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

Friday, June 19th, 2026
	Traffic alert: Lane changes on Dubuque bridge Construction will close the eastbound lane on the US 20 Julien Dubuque Bridge most days, but it will reopen weekdays from 3–6 p.m.
	3 Things to Know \| Quad Cities morning headlines for June 19, 2026 Expect closures heading into this Friday in recognition of Juneteenth. Closures include the Government Bridge for a scheduled cleaning.
	Rock Island County releases identity of man killed in June 18 crash Law enforcement is continuing its investigation of the single-vehicle crash outside Milan, per the county coroner.
	How and why algae clouded Trump's vision for an 'American flag blue' Reflecting Pool The shallow, sunny waters of the reflecting pool are an ideal incubator for algae growth in the summertime. Experts say the recent renovation may have helped accelerate it.
	Algae clouded Trump's vision for the Reflecting Pool. But scientists aren't surprised The shallow, sunny waters of the reflecting pool are an ideal incubator for algae growth in the summertime. Experts say the recent renovation may have helped accelerate it.
	Iowa company to shine bright at LA Olympics Oskaloosa-based Musco Lighting will provide broadcast and presentation lighting for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles and Team USA.
	FDA panel recommends mRNA flu vaccine for older adults Currently, the FDA has no permanent vaccine chief nor a commissioner, so it’s not clear who will make the final decision on Moderna’s flu shot.
	Coroner identifies 79-year-old killed in Milan crash on Knoxville Road A driver died after hitting a tree on Knoxville Road in Milan, the Rock Island County Sheriff’s Office said.
	‘Clothes on fire’ put out in minutes by Muscatine firefighters A “clothes on fire” 911 call led crews to a Muscatine home on Gas Lantern Square. Fire was controlled in seven minutes; no injuries.
	This Pride month, teen flicks are recasting familiar tropes with a queer sensibility Teen movies like She's the He, Girls Like Girls and Leviticus are all turning tropes on their heads by centering queer characters.
	The solution to urban heat is much, much simpler than you think The solution to urban heat is much, much simpler than you thinkJohnny Appleseed was ahead of his time. Not because he fed so many people by planting apple trees (really, he got them drunk instead, as his real goal was encouraging the production of cider), but because he created so much shade to enjoy on hot days. More than two centuries later, American cities are wishing they had better followed Appleseed’s lead, as rising temperatures and a lack of tree cover combine to make urban life increasingly stifling.Two new studies show how simply planting more trees can provide huge temperature benefits, not to mention how the additional plant life would boost biodiversity and improve mental health for urbanites, Grist reports. The first finds that tree cover can cancel half of the heat island effect, in which the urban jungle gets much hotter than the surrounding countryside. The second compares neighborhoods in 65 American cities, finding that canopy-deprived areas suffer up to 40% more excess heat than heavily greened spots.Places like New York and Atlanta and Los Angeles, then, don’t just have to foster and maintain their “gray” infrastructure — roads and sidewalks and such — but their living infrastructure as well. “Heat is already a major public health threat. It kills 350,000 people a year by some estimates, and it’s worse in cities,” said Robert McDonald, the Nature Conservancy’s lead scientist for nature-based solutions and the Europe region, who spearheaded the first paper. “The urban heat island effect would be about double what it is now if world cities didn’t have trees.”By increasing their canopies, metropolises dress themselves like their more comfortable rural counterparts. A vegetated area cools itself both because plants “sweat” by releasing moisture from their leaves, and because trees provide shade. By contrast, concrete absorbs the sun’s energy, driving temperatures up, and releases it throughout the night. That beats back the cooling typically experienced in the evening, meaning urbanites without air conditioning don’t get respite. This is especially dangerous for vulnerable groups like the elderly, and it’s one reason heat kills more Americans every year than all other extreme weather events combined.Such conditions are especially dangerous for those living in lower-income neighborhoods, which tend to have significantly less tree canopy than richer areas. In industrialized areas, for example, vast stretches of concrete absorb and radiate heat. In urban centers, policymakers may have prioritized building dense housing without incorporating ample tree cover. Compare that to the suburbs, which have plenty of parks, curbside trees, and yards to cool things down.The differences in greenery between neighborhoods translate into striking differences in temperatures. The second study calculated this “cooling dividend,” or the difference in the average urban heat island in areas with low and high canopy cover. It found gaps reaching almost 4 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’re lucky enough to live where there are lots of trees, you might experience 20% to 40% less excess heat. The report found that this is playing out regularly across the U.S. “I think what maybe was surprising is that there was a dramatic amount of consistency,” said Steve Whitesell, executive editor at the Healthy Green Spaces Coalition, which authored the report. “In other words, they were all showing an impact.”The trick is not just planting enough trees, but planting the right kind. The biggest species provide the most shade, of course. But more cryptically, some provide more evaporative cooling than others — drought-adapted trees, for instance, try to retain as much water as they can. A neighborhood might also want to prioritize food production, opting for trees that create both shade and fruit. Favoring native varieties will also help support native animal life, like birds and pollinating insects.Climate change, though, is complicating these calculations. Even in rural areas, without the added temperatures of the urban heat island effect, some places are getting so hot that native plants are moving north in search of cooler climes. Within cities, they are blasted with still more heat — and temperatures will only climb from here. So urban arborists aren’t just planting species that will thrive today, but will survive the climate of tomorrow. “I think that for us to use trees as a type of living infrastructure, that can counter those increased temperatures, is paramount,” said Edith de Guzman, a cooperative extension researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, who studies urban heat but wasn’t involved in either study. “I think it’s pretty much the most important thing we can do.”But trees alone can’t save urbanites. McDonald’s study found that even if cities planted as many as possible, it would only offset 20% of the potential running up of temperatures due to climate change. Designers will have to deploy other techniques, like reflective rooftops, to manage the heat. That’s especially important in poorer nations, whose cities are rapidly growing but have much less tree cover than richer countries, the study found. “It’s just to say that climate change is a big enough challenge that while planting more tree cover helps with temperatures, it won’t do the job by itself,” McDonald said.Urban areas have been here before, McDonald added. As the Industrial Revolution kicked in, people in overpopulated metropolises would have to travel to the countryside to glimpse greenery. An exception was London, with its many publicly available green spaces, which Paris took as inspiration when it essentially rebuilt itself in the 1800s and made room for massive parks. Today, planners are similarly bringing some of the country back into the city, blurring the lines between rural and urban. “We know how to increase tree cover, if we put our minds to it,” McDonald said. “But it takes effort and time.”This story was produced by Grist and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Here’s why Utah has become one of America’s surprising plastic surgery hot spots Here’s why Utah has become one of America’s surprising plastic surgery hot spotsBillboards flank the freeway, encouraging you to “love thy selfie.”On television and social media, “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Jessi Draper openly discusses the work she’s had done: four breast procedures, a labiaplasty, a nostril reduction, and several other facial surgeries, one of which she is not happy with. Heather Gay, one of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake,” estimates she’s spent $200,000 on cosmetic procedures.Everywhere you look, it seems there are fuller lips, lifted faces and madeover mommies.Yes, Utah has become a hot spot for plastic surgery.But how hot? And why?Surgeons, researchers and the data tell a fascinating story.How much plastic surgery is there in Utah?Maybe you’ve heard the claim that Utah leads the nation in plastic surgeries. But it’s hard to know how many cosmetic procedures are actually performed here. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons compiles data by region, piling Utah into a Western cohort that includes all of the states from California to Colorado. That region does have the highest rate of plastic surgeries nationwide — but it’s hard to know if that’s due to Hollywood or HolladayOverall, surgeons don’t like to share their data.“They all have their own and everybody keeps their data secret because they don’t want other people to know,” Dr. Bhupendra Patel, a Salt Lake City facial surgeon, pictured below, told The Salt Lake Tribune. Francisco Kjolseth // The Salt Lake Tribune Reply So that question had to be answered via proxies. An obvious one is the number of plastic surgeons in any given area; the thinking being that if there’s more plastic surgery somewhere, there are likely to be more plastic surgeons.Perhaps the best count comes from the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), which any doctor who takes health insurance is required to sign up for. This database indicates there are 110 plastic surgeons in Utah. On a per-capita basis, that ranks seventh in the U.S. Andy Larsen and Christopher Cherrington // The Salt Lake Tribune Most of those surgeons, 80 of them, are in Salt Lake County. Even on a per-capita basis, there are significantly more plastic surgeons in Salt Lake County than in any other county in the state. Twenty-three of the surgeons are affiliated with the University of Utah. Andy Larsen and Christopher Cherrington // The Salt Lake Tribune One caveat: Most plastic surgeries are performed on women (93%), and on people between 34 and 53 (75%). Utah does have a larger percentage of women between the ages of 25 and 54 — the Census age bracket most similar to the above — than other states. If you account for this demographic tendency, Utah ranks 20th in the nation in plastic surgeons per capita.But Google search data indicates that interest in plastic surgery is growing in the state. Less than a decade ago, Utah ranked No. 26 in terms of the number of searches per capita for “plastic surgery.” In 2025, though? It ranked No. 3. Andy Larsen and Christopher Cherrington // The Salt Lake Tribune Utah’s cultural influencesIn 2023, Brigham Young University professor and researcher Sarah Coyne and colleague Lauren Barnes looked at the crossover between body image, cosmetic surgery, and religiosity in a sample of 1,333 Latter-day Saints, aged 18 to 70, from across the nation. According to their findings: “If you are saying that your religion is really important to you, you tend to have less cosmetic surgery,” Coyne said. “That’s odd, living in Utah, where we have a very high religious population, but then we have this certain stereotype of everyone having cosmetic surgery here.”Nearly 14% of Latter-day Saints surveyed had major cosmetic surgery, and 20% had cosmetic enhancements. The study also found that people who believed in “costly grace” tended to have more cosmetic enhancements.“Costly grace means this is a belief that I have to earn God’s love and grace,” Coyne said. “Now, the way that I earn that could be anything. It’s usually like I’ve got to be perfect. … Sometimes appearances are tied into that.”Other factors contribute to Utah’s plastic surgery numbers, too.“Perfectionism tends to be high in certain parts of our culture. [It] just kind of teaches you what you need to look like and need to be,” Coyne said. “The main reason that goes into this is that we have extremely unrealistic standards of beauty for women. Patriarchy, all of the different things, that’s why.”Last year, the Utah Women & Leadership Project at Utah State University published a research brief on cosmetic surgery and body image among Utah women, which said the state’s “puzzling reputation for vanity and cosmetic surgery” is “fueled by a perfect storm of religious and cultural influences.”The snapshot quotes research that has “found that homogenous societies, such as Utah, can have a contagion effect that pressures individuals into cosmetic surgery.”Susan Madsen, the director of UWLP, said two of those homogenous characteristics in Utah are race — 89% of the state identifies as white — and religion.“When we are around people that are like us, in terms of looks, skin, culture, religion, this competition for some reason arises,” Madsen said.Reclaiming her bodyDr. Kevin Rose, a plastic surgeon with 25 years of experience, lists similar reasons as to why Utahns gravitate toward plastic surgery as Coyne and Madsen. He’s also noticed that his patients from Utah like to take care of themselves — particularly moms.“So many women have a lot of children in Utah. There’s a lot of breastfeeding,” Rose said. “They just want to get their pre-baby body back.” Trent Nelson // The Salt Lake Tribune That was the case for Lehi resident Amy Williams, above, a patient of Rose’s who first saw him eight years ago for a breast augmentation — a decision she made to reclaim her body.“I am a mom of six kids and I nursed all of my six babies, and I had absolutely no breast tissue left,” Williams said. “I wanted to restore what was lost.”Williams is also a fitness influencer dedicated to losing weight and building muscle. She said that led her to have a “very flat chest.” “I just felt so masculine, so I really wanted to just restore my femininity the first time around,” she said. Earlier this year, Williams did a reaugmentation with Rose since her implants had loosened from her body recomposition.“As soon as I got it done, I was so happy with the results, I thought to myself, ‘Why didn’t I do this years ago?’” Williams said. “It completely restored my femininity and the way I felt about myself. It gave me confidence.”Williams hears similar stories from the women who attend her weightlifting classes.“It is absolutely a sacrifice to give up our body for pregnancy, nursing,” Williams said. “There’s some things that just can’t be restored without intervention or without help.”In her work, Williams said seeing women go through various surgeries like mommy makeovers, tummy tucks or breast augmentations has a lasting effect.“They turn into a more confident, outgoing, kind person. There’s just this beauty that they have that comes from within when they feel good about themselves,” she said. Trent Nelson // The Salt Lake Tribune What are the trends in plastic surgery?Thanks to those societal factors, the explosion in plastic surgery interest in Utah has occurred differently in Utah compared to other states. Perhaps due to Utah’s focus on families, searches for “Mommy makeovers” are very common in Utah relative to other states.Patel, who has done body work in the past, considers Utah “the capital for mommy makeovers.” Andy Larsen and Christopher Cherrington // The Salt Lake Tribune In searches for “breast augmentation,” Utah ties for the No. 1 spot with Connecticut, with Nevada’s unique economy coming in third.Twenty years ago, Rose said larger implants were more popular. But these days, most people come in and ask for more subtle and natural breast implant options. In fact, the most popular procedure he does is a breast rejuvenation procedure. Utahns aren’t enamored with all kinds of plastic surgery, though. Brazilian butt lifts — more frequently referred to as “BBLs” are rarely searched for in Utah. Instead, it’s Louisiana that comes in No. 1 here, with fellow southern states Georgia and Florida tying for second. Rose has observed this data firsthand.“Utah tends to be maybe a little bit more conservative than other areas of the country in terms of what’s asked for,” he said.For searches about facial surgeries, which are most popular in California, Utah’s ranks vary. For the search term “nose job,” Utah ranks third; for “face lift,” Utah ranks 14th; and for “neck lift,” Utah ranks 28th.Patel was the chief of facial surgery at the University of Utah before he opened his private practice and is well-known for two procedures he designed: the hammock lift — which rejuvenates the top two-thirds of a face — and the Patel deep plane facelift — which utilizes soft tissue in the skin to prevent neck sagging.“Most of my work these days is head and neck reconstructive and cosmetic surgery,” Patel said. “I do a lot of face and brow lifts, blephs, tumors and cancers, and broken bones and all that sort of stuff.”He’s currently working on a book featuring 100 essays from his male and female patients. All the testimonials answer one question: Why did the individual decide to do a facelift?“The reasons can be everything,” Patel said. “Men will say: ‘I started this company. I’m the boss. People keep on telling me, I look tired. When am I going to retire?’”And, for women, “It’ll be a life change, either they get a divorce or a death in the family. … When ladies get in their late 40s, 50s, many women will say, ‘I became invisible,’ Patel said, “This is a phrase that I’ve heard again and again.”Throughout his career, Patel has seen many changes in the industry.Because of social media, he said, people are more aware of the variety of plastic surgery procedures out there, and his facelift practice has “grown enormously.” He’s also seen exponential growth in nonsurgical procedures like Botox since he first started.Cost also plays into it. “We’re a lot cheaper than New York and LA, they charge literally eight, nine, [even] 10 times what we charge,” Patel said.Another change: the audience for surgeries.“[There] used to be a time when cosmetic surgery was sort of for the upper classes, people in the higher financial brackets,” Patel said. “In the last 10 years, I’ve started seeing just ordinary people, who work ordinary jobs, housewives, secretaries.”Utahns do care deeply about the quality of their plastic surgeons, though. In general, Utah tended to rank very highly for various searches looking for reviews of surgeries, and the state ranked No. 1 for the term “best plastic surgeons.”Rose specializes in breast and body contouring. When he moved to Utah in 2004, he remembers people questioning his decision to come to the Beehive State, wondering who would be getting plastic surgery there. Now, the self-described “King of Cleavage” has had patients visit all the way from China.“People come from all over because they just know that a lot of plastic surgery is done here,” Rose said. “They want to go somewhere where people are really experienced.”So, yes, Utah is a hot spot for plastic surgery — and a growing one. Through the state’s confluence of social media and reality TV, quality doctors at a reasonable price, and even a bit of unique religious influence, there’s no doubt: Utahns’ minds are changing on the business of changing bodies.This story was produced by The Salt Lake Tribune and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Elected office or not, a host of possibilities await Kentucky’s Thomas Massie Elected office or not, a host of possibilities await Kentucky’s Thomas MassieEven though he lost his reelection bid to Congress in May, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie’s supporters signaled they’re ready for his next campaign.Shortly after the Associated Press called the race for Massie’s opponent, President Donald Trump’s candidate Ed Gallrein, Massie took to the stage in a packed ballroom at the Marriott Hotel near the Cincinnati airport in Hebron. He gave a nearly 30-minute concession speech but was largely all smiles as the crowd before him interrupted him multiple times with cheers.“What happens in 2028?” Massie quipped in response to the crowd chanting the presidential election year over and over again. “Oh, you want me to run for Congress again?” Arden Barnes for the Kentucky Lantern The crowd yelled “no” in response and then started chanting “president” over and over again.“You made a compelling argument. You spoke your piece, but I need a medical margarita right now and we’ll talk about it later,” Massie said before leaving the stage.For the next couple of hours or so, Massie was in the crowd talking with supporters. A long line formed to take photos with the congressman and get his autograph. One attendee brought a white rabbit to show him.Dalton Henry, a Massie supporter who previously told the Kentucky Lantern that he traveled from Florida to campaign for the congressman ahead of the primary, said Massie’s congressional run was “definitely a start of a movement” and compared him to former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, a Texas Republican, who gained national attention as a Libertarian.“If he runs, I’m there. If he runs — I don’t care if he runs for dog catcher,” Henry said when asked if he’d support a future Massie campaign. “I don’t even know if you run for dog catcher in this state, but I’ll come in.”A lot of optionsMassie, who has seven months left in Congress before his term ends, has options before him, Kentucky political observers say — whether or not that’s to seek another office or build something outside of politics.Massie cannot make a run as an independent candidate against Gallrein in the fall. Kentucky election law has a “sore loser” prohibition, preventing someone from running in a general election if they were a primary candidate. Another statute prevents someone defeated in a primary from running as a write-in candidate for the same office in the general election.But even if he doesn’t take up the crowd’s offer on a presidential campaign, he could consider a run for Kentucky governor in 2027 — he previously didn’t rule out the possibility earlier this year.Trey Grayson, a former Republican secretary of state in Northern Kentucky, said running for governor would make “some sense as a potential next step” for Massie. The only candidate to formally announce a run so far is Democratic Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman. Rumored Republican candidates are U.S. Rep. James Comer and Secretary of State Michael Adams. Republican state Senate President Robert Stivers also hasn’t ruled out a run. Arden Barnes for the Kentucky Lantern Massie did lose by 10 points, according to unofficial results, but “he was running against the president of the United States for a congressional seat,” Grayson said. Massie’s following as a Liberty Republican could be “a different sort of base of support than” someone like Comer, “so there would be a lane for somebody like him in that race.“All that being said, he did lose. And I don’t think his concession speech did him any favors,” Grayson said.While Massie’s remarks were well-received in-person, some Republicans online bashed Massie’s opening joke, which was that he would have come to the stage sooner to speak, but he had to call his opponent and concede, “and it took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv.”On May 17, Politico reported that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other pro-Israel interest groups have spent $9 million against Massie, who often supports isolationist politics and opposes foreign aid. AIPAC congratulated Gallrein in a statement: “Our community was proud to support Gallrein and help ensure Massie’s defeat.”Massie also faced fierce attacks on his personal life leading up to Tuesday, Grayson noted. Massie said he was consulting legal counsel after an interview with former girlfriend, Cynthia West, went viral on X and she accused Massie of offering her hush money to drop a complaint against his ally Indiana Republican U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz. He has repeatedly denied this. Arden Barnes for the Kentucky Lantern “He wouldn’t be the first person to say, ‘I’m good. I’m done. I can go do something else,’” Grayson said.Blake Gober, who is a former campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Andy Barr’s U.S. Senate campaign, said that Massie’s “elected political career is over.”Massie ally, Kentucky Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, son of the aforementioned Ron, hasn’t ruled out a presidential run himself. If Rand does that, maybe Massie runs for U.S. Senate, Gober said, but he doesn’t “see a path” to being elected.On the governor question, Gober said Massie and Comer have “a cordial, if not friendly, relationship,” and would not see Massie run against him in that race.Massie does “100%” have a nonpolitical future, Gober said.“I think that he is technically a genius. He will, for sure, make sure everybody knows he has two degrees from MIT,” Gober said. Massie could be influential in Republican politics with groups like Young Americans for Liberty or Reason Foundation, a Libertarian think tank, to work on writing legislation.Massie could also back other political candidates he agrees with and help fundraise for them, or “write a book that probably would become a New York Times bestseller,” Gober said.“Also, he can go into the private sector and probably make a whole ton of money, so he has an extremely bright future, and just because his elected political career is over, in my opinion, doesn’t mean that his future is any less bright,” Gober said. “As far as having influence politically, some of that is based upon what he does between now and January, when he’s no longer in Congress.”Stephen Voss, a political science professor at the University of Kentucky, said that Massie’s concession speech “clearly was teasing some kind of future activity.” If Massie doesn’t seek another office, he could appear on news shows as a spokesperson on politics, kind of like Scott Jennings on CNN, or find work at a think tank to reshape policy, Voss said.“Massie’s built a substantial national following,” Voss said. He’s become almost a household name, which not a lot of members of Congress are able to do, and he’s giving voice to a segment of the electorate that doesn’t have a lot of spokespeople.”What does this mean for Liberty Republicans?Throughout Massie’s seven terms in Congress, he became a leader of Liberty Republicans in Kentucky, with several of them being elected to the state legislature and to local positions in Northern Kentucky.Voss said that Massie’s loss might make Liberty Republicans “more cautious” and cause legislators to “pick their battles a little more selectively.”“I’m not sure the Liberty Republicans needed Massie’s loss to convince them that they needed to play ball most of the time. I would look back at when you know some of the Liberty Republicans were more disempowered within the state legislature as a message that already got through,” Voss said before adding that the caucus was “much more cooperative this last legislative session, almost sleepy.”In 2023, some Liberty-aligned Republicans were removed from some committees at the end of the session, and said it was a punishment for bucking leadership. Massie came to their defense at the time and said the move had “an air of pettiness that voters detest.” The lawmakers were later added back to their assignments.Some Liberty allies had wins on Tuesday, like Chet Hand in the Republican primary for Boone County judge-executive, Grayson said. That shows “that there’s still a lot of vibrancy in this Liberty movement inside the Kentucky Republican Party,” but Massie’s loss also “doesn’t help” the Liberty Republicans.Gober said that if Massie doesn’t run for governor, he could see someone from that wing of the party throwing their hat in the ring. That could be someone like state Rep. Savannah Maddox, R-Dry Ridge, who initially declared a 2023 run for governor but ended her campaign in 2022.“I think that that would be a dumb decision personally, but obviously we don’t know what’s going to happen between now and then,” Gober said. Arden Barnes for the Kentucky Lantern This story was produced by Kentucky Lantern and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Tick season is getting worse. Can managing deer help? Health officials and researchers hope that efforts to control deer populations, which serve as "party buses" for mating ticks, can reverse the tide of ticks and the illnesses they cause.
	Niabi Zoo holds Pride Night Amid the celebrations, visitors also got to check out the new litter of Pallas's Cat kittens.
	Pop the Cork wine lounge to open in Moline Pop the Cork is the newest wine lounge in the Quad Cities. They will have a ribbon cutting ceremony at 3 p.m. on Monday.
	Orion school board says goodbye to retiring superintendent Board members and school principals recognized Joe Blessman at his final school board meeting as superintendent on Wednesday.
	Comfortable temperatures ahead Cooler than normal conditions expected mid-week before active pattern returns
	Mockingbird, Black Hawk College, Moline, announce new theater collaboration Black Hawk College and The Mockingbird have announced a new, ongoing partnership dedicated to producing professional-caliber theater that is accessible, educational and deeply connected to the community, a news release says.. This collaboration brings together Black Hawk College’s commitment to student opportunity and learning with The Mockingbird’s mission to create bold, meaningful storytelling rooted in [...]
	Rhaenyra, Rhaena, Aegon, Aemond — let us help you keep up with 'House of the Dragon' No one can blame you for getting lost in the fight over the Iron Throne. Here's our cheat sheet ahead of House of the Dragon's third season starting Sunday.
	What you need to know about the preliminary U.S.-Iran agreement signed by Trump Here's a look at the preliminary agreement between the U.S. and Iran, and the challenges that remain to find lasting peace.
	Pilot's Union This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.When you were little, do you remember your parents telling you to look both ways when crossing the street, and then do…
	The U.S. may face Australia in the World Cup without star Christian Pulisic The left winger Pulisic was key to the Americans' fluid and effective attack in last week's win over Paraguay. But he was kicked in the calf, left at halftime, and hasn't trained with the team since.
	These Wisconsin swing voters say Trump's war in Iran wasn't worth it The war in Iran was a costly blunder, according to Wisconsin swing voters who participated in two online focus groups that NPR observed.
	It's toys vs. tech in 'Toy Story 5.' Here are 4 ways to keep tech in check this summer Kids' screen use goes way up in the summertime. And just as the movie Toy Story 5 portrays, that can be problematic for children. Here are tips for parents to help their kids manage screens and have fun IRL this summer.
	Some local police have access to an ICE facial recognition app A document from the Department of Homeland Security outlines plans to issue local police facial recognition technology used by federal immigration agents, a move that will expand the scope of ICE surveillance.
	Can you taste history? We try George Washington's original beer Hops, yeast...and a lot of molasses
	Labour's Andy Burnham wins a special election, setting up a showdown with Starmer to lead Britain Labour's Andy Burnham, the current mayor of Greater Manchester, has won a special election for a seat in Parliament that puts him in a position to challenge embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer for leadership of the country.
	US strike on an alleged drug boat kills 3 in the eastern Pacific Ocean The latest attack brings the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the U.S. military to at least 211 since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls "narcoterrorists" in early September.
	U.S. strike on an alleged drug boat kills 3 in the eastern Pacific Ocean The latest attack brings the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the U.S. military to at least 211 since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls "narcoterrorists" in early September.
	Mexico becomes first country to reach knockout stage of World Cup Mexico took advantage of a defensive blunder by South Korea to win 1-0 and become the first team to advance to the knockout stage of the World Cup.
Thursday, June 18th, 2026
	Volunteers educated on Sickle Cell Disease The disease is more common among people of African descent.
	State defends planned witnesses in murder trial of Trudy Appleby's accused killer Jamison Fisher is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of concealment of a homicidal death in the 11-year-old's 1996 disappearance.
	Gov. Reynolds, Rep. Miller-Meeks highlight rural health investments Gov. Kim Reynolds and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks highlighted "Healthy Hometowns" funding in Muscatine aimed at expanding rural health care access.
	Illinois bill expands school bullying to include AI content Schools in Illinois are receiving new guidelines to protecting student safety against technology. House Bill 3851 updates and expands how bullying and cyberbullying are defined, particularly to include the use of artificial intelligence. Lawmakers say the update reflects growing incidents nationally of inappropriate AI-generated content. The move gives school districts clearer authority to step in [...]
	Monmouth faces massive cleanup after storms bring destructive winds While many areas saw their electricity return by 11 a.m. Thursday, many people are still navigating without power.
	Luigi Mangione's lawyers withdraw plans for psychiatric defense In a court filing Thursday, Mangione's legal team said they won't file psychiatric evidence in the 28-year-old's state murder case. The move came a day after his lawyers said they planned to pursue a psychiatric defense.
	Man allegedly stalked ex-girlfriend before deadly East Moline shooting on Tuesday Court documents detail allegations of stalking, a forced entry and a deadly shooting at an East Moline apartment complex.
	Learn about communicating with people with dementia in session at CASI, Davenport Communicating with a person living with dementia can be challenging for family members, caregivers, and customer-facing employees. LivWell Seniors will host a lunch & learn focusing on giving practical tips and strategies to help improve those interactions, a news release says. Held in conjunction with Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, speakers include Megan Olsen of [...]
	Bill would guarantee NJ doctors same pay for telehealth, in-person visits Lawmakers advanced a bill to continue to let doctors get paid the same for telehealth visits and in-person visits. (Photo by Anne-Marie Caruso/New Jersey Monitor)An Assembly panel approved a bill Thursday that would ensure doctors in New Jersey can continue to get paid the same amount for treating patients in person as they do by video call. The bill cleared the Assembly Health Committee with support from the Democratic majority and two of the panel’s three Republican members. The measure, first introduced in March, passed the Senate health committee last week with unanimous support. Assemblywoman Margie Donlon (Photo by Anne-Marie Caruso/New Jersey Monitor) Assemblywoman Margie Donlon (D-Monmouth), a physical rehabilitation doctor and lead sponsor on the bill, said telehealth has been shown to save patients time and can make medical practices more efficient. She said she doesn’t use it herself, but has seen how it benefits patients, particularly those with disabilities who may struggle to get to an appointment. “This really goes a long way to providing the care that our patients in the state of New Jersey truly need. And again, cost savings across the board,” she said. New Jersey has been debating telehealth payments for at least a decade, with providers slow to embrace the technology at first. That changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when online care became the norm for many. But efforts to modernize the payment system have been delayed and the state has extended a temporary rule that assured doctors were paid the same rate for both types of visits, put in place before the pandemic. Doctors and hospitals are now eager to have the state codify that parity in statute. Multiple physician organizations supported the bill Thursday, as well as several hospital groups. Some 25 states have already adopted some this type of rule, according to Tina Earley of the New Jersey Hospital Association, and healthcare providers have integrated telehealth into their practices. Earley said patients are also eager to assure remote care options continue, with 60% now using telehealth and planning to continue online appointments in the future. She urged the committee to approve extending a “policy that has proven successful and reflects the modern realities of healthcare delivery.” Ward Sanders, with the New Jersey Association of Health Plans, which represents insurance companies, said the issue needs more study. Telehealth is “incredibly important,” he said, saving time for providers and patients, especially those with behavioral health needs. “The concern is the introduction of government rate setting, essentially. This is an area where the government has not traditionally gotten involved,” he said. He added, “We believe the market should really control the pricing.” Assemblyman John Azzariti (R-Bergen), a physician who voted for the measure, insisted he would “never vote for this body to set rates,” but said that requiring rates to be equal wasn’t the same as setting them. “Just for the record, as an anesthesiologist, I do not participate in telehealth,” he said, prompting laughter. Assemblyman Brian Rumpf (R-Ocean), opposed the measure, questioning why a physician should receive the same pay for an online visit when they can offer far more services in person. “There seems to be some disparity there,” he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Courtesy of New Jersey Monitor
	What's closed on Juneteenth 2026? You might want to tackle some of your errands before Friday.
	Muscatine middle schoolers help chart future of Towhead Island A group of Susan Clark Jr. High students spent six weeks researching what the future of the island in the Mississippi should look like. Here's what they found.
	You can learn how to line dance in Moline this summer Once a month, through September, Moline Centre is holding $5 Friday night line dancing classes with Line Dance Quad Cities in the Historic Block Courtyard.
	Key FDA committee unanimously recommends its first vaccine since 2023 All nine members of the committee unanimously voted to recommend Moderna's new mRNA influenza vaccine for adults 50 and over.
	Alexis Boeh-Petersen named local Star-Spangled Sing-Off winner The votes have been counted, and Alexis Boeh-Petersen is the local champion.
	ImpactLife stresses importance of transfusions for sickle cell disease In recognition of Juneteenth and World Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Day, ImpactLife stressed the importance of transfusions for people with sickle cell disease. ImpactLife hosted an event featuring University of Iowa professor Meredith Parsons and people personally affected by sickle cell disease. The blood center is creating a new donor program to help patients who [...]
	Missouri judge strikes down nearly all state abortion regulations A ruling by a Jackson County judge opened the door for access to medication abortion in Missouri for the first time since 2018 (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)Many of Missouri’s abortion regulations, including laws that Planned Parenthood said made it impossible for providers to prescribe medication abortion, were struck down in a ruling Thursday by a Jackson County judge. One of the regulations most widely condemned by abortion rights supporters, a 72-hour waiting period between an initial consultation and an abortion, has been unenforceable for several months under a temporary ruling. The 20-page decision from Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang makes that decision permanent. One of the few laws upheld Thursday by Zhang is a requirement that patients meet with a doctor in-person before being prescribed medication abortion. Zhang also upheld a requirement that only physicians can perform abortions. In the ruling, Zhang alluded to the long and contentious political fights over abortion and her “limited constitutional role in this much broader discussion.” The ruling comes after a 10-day-long bench trial played out in January in Kansas City in which Zhang heard from abortion providers, Planned Parenthood employees and women who underwent abortions they later regretted. And it comes more than 18 months after voters passed a constitutional amendment protecting the right to abortion up to the point of fetal viability. “Debate and litigation around the topic of abortion has occurred for several decades. It is a deeply personal, philosophical, and moral issue to many on both sides of the argument. It has also played a significant role in elected politics,” Zhang wrote in her decision Thursday. “ … It is clear to this court that the beliefs surrounding abortion are, and will continue to be, an ongoing conversation and debate in American society.” The ruling opens up access to medication abortion for Missourians for the first time since 2018. Medication abortion is the most common method to end a pregnancy in the United States, used in about two-thirds of abortions. Planned Parenthood in a statement Thursday said it will begin offering medication abortion appointments next week. “This decision brings compassion and common sense back to Missouri health care,” Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains said in a statement. “For too long, politicians forced patients to leave the state for an evidence-based and trusted form of abortion care. Now, that care is coming home and with it, we move closer to fulfilling the promise of reproductive freedom Missourians demanded.” Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said in a statement Thursday that she plans to “expeditiously” appeal the decision to the Missouri Supreme Court. “This radical decision gives abortion providers a free pass to police themselves,” Hanaway said. “Women are no longer entitled to the same level of care in an abortion clinic that they would receive in other healthcare settings: providers are no longer required to maintain complication plans or insurance, and the state cannot even conduct basic health and safety inspections to ensure patient safety.” The laws declared unconstitutional by Zhang include: Special licensing requirements for abortion providers. A ban on telemedicine that requires a physician be present when a patient takes abortion medication. Hospital admitting privileges for physicians performing abortions. A requirement for physicians prescribing medication abortions to have a state-approved complication plan. That medication abortion providers carry insurance covering physicians after they leave employment. Tissue removed during a surgical abortion be sent to a pathologist That patients be given material created by the state Department of Health and Senior Services, including a pamphlet that reads “The life of each human being begins at conception. Abortion will terminate the life of a separate, unique, living human being.” Medication abortion appointments will be available at the Planned Parenthood clinics in Kansas City and St. Louis on Monday and in Columbia on Wednesday, spokespeople said Thursday. In post-trial briefings filed in April, the Missouri attorney general’s office argued that Planned Parenthood “brings this case to eliminate nearly all of Missouri’s health and safety abortion laws in one fell swoop.” The ACLU of Missouri and Planned Parenthood, who filed the lawsuit immediately following the November 2024 election, argued that the abortion regulations were designed to ensure abortion was “regulated out of existence” by creating logistical nightmares for patients and ethical dilemmas for providers without making procedures safer. Josh Hawley puts Missouri at center of national fight over abortion pill In 2022, Missouri became the first state to ban nearly all abortions after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In 2024, Missouri also became the first state to overturn an abortion ban by the vote of the people. In response, lawmakers sent voters a new proposal that would ban abortion with limited exceptions for survivors of rape and incest. Missourians will vote on the measure listed as Amendment 3 in November. “The role of the court is to apply the law in any given case,” Zhang wrote, “and to base its decision solely on its interpretation of the law as applied to the evidence before it.” Courtesy of Missouri Independent
	Flags will be at half-staff in Illinois June 19-20 to honor Juneteenth National Freedom Day Gov. JB Pritzker has called for all covered by the Illinois Flag Display Act to fly U.S. flag at half-staff in honor of Juneteenth National Freedom Day. According to a release American flags should be lowered from sunrise on Friday, June 19 until sunset on Saturday, June 20. For more information, click here.
	In photos: The Knicks celebrate their first NBA championship in more than 50 years The New York Knicks celebrate their NBA championship win with a ticker tape parade in Manhattan.
	Geneseo prepares for 58th annual music festival including Father’s Day parade The 58th Annual Geneseo Music Festival will take place June 19–21 with three days of live music, parades, food vendors, family activities and community events throughout downtown Geneseo.
	Explore Figge Art Museum for free in July Museum leaders are encouraging visitors to escape the scorching heat by immersing themselves in art and experiencing all that the museum has to offer for free from July 1 to 31.
	Traffic Alert: Rock Island Arsenal Government Bridge to close for cleaning The bridge will be closed to pedestrian and vehicle traffic from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, according to a Facebook post.
	The Heart of the Story: Life in the fast lane Our Quad Cities News is partnering with award-winning journalist Gary Metivier for The Heart of the Story. Each week, Gary showcases inspiring stories of everyday people doing cool stuff, enjoying their hobbies and living life to the fullest. Stories that feature the best of the human condition. A former state trooper knows a thing or [...]
	Diesel prices fall in Iowa, but truckers still feeling pressure U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy paid a visit to the Iowa 80 Truckstop in Walcott on Thursday alongside Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks.
	Virtual Ventures celebrates new space with ribbon cutting A Davenport virtual reality arcade celebrated its relocation to its expanded space at NorthPark Mall.
	U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, others visit QCA at Iowa 80 Truckstop Gov. Kim Reynolds joined U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in the QCA. Reynolds, Duffy and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks stopped by the Iowa 80 Truckstop in Walcott. They toured the truck stop to celebrate the nation's trucking industry. Miller-Meeks and Duffy talked about the new process to get a commercial driver's license and said criminals have [...]
	Pack Smarter, Eat Easier: Expert Tips for Stress-Free Summer Travel and Entertaining 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/']")[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) - Hitting the road or hosting a backyard gathering this season? The pressure to pull off the perfect summer shouldn't drain your energy or your budget. Lifestyle and travel expert Julie Loffred is sharing simple, realistic ways to keep everyone fueled, hydrated, and happy wherever your adventures lead.Learn more at liquid-iv.com and bordencheese.com/simplesummerfun.
	Iowans will see relief from Iran ceasefire agreement, Nunn says Transportation costs have increased during the conflict in Iran, but relief could be on the way as a ceasefire agreement is on the horizon, Congressman Zach Nunn said Thursday.
	Local students help plan the future of Towhead Island in Muscatine The Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine just received the island as a donation. They turned to local students to help with the research.
	No injuries reported following Muscatine fire No injuries to occupants or responding personnel were reported following a fire in Muscatine. According to a release from the Muscatine Fire Department, the Muscatine Joint Communications Center (MUSCOM) received a 911 call for a fire at a home on Gas Lantern Square June 18 at approximately 3:29 p.m. Responders found smoke coming from a [...]
	Bettendorf Police launch co-responder program focused on mental health crises Bettendorf Police are preparing to launch a new co-responder program aimed at improving how the department responds to mental health crises.
	Confirmed tornado from Wednesday morning's storms Now that things have settled down in the Quad Cities from Wednesday's storms, this has given a chance to survey damages from the storms. From the damage reports and survey, it was confirmed that there was a tornado in Monmouth in Warren County. This tornado was on the ground for only 2 minutes, for 1.3 [...]
	Iowa adds 128 medical residencies as $88M flows to rural health projects Dozens of Iowa hospitals will receive support for equipment upgrades, workforce recruitment and cancer care networks.
	Officials confirm EF-1 tornados in Quad Cities region Severe morning storms cause widespread damage, thousands of power outages, and a train derailment across parts of Iowa and Illinois.
	NWS confirms EF-1 tornado hit Monmouth during Wednesday's storms Officials observed damage to roofing, brick walls and windows in the tornado's path through the heart of Monmouth.
	McKee signs charter school moratorium bills with five days to spare, ending uncertainty Gov. Dan McKee reviews a document outside the Providence County Courthouse before speaking to reporters on Thursday, June 18, 2026. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)Gov. Dan McKee signed into law Thursday a three-year moratorium on new charter schools in the Ocean State, embracing a pause on the local growth of an educational model with which he has long been associated. “The circumstances have changed,” McKee told reporters Thursday. Back in 2021, McKee suggested he’d veto a similar, albeit unsuccessful, piece of legislation. Part of the bedrock in the governor’s political brand had been his push for the creation of mayoral academies — a special kind of public charter school — during his time as the mayor of Cumberland in the late 2000s. The governor had received the moratorium bill on his desk Tuesday and under the state constitution, still had until Tuesday, June 23, to sign or veto the bill. McKee strode out the Providence County Courthouse Thursday to explain to reporters why he had signed the charter school ban bill with five days to spare. “I haven’t backed off, like, say, ‘Oh, let’s put charters out of business.’ I haven’t said that,” McKee told reporters after an unrelated afternoon appearance at a Law Day essay contest award ceremony for high schoolers at Rhode Island Supreme Court. “I said, ‘Let’s support the charters.’ And I’ve done that more than once.” But much has changed in the five years since McKee took office, he told reporters. “I’m a public school advocate, and I will use any tool in the box to help us reach the potential for our students that live in the state of Rhode Island,” McKee said after he signed the two companion bills Thursday. “So that’s no different, but today there are some circumstances that we need to address.” Those circumstances include enrollment declines in public schools — about 10,000 students in all, in the time he’s been governor, McKee said — and a pressing need to reassess how the state funds education via a formula for determining state aid to local school districts. “The moratorium is going to give us a chance to really work through those issues, and also continue to make sure that the charter schools are delivering and helping us achieve the goal that I’ve set, to help us meet or exceed Massachusetts levels by 2030,” McKee said. “So I’m a public school guy.” As of Thursday evening, McKee, who faces a competitive reelection campaign this year, had still not received a public endorsement from the state’s teachers’ unions, which strongly backed the moratorium and cap. Democratic primary opponent Helena Buonanno Foulkes had already said she would have vetoed the bill. Quotation The moratorium is going to give us a chance to really work through those issues, and also continue to make sure that the charter schools are delivering and helping us achieve the goal that I’ve set, to help us meet or exceed Massachusetts levels by 2030. So I’m a public school guy. – Gov. Dan McKee Foulkes said in a statement texted to Rhode Island Current Tuesday, “While my top priority is strengthening our public schools, a blanket moratorium is the wrong tool.” Foulkes referenced “the thousands on charter waiting lists” — figures echoed in state education department data, which shows the families had submitted 30,202 applications for 3,170 available charter seats in the 2025-2026 school year, much higher than the 12,005 applications submitted in the 2014-2015 school year. ‘A moment in time to kind of pause, reassess’ Last week, at an unrelated news conference on the Washington Bridge, McKee suggested he was on the fence, questioning the need to lower the statewide cap on charter schools from 35 to 28. The General Assembly had originally drafted the legislation to lower the cap to 25 charters max. McKee said those additional slots in the bills’ final version will “certainly…give us some level of growth once the moratorium ends.” One charter, De La Comunidad Bilingual School, received preliminary but not final approval earlier this year to open a school serving students from Providence, Pawtucket and Cranston. The moratorium’s passage, which includes a retroactive cutoff clause for charters not approved before July 1, 2025, effectively foreclosed on the school’s ability to open. A representative for De La Comunidad did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. McKee said he had met with the school’s leadership Wednesday. “I think that they should, if they feel strongly that they have support in the General Assembly, they should go back in the next session, get legislation…and go deliver your case,” McKee recounted for reporters. Quotation While my top priority is strengthening our public schools, a blanket moratorium is the wrong tool. – Helena Buonanno Foulkes, McKee’s Democratic rival But the public charter system and public distinct school system which run in tandem — systems which run parallel and split finite resources, moratorium supporters have argued — ultimately need more study, McKee agreed. “I look at this as a moment in time to kind of pause, reassess, making sure my commitment to this role is exactly as it’s always been,” McKee said. The pause will allow for a 16-member commission to investigate the findings of the Blue Ribbon Commission, a special panel led by the Rhode Island Foundation which released its recommendations for a new school funding formula in January. Moratorium supporters cited the commission’s extensive suggestions for redoing public school funding as one reason to pause charter expansion. If charters are paused for a while, proponents argue, the commission’s recommendations can be more thoroughly studied — and ideally implemented. “You got to be very careful about what you agree to,” McKee said about retooling the formula, “in making sure that the distribution is equitable and fair to communities right now that are struggling. All the communities are struggling.” “This pause really says, ‘Look, we’re going to look at the whole picture. We’re not going to say that any one piece is more important than the other,” McKee said. Charter school parents and advocates listen in the House of Representatives gallery to a floor debate on the charter school moratorium bill on June 10, 2026. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) ‘Disappointing flip flop’ Stop the Wait, a charter advocacy group, called McKee’s signature a “disappointing flip flop” in a statement from Janie Segui-Rodriguez, the group’s founder and CEO. “This is not a policy outcome,” Segui-Rodriguez wrote. “This is a deeply personal loss for families who had real hope, and for children who deserved better than to become collateral damage in a political fight they never asked to be part of.” Segui-Rodriguez pointed a finger specifically at Senate President Valarie Lawson, who works as president of the National Education Association Rhode Island. “[H]er daytime job is to advance union priorities, and her nighttime job is to set the Senate calendar and shape legislation,” Segui-Rodriguez wrote. “Children and families are not at the table — they are on the menu. This is what happens when special interests are put before students.” A Senate spokesperson for Lawson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. Meanwhile, the first word in a text message from Sen. Melissa Murray, the Woonsocket Democrat who sponsored the moratorium legislation in her chamber, was “Interesting” when asked about her reaction to the news. “Wasn’t sure that was going to actually happen,” Murray added. Murray said she hopes state leaders will take the opportunity “to really dig deep” into the Blue Ribbon proposal to craft “a new formula that works for all students, and especially one that actually funds the actual cost of high cost special education.” “An overhaul is desperately needed,” Murray said. Jeremy Sencer, an organizer and representative for the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals, concurred in a Thursday phone interview that McKee’s signature should be viewed as a chance to revisit how Rhode Island funds its public schools. The moratorium debate, he said, had been staged too pronouncedly with an “us against them mindset.” “If a longtime charter advocate, such as Governor McKee, recognizes the need for this bill, that tells us that it’s a prudent step to make sure that all children have the resources they need, and that we make sure districts that serve the needs of all students,” Sencer said. Many public school districts, Sencer reiterated, continue to struggle to educate high-need students requiring special education, as well as multilingual learners. Sencer said his teachers’ union wants to meet with charter groups on next steps, including expansion of dual-language programs. Rep. Leonela Felix, a Pawtucket Democrat who vigorously spoke against the bill during a House floor debate last week and even tried to send it back to committee, said in a text message Thursday that she was “seriously disappointed” by McKee’s signing the bill. When asked by reporters if he had signed the legislation at the behest of teachers’ unions, possibly in exchange for endorsement, McKee replied, “That hadn’t happened, but I can tell you, I meet with all the parties.” SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Courtesy of Rhode Island Current
	Americans are proactive homeowners, but this country beats them in DIY home repairs Americans are proactive homeowners, but this country beats them in DIY home repairsThere is always something: a leaky faucet, chipping paint, gutters full of leaves or a room that no longer works the way it used to. Homeownership comes with a permanent background hum of maintenance, repairs and decisions that can only be ignored for so long.What homeowners do next depends a lot on where they live.A new international study from Angi, a home services marketplace, found that Americans are among the world’s more proactive homeowners, with nearly half (49%) taking a preventative approach to maintenance, scheduling regular checks and staying on top of concerns before something breaks. South Korea leads the study at 56%. Japan sits at the other end: 60% of Japanese homeowners address issues only when they arise.When it comes to DIY home repairs, France leads the study. Sixty-five percent of French homeowners say they handle most repairs themselves, the highest rate among the surveyed countries.Home care, it turns out, looks fundamentally different depending on where people live and what they believe home is for. Cultural differences are also at play for homeowner behavior beyond the toolbox. In France, 2 out of 5 homeowners enforce a no-phones rule at the dinner table, the highest rate in the study, while Canadians and Japanese are nearly twice as likely as Americans to require shoes off at the door (69% vs. 37%).Opinions vary from country to country, even for keeping a tidy home. A majority of Germans and Americans prefer to keep a “lived-in and comfortable” appearance. Forty percent of Brazilians believe a home should always be clean and tidy, more than any other country. Of all the countries surveyed, the Dutch were the most likely to respond with “home is for living, not impressing others.”In North America, homeownership tends to be tied to investment. Americans and Canadians are the most likely of any country to renovate specifically to increase property value, while many European homeowners prioritize comfort and quality of life over resale potential. When a home no longer fits, the instinct varies just as sharply: More than three-quarters of German homeowners would renovate rather than move, the highest rate across all countries surveyed, while 41% of British homeowners would rather relocate. Americans take a more pragmatic middle path—37% say they would stay and make do.Unexpected and emergency repairs remain a universal source of stress regardless of the country. The most maintenance-minded Americans are also the youngest: Gen Z and Millennial homeowners lead on proactive upkeep, with 51% preferring to check home systems before problems start and 55% using smart security technology compared with 19% of Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation.A home is never just the structure itself. It reflects the routines, priorities and tradeoffs people make, from the repairs they tackle to the rituals that shape daily life. Around the world, home care is less about one right way to do it and more about what people believe a home is supposed to be.MethodologyAngi, along with its international family of home service marketplaces, commissioned an online survey of 4,492 homeowners across 10 countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, Japan and Brazil. The U.S. sample included 1,237 homeowners. The margin of error for U.S. findings is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Fieldwork was conducted between May 1 and May 19, 2026.This story was produced by Angi and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Train derails outside of Monmouth; no injuries reported A train outside of the township of Ormonde, about five miles south of Monmouth, derailed due to the strong winds Wednesday, June 17. According to a release from BNSF Railway, at approximately 8:30 a.m., 18 cars blew over and derailed from the BNSF main line in Monmouth during an active weather event in the area. [...]
	Left behind: Why small-town Americans are waiting longer for healthcare Left behind: Why small-town Americans are waiting longer for healthcareSomewhere in America, a woman with a late-stage cancer diagnosis is sitting in a nursing home on a Friday afternoon. She has chosen to stop active treatment. All she wants now is comfort, seamless pain relief, and the dignity of a gentle, supported care plan.The skilled nursing facility produced a thick paper packet of discharge information. But missing from that package is the one instruction that matters most: an order for hospice care coming from her oncologist.Because hospice and the advance directive were not arranged before the transfer to a hospice wing, and because the paperwork was incomplete, the nursing staff could not coordinate pain management over the weekend. Everything is closed. The patient spends two days without the medication she needs.That is not a hypothetical. It is a case that made rounds in the healthcare community after a patient advocate described it in a public post. The details are specific, but the pattern is not. It plays out in facilities across the country, every week, because the systems that move patient data between hospitals and smaller care settings were never built to talk to each other.eFax, a digital cloud fax and data transformation solutions provider, analyzed federal data on hospital connectivity alongside its own survey of healthcare technology leaders to map where America's medical records divide runs deepest, and what it costs patients in lost time, repeated tests, and delayed care. What the numbers reveal is a healthcare system splitting into two tiers: one where patient data moves in seconds, and another where it still relies on legacy, paper-based workflows and manual communication, arriving hours or days late, if it arrives at all.The unfunded divideLarge urban hospitals have spent the past decade building digital connections, backed by significant federal incentives and capital. They trade patient records through electronic health record systems, secure messaging networks, and formats that let one system read what another system wrote.Rural and independent facilities, however, were largely left out of that digital windfall.In 2023, federal data found that only about a third of rural hospitals routinely send, receive, find, and integrate patient records efficiently from one care setting to the next. For urban hospitals, nearly half do. Rural hospitals have gained ground in recent years, improving faster than the national average, but they still haven't caught up.Standalone hospitals face an even steeper climb. Just over 1 in 5 independent facilities efficiently exchange records, compared to more than half of hospitals that belong to a larger system. The barrier is not motivation; it is a critical shortage of funding, IT staffing, and technical infrastructure.This disparity deepens in post-acute facilities—the skilled nursing homes, rehab centers, and home health agencies that take over after a hospital stay. When the federal government funded the industry's digital transition over a decade ago, these providers were excluded from the legislation. Without those resources, catching up has been nearly impossible: Only about 17% of hospitals routinely send patient information electronically to most or all of their post-acute partners, and only 8% routinely get it back, leaving the rest of the handoff to phone calls and paper.What it costs to waitWhen there is no automated digital exchange between a hospital and the facility receiving its patients, critical records slow down due to manual coordination—relying on phone calls, physical paper packets, and traditional paper-based workflows.According to a recent survey of healthcare CIOs and digital health leaders conducted by eFax, nearly half of providers still rely on manual, paper-dependent processes to share patient data with facilities lacking integrated electronic health records. While secure document transmission remains heavily utilized across the industry for its reliability, the friction occurs when data remains trapped on printed paper rather than flowing digitally.The resulting speed gap is significant. When healthcare technology leaders were asked how long it takes to coordinate patient data with small and post-acute facilities that lack automated cloud capabilities, the answers split almost evenly between one to two days and three to five days. In a hospital utilizing optimized digital networks, the same data transformation and transfer happen in seconds.Because of these manual bottlenecks, patients wait. More than half of post-acute care facilities say they sometimes or often receive vital records after the patient is already in their care.That is the true divide: the gap between manual, paper-bound sorting and secure, cloud-optimized document delivery. One patient receives an immediate care plan on arrival; the other waits for a fragmented paper trail to be manually processed.The states running out of timeThe financial strain on rural hospitals has been building for more than a decade. Since 2010, 182 rural hospitals have either closed entirely or stopped offering inpatient care, according to the Chartis Center for Rural Health. The pace has barely slowed. Over just the past seven years, far more closed than opened.The closures cluster in a pattern. KFF reports that nearly 7 in 10 of those closures, between 2014 and 2024, occurred in states that had not expanded Medicaid at the time.Today, close to half of all rural hospitals in the country are operating at a loss, and 432 across 38 states have been flagged as vulnerable to closure based on their financial indicators. The states carrying the most vulnerable hospitals tell a clear regional story: Texas has 47, Kansas has 46, Mississippi has 28, Oklahoma has 23, and Georgia has 22.Measured as a share of each state's total rural hospital count, the picture sharpens. Half of Arkansas's rural hospitals are vulnerable. Mississippi is at 49%, Kansas is at 47%, and Tennessee is at 44%. Georgia, Missouri, and Oklahoma each sit at 34%.For the more than 46 million Americans who live in rural areas, these are not abstract numbers. When a hospital closes or cuts services, the nearest alternative may be an hour's drive away. When a skilled nursing facility cannot get a patient's records on time, the staff is left making care decisions with incomplete data, or making no decisions at all for days.The staff caught in the middleThe technology gap does not just slow down records. It wears out the people who have to work around it.During a typical 12-hour shift, the average nurse spends about 43 minutes hunting for information, equipment, supplies, or the right person to talk to. That is nearly twice what nurses say would be reasonable. On top of that, they spend another hour coordinating patient handoffs and more than 90 minutes on paperwork and logistics.At a time when the country faces a projected shortage of hundreds of thousands of nurses, that lost time is not recoverable.McKinsey research found that as of 2023, close to half of inpatient nurses said they were likely to leave their current role within six months, and workload was a primary reason. For facilities already short on staff, the math is punishing. Fewer nurses means remaining staff absorb more of the manual burden, making them more likely to leave and severely limiting the care they can deliver to patients in need.A divide that costs more than timeHealthcare technology leaders are clear about what the data gap means for the patients on the other side of it. A majority say the difficulty of exchanging patient data with small and post-acute facilities has directly affected health equity in their communities.When asked whether technology equity matters for clinical health equity, 83% say it is important or very important. The awareness is there. The will is not far behind.The problem is not awareness. It is capacity. Fewer than a third of larger providers say they have the funding or IT staff to help their smaller partners come up to speed. Most call it a problem they are not equipped to solve.The window of opportunity keeps shrinkingThe policy ground is shifting fast, and not in rural healthcare's favor.The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law in July 2025, introduced new Medicaid eligibility rules that could push millions of people off coverage. For rural hospitals already operating at a loss, more uninsured patients means more uncompensated care and less revenue to invest in the digital systems that are already years behind.At the same time, federal regulators are pushing hard for a digital-first data exchange that leaps data sharing standards to a structured Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) data set. A number of recent federal regulations have mandated that FHIR or other electronic data exchange standards be used for connectivity. A new proposed rule requires FHIR for drug prior authorizations. The medical prior authorization standard using FHIR goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2027. Additionally, a new federal initiative launched in late 2025 mandates providers move away from paper fax machines and adopt an X12 standard for payer attachments. The gap between that goal and the reality on the ground is wide. The smaller rural care settings the policy aims to reach do not have the resources to support the standards the government is calling for.Roughly 7 in 10 hospitals still use paper fax or mail to share health data, even as electronic records have become standard within their own walls. According to eFax's analysis, about 15 billion fax transactions still move through American healthcare every year, with cloud-based fax increasingly replacing the paper machines.That is the tension at the center of this story. The hospitals that need connectivity the most are the least equipped to build it. The patients most affected are the ones with the fewest alternatives. And the policies arriving fastest are the ones that add financial pressure without bridging the gap.For a patient transferring to hospice at a rural nursing facility on a Friday afternoon, the technology to get her records there in seconds already exists. The providers caring for her now have it. The hospice facility receiving her does not.That gap is measured in days, and sometimes in pain.Solving interoperability with the tech facilities already useNarrowing the divide does not require every small facility to buy an expensive EHR system. A growing number of healthcare organizations are pairing AI with technology they already use to bridge the gap.Digital cloud fax remains a cornerstone of medical communication, widely recognized for its regulatory compliance, reliability, and trusted security. That now serves as the entry point for artificial intelligence to do what no nurse has time to do.It reads the document. It pulls the clinical data out. And it converts that data into a format an electronic health record can actually use. A handwritten referral form or a scanned discharge packet arrives as a fax. The AI extracts patient demographics, diagnosis codes, and care instructions, then routes that structured data directly into the receiving facility's workflow.The technology turns a process that used to take a nurse 20 minutes of manual data entry into something that happens in the background, in seconds, without anyone walking to a fax machine or retyping a medication list.This story was produced by eFax and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Muscatine pausing demolition of pair of downtown buildings after structural movement was found Additional apartments were evacuated as city staff work to determine a safe path foreward.
	Additional apartments evacuated as crews assess downtown Muscatine buildings For safety reasons, East 2nd Street remains temporarily closed to all traffic except authorized personnel.
	How alcohol-infused chocolate became a popular grown-up treat How alcohol-infused chocolate became a popular grown-up treatToday, people are reaching for sweets with the same criteria they bring to a good bottle of wine, paying close attention to craft. Alcohol-infused chocolates draw in adults who want indulgence with a little more going on.Research from Los Angeles-based artisan chocolatier Compartés shows that taste and presentation often guide what people choose. That desire is particularly visible on Father's Day, where premium chocolate has moved squarely into gifting territory that once belonged exclusively to a fine bottle of spirits.What Defines “Grown-Up Sweets”?Adult taste changes more than most people realize, often so slowly that it is easy to miss. The same person who once wanted the sweetest thing on the table may later start reaching for darker chocolate, stronger coffee, or a dessert with a little heat behind it. Grown-up sweets are built around that reality, giving sugar a smaller role while ingredients like dark chocolate and warming spices bring more depth to each bite.The Appeal of Alcohol-Infused and Spirit-Inspired ChocolateRich chocolate and fine spirits have more in common than most people ever stop to consider, and the overlap runs deeper than taste alone. Both carry flavor notes built through aging and fermentation, and those shared characteristics tend to make them feel remarkably natural together on the palate.According to Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall, double-barreled bourbon and dark chocolate work well together, with the bourbon’s sweet oak notes giving the chocolate more depth while the chocolate brings out flavors that might otherwise stay in the background.The appeal also depends on how chocolatiers carry those flavors into the chocolate itself. Some alcohol-infused chocolates incorporate real spirits into the recipe, while alcohol-inspired versions use flavor notes such as oak or vanilla to remind the palate of a familiar drink without adding alcohol.Premiumization and the Evolution of IndulgencePerhaps the most obvious sign of how adult tastes have matured is where people are choosing to spend their money. According to Food Navigator, premiumization is the deliberate move toward higher-quality ingredients and skilled craftsmanship, paired with packaging that reflects the care put into the product itself.People who buy less may expect more from every bite, treating a single well-made truffle or a carefully crafted chocolate bar as a small but deliberate act of indulgence rather than a quick, mindless snack.And as that appetite has grown, premium sweets have started replacing more traditional gifts, with artisan chocolate now sitting comfortably alongside the kinds of presents that once felt like the only obvious choice.Why Father’s Day Is Fueling the TrendA holiday like Father’s Day presents gifting pressure, and the search for something personal and unexpected is exactly where alcohol-infused chocolate has found its footing.Finding a Father’s Day gift that feels tailored to a man's actual tastes rather than a generalized idea of what dads are supposed to like has always been a challenge, and a well-crafted bourbon or whiskey chocolate speaks directly to that adult palate in a way a standard present might not.Innova Market Insights reported that appetite for boozy-inspired sweets rises during every major holiday season, and the same qualities that make these chocolates work so well for Father's Day also appeal to holiday and corporate gifting, where finding something memorable without feeling overly personal is often part of the challenge.The Broader Shift Toward Adult SnackingSnacking is deeply woven into the American diet, with 2023 research published in the Nutrients journal showing that more than 90% of adults report eating at least one snack on any given day. But adults are no longer just reaching for whatever is convenient and sweet.Busy schedules have pushed people toward smaller, more deliberate eating moments throughout the day, and those moments have become an opportunity to choose something with real flavor rather than empty sugar.Mondelez International's 2024 State of Snacking Report found that 62% of adults now prefer eating several smaller meals across the day rather than sitting down to a few large ones, and premium chocolate fits comfortably into that space as a satisfying way to make a small break feel worth taking.What This Trend Signals for the Future of SweetsChocolate has always found ways to reinvent itself, and the data suggests the next chapter will be driven by flavor ambition and a much harder look at where ingredients actually come from.According to Future Market Insights, the global liquor confectionery market is projected to grow from $664 million in 2025 to over $1.1 billion by 2035, pushed along by adults who want their sweets to deliver the same complexity they expect from a well-made cocktail.And chocolatiers are responding by borrowing directly from fine dining kitchens, applying professional culinary techniques to build flavors that unfold in stages rather than hitting a single note and stopping there.A More Refined Approach to IndulgenceA 2025 Innova Market Insights report found that 43% of global consumers are actively seeking extraordinary indulgent experiences, and the confectionery world has responded by building products around depth and creativity rather than sheer volume.And that creative ambition has long been visible in the artisan chocolate space, where makers have spent decades watching adult gifting habits evolve and responding with work that takes both flavor and occasion seriously.This story was produced by Compartés and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Crime Stoppers: Rock Island County Sheriff’s Office searches for robbery suspect Joseph Klemencic III, 20, is wanted by the Rock Island County Sheriff’s Office on a robbery charge. Contact Crime Stoppers to submit anonymous tips.
	Crime Stoppers: Davenport police investigate late-night burglary at Smokin’ Joe’s on West Kimberly Police are searching for a woman who broke into Smokin' Joe's on West Kimberly Road in Davenport. Call Crime Stoppers with anonymous tips for a reward.
	Crime Stoppers: Man wanted in Davenport on multiple charges Cireeco R. Flint, 53, is wanted in Davenport for failing to appear on drug, OWI, and firearm charges. Anonymous tips could earn a cash reward.
	Person killed after crashing in rural Milan According to the Rock Island County Sheriff's Office, a driver was heading east on the road when they veered off and crashed into a tree.
	Senate Democrats propose tighter regulations on data centers amid statewide backlash Michigan Senate Democrats host a press conference announcing a package of bills aimed at regulating data centers within the state. June 18, 2026 \| Photo by Kyle Davidson/Michigan AdvanceAs community members throughout the state are pushing back against the development of data centers, citing concerns about rising energy costs, impacts on local water resources and the veracity of promises about benefits to the community, Michigan Senate Democrats say they have the balm for what ails them. On Thursday, Senators Rosemary Bayer (D-West Bloomfield), Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak), Kevin Hertel (D-St. Clair Shores), Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton), Sue Shink (D-Northfield Township) and Erika Geiss (D-Taylor) rolled out several bills to place stricter regulations for data centers. “People feel like AI and data centers are arriving faster than anyone can keep up,” McMorrow told reporters at a press conference. Alongside fears tied to their energy bills and water, there are frustrations that data centers are happening to communities, not with them, McMorrow said. “Those are reasonable concerns, and the answer isn’t to pretend that this technology isn’t coming,” McMorrow said. “It is not only coming, it is already here. The question in front of us is whether Michigan sets the terms or whether we let someone else set them for us.” Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) discusses a slate of bills focused on regulating data centers within the state. June 18, 2025 \| Photo by Kyle Davidson/Michigan Advance Building on proposals put forth by Shink and Geiss in December, the lawmakers introduced new water-use permit requirements, protections for water and electrical ratepayers, labor requirements for data center construction, community benefit requirements and transparency policies. The proposals include: Senate Bill 1046, which establishes a new permit for facilities using more than 550,000 gallons of water per day, which would bar them from withdrawing from the waters of the state and require them to partner with a community water supply. In order to receive a permit from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes And Energy, the facility must meet efficiency, sustainability and infrastructure capacity requirements with minimal environmental impacts. The permit caps water usage at 2 million gallons per day, and the bill creates civil penalties for those who violate the terms of their permit, with the possibility for the permit to be revoked. It also requires EGLE to publish an annual report on data center water use every year, beginning in 2027. Senate Bill 1047, which adds a number requirements for contacts between data centers and energy companies, including requirements for the data center to pay for any costs required to serve the facility and decommission it. It also requires data centers to source 90% of their energy from clean resources, either through the utility or other means. It also allows utilities to curtail data centers’ energy use in the case of an energy emergency and requires all contracts undergo a contested case hearing. Senate Bill 1048, which sets labor standards for data center projects, requiring these efforts to make use of registered union apprentices, pay prevailing wages and use project labor agreements where permitted. Senate Bill 1049, which bars public officials from entering into data center NDAs related to their public duties. Those who violate the ban would be subject to civil fines of up to $1,000. Senate Bills 1050 and 1051 which require data centers to enter a community benefits agreement before beginning construction and operations. The agreement must include the community and the developer and no local permits or approvals would be permitted without an agreement. Senate Bill 762, introduced in December, would require the Michigan Public Service Commission to publish annual reports detailing the water use and total energy consumption from data centers. Senate Bill 763, also introduced in December, bars water utilities from passing along the costs of infrastructure upgrades needed to accommodate a data center. In 2024, the Legislature approved a set of bills creating tax breaks for data center equipment. In order to receive those tax breaks, the data center cannot accept an energy rate that would raise costs on residential customers, and must source their energy through 90% clean sources. However, environmental advocates have argued the provisions do not go far enough, as they only apply to data centers making use of the tax break. Additionally, these requirements would be enforced by the Michigan Strategic Fund, rather than state energy regulators. Hertel, the sponsor of one of the tax break bills, said Senate Democrats realized they needed to craft policy for all data centers, not just the ones that fall in line with the tax law. The senators also pointed to the role that local governments play in regulating data centers, with Hertel encouraging any locality that feels unequipped to handle a potential data center development to pass a moratorium and update their zoning laws. While party lines have kept the Democratic-led Senate and the Republican-led Michigan House from making progress on several concerns within the state, frustrations with data centers have created common cause between lawmakers of opposing parties. Sen. Kevin Hertel (D-St. Clair Shores) discusses a slate of proposed regulations on data centers at a press conference. June 18, 2025 \| Photo by Kyle Davidson/Michigan Advance During a Thursday press conference, Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) signaled that he would be open to considering regulations on data centers within the state, telling reporters he would look at the proposal put forth in the Senate. Hall expressed support for regulations requiring data centers to utilize closed-loop cooling systems, protections against increased energy costs for residents and policy promoting better collaboration between communities and data center developers. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who previously expressed opposition to policies creating a one-year moratorium on data center development within the state, released a statement voicing support for the Senate proposals. “It is extremely important that we have a strong framework in place to put Michigan in the lead on data centers and keep us competitive for transformational projects that grow our economy and create thousands of good-paying jobs,” Whitmer said.“That means ensuring any company that wants to call Michigan home creates the jobs they promise, powers their facilities with clean energy, ensures Michiganders don’t foot the bill for energy, and protects our air, land, and water for future generations. We’ve seen what’s happened in other states without strict guardrails. Michiganders have spoken loud and clear: they support these protections and they expect their leaders to act.” Multiple environmental advocacy groups offered tentative support for the legislation, with Tim Minotas, legislative and political director of the Sierra Club’s Michigan chapter, saying the bills represent a large step in guaranteeing Michigan families are not left paying for “unchecked data center development.” “Our position has been clear: Michigan should not continue approving large-scale data center projects without critical safeguards for ratepayers, water resources, and local communities,” Minotas, said in a statement. “While this package does not address every concern, it marks meaningful progress toward the statewide protections we have been calling for.” Courtesy of Michigan Advance
	U.S. lifts blockade on Iranian ports as 60-day clock for a final deal starts ticking The U.S. is allowing ships to enter and exit Iranian ports and coastal areas as the countries move to a new phase of negotiations over the next 60 days.
	Miller-Meeks, Duffy support Trump’s Iran deal 'We finally had a president who was willing to say we will not have a nuclear-armed Iran on my watch.'
	Moline offering Line Dance Fridays this summer There will be monthly lessons offered in Moline's historic Block Courtyard through September.
	NDSU, Dickinson State partner on graduate nursing program Dickinson State University President Scott Molander, left, and North Dakota State University President Marshall Stewart talk with DSU nursing coordinator Melissa Wagner on June 18, 2026, in Fargo after announcing a nursing education partnership between the two schools. (Photo by Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)FARGO — A new partnership looks to help nurses advance their education and careers while staying in western North Dakota. The partnership between North Dakota State University and Dickinson State University announced Thursday in Fargo will allow DSU students who have earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing to enroll in NDSU’s family nurse practitioner graduate program. The students in the NDSU program typically meet for in-person class time one day per week while spending the other days doing clinical work in healthcare facilities, said Mykell Barnacle, interim associate dean of the NDSU School of Nursing. The partnership means the Dickinson State graduates will be able to do their in-person course work on the DSU campus and complete their clinicals near where they live. The program requires 1,000 clinical hours. Allowing students to complete those hours in their home community benefits the students, the care provider and those receiving care. Mykell Barnacle, interim associate dean of the North Dakota State University School of Nursing, left, visits with Dickinson State University nursing coordinator Melissa Wagner on June 18, 2026, in Fargo. (Photo by Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) “We’ve always been very proud of our tradition at NDSU of our nurse practitioners being very highly prepared. We’ve also had a really strong emphasis on a rural curriculum at NDSU, and so that works well with our expansion to DSU graduates,” Barnacle said. Barnacle said one DSU graduate already has been accepted for the fall semester but typically there would be four to six students. The in-person class time allows the students to build relationships with one another. “It’s a rigorous program, so it’s nice to have support — people who are going through the same things you’re going through that you can connect with,” Melissa Wagner, nursing program coordinator for Dickinson State. Barnacle said NDSU runs a similar program in Bismarck. The instructor in Bismarck will be used to launch the program in Dickinson. “Graduates of the program will be prepared to address primary care needs in the communities of North Dakota that often face provider shortages,” Barnacle said. Dickinson State President Scott Molander said it’s important that nurses who want an advanced degree can do so while serving their home community. “That’s really, really important,” Molander said. “This will allow western North Dakota to retain talent.” Wagner is heading up a program that was in turmoil in 2024 when all of its faculty resigned. Nursing administrators from Mayville State University helped shore up the program, but Wagner said that relationship is ending. “They stepped up when we really needed it,” Wagner said of Mayville State. “They saved the program.” Reach North Dakota Monitor deputy editor Jeff Beach at jbeach@northdakotamonitor.com Courtesy of North Dakota Monitor
	Epilepsy Advocacy Network presents summer fun with camPossible Summer fun should be for everyone, and one camp is made specifically for kids who live with epilepsy. Kari Jones and Kim Gregg from the Epilepsy Advocacy Network joined Our Quad Cities News to talk about CamPossible. For more information, click here.
	Artist chosen to create new mural in downtown Aledo 19-year-old Madeline Dieters was selected to create the artwork that will decorate the south side of 112 E. Main St. in Aledo.
	Lake Storey water levels return to normal, all amenities to open With water levels back to normal, swimming is now available at Lake Storey Beach daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Labor Day.
	Virtual reality theme park opens at NorthPark Mall A virtual reality theme park has opened at NorthPark Mall in Davenport. Virtual Ventures offers motorcycle racing, paragliding and group game options for kids of all ages. There are also game options for people who get motion sickness. Founders say it's a concept six years in the making, and local leaders hope the VR arcade [...]
	FirstPlay program for baby brain development Vera French Mental Health Center is offering a new program to teach parents how to interact with their baby to promote brain health.
	Comfortable days ahead. Cool, low humidity! Cooler than normal conditions expected mid-week before active pattern returns
	Family planning organizations sue Trump administration over Title X funding announcement Various birth control pills available at a Planned Parenthood in Austin, Texas. The National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association and a family planning organization in Pennsylvania sued the Trump administration on Thursday alleging that it is politicizing the Title X grant funding program. (Todd Wiseman/The Texas Tribune)The National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association and a family planning organization in Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Health and Human Services agency on Thursday alleging that it is politicizing the Title X grant funding program and violating the intent of the law. Attorneys from the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the national organization are representing the national family planning association and the Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania. The Family Health Council is a network of 19 service providers across 24 counties in central Pennsylvania that provide family planning services to more than 31,000 low-income residents every year, according to the complaint. Trump changes pregnancy-prevention program to promote childbearing Clare Coleman, president and CEO of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, told Stateline on Thursday that the organization chose the Pennsylvania network to participate in the lawsuit in part because it has been a grantee of funds since the beginning of the Title X program in 1970 and serves a large number of people. “We’re very grateful that they were willing to stand with us,” Coleman said. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Yvette Kane, an appointee of former Democratic President Bill Clinton. Title X, established by Congress and signed by former Republican President Richard Nixon, is a grant program prioritizing low-income or uninsured people, including those who make too much to qualify for Medicaid, who may not otherwise have access to family planning and reproductive health services. That includes services such as contraception, pregnancy tests, testing for sexually transmitted infections and wellness exams. Abortion services cannot be covered by Title X dollars. The complaint takes issue with the 2027 Notice of Funding Opportunity for Title X, which was released in April. Potential awardees must submit applications by January for consideration in the next funding cycle. The funding opportunity language states that all applicants must first meet an “alignment review” to determine their eligibility for a grant. That alignment is based on the priorities laid out by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health and the Office of Population Affairs. Those priorities include ending diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and gender-affirming care. The complaint notes that the decision regarding an applicant’s eligibility cannot be appealed. Contraception services dropped after ‘defunding’ provision hit clinics Coleman said those priorities directly conflict with the ones that were laid out in the last funding round under former President Joe Biden, whose administration emphasized the importance of health equity efforts and the inclusion of gender-affirming care for transgender patients. Coleman said that means it could be impossible for some applicants to be awarded funds, and that it would favor new applicants. “We believe that the funding announcement is designed to favor the kind of providers the administration would rather see in the program,” Coleman said, which could include clinics with a religious mission, such as crisis pregnancy centers or major Catholic healthcare organizations. The complaint also says those requirements directly conflict with the Title X statute, which mandates that HHS consider factors such as how many patients will be served, how much the services are needed locally and whether the applicant can make rapid and effective use of grant funds. The family planning organizations say the new application process is meant to further the Trump administration’s political agenda instead of fulfilling Congress’ mandate to “offer a broad range of acceptable and effective family planning methods and services” to patients. The guidance associated with the funding notice also shifts the focus of the Title X grants from expanding access to services like contraception to strengthening “family formation” and assisting clients in “achieving healthy pregnancies.” Clinics are instructed to prioritize and promote natural methods of family planning, such as menstrual cycle tracking, which is less effective at preventing pregnancy than contraception, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. “The (funding notice) enables defendants to pick winners and losers based on political alignment, as opposed to merit and the ability to provide high-quality Title X services,” the complaint reads. “This is not how federal grants should be awarded, and, specifically, this is not how Congress instructed defendants to make Title X grants.” A hearing for the case will likely be scheduled in the coming weeks. Stateline reporter Kelcie Moseley-Morris can be reached at kmoseley@stateline.org. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Stateline
	WV releases $700K in grant funds to five orgs serving domestic violence victims across the state More than $700,000 in grants are being made available by the state of West Virginia to support services at five organizations focused on helping victims of domestic violence. A display of purple flags raises awareness for domestic violence outside the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)The state this week released more than $700,000 in grant funds to support services for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking in rural areas across West Virginia, according to a Thursday news release from Gov. Patrick Morrisey. The funding is being provided by the West Virginia Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking Program. The money will be administered through the Justice and Community Services Section of the state Division of Administrative Services, per the release. According to the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, there are 14 organizations in the state dedicated to supporting victims of domestic violence. In just one day in 2024, the coalition received 110 calls to its hotline and served nearly 370 victims of domestic violence. Eight requests for help in that 24-hour period went unmet due to a lack of funds. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in a 2024 study that about 44% of women in West Virginia have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime. Data was not available for men in the state. According to the state Supreme Court of Appeals, more than 37% — about 8,600 — of cases filed in family courts across West Virginia in 2024 were due to domestic violence. That same year, magistrate courts in the state issued more than 9,700 emergency protective orders for victims of domestic violence. Five organizations from across the state received portions of the state grant funds this week, which are meant to help expand services like housing assistance, crisis intervention, community outreach and more for people impacted by domestic violence. “Every West Virginian deserves to live free from violence and abuse, regardless of where they call home,” Morrisey said in the news release. “These grants help ensure victims in our rural communities have access to advocacy, shelter, crisis intervention, and other critical services when they need them most. Supporting victims and holding offenders accountable remains an important priority for our administration.” The grant awardees are as follows: $186,670 to the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Inc. to “continue services” for domestic violence victims in rural communities across the state $150,612 for the Women’s Aid in Crisis, Inc. to support services — like crisis intervention, housing assistance, referrals and court accompaniment for victims — in Barbour, Randolph and Tucker counties $136,897 to the Family Refuge Center for services in Greenbrier County $132,283 to the Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Center for the hiring of a rural domestic violence specialist to help coordinate response efforts through the Eastern Panhandle $94,948 to the Branches Domestic Violence Shelter to hire a domestic violence specialist working in Mason County SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of West Virginia Watch
	Lake Storey opens for 2026 season There’s good news for swimmers and boaters in Galesburg! The City of Galesburg has announced that water levels at Lake Storey have officially returned to normal, allowing all seasonal recreational activities to resume. The lake levels were kept lowered further into the summer season than usual to accommodate the construction of the multi-use walking trail expansion. The contractor [...]
	Programming Note: No noon, QCL or 4 and 5 p.m. news Friday KWQC will not air the news at noon, Quad Cities Live or our newscasts at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Friday due to NBC coverage of golf.
	Musco Lighting named official lighting provider of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games The 2028 games will be held in Los Angeles, California.
	Artist named for new Aledo mural The Windborn Group and Quad City Arts announced that artist Madeline Dieters has been chosen to create a new public mural on the South side of 112 E. Main St. in downtown Aledo. The mural is supported by the Illinois Arts Council's America's 250th Public Art Grant and is part of a statewide initiative celebrating [...]
	Person killed after crashing on Knoxville Road in rural Milan According to the Rock Island County Sheriff's Office, a driver was heading east on the road when they veered off and crashed into a tree.
	Omaha Community Foundation in talks to join NU as owner of Nebraska Medicine The then-leaders of Nebraska Medicine, including Dr. Michael Ash, the nonprofit's CEO, at right, and Lance Fritz, now-former chair of the Nebraska Medicine Board of Directors, hosted a forum Thursday with dozens of state lawmakers ahead of a University of Nebraska Board of Regents vote to buy out the 50% share of Nebraska Medicine co-owner, Clarkson Regional Health Services, the next day. Jan. 14, 2026. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)LINCOLN — In another curveball in the future of Nebraska Medicine, the University of Nebraska could tap the Omaha Community Foundation as an “equal member” of the nonprofit. The NU Board of Regents revealed the possibility Thursday after about an hour-and-a-half closed session. There was no indication of the possibility on the agenda or in the days leading up to the meeting. Upon returning, regents voted unanimously to add and approve a resolution saying negotiations are ongoing with multiple philanthropic organizations over NU’s decision to buy out Clarkson Regional Health Services’ 50% stake in Nebraska Medicine. According to the NU resolution, regents had worked behind the scenes since January with the Omaha Community Foundation, Walter Scott Family Foundation and University of Nebraska Foundation. A model detailing how the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s footprint would grow in Omaha with the $2 billion “Project Health” endeavor sits in front of University of Nebraska President Jeffrey Gold. Oct. 3, 2025. (Photo by Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) The NU resolution referenced contributions leading to a possible future governing role for the Omaha Community Foundation, but the resolution did not suggest such a role for the Walter Scott Family Foundation or NU Foundation. “While those discussions have been productive, no final resolution has been reached regarding the organization’s contribution or permanent level of involvement in Nebraska Medicine,” the resolution stated. The board designated NU President Jeffrey Gold to lead negotiations on behalf of the regents. Negotiations are continuing The Omaha Community Foundation said it will continue collaborating with NU and the Walter Scott Family Foundation on a potential model that “preserves the proven infrastructure in place today.” “This work reflects our mission to strengthen the community by bringing trusted partners together around shared goals,” Donna Kush, president and CEO of the Omaha Community Foundation, said in a Thursday statement. “Our role is to unite people, organizations and resources to pursue the community’s greatest opportunities.” Regents vote to increase NU tuition by 4.25%, cut $8 million in next $1.19 billion budget The NU resolution will give the Omaha Community Foundation two appointees on the Nebraska Medicine Board of Directors, replacing two outgoing Clarkson members, beginning July 1 through at least Oct. 1. And the regents said they will work with the Omaha Community Foundation for new nonprofit governing documents to reflect the change. The goal, the resolution states, is to admit the Omaha Community Foundation as a “qualified charitable designee” and equal parent member of the nonprofit. An NU spokesperson said it is undetermined at this time how much the Omaha Community Foundation had contributed toward the Nebraska Medicine transaction. She said the resolution was brought to the regents after the agenda was released last week and not finalized until Thursday. State law allows an agenda to be amended up to 24 hours before a public meeting, or later for “items of an emergency nature.” A tense transaction Clarkson has been NU’s partner organization since 1997. But in the summer of 2024, Clarkson leaders approached NU and asked to end the agreement. After more than a year of closed-door conversations and nondisclosure agreements, the plan became public Jan. 2. The then-leaders of the Nebraska Medicine Board of Directors objected, some of whom expressed concern about consolidating governance in the regents, kicking off a contentious month for the parties involved. University of Nebraska President Dr. Jeffrey Gold, right, speaks with state senators and NU regents after a forum with dozens of Nebraska state senators regarding NU’s proposal to buy out the share of Nebraska Medicine owned by Clarkson Regional Health Services. At center is Dr. Bill Lydiatt, Clarkson’s CEO, and at left is State Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte. Jan. 14, 2026. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) On Jan. 15, regents unanimously voted to move forward with a deal for NU to pay Clarkson $500 million for its stake in the nonprofit, plus $300 million to purchase related properties. In return, Clarkson would return $200 million for NU’s $2.19 billion “Project Health,” a longstanding NU endeavor to build up the future of health care and train the next generation of professionals. Another vote Thursday, before the closed session, amended the deal to instead define Clarkson’s return donation to NU as an “in-kind donation,” thus reducing NU’s direct payment to Clarkson by $200 million. NU is still on the hook for that full earmark toward Project Health. Former members of the Nebraska Medicine Board of Directors had called for NU to press pause and possibly find a philanthropic donor who could replace Clarkson in January. The short-lived, bitter spat featured a Nebraska Medicine-led lawsuit seeking to block the transaction. NU and Clarkson then replaced most board members, and the new board ended the legal fight. Some state lawmakers worried about the board shakeup, which some described as the “nuclear” option, and how it might affect an already divided donor community to the deal. Before the January vote, regents had also asked the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office to investigate claims that the then-leaders of Nebraska Medicine had sought to hurt NU’s bottom line and Project Health with the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee. Appropriators denied NU’s claims. Though former board members lost the battle, their desires for an outside, replacement parent organization might become a reality after all. ‘Changing the world’ Regent Jim Scheer of Norfolk said this was the “best opportunity” for Nebraska and the university to be successful, not just in educating the future workforce but in recruiting and retaining an international class of faculty, many of whom are dually employed by Nebraska Medicine. University of Nebraska Regent Tim Clare of Lincoln. Dec. 5, 2025. (Photo by Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) Scheer said NU has also been in close talks with the Omaha Airport Authority because of an expected increase in visits to the airfield following future investments in the University of Nebraska Medical Center, including Project Health. “We have the opportunity to have something in the State of Nebraska that no one else would be able to duplicate,” Scheer said. Regent Tim Clare of Lincoln, the longest-serving regent now in his 18th and final year, said the Nebraska Medicine transition has been the “biggest decision” in his public service and one that will have the biggest “ripple effect.” Clare credited the philanthropic support, without which “we’re not here today.” “I truly look forward to partnering with this group,” Clare said. “I totally look forward to changing the world.” SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Courtesy of Nebraska Examiner
	Have fun without tech with Girl Scouts' Screen Break Challenge Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois invite kids and families to disconnect from their devices and reconnect with each other. The Screen Break Challenge encourages families to explore the outdoors, build life skills and have fun without screens. Participants will trade screen time for real-world experiences across four categories: life skills, outdoor adventures, [...]
	Polk County man contests his placement on state registry of abusers The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing is being taken to court over a decision on the state's registry of dependent-adult abusers. (Photo illustration via Getty Images; logo courtesy of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing) A Polk County man is taking state regulators to court over his placement on the state’s registry of dependent-adult abusers. Court records show that Todd Robert Long is seeking judicial review of a recent, final decision by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing arising from a founded complaint that he committed dependent-adult abuse through exploitation. The department’s decision, the lawsuit alleges, resulted in Long’s placement on the state’s registry of known abusers. The lawsuit does not disclose any of the specific circumstances that led to the founded complaint, or indicate where or when the alleged abuse occurred. Long’s attorney, Angela L. Campbell, declined to comment on the matter. The Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing on Thursday denied a request from the Iowa Capital Dispatch for a copy of the agency’s May 13, 2026, decision placing Long on the registry, stating that the information is not a public record under Iowa law. The lawsuit states DIAL’s actions are based on “a determination of fact that (Long) misappropriated medication,” and alleges a failure by DIAL to consider “which employees had access to the medication in question during the time frame in question when there was no evidence that Mr. Long possessed the medications in question.” State and federal records indicate Todd Robert Long is a registered nurse who has been licensed in Iowa since 2022. His nursing license is in good standing with no public record of any disciplinary action, according to the Iowa Board of Nursing. His lawsuit alleges DIAL’s decision is unconstitutional or based on an erroneous interpretation of law, is not supported by substantial evidence, or is the product of wholly irrational reasoning. Long is asking the court to reverse the department’s final decision and remove his name from the state’s dependent-adult abuse registry. DIAL has yet to file a response to the lawsuit. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch
	One dead following single-vehicle crash in Rock Island County The Rock Island County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the fatal crash, which occurred in the 9900 block of Knoxville Road on Thursday.
	One dead following single-vehicle crash in Rock Island County The Rock Island County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the fatal crash, which occurred in the 9900 block of Knoxville Road on Thursday.
	Spend Father's Day weekend at Skinny's Street Fest Spend Father’s Day weekend in Muscatine, enjoying barbecue, music and fun. Skinny’s Street Fest will turn the 200 block of West 2nd Street into a full‑day celebration of food, music, and community. The festival runs from 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. on Saturday, June 20 and is free for all ages. West 2nd Street from [...]

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