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

Saturday, April 4th, 2026
	Family, friends march for answers in Catrelle Reed homicide His family and friends gathered for a peaceful march at Kewanee’s Northeast Park as they continued searching for answers in his homicide last summer.
	A week full of rain, how much did we get? An eventful end to March and a chaotic start to April with lots of rain and thunderstorms that seemed to have gone on for the whole week. While we have not even received 8" of rain from August of last year to February of this year, we have started to get back on track slowly [...]
	Natural disasters and political instability hampered U.S. museum attendance in 2025 The Art Newspaper's latest annual study of "the world's 100 most visited art museums" also reveals signs of modest growth.
	RECALL: 740K pans sold at Walmart, Costco may pose burn hazards You should stop using the pans immediately.
	Judge halts Trump effort requiring colleges to show they don't consider race in admissions A federal judge on Saturday said the Trump Administration the demand to collect data from universities was rolled out in a "rushed and chaotic" manner.
	After the Minnesota surge, ICE is moving to a quieter enforcement approach ICE seems to be changing from aggressive immigration enforcement on city streets to an apparent return to operations that rely heavily on local law enforcement. But even in Florida, where sheriffs are required to cooperate with ICE, some conservative sheriffs have concerns about pursuing immigrants with no criminal records.
	Actor Justin Hartley will give commencement address at Knox College Knox College has announced that Justin Hartley, Western Illinois-born award winning-actor, producer, and star of "Tracker," will be the speaker and receive an honorary degree at its 2026 commencement exercises this June, a news release says.. Hartley will be joined by internationally respected American arts executive and cultural leader Deborah F. Rutter and award-winning investigative reporter and [...]
	Novelist/musician Meinecke will present music of Bix Beiderbecke at Davenport event "An Evening with Thomas Meinecke" will be Saturday, April 18, at the German-American Center & Museum, downtown Davenport. Doors open at 5 p.m. with the program at 5:30 p.m. The event is free, but a $10 donation is suggested. Thomas Meinecke is a German novelist, musician, and radio DJ. He was born in Hamburg in [...]
	Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe will speak at St. Ambrose international conference St. Ambrose University, Davenport, will welcome one of the Catholic Church’s most influential contemporary voices, Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, OP, as keynote speaker for its upcoming international conference, "From A(mbrose) to (Gen.) Z: Resourcing the Tradition in Response to Contemporary Concerns in the Church," April 24–26,. A globally respected theologian, former Master of the Dominican Order, [...]
	March was 8th warmest on record; Easter Sunday expected to be slightly cooler than average The warmest Easter in the Quad-Cities fell on April 21, 2019, when the mercury topped out at 84 degrees.
	IMEG, Rock Island, acquires The JW Group Effective April 1, IMEG has acquired The JW Group, a technology-driven aviation consulting and design firm known for helping airports modernize infrastructure, improve operations, and solve complex challenges, according to a news release. The acquisition brings together IMEG’s national multidisciplinary engineering expertise with JW Group’s specialized experience in aviation technology, systems, and facilities design—creating a [...]
	Opinion: Humanity's hopes ascended with Artemis II NPR's Scott Simon reflects on the successful launch of NASA's Artemis II this week. The four astronauts aboard will travel around the moon.
	'London Falling': A teenage imposter, an aging gangster and a body in the Thames In 2019, 19-year-old Zac Brettler leapt towards the River Thames from a fifth-floor luxury apartment in central London. Patrick Radden Keefe investigates the story of the teen's double life in a new book.
	Iowa-Illinois NDIA Chapter will host government contracting symposium The Iowa-Illinois Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) will host the 17th Annual Midwest Government Contracting Symposium on Tuesday, June 2, and Wednesday, June 3, at Vibrant Arena in Moline, a news release says. This year’s event focuses on examining the recent military events throughout the world, and how the Defense Department responds [...]
	East Moline School Board approves Ridgewood playground equipment; presents other improvements The new playground has separate play areas for kindergarten through second grade and third through fifth grades.
	Iran war enters its 6th week as military searches for downed jet crew member The war in Iran enters its 6th week as the search continues for the missing U.S. service member who bailed out of a fighter jet shot down over Iran on Friday.
	John Deere This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.I wonder what John Deere would think if he could return to Moline for just a day and visit the site of the original…
	The busiest place you've never seen Photographer Julia Gunther and writer-filmmaker Nick Schönfeld chronicle the rhythms of daily life on Tristan da Cunha, the world's most remote inhabited island.
	Buttercream wool and jelly bean eyes: The art of the Easter lamb cake The cakes – usually baked in the shape of a lamb using a special pan – have a long history in Central Europe, from the German osterlamm, to the Polish baranek wielkanocny, to the Alsatian lammele.
	Get hopping: Tips for safe and fun Easter eggs It's important to follow food safety guidelines to minimize germs and maximize your egg quality.
	Illini fans flock to Indianapolis for Final Four Thousands of Illlini fans have traveled to Indianapolis for the Final Four.
	Are TSA wait times still long? Here's how to check Some of the hardest airports in recent weeks are now seeing security lines under 10 minutes.
Friday, April 3rd, 2026
	Cit of Moline designated as a River Edge Development Zone The designation makes the city eligible for several state financial incentives aimed at downtown development and attracting private investment.
	Good news - severe weather threat diminishing late Friday night The chance for strong t'storms isn't zero tonight, but it's a dropping quite a bit as the line of storms off to the West gets closer to the Quad Cities. This line of storms will roll through between 10:30 p.m and 1 a.m. But, the storms have not been producing much damage and there haven't [...]
	Library legislation raises concern for local programming and jobs Iowa amendment H-8260 passed through the state senate last month and it would give city councils across the state governance over public library decision-making. The measure would move control of libraries to city councils instead of the current library boards. Librarians in Clinton worry their jobs could be on the line. There's also a bill [...]
	Tree falls on a street in Moline, blocking roadway KWQC crews at the scene said the tree is blocking the roadway between 11th Avenue and 11th Avenue B.
	15 bunnies outlast Preston tornado A category EF-1 tornado rolled through a small town north of the Quad Cities in Thursday night's storm, with winds up to 105 mph - winds strong enough to roll a 10-foot-by-20-foot shed like a tire. Danielle Klosterman provided video of the powerful winds rolling her shed to Our Quad Cities News. Inside the shed [...]
	7 years after legalization, final cannabis licensing lawsuit goes to court After years of litigation, the state of Illinois faces one final lawsuit over how it rolled out licenses to “social equity applicants” under the 2019 law legalizing recreational cannabis.
	Lifelong Illinois fan in Andover preparing for Final Four matchup An Andover man and lifelong Illinois fan will watch the Illini’s first Final Four in decades from a man cave filled with team pride.
	NASA's Artemis II crew are quite the photographers. See what they've snapped so far Many of the photos that have come out of the moon mission so far were taken by crew members. NASA says the crew is getting guidance from scientists on what to capture when they get closer to the moon.
	Preston picks up the pieces after tornado damage Preston residents are picking up the pieces after an EF-1 tornado struck Thursday.
	How to protect yourself against storm-damage scams Following Thursday’s severe storms and confirmed tornadoes across eastern Iowa and northern Illinois, officials are warning homeowners to stay vigilant against post-storm repair scams.
	No library card needed to grab free seeds for your spring garden The library offers free seeds for vegetables, herbs, flowers, and native plants at all library locations. No library card is needed to take seeds.
	Andover's Illini superfan ready to see his team in the Final Four Dennis Shenalt has been an Illini fan for 50 years.
	Iowa State Patrol’s ‘Operation ICE Wall’ triggers more litigation Two more immigrant truck drivers picked up by the Iowa State Patrol and ICE officers along Interstate 80 are suing the federal government.
	Illinois designates Moline as a River Edge Redevelopment Zone, opening up development incentives The designation makes the city eligible for financial incentives that city leaders hope will spur downtown development and attract private investment.
	3 tornadoes confirmed from Thursday evening storms The National Weather Service has confirmed three tornadoes from Thursday evening’s storms.
	City of Moline named River Edge Redevelopment Zone by the Illinois Department of Commerce The RERZ designation means eligible property owners can receive sales tax savings on building materials, historic tax credits and more.
	Bird's-eye views from across the Quad Cities region during the week of April 3, 2026 Sit back, relax and enjoy these scenes captured by the News 8 drone from across the Quad Cities region this week.
	Online property tax payment system malfunctioned, including in Scott County; fix in progress Some Iowa property taxpayers were charged twice and some scheduled payments weren't processed because of an error with a third-party online processing system, Catalis. Fixes are done or in progress.
	Adult conversions to Catholicism surge across U.S., data shows The Diocese of Des Moines has seen a 51% rise in converts compared to last year. Here are some of the reasons one Iowa expert thinks this is happening.
	State names Moline as River Edge Redevelopment Zone The Illinois Department of Commerce has officially designated the City of Moline as a River Edge Redevelopment Zone (RERZ), making the city eligible for a powerful package of state financial incentives aimed at spurring downtown development and attracting private investment.The designation covers about 3.4 square miles of Moline's downtown core, bordered by the Mississippi River and extending [...]
	Ride the Island with River Action on Father's Day Take a Father's Day family bicycle ride and celebrate America's 250th birthday! Kathy Wine joined Our Quad Cities News with details on River Action's Ride the Island. For more information, click here.
	University of Illinois Springfield faculty go on strike The strike comes as state lawmakers consider overhauling how funding is allocated to Illinois universities.
	What does Bettendorf have planned for Fourth of July festivities? In addition to the parade and festival on July 4, the Bettendorf Public Library will host lead-up events to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.
	Spring cleaning tip: ‘Zooming out’ may help you let go of clutter A new U of Iowa study shows abstract thinkers have an easier time decluttering. They also noticed a connection between loneliness and not letting go of things.
	NWS: EF-1 tornado hits parts of Clinton and Jackson counties in Iowa The National Weather Service Quad Cities has confirmed at least one tornado during Thursday night's storms.
	2 tornadoes confirmed from Thursday evening storms The National Weather Service has confirmed two tornadoes from Thursday evening’s storms.
	McDonough County ambulance service uncertain amid contract changes McDonough District Hospital plans to end its ambulance contract, but leaders said negotiations are underway to avoid service disruption by May 3.
	Most book clubs fade within a few years. These Iowa clubs have lasted a century In an era when many book clubs fizzle out within a few years, the Browning Literary Club, Ingleside Study Club and Serendipity Book Club are among those quietly defying the odds — by decades.
	Adult conversions to Catholicism surge across U.S., data shows The Diocese of Des Moines has seen a 51% rise in converts compared to last year. Here are some of the reasons one Iowa expert thinks this is happening.
	FIRST ALERT DAY: Live Weather Blog for Friday’s severe risk Severe weather is possible across the Quad Cities area Friday evening.
	Spring cleaning tip: ‘Zooming out’ may help you let go of clutter A new U of Iowa study shows abstract thinkers have an easier time decluttering. They also noticed a connection between loneliness and not letting go of things.
	Police: Woman wanted for theft in Sterling The Sterling Police Department is asking for the public's help in locating a suspect wanted for theft.
	3-vehicle crash closes eastbound lanes of I-80 Illinois State Police are investigating.
	Sterling police searching for woman wanted for theft Shawna Saenz, 37, is wanted on a Whiteside County arrest warrant for theft.
	Congressman Sorensen convenes roundtable discussion on first responders’ mental health U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, a union representing correctional officers and law enforcement, and Gray Matters Collective met on Thursday, April 2 with local first responders on mental health challenges.
	Pinwheel garden planted in Rock Island for Child Abuse Prevention Month The display is in conjunction with the group Every Child for Child Abuse Prevention Month.
	KWQC streaming app bug resolved; Roku fix expected by end of night KWQC is resolving the technical issue that caused our news app to close unexpectedly for many users this week.
	Inside Iowa Politics: Why this Iowans thinks ‘No Kings’ last past the rallies "No Kings Day" Iowa organizer explains why she thinks this movement is growing.
	EF-1 tornado confirmed from Thursday evening storms The tornado tore through Welton, Charlotte and Preston with peak winds of 105 mph causing damage to homes, buildings, trees and powerlines.
	No injuries after fire in Davenport home No injuries were reported after a fire in a Davenport home.
	Thursday night tornado CONFIRMED by NWS - Welton, Charlotte and Preston hit with 105 mph winds Meteorologists with the NWS have confirmed a tornado hit the towns of Welton, Charlotte and Preston on Thursday evening. Early info suggests it was an EF-1 tornado with winds of about 105 mph. The tornado width, length of path and exact location will be released later today or tomorrow. We'll post those details when they [...]
	Severe t'storms likely (again) Friday in Quad Cities area After a couple rounds of severe weather in our area Thursday, mother nature is back at it again Friday night. We're looking at an 80% chance of a watch being issued south of the Quad Cities Friday afternoon. This could be a tornado watch or a severe t'storm watch and will likely be issued for [...]
	7 steps to pay off several bills with debt consolidation 7 steps to pay off several bills with debt consolidationPaying off several bills at once with a debt consolidation loan can help make managing existing debt easier.By combining multiple bills into a single loan, debt consolidation can help you pay off several debts at once. Depending on your interest rate, a debt consolidation loan might even help you reduce your total monthly expenses.However, like most financial decisions, it’s important to take it one step at a time. OneMain Financial shares a guide to help make it happen:1. Take inventory of your debtIf you know which debts you want to pay off, use a debt consolidation calculator to add them up. It can help to have an approximate loan amount in mind. If you’re not sure, make a list of the balances and interest rates on all your outstanding debt. This can give you a snapshot of which accounts require the most attention. You’ll also want to consider your debt-to-income ratio, which can impact your ability to obtain a loan.2. Check your credit reportIf you don’t have a current copy of your credit report, there are several ways to check your credit for free — you’re eligible to receive a free report from all three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) every 12 months if requested. Applying for the loan does require a hard credit inquiry, which could cause a slight, temporary dip in your credit score. Over the long run, however, a debt consolidation loan can actually improve your credit if you use it to pay down other debts and then make monthly payments on time.3. Research debt consolidation optionsThere are several ways to consolidate debt, including personal loans, home equity loans and credit card balance transfers. Make sure to ask yourself the right questions before taking out a loan and take a look at the chart below to help you compare some potential pros and cons of each option: OneMain Financial 4. Research debt consolidation companiesBeing selective can have its benefits. Look for lenders who not only provide the solutions you need but also have positive customer feedback. For example, check out their online reviews. Next, look up their Better Business Bureau page. You can also ask family and friends if they have a company that they recommend.5. Get your personal documents readyMost lenders ask for similar information in their applications. Get the following documents ready to speed up the process: proof of identity, proof of residence, proof of income and Social Security card.6. Apply for a debt consolidation loanOnce you’re certain a debt consolidation loan is right for you, it’s time to see if you’re prequalified. If approved, you can move forward with getting your funds. Lenders may provide loan proceeds by check or deposit into a bank account.If your application is denied, take a look at why it was turned down. You might learn how to improve your chances of getting a loan approved if you choose to apply again in the future.7. Pay off your debtsOnce your funds are available, contact your creditors and pay off the debts you selected. As you pay off each account, be sure to request an official “paid in full” letter from the lender. This letter will certify your zero balance and the date that the outstanding balance was satisfied. In some cases, you may be able to pay off your loan faster and save money on interest.Focus on the futureAfter doing your happy dance, it’s important to focus on your new loan. To truly get out of debt, you’ll need to make your payments in full and on time. If you stick to the plan, you’ll be on your way to another “paid in full” letter. Once your debt is paid off, be sure to focus on developing healthy financial habits in order to stay debt free.This story was produced by OneMain Financial and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	The rise of CTV IRL: Valuable TV audiences are no longer just sitting at home The rise of CTV IRL: Valuable TV audiences are no longer just sitting at homeFor decades, the advertising industry fixated on the living room and linear television viewership. Connected TV then reshaped how audiences stream and engage with content at home and on second-screen devices. But a new frontier is gaining momentum, and it looks a lot more like real life, Atmosphere TV reports.Call it CTV IRL: connected TV in the places where people are more frequently spending time, such as restaurants, gyms, bars, and airports. Reaching them where they gather, socialize, and are often considering their next purchase. This isn’t a theoretical shift. It’s happening.Research from McKinsey found that 65% of Gen Z consumers are prioritizing experiences over material goods, gravitating toward shared environments like fitness studios, bars, restaurants, malls, and wellness destinations. Research from Deloitte reinforces this, noting that physical venues are no longer just transactional, they’re becoming hubs for connection and entertainment. And according to Placer.ai, foot traffic is steadily rebounding across categories, from gyms to restaurants to offices, signaling a broader (and enduring) return to routines outside the home.In other words, the “third space” is no longer on the sidelines. It’s where culture is happening, and that’s changing the role of TVs in those environments.For years, TV in public spaces wasn’t relevant or entertaining: Long-form dramas, game shows, muted cable news, and talking sports analysts that fill a screen but rarely won attention. But these environments are evolving, fueled by cross-channel viewing behaviors extending beyond TV to channels like TikTok and YouTube, where people are increasingly engaging with compelling, sound optional, short-form content. More and more, screens are becoming part of the experience itself.CTV IRL is helping advertisers get in front of this shift, rethinking what content looks like when it’s designed specifically for these settings: visual, contextual, and built for what earns people’s attention outside the living room.A new study from advertising research firm MediaScience proves linear TV no longer dominates what people are watching, and creator-inspired content is earning attention and delivering impact through “third space” TVs. Using eye-tracking technology in real-world viewing environments, the study found that audio-optional, visually-arresting programming can drive 12% more visual attention than traditional linear TV programming. In some cases, viewers spent significantly more time actively watching this content than when TV dramas or sports highlights were playing on an adjacent TV.More importantly, brand recall was meaningfully higher, suggesting that when content is purposefully designed to be social, visual, and situational, it also becomes more impactful.Attention today isn’t just about reach or screen size. It’s about relevance to the moment.CTV IRL sits at the intersection of three powerful shifts:The return to IRL experiences among consumers.The preference for shared, public TV viewing occasions.The evolution of TV content and advertising to earn attention across viewing environments.For marketers, this opens up a different kind of opportunity. It’s not just about reaching audiences. It’s showing up in moments that feel natural, social, and authentic.Because increasingly, the most valuable screen isn’t the one in your home. It’s the one you didn’t plan to watch, but did.This story was produced by Atmosphere TV and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	What happens to bus ridership when gas prices spike What happens to bus ridership when gas prices spikeEvery time gas prices spike, Americans go through the same five stages. Disbelief at the pump. Quiet fury. Arithmetic. Googling. And then, for more of them than you'd expect, a decision that turns out to be more convenient than they expected.They get on the bus.As of March 20, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline sits at $3.84, up nearly 60 cents since the conflict in the Middle East disrupted Strait of Hormuz oil shipments in late February. In California, drivers are staring at $5.48 a gallon. With crude oil above $100 a barrel as of March 25, relief is not obviously on the way.BusesForSale.com examines the historical relationship between gas prices and public transit ridershipWhen Gas Gets Expensive, Americans Get on the BusIn 2008, gas prices peaked at $4.11 a gallon in July. What happened next is worth remembering. Americans took more transit trips in 2008 than in any year since 1956. Transit ridership rose 5.19% in the second quarter of that year compared to the same period in 2007, as prices climbed. Amtrak saw a 15% increase in ticket sales. Eighty-six percent of transit agencies reported ridership increases.Research from the University of Maryland found that for every 10% increase in gas prices, U.S. transit demand increases by about 1.2%. That elasticity gets stronger as prices rise. Above $3 a gallon, the effect accelerates. Above $4, it accelerates further.When driving gets expensive enough, people do what people have always done when something gets expensive. They find a better option.What Riding the Bus Actually Saves YouThe average American drives over 13,662 miles a year, according to the Federal Highway Administration. At $3.84 a gallon with a vehicle getting 28 miles per gallon, that's roughly $1,873 in annual fuel costs. At California prices, it's closer to $2,914. And that's before insurance, maintenance, parking, and the daily grind of sitting in traffic.A monthly transit pass in most American cities runs $65 to $130. For a daily commuter, the annual fuel savings alone can run $1,200 to $1,800, depending on their vehicle and local gas prices. That's a car payment or a family vacation. That's real money, quietly leaking out of a gas tank five days a week.For longer trips, the calculation shifts even more. A 50-mile round-trip commute by car at today's prices costs roughly $13 to $14 in gas alone, every day, before you account for wear and depreciation. The same route on a commuter bus or coach? Often $5 to $8 — and you get to read, sleep, or stare out the window instead of navigating the freeway.The Part Nobody Puts in a Cost CalculatorTransit ridership in 2012 ranked as the second-highest since 1957 — only 2008 was higher — and that was with gas prices well below the 2008 peak.Research tracking ridership across 10 U.S. metro areas from 2002 to 2011 found that long-term effects of gas prices on transit use were significant across every mode, which researchers interpret as habit formation. People who tried transit during the spike kept going after the pressure was off. Some of them simply never went back.Now, the numbers don't capture the fact that the people who switched to buses in 2008 didn't all switch back when gas prices dropped. Some of them discovered something they hadn't expected. They liked it.Not because buses are glamorous. They're not. But because the 45 minutes you spend on a bus is 45 minutes you're not behind a wheel. It's time that belongs to you. People read books they'd been meaning to read. They listened to podcasts. They called their mothers. They arrived at work having done something with their morning besides cursing at a merge.The transition is awkward at first, the way any change in routine is. The schedules require adjustment. The stops require planning. But the people who make it through the first two weeks tend to stay, which may explain why some riders continue using transit after prices stabilize.For Organizations, the Math Is Even BetterIndividual commuters aren't the only ones running numbers right now. Churches that shuttle members to Wednesday night services. Companies with employee transportation programs. Nonprofits moving clients to appointments. Sports teams. Schools. Camp operators.For any organization that regularly moves groups of people, a single bus absorbs fuel costs that would otherwise multiply across every individual vehicle making the same trip. The higher gas prices climb, the wider that gap gets. A church van making three trips costs three times as much as one bus. At $3.84 a gallon, that stings. At $5, it becomes a budget conversation nobody wants to have.The same logic applies to any business weighing a shuttle program for employees. The cost-per-rider on a shared vehicle decreases with each increment in gas prices. The argument for consolidating trips grows stronger with every update to the pump price sign.The Shift That SticksThe 2008 spike ended. Prices fell. Some riders drifted back to their cars. But transit ridership never fully returned to prespike levels. The shift stuck, at least partly. People who had never considered a bus found out it worked. Some found out it worked better than driving.That pattern tends to repeat. Price spikes are disruptive, but the disruption sometimes shakes loose habits that weren't serving people well in the first place.Gas is expensive right now. It may get more expensive before it gets cheaper.Data sourced from the AAA Fuel Gauge Report, the American Public Transportation Association, the Federal Highway Administration, and the University of Maryland National Center for Smart Growth. BusesForSale.com is a U.S. marketplace for new and used buses.This story was produced by BusesForSale.com and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	2 dogs safely reunited with owners after Davenport house fire The Davenport Fire Department responded to a house fire in the 4900 block of Candlelight Drive on Thursday.
	Why global sales training initiatives fail Why global sales training initiatives failThe challenge of driving real-world adoption from sales training initiatives is well documented. In its 2025 Market Guide for Sales Training Service Providers, Worldwide, Gartner highlights the growing emphasis on reinforcement, behavior change, and AI-enabled learning, and notes that training alone is not enough to improve seller performance.The Real Reason Global Training Rollouts StallHere’s the hard truth: When most global sales training initiatives fail, the system itself is rarely the problem. The plan might be sound, the facilitators engaging, and the content world-class. And yet, a few months after the last workshop wraps, most organizations find themselves right back where they started.It comes down to two things: One, the push and pull between global standardization and local customization, and two, the surrounding change management infrastructure.The issue has been highlighted in a recent Forbes Business Development Council column, which generated significant response from revenue leaders, underscoring the relevance of the topic.Balancing consistency with customization across regions, languages, and cultures remains one of the most persistent challenges for leaders managing global revenue teams. A common approach is to design a program at headquarters and deploy it worldwide—translating materials, bringing in trainers, and expecting consistent results across markets.In the “B2B Revenue Executive Experience” podcast episode, “The Playbook for Effective Global Sales Training at Scale,” PJ Nisbet, a ValueSelling Associates managing partner who has trained more than 8,000 sales professionals across multiple continents, notes: “If you position it like the company has decided that we’re doing this across the board and you have to comply, you’re not going to get adoption. You’re going to get resistance.”This dynamic highlights a broader issue. Rigid, centralized programs rarely translate effectively across regions. Instead, organizations need an underlying engagement framework; a defined sales methodology that’s malleable and customizable to different industries, markets, and individual selling styles, while maintaining overall consistency.Equally important is the role of change management. Stand-alone sales training is a waste of money. After all, changing adult behavior is incredibly difficult and requires a nuanced approach. Training must be part of a structured learning journey, one that’s driven top-down by leadership, integrated into daily workflows, and supported by ongoing coaching.What Successful Global Companies Do DifferentlyThe organizations that get this right don’t think about global training as a single event. They think about it as an operating system with four interdependent components.The first component is the sales skills transfer.The core principles are straightforward: A blended approach (e-learning to establish foundational concepts, workshops grounded in real-world scenarios to expand knowledge and refine application, microlearning to reinforce at regular intervals, and AI-powered coaching to continually evaluate and overcome skill gaps) works across every geography.The second component is technology integration.Whatever framework you adopt, it has to live inside the tools your sellers already use. Embedding your chosen sales methodology into your CRM, your adjacent revenue technology, your forecasting cadence, and your deal review templates is what turns a training event into an operating rhythm.The third component is leadership modeling.This is where the first cracks usually appear, as successful adoption requires a coordinated top-down effort. Executive leadership must consistently communicate the how and the why behind a training initiative. Furthermore, frontline managers must use the methodology in their one-on-one meetings, pipeline reviews, and coaching conversations. Without this reinforcement, the signal to the team is that this initiative is optional. In the “B2B Revenue Executive Experience” podcast episode, “The Art of Sales Forecasting: How to Predict Revenue Using Value-Based Selling,” Roland Griesmayer, head of revenue at GHD Digital, described implementing a disciplined approach in which managers were required to begin every deal review with the same three questions aligned to the organization’s value-based selling methodology. Within two quarters, those questions had become embedded in team behavior and were used consistently across the sales organization.The fourth component is effective sales coaching.Candice October, a ValueSelling Associates managing partner specializing in organizational development and change management, is clear on this point: “If the leaders aren’t coaching it, people are going to get to month end, quarter end, and slip back into their old habits.”The data backs her up. A 2024 study from Replicate Labs found that 55% of sales managers admit they don’t know how to coach effectively. You can run the best workshops in the world, but if your managers can’t reinforce what was taught, the forgetting curve wins every time. The growing role of AI sales coaching tools can augment your manager’s capacity, help reinforce learning, and improve coaching consistency over time. ValueSelling Associates The Consistency vs Customization TrapCompanies that standardize too aggressively get polite head-nodding in one area of the world, followed by brazen noncompliance in another. Companies that customize too liberally end up with a dozen different sales processes wearing the same logo.The organizations that navigate this well tend to follow a “common framework, local fluency” principle. With a proven sales methodology underpinning your global training program, you’ll have a common process for having better business conversations, building buyer confidence, and accelerating buying decisions. The core sales process, how you qualify opportunities, how you uncover and quantify buyer value, the coaching model—all of that stays consistent across every region. But the case studies, the role-play scenarios, the industry examples, the facilitation style, and critically, the delivery structure and all associated materials get tailored to the cultural nuances of the local market.Nisbet shared a recent example where his team conducted more than 30 discovery calls before launching a global implementation in the “B2B Revenue Executive Experience” podcast episode, “The Playbook for Effective Global Sales Training at Scale.” That might sound excessive, but those calls accomplished two things no headquarters-designed rollout could have achieved. First, they surfaced the local context needed to create customized materials and exercises. Second, and more importantly, they gave regional leaders a voice in the process before the first workshop ever happened. By the time the training launched, those leaders felt like co-creators.Why This Works Across CulturesOne of the most frequent objections to any global sales methodology is the assumption that selling styles are too culturally specific to standardize. After all, the way you build rapport in São Paulo differs from Stockholm, and business card etiquette in Tokyo bears little resemblance to a handshake in Houston.However, the underlying psychology of buying is remarkably universal. Buyers everywhere want to feel understood, and they want to arrive at conclusions themselves rather than being told what to think. Because of these universal motivations, they respond best to sellers who treat them as partners in solving a business problem rather than targets for a quota.If your sales methodology requires a wall of spreadsheets and AI-driven prompts inside sales calls to execute, busy sellers in any culture will abandon it. If it provides a clear, intuitive structure for having better conversations with buyers, it gets adopted.Growing Where the Demand IsWe’re seeing this conviction play out in real time. As more multinational organizations look to align their revenue teams across APAC, the demand for structured, value-based sales training delivered in local languages (Mandarin, Japanese, and others) continues to grow.As ValueSelling Associates managing partner in China, Kevin Sun said, “Value-based selling resonates in China because it honors the relationship-first tradition of local business culture while addressing a critical capability gap: converting relationship capital into quantifiable commercial value. Without this translation mechanism, networks remain purely social; with a structured value-communication framework, they become a genuine competitive advantage.”The same points resonate with ValueSelling Associates managing partner in Japan, Tetsuro Yamamoto, who said, “In our current selling environment, value must be clearer, more structured, and more aligned across the organization. Throughout my career, I have seen talented teams struggle—not because of lack of effort—but because value was not clearly defined and agreed upon.”Where Sales Leaders Should StartIf you’re a revenue leader evaluating a global training initiative, the checklist is shorter than you might expect:Start with a methodology that’s powerful but flexible enough to be adopted across regions.Invest in coaching and manager enablement.Embed the methodology into your existing tech.Give your regional leaders a genuine role in shaping the implementation.The organizations that get this right build powerful training programs, and most crucially, they build a common language for talking about deals, coaching performance, and forecasting revenue that works from Kansas City to Kuala Lumpur.This story was produced by ValueSelling Associates and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Family dogs safe after Davenport home fire There were no reported injuries following a fire in Davenport. According to a release, the Davenport Fire Department responded to the 4900 block of Candlelight Dr. for a reported structure fire April 2 at approximately 4:13 p.m. Crews discovered a home with heavy smoke conditions and found and extinguished a fire in the kitchen area. [...]
	Most Americans considering personal loans are focused on debt reduction, not spending Most Americans considering personal loans are focused on debt reduction, not spendingPersonal loans have become an increasingly common financial tool, offering borrowers flexibility to fund everything from major purchases to unexpected bills. As adoption grows, a key question emerges: What is actually driving interest in personal loans today?New proprietary data from SoFi suggests the answer may be less about spending and more about financial optimization. As economic pressures continue to shape household budgets, Americans exploring personal loans are largely doing so to regain control of existing debt rather than finance new purchases.An analysis of 1,350 prospective personal loan borrowers reveals that debt consolidation overwhelmingly drives borrowing, while discretionary or nonessential uses such as travel and large purchases rank far lower. The findings suggest that personal loans are increasingly viewed as structured financial tools for optimization rather than short-term spending solutions.Below is a closer look at the trends shaping borrower intent.Methodology: Findings are based on proprietary SoFi data collected from a survey of 1,350 prospective personal loan borrowers conducted Dec. 5, 2025, to Jan. 20, 2026, via a quiz experience on SoFi.com. Percentages reflect respondents’ self-reported answers at the time of participation.Key Findings57% of prospective borrowers cite debt consolidation as their primary reason for considering a personal loan.Nearly 40% say their biggest financial goal is paying off debt faster.Almost 90% expect to borrow between $5,000 and $50,000.46% would be first-time personal loan borrowers.51% identify interest rates as their top concern.68% report feeling very confident about managing debt.More than 84% describe their income as stable. Source: SoFi proprietary borrower survey (n=1,350)Debt Consolidation Dominates Borrower Motivation SoFi More than half of respondents (57%) report their main reason for considering a personal loan is debt consolidation. That exceeds other motivations by a large margin, including emergency expenses (11%), major purchases (8%), and home improvements (8%).Debt consolidation involves combining multiple debts into one new loan or credit line, ideally with a lower interest rate, and using it to pay down other debts. Those debts can be credit cards, car loans, or another type of debt. After consolidation, you have just one monthly payment, a fixed interest rate, and a definitive payoff date. SoFi When asked how they would use funds if approved:38% say they would pay off high-interest credit cards.19% would consolidate multiple debts into a single payment.For example, consider a borrower carrying:$10,000 credit card balance at 24.00% APR$5,000 on a second credit card at 22.00% APR$7,000 auto loan at 8.50% APRManaging these obligations requires multiple payments, varying interest rates, and separate payoff schedules. In a consolidation scenario, eligible balances are combined into a single personal loan with one fixed rate and a structured repayment term. This replaces multiple payments with one predictable monthly obligation and establishes a clear payoff date.This example illustrates how borrowers may use personal loans as a financial management strategy focused on restructuring existing debt, rather than financing new discretionary purchases.Borrowers Are Targeting Moderate Loan Amounts SoFi Prospective borrowers show relatively even distribution across mid-range loan sizes:22% expect to borrow less than $5,000.21% anticipate $5,000-$10,000.23% estimate $10,001-$20,000.22% project $20,001-$50,000.10% expect to borrow more than $50,000.Rather than clustering around the highest borrowing ranges, responses are spread fairly evenly across moderate loan amounts, with relatively few respondents expecting to take out larger loans. This distribution suggests borrowers may be sizing loans based on specific financial needs or planned expenses, such as consolidating a defined balance or funding a particular purchase, rather than simply pursuing the maximum loan amount available.The pattern points to more targeted, purpose-driven borrowing behavior, where loan size reflects a defined objective instead of borrowing capacity alone.Paying Off Debt Faster Is the Top Financial Priority SoFi With U.S. household debt levels elevated in recent years, public discussion often focuses on consumer borrowing trends and financial resilience. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Household Debt and Credit Report, overall household debt balances have continued to grow alongside broader economic changes and shifts in consumer behavior. However, the survey data suggests a more nuanced picture.Nearly 40% of respondents say their biggest financial goal right now is paying off debt faster, while another 22% aim to reduce their monthly payments. In contrast, fewer respondents prioritize building savings (2%) or improving their credit score (11%), highlighting a strong focus on actively managing existing obligations.Rather than signaling avoidance or distress, these priorities suggest that many borrowers are taking a proactive approach to debt management. As credit cards, loans, and financing become more integrated into everyday financial planning, debt increasingly functions as a tool that consumers seek to optimize, restructure, and repay strategically as part of broader long-term financial goals.Nearly Half of Borrowers Are New to Personal Loans SoFi Forty-six percent of respondents say they have never taken out a personal loan before, while 47% report having used one previously and finding it helpful.This near-even split reflects both ongoing adoption among new borrowers and continued engagement from returning users. A substantial share of first-time borrowers suggests the category is expanding beyond traditional audiences, while the strong representation of repeat users indicates positive prior experiences that reinforce ongoing usage. Together, these patterns point to growing familiarity with personal loans as a financial tool, supported by both new entrants and experienced borrowers.Interest Rates Remain the Biggest Barrier SoFi While personal loans show strong consumer appeal, borrowers remain cautious. A majority (51%) identify interest rates as their primary concern when considering a personal loan.Other concerns include:Fees and hidden costs (22%)Credit score impact (9%)Taking on too much debt (8%)Although many Americans perceive current borrowing costs as high, interest rate levels today are closer to longer-term historical ranges compared with the unusually low rate environment seen during the pandemic period, according to Federal Reserve historical rate data. As rates have normalized, consumers appear to be adjusting expectations accordingly.The data suggests borrowers remain highly rate-sensitive and focused on pricing transparency. At the same time, continued engagement with personal loans indicates that many consumers are becoming more comfortable navigating the current rate environment, evaluating loan options carefully rather than avoiding borrowing altogether.Borrowers Report Strong Financial Confidence and Stability SoFi A notable 68% of respondents say they feel very confident managing debt, while another 26% report feeling somewhat confident, indicating a broad base of financial self-assurance alongside a degree of caution. SoFi Self-reported credit scores cluster primarily in the “good” range (670-739), representing the largest segment at 35%, followed by “fair” (27%) and “very good” (18%). SoFi Additionally, more than 84% of respondents describe their income as very stable.Financial discussions often distinguish between borrowing used to support longer-term financial goals and borrowing used primarily for ongoing consumption. For example, some consumers use personal loans to consolidate higher-interest balances or restructure payments into a more predictable repayment schedule, while other forms of borrowing may be associated with higher costs or revolving balances. How debt affects a borrower’s financial position depends on individual circumstances and repayment strategy.Taken together, the high levels of reported confidence, stable income, and generally solid credit profiles suggest that many prospective borrowers are approaching debt as a strategic financial tool rather than reacting solely to financial distress. The presence of both “very confident” and “somewhat confident” respondents also reflects a more measured mindset, where borrowers remain aware of risks while making calculated decisions aligned with their financial priorities.The TakeawaySoFi’s internal data highlights a borrower landscape increasingly centered on financial optimization. Rather than using personal loans for discretionary spending, most prospective borrowers appear focused on restructuring and accelerating debt repayment.While concerns about interest rates persist, the high levels of reported financial confidence and income stability indicate that personal loans are being considered by consumers who view them as strategic tools for improving their long-term financial health.As household budgets continue to adjust to economic shifts, debt simplification and repayment acceleration may remain dominant drivers of personal loans.This story was produced by SoFi and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	No injuries, dogs rescued in Davenport kitchen fire Thursday afternoon Two family dogs were rescued and no injuries were reported after a kitchen fire in a Davenport home on Candlelight Drive Thursday afternoon.
	Trump's ballroom fight sheds new light on an underground White House bunker The status of a decades-old bunker beneath the now-demolished East Wing is unclear, but the Trump administration has cited security concerns in its legal filings in favor of continuing construction.
	Sterling Police seek woman on theft charges A news release from the Sterling Police Department says Shawna L. Saenz, 37 (DOB: 03/25/1989) is wanted on a Whiteside County arrest warrant for larceny-theft. Saenz is wanted in connection with an incident that happened on January 9 in the 200 Block of E. Third Street in Sterling. Anyone with information on Saenz’s whereabouts can [...]
	West Liberty sirens malfunction during storm West Liberty found out at the worst time that the storm sirens in the city weren’t functioning -during last night’s storm. Chris Jasper, Director of Emergency Management and 911 for Muscatine County, spoke with Our Quad Cities News via Zoom to give an update on the siren situation and what happened. “At this point, we're [...]
	Are ADHD medications overprescribed in kids? Are ADHD medications overprescribed in kids?Are too many kids taking ADHD medication?Understood examines the question of whether stimulant medications for ADHD are overprescribed, which has been around for years. Lately, it’s been coming up more and more. In September 2025, the Make America Healthy Again Commission published a report featuring concerns that too many children are being treated with prescription medication for ADHD.But is there a way to know if ADHD drugs are overprescribed? And if so, by how much? There’s no data to suggest they are. It’s possible that ADHD meds are prescribed to the right number of kids. Or even too few.ADHD is a relatively common condition. Roughly 7 million U.S. kids ages 5-17 (11.3%) have been diagnosed with ADHD at some point. That’s according to a survey taken between 2020 and 2022 by the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).But nearly one-third of the 7 million kids in the survey had never taken medication for ADHD. Also, according to the CDC, the percentage of kids with an ADHD diagnosis who took ADHD drugs varied widely from state to state. The numbers ranged from 38% to 81%.Quick takeAbout 7 million kids in the U.S. have been diagnosed with ADHD, but nearly 1 in 3 of them have never taken medicine for it.Kids whose ADHD symptoms were misunderstood or overlooked in the past are now being diagnosed — and more diagnoses mean more kids taking medication.Medicines like Ritalin and Adderall are the most common ADHD treatments, and the American Academy of Pediatrics says they’re safe and helpful for most kids.What is ADHD stimulant medication?There are two types of ADHD medications: stimulant and nonstimulant. The stimulant type is the most effective for the majority of people. It’s also the most prescribed. This group includes drugs like Ritalin, Concerta, Focalin, Adderall, and Vyvanse.Stimulant drugs for ADHD have been around for many decades. Ritalin, the first, was approved for use in kids in 1962. It’s been widely used to treat ADHD since 1980. That’s when ADHD (then called ADD) was recognized as an official psychiatric diagnosis.Stimulant medications are shown to reduce ADHD symptoms and limit the negative effects ADHD can have on a child’s life.How is ADHD stimulant medication prescribed?The process starts with a diagnosis from a licensed professional. After that, you’ll talk with your child’s health care provider about treatment options. These may include:Behavioral treatmentStimulant or nonstimulant medicationMedication and behavioral treatmentHealth care providers have clear guidelines for how and when to prescribe ADHD medications to kids, according to Understood expert and developmental pediatrician Elizabeth Harstad, MD. These guidelines come from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The group also has guidelines for evaluating and diagnosing ADHD in kids.These are the first-line treatment recommendations, depending on the child’s age.Ages 4-6: evidence-based parent training in behavioral management (PTBM) and/or behavioral classroom interventions, if available.Ages 6-12: FDA-approved medications for ADHD, along with PTBM and/or behavioral classroom intervention (preferably both).Ages 12-18: FDA-approved medications for ADHD, if the adolescent agrees. (Evidence-based training interventions and/or behavioral interventions as treatment of ADHD are encouraged, if available.)The prescriber monitors how the child is doing on the medications and makes any needed adjustments.How stimulant meds work in the brainADHD is partly caused by differences in how the brain functions. With ADHD, networks of brain cells don’t work efficiently.People with ADHD have trouble getting enough of the brain chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine. These chemicals carry messages from one brain cell to another.Stimulant medications help release more dopamine in the brain. Scientists have long thought that increasing dopamine helps the parts of the brain that control attention. But a recent study suggests that stimulants may improve the brain’s reward systems and how alert you feel.But stimulant medications don’t work for all kids. About 20% of kids and adults either don’t respond to these medications or can’t tolerate them.When the medications work well, they’re very effective at reducing symptoms that create daily challenges. Common challenges associated with ADHD symptoms include:Making and keeping friendsFollowing directionsManaging emotionsStarting and finishing tasksThinking before actingControlling impulsesIs ADHD overdiagnosed?Whether too many kids take ADHD medications is often related to another question: Are too many kids being diagnosed with the disorder?The rate of diagnosis has risen a lot in recent years, from 6 million in 2016 to 7 million in 2022. Research suggests that an increase in awareness of ADHD and changes to the criteria for diagnosing it are part of the reason for the rise. “There is more assessing and looking for symptoms,” says Harstad.Another factor may be the increase in the number of girls being diagnosed. In the past, ADHD was thought of as something only boys had. Girls were often underdiagnosed because they’re more likely to have symptoms that are easier to miss or dismiss. But a growing understanding of what ADHD tends to look like in girls is closing the gap. CDC data shows the ratio of boys versus girls being diagnosed has narrowed to less than 2:1.It makes sense that as more kids are diagnosed with ADHD, more kids take medication. “Rates of medication have increased along with rates of diagnosis,” says Harstad.Safety concernsThe question about overprescription is often tied to safety concerns over long-term use of stimulants.Both types of ADHD medications are approved and recommended for use in kids. They’ve been around for decades and are considered safe, even though they may cause some short-term side effects.Some long-term brain imaging studies show that children who take stimulant medications for years outgrow any short-term brain changes.There is one known long-term consequence. Some recent research suggests people with ADHD who had used a stimulant in childhood are slightly shorter in adulthood. But more research is needed to confirm that. Your child’s prescriber should monitor your child’s growth during treatment.“There aren’t great long-term studies,” says Harstad. Still, she believes that the possibility of a small effect on height shouldn’t keep parents from giving their child ADHD medication, if the meds are really helping.“If [a child’s] adult height is a few centimeters lower, it does not have as much of a functional impact as not using medication,” she says.Studies show that undiagnosed and untreated ADHD can lead to poor outcomes. These include:Underachievement at schoolDepression and anxietyIncreased risk of accidents and injuriesDifficulties at workUnemploymentSubstance abuseSuicidal thoughts and behaviorsADHD medication isn’t a cure. But it’s the most effective way to treat ADHD and lower the risk of lifelong problems, especially when it’s used in combination with psychotherapy.Still, there’s no way to answer the question of whether these drugs are overprescribed, prescribed at the right amount, or even underprescribed. If you’re concerned about ADHD medication for your child, talk to your child’s health care provider.This story was produced by Understood and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Death Notice: Patricia Curtis A graveside funeral service for Patricia Lynn Curtis, 70, of Blue Grass, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 8, at St. Ann's Cemetery, Long Grove. Visitation will be Tuesday, April 7, from 5-7 p.m. at Chambers Funeral Home, Eldridge. Mrs. Curtis died Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at MercyOne Genesis, Davenport. Online condolences may be made at www.McGinnis-Chambers.com. A full obituary will appear in the April 8 edition of The NSP.
	Big beautiful refund? 5 tax code changes that may put more money in your pocket Big beautiful refund? 5 tax code changes that may put more money in your pocketThe days are getting longer and W-2s are blooming, which can only mean one thing — the U.S. tax season is here.Many Americans may receive a bigger tax refund than in previous years as a result of changes under what has been dubbed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a package of tax breaks and spending cuts that President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4, 2025.The act renewed tax cuts originally put in place in 2017 that had been set to expire at the end of 2025. Had that happened, one estimate shows the average individual filer would have seen a $2,955 increase to their tax bill starting in 2026.That hike would have come from factors including higher individual tax rates, while the standard deduction and child tax credit would have been slashed in half.Instead, many filers can expect the new law to reduce their taxes for 2025 and beyond, with numerous provisions in place for the next three years.Trump’s tax and spending package has introduced a variety of provisions aimed at benefiting a broad cross-section of individual taxpayers. The changes under the act are retroactive, meaning that even though the law was signed in July, taxpayers can treat the provisions as if they went into effect at the start of 2025.In this article for The Conversation, Western Governors University School of Business accounting professor Jim Franklin shares some of the new things 2025 filers should know about:1. Increased deduction of state and local taxesPeople subject to steep local and/or state taxes can now deduct a significantly larger portion of those assessments.Allowable property, sales or income taxes paid to state and local governments in 2025 are deductible up to $40,000, or $20,000 for married filing separately. That’s up from the previous maximum of $10,000 and $5,000, respectively.Higher income taxpayers — those with modified adjusted gross income exceeding $500,000, or $250,000 for those married filing separately — won’t be able to take full advantage of the $40,000 deduction. OB3 calls for gradual reductions in the deduction amount as income level rises.In 2030, the state and local deduction reverts to the previous $10,000 limit, or $5,000 married filing separately.2. Tip income deductionWorkers in approved occupations, such as hospitality, cosmetology or personal training, who receive qualified tips will be able to deduct up to $25,000 in tip income from their taxes for the first time.This new deduction is phased out for single filers with a modified adjusted gross income over $150,000 and married couples filing jointly over $300,000.This tax break is available through 2028.3. Overtime pay deductionHave earnings from working overtime? From 2025 through 2028, filers can take a deduction for pay exceeding their regular rate.For example, if an employee typically earns $20 per hour and earns $30 per hour when working overtime, they qualify for a deduction of the extra $10. The maximum annual deduction is $12,500, rising to $25,000 for joint filers.As with many of these deductions, there is a phaseout for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income over $150,000, or $300,000 for joint filers.4. ‘Made in America’ car deductionPurchased a new vehicle for personal use or thinking about buying one soon? From 2025 through 2028, buying a vehicle made in the United States means the filer can deduct vehicle loan interest.Vehicles that qualify include cars, minivans, vans, SUVs, pickup trucks and motorcycles that underwent final assembly in the U.S.The maximum annual deduction is $10,000. The deduction starts to phase out for taxpayers with modified adjusted gross income over $100,000; $200,000 for joint filers.5. New deduction for seniorsFor tax years 2025 through 2028, individuals older than 65 are eligible for a deduction up to $6,000 or $12,000 total for a married couple when both spouses qualify. The deduction begins to phase out when modified adjusted gross income exceeds $75,000 or $150,000 for joint filers.It’s important to note that this deduction is in addition to the existing senior deduction that was passed under a prior law.This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional tax advice. Please seek a qualified tax professional for advice based on your individual tax circumstances.This story was produced by The Conversation and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	What's happening in Springfield? Illinois Quad-Cities lawmakers give updates on state budget challenges Lawmakers gave updates on the state's budget uncertainty, university funding and a bill that would regulate the volume of commercials for streaming services.
	4 Your Money \| About Face A significant reversal in interest rate expectations occurred from the beginning of January until the end of March. David Nelson, CEO of NelsonCorp Wealth Management, shares how market expectations for interest rates shifted over first quarter and especially in the last several weeks.
	Dock repair to begin at Lost Grove Lake Repair work will begin next week on the docks next to the boat ramps at Lost Grove Lake.
	Off-duty Quad Cities firefighters honored for saving two lives The Davenport Fire Department is honoring two of their own for taking action at separate incidents in Iowa and Florida that saved the lives of two people.
	America’s babies get a tiny slice of the federal budget America’s babies get a tiny slice of the federal budgetThe United States devotes a minuscule portion of its federal spending to the nation’s babies.In fiscal year 2025, 1.59% of all federal spending was dedicated to supporting children from birth to age 3, down about 20% from its peak of 1.98% in 2021, when adjusted for inflation.That’s according to Babies in the Budget, an annual report from First Focus on Children, a nonprofit, bipartisan advocacy organization that seeks to elevate children and families in federal policy and budget decisions.For the 2025 edition, the authors tracked nearly 150 federal programs that invest in infants and toddlers, including mandatory programs such as Medicaid and SNAP and discretionary programs such as the Child Care and Development Fund, Head Start and Preschool Development Grants. Their findings, they said, confirm that the U.S. can and should be doing a lot better when it comes to babies. The 74 And with major funding cuts to Medicaid and SNAP looming — programs which help to meet the basic needs of America’s youngest population and make up about half of all federal spending on babies — the next few years are only expected to be worse.In this article, The 74 examines this issue and its implications for children and families.“All the research shows this is the best investment you can possibly make for any age group, and yet we shortchange it,” said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus and one of the report’s authors. “We make far fewer investments for kids — but particularly babies and toddlers — than we actually should be making.”Is there a magic number of dollars to invest in young children? In an interview, Lesley and his co-authors said no. But they did note that while the world’s largest economy spends $1.59 out of every $100 on babies, it spends about $13 on defense.Lesley also pointed out that children from birth to age 3 make up about 3.26% of the U.S. population, meaning federal spending on them is not even half of their population share. And some would argue that infants and toddlers, being an especially vulnerable, wholly dependent group, warrant more than their fair share of spending.“Many things about human infants and toddlers are expensive,” said Elizabeth Gaines, founder and CEO of Children’s Funding Project, a nonprofit that works with states, communities and Native nations to support and expand funding for children. “They’re vulnerable creatures. We should be spending more of our resources on the most vulnerable of us.”Many countries have better infrastructure for supporting children and families than the U.S. does, said Melissa Boteach, chief policy officer at Zero to Three, a national nonprofit advocating for infants and toddlers. Most have paid family and medical leave and universal health care systems, which the United States does not provide. That leaves many populations, including the youngest, to fend for themselves.“It’s paltry,” Boteach said of federal investment. “Babies are 100% of the future. They’re in a period where their brain development is so rapid, the investments have such a long-term impact, and yet we continue to underinvest in babies.”While overall spending on babies is down about 20% over the past four years, discretionary spending has fared even worse. Since 2021, investment in programs that support child care, early learning, environmental safety and health for babies has declined by more than half — from 2.05% in 2021 to 0.96% in 2025. The 74 Many of these programs received historic levels of funding in 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, in response to the pandemic, making it an outlier year, acknowledged Chris Becker, vice president of budget policy and data analysis at First Focus and an author of the report. As a result of all that spending, he said, the child poverty rate in the U.S. was slashed in half in 2021, lifting nearly 3 million children out of poverty and illustrating what could be possible if the nation invested more in its youngest citizens.“Child poverty exists. Food insecurity exists for babies. Homelessness exists for babies,” Becker said. “I don’t know what number solves that, but it is solvable.”H.R. 1, also referred to as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which was signed into law by President Donald Trump in July 2025, may only increase the child poverty rate in the country, the authors of the Babies in the Budget report said. The legislation includes an estimated $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, which will gut the largest sources of federal spending on children from birth to 3. It will then be up to individual states to decide whether to make up the cost difference in those programs or let benefits lapse.Trump has cast himself as a “pro-family” president, promoting pronatalist rhetoric about boosting birth rates and supporting parents — a message amplified by Vice President JD Vance and other allies. But the legislation tells a different story: Federal investment in babies and toddlers remains limited, and the largest funding streams for young children face steep cuts.“I don’t even like to think about what is going to come from SNAP and Medicaid cuts,” said Gaines of Children’s Funding Project. “Kids in states that step up may end up being OK. Kids from states that largely voted this administration into office may not be OK.”The president’s proposed budget for 2026 — though not in any way binding and merely used as a blueprint so Congress can see what the administration wants to prioritize — included program and funding cuts across the board, said Becker of First Focus. But “babies are hit especially hard,” he said, with proposed elimination of dozens of programs serving babies and a reduction of more than $2.5 billion in discretionary spending.There is a dichotomy between the administration’s words and actions on children and families, added Boteach.“Budgets are moral documents,” she said. “Show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what your priorities are. You can say your priorities are whatever you want, but the words are empty if they’re not reflected back in a document that actually puts resources into what you say your priorities are.”Some leaders in the Trump administration have argued these programs for children are too costly, but Gaines doesn’t accept that as an answer.“The resources are there. This is a nation of abundance,” said Gaines. “When people say the money is not there — it clearly is. Choices are being made about where we invest our dollars publicly.”To illustrate her point, she noted that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act included a $45 billion expansion of immigrant detention facilities. In 2021, the federal government spent $39 billion on child care relief, and it was transformative for the field, she said.“I think if we asked the public whether they want their money on ICE detention centers or child care centers,” Gaines added, “they’d say child care centers.”This story was produced by The 74 and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	North YMCA to relocate to Kimberly Road in Davenport The North YMCA announced its relocation to a new facility at 1010 E. Kimberly Rd. in Davenport.
	Enjoy bilingual storytimes at East Moline Public Library Families can enjoy storytimes in Spanish and English at the East Moline Public Library, 745 16th Avenue. Families can listen to a Spanish Bilingual Storytime on Saturday, April 11 at 11 a.m. and a French Bilingual Storytime on Saturday, April 25th at 11a.m. Storytimes include a story and fun activity in the Children’s Area of [...]
	‘Domestic violence court is not a hunting ground’: Officials condemn continued ICE presence at Cook County courthouses Elected officials and advocates condemn the Trump administration’s continued ICE activity at Cook County’s Domestic Violence Courthouse, warning it violates state law.
	What’s behind your eye-popping power bill? Here are the reasons, region by region. What’s behind your eye-popping power bill? Here are the reasons, region by region.It’s no secret that U.S. electricity prices have been rising over the last few years: The average residential energy bill in 2025 was roughly 30% higher than in 2021. This jump is largely in line with the overall inflation Americans have experienced during this period. As the cost of groceries, gas, and housing has increased, so too has the cost of electricity, Grist reports.But there are big differences from state to state and region to region. Some places — like California and the Northeast — have seen mammoth price increases that outpaced inflation, while costs have held steady in other parts of the country, or even fallen in relative terms. Nearly everywhere, though, rising electricity costs have strained the budgets of low-income households in particular, since they spend a much larger share of their earnings on energy compared to wealthier Americans.Higher energy bills have also become a political flashpoint. Over the past year, rising electricity prices have helped push voters to the polls, and politicians have taken note. In Virginia and New Jersey, newly elected governors campaigned heavily on reining in utility bills. In Georgia, incumbent utility regulators were booted out by voters, who elected two Democrats to the positions for the first time in two decades. Clayton Aldern // Grist A wide range of culprits have been blamed for the surge in electricity prices, with energy-hungry data centers shouldering much of the criticism. Tariffs, aging power plants, and renewable energy mandates have also come under fire. But the reality is far more nuanced, according to recent research from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the latest price data from the federal government’s Energy Information Administration. Electricity prices are shaped by a complex mix of factors, including how utilities are structured, how regulators oversee them, regional divergences in fuel prices, and how often the grid is stressed by heat waves or cold snaps. In many states, the biggest driver is the rising cost of maintaining and upgrading grids to survive more extreme weather — the unglamorous work of replacing old poles and wires.But the forces driving high bills in California aren’t the same as those affecting households in Connecticut or Arizona. In this piece, we highlight one key driver of recent price trends in each region of the country. (The regions below are organized alphabetically, with individual entries for Alaska, California, Hawai'i, the Midwest, the Northeast, the Pacific Northwest, the Southeast/Mid-Atlantic, the Southwest/Mountain West, and Texas.) While the dynamics of every utility bill differ — including those within the same state — recent data demonstrates the many challenges ahead as public officials promise a laser focus on energy affordability.AlaskaKey factor: Geographic isolationAlaska’s electricity prices are among the highest in the country, largely because the state’s power grid operates in isolation. Unlike utilities in the lower 48 states, Alaska’s providers can’t import electricity from neighboring states or Canada when demand spikes or supply runs short. That isolation limits flexibility and drives up costs. Utilities also have to spread the expense of generating and transmitting power across a relatively small customer base. The state’s primary grid, known as the Railbelt, serves about 75% of Alaska’s population. Beyond it, more than 200 microgrids power rural communities, many of which rely heavily on diesel generators. These structural challenges contribute to electricity rates that are roughly 40% higher than the national average.Electricity prices have been rising in the state over the past decade, even after adjusting for overall inflation. A study by researchers at the Alaska Center for Energy and Power found that residential rates for Railbelt customers increased by about 23% between 2011 and 2019. Rural customers saw a roughly 9%increase during the same period.While more recent data charting electricity prices adjusted for inflation isn’t readily available, energy costs are likely to grow in the state. That’s because Alaska depends on natural gas for electricity generation and heating, and it relies on the Cook Inlet basin for natural gas. With supplies dwindling in that reserve, the state is expected to face a shortage soon. If it chooses to import natural gas, it will be much more easily affected by price swings in the natural gas market. State regulators have also approved a 7.4% interim rate increase for the Golden Valley Electric Association, the primary utility that serves the Fairbanks area. A full rate case review is underway, and a final decision on the rate will be made in early 2027.CaliforniaKey factor: WildfiresCalifornians have long paid above-average electricity prices. Since the 1980s, rates in the Golden State have typically been at least 10% higher than the national average. For decades, however, those higher per-kilowatt-hour prices were largely offset by lower electricity use as a result of the state’s relatively temperate climate. In other words, electricity in California costs more per unit, but residents consumed far less than households in many other states, keeping average monthly bills relatively low. That began to shift in the mid-2010s when the state began experiencing more frequent and larger wildfires. Since then, electricity prices have outpaced consumption, leading to exorbitantly high energy bills. Clayton Aldern // Grist Between 2019 and 2024, California had the largest increase in retail electricity prices of all U.S. states. Monthly energy bills in 2024 averaged $160, roughly 13% higher than the national average. Much of that increase has been driven by the soaring cost of infrastructure upgrades aimed at reducing wildfire risk, along with rising wildfire-related insurance and liability costs. After the 2018 Camp Fire, PG&E declared bankruptcy, citing $30 billion in estimated liabilities. Utilities have also poured billions of dollars into replacing aging transmission and distribution lines and expanding the grid to meet growing demand.California’s high rate of rooftop solar adoption has also played a complicated role in rising prices. As more customers install rooftop solar, they purchase less electricity from the grid. That leaves utilities with the same fixed infrastructure costs — but fewer kilowatt-hours over which to spread them. The result: higher per-unit rates for customers who remain more dependent on grid power. Since renters and low-income Californians are less likely to benefit from residential solar, rising electricity rates hit them harder.Hawai'iKey factor: Oil dependenceHawai'i has the highest electricity bills in the country. Average residential rates rose about 8% between 2019 and 2024, even after adjusting for overall inflation, and the typical household now pays more than $200 per month for electricity.Those high costs are rooted in the state’s unique energy system. Hawai'i remains heavily dependent on oil to generate power, and many of its oil-fired plants are aging and relatively inefficient. That reliance ties electricity prices directly to global oil markets. Hawaiian Electric, the state’s primary utility, purchases crude oil on the open market and pays to have it refined before it is burned to produce electricity — meaning fluctuations in both crude prices and refining costs show up on customers’ bills. Clayton Aldern // Grist While oil prices have eased in the past couple of years, they spiked sharply in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, driving up fuel costs and, in turn, electricity rates. Refining costs on the islands have also risen in recent years, adding further pressure to household bills. Fuel and equipment must also be shipped thousands of miles from the mainland — and often transported between islands — adding significant logistical costs. Hawai'i’s power grids are also small and isolated. Electricity generated on one island cannot easily be transmitted to another, limiting flexibility and preventing the kind of resource sharing common on the continental grid. Together, those structural constraints help keep electricity prices in Hawai'i persistently high.Midwest(Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.)Key factor: Wind energyThe Midwest and Great Plains states saw only modest changes — and sometimes even declines — in inflation-adjusted retail electricity prices per kilowatt-hour between 2019 and 2024. Average monthly electricity bills typically fall between $110 and $130.This stability is largely a renewable energy success story: Many Midwestern states are now deeply reliant on wind power. Wind supplies more than 40% of electricity in Iowa and South Dakota, and more than 35% in Kansas. Investments in utility-scale wind and solar have helped shield consumers from price shocks tied to natural gas volatility, since renewables have no fuel costs and can reduce exposure to sudden spikes in gas prices. Research also shows that these investments can lower wholesale electricity prices by displacing higher-cost generation during periods of high wind and solar output. Clayton Aldern // Grist, Karsten Würth // Unsplash Northeast(Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont)Key factor: Natural gas pricesAside from California and Hawai'i, northeastern states experienced some of the steepest increases in retail prices between 2019 and 2024. Prices in New York and Maine rose more than 10% over the last few years. Connecticut residents pay nearly $200 per month for electricity.The region’s heavy reliance on natural gas as both a home heating fuel and a source of utility-scale electricity is a major driver of high energy bills, especially in winter. When temperatures drop, demand for natural gas surges as homes and businesses burn more fuel for heating. Power plants are then forced to compete with those heating needs for the same constrained supply. (Gas has to be transported to the region via pipelines that stretch as far as Texas.) With no easy way to bring in additional gas, prices spike, and those increases ripple through to power bills.A combination of forces has worsened natural gas constraints in recent years, pushing electricity prices even higher, particularly during cold snaps. More households in the region are switching to heat pumps and buying EVs, driving up demand for power. International energy policies, like increasing U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas and the global gas crunch caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are driving up fuel costs stateside. Utilities in the Northeast, like those elsewhere in the country, are also pouring money into infrastructure upgrades, and those investments are being passed on to customers through higher bills.Pacific Northwest(Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington)Key factor: HydropowerRetail electricity prices in the Pacific Northwest rose only modestly over the last few years, at least compared to the country’s general rise in the cost of living. Inflation-adjusted prices in Washington and Oregon increased by about 5% between 2019 and 2024, while Idaho and Montana saw slight declines. In 2024, average monthly energy bills across the four states ranged from about $105 to $130, roughly in line with the national average. (This is not to say that customers haven’t noticed growing totals on their energy bills; the Energy Information Administration estimated that Oregon’s average retail price increased by 30% between 2020 and 2024, which is roughly in line with overall inflation over the last several years.)So why has the region been largely insulated from the inflation-adjusted cost spikes that have struck neighboring areas like California? Hydropower. Abundant, low-cost hydroelectric generation has long kept energy bills in the Pacific Northwest — and the climate impact of the region’s power generation — among the lowest in the country. And while utilities in these states are facing rising costs tied to wildfire mitigation and infrastructure upgrades, cheap and plentiful hydropower has so far helped offset those increases.Southeast and Mid-Atlantic(Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia)Key factor: Extreme WeatherSoutheastern states frequently face hurricanes, flooding, and extreme heat. In recent years, the number of billion-dollar disasters in the region has increased, an ominous sign of the havoc that climate change will wreak. Utilities are fronting the costs of both weathering these events and rebuilding in their aftermath — and then they pass them on to their customers.The cost of distributing electricity — think the power lines that deliver energy to your home — rose significantly in the Southeast over the past few years, driven mostly by capital expenditures to upgrade and build new infrastructure. In Florida, for instance, damage from Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton in 2024 resulted in residential price increases from 9% to 25% the following year. Similarly, Entergy Louisiana’s plan to harden its grid costs a whopping $1.9 billion, much of which will be borne by customers through rate increases. Clayton Aldern // Grist, Lukas Hron // Unsplash Some states in the region, such as Virginia, have also seen a major influx of data centers, which consume enormous amounts of electricity. In some areas, utilities are upgrading infrastructure to meet that demand, raising concerns that those costs could push electricity prices higher. However, a national study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that an increase in demand in states between 2019 and 2024 actually led to lower electricity prices on average. That’s because when there’s more demand for power, the fixed costs of running a utility — such as maintaining the poles and wires that deliver electricity to your home — are spread out over a greater number of customers, leading to lower individual bills.In Virginia, the world’s largest data center hub, electricity prices rose only modestly between May 2024 and May 2025, despite a rapid buildout of new facilities. But that dynamic could shift as hyperscalers construct ever-larger campuses. Ultimately, prices will hinge on how utilities and regulators choose to plan and pay for that demand.For now, however, extreme weather remains one of the region’s main drivers of rising costs.Southwest and Mountain West(Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming)Key factor: Hotter summersArizona and New Mexico saw a nominal decrease in retail electricity prices between 2019 and 2024, after adjusting for overall inflation. However, there is a big difference between the states in how much residents pay for energy every month. Energy bills in New Mexico averaged just $90, while in Arizona they were nearly double at $160.The main difference between the two states comes down to the fact that a greater share of Arizona residents are exposed to scorching summer temperatures — and therefore use more air conditioning, especially in population centers like Phoenix. (Average summer highs in Phoenix are about 20 degrees Fahrenheit higher than they are in Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city.) As a result, Arizonans use an additional 400 kWh every month, which leads to higher energy costs. Clayton Aldern // Grist, Adi Fauzanto, Wesley Tingey, Alex Perz, Ivan Rudoy, Fré Sonneveld // Unsplash Arizona residents could also see higher prices in the coming years as a result of rate cases that are being considered, which, if approved, will take effect in 2026. Both Arizona Public Service and Tucson Electric Power are asking the state to approve a 14% increase in rates, which could translate to an increase of about $200 in average household energy bills per year. Both utilities have justified the increase by citing the need to modernize the grid as well as higher costs of constructing and maintaining infrastructure.TexasKey factor: Regulatory free-for-allTexas is a land of contrasts. Though it’s an oil-and-gas stronghold, the Lone Star State generates a significant share of its electricity from wind and solar. And unlike most states, it operates its own power grid and runs a deregulated electricity market in which electricity prices can swing sharply from hour to hour.In Texas, local utilities compete to buy power from generators — natural gas plants, wind farms, and solar arrays among them — in a wholesale market, and then sell that energy to customers. The system gives consumers a lot of choice in picking utility providers, but it also allows utilities to pass on wild swings in the price of power generation. If the cost of natural gas skyrockets during a particularly cold winter when solar is less available, for instance, wholesale electricity prices jump with it. This can lead to eye-popping energy bills, like those seen during 2021’s Winter Storm Uri. The setup ultimately leaves consumers exposed to price shocks, especially when extreme weather hits. Clayton Aldern // Grist Perhaps as a result, rising electricity costs in Texas are driven by the cost of delivering power — and in particular by swings in natural gas prices, since gas-fired power plants are the state’s primary providers when weather conditions don’t enable wind and solar. While average retail electricity prices fell by a little more than 5% between 2019 and 2024, Texans still pay some of the highest energy bills in the country, reflecting surging demand driven by population growth and industrial expansions as well as sharp price spikes during the state’s scorching summers and winter months.As the state’s population grows, new data centers get built, and more renewable power is brought online, utilities are also having to invest heavily to expand the grid and harden it against extreme weather like Uri, during which at least 246 people died, mostly due to hypothermia. One analysis found that transmission costs grew from $1.5 billion in 2010 to over $5 billion in 2024 and could surpass $12 billion per year by 2033.Anita Hofschneider contributed reporting to this piece.This story was produced by Grist and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	3 Things to Know \| Quad Cities morning headlines for April 3, 2026 The Quad City Storm is holding its last two home games against Huntsville, and the QC Animal Welfare Center is hosting a golf fundraiser for pets in need.
	Going up! 'Elevator Songs' is a high-concept, emotionally turbulent ride On a new album, the experimental vocal group Roomful of Teeth and songwriter Gabriel Kahane take up residence in a multidimensional hotel with a time-traveling elevator and a quirky clientele.
	Iowa Department of Corrections names Janie Mendez as new warden of Iowa State Penitentiary The Iowa State Penitentiary has a new warden. Janie Mendez has been named as the new warden of the Iowa State Penitentiary (ISP) by the Iowa Department of Corrections (DOC). Mendez brings over 20 years of experience within the DOC to her new position, having served in several leadership and frontline roles across multiple institutions, [...]
	A guide to creating your first lead scoring model A guide to creating your first lead scoring modelIf you’re drowning in leads but your close rate isn’t improving, you’re not alone. Most B2B sales teams waste hours chasing dead-end prospects while hot leads go cold in their CRM. The fix? A lead scoring model that automatically tells you which prospects deserve your time right now.Every sales rep knows the frustration — you’ve got a list of 500 leads, but no clue who to call first. You could go alphabetically (spoiler: That doesn’t work), or you could build a system that ranks leads based on how likely they are to buy. That’s where lead scoring comes in.In this guide, Apollo walks you through creating your first scoring model. You’ll learn exactly which criteria matter, how to weight them, and how to implement a system that separates tire-kickers from serious buyers — so your team can focus on conversations that actually close.What is lead scoring?At its core, lead scoring is a methodology that helps businesses evaluate the quality and potential of leads based on predefined criteria.By assigning scores to different attributes, businesses can focus their efforts on leads that are more likely to convert into customers. Typical lead scoring models assign “points” to individual leads based on factors like company size, revenue, industry, if they’ve shown intent to buy, etc. The higher the points, the more likely they are to convert into customers.With lead scoring, you remove the manual vetting of which high-potential leads to tackle next (which is prone to human error), and instead, you use a data-driven methodology that can be easily optimized to drive better results.The value of lead scoringImprove lead prioritization and prospecting efficiencyBy assigning scores to leads based on predefined criteria, you can focus your time, resources, and efforts on the most promising leads. This leads to better allocation of resources and increased efficiency in your sales and marketing activities.Make marketing and sales an allied revenue duoWith a clear understanding of lead quality, both sales and marketing teams can work together to target high-scoring leads more effectively. Marketing can tailor campaigns and content to match the needs and interests of specific lead segments, while sales can focus their efforts on leads with the highest scores, resulting in improved conversion rates and higher revenue generation.Increase conversion rates and revenueLead scoring helps you identify leads that exhibit characteristics or behaviors indicative of strong buying intent. This enables you to personalize your outreach and engage with leads in a more targeted and meaningful way. As a result, your conversion rates improve, leading to a higher return on investment (ROI) for your sales and marketing efforts.Types of lead scoring modelsNot all lead scoring models are built the same. The best ones usually blend a few different types to get a complete picture of a lead’s potential. Think of it as looking at a lead from multiple angles to decide if they’re the right fit and if they’re interested right now.Here are the core types you’ll work with:Demographic and Firmographic Scoring: This is all about fit. It answers the question, “Is this the right type of person at the right type of company?” It uses explicit data points like job title, industry, company size, and revenue. If a lead matches your ideal customer profile (ICP), they get a high score here.Behavioral Scoring: This is all about interest and intent. It answers, “How engaged is this lead with us?” This model tracks actions like visiting your pricing page, downloading a whitepaper, opening your emails, or attending a webinar. The more they engage, the higher their score.Negative Scoring: Just as important as adding points is knowing when to subtract them. This model deducts points for actions that signal a poor fit. For example, you might subtract points if a lead is a student, comes from a non-target country, or only visits your careers page. This helps weed out unqualified leads automatically.A truly powerful lead scoring system doesn’t just pick one; it combines all three. This way, you’re prioritizing leads that are both a great fit for your product and are actively showing interest in buying.Step-by-step guide to creating your first scoring modelStep 1: Define your criteriaTo start, identify the criteria that matter most to your business. Consider factors such as demographics, firmographics, and behavior-based indicators. What characteristics align with your ideal customer profile? Defining these criteria will form the foundation of your scoring model.Here are a few commonly used demographic and firmographic attributes on contacts or companies:Job titles or departmentsLocationIndustriesNumber of employeesRevenueTechnologies usedAnd here are a few commonly used behavioral attributes that are relatively easy to collect (depending on the tools you use):Opened or clicked an emailExpressed buying intent by researching online for your serviceFilled out a form on your websiteRegistered or attended your webinarStart by simply selecting a few of the criteria above and add more as you learn more about what works and what doesn’t. Your first scoring model can be very simple and still make a huge impact on how you prioritize your leads.Step 2: Weight your attributesNot all criteria carry the same weight in determining lead quality. Assign appropriate weightings to each criterion based on their relative importance to your business.There are two ways you can think about assigning weightings:Scale (e.g. not important, somewhat important, neutral, important, or very important)Numerical (e.g. 0-20 where 20 is the max)If this is your first time setting up a scoring model, the scale might be the easier approach. However, either way will still tally up scoring points between 0-100 where the higher number indicates better customer fit than a lower number.For example:Each attribute can be weighted differently — a lead’s level of engagement like attending a webinar might be more significant than their job title.The options within an attribute can be weighted differently — a VP or director might be more significant than a manager job title.Step 3: Gather and integrate dataTo effectively score leads, you need reliable data. Collect and integrate data from various sources, such as your CRM, website analytics, marketing automation systems, and sales intelligence platforms.Whatever data sources you’ll use for scoring, make sure it’s accurate, up-to-date, and clean to avoid any misleading scores.Step 4: Build your scoring modelNow it’s time to build your scoring model.Select your target type: For example, people or companiesAdd the criteria and weightings:Persona (e.g., sales leadership)Location (e.g., US)Number of employees by department (e.g., at least 5)Contact engagement - # of times opened (e.g., at least 10)Render distribution and see how many of your saved contacts match the criteria as excellent, good, fair, or not a fit.Step 5: Test and refineOnce your scoring model is set up, it’s time to put it to the test. Start by applying the model to a sample set of leads and analyze the results.The next step is to personalize your outreach based on the data insights provided.For example, you could try sending a personalized email that says "Hey, we’ve seen that you’ve been opening our emails a few times, and would love to chat about what caught your eye!"Continuously refine and optimize your model based on real-world feedback and outcomes. Remember, lead scoring is an iterative process, and it will evolve as you gain more insights.Lead scoring best practicesBuilding your model is the first step. Keeping it effective is an ongoing process. A great lead scoring model isn’t static; it’s a living system that you refine over time. Here are a few best practices to make sure your model keeps delivering high-quality leads to your sales team.Get sales and marketing in the same room: Your lead scoring model will fail if your sales team doesn’t trust it. Sit down with them from day one. What signals do they see in their best deals? What makes a lead “sales-ready” in their eyes? Build the criteria together to ensure everyone is aligned on what a good lead looks like.Start simple, then expand: You don’t need 50 different criteria on day one. You’ll get lost in the complexity. Start with the 5-10 most impactful attributes you identified with your sales team. You can always add more nuance later as you gather more data.Work with clean data: A scoring model is only as reliable as the data that fuels it. If your contact data is outdated or incomplete, your scores will be meaningless.Review and iterate regularly: Don’t just set it and forget it. Schedule a quarterly review of your model. Look at your closed-won deals. Did they have high scores? If not, it’s time to adjust your weights and criteria. The market changes, and your model should, too.Unlock new opportunities with lead scoresThe scores generated by your model provide valuable insights into lead quality. Leverage this information to tailor your outreach and engagement strategies. High-scoring leads deserve more attention, personalized messaging, and targeted offers.By aligning your efforts with lead scores, you can enhance efficiency, improve conversion rates, and drive revenue growth.Lead scoring isn’t just another sales tool — it’s your competitive edge in a world where speed wins deals. You’re now equipped with everything you need to build a model that transforms how your team prioritizes prospects. Start simple, test often, and watch as your close rates climb.Frequently asked questions about lead scoring modelsWhat is the formula for lead scoring?There isn’t one universal formula because it should be customized to your business. However, a simple and effective structure is: Lead Score = (Demographic Fit Score) + (Behavioral Interest Score) - (Negative Score). You decide the points for each attribute based on what matters most for converting a lead into a customer.What’s a good lead score range to use?Most businesses use a 0-100 scale. The key isn’t the range itself, but the thresholds you define within it. For example, you might decide that leads scoring 80+ are “sales-ready” and get routed to an AE immediately, while leads scoring 50-79 enter a nurture sequence to build more interest.How often should I update my lead scoring model?You should plan to review your model at least quarterly. The market changes, and so do your buyers. Look at your recent closed-won deals. Did they have high scores? If not, your model needs tweaking. Treat it as an iterative process, not a one-time setup.What’s the difference between behavioral and demographic scoring?It’s the difference between “fit” and “interest.” Demographic scoring measures fit—does this lead match your ideal customer profile based on things like job title, industry, or company size? Behavioral scoring measures interest—what actions has this lead taken, like visiting your pricing page or downloading a guide? You need both for a complete picture.How do I know if my lead scoring model is working?The ultimate test is your conversion rate. Are leads with higher scores converting into customers at a significantly higher rate than leads with lower scores? If the answer is yes, it’s working. Also, get qualitative feedback from your sales team. Do they agree that the high-scoring leads are better opportunities? Their buy-in is crucial.This story was produced by Apollo and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Child survivor to speak at Davenport Holocaust Remembrance Yvonne Aronson will be the 2026 Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Remembrance Keynote Speaker. She will speak about her family’s experiences at the Rogalski Center Ballroom at St. Ambrose College on Sunday, April 19 at 7 p.m. The Ballroom is located at 518 W. Locust Street in Davenport. The presentation is free and open to the [...]
	Illinois child torture bill advances A bill in Illinois would provide new criminal penalties for people convicted of torturing children. Child abuse is a crime in every state, but 14 states, including Illinois, have no laws specifying child torture. House Bill 5562 defines torture as degrading or abusive treatment for extended periods of time. Supporters say offenders can traumatize children [...]
	A U.S. jet goes down over Iran, a U.S. official confirms A U.S. official confirmed the Iranian state media report and added that a search is underway by U.S. forces.
	Big men, bigger lineups: How length, size got Illini to Final Four Tarris Reed Jr. sat at his locker Thursday, fielding questions about his run as the interior-scoring, rebound-snagging force in UConn's latest Final Four push. Yet he wasn't the main attraction. That's because across the room, an even bigger gaggle of reporters waited for freshman guard Braylon Mullins — the Indiana kid who hit an all-timer [...]
	YMCA of Iowa Mississippi Valley moving to new facility this summer The YMCA of the Iowa Mississippi Valley has announced the date for the relocation of the North YMCA to a new facility at 1010 E. Kimberly Road in Davenport. “The North YMCA has made a meaningful impact on our community for decades, and we are proud of that history,” said Josh Whitson, CEO of the [...]
	FOODIE FRIDAY: One Bite and It’s “Holy Cluck" at Enzo’s Chicken The morning show hit the road for this week's Foodie Friday, to East Moline, to get a 'peck' at Enzo's Chicken. Watch the interview above to get a taste of what's being served. For more information on the menu, click here.
	How to know if a digital marketing agency is good How to know if a digital marketing agency is goodHave you ever gotten nervous before a big purchase? When you’re buying an expensive product — say, a new car — it’s easy to feel worried about the quality of that product. What if there ends up being something wrong with it? How can you be sure that it’s good?It’s not just buying a product that can bring on this feeling, though. When evaluating professional services, many wonder how to know if a digital marketing agency is good. Maybe you’re considering a specific partnership, but you’re having doubts. Or maybe you just want a guideline to go by before you start researching options.Below, WebFX shares several indicators of a quality marketing agency.1. They assign you a dedicated account representativeSomething you’ll often see with low-quality agencies is that when you want to talk to them about something, they’ll throw you into a generic support line queue. That kind of impersonal approach makes it hard to talk to someone who’s directly involved with your account.An indicator of a good marketing agency is that they assign you a dedicated account representative. That representative is only responsible for a few different clients, so they have the time to get to know each one personally. That makes it way easier to talk to them about what’s happening with your marketing.2. They don’t rely too heavily on automationWhen you evaluate a marketing agency, make sure that it assigns actual humans to manage your marketing. Some agencies try to cut corners by automating as much as they can, to the point where they have automated programs fully running all of your ad spend and data analysis.A good agency will take a human-first approach. They’ll have actual marketing experts making campaign decisions, assessing your data, creating your content, and more. That doesn’t mean that any automation is bad — it can actually be really helpful. But you want big, important decisions in the hands of actual people, not machines.3. They have a lot of marketing experienceThe reason human marketers are so important is that they have a lot of marketing experience. That experience informs all the decisions they make regarding your campaigns. Of course, not every agency meets this requirement equally.If you want high-quality marketing results, you should look for an agency that has many years of experience in the field. An agency that’s only been around a short while hasn’t really proven itself yet and may still be learning the ropes. That doesn’t mean newer agencies are inherently bad — it just means a more experienced agency is a safer bet, and it will probably produce more reliable results.4. They give you full ownership over all accounts and dataNot all marketing agencies are completely honest. Some of them behave unethically, and one way they might do that is by keeping all your campaigns and data somewhere they have ownership over. That means if you ever try to leave for another agency, you won’t be able to take any of your campaigns with you. You’ll have to start from scratch.When you evaluate a marketing agency, one of the things you should check for is whether they give you full ownership over all your campaigns and data. For example, if they create an account for your business to better monitor your search traffic, they should give you ownership over the account.5. Their own marketing is high-quality and effectiveImagine you visit a marketing agency’s website, only to find that it’s poorly put together, with badly written content that doesn’t rank in search results. That’s not exactly a glowing endorsement of their skills. If they can’t even create good marketing campaigns for themselves, how will they do so for you?One strategy for choosing a digital marketing agency is to find one that has a stellar marketing strategy for itself. You want an agency that has a clean, functional website, plenty of pages ranking high in Google search results, an engaging social media presence, and so on. If they can do all of that for themselves, they can do it for you.6. They’re transparent with their processesOne sure sign that you’re not choosing the right digital marketing agency is if they refuse to be transparent and open with you. If they promise to fix your marketing but then proceed to do all of it behind closed doors without letting you in on what they’re doing, that’s a giant red flag.A good agency will be very transparent and honest about how they’re handling your campaigns. In addition to giving you any information you ask for, reputable agencies will send you regular reports on what they’ve done with your campaigns and what results they’ve driven. That gives you peace of mind about the state of your marketing.7. They drive a significant profit for their clientsWhen you evaluate a digital marketing agency, one of the biggest considerations you may have is cost. And of course, that’s a good thing to consider. You want to make sure their price is within your budget. Arguably, the more important consideration, though, is whether they drive a profit.It might seem like a less expensive agency is always better, and sometimes it is, but that’s not always the case. Even if an agency costs a lot, it’s worth it if it drives so much revenue for your business that you receive a high return on investment (ROI). In other words, focus on the ROI when deciding if a particular agency is a cost-effective option.8. They have plenty of positive reviewsThere might not be any better indicator of a good marketing agency than positive reviews. If you want to know what kind of treatment to expect from an agency, just look at how they’ve treated their other clients. Check out some different review sites to see what people are saying about them.Are the reviews largely negative, or an even mix of good and bad? In either of those cases, the agency you’re looking at may not be worth it. But if you find an agency with a huge number of positive reviews, that’s a great sign. Every agency will have a few negative reviews, of course, but the key is finding one where the consensus among clients is overwhelmingly positive.This story was produced by WebFX and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Iowa bill would allow civil lawsuits over access to some library material DES MOINES, Iowa — Some librarians are speaking out after a bill originally intended to prevent cities from creating their own city health departments was amended this week to allow civil lawsuits against libraries. The amendment, H-8277, was written by Representative Charley Thomson of Charles City and was attached to Senate File 2432, a bill [...]
	4 tips to keep you healthy in a hurry with eggs 4 tips to keep you healthy in a hurry with eggs In a perfect world, our calendars would be wide open for quiet relaxation, energizing workouts, and quality time with the people we love. But real life is busy, and taking care of ourselves can easily fall to the bottom of the day’s to-do list.The good news is you don’t need a complete lifestyle overhaul to feel stronger. Small, simple choices can add up in a big way; even taking one step a day in the right direction can make a difference. And one of the easiest, most accessible steps you can take starts right in your kitchen.If you’re short on time but still committed to making smart choices, you’re in the right place. The Incredible Egg shares four tips to help you eat healthy, even when you’re in a hurry.Tip #1: Care for your whole body, including your brainMaintaining healthy muscles isn't just for fitness goals. Muscle is the organ of health and longevity, and high-quality fuel from high-quality protein, like eggs, is important for sustaining muscle and supporting bone health throughout life. What’s more is that emerging research even suggests that muscle health and brain function are connected, with physical activity playing a role in supporting cognitive function and mental well-being. When you choose to eat eggs, you're not just feeding your body, you're feeding your brain, too. Eggs are one of the highest sources of choline in the American diet — a nutrient that helps support brain health at every stage of life, including brain development, memory, and mood. In fact, 90% of Americans don't get enough choline. Eating two eggs any time of day provides 50-70% of your daily choline requirement.Whether it’s your brain or your body, eggs offer nutritional support from head to toe. Tip #2: Stock up for the week by batch-prepping meals Sara Hass // the Incredible Egg One time-saving tip for busy families is to batch-prep meals, and that can be as easy as picking up an extra carton of eggs from the local grocery store. Take some time on a day that isn’t as busy to prepare several dishes at once, making it easier to quickly have a nourishing meal on those hectic days ahead.Look to eggs for an easy, healthy choice to boost the nutritional value of your meal. Many egg dishes can be cooked ahead and served throughout the week, such as breakfast tacos, egg-stuffed pitas, egg casseroles, hard-boiled eggs, and sandwiches.Nearly half of an egg's protein and most of its vitamins and minerals — including choline and antioxidants — are found in the yolk, so adding eggs to your meal rotation is a real no-brainer. Meal prep helps reduce decision fatigue and can help simplify days and alleviate stress, making it easier to eat healthy on even the busiest days. Eggs are incredibly versatile and can be cooked in bulk, such as hard-boiling a dozen or making a batch of egg bites at the beginning of the week. Tip #3: Make it easier to meet protein goals Sara Hass // the Incredible Egg Protein is an essential component of a healthy body. It helps build and maintain muscle, and along with regular exercise, can keep you strong. Each egg contains 6 grams of complete protein, including all nine essential amino acids in a bioavailable form. This makes them one of the highest-quality protein sources — food scientists often use eggs as a standard to assess the protein quality of other foods. Eggs provide energy and key nutrients that support all the 600-plus muscles in your body, which play a central role in movement and everyday physical activity. Here are some creative ways to increase protein intake with eggs: Add hard-boiled eggs to salads or pasta.Make a veggie-packed omelet for breakfast.Incorporate eggs into a stir-fry or grain bowl.Maintaining muscle with regular physical activity and a healthy eating pattern can help support your metabolism, keep your weight in check, and may also help prevent disease.Tip #4: Bring fiber to the tableWhile fiber has been trending across social media, fiber consumption remains a significant public health concern. The data shows that approximately 90% of women and 97% of men do not meet the recommended daily fiber intake of 25-38 grams per day. As a favorite food and with ease of prep, eggs are an easy food to partner with fiber-rich ingredients like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Try adding more vegetables, grains, or shredded potatoes to your favorite egg dishes. Combining the fiber from these ingredients with the protein from eggs creates a delicious and filling meal.When life refuses to slow down, your nutrition routine doesn’t have to disappear with your free time. By keeping simple, nourishing staples on hand like eggs and following practical tips, you can fuel your body without adding stress to your schedule. Start small and let each smart choice in the kitchen move you one step closer to feeling your best, no matter how full your calendar may be.This story was produced by the Incredible Egg and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

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