on equal footing. “It’s got to be somebody that the fire department trusts,” Dockery said. “I mean, there’s a lot of mistrust here. We’ve got to put ourselves in a position where they can trust talking to people openly. A lot of things have been said. We set the community back some. We’ve got to get over that. It might take one or two meetings to keep moving forward. “Are we close? Is it fixable, or is it so far out of whack? And I think the outcome of that is, both sides want to see it fixed.” Dockery amended his motion to table the amendment until Oct. 5. “I think by that time, we’ll know if we’re heading in the right direction or not. But if we’re headed in the wrong direction, we still have a few months to work on it.” After a procedural question from Ashcraft about whether they were tabling or postponing, city attorney Allison Wright said the two could be used interchangeably in this instance. “It sounds to me collectively that council’s intentions are to either table or postpone it, for further consideration on the merits of the ordinance, is that accurate?” asked Wright. Dockery said there would likely be changes to the language of the ordinance by Oct. 5, depending on the outcome of future discussions. Wright also asked if the intention was to continue in small work groups going forward. She expressed concern about that possibility, saying she wanted to ensure that options that remained legally viable were being discussed. She also said she was uncomfortable with the prospect of the mayor and the city administrator being left out of those discussions. However, she said she would recommend an upcoming stakeholder meeting. Campbell said he was willing to move forward on a stakeholder meeting and would contact John Maxwell with the Scott County Board of Supervisors, and hopefully at least one of the trustees of the Benefitted Fire District. He also asked Wright to contact assistant county attorney Kristina Lyon. Campbell said he believed it was important for Wright and city administrator Nevada Lemke to be at the meeting as well, “to protect us.” He also asked Iossi to attend the meeting, as well as Engler and several of the firefighters. Dockery said he wanted to have some resolution with the fire department before bringing in all the stakeholders. “If we can’t come to a resolution with the fire department, none of the rest of it matters.” He also asked if there needed to be a 28E agreement in place with the fire department before proceeding. “Whatever the agreement is has to be a legal possibility, and there are very specific requirements for a 28E agreement of this type,” said Wright. “What I am concerned about is brainstorming options that are not legal possibilities and then causing further tension between the parties.” Following the vote to table, Dockery asked to be on the discussion committee. “I’ve already asked council member Iossi to be on that,” said Campbell. “Just for the record, then, am I being omitted from that committee?” asked Dockery. “Just for the record, Brian, I think that there is a small concern that there might be a conflict of interest there,” said Campbell. The audience reacted with derision. Public comment The council’s business was once again preceded by multiple residents speaking during the public comment portion of the meeting. When signing in at the meeting, attendees could also find a copy of the rules of conduct for speaking at public meetings sitting next to the agenda. Kathy Clasen opened with a call to come together, and for the council to table. Clasen, who has been a registered nurse for 51 years, said she understood the sacrifices the volunteer firefighters have made. “So, what’s happened now?” she asked. “How did we get so far off the rails? The only thing I can think of is the human condition. Again, my nurse brain is talking about us all being slightly flawed and imperfect. We’re all mammals with emotions. I believe there’s still time for us to work this out. To go forward with the goal that we all have, which is public safety. “I didn’t like hearing that 20 of the volunteers felt compelled to quit,” she continued. “But I acknowledged that they felt it was their only option. I didn’t like the things that were said in anger and frustration, but that’s what I mean about the human condition. They were upset. Emotions got involved.” Clasen asked the council to table and discuss options that could include retaining members of the EVFC. Diane Davis said she didn’t feel the council was protecting the residents and asked why the matter of the fire department couldn’t be put to a public vote. “We voted on the YMCA. Why aren’t we voting on this? This should be all of our decisions, not a handful of people.” At last Wednesday’s special meeting, resident Josh Haycraft presented a petition to the council regarding the fire department. Monday, Judith Gilbert turned in another 157 signatures, for a total of 346. Gilbert also said the negative headlines coming as a result of the conflict over the fire department were damaging to Eldridge. “This is not good city leadership, and it has been going on for too many years. I would bet that this dispute may be the straw that broke the camel’s back. You are losing potential businesses and residents who are reconsidering choosing Eldridge for their business or home. The kind of damage being inflicted by city leadership – that has already made one bad decision this year by not listening to residents and on the brink of another – will take years to restore. Those who are willing to speak up and have done so deserve to be listened to. We are the ones willing to put our names and faces to this fight.” James Fitzjarrell said he was encouraged by news of the constructive conversation that took place between Iossi, Dockery, Engler and Doyle. But he said extending the deadline should represent the start of resolving a “durable agreement long before that deadline. An agreement that protects public safety, respects the service of our firefighters, gives taxpayers transparent numbers and allows the community to begin the healing process.” Fitzjarrell asked that members of the EVFC be treated as “essential partners” going forward. Fitzjarrell also asked the council to be clear about the budget that was presented by the EVFC, saying a portion of the increase represented capital improvements, which may not be ongoing and also represent a long-term investment in the department. He further asked for a written timeline, with priorities, estimated costs and funding sources laid out for residents, and clear milestones, a public staffing plan, mutual aid agreements and an independent budget review. “Publish the milestones. Report the progress publicly,” said Fitzjarrell. “Do not let the next several months become another closed process that produces more suspicion. This community has been divided. Trust has been damaged, but an extension is an opportunity, not merely to postpone a decision, but to make a better one. Slowing down is not failure. Compromise is not weakness. It is responsible leadership.” Ginny Zink opened by saying that the 2025 audit was not currently on the city website, although she had obtained a copy from city hall. She pointed out several operational deficiencies listed in the audit. “How can we trust a city with an entirely new department when it has not demonstrated strong control over the taxpayers’ funds it is already managing? At this date, no chief, no volunteers have been recruited. The city does not own the assets. I believe 501 non-profit bylaws can affect transfer and may require approvals or court oversight. The mayor acknowledged in writing that the cost questions are currently unanswerable.” Zink said she had concerns about insurance increases that could affect every business and resident. “Immunity does not cover willful, wanton or reckless misconduct. Voting yes tonight after written warnings, verbal warnings and this public record removes that shield of discretion. You are not making an uninformed judgement call. You are making an informed choice to proceed despite documented, foreseeable risk.”        

'Profits won.' The child safety trial against Meta kicks off in federal court

Opening arguments are underway in a trial that pits four states against the company that owns Facebook and Instagram. They allege that Meta knew its products could hook kids — and lied about the danger.

Welcome, new teachers

Front, left to right: Liz Kent, TAG teacher at Alan Shepard and John Glenn; Jillian Dircks, sixth-grade teacher at Neil Armstrong; Anna Bross, math teacher at the junior high; April Thurman, special education teacher at Alan Shepard; Jennifer Johnson, special education teacher at John Glenn; Audrey Eganhouse, science teacher at the junior high. Back, left to right: Thomas Peppers, physical education teacher at Alan Shepard; Erin Hughes, PreK-4 teacher at Alan Shepard; Emma Crandall, kindergarten teacher at Ed White; Allison Gandrup, special education teacher at Ed White; Chantel Woods, computer science teacher at the high school; and Whitney Moss, PreK-4 teacher at Virgil Grissom.

Princeton council, public, staff at odds over culvert replacement

Princeton City Council approved a bid to replace a collapsed culvert on Filmore Street at a testy meeting last week. Phoenix Corporation of Port Byron, Ill. submitted the lowest of three bids for the work, at $10,440. Additional bids came at $12,000 and $13,400. Councilman Kevin Kernan cast the lone dissenting vote against the project. He said Princeton Public Works Director Chris Rindler had advised against approving the bid. “I talked with my public works official, who we hired to do this job, and he gave me a bunch of information, and we need more engineering on the situation,” Kernan told The North Scott Press after the meeting. “It's just irresponsible to do this without his consent.” Rindler said that the collapsed culvert, located on Filmore Street between 3rd and 4th Streets, “needs to be addressed.” But a quick repair would not address the fact that Filmore Street and the surrounding watershed was poorly engineered. “It’s a larger project than just that culvert,” Rindler said.  “Homes are being flooded because the street is pitched. The culvert sizing is wrong, in my opinion.” “To prepare for the future, we need to do the right thing—by having it engineered, looking at watershed, things of that nature,” he said. Resident and former council member Ann Geiger demanded that Mayor Travis Volrath explain why the city had not opened a competitive bid process, which includes public hearings and a public notice in the newspaper. “I see there is a culvert bid out,” Geiger said. “Where was it posted? Where was it let? Where was it published?” Volrath said the council would answer when Geiger concluded her comment and sat down. “You don't have an answer,” she replied. “It has to be published by law. It wasn't published, was it? And who let the bid? Who did the bidding?” Volrath did not explain the council’s bid process when Geiger concluded her comment. After the meeting, City Clerk Kisa Tweed pointed to state law which allows cities to solicit bids rather than open a competitive bid process for projects under a certain cost threshold. Under Iowa code, “horizontal infrastructure” projects like bridges, roads and culverts only need to go out for competitive bid when their cost exceeds $62,000. That threshold is set by a state administrative board every other year. Other Scott County cities routinely solicit bids, rather than open a formal bid process, for projects that fall below the state threshold. During the meeting, Volrath expressed frustration with the fact that residents expected the council to answer questions during public comment and continued to ask questions after their allotted public comment time had concluded. “They make these rules for a reason. We have to be able to run a meeting,” he said. At one point, Volrath interrupted Kernan when he tried to address questions from former public works employee Ty Carstens about whether the culvert had been redesigned. “Let’s answer him when he sits down,” Volrath said over Kernan. “Okay, fine. Do whatever. I’m [expletive] frustrated with this [expletive],” Kernan replied. Winding Hills payments approved A public hearing with little public comment proceeded the council’s unanimous decision to approve a schedule of payments that will bring city utilities to developer Rod Reid’s Winding Hills subdivision on Locust Street.  The city will cover up to $400,000 of the cost to expand city utilities into the nine-lot subdivision. Those funds will come from “tax increments”— increases in the property value, and property tax payments, of the land set for development. “I'm excited about the subdivision, and it looks great,” Resident Terri Applegate said. “I'm looking forward to having new development in our city.”

Pickleball expands reach to Donahue

Donahue residents expect to welcome their first pickleball court sometime this fall. The project, led by the Friends of Donahue, has marshaled support from the city council, North Scott Rotary, private citizens, local businesses and contractors. Ground broke this summer at Rohlk Park and was nearing completion, Friends of Donahue President Sarah Ganzer said last week. Plans for the court began with a Facebook poll, Ganzer said. How could the friends of Donahue improve Rohlk Park, tucked behind the River Valley silos between two residential properties? The local consensus was overwhelming: they could improve it with pickleball, the upstart racket sport that is kid brother to tennis. Support came quickly and fast, Ganzer said. The Friends of Donahue received a $4,000 grant from the North Scott Rotary and a $5,000 gift from the late Barbara Haller. Then the Donahue City Council agreed to match these private donations. Volunteers and the city council settled on a single pickleball court that doubles as a flattop for pickup basketball. The remodel will include a pickleball net, new basketball hoop and nearby swing set. The Friends of Donahue received favorable rates from local businesses, Ganzer said, including Mr. Asphalt of Maysville and Douglas Sports of Mount Joy. Members of the city council volunteered excavation work and Petersen Plumbing donated the use of its equipment. “It’s getting there, it’s going in,” Ganzer said. “We do have some more things left to do.” Altogether the remade park will cost the Friends of Donahue about $20,000, Ganzer guessed. “That’s how much money is being spent on it—but it’s probably worth far more” accounting for donations. Ganzer hopes to rededicate the park when construction work wraps up in the coming weeks. Construction delays have all but eliminated early hopes for an opening in time for Donahue Days, which comes Labor Day weekend.    

Quad Cities International Airport sees busiest month since 2013

It was busy at the Quad Cities International Airport in July! The airport recorded its busiest month in almost 13 years in July. Additional airline capacity and strong passenger demand pushed traffic to levels not seen since October 2013. A total of 69,578 passengers traveled through MLI in July, a 10% increase from 63,319 passengers [...]

NS ag teacher leaves for World Food Prize

After a decade at North Scott, agriculture teacher and FFA advisor Jacob Hunter is leaving to pursue a new opportunity. But this journey has taken him full circle. On Aug. 10, Hunter was announced as the new director of donor relations for the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines. In this position, he will work closely with Foundation president Mashal Husain and chief executive officer - and former Iowa Governor and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture - Tom Vilsack to lead the organization’s fundraising strategies and cultivate philanthropic partnerships to help ensure the organization’s goals of increasing food security around the world. "Jacob brings a rare combination of strategic vision, authentic relationship-building and a deep understanding of our mission," said Husain in a press release from the foundation. "His experience securing transformational investments and connecting partners around a shared purpose will strengthen our ability to engage supporters who believe in a world without hunger. As we look toward the future, Jacob's leadership will help ensure the Foundation has the philanthropic partnerships needed to advance Norman Borlaug's vision and expand our global impact." "Jacob understands the World Food Prize Foundation, our mission and the people who make our work possible," said Vilsack. "Throughout his career, he has demonstrated an exceptional ability to build meaningful relationships, secure transformational investments and bring people together around a shared purpose. We are pleased to welcome him back to the Foundation as we continue expanding our impact around the world." The World Food Prize is an international award that honors individuals who have improved the quality, quantity or availability of food worldwide. The Prize was founded by Iowa native Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, recipient of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his work contributing to increases in agricultural outputs, known as the Green Revolution. Prior to working at North Scott, Hunter was employed by the World Food Prize Foundation as the director of Iowa education  programs and director of social media from 2014-2016. During that time, he led the Iowa Youth Institute, and supported the Borlaug Dialogue, the annual World Food Prize Laureate announcement, and the Foundation’s strategic communications efforts. Even while teaching, Hunter continued to bring his students to the Iowa Youth Institute. Hunter, a native of DeWitt, was hired at North Scott to start the 2016-2017 school year. “One of our goals is to have one of the top Vo-Ag and FFA programs in not only the state, but the nation,” then-school board president John Maxwell told The North Scott Press in July of 2016. “When you do that, you need someone who has a fire in the belly for everything. He needs to be someone who is very open to all there is about FFA, and how it aligns in the modern world.” Hunter fit the bill perfectly and served as lead agriculture teacher and FFA advisor. Not only did he help expand the agriculture and FFA programs at North Scott – winning multiple honors in the process – he was also instrumental in the creation and formation of the Regional Innovation Center. He helped secure more than $4 million in public and private funding for the RIC, while developing competitive grant proposals, donor-supported scholarship programs, and strategic partnerships that expanded educational opportunities and workforce development for students.  A 2007 graduate of Central DeWitt High School, where he was an FFA state officer and earned his American Farmer Degree, Hunter received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural and life sciences education from Iowa State University in 2011. He later earned a master’s degree in school leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He taught in inner city Chicago and in Des Moines prior to his first stint with the World Food Prize. He has also received numerous awards, including the Iowa Association for Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year Award and the Iowa FFA Distinguished Service Award. He was honored as an Emerging Iowa Leader by Iowa State University in 2018 and was named Iowa STEM Teacher of the Year in 2019. Successor in place At Monday’s school board meeting, where Hunter’s resignation was officially accepted, the board also approved the hiring of his successor, Kendra Goplin. Goplin previously was an agriculture teacher for the Maquoketa Community School District and also worked for the Clinton County Extension Service.   

Semi crashes into overpass on I-80 near Sheffield

The Illinois State Police said IL 40 is shut down in both directions as of 9 a.m. Tuesday morning.

New policy could allow eighth graders high school activities opportunities

In accordance with state law, the North Scott School Board approved a policy that will create opportunities for eighth graders to participate in activities at the high school level. At Monday’s board meeting, the board approved the second reading of the policy, although these opportunities will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The policy also states that students who are allowed to participate at the high school level will not be able to participate at the junior high level simultaneously or switch back and forth from one program level to another. Board members briefly discussed the policy, with superintendent Joe Stutting saying, “There’s going to be times when we want to say, ‘yes,’” to a student participating at the high school level. “And there’s plenty more times – probably most of the time – no, it’s not what’s best.” Stutting said in these scenarios, it’s important to look at the impact on the overall program. “And not just for one year. You’ve got to look at four, five, six years … I can think of scenarios in my mind, absolutely. But those are very far and few between, in my opinion, for what’s best for an overall program.” He also said North Scott’s participation numbers are strong enough that having eighth graders participate at the high school level may be unnecessary. “We’re very successful with what we have,” agreed board member Stephanie Eckhardt. Stutting gave the example of the swimming program, saying it would likely be detrimental to the junior high program as a whole to bring athletes up to participate at the high school level. He also said athletes in freshman and sophomore level sports have opportunities to participate. “We want everybody to participate. We don’t want to cut – we’ll add a second team if we have so many kids.” He said he didn’t want to create a blanket policy that could drive families away from the district. With the policy now in place, Stutting also said he and board president Tracy Lindaman and vice president Joni Dittmer have already discussed a potential request that may come up this school year for an eighth grader wishing to participate at the high school level. He agreed that board members will all want to be on the same page as instances warrant with this policy.  Bills The board approved $2,331,878.45 in bills for payment. Highlights included $23,456.43 for non-public transportation reimbursements to eligible families who reside within the North Scott School District; $158,659.07 to Bluum of Minnesota for audio/visual installations at John Glenn, Ed White and the junior high; and $10,760.92 to West Music for 100 student orchestra chairs, a chair cart and instructional books for the orchestra program at the junior high. Student-built home The board approved several contracts for the 2026-27 student-built home, including $10,953.67 to ABC Supply Co. Inc. for siding; $6,949.73 to ABC Supply for roofing materials; $16,478 to Precision Air for HVAC materials and installation; and $8,944 to Cody’s Insulation LLC for insulation materials and installation. The Precision Air bid includes a $2,037 program discount, and the Cody’s Insulation bid includes a $400 discount. Stutting also clarified that the first home in Lancers Run, across the street from Ed White, will be built on the south side of the subdivision. The basement for this first home is currently being dug. Personnel In addition to accepting the resignation of Jacob Hunter (see separate story page 2A), the board also accepted resignations from Crystal Kruse, PreK-4 and special education aide at Virgil Grissom; Jessica Kelley, food service helper at the junior high; Rebecca Thompson, special education aide at Alan Shepard; and Hugo Flores, head varsity boys’ tennis coach. New hires included Lindsay Brinson as an on-site childcare coordinator at Virgil Grissom; Neleigh Weinert as an office aide and kitchen helper at Ed White; Tami Jewell-Labath as a special education aide at the high school; Kaylee Paulsen as a special education aide at the high school; and Mark Lau as an assistant varsity volleyball coach. These hires are in addition to Kendra Goplin as the new agriculture teacher/FFA advisor, and Jaiden Seifert as an extended summer year aide at Ed White. Samantha Kissell, a food service helper at the high school, will transfer to a special education aide at the junior high. Grayson Juel, assistant varsity volleyball coach, will be reassigned to head freshman volleyball coach. James Gimbel II will serve as a volunteer at the high school.

Eldridge a member of Iowa QC public transit study

Eldridge is one of four Iowa Quad Cities municipalities that have joined together to study how public transit could change to best serve residents in the region. Bettendorf officials invited Eldridge and LeClaire to participate as the Iowa Quad Cities’ largest growing suburbs, even though they lack existing public transit systems.  City Administrator Nevada Lemke said the study will show Eldridge “if there are needs to have a public transit system available.” The study began earlier this year and will continue for several months. Infrastructure consultants with AECOM of Rock Island spent the spring and early summer gauging existing public transit systems in Davenport and Bettendorf, and collecting public input through a survey distributed online and on bus routes. In Eldridge, consultants met with several local employers and destinations, Lemke said, including the school district, YMCA, library and Hy-Vee, several of which said they would benefit from local public transit. Of 500 survey responses received, just 4%, or 16 responses, came from Eldridge residents, according to early data shared with the city. But respondents listed Eldridge, Park View and the north Davenport industrial park as top destinations to which they would like to see services expand. Currently, top public transit destinations are Elmore/Kimberly/53rd Streets, Downtown Davenport, and Northpark Mall, according to data. Consultants are due to deliver a report on the results of public engagement by Aug. 31, alongside a detailed look at existing public transit networks in Davenport and Bettendorf. River Bend Transit, which provides transportation to and from Eldridge, LeClaire and Princeton, is a nonprofit.  “There is not an established relationship between the cities and River Bend,” Lemke explained. “River Bend gets their funding as a nonprofit with grants and funding from the state.” In July, Eldridge City Council voted to commit up to $10,827 to ensuring that River Bend maintained transit services to and from Eldridge, after state funding changes.  

Council approves second fire readings at special meeting

Eldridge city council member Adrian Blackwell joined Brian Dockery in opposing the second reading of two ordinances designed to establish a municipal fire department during a special city council meeting held Wednesday, Aug. 12. Blackwell voted for the first reading on Aug. 3, but changed his vote Wednesday, saying it had been his understanding that the Eldridge Volunteer Fire Company would be more involved with the process going forward. Meanwhile, Dockery asked if he and council member Ryan Iossi could sit down with members of the EVFC to discuss outstanding issues with the transition, and specifically if the Oct. 1 deadline imposed by the EVFC could be softened. Assistant fire chief Dave Engler, who was in the audience, indicated he might be amenable to a meeting. The Oct. 1 deadline was cited as a sticking point by the other three members of the council, Jeff Ashcraft, Scott LaPlante and Iossi, who voted in favor of advancing the second reading. They said, with the deadline looming, they did not support slowing down the process. The vote followed more than a half hour of public comment, during which residents almost exclusively urged the council to slow the process down. Several residents expressed fear for themselves, their neighbors and their property, as the full membership of the EVFC has said they will decline to serve on a municipal fire department. Others accused the council of not listening to resident concerns. Marilyn Leonard urged the council to consider response times and also expressed concern that the city was opening itself up to liability “because of senseless loss of life due to a plan that is not well thought out. “Public safety cannot be an afterthought,” she continued. “I certainly am not feeling safe with the decisions you have made. I certainly am not feeling safe with your lack of a complete and transparent plan.” She asked the council to pause, hold open work sessions, and present a clear operational plan the residents. James Fitzjarrell acknowledged, “The City of Eldridge and the Eldridge Volunteer Fire Company have both made mistakes and both have genuine concerns. The volunteers have served this community well for decades, and the city has a legitimate duty to oversee taxpayer funds. Neither of those truths cancels out the other. But I believe we are heading towards a cliff.” Fitzjarrell said no one has signed up to volunteer after Oct. 1, the fire chief application deadline isn’t until Aug. 23, and no transition team yet exists for the municipal fire department. “That is not a plan, that is hope,” he said. He also expressed concern that the transition itself may cost more than the budget request the EVFC put forth and residents “may spend more to end up with less.” Fitzjarrell also said there was a risk to homeowners if fire protection weakened, and many residents could see their homeowner’s insurance increase. He specifically asked for the Oct. 1 deadline to be paused until a replacement plan was in place; a weekly transition update with transparent information on hiring and ordinance status, applicant counts and other information; and for the city to return to the table with the volunteers, saying he believed compromise was still possible. “None of us want to win an argument,” Fitzjarrell concluded. “We want to count on someone to answer that call when we dial 911. Please don’t let Oct. 1 arrive before we’re ready.” Amy Meskimen said she saw a lot of red flags going forward and that many people in Eldridge did not feel like they were being properly represented on this issue. “With so many uncertainties and rushing to make decisions, it feels reckless and irresponsible on behalf of the city.” She encouraged an open forum with a mediator and asked the crowd to raise their hands if they felt the same. Nearly everyone in the standing room only audience put their hand up. Judith Gilbert criticized the council for a lack of transparency in holding the special meeting, saying the notice of the meeting had not been posted on social media or on the homepage of the city website. She reiterated a concern she expressed at the Aug. 3 meeting that there was no language in the ordinance providing for EMS service and brought up an issue several other residents pointed to, saying that the city may be allowed to bill for services that are free now. Michelle Crawford said she felt “this council is currently making it unnecessarily harder on yourselves. This is not what the collective community wants.” She said not only does the EVFC feel disrespected, many residents do, too. “No budgets have been presented, no guarantee of continuity of service, no answers as to the impact on our future taxes and insurance. It’s hard to admit when you’ve overplayed your hand … but sometimes we have to find the humility within us to say, OK, maybe this wasn’t our best move. You were elected to serve we, the people of Eldridge. I implore you to soak that in, take a deep breath and pull back on this. There is common ground to find in this matter, and I have the utmost confidence that there are solid people on both sides that love our community and the people here to bring a much better and much more agreeable outcome.” Tim Reimers read a quote from mayor, then-council member Scott Campbell, from March of 2024, when the city was embroiled in a dispute with the utility. At the time, Campbell said he ran for council because he was tired of reading and hearing about the drama within the city. Reimers asked if the city was any better off now than it was then with regard to drama. Dockery, Blackwell stand in opposition As the meeting moved away from official public comment, Blackwell said it had been his understanding that there would be more input from the EVFC going forward, and he was no longer in favor of moving forward “until we have our department here and it looks cohesive and we get input from them and we’re totally transparent with the community members.” Iossi countered by saying the city was in its current position because of the deadline imposed by the EVFC. He said the fire department had asked to be taken over by the city a year ago. “What we didn’t expect, what nobody wants, was a deadline,” he said. “We didn’t create that July 15 deadline. We didn’t create that Oct. 1 deadline. But we did get put in a position to make the decision, A or B. It was clear, there was no negotiation. It was, give what the fire department wanted, or the city had to make a decision to take it over. Fair, right? Well, not really. Somebody said there’s no winners here. Somebody’s going to be a winner here. It’s going to be the citizens. It has to be. Do I like the fact that we had to decide at that meeting? No. Do I like the Oct. 1 deadline? No. Is it enough time? No. But that’s a decision we made because we did not have a choice.” Iossi said the city has already received several qualified applicants for the fire chief’s position, and that the candidates could bring something to the table that members of the EVFC could be excited about. He then asked the EVFC members if they were committed to the Oct. 1 deadline or if they were willing to be flexible. “We keep getting asked to pause. We have a deadline. We can’t pause on a deadline.” Iossi said that members of the council had heard from residents who were “very happy with the direction we’re going,” a claim that was met with skepticism from the audience. Iossi went on to say that many of these residents were scared to speak in public. Dockery asked if he and Iossi could sit down with members of the EVFC to see if there was a compromise to be had. He said that while he felt the city needed to have financial oversight, he wondered if the Oct. 1 deadline could be softened, “so it’s not forcing the council to keep moving forward.” “I think if we can sit down and have a meaningful discussion, absolutely, we’re willing to sit down and talk,” said assistant chief Dave Engler from the audience. This was met with applause. Iossi said he was also comfortable with being involved with further discussion going forward. He also asked Engler if he would be willing to be on the transition team. Engler said he thought he already was. Campbell said Engler’s name was one of several submitted by the fire department, although he said the transition team was about moving forward and he would like Engler and the others to consider being members of the municipal fire department if they were to take part in the transition. It's unclear when that became a stipulation of serving on the transition team, as at the Aug. 3 meeting, Campbell merely asked for the names of four members of the EVFC, of whom two would be selected. Still, Engler said, speaking for himself and not the entire department, perhaps the Oct. 1 deadline could be changed if there was a meaningful start to discussions. Iossi said he wanted Engler to be on the transition team regardless of whether he was willing to be part of the municipal department. Ashcraft spoke next, saying he had also heard from residents who were supportive of the city’s position, but who did not want to speak out for fear of retaliation. He then read from communications the EVFC sent to the city on June 12, explaining that the department had told the city, “in the event the city does not support the independent model or the required budget, we ask the city expedite the necessary resources to absorb the Eldridge Volunteer Fire Company as a city department no later than Oct. 1. “That’s the date we’re working against,” said Ashcraft. “None of us want to fight that date. None of us want to be pinned with two options – either support that budget or absorb the department. None of us wanted to choose from that, but we were told on July 20, make a decision.” Ashcraft said he understood that decision was unpopular with many people, “but we were literally told, you have a binary choice; choose something.” He said that he had offered mediation, and the city offered mediation in the winter, and those requests had been rebuffed. “If there’s some room on the date, if there’s some room with a mediator, then yeah, maybe we should pause,” said Ashcraft. “If there’s not, we have to continue marching towards Oct. 1. Because here’s what I’m concerned about … when somebody calls 911 on Oct. 1, Oct. 2, who’s going to answer the phone and who’s coming? And if we pause without knowing that we’ve got some sort of negotiation plan in place and that doesn’t happen, doesn’t come to fruition, we just set ourselves back even further. So, I support the ordinance. However, if the fire department is willing to make some concessions, to change that date and maybe do exactly what Ryan was talking about, then we have a different conversation, potentially.” LaPlante said he wanted to see the council be proactive, not reactive, and that city staff was working on a plan behind the scenes. However, he described the deadline as a “tough row to hoe. So, if there’s room, let’s talk about it.” Dockery said he was disappointed by the division and the animosity that was playing out on social media. “If anybody’s putting some of that hatred out there or making threats, I’m going to talk to our chief and have them arrested. I don’t care what side of the issue it’s on, but nothing will ever get resolved by this constant battle in the public arena.” Campbell addressed Reimers’ question, saying he was saddened and disheartened things had devolved to this point. “Where I struggle is, we’re giving the fire department exactly what they wanted. They came to us and said this is what they want. And so, we did that.” Campbell said city officials had spoken to other communities during this process and cited LeClaire as an example. He said LeClaire’s transition in 2022 had taken a full year, but they now have a paid chief and captain, and at least 30 volunteers. “LeClaire’s budget, with two paid firefighters, is $561,000 per year. And our city staff has done their due diligence over the course of the last 14 months and done comparables with other cities. We believe we can do it for that,” said Campbell. “In our budget, we have budgeted $364,000 and another $120,000 in capital improvements. That’s $482,000. We believe we can make this work. But the key is the volunteers. If the volunteers would just come on board, we would all be happy. They would have input on the chief. They’re part of the transition plan.” Someone in the audience asked what was wrong with the current chief, Keith Schneckloth. Campbell said during the transition, it had been stated Schneckloth would not be eligible to be hired as chief because he was dismissed from his previous job as city mechanic. He turned the floor over to city attorney Allison Wright for further clarification. Wright said, “There’s a lot of public information about Mr. Schneckloth’s termination that’s either been just disregarded or it’s been misstated quite publicly from what I’ve seen.” She said there had been an internal investigation, and Schneckloth reportedly admitted to using the city’s NAPA account to avoid paying sales tax, as well as in unemployment hearings. “The records are there; they’re public. You’re welcome to look at them,” said Wright. She also said that there were questions regarding whether Schneckloth misrepresented his status with the fire department when applying for the FEMA SAFER grant. Dockery said many people were becoming highly sensitive on the fire department issue and again asked for the opportunity to sit down with the EVFC to attempt to find common ground. “I think there is a very reasonable path to coming up with a hybrid situation that involves the city and the Eldridge Volunteer Fire Company Inc. to move this town forward. “I think there is a solution, but we need to calm this down a little bit and let calm heads figure out a path.” Who owns the assets? Wright asked about the claim that there was no budget for the department. “It’s my understanding that a budget has been approved for the fire department. It’s been approved by the state. I’m a little confused by the commentary back and forth about that.” “We don’t own the assets,” said Dockery. “We don’t own a fire station.” “What does ‘absorb the fire department’ mean?” asked Iossi. “What was the first discussion when this came up a couple of years ago – we would take over the assets, the equipment. Let’s be clear – what are you going to do with a firehouse and equipment and apparatus if you’re not a fire department anymore?” Campbell said Scott Haycraft and John Schnekloth, trustees of Benefitted Fire District No. 3, had met with the fire department. “The message (Haycraft) came back with was, if we can agree to some type of hybrid model – the city would have the assets, meaning building and equipment – and the fire department may maintain control of the day-to-day operations, including the fire chief. He thought that the fire department would agree to that, and we could move on. In that model, Haycraft said the city would control the purse strings and give us oversight. I told him that I would share that tonight, and so I have. But we’ve heard from Allison in the past that that model probably isn’t correct. I mean, it isn’t really legal for us.” Wright said she believed that model would be inconsistent with the council’s prior vote, because “the department is people, not assets. A hybrid model in a traditional sense means partially paid and partially volunteer. That’s a hybrid model. I think that has evolved here into a conversation of creative options, but ones that I don’t legally recommend. “If the fire company’s concern is that they want unfettered control and supervision over their own personnel, we would essentially be taking on all of the liability and costs for the assets, and we’d have no ability to subject the personnel that are using it to comply with city policies or procedures or oversight. So, if they’re in control of those personnel, that disconnect creates significant liability concerns from my perspective.” Campbell said he had also spoken with John Maxwell, chair of the Scott County Board of Supervisors. Maxwell reportedly said that, while the county is not taking sides in this matter, if the city were to create a municipal fire department, the county would sign a 28E agreement with that agency to provide fire service for Benefitted Fire District No. 3. “It’s also his understanding of the law, and we have documentation on this as well, that if we did that, and we had that 28E agreement, the city would take over the fire station and the apparatus in order to provide fire protection to the residents of Eldridge and Benefitted Fire District No. 3,” said Campbell. “So, we’ve heard a lot of comments about the apparatus and what we’re going to do without a fire station or whatever. That is the path forward if this happens,” continued Campbell. “That’s the path forward that the fire department wanted a year ago. They wanted us to take over. They were going to give us everything. This is the vehicle to do that.” Someone in the audience asked why the council couldn’t table the issue until after there was additional conversation with the fire department. Campbell said passing the second reading was strictly procedural and wouldn’t make the ordinance law yet. He said with the Oct. 1 deadline, “every day is precious.” Blackwell asked for the fire department to continue to be involved in the public facing conversation. Ashcraft countered by saying he believed more meaningful progress could happen in smaller, focused groups, and that group could come back with progress updates, rather than having everything play out in front of an audience. An audience member continued to lobby for tabling. “We just sat here and listened to a whole lot of stuff, but you say this train keeps moving down the track.” “This train has to keep moving down this track because we’re staring down the barrel of an Oct. 1 deadline,” said Ashcraft. “And that’s unfortunate, but that’s the pressure this council feels right now. I think to Councilman Dockery’s point earlier in the discussion, if there is some potential for softening there, then maybe there’s something that we can do different. But if there’s not, as the mayor said, every moment is precious.” “Your Honor, that’s why I requested an opportunity to find middle ground, and we can do it at a fairly quick pace and find out if the fire department is willing to soften that Oct. 1 day, move it to some other date for the timeline, to see if there is a middle ground,” said Dockery. “There may not be a middle ground. But I personally owe it to the taxpayers to find that middle ground, so we know what the costs are going to be long term.” That included the assets, he said. The council voted 3-2 for the second readings, and prior to the vote, Campbell said, “Approving this would not commit us to anything at this point in time. It’s just a second reading of three, and so we can still pass this and then we revisit it again, if necessary. And that will give us time to figure out a plan.” Dockery also said he had some proposed language changes to the ordinance establishing the city department. He was asked to submit the changes in writing so the rest of the council could review them prior to Monday’s regularly scheduled meeting.  

Public works crew shapes up

Long Grove will hire a new full-time public works assistant and two more as-needed public works employees, the city council decided last week. Nate Loussaert, Long Grove’s new public works director, endorsed the council’s decision to hire Brandon Loos of DeWitt in the assistant role he vacated earlier this year. Loussaert has been public works director since the retirement of Tony Saladino June 30. “He was one of the resumes that stuck out,” Loussaert said. “…Chatting with him a little bit Friday, I think he’s very good addition.” Mayor Mike Limberg said the city received a whopping 91 applications for the role of public works assistant, which will pay $25 dollars an hour and assist Loussaert in his responsibilities across town. Limberg described Loos as an “energetic individual… who really presented himself well.” “He's got a CDL, he's good with heavy equipment, and he sticks with the job,” Limberg summarized. “He's roughly got 10 years of outdoor work… I think he’s going to be a good fit.” “It certainly feels like he's going to be a good fit,” Councilmember Ryan Christsen, on the council hiring committing, added. “He's got the skills, but he's also got the attitude and temperament needed to go with it. Limberg recommended the creation of two part-time as-needed position, in addition to two part-time seasonable positions the city currently maintains. The new part-time employees would be hired to fulfil a range of city responsibilities not limited to summer mowing and winter snowplowing. They could cover for employees on leave or vacation, for example. Limberg said the two seasonal public works were rarely called into work. One mows grass during the summer and the other assists with heavy plow loads in the winter, City Clerk Lucas Syoen said. Long Grove City Council unanimously approved the creation of the two positions. Applications opened last week. Change order controversy Long Grove got stuck with an $8,000 change order for work on its water tower after City Engineer Jason McKenzie mistakenly told the council their contract for refurbishment included painting a new logo on a north and south face of the tower. In fact, the contract drawn up by McKenzie’s office only included painting the logo on the south face of the tower. Councilwoman Amy Shannon objected to the late cost, noting that McKenzie previously told the council that there would be no additional cost to have the logo painted on both sides. When the council approved the new strawberry design June 9, Limberg asked McKenzie whether the contract for refurbishment  included painting the design on both faces of the tower. “Yes, absolutely,” McKenzie assured him. “I don't understand why we're paying for a mistake,” Shannon told McKenzie last week. “It was an omission on your assistant or whoever-it-was’s part, and now we're eating the cost of it,” she added. McKenzie argued that the council would have just paid the $8,000 cost upfront if the contract had been drawn up correctly. “But it wasn't,” Shannon replied. “And we talked about having it on both sides, and there was never anything mentioned about a cost increase to have it on both sides. That's where my confusion is.” Councilman Mike Boddicker argued that the council was bore responsibility for the contract it approved. “If none of us read it, then we're all complicit on it. So it's all our fault because we're the ones that approved it,” he said. “Yeah, we trusted the engineer, but it's our fault,” he added. The council voted 4–1 to approve the change order, with Shannon opposed. Other business In other news, the council: • Heard from McKenzie that the city was still trying to secure a property easement that would allow it to complete phase two of recreation trail improvements. The owner of the property in question has died and the house is pending sale, McKenzie reported.  • Heard from Clerk Lucas Syoen that the city was “ready to start work” on its fiscal year 2026 financial reports and expecting its routine audit to begin in the coming weeks. Deputy Clerk Nicole Adams was “a good fit in her role,” he reported.  • Approved a suite of pay estimates for construction of the new city water treatment plant and refurbishment of the water tower. They also approved an engineering services agreement for the 1st Street recreation trail extension. 

East Moline seeks public input on Empire Park upgrades

Empire Park could see new slide equipment, but before construction begins, city leaders want to hear from residents.

Supervisors purchase vehicles, disagree over closed session

Several vehicle purchases led activity at the Scott County Board of Supervisors last week. Supervisors approved the acquisition of a 2026 John Deere 324P compact wheel loader at $143,103.64, and a 2026 Dodge Ram 1500 for the sheriff’s office at $53,130.59. In a memo to supervisors, Fleet Manager Mark Garrow said the compact loader would “become one of highest utilization pieces of equipment” for the Secondary Roads crew. The compact loader will support “roadway maintenance, shoulder widening and rocking, sweeping operations, facility snow removal, loading snow from cul-de-sacs, and other maintenance and construction activities throughout the year,” the memo continued. The loader will allow the county to sell a 2012 Case wheel loader that has tallied approximately 1,900 operating hours with Secondary Roads. The Ram 1500 will serve as the sheriff’s personal vehicle, replacing a 2015 Ram Pickup with 156,000 miles.  Bids for the compact loader and truck were secured through cooperative purchasing catalogues assembled by the Iowa Department of Administrative Services and Sourcewell. Disagreement over closed session Supervisor Maria Bribriesco again objected to a vote by fellow board members to enter closed session to discuss litigation pending against the county. The board voted 4–1 Tuesday to enter closed session for “discussion of strategy with counsel in matters that are presently in litigation or where litigation is imminent where its disclosure would likely to prejudice or disadvantage the position of the governmental body in that litigation”. Bribriesco called that description insufficient. “This kind of a general statement about going into closed session is not adequate enough for the closed meetings,” she argued. “I think we need to be more specific as to what cases will be specifically discussed. I think the public needs to know.” “I don’t believe it’s in compliance,” Bribriesco told The North Scott Press in a follow up interview. “It lacks specificity. It doesn’t say what sort of cases we’re going to talk about.” Cases filed against the county are a matter of public record, she said, and the board should at least list the cases it plans to discuss. “Just to say that you’re having a discussion with an attorney on a specific case doesn’t create prejudice at all,” Bribriesco argued. “I think that the people, the public needs to know. Even me as a board supervisor—I’d like to know what we’re discussing ahead of time.” Bribriesco leveled similar arguments against a vote to enter closed session in June. She said then that while a blanket motion to enter closed session “may, in somebody's mindset, comply with the black letter of the law, it does not comply with the spirit of the law.” Governments often enter closed session without specifying the litigation under discussion. Bribriesco said that one of the cases under discussion Tuesday involved Bribriesco Law Firm, where her husband and two sons practice. She abstained from the motion to enter closed session and said she would recuse herself from discussions involving the firm. Bribriesco Law Firm represents former Deputy Sheriff Travis Bulman, who has filed a worker’s compensation suit against the county. Lead remediation efforts Supervisors once again promised to back a grant application by the City of Davenport that hopes to put federal Housing and Urban Development dollars behind local lead remediation efforts. Treasurer Tony Knobbe said the county would contribute $200,000 over four years if the grant were received. The City of Davenport has pledged an identical sum. HUD would contribute $4.6 million. Davenport failed to secure a similar grant last fall. Knobbe said the grant, if received, would allow local officials “to be a little more proactive in your quest to try to reduce lead poisoning in this community.” Other business In other news, the board of supervisors: • Agreed to a one-year, no-cost lease of a courthouse room to the Iowa Department of Corrections. • Approved grant revenue secured for Community Services’ new Assisted Outpatient Treatment program.  • Approved a $15,000 grant from the state of Iowa that will cover addiction and overdose response training for Medic EMS EMTs.       

New Liberty Fire steak fry Saturday

The New Liberty Fire Department will host its 45th annual Steak Fry this Saturday. Dinner will be served from 4-8 p.m. The meal includes a 12 oz. ribeye steak and a choice of sides, including potato salad, a baked potato and cole slaw.  There will be bounce houses for the kids, and a DJ will play from 7-11 p.m. There will also be a 50/50, raffle prizes, and a live auction at 8 p.m. Dinner is $20 for adults, with kid’s meal tickets for $5. Cash and check will only be accepted. An ATM and carry out meals will be available at the event. All proceeds from the event will help the New Liberty Fire Department purchase equipment and other necessities. The New Liberty Fire Department is located at 765 Pike St. in New Liberty. For more information, visit the New Liberty Volunteer Fire Department Facebook page.

Dixon swears in new mayor

Tami Jewell-Labath is the new mayor of Dixon. Dixon City Council swore Jewell-Labath in Aug. 5, alongside new council member Brandy Manrique. “I’m completely new to this,” Jewell-Labath said. She has never served in city government, but volunteered for the role after the resignation of mayor Steve Laughlin, who was elected by write-in last November. Jewell-Labath said she was taking the time before her first council meeting as mayor, on September 2, to hear concerns and suggestions from the public. “I want their input on what they want Dixon to be,” she said. “I don’t want it to just be me or the council.” “I appreciate the hard work that [the council] puts into everything, but I also want the citizens to have a say as well,” she added. “It’s not just mine or the council’s Dixon, it’s everybody’s Dixon.” Manrique assumed the seat vacated by her husband, Nick Manrique, when he assumed the role of city clerk.  

HHS's Kennedy: Schools ‘discourage’ students’ physical activity, healthy eating

By Brooklyn Draisey Iowa Capital Dispatch NEWTON — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in Iowa Monday schools discourage students from physical activity and are poisoning them with unhealthy food — issues he said federal and state policies are working to address with the reinstatement of the Presidential Physical Fitness Test. Kennedy visited the Newton YMCA with U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and other officials to conduct a roundtable discussing the importance of youth activity and reinstating the Presidential Physical Fitness Test. The department has partnered with YMCA, as well as Boys & Girls Clubs of America, to implement the fitness test through their summer programming before schools introduce it this fall, Kennedy said. Newton’s YMCA provides a good example of how public-private partnerships between it, schools and the broader community can bring success, Miller-Meeks said. Children from the community completed sit-ups, push-ups, laps and more during the event to the encouragement of officials and staff. “It really is this community effort, public-private partnership that’s meeting the needs of both the community, but especially the children,” Miller-Meeks said. Kennedy announced the relaunch of the fitness test, which provides benchmarks for core, cardio and upper body fitness delineated by age and gender, in late June, and told the children at the YMCA the program was started by John F. Kennedy, his uncle, and discontinued during President Barack Obama’s administration. This was a mistake, he said, one that has led to physical and mental health crises in the U.S. According to the National Fitness Foundation, the official charity of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition, the Presidential Youth Fitness Test was established in 1966 and changed in 2012 to the Presidential Youth Fitness Program, which focused more on health and education. While some “slight changes” have been made, Kennedy said the program holds the same intentions as its original form — “to get all of our kids as active as possible.” “This administration is about personal choice and about informed choice in every area of healthcare, but right now our schools and a lot of our public institutions are doing things that actively, I think, discourage children from getting outside, from getting physical activity,” Kennedy said. Limits on screen time and cellphone use in the classroom are also aimed at helping students become more active and healthier, Kennedy said. He praised the Newton Community School District for its “bell-to-bell” ban on cellphone usage, which he said has led to “test scores going up, and disciplinary problems going down, and psychiatric referrals going down.” A state law was passed in 2025 requiring cell phone restrictions during instructional time, leading to the Newton policy. According to a June article from Newton Daily News, Newton High School saw close to 570 electronic devices violations in the 2025-2026 school year, a high number as acknowledged by the school’s principal but not representative of separate students committing each violation. Berg Middle School in the district saw a 80-violation drop during the school year to 95. The HHS secretary also brought up the food being consumed by students in school, saying the U.S. has been “mass poisoning generations of American kids” which has led to the U.S. housing the least healthy children in the world. Kennedy did not address whether states are prepared to implement the presidential fitness test, though according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “states are not currently positioned to support standardized, large-scale fitness testing” like that of the reestablished program. The report stated that in order for the test to have a meaningful impact in increasing physical activity and recording student health outcomes, state policy and school infrastructure changes would be necessary. While schools and policy previously were focused more on academics, sports and competitions within them, Miller-Meeks said the reinstatement of the presidential fitness test is bringing “the option for physical activity back into the system.” Schools will still have their choice as to how to implement testing, she said, and students will become physically and mentally healthier as a result, as physical activity raises endorphin levels. “The Presidential Fitness Test isn’t about competition or elite athletes or Olympians,” Miller-Meeks said. “It’s just emphasizing that activity, and physical activity and outdoor activity, is an option for parents, and starting that in the Y or in the school system helps to make that front-of-mind for parents.”

Viola Westphal to celebrate 90th birthday Aug. 26

Our family is celebrating a very special milestone! Vi (Kundel) Westphal will be turning 90 years young on Aug. 26. To help mark this remarkable occasion, we invite friends, family and members of the community to shower her with birthday cheer. Cards and well wishes would be greatly appreciated and may be sent to 1796 E. Lomar St., Eldridge, IA 52748. Thank you for helping us honor a lifetime of memories, love and stories. 

Harvest time in the home vegetable garden

As August progresses and gardens across Iowa reach their peak, home gardeners face an important task: harvesting vegetables at the right stage of maturity. Proper timing not only improves flavor and texture, but also encourages many crops to keep producing. "Harvesting vegetables at the right stage of maturity ensures the best taste and quality," said Aaron Steil, consumer horticulture specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. “Many vegetables should be picked throughout the summer to maintain plant productivity.” Knowing what to look for can help gardeners enjoy the highest quality harvest from tomatoes, peppers, melons, squash and other popular garden crops. Tomatoes: let color be your guide Tomatoes are among the most anticipated harvests of the season. Steil encourages gardeners to allow fruit to ripen on the vine whenever possible. "Pick tomatoes when the entire fruit develops a uniform color and feels slightly soft to the touch," he said. "Fully ripened fruit delivers the best flavor and eating quality." Red-fruited varieties may appear more yellow-orange during periods of hot weather, but should still be harvested once they reach their mature color and soften slightly. Peppers: green or fully colored Both sweet and hot peppers offer gardeners flexibility at harvest. Pick peppers that are firm and the appropriate size for the variety. "Peppers can be harvested when immature and green or allowed to fully ripen on the plant," Steil said. "Fully ripe peppers are often sweeter, more colorful, and contain higher levels of vitamins but take several weeks longer to develop." Frequent harvesting keeps plants productive throughout the season. Eggplant: harvest while fruit is glossy Eggplant quality declines quickly when fruit remains on the plant too long. "The best indicator is appearance," Steil said. "Harvest eggplant when fruit is firm and shiny." The skin should leave a slight dent and bounce back when you press your thumb against it. Dull, seedy, or tough fruit are overmature. Use a knife or hand shears and leave about an inch of stem attached. Okra: pick early and often Okra can go from tender to tough in just a few days. “It is easy to let the pods get too large,” Steil said. “Harvest pods when they are 2 to 4 inches long, usually five to six days after flowering. Once harvest begins, gardeners often need to pick every other day." Pods longer than 5 inches typically become tough and stringy. Removing oversized pods promptly helps maintain flowering and continued production. Melons: watch for signs of ripeness Melons require careful observation because harvest quality does not improve after picking. For muskmelons and cantaloupes, Steil recommends looking for the "slip" stage. "A ripe muskmelon separates easily from the vine," he said. “The fruit should have a pleasant aroma, slight softness on the blossom end and a yellow background color beneath the netting.” Watermelon harvest requires different indicators. "Look for the underside of the melon to change from greenish white to creamy yellow," Steil said. "The fruit also loses its glossy appearance and becomes duller as it ripens." Leaving a short section of stem attached helps maintain quality after harvest. Squash: harvest at the right stage Summer and winter squash require very different harvest approaches. "Summer squash should be harvested young and small for the best texture and flavor," Steil said. Zucchini and other elongated summer squash are best harvested at about 6 to 12 inches long and around 2 inches in diameter. Scallop types should be harvested when 3 to 5 inches across. At this stage, the rind remains soft, and the seeds are tender. Winter squash should remain on the vine until fully mature. "Mature winter squash have hard rinds that cannot be punctured with a thumbnail," Steil said. "The fruit surface also develops a dull appearance." Harvest winter squash with about 1 inch of stem attached.  

Extension to host Fall Field Day Sept. 10

Farmers, ag retailers, crop advisors and conservation professionals can explore current Iowa State University research on cropping systems, nitrate loss, cover crops and a potential alternative biomass crop — miscanthus — at the upcoming Fall Field Day at the Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm on Sept. 10 from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event is hosted by ISU Extension and Outreach, ISU Research Farms and the Southeast Iowa Agricultural Research Association. Cody Schneider, farm superintendent, will begin the day with a research farm update, providing an overview of recent activities at the farm and highlighting ongoing research projects. Next, attendees will learn how different cropping systems have influenced both crop productivity and nitrate loss over the long term. Matt Liebman, professor emeritus of agronomy, will discuss lessons from this research and what they may mean for future management decisions. Participants will also tour the farm's miscanthus plots and learn about ongoing research, production considerations and emerging market opportunities for this perennial biomass crop. Andy VanLoocke, professor of agronomy and associate director of the Bioeconomy Institute at Iowa State, will lead the discussion. The final stop will showcase cover crop mixes and discuss how they can be integrated into livestock operations as a forage source while also reducing nutrient loss, building soil organic matter and improving soil health. Shelby Gruss, assistant professor and extension forage specialist at Iowa State, will lead this discussion. "This field day offers an opportunity to see research results in the field and discuss how those findings can be applied on working farms," said Rebecca Vittetoe, field agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “Whether you're interested in crop productivity, conservation practices, alternative crops or livestock forage opportunities, there will be valuable information for a wide range of producers and ag professionals.” Check-in begins at 1 p.m., and the field day starts at 1:30 p.m. The event is open to the public at no cost due to the support from ISU Extension and Outreach, ISU Research Farms and the Southeast Iowa Agricultural Research Association. Farmers, ag retailers, crop advisers, conservation professionals, livestock producers and anyone interested in agricultural research are encouraged to attend. Certified Crop Advisers can earn 1.5 continuing education units in crop management and 0.5 CEU in soil and water management. The Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm is located at 3115 Louisa-Washington Road, Crawfordsville. To reach the farm, travel 1.75 miles south of Crawfordsville on  U.S. Highway 218, then 2 miles east on County Road G-62, and then 3/4 of a mile north. Signs will be posted near the farm. For more information, contact Logan McCrea at ldmccrea@iastate.edu or 641-226-7102; Virgil Schmitt at vschmitt@iastate.edu or 563-263-5701; or Rebecca Vittetoe at rka8@iastate.edu or 712-540-3319.

Obituary: Carl Brus

Carl H. Brus II, 85, of LeClaire, passed away on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, at UnityPoint Trinity, Bettendorf.  Cremation will be accorded, and a celebration of his life will be held from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22, at St. Ann’s Catholic Church, Long Grove.  Inurnment will be at a later date. Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home, Davenport, assisted the family. Carl Hubert Brus II was born Dec. 15, 1940, in DeWitt, to Carl Hubert and Irene Genevieve (Organ) Brus.  While serving in the Army, he was stationed at Ft. Belvoir, Va., and it was there that he met his future wife, Martha Ann “Marti” McIntosh, who was working at the Pentagon.  They were united in marriage on April 27, 1968, in Washington, D.C. Prior to his retirement, Carl had worked as a truck driver for the Iowa DOT driving snowplows and mowers. In his spare time, he enjoyed fishing, mowing his yard, tinkering with cars, farming, and occasional trips to the casino.  He earned his pilot’s license at the age of 17 and worked his way up to flying multi-engine aircraft. He was a helicopter pilot and flight instructor while serving in the Army. Survivors include his wife, Marti; son Carl (Leslie) Brus IV of Camanche; four grandchildren; sister Barb Spickermann of Tipton; brothers Ron (Susan) Brus of North Liberty, Wayne Brus; and nephews David, Kevin, and Earl Spickermann. He was preceded in death by his sons Carl Brus III and John Phillip Brus, and parents. Online remembrances may be expressed at www.hmdfuneralhome.com.   Custom obituary

Obituary: Elmer Mess

Elmer Laverne Mess, 86, a resident of rural Davenport, passed away on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, at Harmony Utica Ridge in Davenport. Funeral services were held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15, at Our Savior Presbyterian Church in Argo.  Burial followed at Summit Cemetery.  Visitation was from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday at the church.  In lieu of flowers, the family suggest memorials may be made to the Scott County Historical Society at Summit Church. McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home of Bettendorf assisted the family with arrangements. He was born in Davenport on Dec. 19, 1939, the son of Ernest “Ernie” and Marjorie Ann (Hamann) Ven Horst.  Elmer attended Iowa State University in Ames, St. Ambrose University in Davenport and proudly served in the Iowa Army National Guard. On Dec. 29, 1962, he was united in marriage to Sonja Elaine Rock in Calamus.  She preceded him in death on Dec. 12, 1998.  On July 6, 2002, he was united in marriage to Maria Anna Miller at Summit Church.  She preceded him in death on April 5, 2023. Elmer was a life-long farmer in Scott County and was well-known for the delicious sweet corn, vegetables and flowers he grew for the farmer’s markets and the Little Red Barn.  He was a member of Singles in Agriculture and the Eastern Iowa Polka Club.  He enjoyed dancing and playing dominos with his many friends. Those left to honor his memory include his daughters, Teresa (Mark) Nelson of Jenison, Mich., and Roxanne (Mike) Nagel of Wildwood, Mo.; his sons, Rick (Dr. Tammy Wells) Mess of Davenport and Mark (Michele) Mess of Eldridge; his step-children, Lori Ann (Steve) Dudley, Heidi (Dan) Mussack, Trudy Ecoffey and her friend, Chuck, and Henry (David) Miller; his grandchildren, Travis (Danee Conley) Nelson, Stephanie (Ian) Mueller, August “Gus” Nagel, Sydney Nagel, Aden Mess, Bram Mess, Cael Mess, Cameron Mess, Mitchell Mess, Marshall Mess and Courtney Davison, 10 step-grandchildren; great-grandchildren, Orson “Ori” Mueller, Pierce Mueller, Alivia Davison and Jaxon Davison; 12 step-great-grandchildren; his sisters, Joanne Oberbreckling of Davenport and Jane (Gary) Weber of Davenport; and many other extended family members and friends. In addition to his wives, Sonja and Maria, he was preceded in death by his stepfather, John VenHorst, his sister, Jeanne (Chuck) Krambeck and his granddaughter, Madelyn “Maddie” Mess. Condolences may be expressed to the family by viewing his obituary at www.McGinnis-Chambers.com.     Custom obituary

Obituary: Roger Wakeland

Roger Wakeland, 92, of Eldridge, passed away on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, and went to join his beautiful wife, Ruth, in Heaven. Funeral services will be held at 12 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 21, at Chambers Funeral Home, Eldridge.  Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until the time of service.  Roger and Ruth will be laid to rest together, side by side, at Peniel Cemetery in Joy, Ill. Memorials may be made to Long Grove Fire Department, Long Grove Christian Church, or to the family. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.McGinnis-Chambers.com.   Custom obituary

Obituary: Dorothy House

Not Gone…. Just Gone Ahead Dorothy House March 17, 1930-August 7, 2026 “To make a long story short…” (her familiar introduction to a recalled memory) the story of Dorothy (Dottie) House lasted 96 years and embraced her husband of 73 years, family, friends, faith, and learning. Growing up on a farm in Scott County during the Depression, she learned the values of hard work, self-sufficiency, helping a neighbor (and being helped), making family out of friends, finding satisfaction in simple things. Dottie met Bud House in high school, where she was an outstanding student. They married in 1950 and within six years welcomed daughters Anne, Kathy, and Mary into their life. With her aptitude for numbers, she enjoyed bookkeeping for a business she shared with Bud. Customers became friends. A “can-do” woman, Dottie could give a perm or advice, heal a wound or a broken heart, rescue a recipe gone awry or a daughter finding home, save soap slivers and friendships, collect recipes and memories (hers and others’), teach needlework and how to work. When a daughter was asked soon after Dottie’s passing, “What did your mom like to do?” she replied, “Love people.” Her love was lavish, especially for Bud, her children and grandkids, and her many friends, most she outlived. She was humble except to brag about her family. Grandkids learned the meaning of the phrase, “You make my buttons pop!” If you knew her, you likely received a note in tiny penmanship, expressing congratulations, sympathy or thanks. She kept the U.S. Postal Service in business. Last year, she learned she was in heart failure. Yes, that organ failed, but the love that filled it lives on in the lives she held close. Those lives include her children, Anne and Jim Afdahl and Kathy and Dan Kvinge; grandchildren Andy and Amy Afdahl, Michael and Amanda Afdahl, Martha and Chris Thomas, John and Holly Kvinge, David and Andrea Afdahl, Anne Kvinge, 14 great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, friends, and her, beloved care givers at Waverly Gardens. She was preceded in death by her husband Bud, daughter Mary, and sister Mary Dengler. The celebration of Dottie’s life will be Thursday, Aug. 27, at 11 a.m., with visitation at 10 a.m. at Faith Lutheran Church, (500 W. LeClaire Road, Eldridge). A luncheon will follow. Burial will be in Pine Hill Cemetery.  Chambers Funeral Home of Eldridge is assisting the family with arrangements. A memorial service in Minnesota will be held on Sept. 11. If a memorial gift is planned, it may be directed to Faith Lutheran Church, Waverly Gardens Foundation (5919 Centerville Road, North Oaks, MN 55127), or PEO (Philanthropic Education Organization) Chapter GW. Condolences may be expressed to the family by viewing her obituary at www.McGinnis-Chambers.com. “I have learned how to be content with whatever I have... I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:11-13   Custom obituary

Obituary: Mike Chickering

Michael Ross Chickering, 78, of Agency died at 10:50 a.m. Aug. 14, 2026, at his home. He was born Nov. 27, 1947, in Ottumwa to Lewis and Mary Turner Chickering. He married Teresa Munley July 14, 1972. Growing up in Agency, Mike had attended Cardinal High School. He worked 30 years for John Deere Ottumwa Works and John Deere Davenport Works, retiring in 2004 as a welding inspector. Mike attended many car shows and enjoyed woodworking, fishing, working in his yard and watching Iowa Hawkeye basketball. He loved animals, especially his two labradors, and liked feeding and watching birds. Surviving is his wife, Teresa; their daughter, Maria (Donnie) McMahan of Anamosa; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; an infant brother, Fredrick Chickering; brother, John Chickering; and sisters, Marianne Klicker and Rozilla “Rozi” Sadler. His body has been cremated. Visitation with family present to greet friends will be 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19 (today), at Reece Funeral Home in Ottumwa. Memorial services will be 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, at Reece Funeral Home with Chaplain Doug McAntire officiating. Memorials may be made to Agency Fire and Rescue.   Custom obituary

'We have made a lot of progress and growth'

Through three and a half duals, the improvements in North Scott’s girls’ tennis team are stark. The Lancers are giving ranked schools a real fight, something it hadn’t done since the 2025 spring season. While the results haven’t gone the scarlet and silver’s way, North Scott pushed 2A No. 9 Clinton to a 6-3 dual, lost 5-4 to Dubuque Hempstead, and went to three match tiebreakers in singles in a rain-shortened dual against 1A No. 7 Central DeWitt. By season’s end, the Lancers’ goal is to be in the mix with these schools when the matches matter most. “We are competing with more teams than we have in the past, and hopefully, by the end of the season, we will be in strong contention with some of these difficult teams,” Lancer coach Emily Jepsen said. “We still have plenty to work on, but we have also made a lot of progress and growth from last year.” North Scott fell to Clinton in the season-opening dual two weeks ago, losing a match tiebreaker at No. 3 doubles that could have closed the gap by one point. Everybody got on the board last Tuesday (Aug. 11) in a 9-0 sweep of Davenport West. Seniors Maddy Jepsen, Victoria Samara, and Ava Pins, sophomore Kelsey Clayton and freshman Claire Jepsen all earned 6-0, 6-0 wins in singles. Junior Chloe Rickertsen followed with a 6-2, 6-0 win at No. 6 singles. The Lancers didn’t lose a game in doubles, with Jepsen/Jepsen, Samara/Pins and Clayton/senior Katie Moeller all creating double-bagel scorelines. Against Hempstead last Friday, the top of the Lancer lineup provided the points. Competing in pro sets, Maddy Jepsen, Claire Jepsen and Samara all won in singles. The Jepsen sisters won again at No. 1 doubles with an 8-1 scoreline. Through three matches, Maddy and Claire have lost just two games as a duo. “With obviously knowing the girls so well, I knew their play styles would complement each other on the court, which is what we look for in all doubles pairs,” Emily Jepsen said. “I was nervous but also excited for what their potential could be. “So far, their chemistry has been strong. I told them at the beginning of the year if they can figure out how to get along out there that they could be a dominant force in doubles. As siblings, you never know, but it has definitely been great so far.” Samara, too, has been a standout performer. She has yet to lose a set in singles, going 5-0. She has won 33 games and lost 14, further displaying her dominance early in the year. “So far this season, Tori has been such a strong player in her singles spot,” Emily Jepsen said. “She has put in extra work, and it is definitely showing in her matches. It has been great for her and the team with how solid she is playing at No. 3 singles.” North Scott continued to show its progress in singles against Central DeWitt. The team went to three match tiebreakers at No. 2, No. 5 and No. 6 singles. This is in contrast to last fall, when the Sabers won six of the nine matches in comfortable straight sets. As the teams warmed up for doubles, consistent rain became too much. The schools will reconvene at a date to be determined. Still, the results from singles were encouraging for the team. “We are competing stronger than we did last year, which is great,” Emily Jepsen said. “Two of our meets that we have lost were very close, and we are competing with the other teams. “Everyone is working hard. I am still trying to tinker with some spots of the lineup to make sure we put out the most competitive team that we have.” The level of competition will only get more difficult this week — perhaps the single most difficult week since Jepsen took over coaching duties. This week, North Scott will face Iowa City Liberty and Muscatine on Monday, 2A No. 5 Pleasant Valley on Thursday, and 2A No. 7 Dowling Catholic and 2A No. 3 West Des Moines Valley on Friday. Monday’s matches were at home. On Thursday, North Scott will play at Pleasant Valley. Friday’s triangular will be on neutral courts at Cornell College. “When I received my schedule several months ago, I knew that week three would be our toughest week throughout the entire season,” Emily Jepsen said. “We are definitely going to be tested in all singles and doubles spots throughout this week. This week is about staying positive, working hard and continuing to improve each day.”

Quality and quantity on the golf course

Over the past two years, North Scott’s boys’ golf program has proven it has the pieces to compete at the very highest level. This year, it’s about putting them all together. North Scott enters the fall golf season third in the state according to IowaPrepGolf’s preseason rankings. The team also has three individuals ranked in the top nine — firepower no other school in Iowa can come close to matching. In addition to quality, Lancer coach Mike Wuertz believes he has eight golfers who are more than capable of scoring at the varsity level. “This should be our best team we’ve had since I’ve been the coach here,” said Wuertz, who is entering his fourth season at the helm. “It’s exciting. We’ve got a mixture of different age groups. We’ve got a nice collective team. I’m looking forward to the season.” It all starts at the top with North Scott’s No. 1 golfer, senior Jaxon Adkisson. Last season’s Mississippi Athletic Conference individual champion and state third-place medalist, Adkisson is looking to repeat the same success he saw at the end of last season. “He won MAC and carried that into the state tournament. It was really impressive,” Wuertz said. “He’s reached heights nobody has really reached for North Scott golf. At the same time, there are a couple of kids on the team that think they are capable of doing that as well. Hopefully it can bring everybody up together and be good for our team results.” Adkisson is ranked fifth. The top-ranked Lancer is junior Luke Leverenz, at No. 2, who himself won individual MAC gold as a freshman. Leverenz has had a great offseason on the junior circuit and will seek to carry that momentum into the high school schedule. “This summer, he won the Iowa PGA Junior Amateur in Mason City, and he’s played well in different AJGA events,” Wuertz said. “He works hard at his game. I think he’ll be sharper than he was at the end of last season… We’re hoping for big things from him, and he’s another kid that all those younger kids look up to.” Fellow junior Andrew Vollbeer is merely the third-highest ranked Lancer at number nine in the state. Vollbeer placed second to Adkisson in a playoff at the MAC meet last year, but he has perhaps the best all-around game on the team. “He’s still short height-wise,” Wuertz joked, “but he’s worked out in the gym a lot. He plays basketball too — he’s in really great shape. He is strong and flexible. He’s picked up a lot of distance off the tee in the last year or so. “He’s played really well this summer too. He’s won two different junior tournaments. He’s getting a lot of college recognition in that way. He’s a really hard worker. He’s at the golf course like every day. We’re never worried about him putting the time in.” Four scores are required to create a team score, so these three can’t do it alone. They will have plenty of help this season, starting with sophomore Michael Phillips, who ended up as the Lancers’ third-best scorer at state last year. He received an honorable mention on IowaGolfPrep’s individual preseason rankings, placing him just outside the top 40 statewide. “He plays competitively quite a bit, but not as much as Luke, Andrew and Jaxon. He practices a lot — he’s out at Glynns Creek all the time hitting balls, chipping and putting,” Wuertz said. “His work ethic will push him towards success this year for sure.” Wuertz had the non-ranked golfers on the team play two qualifying rounds at tryouts to earn their spots on varsity for the season-opening meet. While Phillips had the team’s second-best score, senior Griffin Frank had the best performance of the bunch. “He was the low man in our tryouts. He shot 70/74 for the two days,” Wuertz said. Frank got three starts at varsity last season with an 18-hole low of 80. “He’s gotten a lot better in the last year,” Wuertz said. “He’s a really smart kid. His course management and then his short game are the strongest parts of his game. He has a good head on his shoulders, so that is his strong suit.” Andrew’s younger brother James, a freshman, earned the sixth and final spot with the team’s third-best qualifying score. “He shot a 75/71. That’s pretty good. He’s got a really good short game, and he’s a really good putter,” Wuertz said. North Scott also has senior Dylan Ulloa, who made three starts last season, and junior Max McClintock, who was a regular member of last season’s varsity team, firmly in the mix for playing time. “Those eight guys will be somewhat interchangeable throughout the year,” Wuertz said. “It’s going to be a challenge because most of the years, we’ve had a pretty consistent top six. This year, the fourth through eighth spot on the team is a toss-up from day-to-day, or week-to-week. You can’t go wrong with any option. It’s a little stressful as a coach trying to pick the right person at times. In golf, you can have them go out and play for the spot. That’s what we did at tryouts.” North Scott’s schedule will once again put a lot of miles on the team van, transporting the Lancers to top tournaments across the state. After the Muscatine Invitational was rained out for the second straight year, North Scott traveled to Glen Oaks Country Club in West Des Moines for its season-opener on Monday. The team is back home on Wednesday for the annual Lancer Invitational at Glynns Creek Golf Course. Between these two meets, North Scott will see just about every other top team in the state. But before North Scott can think about the other elite schools in eastern Iowa, Des Moines and beyond, it has to take care of business in the MAC. Pleasant Valley is the only other ranked MAC school — and it is No. 2. “I’m looking forward to having a measuring stick of where we’re at,” Wuertz said. “That’s our main competition we’ll have all year. We had five or six meets where they beat us by less than five strokes. We were right there, but they eked it out every time. “Hopefully this year we can get a leg up on them and that mentality that we are the top dogs, so to speak. I think our team is stronger than it was last year. Even though we lost Vaughn (Roseman), I think Andrew, Luke and Jaxon have gotten better.” If there is one thing both North Scott and Pleasant Valley can agree on, it is that contesting the state tournament in the Quad Cities area will be a boon. Davenport Country Club will host the two-day season-finale on Oct. 12 and 13. “Every year we’ve gone out to Des Moines for state. It’s nice that it’s over here this time,” Wuertz said. “I think it is exactly 20 years ago, when I played at Bettendorf, that we had it at Crow Valley. That was my home course back then. They’ve probably had it over here one other time since then, so it’s pretty rare that it’s so close to home. You’ll get to sleep in your own bed. It’ll be quite an advantage for us.”

North Scott volleyball ascends to Class 5A

What has been presumed for months is now official: North Scott will not defend its Class 4A volleyball championship this fall. North Scott will compete in Class 5A this season, according to the final classifications released by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union last week. North Scott has a Basic Educational Data Survey (BEDS) count of 843, placing it as the 39th largest school in Iowa. The survey is administered by the Iowa Department of Education every spring and fall. The girls’ Union and boys’ Association use enrollment numbers from grades 9, 10 and 11 from the 2025-26 school year to determine 2026-27 classifications. Year over year, North Scott jumped four spots from the 43rd largest school. Its BEDS number increased by 27 students from 816. Schools just ahead of North Scott in the latest BEDS count are Dallas Center-Grimes (873) and Indianola (843). Schools just behind North Scott in the latest BEDS count are Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson (839) and Cedar Rapids Washington (819). 2026-27 BEDS counts for Mississippi Athletic Conference schools are as follows: Pleasant Valley (1,328), Bettendorf (991), Muscatine (966), Davenport Central (961), Davenport West (875), North Scott (843), Clinton (772), Davenport North (764), Davenport Assumption (403) and Central DeWitt (381). Full classification numbers for 2026-27 and 2025-26 can be viewed on the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s website. Click the “schools” tab at the top of the homepage, followed by the “classifications” icon. Girls’ sports see most impact with classification change As North Scott is now one of the 40 largest schools in Iowa, volleyball is likely just the first of many sports to see a classification bump. For the 2026-27 school year, North Scott stands to see classification promotions in girls’ basketball, girls’ soccer, and softball in addition to volleyball. For all of these sports, the IGHSAU places the 40 highest enrollment schools in its largest classification. Sports that appear to just miss the cutoff for the largest classification include boys’ soccer (top 36 schools) and both boys’ and girls’ bowling (top 32 schools). Football classifications remain locked for two-year periods. North Scott is the largest school in Class 4A, and it could see a bump to 5A for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years if increased enrollment trends continue. Multiple schools can choose to combine certain athletic programs through cooperative sharing agreements, thus creating a larger BEDS count, so final classifications for all sports are not finalized until the start of their individual seasons. North Scott is already in the largest classifications for: boys’ and girls’ cross-country, swimming and diving, boys’ and girls’ golf, boys’ and girls’ tennis, boys’ basketball, boys’ and girls’ wrestling, boys’ and girls’ track and field, and baseball.

View the Scott County Sheriff's report from the Aug. 19 NSP!

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 5 11:29 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of theft. THURSDAY, AUG. 6 12:42 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance near West High and North Pine streets. 1:37 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2900 block of West 72nd Street. 2:11 a.m. — Andrea Darnell Holden, 42, Davenport, was cited for operating a vehicle without an interlock, driving while license denied, suspended, cancelled or revoked and violation of financial liability coverage, following a traffic stop near North Fairmount Street and West Central Park Avenue, Davenport. 2:55 a.m. — Deputies responded to a fireworks complaint in the 6300 block of Brady Street. 5:09 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of a one-vehicle accident in the 2200 block of West 76th Street, Davenport. A vehicle driven by Jatavious Hakeem Clark, 24, Davenport, was westbound on West 76th Street. Clark reportedly lost control of the vehicle, which left the roadway and struck the curb and sidewalk before coming to rest in some bushes. Clark was cited for failure to maintain control. 9:27 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of theft in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 12:42 p.m. — Trey Joseph Burnett, 25, West Liberty, was charged with 5th degree theft, following an incident in the 13800 block of 118th Avenue, Davenport. 1:54 p.m. — Deputies responded to a fraud complaint in the 400 block of West 4th Avenue. 2:22 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a missing person in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 8:15 p.m. — Alexis M. Yelm, 24, Galva, Ill., was cited for assault, following an incident in the 2800 block of West Locust Street, Davenport. 11:19 p.m. — Chloe L. Bohnsack-Williams, 27, Taylor Ridge, Ill., was charged with domestic abuse assault – 1st offense, following a report of a domestic disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street, Davenport. FRIDAY, AUG. 7 12:02 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 1:14 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with personal injury near East 53rd Street and Lorton Avenue. 7:24 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with personal injury in the 5800 block of 200th Street. 9:15 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem. 9:18 a.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 500 block of Sterling Drive. 10:21 a.m. — Deputies responded to an identity theft complaint in the 7300 block of New Liberty Road. 11:41 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage. 12:51 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 5200 block of Brady Street. 12:54 p.m. — Deputies responded to a drug complaint in the 3200 block of South 16th Avenue. 2:50 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 1500 block of West Locust Street. 3:11 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint on Grove Road. 4:11 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of a two-vehicle accident near 210th Street and 180th Avenue. A vehicle driven by Deanna Kaye Reed, 64, Eldridge, was struck from behind by a vehicle driven by Renee E. Wanson, 40, Colona, Ill. Wanson was cited for operating a non-registered vehicle, failure to provide proof of insurance and failure to maintain control. 4:35 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with personal injury. 6:17 p.m. — Deputies performed a welfare check in the 23600 block of 1st Avenue. 6:35 p.m. — Deputies performed a welfare check. 7:45 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 7:48 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 7:50 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 8:08 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 8:17 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 8:22 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 8:27 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 8:28 p.m. — Deputies performed a welfare check in the 200 block of South Kensington Street. 8:30 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem. 8:39 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 8:45 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 8:51 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 9:04 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 9:09 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 9:21 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 9:23 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 9:27 p.m. — Jillian Grace Renne, 18, Asbury, was cited for disorderly conduct, public intoxication – 1st offense and interference with official acts, following a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street, Davenport.  9:37 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 9:41 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 9:44 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 400 block of West James Street. 10:04 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 10:06 p.m. — Christopher Jerome Neely, 19, Bettendorf, was charged with public intoxication – 1st offense, possession/purchase of alcohol under the legal age and interference with official acts, after deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 24500 block of Valley Drive, Pleasant Valley. 10:07 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 11:36 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 10:38 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 10:38 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 10:39 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 10:42 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an assault on Grove Road. 10:48 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 10:59 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 11:18 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 11:23 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. SATURDAY, AUG. 8 1:25 a.m. — Anna Vela, 44, Davenport, was charged with OWI – 1st offense and cited for no valid driver’s license and improper use of lanes, following a traffic stop in the 3600 block of West Kimberly Road, Davenport. 1:52 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with personal injury near South Scott Park Road and East Lomar Street. 7:00 a.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 500 block of Walker Street. 11:43 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of theft in the 13800 block of 118th Avenue. 1:10 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 4:09 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of theft in the 11300 block of 140th Street. 4:35 p.m. — Deputies responded to a harassment complaint in the 4800 block of State Street. 4:36 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 1200 block of Canal Shore Drive Southwest. 4:55 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of theft. 4:56 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 5:30 p.m. — Deputies responded to a vandalism complaint in the 400 block of West James Street. 7:01 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 7:05 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 7:50 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 8:06 p.m. — Salyn Mariah Dianne Tharpsun, 30, Davenport, was arrested on an outstanding intrastate warrant; and Michelle Nicole Roe, 43, Davenport, was arrested on an outstanding intrastate warrant and charged with interference with official acts, following an incident in the 6200 block of Brady Street, Davenport. 8:16 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 8:26 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 8:31 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 9:23 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage in the 13800 block of 118th Avenue. 9:26 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance. 9:37 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 9:43 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 10:15 p.m. — Cortez Matthew Brown, 22, Davenport, was charged with disorderly conduct, interference with official acts and providing false identification information, following a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street, Davenport. 10:20 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 10:21 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 10:24 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 10:30 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 10:30 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 10:31 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage in the 2600 block of West Locust Street. 10:34 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 10:42 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of missing person in the 2800 block of West Locust Street.  10:59 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 11:02 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 11:20 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. SUNDAY, AUG. 9 12:18 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2700 block of East 53rd Street 12:27 a.m. — Armani Alasia Culbreath, 27, Davenport, was charged with driving while barred (habitual offender) and driving while suspended, following a traffic stop in the 1600 block of West 53rd Street, Davenport. 1:17 a.m. — Melvin Sherdell Harris, 19, Eldridge, was cited for possession of a controlled substance (cannabidiol) – 1st offense and persons ineligible to carry dangerous weapons, following an incident near Brady Street and East Kimberly Road, Davenport. 3:38 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 4:51 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 1200 block of East Rusholme Street. 8:24 a.m. — Adam Michael Macksey, 29, Davenport, was charged with domestic abuse assault – 2nd offense and obstruction of emergency communications, after deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 11300 block of 140th Street, Davenport. 12:20 p.m. — Deputies responded to a vandalism complaint in the 24900 block of 179th Street Place. 1:01 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem in the 9400 block of 114th Street. 1:52 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of theft. 2:06 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem in the 19200 block of 252nd Avenue. 4:25 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 5:39 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a missing person in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 6:19 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem in the 100 block of Crest View Drive. 7:44 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a missing person in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 8:01 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 8:13 p.m. — Deputies responded to a harassment complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 8:33 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 8:33 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 8:33 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 9:00 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 9:30 p.m. — Michael Scott Parker, 41, Davenport, was charged with possession of a controlled substance (non-marijuana) – 3rd or subsequent offense and possession of drug paraphernalia, following a traffic stop near 95th Avenue and 140th Street, Blue Grass. 9:39 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 600 block of North Highway 67. 10:42 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 11:23 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2800 block of West Locust Street. 11:48 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 600 block of East Locust Street. MONDAY, AUG. 10 12:10 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of theft in the 1600 block of West Kimberly Road. 1:54 p.m. — Deputies responded to a weapons complaint in the 100 block of North Division Street. 3:53 p.m. — Deputies responded to a weapons complaint in the 1000 block of West 5th Street. 6:47 p.m. — Deputies responded to a harassment complaint on Valley View Drive. 7:23 p.m. — Deputies responded to a drug complaint. 7:53 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 24800 block of 179th Street Place. TUESDAY, AUG. 11 12:03 a.m. — Deputies performed a welfare check in the 100 block of East Bryant Street. 12:37 a.m. — Deputies responded to a harassment complaint in the 1600 block of West Kimberly Road. 1:54 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 2600 block of Central Avenue. 11:05 a.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 1400 block of West 16th Street. 11:34 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 6300 block of Brady Street. 1:15 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 600 block of North Highway 67. 2:10 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 3300 block of West 51st Street. 4:43 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage. 5:40 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage in the 4000 block of East 53rd Street. 5:58 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with personal injury. 8:03 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a missing person in the 4800 block of State Street. 8:55 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint on Grove Road. 11:30 p.m. — William General Rumley, 67, Davenport, was charged with possession of contraband in a correctional facility, possession of a controlled substance (non-marijuana) – 3rd or subsequent offense and a drug tax stamp violation, following an incident in the 400 block of West 4th Street, Davenport. WEDNESDAY, AUG. 12 12:31 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with personal injury in the 3100 block of West Locust Street. 12:44 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of theft in the 2300 block of West Locust Street. 1:05 p.m. — Deputies performed a welfare check on Park View Drive. 2:05 p.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 600 block of West 4th Street. 2:48 a.m. — Caden L. Vanderpool, 21, Moline, was charged with OWI – 1st offense, unlawful possession of prescription drugs, possession of a controlled substance (marijuana) – 1st offense, and possession of a controlled substance (cannabidiol) – 1st offense, and cited for an open container violation and operation without registration, following an incident in the 3700 block of West Locust Street, Davenport. 4:34 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of a two-vehicle accident near 115th Avenue and 245th Street, Donahue. A vehicle driven by Jean Ellen Arguellez, 50, Clinton, was southbound on 115th Avenue. Arguellez’s vehicle reportedly veered into the northbound lane, where it struck a vehicle driven by Mathew Lee Hart, 43, Donahue. Hart’s vehicle spun out and came to rest in a ditch. Arguellez was charged with OWI – 1st offense and cited for improper use of lanes and failure to maintain control. 7:39 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem in the 600 block of West Main Street. 9:12 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 300 block of East LeClaire Road. THURSDAY, AUG. 13 6:11 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem near North Salina and East Bennett streets. 6:30 a.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage. 10:46 a.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 24500 block of Valley Drive. 12:54 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance in the 400 block of West 4th Street. 12:59 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage near Valley Drive and 249th Avenue. 2:24 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the 15900 block of 107th Avenue. 6:01 p.m. — Deputies responded to the scene of an accident with property damage in the 6500 block of Brady Street. 7:18 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a missing person on Grove Road. FRIDAY, AUG. 14 6:46 a.m. — Deputies responded to a vandalism complaint near Circle and Manor drives. 7:56 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem in the 27800 block of Bowker Drive. 10:32 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of a disturbance near West 3rd and Harrison streets. 10:35 a.m. — Deputies responded to a drug complaint in the 3200 block of South 16th Avenue. 10:35 a.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem in the 21500 block of 277th Avenue. 10:58 a.m. — Deputies responded to a trespassing complaint in the 10100 block of 210th Street. 12:32 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem near 277th Avenue and Territorial Road. 12:42 p.m. — Deputies responded to a report of an animal problem in the 21400 block of 277th Avenue. 2:51 p.m. — Deputies responded to an identity theft complaint in the 13100 block of 114th Avenue.        

View the Eldridge Police report from the Aug. 19 NSP!

MONDAY, AUG. 10 9:21 a.m. — Assisted a resident in the 3200 block of South 16th Avenue. Handled by officer. TUESDAY, AUG. 11 2:38 p.m. — Report of a barking dog complaint in the 500 block of South 1st Street. Handled by officer. 8:29 p.m. — Scott Benson, 36, of Davenport, was cited for no insurance and operating a non-registered vehicle, following a traffic stop on Highway 61. WEDNESDAY, AUG. 12 6:20 a.m. — Assisted another agency with a report of a reckless driver near 255th Street and 155th Avenue. Handled by officer. 10:53 a.m. — Assisted another agency with a report of a civil issue in the 100 block of North 9th Street. 12:17 p.m. — Report taken for an animal problem in the 200 block of North 4th Avenue. 4:34 p.m. — Assisted another agency with a report of a single vehicle accident near 115th Avenue and 245th Street. 9:09 p.m. — Complaint of a subject in the 500 block of West Prairie Vista Drive being threatened. Handled by officer. 9:12 p.m. — Complaint of a disturbance in the 300 block of East LeClaire Road. Handled by officer. THURSDAY, AUG. 13 8:49 a.m. — Assisted Medic with an EMS call in the 100 block of South 3rd Avenue. 9:37 a.m. — Report taken for a juvenile wandering around without parental supervision near North 5th Place and West Donahue Street. FRIDAY, AUG. 14 5:48 a.m. — Assisted Medic with an EMS call in the 200 block of East Franklin Street. 9:00 p.m. — Assisted Medic with an EMS call in the 1200 block of West Scott Court. SATURDAY, AUG. 15 2:40 a.m. — Complaint of a reckless driver on Highway 61. Handled by officer. 1:01 p.m. — Assisted another agency with an incident in the 300 block of East Donahue Street. Handled by officer. 4:01 p.m. — Complaint of a missing juvenile in the 400 block of South 14th Avenue. The juvenile was located. Handled by officer. 7:55 p.m. — Complaint of For Sale signs being stolen in the 200 block of East Franklin Street. Handled by officer. SUNDAY, AUG. 16 1:54 a.m. — Complaint of a suspicious vehicle in the 800 block of East LeClaire Road. Handled by officer. 4:27 a.m. — Complaint of a subject walking in the street in the 200 block of North 4th Avenue. Handled by officer. 7:18 a.m. — Assisted another agency with an incident in the 13700 block of 270th Street. 12:08 p.m. — Courtney Krier, 29, of Bernard, was arrested for driving under suspension and cited for speeding, an open container violation and four counts of failure to use a child restraint device, following a traffic stop on Highway 61. 1:48 p.m. — Assisted another agency with a traffic stop on Highway 61. 6:59 p.m. — Vasaun Wilmington, 16, of Davenport, was cited for operating a non-registered vehicle, following a traffic stop near South 1st Street and East Blackhawk Trail. 9:30 p.m. — Complaint of suspicious activity in the 800 block of West LeClaire Road. Handled by officer.  

Long Grove hands over $8,000 for water tower. Why?

Most of the time I attend government meetings in person. It’s hard to get to know people when they crackle through a microphone and freeze up on your screen. But last Tuesday I tuned into the Long Grove city council meeting online—and you’ll see why that’s important in a moment. Councilwoman Amy Shannon begun the meeting by asking to pull an action from the consent agenda—the long list of routine actions that the council unanimously approves without discussion. The item was an $8,000 change order filed by the city engineer and the contractor who painted a pair of sparkling new strawberries on the Long Grove water tower. The order would compensate the contractor for painting the design on the north as well as the south face of the tower. “I thought we had discussed at a meeting that it was going to be on both sides of the water tower, and there was never a cost increase discussed,” Shannon said. That sounded right to me, too, so I started to scan through old recordings of Long Grove city council meetings—something I could only do while calling in on my laptop. Sure enough, on June 9, Mayor Mike Limberg asked City Engineer Jason McKenzie if the contract to refurbish the water tower included painting the design on both faces. “Yes, absolutely,” McKenzie said. I turned back to the council livestream, where McKenzie was trying to justify charging the city $8,000 dollars for something he had told them would be free. “In the contract documents, it was stated that it was only on one side,” he said. “It was a mistake that it didn't get put on both sides.” “I guess I don't understand why we're paying for a mistake,” Shannon replied. McKenzie equivocated. “If it was in the original contract, it still would have been $16,000 to put it on both sides,” he said. “Right, but it wasn't,” Shannon replied. “And we talked about having it on both sides, and there was never anything mentioned about a cost increase to have it on both sides.” Hoorah, Shannon! Regular readers of the North Scott Press know that I have put her under the microscope for her use of artificial intelligence—but there is no doubt in my mind that she brings a real intelligence to the council chambers. Here she was staging a valiant effort to save Long Grove taxpayers $8,000. Meanwhile, the council was nearing a decision on the change order. Councilman Mike Boddicker argued that they had failed their duties to review the fine print of the contract. But wasn’t it the engineer who had failed his duties? I had a quote of McKenzie telling Limberg that the contract would cover painting expenses on both faces of the tower. Should I drop the quote in the online chat? Did the council deserve some real-time reporting? It all took place in a minute or two: by the time I had found the quote, the city was about to make its decision. Ultimately, the council voted 4–1 to approve the change order before I could make up my mind. Would my evidence have changed the council’s minds? I’ll never know. My inaction may have cost Long Grove $8,000. Journalists serve to hold governments accountable. But accountability usually gets assessed after the fact, once a wrong has taken place. When do we owe it to the community to step in, to try to right a wrong before it takes place? Some journalists think it’s our job to watch passively from the sidelines. But when we go back and write a story to hold government accountable, aren’t we just stepping in a little too late? And aren’t we trying to prevent another wrong from taking place? That’s a mighty nest of questions that I am still trying to answer myself. If you’re a resident of Long Grove, and you’re angry I didn’t speak up, just know that I am angry at me, too. If you’re a resident of Long Grove and you’re glad I kept quiet, well, I can understand that. At one point McKenzie told the council, “I feel that there's no cost increase.” But there’s no way of knowing what the contractor might have bid the second face at, because after the fact there is no competition and they can charge whatever they want. Meanwhile, McKenzie was the one who assured the council that they would get what they thought they were paying for. Then he asked them to cover his $8,000 mistake? Some nerve. He deserves to be held accountable, and it’s too bad Shannon was the only one who had the courage to try it. At the fairgrounds Hijinks in Long Grove interrupted my planned column, which would have been about my culinary encounters at the Mississippi Valley Fair, where I spent much of the period between Aug. 3 and Aug. 8. Luckily you have plenty of fair content this week in our 24-page results section—which is actually two sections, due to some limitations at our current printer. Pictures of fairgrounds action in our center spread last week. Now that doesn’t mean I can’t share any culinary highlights. A non-comprehensive list of food eaten at the Mississippi Valley Fair includes corn on the cob and a caramel apple, three Saran-wrapped cookies from the Lutheran Church youth group, a free burger from Farm Credit Services of America, and a pork chop sandwich from the Scott County Pork Producers Association. The $9 lemonade shakeup was good, but not $9 good, and the free youth group coffee makes the whole week manageable. I took one adventurous step into the pool of culinary fairground decadence: the $25 “shack attack” from the Walter Smoke Shack. A shack attack gets you several “belly bites” (chunks of barbequed pork belly), a “hog wing” (barbequed pork shank), a “Texas twinkie” (a jalapeño popper stuffed with brisket and wrapped in bacon), and three ribs, though mine came with a generous fourth. All this on a bed of mac and cheese, as pictured. When a corndog costs $10 a $25 plate of barbeque that can feed at least two people looks almost thrifty. Of course I ate it myself, though really I attacked it and lost the battle, routed by the second rib and third belly bite, having vanquished the Texas twinkie and hog wing. Alas I left a good deal of mac and cheese unconquered, too. The hog wing was terrific and the Texas Twinkie delicious. It occurred to me, as I raised it to my sticky lips, that this was just the sort of decadence that God gave us kosher law to forestall: cream cheese and beef brisket together, bound up by bacon. This sort of thing is clearly sinful. The belly bites left something to be desired, the mass of pork fat just too rich, and I always enjoy ribs. Thanks around On a final note, it takes a village to assemble the fair results section included in this issue. Our thanks go out to the legion of parents, superintendents, judges and volunteers who make the shows run smoothly. Angie Ehlers and Wendy Wulf both helped us gather pictures we couldn’t take, and Stacey Shimkus helped me balance the simultaneous swine and rabbit shows. Scott County 4-H Coordinator Ashlee Bell, and her assistants Cyntra Walker and Addyson Wehrman, kept the whole week running smoothly and compiled the results that appear this week. Our sincerest thanks.                 

1976: Plans for new county landfill advance in Buffalo

Aug. 19, 1976 • Dixon was preparing for the third-annual Sweet Corn Festival, with proceeds from the event going to support civic projects. Following the Dixon Firemen’s Pancake Breakfast, a day of activities was planned, including a kiddie tractor pull, a square-dancing exhibition, “zany relays,” water fights, and a dedication of the Dixon recreational center. • With some reluctance, the Buffalo City Council agreed to grant a special use permit to the Scott County Landfill Commission. This would allow the commission to pursue a new landfill on a 100-acre site owned by Linwood Stone Products, located within the Buffalo corporate limits. Under the agreement, Scott County would pave Linwood Road from Highway 61 to Highway 22 at no cost to the city. Although some residents had objected to a landfill in their community, commission chair Birch Holden said, “We think all their concerns are unfounded. We’ll be a good neighbor.” • Mrs. Lou Yocum of rural Long Grove had attended the Mississippi Valley Fair for at least 60 years. Her husband, Sam, was one of the originators of the fair. She was pictured with her son, Sam of rural Long Grove, and her grandson, Larry, who entered a steer in the Market Beef show. • A 320-acre farm near Dixon, owned by John and Edna Spies, was recognized as the oldest of 103 Scott County Century Farms honored at the Mississippi Valley Fair. The farm had been owned by six generations, and farmed by nine generations, of Mrs. Spies’ family. The land was claimed by Mrs. Spies’ great-great-grandfather, Jacob Heller, in 1835. The Spies and their children would be the last generation to own the farm, however, as it was being sold to Bob Dahms of rural New Liberty. • Peggy Geary, Pat Jones and Gwen Tombergs were named to the all-Big Bend Conference team for softball. Denise Arp received special mention, and Koreen Knutson, Lynn Schmidt and Karen Hamann were named honorable mention. Aug. 20, 1986 • Agnes Bolte of rural Walcott won a brand-new Chevy S-10 pickup at the Mississippi Valley Fair. Entry stubs for the truck were attached to every Fun Card, and Bolte’s name was drawn before the start of the Tammy Wynette concert. She was pictured with the truck, Fair president Vic Clark, and Pete Pohlmann, general manager of Lujack Auto Plaza. • Doris Dewey of Park View was an up-and-coming comedian. An instructor at a local business college, Dewey used anecdotes and one-liners to put her students at ease. They, in turn, formed the Dori-Dew Fan Club and encouraged her to take to the stage. After performing at Dooley’s in Park View, she was invited to be the headliner at the Comedy Shop at Sebastian’s in Bettendorf. The Dori-Dew Fan Club was encouraging her to aim even higher – they thought she had a shot at appearing on Johnny Carson’s show. Dewey said she believed comedy was an important part of life. “I think God gave us comedy as a survival tactic. How else could you make it through?” • Ninety former students attended the Fairview #3 school reunion, which was held at the Walcott Legion. Former teachers were honored, including Lulu Jepson Kummerfeldt (1926-1927), Ann Speer Dalton (1929), Marguerite Mowry Condon (1919-1931) and Norma Thomsen Parkin (1941-1947). Lee and Martha Kroneberg Polley of Longmont, Colo., traveled the greatest distance to attend. Harold Meyer had the most grandchildren (17) and Leona Puck had the most great-grandchildren (eight). • A new housing complex designed for elderly and disabled citizens on fixed incomes opened in Walcott. Jerry Stierwalt and Vern VanLaarhoven spent four years planning the project, which was built with the help of a Farmers Home Administration grant. “There are so many widows living on Social Security,” Stierwalt explained. “By the time they pay rent and utilities, they’ve got nothing left.” This new residence would allow tenants to pay approximately 25% of their monthly income for rent, with utilities and appliances included. • Don and Carmel McCloskey of rural Davenport welcomed a foreign exchange student from France. Frederique Sors was a native of Bagneaux, located just outside of Paris, and was set to spend a month with the family. So far, she had participated in such American activities as going to the mall and McDonalds and picking sweetcorn. The family also planned to load up the camper and visit the Wisconsin Dells and the Iowa State Fair with their guest. Mrs. McCloskey said the family hoped to one day visit Frederique in France, too. Aug. 22, 2001 • The cost of the LeClaire Road street widening project had ballooned by half a million dollars, and members of the Eldridge City Council were looking for someone to blame. According to city administrator John Dowd, some of the problems were caused by increases in construction costs, as there was a nearly two-year lag in the planning of the project to when it was actually bid. The city also had to purchase easements, which the project engineer originally did not think would be necessary. While an increase in federal funding for part of the project would help with the construction cost increase, there would be no such assistance for the easements. • John and Sandy Bridges planned to close the landmark Bridges Restaurant in Princeton. The couple said they were busy enough in catering jobs that they could afford to close the restaurant. John said the problem was that it was getting to be too difficult to find reliable help for the restaurant. “We feel so bad,” added Sandy. “All our customers are such good friends. It’s hard walking thought the dining room because everybody wants to talk to you. I get crying every time. I’ll be a basket case by Sept. 1.” Most employees of the restaurant would keep their jobs, to help with the catering. • Jon Sievers of New Liberty showed the Reserve Grand Champion in the Iowa State Fair 4-H Market Beef show. The Maine-Anjou steer sold for $13,200 at the Sale of Champions. “It was just and honor and a privilege for Jon to be part of the championship drive,” said Jon’s dad, Bryan. Jon agreed. “When I came out of the ring, my dad just hugged me and said he was proud of me. I just feel very blessed. I had a couple of good steers and it was a great way to end my 4-H career.” • New North Scott staff members included Clint Long, Dawn Rheingans, Shamus Budde, Kelly Mangels, Jenifer Hanson, Nancy Youngbauer, Amy Lenig, Chevelle Abel, Todd Satterly, Stacie Brandle, Mark Anderson, Mike McMann, Cathy Paar, Mark Goodwin, Pam Ancelet, Mike Gronewold, Diane Gere, Ryan Christensen, Carolyn Keck, Laura Vyncke, Kimberly Sprague, Erich Harksen and Joellen DeSanto. • Angie Hartwig, Lisa Kirby, Brook Bowman, Mindy Heidgerken and Allison Erichsen were named first team all-MAC for softball. Anne Wylie, Melissa Yarham and Nikki Ferden were second team selections, and Lauren Schnack, Eden Olsen and Leslie Schnack were honorable mention. Aug. 24, 2011 • Districtwide, the number of students was up at North Scott schools. The largest increases were in the central part of the district, where the K-6 population at Ed White was up 27 and 16 at Alan Shepard. There was a small increase at Neil Armstrong and small decreases at John Glenn and Virgil Grissom. There were also 981 students at the high school and 484 at the junior high, which was down 12 students from the previous school year. Across the district, superintendent Jeff Schweibert said the largest issue was varying class sizes. • Work on the bike trail between Eldridge and Long Grove was well underway. Eldridge city administrator John Dowd said the trail was expected to be completed by the end of September. Eighty percent of the funding came from a federal grant, with the remainder divided between the county and each town. • Presidential candidate and Texas governor Rick Perry paid a visit to Walcott, hosting a meet and greet at the headquarters of the Iowa 80 Truckstop. Perry said his top issues were job creation, deregulation and “we’ve got to get rid of this president’s one-size-fits-all healthcare plan that will destroy America.” • More than 30 volunteers gathered at the Lucky Frog in McCausland to help with an Xtreme Cleanup campaign on the Wapsipinicon River. The event was one of several held across the Quad Cities, including one at West Lake Park, and nearly 35 tons of trash were collected on the day across all events. • Area sportswriters unanimously picked Bettendorf to win the MAC title for football, but North Scott was tabbed for the runner-up spot. “People thing we’re crazy for thinking we can compete for the MAC title, but that’s our goal,” said coach Kevin Tippet. “That’s what the kids believe. That’s what the coaches believe. We aren’t satisfied with anything less than a conference crown and pushing deep into the playoffs. A goal of anything less is selling the kids and community short.” Aug. 18, 2021 • Long Grove residents had plenty to say about a proposed water rate increase, with about 30 attending a council meeting either in person or online. The proposal would see water rates raised from $20.75 to $32.41 per month in 2021, then increase to $44.08 in 2022.The council, which deferred the increase at its Aug. 10 meeting, said it would help fund a new treatment and distribution plant for the municipal water supply. Several residents asked the council to consider selling the water utility to Iowa American Water. Mayor Mike Limberg said this could lead to even higher water rates and a loss of control on water quality. • Eldridge city administrator Lisa Kotter, who had been placed on administrative leave a week earlier, filed a gender discrimination complaint against elected city officials. Meanwhile, the city council authorized an investigation to cost no more than $5,000 to examine a harassment complaint levied against Kotter by another city employee. They also hired retired city administrator John Dowd to serve in the interim of Kotter’s leave. • New North Scott staff included Kelsey Katcher, Anna Maass, Holly Timm, Candice Held, Steve Douthart, Stephanie Peterson, Hailey Gingerich, Faith Abben, Allison Gandrue, Kathleen Kroeger, Heather Obershaw, Ashley DeWispelaere, Ryan Friend, Nicolas Propes, Ashley Rentmeester, Teresa Rossmiller, Andrew Sauer, Sidney Tingle, Isabella Cernetich, Alexandra Felsing, David Hoberton, Holly Hoelting, Spencer Shepherd and Chelsea Tyrrel. “They are an amazing bunch who have a lot of enthusiasm, hearts for kids and are eager to learn. They weill be wonderful additions to our staff throughout the district,” said curriculum director Bernie Brustkern. • The North Scott volleyball team was ranked No. 1 in a pre-season poll by the Cedar Rapids Gazette, and there were high expectations for the team. “I really think we can do great things this year,” said senior Ella McLaughlin. Other seniors on the team included Melena Knutsen, Scout Kirshy, Alyssa Atzen, Peyton Wenck, Gracie Graham and Lexi Richards. • Ryan Campbell and Noah Young were named second team all-state for baseball. Ryan Sanders was a third team selection.      

Democrat State Senators focus on the issues

Snapshot of Iowa government 2026.  Flat tax sounds good, especially if you are wealthy.  But it doesn't pay the bills.  Not good in a farm economy with ag leaders warning six years of hard times for farmers. Another tax law in the works would make it easier to pass higher sales tax than higher income tax.  Taxing sales instead of income would be yet another tax break for the wealthy because when income exceeds your living expenses, the excess income would be tax free. Iowa public schools have been under funded every year of the current administration.  We can only imagine what our once cutting-edge university might have contributed to Iowa's water safety and cancer problems.  Public schools have also been weakened by diverting tax dollars from public schools to church schools (most private schools in Iowa are church schools).  Public schools are the great equalizer, a goal of democracy.  Tax dollars levied for public schools must not be diverted.  Laws that limit abortion deny equal rights.  When equal rights for some are denied, all of our rights are susceptible.  Laws banning books in a literate society? Saving democracy will take mass turnout and unity in November’s election.  My vote:  Iowa Governor, Rob Sand, popular two-term State Auditor, well known for honesty and integrity; U.S. Senate, Josh Turek, a giant of personal strength that would certainly be a shot in the arm to the impotent U.S. Senate; U.S. House, Christina Bohanan, with record of voting people first.   Mary Tomsche Long Grove

Deeply disappointed by disregard for fire department

I am deeply disappointed, that a handful of council members, and the Mayor, feel they have the right to make decisions for the entire Eldridge community. This should have been decided by the residents of Eldridge, not a handful of people. I sure hope these individuals are trained in fire and rescue because the lives and residences of Eldridge will be left in their hands come Oct. 1. And the losses of lives and properties will be contributed to their need to control, instead of caring about the residents of Eldridge lives and livelihood. This disastrous decision will haunt them. I want to thank the firefighters and rescue for taking care of our town for so many years. You have sacrificed your time with your families to keep us safe. We appreciate what you did for our community. God bless all of you. Your experience, knowledge, and love for your community has not gone unnoticed by the people of Eldridge. Thank you. We stand with you in your decision.   Diane M. Davis Eldridge

Hinson talks debt, spending at Iowa Des Moines Register Soapbox

Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says Republicans and Democrats are to blame for the country’s debt.

Man accused of shooting Muscatine County Sheriff's deputy facing 2 attempted murder charges

Mark Lee Jackson was on the run for over two days after police say he fired at police and deputies during a pursuit.

Catch Disney on Ice Magic in the Stars at Vibrant Arena

Disney On Ice returns to the Vibrant Arena in Moline with this year’s show, Magic in the Stars from December 3-6. Showtimes on December 3 and 4 are at 7 p.m. Showtimes for December 5 are at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Showtimes for December 6 are at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. [...]

Shriners to host parade in Davenport Saturday during convention

The Shriners will host a parade on Second and Third Streets in Davenport on Saturday

Charges filed against suspect in Muscatine shooting

The man, alleged to have shot at two officers, injuring one, is facing multiple felony charges, including two counts of attempted murder of a peace officer.

Bettendorf High School recognized as FAFSA Focused School of Achievement

Bettendorf High School (BHS) has been recognized as a FAFSA Focused School of Achievement by the Iowa Department of Education Bureau of Iowa College Aid for its work to help students and families complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). BHS’s goal was to have 55% of its seniors complete the FAFSA and [...]

Illinois commission surveying residents on reparation policies

Since 2021, the African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission (ADCRC) has been tasked with preserving African American communities, developing vocational centers, ensuring economic equity policies, and creating an Illinois Slavery Era Disclosure Bill. Currently, the commission is seeking resident input through September 6th.

What healthy aging really looks like in 2026

What healthy aging really looks like in 2026Age is just a number, or so people like to say. While the line carries a little comfort, few people are asking for extra birthdays if those years make it harder to get out of a chair or keep the routines that make a day feel normal.Most people want enough strength to move through ordinary tasks and enough mental sharpness to keep making their own decisions. And those hopes are helping push the concept of healthspan into the center of healthy aging research, while also changing what people expect from the wellness information they choose to trust.One definition of healthspan is the “period of life spent in good health, free from the chronic diseases and disabilities of aging.” As more people look for guidance they can use in daily life, companies working within evidence-based wellness are focusing on advice built around mobility and daily function, rather than anti-aging promises.As NutraBio explains below, the benefits of healthy aging extend beyond personal goals, since longer lives ask more from families and from the systems built to support them.Why Healthy Aging Is Becoming a Public Health PriorityHumans are living longer than ever, and the sheer number of people growing old at once is reshaping how governments and health systems plan for the years ahead.The World Health Organization projects that 1 in 6 people worldwide will be age 60 or older by 2030, with the global 60-plus population rising to 1.4 billion. The United States will reach its own milestone by 2034, the first year on record when adults over 65 will outnumber children under 18.But while longer lives reflect real progress, researchers who study healthy aging have found that extra years have not brought strong health for everyone. Many older adults now spend later decades managing chronic conditions that make daily tasks harder to do without help.And those limits often appear inside homes first, then move into hospitals and primary care offices when needs become too complex to manage alone. Health researchers point to this strain as the reason to focus on delaying decline before it takes away the independence people are trying to keep.Healthspan vs. Lifespan: What's the Difference?Researchers who study aging tend to separate two ideas that most people treat as one. Lifespan counts the total years a person is alive, and healthspan counts only the years spent in good health, free of chronic illness and major disability. The space between those two figures is where most of the hardship sits, and it runs close to ten years in many wealthy countries.Federal and World Health Organization estimates put the average American's healthy years near 66, well short of a lifespan that now stretches past 77. And those lost years are exactly what worries Tim Peterson, who runs a startup focused on healthy aging. He told Time in 2023 that living to 100 loses its appeal if the last 30 are spent in poor health.Mayo Clinic regenerative medicine specialist Andre Terzic has made a similar point in the Time article, noting that longer life can carry a cost when more years do not come with better health. That is why scientists have started favoring healthspan as the sharper measure, since it looks at the daily function people are trying to keep.The Daily Habits Consistently Linked to Healthy AgingAfter age 60, muscle strength often starts to fall faster than people expect, so researchers place movement near the center of any serious discussion about healthy aging.Exercise physiologist Stacy Sims, speaking at Stanford’s Healthy Aging 2026 conference, pointed to the larger stakes, noting that building muscle later in life can support heart health and brain function. And that link between the body and the brain runs through sleep as well, since the deep hours of rest open a drainage system that clears out the waste tied to memory loss.But a mind worn down by poor sleep struggles to hold off the same stress that keeps blood pressure high and slowly weakens the body's defenses against infection. And all of that strain grows heavier when people carry it alone, which is where researchers have found the greatest danger of all.Steven Crane, sharing national survey data at the same conference, reported that 41% of Americans feel lonely at least sometimes. He described social connection as a biological necessity rather than a comfort, tied directly to how long and how well a person lives. While none of these habits are expensive or new, the research keeps making them harder to dismiss.Why Nutrition Remains a Cornerstone of LongevityAging changes so much of how the body handles daily life, and digestion is one part that many people overlook.Older bodies do not absorb and use nutrients as efficiently, so eating at 70 the way a person ate at 40 can leave them short on what keeps muscle and daily function in place. Protein moves closer to the center here; aging muscle responds less efficiently to a meal and needs steadier support to stay strong.Researchers studying longevity and sarcopenia have spent years returning to meals built around vegetables, beans, whole grains, and fish rather than any single miracle food. And that research also helps explain why nutrition holds up best as a daily practice instead of a short burst of discipline.Healthy food choices made often enough, and long enough, tend to shape later life in ways people only fully recognize once strength and recovery start to slip.The Rise of Personalized Preventive HealthTechnology has come a long way from where it began, and a wristband that used to count steps now maps sleep stages and flags an irregular heartbeat before a person feels a thing. Cardiologist Matthew Tomey of Mount Sinai calls these tools a source of more data, with the real question being how people read it and the context they put it in.Blood testing has followed the same path, and lower prices now let people order their own lab panels online and track markers like inflammation and blood sugar over time. But Tomey cautions that chasing every small change can breed anxiety and push people toward tests they never needed.More data has not yet proven to make most people healthier, and the numbers earn their keep only when they lead back to the ordinary habits already known to work.Healthy Aging In the WorkplaceRetirement no longer marks the same clean break from working life that many employers once anticipated. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures put workers 55 and older at 23.2% of the American workforce in 2026, close to a quarter of all U.S. employees.John Rowe, a geriatrician and professor of health policy at Columbia University, recently noted that older adults make up about 14% of the population while accounting for roughly half of all healthcare spending. And employers often carry much of that cost directly.Harvard aging researcher David Sinclair and economists writing in Nature Aging calculated that a single added year of healthy life expectancy is worth $38 trillion to the economy.Aging Well Is Built on Everyday DecisionsEveryone grows old, though how a person gets there is the part science has learned to influence. Longevity research is moving away from the search for a cure for old age and toward the biology of preservation: the work of keeping muscle from wasting and brain cells talking to one another deep into later life.Nathan LeBrasseur, who directs the Kogod Center on Aging at the Mayo Clinic, notes that despite the long search for a magic pill, it is physical activity and daily nutrition that shape how well people age. And Stanford professor Rachele Pojednic reached the same conclusion at the school's Healthy Aging conference, saying there are no magic bullets and that health has to be looked at as a whole system.How a person eats, moves, and rests throughout their 40s and 50s often determines how freely they live in their senior years.This story was produced by NutraBio and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

Back the Blue Flight to honor two Gold Star law enforcement families

Two local Gold Star law enforcement families will be honored during the upcoming 2026 Quad Cities Back the Blue Flight on September 9 to Washington, D.C. This year's flight will include family members representing two fallen officers from both sides of the Mississippi River: Chief Terrence Engle of the Hampton Police Department and Detective Sergeant [...]

S. Korea stresses US alliance amid confusion over Trump drill cut

Lee's comments Tuesday come as many South Koreans remain baffled and concerned about U.S. President Donald Trump's abrupt order to "substantially reduce" military exercises with South Korea.

I-80, IL-40 shut down after semi hits overpass

A portion of I-80 and IL-40 is shut down after a semi hit the IL-40 overpass on Tuesday.

3 Things to Know | Quad Cities morning headlines for Aug. 18, 2026

A store in Monmouth is reopening after severe summer storms tore the roof off the store, and Rock Island officials are unveiling a new marker for Dred Scott.

That extra bedroom could cost more than $20,000 a month

That extra bedroom could cost more than $20,000 a monthA bigger house usually means a bigger price tag. But the difference buyers actually feel is the monthly payment. In some cities, another bedroom increases an estimated monthly housing payment by just $16. In others, it could add more than $20,000.To understand what an extra bedroom really costs, Lower analyzed more than 1 million active single-family listings from its real estate portal Movoto, across 255 U.S. cities with populations of 100,000 or more. The July 2026 analysis compares median list prices for two-, three-, four-, and five-bedroom homes within the same markets, then translates those price differences into an estimated monthly mortgage payment using a 30-year fixed mortgage, current property taxes, and homeowners insurance.Nationally, moving from two bedrooms to three adds an estimated $648 to a monthly housing payment. The jump from three to four adds about $764, while moving from four to five adds roughly $812. Those monthly figures answer one key question for buyers: not what a bigger home costs at closing, but what it costs every month.Key FindingsMoving from a two-bedroom home to a three-bedroom home adds an estimated $648 to a monthly housing payment nationwide. While it carries the smallest dollar increase, it's the biggest affordability hurdle, requiring a median 35.3% jump in home price.Moving from a three-bedroom home to a four-bedroom home adds an estimated $764 per month nationwide. The typical purchase-price premium is $115,100, or a 30.4% increase over the median price of a three-bedroom home.Moving from a four-bedroom home to a five-bedroom home adds an estimated $812 per month nationwide. It carries the largest typical price premium ($123,005), but the smallest percentage increase (25%) because buyers are already shopping at higher price points.Location matters as much as bedroom count. The same bedroom upgrade adds as little as $16 per month in Peoria, Illinois, and as much as $20,991 per month in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, underscoring how dramatically costs vary by market. Lower The Move from Two to Three Bedrooms is the Biggest LeapThe first move up from a starter home requires the biggest percentage stretch. Every move after that adds more dollars, but at a smaller share. Local market conditions account for the remaining differences. Home prices, property tax rates, and insurance costs differ enough by city that the same upgrade can cost next to nothing in one market and a small fortune in another.Moving from a four-bedroom home to a five-bedroom home carries the largest premium of the three, $123,005, and the largest monthly increase, $812. But relative to what a buyer is already paying, the move from two bedrooms to three bedrooms is the steeper climb: a median 35.3% increase, compared with 30.4% for three bedrooms to four bedrooms and 25% for the move from four bedrooms to five bedrooms.Where Another Bedroom Comes With the Biggest Monthly Bill Lower High-cost coastal markets dominate the rankings, where moving up one bedroom often means purchasing an entirely different tier of home.Fort Lauderdale tops them all. Its four-to-five bedroom premium, $3.1 million at the purchase-price level, is the largest of any city and upgrade in the study. Monthly, that's an estimated $20,991, more than many buyers pay for an entire mortgage elsewhere in the country.How the Math Works: Carlsbad, CaliforniaCarlsbad, California, shows what happens when home prices, taxes, and insurance all stack on top of one another. The median jump from a two-bedroom home to a three-bedroom home is an extra $900,000, which translates to an estimated $5,662 more every month. Lower Where an Extra Bedroom Has the Smallest Monthly Impact Lower In several Midwestern markets, home prices stay low across every bedroom tier, so the gap between them stays low, too. Adding a bedroom in these markets costs $16 to $39 a month. For buyers in these markets, going bigger is a matter of preference, not budget.One Bedroom, Two Wildly Different BudgetsIn Peoria, Illinois, adding a fifth bedroom raises the monthly payment by about $16. As noted above, in Fort Lauderdale, the same upgrade adds an estimated $20,991 a month.Across the cities in this study, the cost of the exact same bedroom upgrade ranges from pocket change to a payment that could carry a mortgage of its own, depending on where you're shopping.Location MattersThe gap between Peoria and Fort Lauderdale is extreme, but it points to something true almost everywhere: where you shop changes the math as much as which bedroom you're adding. Lower Where Three Bedrooms Cost Less Than TwoSometimes another bedroom is actually cheaper. In 19 cities in the study, the typical three-bedroom home is listed below the median price of a two-bedroom home.That's not a sign that an extra bedroom subtracts value. It's a sign of what's on the market. In these cities, the two-bedroom listings skew toward pricier properties, different neighborhoods, and different lot sizes and ages than the three-bedroom homes listed alongside them. Lower It's the Payment, Not the PriceA bigger home comes with a bigger price tag, but the monthly payment is what buyers ultimately have to budget for. While national averages provide a useful benchmark, this analysis shows that where you buy matters just as much as how much space you're adding. In some cities, it adds just a few dollars to a monthly payment. In others, it can reshape a household budget entirely.Data and MethodologyLower analyzed more than 1 million active single-family home listings from Movoto by Lower, captured on July 15, 2026, to measure the typical cost of moving from a two-bedroom home to a three-bedroom home, from three bedrooms to four, and from four bedrooms to five across U.S. cities.The analysis included 255 cities with populations of at least 100,000 and a minimum of 10 active listings in each bedroom tier. One-bedroom homes were excluded because many markets did not have enough listings for meaningful comparison.For each city, Lower compared the median list price of each bedroom tier to calculate both the dollar and percentage premium for adding one bedroom.Estimated monthly housing payments assume a 30-year conventional fixed-rate mortgage at 6.250% with a 5% down payment and include principal and interest, property taxes, and homeowners insurance. Property tax estimates are based on effective tax rates from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey. Homeowners insurance estimates are based on average annual premiums from The Zebra.Monthly payment estimates were calculated for the 251 cities with complete property tax and homeowners insurance data.This analysis reflects current listing prices rather than final sale prices and does not account for differences in square footage, lot size, age, condition, or other property characteristics.This story was produced by Lower and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

AI in risk management: Practical applications and considerations

AI in risk management: Practical applications and considerationsRisk data is expanding faster than teams can manually structure, score, and act on it. As organizations scale, traditional risk management processes built around scattered artifacts become difficult to sustain. Artificial intelligence is helping many teams address these challenges—particularly, turning fragmented systems into a more continuous, data-driven risk management program.‍There’s tremendous potential for using AI in risk management by improving efficiency and reducing the risks associated with human oversight and subjective judgment. However, AI is not just an add-on automation layer. It provides the most value when embedded across the full risk life cycle. This guide from Vanta, an agentic trust platform, explores how to use AI to close visibility and decision-making gaps in your risk management program.Why traditional risk processes fall shortTraditional risk management primarily relies on spreadsheets and manual workflows, with some ad hoc or custom tooling for tracking controls, tickets, etc. This is reflected in the 2026 State of GRC report by GRC Engineer, which found that 59% of governance, risk, and compliance practitioners rely on spreadsheets, custom tools, open source, or nothing.This approach makes risk management slow, point-in-time, and often guided by subjective judgment. Key limitations include:Consistent risk scoring: Many teams lack a consistent logic for evaluating risk likelihood and impact, making risk scores difficult to compare and act on.Delayed reporting: Reporting is often retrospective, offering a hindsight view of exposure. By the time reports are compiled and reviewed, the underlying risk may have shifted. The result is delayed responses, ineffective prioritization, and unchecked gaps that could escalate.Tool sprawl and fragmented data: Vendors, controls, incidents, and remediation are managed across disconnected systems that don’t share context. This means teams frequently work with outdated data and duplicate efforts by manually reconciling updates. Critical signals between systems often get lost in alert fatigue.‍The root problem is fragmentation across identification, scoring, remediation, and reporting. Each step of the risk management life cycle operates in isolation with no real-time view of risk—and that’s where AI can bring cohesiveness.‍How AI fits into the risk management life cycleEmbedding AI into risk management helps you move away from patchwork tooling and fragmented processes. Unlike rules-based automation, which only automates individual processes, AI embedded across the life cycle can help connect all phases of the risk management life cycle into a unified, continuous system.How this can work across phases:IdentificationScoringMitigation trackingReporting ‍Phase 1: IdentificationRisk identification in traditional GRC typically relies on periodic assessments and manual reviews. Depending on cadence, this can leave long windows for new threats and control gaps to emerge. Risk signals can also be fragmented across systems, vendors, and internal emails, so an assessment might fail to surface a risk until it materializes.With AI embedded in this phase, you can use integrations and configurations to automatically surface risks from control failures, drifts, vendor data, and system activity in real time. This speeds up responses and also reduces signal noise if you set up filtering based on prioritization.‍Additionally, AI can take unstructured signals such as tickets, conversations, and audit notes, and convert them into draft risk entries. This capability has a particularly strong impact on third-party risk assessments.For example, GRC solutions offer built-in AI and automation capabilities that can analyze control statuses, vendor questionnaires, and related documents to surface risks and identify gaps in near-real time. This kind of visibility can be very useful if you need to align with regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), where ongoing oversight of third parties for data governance and privacy risks is critical. These solutions can also help:Detect risks from shadow tools in your systemsAuto-populate your risk register with newly mapped risksPhase 2: ScoringHistorically, risk scoring relied on static or inconsistent risk models. It often came down to stakeholder judgment, subject to individual bias. AI can replace subjective scoring with consistent evaluation of likelihood and impact using risk signals, organizational context, asset sensitivity, and past trends, such as control drifts and vendor incidents. This gives executive teams defensible scoring criteria backed by cross-system evidence.AI-enabled risk management platforms now offer customizable risk-scoring models to tailor scoring dimensions to the organization's risk profile.‍Phase 3: Mitigation trackingMitigation tracking is usually relegated to spreadsheets, which creates fragmented, decentralized oversight. Teams have no visibility into potential blocks, such as when treatment efforts stall. Rather than tracking remediation as isolated tasks, AI can help map mitigation to owners, progress status, and risk reduction outcomes.‍AI can help highlight when a mitigation activity begins to lose momentum. Many systems surface paused or overdue tasks, unresolved dependencies, or unclear ownership.‍This visibility is further enhanced by centralized dashboards that provide access to audit findings, remediation work, incidents, and other core risk data, clarifying accountability and preventing duplicative remediation efforts for the same risk.One of the biggest shifts with AI capabilities is that you can actually maintain a continuous loop between mitigation and risk scores. Seeing risk values drop immediately after mitigation helps leadership understand whether your risk management strategy is delivering measurable return on investment.Phase 4: ReportingTraditional risk reporting means stakeholders sifting through data from multiple teams and systems. This data is then translated into a format suitable for the intended audience, adding another layer of effort. Additionally, by the time the reports reach the leadership, some of the variables influencing decisions may have changed.In contrast, AI draws information from the entire life cycle to generate live risk reports on demand. AI can summarize relevant risks for different audiences, so teams can filter results by the specific business context they care about. This can work with both technical and nontechnical insights—technical teams can use granular details that support their tasks, while leadership can explore high-level trends.AI-supported reporting is generally faster and more actionable. It's also a good area to experiment with—different teams have different preferences for format and narrative style.‍Why AI alone doesn’t fix risk managementWhile AI can notably improve your risk management program, it’s not a holistic fix. AI is not a replacement for weak program maturity or poor governance standards. It can support teams with workflow automation and data processing, but only when implemented with proper structure and transparency.“Risk teams are typically more open to using AI when there are clearly defined usage policies and processes stress-tested over a period of time,” explained Vanta’s Jill Henriques, go-to-market GRC subject matter expert. “The goal is to support enterprise risk management within the organization’s boundaries, not introduce another difficult-to-govern system.”In practice, AI tends to amplify the strengths and weaknesses of your existing risk management program. If you rely on periodic, compliance-oriented risk assessments, AI can become a liability by reinforcing inconsistent processes and disconnected data.On the other hand, if your program is mature, AI enhances efficiency, visibility, and scalability, making it easier to expand your business within your risk appetite and tolerance levels.Leading risk management solutions can help you build a structured risk management program and implement AI into your workflows in a consistent, controlled manner. Search for a platform with features such as automated risk identification, risk scoring, and agentic vendor risk reviews, to help you operationalize AI-driven risk management without sacrificing governance and oversight.AI in risk management: Governance challenges to plan forIf you’re using AI for your risk management program, plan for the following potential challenges:Defensible risk scoring: AI risk detection and scoring should be grounded in transparent logic and supporting evidence. Maintaining reliability requires continuous oversight and recalibrations.Algorithmic bias: Incomplete and unbalanced risk data can produce skewed outcomes. For example, incomplete control mappings and outdated vendor information can lead to incorrect AI outputs.AI security posture: AI tools often handle sensitive information, creating additional exposure points. Implement measures such as role-based permissions, least-privilege access, and approval workflows to reduce the risk of exposure.Explainability: AI decision-making tools that handle risk management must have transparency and explainability baked in to avoid "black box decisions." Hidden logic or bias can unintentionally skew results.This story was produced by Vanta and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

Fall Tree Planting: Expert Guidance for Optimal Growth

(Feature Impact) Fall is the perfect season to celebrate trees as they transform the world into vibrant shades of red, orange, green and gold. You can do more than just admire existing trees – because in many areas, fall is also an ideal time to plant new ones.   While spring is often seen as peak planting season, experts say cooler weather and autumn rains provide ideal conditions for seedlings to retain moisture and establish their root systems gradually before winter dormancy, improving their future ability to adjust to summer heat and drier conditions.   According to the Arbor Day Foundation, planting trees offers many benefits for the planet, wildlife and humans alike. From an environmental perspective, they help filter air and water, remove pollutants from the soil, slow storm surge and nurture biodiversity. Plus, access to nature can reduce stress and increase opportunities for outdoor recreation, improving overall health and well-being in your community.   This autumn, use these expert tips from Eric North, program manager of urban forestry and ISA-certified arborist at the Arbor Day Foundation, to plan your fall tree planting and add a few new hues to your local landscapes.   Choose the Right Tree Setting your trees up for success starts with choosing the right species. Before ordering seedlings, take time to identify species that are well-suited to your local climate, soil conditions and planting site. Also consider the tree’s mature height and how far the canopy will spread – it won’t stay small forever, so make sure you can give it space to grow.   Think About Timing Although you can technically plant trees until the soil is too frozen to dig a hole, it’s best to schedule your fall tree planting at least six weeks before the ground freezes so the seedlings have time to adapt before winter. If you’re unable to plant your trees immediately after getting them, you can store them in a cool, dry place, making sure the roots stay damp, for up to five days before putting them in the ground.   Don’t Dig Too Deep A tree planted too deep may develop root and trunk problems that can affect its long-term health. Instead of digging deep, go wide to encourage roots to spread outward. Dig a hole roughly 3-4 times wider than the root system but no deeper than the root itself. When you put the tree in the hole, the root flare (where the trunk meets the roots) should sit level with the soil or slightly above it.   Mulch with Care Adding 2-3 inches of mulch in a layer around the base of the tree can help insulate the soil and roots, retain moisture and suppress weeds. However, be careful to keep the mulch a few inches away from the trunk itself so you don’t create a “mulch volcano” that traps moisture against the bark.   Water Frequently Cozy autumn rainstorms might share some of the workload here, but when the forecast looks clear, it’s up to you to water your newly planted seedlings. Keeping the soil consistently moist allows a young tree’s roots to stay hydrated and continue growing. Precise care instructions will depend on the type of tree and your location but expect to thoroughly water your trees about once a week until the ground freezes.   Protect Against Wildlife Small trees are vulnerable to damage from local wildlife like deer and rabbits, who may chew on bark or snap fragile branches. Installing a protective fence or breathable tree guard can help safeguard trees until they’re older and more capable of withstanding scavenging from hungry critters.     Join the Cause with Trees Research from the Arbor Day Foundation’s Canopy Report shows most Americans want to live in neighborhoods with more trees, but only a minority report having planted a tree in the past year. However, if you’re feeling inspired to plant trees in your yard this fall, the organization is ready to help.   New members who join during the nonprofit organization’s fall membership drive will receive 10 free trees suitable for their region, along with clear instructions on how to plant and care for them. Whether you’re a first-time planter or a seasoned friend of the forest, you’ll receive ongoing support to ensure success in your efforts to grow a greener world.   “People understand how important trees are for their communities, their health and the environment,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Many just need a simple way to get started. Our fall membership drive puts trees directly into people’s hands and gives them the confidence to plant trees successfully.”   The foundation has engaged tree planters in more than 90% of all American neighborhoods, thanks in large part to the organization’s membership drives each planting season. This fall, more than 2 million new trees are expected to be distributed.   To sign up and choose your 10 free trees, visit Arborday.org/GetTrees, where you can also find additional advice on tree planting, care and more.

4 hábitos diarios para mantener un cerebro sano y mejorar la función cognitiva

(Feature Impact) Su cerebro trabaja mucho por usted, así que lo justo es devolverle el favor practicando hábitos sencillos todos los días para mantener fuerte y saludable a este importante órgano.   Empiece por ajustar su rutina diaria para concentrarse en estos cuatro hábitos.   Dele prioridad al sueño Dormir bien es fundamental para el buen funcionamiento del cerebro. Si nota que ha adquirido el hábito de acostarse más tarde de lo que debería o que su sueño se interrumpe durante la noche, esas son señales de que conviene revisar sus rutinas saludables para dormir. Empiece por establecer un horario fijo para acostarse y despertarse que le permita dormir las 7 a 9 horas recomendadas. Convierta su habitación en un refugio cómodo, alejado del mundo: manténgala fresca y oscura, y coloque ventiladores o máquinas de ruido si los necesita para calmar la mente. Evite consumir cafeína o alcohol muy cerca de la hora de dormir y pruebe cambiar las pantallas por un libro cuando llegue el momento de relajarse.   Coma de manera inteligente Igual que el resto del cuerpo, el cerebro se nutre de los alimentos. Entre sus favoritos están las opciones ricas en grasas saludables, como el pescado, el aguacate, el aceite de oliva y los frutos secos, además de verduras como las hojas verdes, que aportan carotenoides, y frutas como las uvas, que brindan antioxidantes y otros polifenoles.   Combine varios de estos poderosos alimentos que benefician al cerebro con esta receta de tostada de aguacate con uvas de California y sardinas. El pescado es rico en ácidos grasos omega-3 y el aguacate aporta grasas insaturadas saludables, mientras que las uvas de California añaden flavonoles protectores de la dieta, que pueden ayudar a promover una actividad antiinflamatoria y antioxidante beneficiosa.   Un estudio publicado en la revista científica “Neurology” encontró que un mayor consumo de ciertos flavonoles – incluidos tres que se encuentran de forma natural en las uvas – está asociado con una disminución del 48% en el riesgo de desarrollar demencia por Alzheimer.   Manténgase en movimiento Como una prueba más de que lo que es bueno para el cuerpo es bueno para la mente, hacer ejercicio con regularidad es una de las mejores cosas que puede hacer por su cerebro. Motívese eligiendo una forma de movimiento que realmente disfrute, ya sea una caminata diaria por un sendero natural cercano, una clase de baile, un paseo en bicicleta o un video de ejercicios que le acelere el pulso.   Estimule su mente No olvide darle a su cerebro su propia sesión de ejercicio. Hacer algo mentalmente estimulante todos los días es una excelente manera de mantener la mente ágil, y hay muchísimas ideas para elegir. Pruebe aprender un nuevo idioma, tocar un instrumento musical, jugar un juego de cartas o de mesa que ponga la mente a trabajar, armar un rompecabezas, leer un libro o sumergirse en un proyecto de escritura creativa o de arte. Las opciones son casi infinitas y, si quiere que su cerebro esté aún más feliz, puede comer puñados de uvas mientras disfruta de su pasatiempo.   Conozca más sobre la relación entre las uvas y la salud cerebral y descubra más recetas en GrapesFromCalifornia.com.     Tostada de aguacate con uvas de California y sardinas Tiempo de preparación: 10 minutos Porciones: 4   1 aguacate grande, firme y maduro, cortado por la mitad y sin semilla 4 rebanadas pequeñas de pan rústico integral (1/2 pulgada de grosor), tostadas o asadas 1 envase individual de sardinas en aceite de oliva o en agua, escurridas 1/2 taza de uvas de California rojas y negras cortadas en cuartos hojuelas de pimiento de Alepo cilantro fresco, picado 1 mitad de limón amarillo sal (opcional)   Con una cuchara, saque la pulpa del aguacate y macháquela ligeramente con un tenedor. Extiéndala sobre las rebanadas de pan y coloque encima las sardinas enteras o desmenuzadas. Distribuya las uvas sobre las sardinas. Termine con una generosa espolvoreada de pimiento de Alepo, cilantro, un chorrito de limón fresco y sal, si lo desea.   Información nutricional por porción: 290 calorías; 11 g de proteína; 29 g de carbohidratos; 16 g de grasa (50% de las calorías provienen de la grasa); 2.5 g de grasa saturada (8% de las calorías provienen de la grasa saturada); 20 mg de colesterol; 210 mg de sodio; 6 g de fibra.

Qué buscar al considerar un préstamo personal con garantía de auto

(Feature Impact) Muchos estadounidenses siguen sintiendo la presión de los gastos cotidianos en aumento. Algunos recurren a tarjetas de crédito y otras opciones costosas, como préstamos sin garantía, para cubrir gastos imprevistos, manejar una brecha temporal en el flujo de efectivo o incluso pagar lo básico como comestibles y gasolina.   Para estas personas, un préstamo con garantía de auto puede ofrecer otra alternativa para quienes son dueños de un vehículo y buscan una forma más accesible de obtener fondos.   A diferencia de un préstamo personal sin garantía, un préstamo con garantía de auto utiliza un vehículo como colateral. Esto puede ayudar a los prestatarios a calificar para montos de préstamo más altos, con mejores tasas de interés y condiciones de pago más flexibles.     Sin embargo, no todos los préstamos son iguales. Si está considerando un préstamo con garantía de auto, aquí hay seis características que el prestamista responsable Oportun sugiere que los prestatarios prioricen al evaluar sus opciones.   1. Términos transparentes y fáciles de entender Un prestamista responsable explicará claramente la tasa de porcentaje anual (APR) del préstamo, el monto del pago mensual, el calendario de pagos, las tarifas y el costo total a lo largo del tiempo.   Los prestatarios también deben comprender qué sucede si no puede realizar un pago y qué opciones pueden estar disponibles si las circunstancias financieras cambian. La información clara ayuda a los consumidores a tomar decisiones informadas con confianza.   2. Pagos asequibles y predecibles El mejor préstamo es aquel que se adapta cómodamente a su presupuesto. Busque pagos mensuales fijos, condiciones de pago razonables y la posibilidad de liquidar el préstamo anticipadamente sin penalizaciones. Tenga cuidado con los productos que dependen de refinanciamientos repetidos o renovaciones de préstamos que pueden aumentar los costos con el tiempo.   3. Alternativas de menor costo a los préstamos de día de pago Cuando surgen gastos inesperados, algunos consumidores recurren a formas de crédito de alto costo, como los préstamos de día de pago, porque suelen promocionarse como rápidos y fáciles de obtener.   Un préstamo responsable con garantía de auto puede ofrecer una alternativa más accesible, con tasas más bajas y condiciones de pago diseñadas para ayudar a los prestatarios a reembolsar con éxito lo que piden prestado en lugar de quedar atrapados en un ciclo de deudas. Asegúrese de comparar tasas entre distintos tipos de préstamos y prestamistas.       4. Flexibilidad y sólida atención al cliente La vida no siempre sale como se planea. Los prestatarios deben buscar prestamistas que ofrezcan herramientas prácticas de administración de cuentas, opciones de pago flexibles y acceso a representantes de atención al cliente bien informados. La posibilidad de obtener ayuda cuando se necesita puede marcar una diferencia significativa durante la vida del préstamo.   5. Oportunidades para generar historial crediticio Un préstamo puede hacer más que resolver una necesidad financiera inmediata. Muchos prestamistas responsables reportan la actividad de pagos a las principales agencias de crédito, lo que permite a los prestatarios construir o fortalecer su historial crediticio mediante pagos consistentes y puntuales. Con el tiempo, un perfil crediticio más sólido puede abrir la puerta a oportunidades financieras adicionales.   6. Prácticas responsables en el uso de la garantía Antes de solicitar un préstamo con garantía de auto, es importante entender cómo un prestamista maneja la garantía. Los prestamistas responsables usan el vehículo para ampliar el acceso al crédito. No ofrecen crédito como un atajo para quedarse con su vehículo. Busque prestamistas que ofrezcan asistencia en casos de dificultades económicas y trabajen con los prestatarios que enfrentan reveses financieros antes de iniciar acciones de cobro. El embargo del vehículo siempre debe ser el último recurso.   Cómo elegir el socio de préstamo adecuado Si está considerando un préstamo con garantía de auto, asegúrese de que el prestamista que elija respalde estas seis prácticas. Los prestamistas responsables diseñan sus productos para ayudar a las personas a acceder a fondos para necesidades a corto plazo y mejorar su salud financiera a largo plazo.   Por ejemplo, Oportun ofrece préstamos personales con garantía de auto con precios claros, diseñados para ayudar a los miembros a acceder a crédito asequible y pagarlo a tiempo para construir un futuro financiero más sólido. Desde su fundación, el prestamista ha otorgado más de $22 mil millones en crédito responsable y asequible, ha ayudado a más de 1.3 millones de personas a establecer un historial crediticio y ha ahorrado a sus miembros más de $2,500 millones en intereses y tarifas.   Al enfocarse en prestamistas que priorizan la transparencia, la accesibilidad, la flexibilidad y resultados exitosos de reembolso, los prestatarios pueden encontrar un préstamo con garantía de auto que satisfaga sus necesidades financieras actuales y futuras. Descubra más información visitando Oportun.com.     Fotos cortesía de Shutterstock

Muscatine shooting suspect charged with 2 counts of attempted murder of a peace officer

Felony charges were officially filed against the man who is accused of shooting a Muscatine officer on Friday.

When does refinancing a car loan make sense? 5 scenarios to consider

When does refinancing a car loan make sense? 5 scenarios to considerFinancing a car can be a confusing experience, and it often leads drivers to choose a deal they later regret or overpay on. Refinancing their auto loan has emerged as a way for drivers to get some of that money back each month. The total value of refinanced car loans reached $3.4 billion at the start of 2026, up 79% from two years earlier, according to Experian, a sign that more Americans are catching on to the savings sitting in their driveway. But not everyone knows how refinancing works or whether it makes sense for them.Caribou breaks down five ways auto refinancing can support bigger financial goals. A lower monthly payment is often the first thing drivers think of, but it's just one of several possible outcomes. Depending on the offer, refinancing could help a driver reduce interest, pay off a car sooner, create more room in their monthly budget, or put money toward another financial goal.1. Reduce the cost of your car loanA lower annual percentage rate (APR) means less of each payment goes toward interest. Depending on your balance and remaining loan term, that could lower your monthly payment, reduce your total interest, or help with both.A better rate may also give you the option to choose a shorter term while keeping your payment close to what you pay today. That could help you finish the loan sooner without placing significantly more pressure on your monthly budget.2. Pay off your car soonerRefinancing isn’t only about finding the lowest possible payment. Some drivers use a lower rate to shorten their repayment timeline.That’s what Ohio driver Phillip Semple said was his motivation for refinancing. “My big thing was dropping the interest rate so I could pay off the loan faster, which will work out a lot better for me long term.”A shorter term could help you become debt-free sooner and reduce the amount of interest you pay. Compare the new payment with your current budget so you know the amount will remain manageable from month to month.3. Create room for everyday expensesCar payments compete with groceries, utilities, insurance, childcare, gas, and other regular expenses. Lowering the payment could give your monthly budget more breathing room. In Caribou’s 2026 survey of 2,000 auto loan borrowers, if they could save $150 a month on their car payment, 56% of respondents said they’d use it to cover everyday expenses like gas and groceries.The amount may feel small at first, but consistent monthly savings could make it easier to cover changing costs without relying as heavily on a credit card or dipping into savings.4. Put more toward higher-interest debtIf refinancing lowers your car payment, you could redirect the difference toward debt with a higher interest rate.For example, someone who saves $100 a month on a car payment could apply that $100 to a credit card balance. The car refinance doesn’t eliminate the other debt, but it could free up money to help pay it down faster.Omar Pena, a car owner from California, said a "beginner level" credit history meant he got a higher rate at the dealership. Now he's using the extra money from refinancing to tackle other debt and build his credit. “The savings will definitely help me pay off my other credit cards, which is going to help me reach my credit goals.”5. Build savings for what comes nextMonthly savings could also support a future goal. That might mean building an emergency fund, preparing for college costs, planning a trip, or saving toward a down payment on a home.Joshua Piechur, who refinanced his Hyundai Santa Fe, explained how he’s using the extra funds for travel. “I have plans to go to Peru next summer to do hiking, and the savings will be for the trip.”The key is to give the savings a purpose. An automatic transfer to a separate savings account could help turn a lower car payment into steady progress.When refinancing may not make senseRefinancing can be helpful, but it’s not the right choice for every borrower.It may not be worth it if you’re already close to paying off your loan. At that point, you may not have enough remaining interest to save much by refinancing.It may also be risky if you owe more than your car is worth. This is often called being upside down or having negative equity. If that’s your situation, lenders may be less likely to approve the refinance, or the new loan may not improve your financial position.Refinancing may also not make sense if the only way to lower your monthly payment is to stretch the loan much longer than you are comfortable. It can help in the short term, but it may increase the total amount you pay in interest.If you recently bought your car, timing can matter, too. Some borrowers may be able to refinance soon after purchase, but it helps to understand how soon you can refinance a car loan before applying.How to know if refinancing is worth itTo decide whether refinancing makes sense, compare your current loan with the new offer side by side.Look at:Current APR vs. new APRCurrent monthly payment vs. new monthly paymentRemaining loan balanceNew loan termTotal interest you’d payAny fees tied to the new loanThe lowest monthly payment isn’t always the best deal. A refinance offer may lower your payment by extending the loan, but that could mean paying more interest overall.To get a clearer picture, compare the full cost of the loan, not just the monthly savings. Use a refinance calculator to estimate how much you may be able to save on your car loan.Can you refinance with bad credit?It may still be possible to refinance with bad credit, but your options could be more limited. Lenders may offer higher rates, stricter terms or require certain vehicle and income qualifications.If your credit has improved even a little since you first got your loan, refinancing may still be worth checking. But if your credit has dropped, waiting and working on your score first may help you qualify for a better offer later.Look beyond the monthly paymentRefinancing your car loan may make sense if it helps you get a lower rate, lower payment, shorter term or better loan setup. It can also help if your credit has improved.But don’t make the decision based on the monthly payment alone. Compare the APR, loan term, fees and total interest before choosing a new offer. The right refinance should make your loan easier to manage without costing you more than necessary.This story was produced by Caribou and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

The hard problem of chatbot safety: Whose blind spot is bigger?

The hard problem of chatbot safety: Whose blind spot is bigger?People are increasingly treating AI chatbots as friends, confidants and therapists, and they’re turning to them in the mundane and tough moments of their lives. This phenomenon hasn’t come without consequence: intense conversations with chatbots have regularly been linked to mental health spirals, and in some cases to suicide and murder.According to data shared by OpenAI in October 2025, over a million people explicitly express suicidal intent to ChatGPT every week, and at least half as many show “possible signs of mental health emergencies related to psychosis or mania.” And while the way people are using AI chatbots has been shifting dramatically, according to the 2026 annual analysis in Harvard Business Review, there is one consistency: Therapy and companionship have remained the top use case for AI chatbots overall.A growing field of startups is building safety infrastructure for high-risk chatbot conversations — both for general-purpose chatbots and those designed specifically to act as therapists, AI friends and everything in between. Some, like mpathic, are founded by clinicians themselves, while others, like Circuit Breaker Labs, are being built by rising tech entrepreneurs looking to tackle today’s problems. Both startups agree that explicit indicators of mental health crises aren’t the issue; a filter catches those. Rather, they’re focused on subtle linguistics and how interactions build over time.“What is more of the problem isn't just the one word,” Grin Lord, a clinical psychologist and CEO and founder of mpathic, told The Infinite Loop by Nebius. “It's the behavioral pattern of what we call a multi-turn interaction, where someone may leave bread crumbs.”While mpathic is going all-in on human creativity to pressure test models for mental health safety, Circuit Breaker Labs is fully betting on autonomous AI. Both think the opposing approach eventually hits a wall.The AI approachLaunched in 2025 by the sister-and-brother team Shirali Nigam and Arul Nigam, Circuit Breaker Labs built an agentic “red-teaming” system that pressure-tests chatbots, hunts for hidden mental-health vulnerabilities, and acts as a check on AI labs’ work.“For some reason, in this industry, safety is just taken at face value from the developers. And I think a lot of these big companies are taking efforts to make sure that their products are safe, but it's really hard to see your own blind spots,” said CEO Shirali Nigam.The system is designed for continuous monitoring, running daily on models that are already in use to ensure they don’t “drift,” referring to the tendency of large language models (especially “wrappers” built on top of foundation models) to lose predictability and slip their guardrails over time. According to Shirali Nigam, the company worked with clinical advisors to understand how mental health conversations emerge in the real world, and to determine which areas AI should be evaluated on and what remediations are necessary when it fails. They specifically focus on linguistic nuances in users’ language that can slip past AI models’ safety detection systems, testing with slang and differing ways people might express the same sentiment. Even typos pose a huge risk and can easily allow alarming conversations to bypass models’ safety guardrails, said Nigam.When the system detects a vulnerability, it automatically goes deeper and compiles insights on the detected gaps. The company then provides customers with regular reports detailing what to fix, usually on a monthly basis. The key, as Nigam sees it, is that the evaluation runs continuously, made possible by the bandwidth of using AI agents.“Because it's an API that's autonomous, you can run like hundreds of thousands of test cases with it,” she said. “So just in terms of capacity of how much manual red-teaming a group could do, versus this, you can look at a lot more breadth.”The human approachAt mpathic, Lord points to the same issues around slang and dialect, which she says present significant challenges for younger users. Mpathic’s red-teamers test models in different English subcultures, in other languages, and across generational and topical registers, she said. In particular, they look for how AI models respond to subtle signals that may not clearly indicate cause for alarm when taken in isolation, but paint a worrying picture altogether.“If we can demonstrate a trajectory, a behavioral pattern where the model is missing things over and over again in a short, but not single talk-turn, that's a concern,” said Lord, with “talk-turn” referring to each time either the human user or chatbot responds.But rather than AI, the company — which was founded in 2021 — is relying on over 5,000 curated experts to do so, most of whom are licensed clinicians. Lord described her human red-teamers as “endlessly creative” and working almost like actors, constantly coming up with scenarios you wouldn't think of but that are entirely plausible. Some work in a more methodical way, developing a plan to build a rapport with a model and then push it in specific ways. However, she said the most revealing discoveries are like “pulling on the thread of a sweater” — when you’ve already gotten to know a model, and then it starts behaving in a totally unexpected way. Ironically, the most surprising behaviors they discover arise when people try to improve a model, and then a behavior that was solved for becomes a problem again.Mpathic is starting to use AI for red-teaming in minor ways, which Lord described as “kind of cloning our creative folks on things that are more known, and that we've repeated over and over.” But she thinks this approach has serious limits, and that humans who can adaptively red-team are required.“I think the problem with that…is it just runs out,” she said, referring to agentic red-teaming. “You can only do so much with an auto eval or an eval set. You've done enough training, and then you kind of need the next piece of data. They're not infinite.”The disagreement between the two approaches has no clear answer — and maybe there isn't one. Maybe this is an area where AI and humans need to work together.This story was produced by The Infinite Loop by Nebius and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

UPDATE: South Bluff Boulevard, Clinton, will reopen to traffic as other work progresses

Beginning Wednesday morning, Aug. 19, 2026, South Bluff Boulevard - between 2nd Avenue South and 5th Avenue South - will be reopened to traffic in Clinton, a news release says. Traffic will remain head-to-head through this area until additional work can be completed. Once South Bluff Boulevard is reopened, South 9th Street will be closed [...]

Bettendorf interim superintendent outlines priorities for new school year

New Bettendorf superintendent focuses on students as school year begins

Mr. Bubble celebrates 65 years of bubble baths with massive smash cake

Sorry, but your browser does not support the video tag. var bptVideoPlayer = document.getElementById("bptVideoPlayer"); if (bptVideoPlayer) { var cssText = "width: 100%;"; cssText += " background: url('" + bptVideoPlayer.getAttribute("poster") + "');"; cssText += " -webkit-background-size: cover;"; cssText += " -moz-background-size: cover;"; cssText += " -o-background-size: cover;"; cssText += " background-size: cover;"; bptVideoPlayer.style.cssText = cssText; var bptVideoPlayerContainer = document.getElementById("bptVideoPlayerContainer"); if (bptVideoPlayerContainer) { setTimeout(function () { bptVideoPlayerContainer.style.cssText = "display: block; position: relative; margin-bottom: 10px;"; var isIE = navigator.userAgent.match(/ MSIE(([0 - 9] +)(\.[0 - 9] +) ?) /); var isEdge = navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Edge") > -1 || navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Trident") > -1; if (isIE || isEdge) { fixVideoPoster(); } }, 1000); } var bptVideoPlayButton = document.getElementById("bptVideoPlayButton"); if (bptVideoPlayButton) { bptVideoPlayButton.addEventListener("click", function () { bptVideoPlayer.play(); }, false); bptVideoPlayer.addEventListener("play", function () { bptVideoPlayButton.style.cssText = "display: none;"; }, false); } var mainImage = document.getElementById("mainImageImgContainer_sm"); if (mainImage) { mainImage.style.cssText = "display: none;"; } var mainImage = document.getElementById("photo-noresize"); if (mainImage) { mainImage.style.cssText = "display: none;"; } var assetGallery = document.getElementsByClassName("asset_gallery")[0]; if (assetGallery) { assetGallery.style.cssText = "display: none;"; } var assetGallery = document.getElementsByClassName("trb_article_leadart")[0]; if (assetGallery) { assetGallery.style.cssText = "display: none;"; } var assetGallery = document.querySelectorAll("[src='https://d372qxeqh8y72i.cloudfront.net/8929b6fb-46d5-44cc-8548-ffbad06e3271_web.jpg']")[0]; if (assetGallery) { assetGallery.style.cssText = "display: none;"; } } function fixVideoPoster() { var videoPlayer = document.getElementById("bptVideoPlayer"); var videoPoster = document.getElementById("bptVideoPoster"); fixVideoPosterPosition(videoPlayer, videoPoster, true); window.onresize = function() { fixVideoPosterPosition(videoPlayer, videoPoster); }; videoPoster.onclick = function() { videoPlayer.play(); videoPoster.style.display = "none"; }; videoPlayer.onplay = function() { videoPoster.style.display = "none"; }; } function fixVideoPosterPosition(videoPlayer, videoPoster, display) { setTimeout(function () { var videoPosition = videoPlayer.getBoundingClientRect(); videoPoster.style.position = "absolute"; videoPoster.style.top = "0"; videoPoster.style.left = "0"; videoPoster.style.width = videoPlayer.offsetWidth + "px"; videoPoster.style.height = (videoPlayer.offsetHeight + 20) + "px"; if (display) { videoPoster.style.display = "inline"; } }, 1010); } (BPT) - Key takeawaysMr. Bubble, America's favorite bath-time buddy, is turning 65.On July 23, the company threw a "Smash & Splash" Birthday Bash to celebrate this milestone.Guests enjoyed a nearly 2,000-pound cake made by none other than celebrity chef and television personality Duff Goldman. Afterward, guests were invited to cool off in oversized bubble-filled sprinklers and take part in hands-on activities.What's better than a giant smash cake? How about a bubble-filled celebration that makes cleanup part of the fun?For 65 years, Mr. Bubble, America's favorite bath-time buddy, has turned bath time into playtime for generations of kids. From his signature bubble-gum-scented bubbles to his extra-gentle, dye-free formula, Mr. Bubble has the best hypoallergenic bubble bath for kids of all ages.On July 23, more than 100 kids and their families gathered in Baltimore for the "Smash & Splash" Birthday Bash, where celebrity chef and television personality Duff Goldman unveiled a nearly 2,000-pound birthday cake inspired by the iconic first birthday smash cake tradition.Kids jumped into the cake and covered themselves with frosting before racing through oversized bubble-filled sprinklers, proving that cleanup can be even more fun than making a mess. The event also featured hands-on STEAM activities, doodle walls, bubble play and larger-than-life fun for children of all ages.How to make bath time fun anytimeYou can bring the energy, creativity and joy of the Smash & Splash event home. How? Try some of the following ideas to turn a hygienic chore into a bubble-filled funfest.Add color and fizz. The next time you're at the store, have your kids pick out a few bath bombs in different colors, scents and sizes. When it's time to get clean, let them drop one into the tub and watch them delight in the color and fizz.Pump up the jams. Get ready to play DJ! Ask your kids to pick out their favorite tunes and create a playlist for bath time. It's a great way to learn your kids' favorite music and expose them to some of the classics from your youth as you rinse and sing along.Give your little artists a canvas. Bath time can be an opportunity for self-expression. Using bath crayons, your child can decorate the tub and walls with their masterpieces. You can also consider getting a can or two of foaming soap, so they can create silly shapes on the wall or float them on the water.Bath time doesn't have to be boring. To learn more about how you can make an ordinary bath into an extraordinary experience, visit MrBubble.com.

10 reasons your thermostat may be reading wrong

10 reasons your thermostat may be reading wrongDo you find yourself constantly adjusting the temperature on your thermostat, only to find the temperature still seems off? If so, it might be time to check for performance issues.Your thermostat is the heart of your HVAC system. It’s responsible for keeping your home comfortable by providing accurate temperature readings and regulating the temperature. When problems creep in, your thermostat may read the wrong temperature, leading to discomfort and higher power bills. HomeServe shares 10 of the most common reasons your thermostat is reading the wrong temperature and what you can do about it.1. Dust BuildupOne of the most common reasons your thermostat is reading the wrong temperature is dust buildup. Over time, household dust, dander and debris can accumulate on the sensor, which lies near the bottom of the device. Dust can interfere with the ability to obtain correct readings. At least once a month, remove or open the cover of your thermostat and gently clean the sensor with compressed air or a soft brush to keep it clean.2. Faulty SensorA faulty or malfunctioning sensor can also cause you to get incorrect temperature readings. Make sure to schedule annual HVAC maintenance to identify any potential problems. In such a case, you must replace the sensor or the entire thermostat.3. Outdated ModelLike any other appliance in your home, your thermostat will age and become outdated, which can lead to inaccurate readings. Older models may not function as well as newer models. In addition, a new thermostat may come with advanced features, such as smart home integration, that allow you to control the temperature from anywhere. You can even receive notifications when there’s a problem with the system. If you have an outdated thermostat showing the wrong temperature, replacing the thermostat might be a good idea.4. Improper PlacementThe correct placement of your thermostat is important if you expect it to function correctly. Drafts, sunlight and even placing a new lamp near the device can cause it to start reading the wrong temperature. Make sure your thermostat is installed in a central location away from potential problems.5. HVAC System IssuesA sudden increase in your energy bills might indicate an issue with your HVAC system, which in turn may cause your thermostat to display incorrect readings. Check for dirty air filters, blocked vents or leaky coolants. Regular heating and air conditioner maintenance is one of the best ways to prevent this from happening. You should also immediately address issues with your heating and cooling system to prevent bigger problems down the road.6. Malfunctioning ThermostatOver time, your thermostat may malfunction due to internal issues or normal wear and tear. Most devices will last 10 to 20 years, or at least for the lifespan of your HVAC system. If you have an older unit and are always troubleshooting, such as replacing the batteries and checking for loose wires, it might be time to shop for a modern device.7. Calibration IssuesFor maximum performance, your thermostat must be calibrated correctly. Calibration ensures the thermostat accurately reads the correct temperature. Refer to the owner’s manual of your thermostat on how to recalibrate the device. Newer models usually offer instructions on how to maintain accurate readings. Try placing a thermometer close to your thermostat to see if you get the same reading. If it’s off, you may need to schedule an appointment with a professional.8. Extreme Temperature ChangesOlder homes with poor insulation may experience sudden changes in temperature, especially as the seasons change. Drafts and hot or cold air leaks can cause your thermostat to display inaccurate temperature readings. Increase the insulation around doors and windows and eliminate any drafts. Use thicker curtains and install weather strips to help keep the temperature inside your home consistent.9. Damaged ConnectionsOld wiring and loose connections interfere with your thermostat's ability to work properly. If your thermostat is reading the wrong temp and you suspect damaged connections or you’ve ruled out other issues, try shutting off the power to your thermostat. Open the cover and inspect the wiring. Look for damaged or loose connections. If you’re unsure how to fix it, consult an HVAC technician for repairs.10. Dead BatteriesMost thermostats are hardwired into your circuits. However, some operate off battery power. When the batteries start to die in the device, it may display incorrect temperatures. Always use long-lasting batteries, such as lithium batteries, and be sure to replace them every six to 12 months.If Your Thermostat Is Still Showing the Incorrect TemperatureFinally, there are a few less common reasons your thermostat isn't reading the temperature correctly. These include other power issues, such as loss of power in your home, and an undersized HVAC system.This story was produced by HomeServe Editorial and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

Pennsylvania elections could look very different if Democrats win full control of state government in 2026

Pennsylvania elections could look very different if Democrats win full control of state government in 2026The movement to change voting laws in Pennsylvania is all but dead, Votebeat reports.Despite bipartisan support for changes in Harrisburg, no major election bill has become law since the state implemented no-excuse mail voting in 2020. The issue has become deeply partisan since then. Bills routinely pass either the GOP-controlled state Senate or Democratic-controlled state House, then wither in the other chamber. And a board meant to advise the legislature on bipartisan solutions sits idle.But could that change if Democrats win a state government trifecta — control of the state Senate, state House, and governorship — this fall? And what policies would they prioritize?Republicans have controlled all three for stretches in recent decades, most recently from 2011 to 2014. During that period, they passed a major voter ID requirement that was ultimately overturned in court. Democrats in Pennsylvania, meanwhile, haven’t held both chambers and the governorship since 1993. Even then, the trifecta lasted just one year.But a path, though difficult, exists for Democrats to regain unified control in November’s midterm elections.Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro leads state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, his Republican challenger, by more than 20 points in several recent polls.Democrats would also have to maintain their narrow majority in the House and flip the Senate, where Republicans currently hold a 27-23 majority. That would require them to retain a seat they flipped in Lancaster County last year and pick up new ones in potentially vulnerable districts in the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia suburbs.Democrats have reason to think those seats are within reach. Conventional political wisdom holds that when a sitting president has low approval ratings, the opposing political party tends to have a good year in the midterms.If Democrats succeed, they could have an easier time passing election law changes that have eluded them in recent years.They may also face political pressure from their base to go further and pursue the kind of partisan mid-decade redistricting that other states under single-party control, like Texas and California, have recently undertaken.Pennsylvania Democrats showed their election priorities this legislative sessionDemocrats have made it clear during this legislative session where their election priorities lie.Last May, the state House passed an omnibus election bill sponsored by Democratic Speaker Joanna McClinton that would have significantly reshaped Pennsylvania elections.The bill would have established true in-person early voting, instead of the current, time-consuming process of requesting and casting a mail ballot at a local election office; mandated at least two mail ballot drop boxes in every county; and required counties to adopt electronic pollbooks by 2027.It also would have given counties more time to prepare mail ballots for counting before Election Day. Advocates say this preparation, known as pre-canvassing, leads to faster election results. The state House also recently passed pre-canvassing as a stand-alone bill.Earlier this month, at a rally for voting rights in the state capitol, McClinton again called on the state Senate to consider her omnibus bill.“We’ll have everything necessary so that we can continue to lift up our voices in this democracy,” she said of how things would look if her bill passed.State Sen. Jay Costa, the Senate minority leader, responded to McClinton’s call on X, saying Senate Democrats were ready to take up the bill. But the bill hasn’t come up for a vote in the Republican-controlled Senate because GOP leaders have insisted that any election legislation include expanded voter ID requirements.Asked how the election policy conversation would change under a Democratic-led Senate, Costa highlighted many of the issues covered in McClinton’s bill as well as other Democratic priorities: pre-canvassing, drop boxes, electronic pollbooks, preregistering voters who will be 18 by Election Day, early voting, and same-day voter registration.He also mentioned opening up Pennsylvania’s primaries to independent and third-party voters. It’s a proposal that has been gaining some bipartisan traction in recent years.“We want to make it easier for people to vote, but also have a system that has integrity,” Costa said.Costa added that if Democrats pass these proposals next session, they would also try to provide counties with funding to implement them.McClinton’s bill also included funding to help counties implement the changes. It would authorize up to $60 million in bonds for new equipment, provide $2 million for electronic pollbook vetting and approval, and designate about $100,000 annually, plus benefits, to pay a new staffer.Would election changes be a priority for Democrats?Should Democrats win a trifecta, they would surely have a lot of things other than election policy on their wish list. But Kyler Miller, a former Democratic Senate staffer who now works as a policy advocate with the nonpartisan group Protect Democracy, thinks that election legislation would be fairly close to the top — perhaps even in the top three.Miller said President Donald Trump’s attacks on voting have elevated the issue for Democrats, pointing to the Department of Justice’s attempts to obtain election materials and voter rolls, as well as threats to reject unfavorable election results.“That playbook that is being deployed against American elections is very much a top issue for the Dems and their electorate,” he said. “People have fought for years for the right to vote, and it’s being slowly eroded over time by the administration and the Supreme Court.”Miller agreed that a Democratic trifecta would likely focus on passing priorities they’ve already identified, such as pre-canvassing and codifying certain court rulings.State courts in recent years have required counties to use a system that notifies mail voters if election officials determine their ballots will be rejected due to a fixable error. They have also affirmed voters’ right to have a provisional ballot counted if their mail ballot is rejected. Voting rights advocates cheered both decisions, but both advocates and jurists have expressed frustration that the legislature did not clarify those ambiguities itself.Miller also said the state should provide more funding for election officials’ safety and training, given the exodus of experienced local officials in recent years.Could Democrats try to redraw Pennsylvania’s congressional map?With full control over state government, Democrats would also have the ability to redraw Pennsylvania’s congressional map to better advantage their party.The current map, selected by the state Supreme Court in 2022 after a partisan deadlock in the legislature, elected 10 Republican representatives and seven Democrats to Congress in 2024. However, it’s possible to draw a map with as many as 12 or 13 safely Democratic seats.Over the past year, several other states, including Texas and California, have redrawn their congressional lines as part of an unprecedented spate of mid-decade gerrymandering.Last year, Shapiro said he was not pursuing mid-decade redistricting and called Texas’s redraw “shameful.”A spokesperson for Shapiro’s campaign didn’t respond to questions about whether Shapiro would pursue partisan redistricting if Democrats won a trifecta or what specific election law priorities he would pursue. But press secretary Sam Reposa said in a statement that the Republican grip on power has been an impediment to election law changes more broadly.“For over 30 years in the majority, Senate Republicans have stood in the way of more progress we could be making in the Commonwealth,” Reposa said, specifically citing “passing key reforms to protect our democracy.”Erica Clayton-Wright, a spokesperson for state Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, responded in an email that Senate Republicans are the “last line of defense” protecting taxpayers on a variety of issues, including “safeguarding elections.”“Pennsylvanians know [Democratic] policies are detrimental to positioning our Commonwealth for growth, which will prevent a trifecta in Pennsylvania,” she said.Even if a Democratic trifecta did redraw Pennsylvania’s congressional map, it would likely face a court challenge. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that partisan gerrymandering violated the state constitution when it threw out a GOP-drawn congressional map.This story was produced by Votebeat and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

Why concerts are so expensive now and how to save

Why concerts are so expensive now and how to saveWhether you’re looking to see pop stars, rock bands, or one of the many other artists touring this summer, you’ve probably noticed that tickets are super expensive right now.High prices for everything from groceries to gas have been an issue for years now, but concert tickets can put an especially large hole in your wallet. The average concert ticket last year was roughly $133, according to data from Pollstar — well above the $96 average ticket in 2019. And it’s not just the ticket that’s expensive: Transportation, food at the venue, outfits and merchandise all add up.“Thankfully, there are several ways music lovers can catch their favorite musicians without paying a fortune,” says shopping expert Trae Bodge. Current, a consumer fintech banking platform, shares what to know and how to save.Why are concerts so expensive right now?After the pandemic-driven closures, experts say people rushed to enjoy live sports, theater and music. Their excitement led to high spending — a phenomenon named “funflation.” Mega-popular tours like those from Taylor Swift and Beyoncé also encouraged people to travel across the country and even overseas to catch a show.Demand isn’t likely to slow down. Goldman Sachs analysts expect live music to grow at a 7.2% compounded annual growth rate between 2024 and 2030, driven in large part by millennials and Gen Z. “The live music industry shows resilience in times of economic uncertainty,” the analysts wrote. “Spending on live music in the U.S. has, in fact, grown during recent recessionary periods.”Meanwhile, the concert industry uses dynamic pricing, so more demand means higher prices. There’s also inflation, and the fact that resale tactics are getting more sophisticated.How to save on concert ticketsDespite the high prices, there are ways to save on concert tickets.1. Look for discounted ticketsDiscounted and early tickets are often made available to fans, Bodge says. You can gain access to these tickets by following your favorite musicians on a platform, like Spotify, and joining an artist’s fan club. Your other service providers, including phone carriers like T-Mobile and Verizon, will regularly offer perks to their customers, such as special discounts, she adds. You can also check with your credit card carrier for exclusive discount offers or pre-sale windows.2. Wait until closer to the showIf you’re open to taking a chance, waiting can pay off. Resale prices don't fall on a fixed schedule, and changes often depend on demand and how much inventory remains as the show nears, says Margaux Elias, senior communications associate at SeatGeek, a ticket platform and marketplace. On average, SeatGeek concert tickets cost about 45% less when bought day-of versus six months out, with most of that softening happening in the final two weeks, she says (though she adds that buying the night before typically isn’t cheaper than doing so the day of).But keep in mind that high-demand or sold-out shows rarely get cheaper and can just as easily hold firm or rise, so waiting only reliably pays off for shows with softer demand, Elias says.Buying on a certain day of the week probably won’t make a difference.“For concerts, surprisingly little changes by day of the week,” Elias says. “Unlike sports, where weekend shoppers can find clear discounts, concert resale prices barely move.”The gap between the cheapest day to buy (Thursday) and the most expensive (Sunday) is only about 3%, SeekGeek reports. That means for concert fans, timing relative to the show date is what really drives savings, not which day of the week you shop. You can use platforms like SeekGeek to monitor for price drops.3. Go in personIf you typically buy your tickets online, you may be familiar with how quickly processing and other types of fees can add up. But you can avoid some of those fees by heading straight to the box office.If you’re buying for friends, check beforehand to see if there are limits on the number of tickets you can buy.4. Plan aheadUnlike utilities and food, concert tickets are a discretionary purchase. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy them, but it does mean it can be even more important to budget, plan and not overspend.Consider setting aside money from each paycheck for short-term fun so that you’re not surprised when a purchase takes a chunk out of your savings. You can even set aside funds particularly for this type of spending in a higher-yield savings account to get the biggest return on your money.This story was produced by Current and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

Will America's soccer boom last? What Google Trends says

Will America's soccer boom last? What Google Trends saysGoogle Trends, which measures relative search interest, hit an all-time high for the term “soccer” during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The upward climb had been building for nearly six months before kickoff and, so far, has shown little sign of slowing down. The question now is how long that momentum can last.Are people finally watching soccer carve out a bigger place in the American sports landscape, or is this just another breakthrough that fades once the domestic sports calendar takes back the spotlight? Bodog shares insights.What 20 years of Google searches revealWith Google Trends, you can see what people are looking for online. Or rather, how specific search terms change in popularity over time. The line going up and down shows the trend, with the biggest spike during the selected period set to 100. In this case, 100 represents the highest relative search interest during the selected time period. Bodog For soccer, looking back over the last 20 years, that peak happened during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.Every other point on the chart then compares against its value. June 2014 came in at 77, meaning search activity reached about 77% of its maximum level. June 2010 hit 59. Both line up with World Cups. But the buzz faded pretty quickly. Within the next six to seven months, interest dropped back below the 20 mark each time. Bodog The 2018 edition didn’t generate much noise, which makes sense, really, given that the USMNT didn’t qualify. Then, in November 2022, search interest reached 47—not a huge number, but still well above the typical range, especially considering the unusual winter schedule and the overlap with the NFL season.The typical lifespan of World Cup interestEvery World Cup creates the illusion that soccer has finally broken through in America. The search data suggests otherwise. Across the last two decades, interest surged dramatically during the tournament, then lost roughly half of its momentum after four to eight weeks. Within six months, it’s almost always back to pre-tournament figures.At the 2014 men's World Cup, for example, Google Trends jumped from a pre-tournament baseline of 23 to 77 in June—the highest pre-2026 peak in the series—as the United States narrowly escaped the "Group of Death." Yet by July, interest had already fallen to 43, only a few days after Tim Howard's record-setting performance against Belgium, before settling near normal levels by August. Bodog The home team won back-to-back World Cups in 2015 and 2019, and those finals drew more than 25 million and 14 million viewers, respectively. Search interest, however, dropped off almost immediately after both tournaments. July 2015 peaked at 35 before slipping to 27 the following month. The same happened in 2019. It reached 40 during the tournament in June, then was down to 21 by August.Broadcast conditions shaped the size of the surge but not necessarily its lifespan. Brazil 2014 and Canada 2015 benefited from television-friendly North American viewing hours, while Australia and New Zealand in 2023 forced marquee matches into dawn broadcasts for U.S. audiences.2026 might break the patternIt’s possible 2026 will be different in that at least some of the soccer fandom this World Cup created will stick and become part of the sport's foundation in the U.S. If anything, it's what the majority of respondents in the latest Ipsos poll seem to believe.The more cautious take is viewing this year's tournament as an accelerator. Jonathan Sperling, associate director of editorial at Columbia Business School, argued that while the World Cup did a great job bringing people in, it's now up to whether the broader U.S. soccer ecosystem—clubs, leagues, broadcasters, and community organizations—can keep them engaged. Here are a few reasons why this could happen:USA '94 was fundamental in helping launch the MLS. This year, there was another World Cup on home soil.Research shows immersive and shared experiences (in this case, the 2026 World Cup) tend to create stronger identification and loyalty.By June 2026, about 25.5 million Americans (8.2% of the population) were playing indoor or outdoor soccer. SFIA says participation continued to rise during the World Cup itself.Soccer betting is now legal across 39 states and Washington, D.C., covering roughly 65% of Americans, up from about 40% during Qatar 2022.Americans embraced prediction markets at record levels, pushing monthly trading volume past $23 billion by April 2026 after it remained below $5 billion throughout most of 2025.More Americans than ever can support a local professional club, with MLS expanding to 30 teams alongside rapid USL and NWSL growth.The MLS no longer relies on one marquee name. Messi, Lewandowski, Griezmann, Müller, De Paul, and now Casemiro all give casual fans familiar faces to follow.Sports streaming services have improved dramatically. Fans can watch every MLS match through Apple TV without blackouts or buying a separate Season Pass.How far will interest fall?Those on the other side of this argument would say not so fast. A person can watch a World Cup match, search for a player, place a bet, attend a fan festival, download a streaming app, and talk about soccer for a month without becoming a regular consumer.There's no question Americans enjoyed the tournament, even with the absurd ticket prices and everything else that came with it, from parking to transportation. But this has happened before. Mega-events rarely create lasting participation on their own. That only happens if the infrastructure is there to keep people engaged. Last year, 67% of parks departments reported insufficient field space, while most sports agencies (82%) said there are huge shortages of volunteer coaches.Now that the World Cup has left town, soccer will go right back to fighting for attention with the NFL, college football, the NBA, MLB, the NHL, and an endless stream of entertainment. Consumer attention is finite, and mega-events temporarily displace—not necessarily replace—existing habits. Proof of this is the previous Google Trends decline after every major tournament.Where things go from hereGoogle Trends doesn't reach back to USA '94. Its role in establishing the MLS, though, is undeniable, so hosting the biggest event in the sport on home soil clearly did something.There's every reason to believe 2026 can have a similar positive impact, and that's without expecting this spike to hang around at the same level.This story was produced by Bodog and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

10th Annual Vettes on the River - Vettes Supporting Vets will roll into LeClaire

FOR VETS, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting veterans, invites Corvette enthusiasts and the public to attend the 10th Annual Vettes on the River – Vettes Supporting Vets from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, along the LeClaire Levee, a news release says. For the past decade, Vettes on the River has brought together Corvette enthusiasts, veterans, families, and the community for a special event celebrating America’s iconic sports car while supporting those who [...]

$3.5B lost to impersonator scams last year: Can you still spot a fake business text?

$3.5B lost to impersonator scams last year: Can you still spot a fake business text?Americans lost $3.5 billion to impersonator scams last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), across every channel, including texts, phone calls and social media. Business impersonation accounted for nearly $1 billion in that total. With AI, those scams are getting harder to spot, and many legitimate business messages now look, to a recipient's eye, identical to a fraudster’s. A growing number of companies now reach consumers through channels that verify the sender’s identity up front, and show proof right in the message. Below, Sinch looks at what it all means on the receiving end.Scammers have taken over your favorite mobile messaging channelsSMS is available on nearly every phone on the planet, with no download, no account, and no internet connection required. 98% of American adults own a mobile phone, Pew Research Center reports, so a text message can reach nearly anyone. That makes it the closest thing to a universal channel.WhatsApp works on a similar scale in many countries: It’s the world’s most popular messaging app, with more than 3 billion people using it every month, according to Meta. Anyone with an internet connection can set up an ordinary WhatsApp account in minutes. Its popularity is also growing in the U.S. In July 2024, WhatsApp passed 100 million monthly active U.S. users.Consumers actively want brands to reach them this way, too. Sinch research found that 58% want the ability to choose their preferred channel when they opt in to hear from a business, and mobile messaging is a real part of that mix: A combined 48% of consumers want to receive promotional offers by SMS or other messaging channels. This expectation is exactly what fraud operations exploit. A scam arriving through a channel where people already expect to receive brand communications starts one step ahead. Sinch No one is off-limits, and the losses keep climbingIn the first half of 2025 alone, WhatsApp shut down more than 6.8 million accounts traced to criminal scam centers, including networks Meta said were using AI-generated messages to reach victims.On the SMS side, the numbers are just as concerning: according to the FTC, Americans reported $470 million in losses to text scams in 2024, more than five times the 2020 figure, despite a decrease in the number of reports. Still, SMS remains one of the best channels for reaching customers on a global scale, which is why fighting “smishing,” or SMS phishing, has become a rising priority for businesses that rely on it.Text scams involving brand impersonations have become familiar in the headlines. In February 2026, a couple outside Houston lost $75,000 in a matter of hours after a text arrived that looked like a fraud alert from their bank. It wasn't.And these scams aren't limited to banks or delivery services and other familiar impersonation scenarios. In 2025, a software company issued a public scam alert after fraudsters began impersonating its employees on WhatsApp and Telegram, using fake documents to disarm suspicion.In June 2026, the FTC itself warned that scammers were posing as its own employees over text and WhatsApp. Some used fake employee IDs, convincing victims to transfer money to protect it from a scam that never existed.AI is erasing the tells people used to rely on to spot scamsUntil recently, brand impersonation had a tell: Scam texts arrived with broken grammar, awkward phrasing, and generic content instead of relevant information. Those signals are disappearing. Generative AI can now produce a scam message in fluent English, or any other language, personalized with details scraped from data breaches or public records, at a volume no human fraud operation could match.The FBI tracked AI-related scams for the first time in its 2025 crime report; it recorded $893 million in losses across schemes involving voice cloning, deepfake video, and AI-generated messages.According to Sinch research, more than half of consumers globally (53%) say they’ve received a legitimate message from a brand in the past year that they initially found suspicious. This means a real brand message might get ignored because it looks like a scam, while an actual scam might get acted on because it no longer looks like one.Verified messaging adds a visible layer of trustThe telecommunications industry hasn’t ignored this problem. In the U.S., businesses already have to register their identity with carriers before they’re allowed to send text messages to consumers at scale. In 2024, over 55 billion scam and spam robotexts were blocked. The CTIA, the industry’s trade group, published its first Messaging Security Best Practices in October 2025, introducing new guidance on consumer consent and wireless messaging abuse. But none of this is visible on the receiving end. To a consumer, a compliant business text might look exactly like a scammer’s.That’s the gap verified messaging is attempting to close. Businesses are increasingly turning to channels like RCS for Business, the technology upgrading text messaging on Apple and Android devices, and WhatsApp Business Platform, both of which require third-party verification to message consumers at high volume.With RCS, a business must register as an official sender agent and have its intended use case approved by its carrier or Google (the company behind RCS), or both, in order to be able to send any message. Apple also began rolling out support for RCS business messaging for iPhone in October 2024. After approval, every message displays proof that the recipient can actually see:The sender’s name, instead of a phone numberOfficial branding, like the brand’s logo and colorsA visible verification tag, confirming the message is coming from a legitimate companyOn WhatsApp, anyone can set up an account on the free standard app or the separate WhatsApp Business app used by small businesses. The WhatsApp Business Platform, however, requires senders to go through a verification process with Meta before they can reach large numbers of consumers. It involves submitting official documents such as a business license or tax registration matching the company's name and address. Once a sender clears that check and has its display name approved, the name appears in the message instead of a phone number, even for recipients who haven’t saved them as a contact. Sinch The blue checkmark can be granted through a separate, additional step, reserved for businesses that Meta deems well-known enough to qualify. That checkmark is the one piece a scammer can't copy: It isn't part of the message, it's assigned by the platform after verification.Verified messaging measurably impacts consumer trust. Seventy-nine percent of consumers globally say a logo and checkmark make a message feel more trustworthy, according to Sinch research. In a three-way test, Sinch asked consumers to pick the version of a verification code message they'd trust most: a basic SMS, a personalized SMS, or an RCS message. RCS was chosen by 59% of respondents. Sinch As for business adoption, Sinch research found that 26% of retailers have already adopted RCS, as well as 49% of financial services companies, and 87% of business leaders across industries are at least familiar with it.Red flags to watch out for, no matter the channelDoes this mean you should stop trusting every message from a business that doesn't have a checkmark? No. More than 200 million businesses use the free WhatsApp Business app, which doesn't require any verification, and 75% of businesses use SMS marketing, according to Sinch. This means that no checkmark isn't automatically a red flag. But here are a few signs that suggest you should think twice before acting on a message:You haven’t signed up to receive messages from this sender (legitimate companies typically ask for opt-in first).It’s pressuring you to share sensitive information or take immediate action.The sender’s WhatsApp profile is blank or shows irrelevant or generic information.You received an unsolicited verification code, without attempting to log in, update your account, or make a payment.Trust in mobile messaging is decided in seconds. As consumers grow more suspicious of everything that lands on their phone, messages carrying visible proof of identity are more likely to be trusted and acted on. This story was produced by Sinch and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

America’s best value public universities in 2026

America’s best value public universities in 2026A university degree is one of the biggest investments many Americans will make, and public institutions are often perceived as the most affordable path toward a higher education. But sticker price alone does not determine value. Outcomes can vary widely by school, meaning some public universities may offer stronger returns for students seeking manageable costs and solid career prospects.SmartAsset evaluated more than 500 public colleges and universities in the United States to identify the best values. Schools with an average cost of attendance — including tuition, books, fees and living expenses — below the median for similar institutions were assigned composite scores based on graduation rates and median earnings 10 years after first enrollment. The 50 highest-scoring schools were named America’s best-value public universities.Key FindingsUniversity of Florida ranks No. 1. The University of Florida, which has an undergraduate student body of approximately 35,000, earned its No. 1 ranking thanks to its 91% graduation rate and median alumni earnings 10 years after first enrollment of $71,588. Purdue University ranks No. 2, followed by Baruch College at No. 3.California has the most ranked institutions. With 11 ranked schools, California has more best-value public universities than any other state. New York follows with eight.Pennsylvania is notably absent. While the Keystone State is home to several prominent universities, none of its public institutions ranked among the best values, making it the most populous state not represented.Even among public universities, some institutions offer a smaller-school experience. While the average university in the ranking has an undergraduate enrollment of 16,348, several smaller schools made the cut, including Western Connecticut State University (3,511 undergraduates), Montana Technological University (1,408), Worcester State University (3,930) and SUNY Polytechnic Institute (1,849). SmartAsset Schools Ranked1. University of Florida (Gainesville, Florida)Cost of Attendance: $22,523Graduation Rate: 91%Median Earnings: $71,5882. Purdue University (West Lafayette, Indiana)Cost of Attendance: $24,591Graduation Rate: 83%Median Earnings: $72,4243. Baruch College (New York, New York)Cost of Attendance: $14,170Graduation Rate: 72%Median Earnings: $75,9714. Cal Poly Pomona (Pomona, California)Cost of Attendance: $23,955Graduation Rate: 68%Median Earnings: $71,9025. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (Socorro, New Mexico)Cost of Attendance: $24,967Graduation Rate: 57%Median Earnings: $76,4896. Iowa State University (Ames, Iowa)Cost of Attendance: $24,018Graduation Rate: 75%Median Earnings: $63,3867. California State University-Long Beach (Long Beach, California)Cost of Attendance: $22,679Graduation Rate: 69%Median Earnings: $64,4038. Florida International University (Miami, Florida)Cost of Attendance: $21,462Graduation Rate: 74%Median Earnings: $60,2499. California State University-Fullerton (Fullerton, California)Cost of Attendance: $18,269Graduation Rate: 70%Median Earnings: $62,95110. University of Central Florida (Orlando, Florida)Cost of Attendance: $23,133Graduation Rate: 77%Median Earnings: $58,30811. University of South Florida (Tampa, Florida)Cost of Attendance: $22,859Graduation Rate: 76%Median Earnings: $57,74312. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (La Crosse, Wisconsin)Cost of Attendance: $19,593Graduation Rate: 71%Median Earnings: $60,37813. Farmingdale State College (Farmingdale, New York)Cost of Attendance: $18,966Graduation Rate: 55%Median Earnings: $69,78114. Sonoma State University (Rohnert Park, California)Cost of Attendance: $24,648Graduation Rate: 59%Median Earnings: $65,98615. North Dakota State University (Fargo, North Dakota)Cost of Attendance: $23,716Graduation Rate: 64%Median Earnings: $62,20316. City College of New York (New York, New York)Cost of Attendance: $14,403Graduation Rate: 56%Median Earnings: $66,03917. University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Charlotte, North Carolina)Cost of Attendance: $23,010Graduation Rate: 68%Median Earnings: $57,28918. California State University-East Bay (Hayward, California)Cost of Attendance: $22,850Graduation Rate: 47%Median Earnings: $71,40119. SUNY Polytechnic Institute (Utica, New York)Cost of Attendance: $23,741Graduation Rate: 57%Median Earnings: $64,35520. CUNY Hunter College (New York, New York)Cost of Attendance: $13,905Graduation Rate: 59%Median Earnings: $63,16321. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (Eau Claire, Wisconsin)Cost of Attendance: $21,705Graduation Rate: 66%Median Earnings: $58,56122. Sacramento State University (Sacramento, California)Cost of Attendance: $22,945Graduation Rate: 56%Median Earnings: $64,87623. University of North Florida (Jacksonville, Florida)Cost of Attendance: $20,983Graduation Rate: 69%Median Earnings: $56,34324. Truman State University (Kirksville, Missouri)Cost of Attendance: $25,115Graduation Rate: 68%Median Earnings: $56,28025. Appalachian State University (Boone, North Carolina)Cost of Attendance: $23,169Graduation Rate: 74%Median Earnings: $51,83626. University of Wisconsin-Platteville (Platteville, Wisconsin)Cost of Attendance: $21,266Graduation Rate: 58%Median Earnings: $61,76027. University of Northern Iowa (Cedar Falls, Iowa)Cost of Attendance: $22,278Graduation Rate: 68%Median Earnings: $55,17728. CUNY Queens College (Queens, New York)Cost of Attendance: $14,367Graduation Rate: 56%Median Earnings: $62,76329. Stanislaus State University (Turlock, California)Cost of Attendance: $19,739Graduation Rate: 56%Median Earnings: $63,18830. Worcester State University (Worcester, Massachusetts)Cost of Attendance: $22,874Graduation Rate: 58%Median Earnings: $60,62431. California State University-San Marcos (San Marcos, California)Cost of Attendance: $21,649Graduation Rate: 54%Median Earnings: $62,90832. Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, Florida)Cost of Attendance: $21,522Graduation Rate: 63%Median Earnings: $56,74633. Fresno State University (Fresno, California)Cost of Attendance: $20,095Graduation Rate: 56%Median Earnings: $61,24434. University of Michigan-Dearborn (Dearborn, Michigan)Cost of Attendance: $24,040Graduation Rate: 57%Median Earnings: $59,64935. Winona State University (Winona, Minnesota)Cost of Attendance: $23,683Graduation Rate: 59%Median Earnings: $58,53236. CUNY Brooklyn College (Brooklyn, New York)Cost of Attendance: $14,151Graduation Rate: 55%Median Earnings: $60,75237. California State University-Channel Islands (Camarillo, California)Cost of Attendance: $23,561Graduation Rate: 52%Median Earnings: $62,15238. California State University-Northridge (Northridge, California)Cost of Attendance: $20,485Graduation Rate: 57%Median Earnings: $59,11539. East Carolina University (Greenville, North Carolina)Cost of Attendance: $23,867Graduation Rate: 62%Median Earnings: $55,14640. California State University-San Bernardino (San Bernardino, California)Cost of Attendance: $17,427Graduation Rate: 55%Median Earnings: $59,97741. University of Wyoming (Laramie, Wyoming)Cost of Attendance: $24,818Graduation Rate: 59%Median Earnings: $56,88042. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (Whitewater, Wisconsin)Cost of Attendance: $18,719Graduation Rate: 62%Median Earnings: $55,35643. South Dakota State University (Brookings, South Dakota)Cost of Attendance: $24,636Graduation Rate: 61%Median Earnings: $55,07044. California State University-Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California)Cost of Attendance: $18,403Graduation Rate: 53%Median Earnings: $59,21145. University of Idaho (Moscow, Idaho)Cost of Attendance: $23,738Graduation Rate: 59%Median Earnings: $54,67046. University of Wisconsin-Stout (Menomonie, Wisconsin)Cost of Attendance: $22,797Graduation Rate: 54%Median Earnings: $58,08447. University of Wisconsin-River Falls (River Falls, Wisconsin)Cost of Attendance: $19,781Graduation Rate: 59%Median Earnings: $54,45848. John Jay College of Criminal Justice (New York, New York)Cost of Attendance: $14,212Graduation Rate: 56%Median Earnings: $56,19549. University of Houston-Clear Lake (Houston, Texas)Cost of Attendance: $24,622Graduation Rate: 51%Median Earnings: $59,00450. Portland State University (Portland, Oregon)Cost of Attendance: $21,590Graduation Rate: 53%Median Earnings: $57,906MethodologyBachelor’s degree-granting institutions listed in the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard were filtered to include public-owned or affiliated schools. Some specialized schools, such as maritime academies and health sciences universities, were omitted. The median cost of attendance for all qualifying institutions was calculated, and those with a cost of attendance for full-time, first-time, degree-seeking undergraduates who receive Title IV aid — including tuition, books, fees, and living expenses — below that median were included in the rankings. Institutions were ranked using a composite score based on graduation rate (pooled) six years after first enrollment and the median earnings of students who received federal financial aid 10 years after first enrollment. All metrics are based on data published in March 2026 and may not reflect current conditions. Source data providers are not affiliated with, and do not endorse or sponsor, this study or its findings.This story was produced by SmartAsset and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

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