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

Saturday, October 3rd, 2026
	Iowa City students gear up for ESPN's College Gameday return to campus Saturday marks the show's first visit to Iowa City in 20 years.
	Back from the Dead returns to Rock Island You can enjoy a full day of Halloween fun, eerie adventures and experiences across Rock Island! According to a release from the Quad Cities Chamber, the Rock Island Downtown Alliance will transform Downtown Rock Island into a Halloween destination with Back from the Dead on October 24. Explore the downtown area with family-friendly experiences during [...]
	Enjoy Halloween fun at Boo! Street Landing Have a spooktacular time at Boo! Street Landing! According to a release, Boo! Street Landing is a free, family-friendly event October 29 at Bass Street Landing. Families can enjoy costume contests, Halloween activities, treat booths and DJ/karaoke. Check out the Scarecrow Showdown and vote for your favorite scarecrow. Boo! Street Landing is a free event [...]
	Resignations, hirings and other personnel news from East Moline School District The following personnel items are from the Sept. 28 agenda of the East Moline District 37 Board of Education. The School Board met at Early Learning Center.
	Tree education session will be held in Riverside Cemetery, Moline The City of Moline Parks and Recreation Department and Moline Community Development Corporation will partner for the second year to invite residents, homeowners, and community members to attend a fall tree education session focused on proper tree maintenance and pruning techniques. The workshop will provide practical guidance to help residents keep neighborhood trees healthy, safe [...]
	The Grinders & Spaghetti House in Moline HVAC unit burglarized The Grinders & Spaghetti House Moline location was burglarized early Friday morning.
	It’s College GameDay in Iowa City! It is finally here! College GameDay in Iowa City kicked off at 8 a.m. on ESPN.
	Immigration insights: Tears and action follow ICE raids in southwest Kansas Dodge City protesters gather at Wright Park on Sept. 25, 2026, to march to U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann's office. They were protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the community. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)DODGE CITY — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived in southwest Kansas on Sept. 22 and departed three days later, leaving fear, uncertainty and anger. Many in the Hispanic and Latino communities in Dodge City, Garden City and Liberal, where most ICE activity was located, returned to work this week. But their fear persists and they aren’t yet leaving their homes or returning to regular activities, multiple immigrants said. The fear was contagious. In Manhattan, about 225 miles east of Dodge City, social media posts blasted warnings of possible ICE agents on Thursday because of a large presence of law enforcement vehicles in a store parking lot. It turned out to be a training session for local police, according to a store employee. Here are a handful of glimpses into the lives of Kansans affected by the raids. Viridiana Boron, volunteer Viridiana Boron spent several days last week delivering meals to Dodge City families whose members were scared to leave home because ICE was in the area. Her mother and sister cooked meals for about 200 people, and Boron delivered them, she said. “I was the one that was on the street and watching everything, watching all the suffer the families was having,” she said, pausing to apologize for her English. “I saw the reality, the truth. They were scared. They were sad. They were worried. I saw families with no water.” Boron started crying. “It was something that I’ve never seen in my life,” she said. “How can people not have heart and just do things like that? Because I mean, there I know could be a lot of immigrants over here that are like criminals, but a lot of people that I saw, they were not criminals. They were people working hard for their kids.” This week, many people she knows have returned to work, but they aren’t eating out or shopping as the fear lingers, Boron said. Boron came to the United States at age 24, receiving a visa because she and her family were threatened in Mexico. She has since married and is a legal permanent resident. Despite knowing she had the correct documentation, she was scared during the ICE operation. Others who stayed home also had documentation, she said. But they have seen instances where it didn’t matter, and ICE agents stopped cars to check paperwork just because someone looked Hispanic or Latina, Boron said. The affect on the community was “huge,” she said. It was difficult explaining to her 11-year-old son why people were scared because he didn’t understand the difference a paper could make, Boron said. “We are all the same,” she said. Priest Mercado, 15, attends a Dodge City march on Sept. 25, 2026, to protest the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detaining immigrants in his community. He said that he doesn’t believe families should be torn apart. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector) Julie Barraza, volunteer and activist Julie Barraza smiled at everyone approaching the table she set up at a downtown Dodge City protest on Sept. 24. She patiently answered questions about a petition to reform the country’s immigration system. “I was born and raised here, and I’ve never seen such a cloud over the town,” she said during a break. “The first morning, they (ICE) were waiting for me to get out of my car, and I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t get out of my car.” Barraza drove on to work at Rattlesnake Grill. She said ICE agents came in to eat but employees didn’t realize they were with ICE because they wore regular clothing. “Once we figured out they were ICE agents, because a customer had alerted us, I stepped out and decided to tell them to leave, and they refused,” she recalled. “I was scared, but I still did it.” The agents did get up and leave, Barraza said, adding that several restaurants in town refused to serve agents and others closed because there weren’t employees to work. Patrick Lopez, immigrant and educator Patrick Lopez stood in the midst of a Dodge City protest on Sept. 24, holding a sign and nodding to people he knew. He was there, he said, to “show solidarity with people who are being persecuted by ICE.” “I’m here to defend my immigrant brothers and sisters. I’m here to stand up for them, and I hate that they have to live in fear right now,” Lopez said. “I can’t sleep last night. I’m offended as an American. I’m embarrassed as an American. I’m indignant. I can’t believe that this is happening right now.” While acknowledging the economic costs to town — restaurants closed, businesses slowing or stopping work — Lopez said they weren’t what made him toss and turn at night. “I also wish that people remembered the human rights effect,” he said. “People’s families should be protected. I don’t care what the issue is. You can’t destroy people’s families like that and hopefully get away with it.” He tried unsuccessfully to reach a friend who drives a cab and worried that he was detained. “He works every day, and that’s the thing. The people that ICE is after are hardworking people around town,” Lopez said. “Many of them are putting their kids through school. They’re just trying to make a living.” Dodge City protesters gather at Wright Park on Sept. 25, 2026, to march to U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann’s office. They were protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the community. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector) Sarahí Aguilera, therapist and immigrant Sarahí Aguilera is a licensed social worker, and she works as a mental health therapist. Advocating for the immigrant community, she said, is at the foundation of her personal and professional life. She knows the challenges well. Aguilera is part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows young people who arrived during specific time periods to apply and work in the country. DACA has been under fire during President Donald Trump’s administration, she said, but she was fortunate that her permit didn’t expire when the program was temporarily halted. Since then, it has been a “consistent uphill battle” to keep the program active, Aguilera said. Other family members weren’t so lucky. Aguilera’s sister had just been to an immigration appointment after turning 15, which is the age that people can apply for the DACA program, Aguilera said. “We had started her paperwork. She had been approved. She had gone to her biometrics. I lived at Wichita at the time because that’s where I was getting my education,” she said. “And she got approved. She just never received her work permit.” It was frustrating because when the family looked her up in the system, it said she was approved, Aguilera said. But she never physically received the approval that would allow her to receive her driver’s license or continue her education. Her sister eventually married and is in the process of acquiring her documentation, Aguilera said. The experience reminds her how difficult it is to go through the immigration process and how different it is for each person, she said. “Especially seeing me and believing she was going to have the same opportunity,” Aguilera said. “It really impacted her mental health and her motivation to further her education and just work on herself.” Aguilera volunteers with New Frontiers, a nonprofit organization that works with young people in southwest Kansas to create a grassroots movement focused on political, social and economic power. The group has a rapid response team that becomes active when events like ICE raids in the area occur, she said. Volunteers watch for ICE agents and try to verify information before releasing it to the community. “Fear already does a lot to someone,” Aguilera said. “So fear and the wrong information — we want to make sure that we’re just prepared and grounded with what information we’re trying to share.” Fear of the unknown is a problem for southwest Kansas immigrants, Aguilera said, along with how overwhelming information coming out could be. While ICE was in the area, she saw about four clients because most were afraid to go out. Typically, her schedule is full every day. Aguilera said she understands why some people are critical of immigrants who don’t have documentation. “There is so much misinformation. I believe as a society we need to do a better job of understanding what the immigration process looks like,” she said. “Of understanding what are the barriers, what are the circumstances? Because there is not a system that is going to work for all of us.” DACA recipients, for instance, don’t have a pathway to citizenship unless they marry or their jobs petition for them, Aguilera said. Whatever a person’s belief system, she said, she hopes people are careful with their words. “I do think it’s important to be mindful of the comments and what they can do to the mental health of someone overall,” she said, adding that people are easily influenced by social media and political figures, who she believes often don’t understand the process either. Does she think significant immigration reform is likely? “My heart wants to say that it’s hopeful. My uncertainty and anxiety that I’ve experienced for the past 10 years wants me to have a different answer,” Aguilera said. “I do believe people are opening their eyes. I believe we are getting a lot more information and more attention. Although I think we are creating great awareness and sharing information and education, I don’t believe we will see the impact and the change we want to see until people get out and vote.” Courtesy of Kansas Reflector
	Muscatine invites residents to join in the Healthiest State Walk Iowans across the state will take part in the 16th Annual Healthiest State Walk on Wednesday, Oct. 7, in a statewide initiative encouraging residents to step outside for a 30-minute walk. Workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, and community groups are invited to participate in whatever way works best for them. The City of Muscatine invites all residents [...]
	Buddy Guy celebrated at Radio City Music Hall with a sold-out ‘Buddy’s Got the Blues’ show Audio articles are automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story; however, this audio has not been reviewed for accuracy and may contain errors. Read more about how we use AI to increase access to our reporting. NEW YORK (AP) — Two months past his 90th birthday, Buddy Guy is still up for a little bragging, a lot of cursing and a long night of partying. The blues great was celebrated Thursday night with a sold-out show at Radio City Music Hall in New York, where a lineup of guest musicians and a house band led by Rolling Stones drummer Steve Jordan had the audience on its feet for much of the three-hour-plus “Buddy’s Got the Blues” concert. Guy himself was only on stage part of the time, but his name was heard throughout, and his spirit always present. One of the last of the Chicago bluesmen who thrived in the mid-20th century, Guy has become so much the ideal of the genre that musicians didn’t need to perform his songs to summon his legend. John Mayer, with an ache in his voice on Otis Redding’s “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember,” and Eric Gales and Joe Bonamassa jamming on the Jimmy Reed standard “Baby What You Want Me to Do,” seemed as fitting as Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks reviving an old Guy-Junior Wells favorite, “Messin’ with the Kid.” But no one was going to top the guest of honor. Guy, wearing a dark cap, dark pants and a polka dot shirt, opened the show with a long, raunchy acoustic workout of John Lee Hooker’s “I’m in the Mood” and only seemed to get friskier after bringing out his electric guitar. He leered and joked with longtime friend Shemekia Copeland on a duet of “Rock Me Baby,” left no doubt about the meaning of “to buzz all night long” in Slim Harpo’s “I’m a King Bee” and carried on a lot more when joined by one of his few contemporaries, Bobby Rush, just a month away from his 93rd birthday. Everyone came on at the end for an all-out, self-fulfilling “Got My Mojo Workin.’” Guy is still making plans. His team announced this week that he has a new album out next year, produced by Jordan and featuring multi-instrumentalist Ivan Neville, bassist Willie Weeks and others who played at Radio City Music Hall. Guy didn’t seem at first to have a lot on his mind Thursday besides the next double entendre or the next profanity. “Help me f—k up this song,” he liked to call out. But the tributes offered by the younger performers and the presence of Rush, who testified that he would have walked from Mississippi just to be here, left him moved and near tears. “I didn’t think this many people would be coming out for a 90 year old man,” Guy said, after confiding he didn’t have the strength to blow out that many “f—kin’ candles” on the cakes brought out at the end. “This is the greatest day I ever had in my life.” Courtesy of Mississippi Today
	The record-breaking, genre-melting, career-redefining evolution of Miranda Lambert Lambert started out as a scrappy country singer with a me-against-the-world attitude. How did she end up making lush disco songs and writing one of the biggest pop hits of the year?
	Citizens First Bank, Morrison, announces branch manger for new location Citizens First Bank has announced that Kristine Wiersema has been named branch manager of the bank’s new Morrison, Illinois, location. She will continue in her role as vice president, real estate lending. Wiersema brings more than three decades of banking experience to the position. She began her banking career in 1990 and joined Citizens First [...]
	'When Dylan Met Guthrie' will be presented at Rock Island Public Library "When Dylan Met Guthrie" will be presented at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at Rock Island Public Library, Watts-Midtown Branch, 2715 30th St., Rock Island, a news release says. The Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities and the Rock Island Public Library invite the public to the two man show created and presented by award-winning [...]
	Comedian Dale Jones will bring comedy show to Rhythm City, Davenport Comedian Dale Jones will perform Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Rhythm City Casino, 7077 Elmore Ave., Davenport, a news release says. Tickets are available online here or at The Market at Rhythm City for $33.75 and $44.45, which includes tax and an online/phone ticketing fee. The online/phone ticketing fee is waived when you purchase tickets [...]
	Manufacturing Day at Arconic introduces high school students to the industry "We want to let young students know that there's opportunities right here at home," said Jeffery Weida, vice president of manufacturing for Arconic Davenport Works and Satellites in Riverdale.
	Conservation Action Network hosts confluence session in Davenport The Bi-State Conservation Action Network (Bi-CAN) will host "Confluence: Where Community, Conservation, & Creativity Meet," from 8 a.m.-noon Oct. 15 at Credit Island, bringing together conservation and community-minded professionals from across the region for a morning of connection, learning, creativity, and outdoor exploration. Built around the idea of “confluence,” the event will explore the places [...]
	A look at Jamison Fisher through the years Jamison Fisher since 2020, in pictures.
	Request for bench trial brings surprise, relief to Trudy Appleby's family Earlier this week, Jamison Fischer asked for Judge Norma Kauzlarich for a bench trial and dropped his change-of-motion venue.
	Just short of its 200th birthday, a landmark natural history museum shuts down Beloved for its dinosaurs, Philadelphia's storied Academy of Natural Sciences closed down this week, amid an intense fight by local residents, politicians and scientists to save it.
	All's fair in love and 'War' — a well-cast, classy-trashy divorce drama HBO's War is intended to be an anthology series about two dueling London law firms. The first season stars Dominic West and Sienna Miller as a high-profile couple in the midst of a very nasty divorce.
	Theaster Gates bets on fine china The famed, Chicago-based artist's career is taking a new direction with the purchase of Pickard China, the sole remaining maker of fine china in the United States.
	Memories of Muscatine: A golf club hatpin This week for Memories of Muscatine: A hatpin from c.1900.
	Augustana and Billy Sunday This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island.By the time the famous evangelist, Billy Sunday, came to the city of Rock Island for a six-week crusade in the fall of…
	The Supreme Court faces another term jam-packed with controversy The Supreme Court term opens on Monday with big test cases on religion, guns and climate change. Plus, the emergency docket keeps popping.
	No one expected an American pope. Here's the inside story of how 'Bob' became Pope Leo When the 2025 conclave began, no one expected an American pope. But by its end, Cardinal Robert Prevost had become Pope Leo. Here's a look behind the scenes.
	A hot tip to battle performance anxiety? 'Pretend flush' a mistake down the toilet Worried about stumbling before a high-stakes event, like a race or a job interview? Psychologist Cindra Kamphoff offers creative strategies to overcome the jitters and build confidence in the moment.
	Police at late-night crash in Davenport Shortly after 11:45 p.m. Friday near the intersection of Kimberly Road and Jersey Ridge Road in Davenport, Our Quad Cities News crew saw police squad cars and at least one wrecked vehicle. One car appeared to have severe damage. Officers remained on the scene for some time.
Friday, October 2nd, 2026
	How many Republicans will vote for a Black man for governor? U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 9, 2023. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)“Although slavery may have been abolished, the crippling poison of racism still persists, and the struggle still continues.” — Harry Belafonte, 2010 With U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds one step closer to the Governor’s Mansion, Republicans in general and MAGA in particular face a choice: Will they vote for a Black man to be Florida’s chief executive or opt out and open the door for Democrats? Now that Donalds is in a competitive race in a Republican-heavy state, there are distinct rumblings in GOP-land about whether the party — and especially the far-right conservative, white nationalist faction — will ever vote for a Black man. There are no simple answers because this is, after all, Florida. Little is black and white, issues are mostly colored grey, coated in nuance and subtlety. President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Donalds turbocharged his campaign, offering the impetus that has guaranteed wins for a significant number of MAGA Republicans seeking office this election season in other parts of the country. Racial bias is a key ingredient of the state’s distorted DNA. In its 181-year history, the Sunshine State has never voted for a Black governor, male or female, Democrat or Republican, not because there were never any competent, qualified Black candidates. Only three states have elected Black governors. Time will tell whether Donalds can scale this obstacle. Historic milestone A Donalds election as Florida’s first Black governor would represent a historic milestone, but there’s a significant divide among Black people in Florida and even among political observers. Black Westchester publisher Damon K. Jones captured their dilemma in an Aug 20 op-ed. “He is poised to become Florida’s first Black governor. But this moment is not being celebrated in quite the same way among Black Floridians and Black political analysts nationwide,” Jones explains. “The rift illuminates how America talks about race and representation more than it highlights anything about Donalds himself. For others, the criticism stems not from Donald’s race, but instead his political beliefs and what they see as his race being exploited by a party which they feel willfully works against Black political and economic interests when it comes to issues like voting rights, criminal justice and civil rights enforcement.” People who believe this see celebrating a “first” as a hollow gesture in the face of policy positions that person espouses, and they argue that having a representative without unity on key issues is not the type of progress praised in these situations, Jones added. “Some of the criticism goes a step further by accusing the GOP — whether intentionally or not — of attempting to downvote fraud claims, weakening criticism of the GOP’s positions on race-centric policies by electing Donalds, a Black person, who can help defend their policies,” Jones writes. Primary results Donalds’ primary win prompted conversations about the viability of his general election campaign. It didn’t take long for political pundits like 610WIOD’s Manny Munoz and comedian and television host Bill Maher to say the quiet part out loud. “It’s not me suggesting that maybe Byron Donalds didn’t get votes because he’s Black. Republican primary results tell the story,” Munoz wrote in an Instagram post following Donalds’ win. “You look at the map of the Republican primary results last week and the map alone will tell you. Byron Donalds lost 17 counties across Florida. In 16 of the counties, 92% of the voters are white. In counties which were more diverse, Byron Donalds won 39 of the 40 counties. But he lost in rural, Northern, MAGA counties.” In these counties, Munoz explained, Donalds won 42% of the primary vote “despite tens of millions spent on advertising and the fact that he had the overwhelming endorsement of President Trump before he was even an official candidate,” Munoz said. Maher told Donalds on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” (and replayed on Fox News) he believed race played a sizable element in Donalds’ inability to cross the 50% threshold. “You did lose the ‘Redneck Riviera’ badly,” Maher said, referring to Donalds’ losses in Calhoun, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hardee, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, and Washington counties — rural areas where roughly 94% of Republican voters are white, the Redneck Riviera, which is the Panhandle. “I think there are people there who still would not — you’re a Republican, you’re a Trumper — they should love you and they don’t. I think there is still racism.” Donalds countered: “Let’s talk a little bit about the Panhandle. There are counties we did incredibly well in that we won. There were some counties that we fell a little short in, that’s OK. The No. 1 thing overall, we closed out 48% of the vote in Florida. Eight hundred thousand votes [is] a long way to becoming the nominee.” Taking issue Donalds argued race isn’t a factor. “Florida really has become the microcosm of what we all want,” Donalds said. “It’s a meritocracy. And it’s about the best person with the best views, the best skills, the best talent moving forward to represent your state or to represent a district in your state, and Florida exemplifies that.” Still, in the Trump-DeSantis era, the Black presence in the federal government, business, commerce, and education is diminishing; so is access to jobs, education, and other opportunities, while discussion of race and racism in schools, the marketplace, and wider community is being curbed. Voting rights advocate Jasmine Burney-Clark criticized DeSantis as Black Floridians have watched him and his MAGA cronies dismantle their political power. “Florida has 28 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. After this year’s elections, and barring the November general election results, we are staring at the possibility that just one of those 28 seats will be a Black access seat, also known as a ‘majority-minority district,’” writes Burney-Clarke, founder of Equal Ground Education Fund and Action Fund. Black progress? Democratic State Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis considers Donalds an adversary of Black progress. Her evidence? Donalds voted against the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and “when asked whether he would support the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Florida Voting Rights Act, legislation that I am proud to sponsor, Byron Donalds said NO,” Bracy Davis writes. “That legislation is named for two Black Floridians murdered after dedicating their lives to registering Black voters and fighting for our political power.” He is also a staunch supporter of ICE-led deportations; said he would use state funding as leverage to compel local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement; is a strong supporter of AI data centers; told FOX49 he would keep Florida’s abortion restrictions in place rather than make them more or less restrictive; wants the state to support pregnancy resource centers and community pregnancy clinics; opposes legalizing recreational marijuana; and wants Florida to repeal the post-Parkland restriction preventing people younger than 21 from purchasing long guns. Bumpy ride Donalds had been hoping for a smooth ride on the Trump train into the governor’s office, but things aren’t going as planned. Trump is enjoying record disapproval numbers — with a net approval rating of -29, Newsweek reports — dogged by a deeply unpopular war against Iran he started that is dragging on into its seventh month. The war and Trump’s tariffs have jacked up the cost of gasoline and grocery staples, producing deep anger among the electorate and tarnishing the Republican brand and MAGA conservatives like Donalds closely aligned with Trump. That has produced what The Independent calls “a surprisingly competitive race,” with Donalds, a three-term congressman, and the Democratic candidate, former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, in a dead heat, separated by one percentage point in one poll, according to Florida Politics. Meanwhile, Donalds tried to leap off the good ship Trump and put as much distance between himself and the embattled president as he can. Last week, news outlets report, Donalds scrubbed most Trump references from his website. “Donalds has long tied himself to Trump, but on Sept. 22 he erased nearly all references to the president on the website, an indication that the campaign might see the leader of the Republican Party as a drag in the tight race against Democrat opponent David Jolly.” News of the mass deletion was first reported by the Miami Herald. Trump’s endorsement of Donalds once dominated the website, but it has now been relegated to a separate page under endorsements, although it still includes a photo of the president and the candidate. There are two other minor references to Trump, as well, the story said. Donalds, a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, castigated the news media for hyping what he called a non-story, insisting the move represents a shift toward the electorates’ priorities including affordability, the cost of insurance, and property tax relief. Trump meanwhile, defended Donalds while characterizing the coverage as “Another Fake Story.” He also said two rallies were still scheduled in Florida to support the campaign. “If Florida thought the story that Byron ‘dropped’ me was true, he would lose the Election, and that would be a terrible thing because he’s going to be a fantastic Governor!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Courtesy of Florida Phoenix
	Curtis Bay Energy will end incineration of medical waste under agreement with state Plumes of smoke rise after an explosion at the CSX Curtis Bay Coal Terminal in 2021, just one of the industrial facilities in the Curtis Bay area that residents say place an undue environmental and health burden on them. (Photo by Baltimore Firefighters IAFF Local 734)State officials were hailing the announcement that the troubled Curtis Bay Energy facility will stop incinerating medical waste at its South Baltimore site in order to settle a Maryland Department of the Environment lawsuit charging the company with repeated air pollution violations. Curtis Bay Energy is one of the largest medical waste incinerators in the country. Under the proposed consent decree, filed Wednesday in Baltimore City Circuit Court, the site will continue operating as a medical waste transfer station, but at sharply reduced levels. Curtis Bay’s current permit allows the company to accept 62,050 tons of waste a year, and burn as much 150 tons a day. That would be cut to no more than 20,000 tons a year, with no incineration, under the settlement. The company also agreed to pay $600,000 in penalties that will be divided between MDE’s clean water fund and its clean air fund. If there are any pollution violations while the shift away from incineration is under way, the company agrees to pay $5,000 to $7,000 per day per violation. “This a major win for a community overburdened by pollution,” Maryland Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain said in a prepared statement. “We won’t accept operations that put public health and safety at risk and leave our most vulnerable communities paying the price.” Attorney General Anthony Brown, whose office negotiated the settlement, said that “the burning of medical waste has forced Curtis Bay residents to inhale smoke and other emissions” for too long. South Baltimore medical waste incinerator will pay one of largest environmental fines in state history after improper disposal “This agreement shuts down the incinerator for good, improving air quality for a community that has carried the weight of industrial pollution for generations,” he said in the joint statement with McIlwain. The changes will take place no later than 90 days after the company submits, and the state approves, an application to change its permit from an air quality permit, allowing it to burn medical waste, to one acting as a transfer station for that waste, which would be subject to steam sterilization. The consent decree, if accepted by the court, would end a 2024 lawsuit in which MDE charged the company with six counts of air quality violations. The state has added seven more charges since then. As part of the settlement, Curtis Bay Energy “denies the factual and legal assertions in the Complaint” and the additional pollution charges. The deal comes three years after previous owners of Curtis Bay Energy pleaded guilty to criminal charges of improper disposal of biohazardous materials, and paid a $1 million fine, one of the largest in state history. It also paid $750,000 then into a fund to pay for environmental improvements in the community around the plant. The Curtis Bay area is dotted with scores of industrial sites, including a CSX coal transfer facility, that residents say place an undue environmental burden on the area. Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), whose district includes Curtis Bay community, said the settlement and the end of incineration there comes after “years of violations and continued concerns from residents.” “Curtis Bay residents …. documented what they were seeing in their own neighborhood, worked with scientists to track emissions, and kept pressing for action. Their photos and videos ultimately became part of the evidence behind the State’s enforcement case,” he said in a statement posted to social media. He thanked state officials for the deal but said he was “especially grateful to the residents and community organizations … who refused to let these concerns be ignored.” “Curtis Bay has carried the burden of industrial pollution for generations. This agreement is a meaningful result for a community that has fought for years,” his statement said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Courtesy of Maryland Matters
	St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church holds drive-thru pet blessings All sorts of pets, including dogs and fish, made an appearance.
	Launch party for Caitlin Clark's new Nike shoe held in Iowa City Nike's CEO said the Caitlin 1 has been the largest women's signature shoe launch in the company's history.
	University of Iowa students gear up for ESPN's College Gameday return Saturday marks the show's first visit to Iowa City in 20 years.
	Gov. Reynolds signs $15 billion steel deal, but not without opposition Lawmakers passed it hours after seeing it for the first time.
	Caitlin Clark chosen as guest picker for College GameDay in Iowa City A former Hawkeye was chosen as this weekend’s guest picker for ESPN’s College GameDay.
	Over 2700 without power in Illinois Quad Cities, MidAmerican Energy reports The cause of the outage is unknown.
	Iowa lawmakers approve bill allowing $1.4B in tax incentives for steel mill project Iowa Rep. Matt Rinker, R-Burlington, spoke in support of legislation making changes to the state's Major Economic Growth Attraction program to allow the Iowa Economic Development Authority to provide tax incentives to a proposed $15 billion steel mill project in Iowa during a special session Oct. 2, 2026. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)Iowa lawmakers sent Gov. Kim Reynolds a bill Friday changing a state’s economic development program that could provide nearly $1.4 billion in tax incentives for a $15 billion steel mill project planned in southeast Iowa. Lawmakers called it the largest economic development deal in the state’s history. The Iowa House approved House File 2801 in a 75-17 vote, and the Senate approved the bill in a 28-19 vote after convening a special session Friday morning for the sole purpose of considering the legislation. The proposal would modify the state’s Major Economic Growth Attraction (MEGA) program to include further incentives for businesses within rural areas, a targeted change to benefit the Mesabi Metallics project planned in Lee County. At a news conference Monday, President Donald Trump announced the steel plant was a $15 billion project. When operational — with a goal of 2030 — the steel mill is estimated to create 1,750 permanent jobs paying an average of $48 per hour, alongside 6,000 temporary construction jobs as the facility is built, state and business officials said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. Rep. Matt Rinker, R-Burlington, said the project would be a major victory for southeast Iowa and was the culmination of years of work from local, state and federal officials alongside Mesabi Metallics. During his time at the Burlington City Council and as a state legislator, Rinker said he has thousands of conversations with members of his community about what was needed to bring success to the area. He told the House, “I’m proud to say that what everyone has been asking for has finally arrived.” “Our vote today isn’t just about a change to something that already exists, or just about incentives for a steel plant, or just about bringing a new industry to Iowa,” Rinker said. “It’s about mortgage payments, grocery bills, dance lessons. It’s about infrastructure and public safety. It’s about opportunities for Iowans and growing our communities while also supporting them at the same time. It’s about thousands of new homes. It’s about the revitalization of a region of our state that has experienced its fair share of tough times.” Iowa Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, spoke in opposition to legislation passed by the Iowa Legislature in a special session Oct. 2, 2026 making changes to a state economic development program to provide more tax incentive for a steel mill project in southeast Iowa. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, who voted against the bill, called it the “largest corporate giveaway in the state of Iowa’s history.” He also warned the change to the tax incentive program for Mesabi Metallics would influence any future negotiations between the state and companies considering bringing their facilities to Iowa, “because the ceiling now becomes the floor.” “Incentives are supposed to make a good deal better, not a bad deal good,” Dawson said. “So to all my colleagues, I know you’ve been put in a difficult position. And you’ve been put into position by people and entities who, frankly, do not care. If they did, you wouldn’t be jammed with this bill in front of you today.” The bill would allow the Iowa Economic Development Authority to authorize a tax credit for a business up to 10% of the business’ qualifying investment in a rural county — an increase from the 5% tax credit currently allowed under the MEGA program for projects representing $1 billion or more in capital investment. According to analysis from the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency, the net impact of changes to the MEGA program’s Investment Tax Credit made by the bill would result in estimated revenue decreases to the state’s general fund of $575 million from fiscal year 2029 through 2041 — on top of the $575 million that would come under the current MEGA program structure. The MEGA program’s sales and use tax refunds and withholding tax credits are not changed by the legislation, but under the current program, Mesabi Metallics would be eligible to claim $215 million in tax incentives from FY 2028 through 2041. IEDA Director Debi Durham said this investment will provide greater benefits for Iowa through later revenue to the state, as well as an expansion of jobs and economic value to the region. “The state’s portion on the deal that is before you today (is) a 1 to 5.6% return,” Durham said. “So that means for every dollar that we invest as a state, that we get that return back. And when you think of manufacturing, it is the largest part of our gross state product — there is a multiplier of jobs attached to manufacturing, anywhere from three to five jobs will follow. When you happen to talk about a (project) as complicated as this, and as many investments, the investment being made, it is a 5-to-1 job ratio as well, meaning, for every job that they hire, there’s a follow-on job that will occur in our economy.” Rep. Carter Nordman, R-Adel, floor manager for the bill in the House, said the change is not an increased tax incentive for the MEGA program — created with wide bipartisan support in 2024 — but a way to combine the two 5% MEGA program investment tax credits that IEDA can currently offer. The IEDA has not previously awarded any MEGA program tax incentives. “The reality is we are not reinventing the wheel here,” Nordman said. “All we are doing is modernizing and combining two existing incentive programs into one, so Iowa is not on the sidelines, but actively competing on the national and global level for large projects. When creating those incentives of packages a couple years ago … this body could never have imagined the possibility of a $15 billion investment landing here.” Dawson said this was a fundamental misunderstanding of the original intent of MEGA program — a measure Dawson said he helped negotiate when it was approved in 2024. “To be clear, the intent was never 5% plus 5% equals 10%,” Dawson said. “And that the intent was never that we throw the entire farm into one basket, and it could be a ‘one and done’ proposition. We wanted to see this spread throughout Iowa.” Durham told lawmakers increasing the tax credit to 10% was necessary for Iowa to bring the steel plant to Iowa. “We basically do have to be competitive in the marketplace,” Durham said. “So, we look at deals all across the country with this type of industry, and I will say 10% is is a national average of what these businesses are getting.” Supporters say MEGA program change needed to compete against other states for steel mill The IEDA director said the states of Arkansas and Kentucky were also competing for the steel mill project, with Arkansas being “our biggest competitor.” Dawson said Senate Republicans were told Arkansas lawmakers were expected to call their own special session to create an offer providing “cash up front” to the company by modify their state’s recycling tax credit and funding the tax credit change by borrowing against the Arkansas teacher pension fund. He said officials who knew about the Arkansas proposal told him Arkansas officials walked away from these negotiations, “because the companies seemed to lack equity and could never locate where the equity would come from and the paperwork that they provided to the state.” “While I respect Governor Reynolds’ deep desire to bring a MEGA site to the state of Iowa before her term ends, because she wasn’t willing to walk away from this deal, it’s my belief she negotiated against herself. Because Arkansas, I do not believe, was ever actually at the table seriously. And by negotiating against herself, she negotiated against the Iowa taxpayer.” Durham also emphasized the bill is written to ensure the state will not provide tax incentives to the Mesabi Metallics if the project is not completed. The measures states the tax credit will not be issued to a business until the business begins operations, or until “a designated portion of the project” has been placed in service, and until at least half of created jobs — which must meet a qualifying wage threshold — associated with the project or a designated portion have been added to the payroll. The legislation also states the 10% tax credit will be remitted over the course of a decade. Some Democrats had questions about portions of the bill which allow the tax credit to be transferred to another person or entity. During the House subcommittee meeting on the bill, Jacoby shared concerns from a constituent that the state would not be able to claw back tax credits “against the buyer if the project goes wrong” — a statement Durham said was incorrect. “We will have not only oversight into the transferability, we will have approvals over the transferability, and so that is not correct,” Durham said. “We will be fully protected even with the transferability.” Opponents express concerns about Mesabi Metallics past Iowa GOP leaders have praised the planned steel mill, with Reynolds saying, “this opportunity will fundamentally change the economic trajectory of our state and the entire region for decades to come.” But others are cautious about the project, saying there are concerns about Mesabi Metallics’ commitment to finishing and opening the plant given the company’s history as it also seeks to open an iron ore mine in Nashwauk, a city in the Minnesota Iron Range. The mine has not yet officially started operation. The project began in 2008, under the India-based Essar Group’s company Essar Steel Minnesota, the Des Moines Register reported. The Essar Group was founded by brothers Sashi and Ravi Ruia, and expanded to include the Minnesota company as well as a Essar Steel Algoma in Canada. Essar Steel Minnesota filed for bankruptcy protection in 2016, blocking the Minnesota governor’s attempt to revoke its mineral lease. Investors took control of the company and rebranded it as Mesabi Metallics in 2017 and came out from bankruptcy protection, before Essar Group took over the project again in 2019 under its new name. Marshall Singer, a local activist from Des Moines, shared these details about Essar Group during subcommittee meetings on the proposal. Singer also highlighted Essar Group and associated companies had received loans from a VTB, a Russian state owned-bank, according to the Guardian. VTB has been sanctioned by the European Union and other countries following the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. “Iowa’s economic incentive law bars the state with providing tax credits and refunds to a business tied to a foreign adversary,” Singer said. He also added, “This will cost every taxpayer $866, and this is irresponsible when we are running a $1.4 billion dollar deficit.” Joe Broking, president and chief executive officer of Mesabi Metallics, the company seeking to build a $15 billion steel mill in Lee County Iowa, spoke to lawmakers about the project at a subcommittee meeting Oct. 2, 2026 as lawmakers considered a bill making changes to a state economic development program to allow the state to offer a more substantial tax incentive package than currently allowed. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Joe Broking, president and chief executive officer of Mesabi Metallics, addressed some of the comments by Singer about the Minnesota project and Essar Group. He said “there was a global commodity price collapse that happened in 2015, and there were hundreds of companies globally that went through restructurings,” not just Essar Steel Minnesota. He also said the delays of the mine construction were in part due to “certain activities by a competitor to try and stop development on the Iron Range.” Broking’s comments referenced allegations that fellow steel company Cleveland-Cliffs committed antitrust violations. Mesabi Metallics sued the company for in 2025 in a pending case. Additionally, Broking said Mesabi Metallics has “completely rebuilt all of those relationships” with Minnesota public officials, including Gov. Tim Walz, state legislators and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. He also added Mesabi Metallics has “invested close to $3 billion to complete this project, and we’re about to start it now.” “And Essar Group and the Ruia family have been a fantastic partner, an absolutely wonderful partner,” Broking said. “They’ve met that commitment the entire time. They’ve invested $2 billion of their family money to complete this project, and like I said earlier, we are on the precipice of doing this.” Answering questions from Sen. Tony Bisignano, D-Des Moines, Durham said she believed the company would be able to complete the Iowa project. Durham said based on the company’s “capital stack,” financing from the Export–Import Bank of the United States and what it has been able to accomplish in Minnesota after “missteps,” she felt confident supporting the project. “When you see where they are today, and when you see what their business plan is, and when you see the people that are coming in and supporting them, I absolutely have no hesitation to say that they will (do) what they say,” Durham said. “And if they don’t, then we’re going to hold them accountable. But I believe that this project is a good project for the state of Iowa, and I do believe that they have the ability to pull it off.” But several lawmakers said they were not as confident as Durham in the project’s viability. Bisignano criticized how Republican leaders and the company brought about the legislation, saying it was concerning that many state legislators did not know about the proposal — or the steel mill project in general — a week before the special session. As Trump and many state leaders have touted the project as the “biggest thing to come to state of Iowa,” Bisignano said there should be more time for legislators and the public to review the project and MEGA program changes. “This should be one of those occasions where — if this is the biggest thing to come to the state of Iowa — that we as a group ought rejoice, with no suspicions, with full knowledge, with defendability when we go back home and we’re asked, ‘why are you giving away a billion and a half of my tax earnings,” Bisignano said. “… I would love to embrace a job creation, of 1,700 jobs with good wages and good benefits that’s going to help a small community that’s been struggling. Who wouldn’t? … Again, we failed. We failed to be transparent with the public, and so they also could rejoice in something like this coming to the state of Iowa.” Timing of special session, budget impacts questioned Bisignano also questioned the timing of the special session, which came just shy of a month before the Nov. 3, 2026 general election. Iowa is situated to play a key role in deciding control of Congress with several competitive U.S. House races, in addition to contentious elections for U.S. Senate and Iowa governor. This is a major change from previous recent elections where Republicans saw decisive victories. Heading into the midterms, all members of Iowa’s federal delegation are Republicans, and there are GOP majorities in both chambers of the Iowa Legislature. There were also questions about the Trump administration’s presentation of the steel mill plan. At the White House announcement, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said, “I think this deal is done” when a reporter asked if the project was contingent on approval of state or local tax breaks. Sen. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines asked Durham “why are we here and putting more of their taxpayer dollars on the line” if the deal was finalized. “Senator, I was surprised by that comment as well, because this is not a done deal,” Durham said. “As we said, you have to pass legislation. It still has to go through the final negotiation. So, I don’t know why that that was stated. I can’t speak to that.” Nordman said he believed the comments made in the Oval Office were “more about the Minnesota mine rather than the plant itself.” While the measure was approved by both the House and Senate Ways and Means committees, the two chambers had differing views of the bill. The House committee approved the measure with bipartisan support — a 20-5 vote — while the Senate committee only narrowly passed the measure with a 10-8 vote as all Democrats, alongside Dawson and Sen. Jason Schultz, R-Schleswig, voted against the measure. The majority approval from Senate Ways and Means only came after two Senate Republicans — Sens. Jeff Taylor and Dawn Driscoll — were replaced on the committee by Sens. Tim Kraayenbrink and Dan Zumbach, who voted in favor of the bill. Taylor voted against the the measure on the Senate floor. When the Iowa Senate debated the measure, Senate Democrats introduced two amendments calling for certain protections for labor unions and organizations to be codified in the legislation. Both proposals failed. Schultz said during debate he was voting against the legislation, saying, “I’m worried about paying for it, I’m worried about our budget, I am worried about the the situation we’ll find ourselves in in January.” He said the Republican trifecta at the Iowa Legislature chose to the state income tax in previous sessions with the understanding “that the key to tax cuts is controlling spending.” “As we go through, and I look back on my years in the legislature, for all of this time, tax credits have been counted against revenue as an expenditure,” Schultz said. “As we authorized additional tax credits, they were against the tax plan, as I see it, and puts us in a difficult situation where we are spending — in advance — revenue.” Iowa Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville, said the package amounts to a cost of roughly $3,000 per household. “What I do want Iowans to know is this: Today is not a ribbon cutting,” Jacoby said. “… We do not have men and women in hard hats and carrying lunch buckets, ready to go to work. This truly is a concept plan right now, a concept plan with many questions. … But sadly, this is a concept that is sorely needed in our great state of Iowa.” Jacoby said he was voting in support of the bill with the hope that “this plan is real.” The measure goes to Reynolds, who announced she planned to sign the bill Friday night. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch
	Pinal supervisors escalate feud with county attorney Brad Miller, seek bar investigation Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller speaks outside the Arizona Senate on Jan. 12, 2026, about upcoming legislation to criminalize interference with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Protesters shouted him down, and Miller and GOP lawmakers had to retreat inside the Senate building to finish addressing the media. (Photo by Gloria Rebecca Gomez/Arizona Mirror)The Pinal County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to file a bar complaint against Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller, the latest development in a tumultuous year of legal disputes over everything from hiring practices to taking on federal immigration enforcement responsibilities. During a special session on Friday, supervisors voted 5-0 to authorize its outside attorneys to file a complaint against Miller with the State Bar of Arizona. The State Bar evaluates complaints and can launch investigations if it finds reason to believe an attorney violated professional standards and rules. The Arizona Supreme Court oversees disciplinary action against lawyers if the State Bar believes an attorney’s transgressions deserve formal punishment. No mention was made as to why the board decided to pursue a complaint, or what the content of that complaint might be. James Daniels, a spokesman for the board, said that he could not provide further information. Miller’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment. Complaints are confidential unless the State Bar pursues disciplinary action. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. The decision to file the complaint against Miller came after the board met with its attorneys on Sept. 30 during a closed-door executive session. The agenda for Sept. 30 noted that supervisors would seek legal advice about Miller’s “ethical obligations to the Board of Supervisors, his scope of representation, and Arizona Bar requirements in light of various activities, statements and actions made by the County Attorney to or about the Pinal County Board of Supervisors collectively or individually.” On Friday, Chairman Jeffrey McClure emphasized that the State Bar’s disciplinary process is confidential and that, while charges against Miller may become public record at some point, their content shouldn’t be spoken about until then. “This confidentiality during the investigative process is designed to protect the attorney who is the subject of a bar charge, and therefore we should allow that process to play out, per the Arizona Supreme Court rules,” McClure said. Vice Chairman Jeff Serdy, who was calling into the meeting remotely, reiterated the confidential nature of the bar complaint process, saying that it prevents supervisors from talking about it. Serdy also deflected responsibility for the possibility that Miller could face professional sanctions, noting that it’s up to the Supreme Court whether Miller is punished. “People are asking: ‘Why are we doing this? Can we comment on it?’” he said. “Hopefully, the statement that you just made gets picked up by the press or whoever, showing that it is up to the Supreme Court to decide and we are not really doing anything. If there’s (inappropriate) things happening, just be patient and it’ll sort itself out.” The relationship between Pinal County supervisors and Miller has been fractious since he took office in January 2025, making it unclear which of multiple spats is the source of the complaint. In February, the board referred Miller to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes over allegations of misspending public funds and destroying public records after the Republican hired two employees without the board’s authorization and didn’t pay them for several weeks. And in April, supervisors declared that a conflict of interest exists between Miller and the board because the way Miller carries out his office’s law enforcement duties conflicts with his “ethical obligations” to the board. The highest profile tiff between Miller and the board was a disagreement over whether the county attorney’s office has the right to enter into an 287(g) agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to look for people who are eligible for deportation. Miller signed his office’s 10 investigators — who are charged with interviewing victims and witnesses to build legal cases for attorneys to prosecute — up for the agreement in August 2025, without notifying the board or requesting their permission. County supervisors responded by ordering Miller to terminate the agreement, saying that under Arizona law only the board has the authority to enter into partnerships with the federal government. The county sheriff’s office has its own 287(g) agreement with DHS, which has been in place since 2008 and was renewed by the board at the same meeting in which the supervisors censured Miller. Miller doubled down on preserving his agreement with federal immigration authorities and the issue ultimately led to a court battle. In May, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled that Miller acted unlawfully. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Courtesy of Arizona Mirror
	What games we're watching for Week 7 of The Score Football Tune in tonight at 10:15 p.m. for local high school football highlights from across the region!
	Family rallies in Davenport to urge release of mother detained by ICE Fatou Traore’s family urged Iowa officials to help free their mother and prevent deportation to Sierra Leone, a country she's never visited.
	Swenson Swedish American Research Center hosts symposium on U.S., Swedish elections The 2026 O. Fritiof Ander Symposium brings together scholars, policymakers, and journalists for a public conversation about elections in United States and Sweden. The symposium will take place from 2-4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, at Augustana College’s Wilson Center, 3750 7th Ave., Rock Island. Through a keynote address and panel discussion, speakers will explore what [...]
	Iowa lawmakers give steel company more than $1B in incentives Iowa lawmakers spent all of Friday hammering out a deal in a special session at the statehouse.
	Cleanup is underway across the Quad Cities after flooding Residents and flood restoration crews have been working around the clock to drain water and repair damage.
	Family, community members rally to free Iowa City mother facing third-country deportation Fatou Traore was detained on Sept. 24 despite being in the U.S. legally. She is facing deportation to Sierra Leone, a country she has no connection to.
	Renowned pianist and Davenport Central alum shares his music with the next generation Pianist Thomas Sauer returned to his old stomping grounds to share his music and his professional journey. Davenport Central High School alum Sauer is back in his hometown to play some music ahead of his performances with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra over the weekend. Sauer shared stories and took questions from students about his [...]
	Gallery opening planned for "The Monster Under My Bed" exhibition at Quad-City Arts Quad City Arts will present "The Monster Under My Bed" - works by 27 regional artists - an exhibition that explores fear, anxiety, and well-being through 38 works of art, with accompanying community conversation and celebration of Visual Arts Director Dawn Wohlford-Metallo’s 25 years with Quad City Arts. The exhibition will be at Quad City [...]
	Man arrested after allegedly shooting at car in Davenport Police say 18-year-old Jerimiah Rivera allegedly fired five shots at a car with four people inside near Breeze Market on Brady Street. No injuries were reported.
	Spotlight Theatre brings back 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' Spotlight Theatre is reviving its production of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” with six chances to see the musical starting Oct. 9.
	Iowa DNR investigating fish kill in Dubuque County's Little Maquoketa River The Iowa DNR says an unknown amount of manure was released into Dubuque County's Little Maquoketa River, causing a fish kill that's being investigated.
	Iowa DNR investigating fish kill at the Little Maquoketa River in Dubuque County DNR staff identified an animal feeding operation near the tributary as the source of the manure runoff. The amount of manure released is not known at this time.
	As Trump's proposed arch looms over D.C., protesters pin their hopes on the midterms Democratic lawmakers, veterans and concerned citizens gathered in Memorial Circle to protest the arch Trump wants to build there. Their hopes lie primarily in a lawsuit and next month's midterms.
	College GameDay returns to Iowa City as Hawkeyes prepare to host Ohio State ESPN’s College GameDay is live in Iowa City ahead of Saturday's marquee matchup between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Ohio State Buckeyes at Kinnick Stadium.
	Maple Leafs battle Golden Warriors in spotlight game: Highlight Zone Week 7 The KWQC Highlight Zone covers week seven of high school football matchups across the Quad Cities.
	Rock Island police investigate reports of shots fired Tuesday night The Rock Island Police’s Criminal Investigation Division is investigating a shots fired incident on Tuesday night, just before 9 p.m. No injuries were reported.
	Festival of Trees tickets now on sale Tickets are now on sale for this year’s Festival of Trees.
	Why You Need This Everyday Essential for Effortless Fabric Care (BPT) - You spend a lot of time, effort and hard-earned money building a wardrobe you love. Whether you're dressing for the workweek, heading out for a special occasion or simply trying to keep your favorite pieces looking their best, proper fabric care can make a difference. The same goes for household items and linens that require thoughtful care to maintain their quality.These investments should maintain the quality and ensure fabrics stay looking their best for as long as possible by taking good care of them. And that doesn't necessarily mean making more trips to the dry cleaners.Enter the LG Styler® Steam Closet from LG Electronics, an at-home solution designed to make everyday garment care easier. This home steam closet combines everyday convenience with premium fabric care so you can refresh, deodorize, sanitize and care for your clothing and linens with ease. Whether you're preparing for a busy work week, refreshing your clothes after a long commute or getting ready for a special occasion, LG Styler helps to simplify your routines while delivering elevated care at the touch of a button.Everyday Care, Made EasierKeeping your best clothes in top condition throughout the week doesn't have to add another chore to your routine. LG Styler takes the effort out of daily garment and household care at home. Thanks to new features on select models such as Dual TrueSteam® technology, Dynamic MovingHanger™, multiple refresh and care cycles, built-in HandySteamer™ and EZ Fit PantsPress™, the LG Styler can handle fabric refresh, wrinkle reduction and sanitization automatically. LG Styler's Dual Inverter HeatPump™ also helps to avoid damage while refreshing clothes and drying delicates.The result? Clothes look and feel fresh without washing or ironing, while wrinkles and odors are reduced with minimal effort. By helping you refresh garments between washes and reduce reliance on traditional dry cleaning, LG Styler can also help extend the life of treasured pieces.One Solution for Many UsesClothing isn't the only thing that can benefit from more thoughtful care. LG Styler extends refresh and allergen-reduction capabilities to everyday items throughout the home. Its Heavy-Duty Sanitary cycle safely handles delicate items, outerwear and unwashables, while its capacity can accommodate household items like pillows, backpacks and pet gear, all with chemical-free steam care.This means you can freshen items you can't or don't want to put in a washing machine, at the same time reducing allergens like pet dander or dust mites from daily life. It can also help extend the life of clothing and household essentials, keeping them fresher and in better condition.Designed for Real LifeYou don't need a large space or complicated installation to bring the LG Styler into your home. It's designed to fit seamlessly into modern living spaces without requiring renovations or major lifestyle changes. The LG Styler's Plug & Go installation requires no plumbing, simply plugging into a standard wall outlet, while its slim footprint can fit easily in closets, bedrooms or laundry rooms. LG Styler is available in multiple sizes and finishes, making it an easy-to-install solution that works in small spaces and fits busy households, with options to match any lifestyle or budget. You can also get LG ThinQ® app connectivity, which helps you access specialty care options and lets you remotely check the unit's cycle time for effortless care. The combination of thoughtful design, convenience and performance reflects LG's broader commitment to reliable home appliances.Discover how the LG Styler can make everyday garment and household care easier at LG.com and appliance reliability details at www.lg.com/us/reliable-home-appliances.
	Lawmakers discuss ethics violation against northeast Iowa representative The Iowa House Ethics Committee reviewed a filing on Friday that alleges Rep. Shannon Lundgren used her position to vouch for a man convicted of lascivious acts with a child.
	Iowa lawmakers to vote on raising tax incentive cap for a $15B steel plant Iowa lawmakers will return to the Statehouse Friday to consider expanding the ceiling on state tax incentives in an effort to secure a $15 billion steel plant project for the state.
	Billy Joel Legacy tribute concert coming to Adler Theatre Spencer Stanley leads The Billy Joel Legacy, a multi-media tribute to the Piano Man, which will take over Davenport’s Adler Theatre on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026 at 7 p.m.
	What leaders actually need from AI in HR technology Businesses are racing to adopt AI across every function. But HR is different. The data it touches, the decisions it informs, and the people it affects mean the stakes are distinct.So, the question isn’t just whether an organization is using AI. It’s whether the AI you’re using understands HR challenges well enough to solve them.That’s a question worth wrestling with. HR isn’t a great space for trial and error. If AI gets it wrong, it could mishandle someone’s pay or make a flawed people decision that’s hard to undo. The tools have multiplied, the demos look impressive, and yet many organizations are still waiting to see the real payoff.Paylocity, an HR software provider, conducted a survey in September 2025 of more than 500 HR, finance, and IT leaders, asking what AI does well and doesn’t do well in their day-to-day work.Eighty-eight percent of HR technology decision-makers believe AI can help their teams focus on higher-value work. That’s an overwhelming vote of confidence in AI’s potential to elevate HR to an even more strategic function.But confidence in potential isn’t the same as confidence in results. That difference usually comes down to one thing: Too many human capital management technology providers talk about what AI can do instead of listening to what business leaders actually need.The data reveals four key pain points AI must address to deliver real value for organizations.Prevention: Catching payroll issues before they become problemsPayroll errors are expensive, time-consuming, and damaging to employee trust. And yet many solutions are still reactive, designed to surface problems after the fact rather than catch them before they happen.Forty-two percent of survey respondents said they want AI that can flag payroll irregularities early. That’s not a nice-to-have. When a payroll error slips through, it doesn’t just cost money to correct — it erodes confidence across the organization.What leaders want is a system that identifies issues well before payroll is processed. Automated alerts that spot an employee being paid double their usual rate or a tax setup that doesn’t match an employee’s location are exactly the kind of guardrails that prevent serious, avoidable mistakes. The right technology shows administrators where there’s an anomaly and guides them to take corrective action.Well-designed AI-powered HR tools make this possible through customizable payroll audits, variance reports that compare current and previous pay runs, and integrated timecard reviews that give admins a clear picture before anything is finalized. Prevention, done well, is built on consistency: the right checks, running every cycle, without requiring human oversight at every step.Insight: Giving leaders the workforce visibility they needBusiness leaders are under increasing pressure to make strategic decisions with data. But 35% of survey respondents named predictive analytics and workforce planning as the top capability missing from their current HR technology.Leaders don’t just need reports that describe what happened last quarter — they need tools that help them anticipate what’s coming and plan accordingly. Which roles are at risk of turnover? Where are the skill gaps forming? What does headcount need to look like in 18 months if growth continues at its current pace?When AI can answer those questions, HR becomes less of a support function and more of a strategic driver. That shift can be beneficial not just to CHROs, but to the executives and boards they report to.Usability: Making AI easier to use every dayPaylocity’s research reveals a challenge that directly impacts the success of AI in HR: Nearly one-third of survey respondents cite limited internal expertise as a major obstacle to adoption.If a tool requires deep technical knowledge to operate effectively, it’s not really built for the people who need to use it every day. HR teams are full of talented professionals who shouldn’t have to be data scientists to get value from their software.The best AI tools meet users where they are. Natural language search, intuitive dashboards, and self-service features that don’t require IT support to configure make an AI system more usable, which encourages adoption. And adoption drives the outcomes that make the investment worthwhile.AI capabilities continue to evolve, which makes AI fluency hard to train for in advance. Instead, it develops best through use. And people only use tools consistently when those tools don’t get in the way. Low barriers to adoption help users build confidence with the tools.Security: Building trust through governance and controlOf all the concerns surrounding AI in HR, this one carries the most weight. Nearly half of survey respondents rank data security and privacy as the top barrier to AI adoption. Two-thirds say they feel cautious about the privacy implications of AI in HR processes. And 38% worry that AI could eliminate roles within their organization. Those concerns are legitimate.On data security, the question every HR leader should be asking their technology provider is straightforward: How is our data protected, who can access it, and what controls do we have? The safest approach is AI that’s embedded directly in a vetted system your team already works in every day — so sensitive payroll and personnel data never has to leave the platform for a third-party tool that wasn’t built to protect it.On job displacement, the most practical application of AI is handling repetitive, low-value tasks, freeing people to do the work that requires judgment, empathy, and strategic thinking. Instead of elimination, think reallocation. The question then becomes, where does AI have the most impact on productivity?How to get real value from AIThe promise of AI is real. But realizing it requires a shift in how you evaluate technology.Rather than asking what a platform can do, businesses must start by asking what their current tools aren’t doing. Where are errors slipping through? What decisions are made without enough data? Who can’t effectively use the tools already invested in? And how confident are you in your data security?Those gaps are where the right AI delivers the most value. An HR technology partner should be able to explain, in practical terms, how its AI addresses the priorities that matter most to your organization.MethodologyTo understand perceptions of HR and payroll software, Paylocity partnered with Qualtrics to survey 501 HR and business leaders in the U.S. in September 2025. Respondents were primary decision-makers or those who participate in the decision-making process when choosing HR and payroll software vendors at their organization.This story was produced by Paylocity and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Resignation, hirings and transfers from Bettendorf School District for Sept. 23 The following personnel items are from the Sept. 23 agenda of the Bettendorf Community School District. The School Board met at the Administration Center in Bettendorf.
	Project NOW receives increase in federal funding to administer energy assistance relief program The funding is available for people living in Rock Island, Henry and Mercer counties. The Rock Island nonprofit has $8.8 million, up from $7.1 million last year, and select residents and families are eligible to apply in October with eligibility expanding in November. The funding is available through April or before funds are depleted.
	DNR investigating fish kill at Little Maquoketa River The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a fish kill at the Little Maquoketa River.
	Anxiety is growing Trump may try to disrupt the midterm elections. States are prepping. When Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin declared in September that Immigration and Customs Enforcement could serve warrants on individuals at polling places this fall, officials in Denver, a liberal city where roughly 14% of residents are foreign-born, quickly sued.“Every day we find new things to be astonished about but I think that we just want residents to not be afraid to vote because that’s ultimately what the president was after,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, a Democrat, said in an interview.Johnston and other local and state officials across the country are bracing for possible federal election interference from now through Nov. 3 — even as they remain unsure of what will actually happen.One month from Election Day, President Donald Trump’s long-running pressure campaign over elections is approaching a decisive moment. For the past year, the Trump administration has sought to bend the U.S. election system to the president’s will across multiple fronts, despite the Constitution’s guarantee that states administer elections.Interviews and public comments by more than a dozen current and former election officials, legal experts, lawmakers and others ahead of the midterms reveal anxiety over what Trump may do. Election administrators often plan for natural disasters, bomb threats and other possible problems, but this year many are also thinking about possible disruptions driven by the federal government. Election Day is Nov. 3, 2026. (Getty images) Potential scenarios range from armed federal personnel deploying at or near the polls to Trump declaring a national emergency — ideas widely condemned as illegal by election law experts. Homeland Security denies it plans to specifically target polling locations.Others include efforts to discredit voting machines or federal law enforcement obtaining search warrants to seize ballots, a fear that’s grown since the FBI took 2020 election ballots in Fulton County, Georgia, earlier this year.Barb Byrum, the country clerk in Ingham County, Michigan, which includes much of Lansing, said that when she became a clerk 13 years ago, she and other officials conducted table-top exercises to plan for power outages and tornadoes. Now it’s moved on to “federal misbehavior,” she said.“It’s really unfortunate that’s where we are. But that is, in fact, where we are,” Byrum, a Democrat, said in an interview.Memories of 2020Fears of election interference are at least partly rooted in previous efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss in key swing states, culminating in a mob of his supporters storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The riot led to Trump’s second impeachment in the House on a charge of inciting an insurrection, but the Senate acquitted him.Nearly six years later, Trump’s approval ratings are sagging and Republicans are fighting to retain control of Congress amid encouraging polling for Democrats. Loss of the House or Senate would effectively end Trump’s legislative agenda and lead to investigations that consume his final two years in office.“A desperate Trump is a dangerous Trump,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, said during an appearance at the progressive Center for American Progress in September. At the same time, Americans’ trust in elections is eroding. Just 49% of respondents said they expect the midterm elections to be free and fair, according to a national survey of more than 5,000 adults in early September conducted by the University of California San Diego Center for Transparent and Trusted Elections.Still, election officials and legal experts remain largely confident any interference effort ultimately won’t succeed. The United States has a decentralized election system run by state and local officials that guards against large-scale efforts to steal elections or prevent voting, they say, predicting courts would swiftly rule against the deployment of federal agents. Many votes are also cast by mail, sidestepping any Election Day show of force. More than 1 million votes have already been cast, according to data compiled by the University of Florida’s Election Lab.“It’s not going to happen,” David Becker, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research, told reporters on Tuesday. “You’re not going to have to run a gauntlet. You’re not going to see troops or armed individuals at the polls.”‘I don’t rule anything out or in’Trump and his aides refuse to flatly rule out interfering in the midterms. In an interview with TIME magazine published Thursday, Trump declined to take extreme measures off the table. Asked about sending ICE to the polls, he said only that he hadn’t thought of it.“I don’t rule anything out or in. We’ll see,” Trump said of a national emergency.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has dismissed questions about sending troops to the polls as “another gotcha hypothetical,” though the Department of Defense has said it has no plans to deploy active-duty troops or federalized National Guard members. Some Republicans have suggested they would welcome the presence of soldiers if state and local authorities want them. “If that’s something that they decide that they need to look at, then that’s fine with me,” Rep. Mike Collins, a Georgia Republican, told reporters in September.Mullin, the Homeland Security secretary, last month sought a Department of Justice investigation into whether ballot tabulation machines that read barcodes or QR codes comply with federal law, raising concerns that the Trump administration could create a pretext to dismiss the validity of some ballots. The Georgia State Election Board’s executive director recently called on the DOJ to potentially intervene in the state over the use of QR code-based tabulation.Earlier this year, Mullin also warned that election officials who don’t “participate in securing the elections” could face prosecution. He promised to “hold election officials accountable.”Roadblocks to interferenceBut with Election Day nearing, Trump has been stymied on every major initiative to influence the election process this year:Congress didn’t pass the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to prove their citizenship. The U.S. Supreme Court blocked the U.S. Postal Service from imposing new rules on mail ballots. The Justice Department has lost more than two dozen lawsuits seeking to force states to turn over sensitive voter data. A DOJ push to prosecute noncitizen voters has led to only a few dozen prosecutions, reflecting studies that consistently found that noncitizen voting happens extremely rarely. In the most recent action, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche in late September announced indictments against 10 noncitizens over allegations of unlawfully voting.The White House did secure a recent victory when the Supreme Court allowed states to use a supercharged version of a Homeland Security computer program that can identify possible noncitizen voters. But the decision will have minimal impact on the midterms because, under federal law, it’s too close to Election Day for most states to purge large numbers of voters off their rolls.In response to questions from States Newsroom, White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis in a statement accused “extreme liberal Democrats” of preventing Americans from having full confidence in their elections by not supporting the SAVE America Act, though the legislation faced bipartisan opposition in the Senate. “President Trump is absolutely right: we fix this now, or we lose our country,” Bis said.ICE at the polls?Trump’s failure to advance his signature election-related policies has left him with few options to exert control outside of increasingly audacious and potentially illegal options. So when Mullin said that ICE can execute warrants at polling sites, the remarks provoked a swift backlash from voting rights activists and Democrats.“The only reason why we would be at polling places is if there is a threat to that polling place or we’re serving a warrant on someone that we have been actively tracking down,” Mullin said during a news conference on Sept. 1.On Friday, Homeland Security sent an unsigned statement to States Newsroom denying any plans to target polling locations, adding that Mullin has answered the question “dozens of times.” DHS said ICE agents are part of trained special response teams that can rapidly respond to major incidents if necessary to aid local law enforcement, regardless of location.“Any ‘anxiety’ among election officials is the unfortunate result of fake news reports of ‘federal interference’ despite the Secretary’s numerous clear statements to the contrary,” the DHS statement said.Notably, the statement does not address Mullin’s remark about serving warrants. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin walks onto the stage during a midterm election rally with President Donald Trump at the Choctaw Event Center, on Oct. 1, 2026, in Durant, Oklahoma. (Photo by Jessica Tobias/For Oklahoma Voice) At least three lawsuits seek to block any possible deployment of federal agents to election sites. The oldest case, filed on Sept. 10 by Denver and several voting rights groups, points to Mullin’s comments and alleges ICE has already conducted law enforcement operations at polling places this year.ICE agents “swarmed” a parking lot of an active polling site in San Antonio in May to detain someone, the suit says. In June, agents visited a Ventura County, California, polling place and accosted an election worker at a Syracuse, New York, polling place, it says.Preparing for the worstTina Barton co-chairs the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections, a nonprofit group that helps elections and officials and law enforcement think through how to protect election workers and voters from violence, threats and intimidation. She said the organization has about 138 events on its calendar this year, compared to 67 in 2024.In communities with concerns about a possible federal presence, the organization has officials work through a scenario involving ICE activity near a polling place that affects voters coming to the area, allowing local leaders to think through questions about what their legal options would be, how they would respond and what they would tell the public.“Their conversation and how they choose to move forward, that’s owned by them and their community and how they choose to handle that. What we encourage is relationship-building ahead of time with them, conversations ahead of time,” Barton said.Local election officials receive an “incredible” amount of training in how to handle crises, said Kamryn Hoadley, who advises Michigan election officials for Keep Our Republic, a pro-democracy nonprofit. “They are truly as prepared as somebody could be for anything that will happen on Election Day,” Hoadley said.In Los Angeles County — the most populous county in the country, with more than 10 million residents — election officials have studied the potential for disruptions to the election. But Dean Logan, the Los Angeles registrar-recorder/county clerk, emphasized in a statement that scenarios concerning federal agents at polling sites and the seizure of ballots haven’t occurred in his area and haven’t been upheld in court.“We've engaged in scenario and tabletop planning with our partners so that if an unexpected situation arises, roles are clear and our response is calm, coordinated, and focused on voter access and participation, rather than politically reactive,” Logan said. “Voters should know the behind-the-scenes work is thorough, and the fundamentals of a secure election are sound,” he said. Courtesy of D.C. Bureau
	Germany's political center fights for relevance after far-right and far-left gains Centrist politicians are soul-searching after electoral gains by the far right and the far left. Today's weak coalitions, political fragmentation and dire economy echo a past that led to the rise of fascism.
	Enjoy creepy fun at Spooky Spectacular & Candy Crawl Families can enjoy Halloween fun at the Spooky Spectacular & Candy Crawl on October 24! According to a release, the Downtown Davenport Partnership invites you to wear a costume, grab an event map and make your way through downtown collecting treats and enjoy Halloween-themed experiences hosted by select businesses. All participating businesses will distribute candy [...]
	4 Your Money \| Low Hire, Low Fire Recent labor market data has sent mixed messages, and investors hope the September jobs report will provide some clarity on the economy's employment outlook. John Nelson, Financial Planner at NelsonCorp Wealth Management, joins us to explain the “low-hire, low-fire” dynamics currently shaping the labor market.
	Davenport man arrested in connection with shooting near Roger Craig Stadium An 18-year-old man from Davenport is being held on a $100,000 cash-only bond after he was arrested in connection with a large police presence near Roger Craig Stadium. Criminal complaints filed in Scott County Court said Davenport Police responded to the Shell Gas Station at 3622 Brady Street on Oct. 1 at about 7 p.m. [...]
	Breathe easier at home: The smart way to improve your indoor air quality (BPT) - Key takeawaysHomeowners are seeking to make their homes more efficient, including indoor air quality solutions.Improving a home's IAQ typically requires homeowners to install multiple products that don't work together.Panasonic OASYS® solves this problem by continuously bringing in fresh, filtered outdoor air that is balanced with indoor air to improve IAQ, temperature and humidity, creating a healthier living environment.The modern home has technology layered in practically every corner. Whether it's a smart thermostat, voice assistants, connected security, EV chargers or app-controlled appliances, homeowners are looking to make home life easier and — in some cases — healthier.Take indoor air quality (IAQ), for example. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans spend on average about 90% of their time indoors, where the concentration of some pollutants is often two to five times higher than typical outdoor air. Although you can't see them, these air pollutants can have very real visible effects on your health and have been associated with:Irritation of the eyes, nose and throat.Headaches, dizziness and fatigue.Respiratory diseases, heart disease and cancer.There are numerous smart devices on the market to improve IAQ, including monitors, purifiers, dehumidifiers and more. However, these separate IAQ technologies don't work together, requiring homeowners to monitor and adjust the settings themselves.Seeing the need for connected and efficient IAQ technology that works in concert, Panasonic created OASYS®, a whole-home air quality management solution that aligns comfort, air quality and energy management, providing homeowners with a true set-it-and-forget-it IAQ system.Designing IAQ tech with whole-home integration from the startPanasonic OASYS® creates a house that breathes as intentionally as it was designed. The energy-efficient system manages indoor air quality, temperature and humidity without homeowner intervention. The result? Cleaner air, balanced humidity, fewer indoor allergens and pollutants, and consistent temperature control throughout the house from the moment you walk in.This isn't Panasonic's first foray into IAQ management. The brand's bathroom exhaust fans and energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) have helped homeowners across the country breathe cleaner indoor air. The addition of OASYS® completes this family of IAQ solutions.So, how exactly does OASYS® work to improve IAQ? It all begins with its fresh-air-first approach.Improving ventilation with outdoor air is one of the fundamental strategies for reducing concentrations of indoor air pollutants. However, most home heating and cooling systems do not mechanically bring in fresh air. By flipping the traditional HVAC logic, OASYS® provides homeowners with balanced airflow to every room, including hard-to-reach areas, supporting the consistent comfort and well-being of families in their home environment. The result? Cleaner air, balanced humidity, fewer indoor allergens and pollutants, and consistent temperature control throughout the house from the moment you walk in.Bringing in fresh air is especially important for homeowners who are moving into a new build. Construction materials, paint, new furnishings and cleaning products emit chemical vapors known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a common source of air pollution. By incorporating OASYS® into building plans from the beginning, the whole-home air quality management system can reduce exposure to harmful chemicals by removing VOCs from paints, cleaning products and furnishings before you even move in.Another benefit of OASYS® is that it uses significantly less energy than conventional HVAC technologies. This isn't theoretical. In fact, Panasonic built the Panasonic OASYS® Concept Home in Houston, Texas, as a proving ground for the system. By actively removing pollutants, allergens and excess moisture accumulation in Houston's challenging climate and air quality environment, OASYS® supports better respiratory health and reduces energy consumption by up to 53% compared to traditional HVAC systems.Homeowners aren't the only ones who can benefit from installing OASYS® technology in their homes. For builders and developers, it provides a compelling alternative to standard HVAC, combining energy efficiency, resilience and occupant wellness in a single solution that doesn't require users to monitor and adjust settings constantly.Other OASYS® features that contribute to whole-home wellness include:Continuous ventilation: Provides a steady flow of fresh air, reducing indoor air stagnation and airborne pollutants and improving overall air quality.Dehumidification: Steady, balanced humidity levels to prevent mold, mildew and structural damage.Allergen reduction: Filters out pollen, pet dander, dust mites and other asthma triggers — ideal for sensitive individuals.Low maintenance: Designed for reliability and ease of use, with intuitive smart controls that require minimal upkeep.Because OASYS® combines multiple products into one cohesive system, ongoing maintenance is simple, predictable and designed to support long-term, whole-home air quality management. Best of all, it operates in the background, reflecting a growing preference for homes that are not just connected but thoughtfully integrated.The modern, high-performance home deserves whole-home comfortA cleaner, more comfortable home that supports holistic wellness doesn't happen by accident. It's built that way from the start, with smart technology that works together and does the work for you. For more information on the benefits of Panasonic OASYS®, visit: iaq.na.panasonic.com/oasys.Based on a July 2024 analysis commissioned by Panasonic comparing the OASYS solution against conventional system designs, using a two-story, 4-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom house with light concrete tile roofing and a ventilated crawlspace underneath the first floor as the model home. Energy savings compare a Panasonic high-efficiency design, including an OASYS high-efficiency custom HVAC system and high-performance envelope, to a code minimum house design utilizing a standard gas furnace. Energy demand was converted and standardized to kilowatt hours (kWh), with the model estimating 5,932 kWh annual energy consumption for the OASYS system compared to an estimated 12,744 kWh annual energy consumption for the conventional system, a reduction in annual energy consumption of 53%. The U.S. Department of Energy's IES Virtual Environment software was used to produce an HVAC load sizing report, while the building's energy usage was assessed with the National Renewable Energy Lab's BEopt tool.
	Davenport teen charged in connection with Davenport shots fired incident A Davenport teen is being charged in Scott County District Court for allegedly shooting at a vehicle with four people inside outside a Davenport gas station on Thursday.
	Unlicensed catering business ordered to cease operations following foodborne illness outbreak At least 45 football team members and parents grew ill after eating from an unlicensed vendor last Thursday.
	Pro-Trump Influencer Benny Johnson is being sued for defamation by ICE protesters The lawsuit says the prominent conservative podcaster falsely claimed the protesters were assaulting ICE officers during demonstrations at an ICE facility in Illinois last year.
	Dubuque Police Lieutenant charged with distributing amphetamine A Dubuque Lieutenant has been charged with one count of distribution of amphetamine, the U.S. Department of Justice shared Friday.
	Eldridge Police Department receives Iowa accreditation The Eldridge Police Department has achieved accreditation through the Iowa Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (ILEAP). This is the first accreditation in the history of the Eldridge Police Department. Accreditation through ILEAP shows a significant commitment to professional law enforcement, accountability, continuous improvement and adherence to recognized best practices. The accreditation process meant the Eldridge Police [...]
	October 1 ushered in a new era in U.S. foreign aid. What's the plan? Will it work? The America First strategy asks for a Memorandum of Understanding as a condition for healthcare and development aid. It's been praised for promoting self-reliance but criticized for its conditions.
	Iowa man missing after flash flooding collapses road Investigators believe a missing Iowa man may have driven over a road that collapsed early Thursday morning.
	Arconic opens doors to Quad Cities students for hands-on Manufacturing Day Arconic welcomed Quad Cities high schoolers to its Riverdale plant for Manufacturing Day, highlighting skilled trades and local career opportunities.
	Crews quickly extinguish grain dryer fire at Big River Resources in Taylor Ridge Multiple area fire crews responded to Big River Resources in Taylor Ridge after a fire broke out inside a grain bin dryer, which was quickly put out.
	Officials: North Scott homecoming week interrupted by unlawful, dangerous high jinks Students wore masks, shot fireworks and trespassed as part of homecoming shenanigans according to school officials.
	Iowa police warn of online scammers targeting buyers with fake farm equipment listings Iowa police warn buyers after online scammers using fake Waterloo business names targeted multiple victims looking to purchase farm equipment.
	Keokuk man faces felony charges after allegedly shooting at car with people inside Keokuk police arrested a 41-year-old man after he allegedly fired a handgun at people inside a vehicle Thursday night.
	Tom Brady's aviation habits after his retirement from pro football Tom Brady’s career is one of the most lauded and scrutinized in NFL history, not least because it extended well beyond the typical span of a professional football player’s time in the spotlight. While he’s now retired from competitive play, his new career as a sports commentator for Fox, which will earn him $375 million in a decade, means he’s still a high earner, with a raft of associated responsibilities and travel needs to meet in his latest broadcast role.The upshot of his retirement choice, combined with his other business interests, including an ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders, is that Brady's aviation habits align more with C-suite executives than with typical former sports celebrities. In turn, the financial physics of private aviation mean that time in the air dictates ownership structure. For ultra-high-net-worth individuals with lower annual utilization, outright title holding quickly exposes capital to depreciation loss. As Jettly, a private jet rental service, explains below, Brady’s modern travel cadence likely points to an operational shift toward strategic asset access over single-tail maintenance obligations, although hard reporting on the specifics of his ownership status is scarce, reflecting his prioritization of privacy.Why Asset Depreciation Determines Ownership StrategyWhat’s known about Tom Brady’s aviation habits is neatly summarized by Simple Flying, with coverage from multiple media sources confirming that he regularly uses a Gulfstream G550 valued at around $20 million and equipped with space onboard for up to 19 passengers. The article also cites speculation that he owns a separate $50 million jet in conjunction with ex-wife Gisele Bündchen, although there’s no legitimate source confirming this rumor.What is clear is that operating a dedicated airframe of this scale creates substantial annual fixed expenditures, including hangar leases, crew retainers, and specialized insurance premiums. When a jet remains parked on an apron, those fixed costs continue unabated regardless of total flight hours. This might explain the uncertainty around ownership status, even though Brady is confirmed to have placed an order for a G550 back in 2008.Fixed maintenance overhead combined with market value erosion creates a high effective cost per hour for low-volume flyers. Mid- to large-cabin airframes experience early-life valuation declines much like luxury vehicles, which can drop by 60% over five years. If an asset is valued at $20 million, the depreciation hurts significantly more than a car costing $100,000.The math shifts dramatically when annual flight time hits a specific inflection threshold. According to Jettly, whole-aircraft ownership typically becomes cost-effective only when annual utilization approaches 300 to 400 flight hours. Elite athletes and C-suite executives logging under 200 hours per year, as is likely the case for Tom Brady, will find that sole ownership introduces structural operational inefficiency. The capital tied up in a sitting airframe can be far more effectively deployed into active growth investments. Jettly Optimizing Cabin Environments for Transcontinental ProductivityBecause Tom Brady’s private jet ownership status isn’t confirmed, and the tail number of the G550 he’s known to use regularly is also not a matter of public record, it’s hard to know how much he flies each year. That’s in contrast to other celebrities whose private jets are known, and whose aviation habits are much easier to track as a result.High-profile executives and sports broadcasters, of which Brady is both, see private air travel as a mobile command center rather than a simple luxury. Extended flight windows can provide uninterrupted time for strategic work and game preparation, while during Brady’s playing career, he likely used this time for physical recovery as much as psychological rest.Even standard configurations are engineered specifically to maximize onboard utility. Modern heavy-cabin jets routinely feature high-speed satellite connectivity, dedicated meeting zones, and custom quiet suites for recuperation mid-flight.Meanwhile, eliminating commercial terminal delays saves hours during weekly travel rotations. Arriving at fixed-base operator terminals allows direct tarmac access, cutting transit times down to minutes. That saved time can be converted into increased preparation time for weekend broadcasts.The Future of Private Air LogisticsThe broader business aviation industry continues shifting away from sole-owner models toward access-based solutions, and it’s likely that Brady is following this trend. Capital preservation, tax optimization, and fleet agility drive decision-making across corporate boards and family offices alike. Prioritizing on-demand flexibility lets high-frequency travelers maintain full control over their schedules and gain maximum mobility with zero long-term asset liability.This story was produced by Jettly and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	North Scott School District resignations, hirings and other personnel news for Sept. 28 The following personnel items are from the Sept. 28 agenda of the North Scott School District. The school board met at Neil Armstrong.
	Rock Island players sickened by food poisoning after team dinner 45 Rock Island players felt ill after a team dinner last Friday. The caterer was not licensed or food-safety certified and was ordered to stop operating.
	Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger predicts GOP midterm losses 'I think the Republicans are going to take a big shellacking.'
	Unlicensed caterer linked to illness that sickened 45 at Rock Island High School football team dinner The outbreak prompted health officials to recommend postponing the Rocks' Sept. 25 homecoming game until players had been symptom-free for at least 24 hours.
	Minnesota woman faces DUI, drug charges after airborne crash in Ogle County A woman faces charges following a crash Thursday that put her in the hospital, according to the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office.
	2 drivers in critical condition after crash involving semi-truck near Marengo A crash between a semi-truck and a passenger vehicle Thursday afternoon leaves two people seriously hurt.
	Major pumpkin theft impacts first-year family farm in Boone County A family farm has cut pumpkin season short after owners say a major theft wiped out the remainder of its unharvested crops.
	Second person sentenced in East Moline fatal stabbing Her co-defendant pleaded guilty earlier this year.
	Unlicensed catering business shut down after Rock Island football team food poisoned before Homecoming game An unlicensed home-based catering business was ordered to cease operations after 45 people were sickened at a Rock Island football team dinner.
	Parcel vs. LTL for shipping large packages: Your decision framework Shipping big packages can create big challenges for companies of all sizes. What starts as a simple parcel can quickly trigger oversized package fees or dimensional weight charges. Other shipments may be better suited for less-than-truckload (LTL) freight, but knowing when to make the switch isn’t always obvious. Choosing between parcel vs. LTL freight isn’t about selecting your favorite or most-used mode. It’s about choosing the shipping method that’s right for each shipment. Many businesses rely on both, selecting the best option based on the shipment’s size, handling requirements, and destination.Making the right choice doesn’t have to be complicated. This simple decision framework from ShipStation can help you evaluate each shipment and choose the transportation network that’s the best fit. ShipStation Why shipping decisions changeShipping needs rarely stay the same. As products, packaging and order sizes change, the shipping method that once made sense may no longer be the best fit. Even a single oversized package or multi-carton shipment can shift the balance between parcel and LTL shipping.That’s because parcel and LTL networks were designed for different types of shipments. Parcel carriers such as UPS, FedEx, and USPS move millions of individual packages through highly automated networks. LTL carriers are designed to move larger, heavier or palletized freight by combining shipments from multiple businesses into shared trailer space.Neither shipping mode is inherently better. The goal is to choose the shipping mode that best fits the shipment based on its size, weight, packaging, destination, and delivery requirements. Choosing the right mode is just one piece of a larger freight optimization strategy.Parcel vs. LTL: What’s the difference? ShipStation Understanding these differences makes it easier to recognize when a shipment belongs in the parcel network, when it’s a better fit for LTL, and when it’s worth comparing both before making a decision.When parcel shipping makes senseParcel shipping is often the best choice when speed, convenience, and flexibility are the priority. Many large packages still move efficiently through parcel networks, making parcel a practical option for shipments that don’t benefit from palletization or freight handling.Parcel shipping is often the right fit when your shipment:Typically weighs 150 pounds or less.Ships as a single carton or package.Requires fast or time-sensitive delivery.Is being delivered to a residence.Doesn’t require specialized freight services.Keep in mind: A large package doesn’t automatically belong in the LTL network. Many oversized packages continue to move efficiently through parcel carriers.When LTL freight makes senseLTL shipping is often the better choice when shipments become too large for efficient parcel handling or when multiple cartons can be consolidated onto a pallet. Consolidating freight often improves handling while reducing shipping costs.LTL shipping is often the right fit when your shipment:Typically weighs more than 150 pounds.Ships on one or more pallets.Includes multiple large cartons going to the same destination.Exceeds parcel carrier size or weight limits.Requires liftgate, inside delivery or appointment delivery.Benefits from added stability during transit.Keep in mind: Many shipments move to LTL before reaching 150 pounds because dimensions, packaging requirements and handling needs can be just as important as weight.When to compare parcel and LTLSome oversized parcel shipments clearly belong in one network. Others fall into a gray area where comparing parcel and LTL rates and solutions can uncover a more cost-effective option. That’s especially true as shipments grow larger or more complex.Compare parcel and LTL shipping when your shipment:Typically weighs between 100 and 150 pounds.Is approaching parcel carrier size limits.Has high dimensional weight.Is oversized but relatively lightweight.Includes several cartons shipping to the same destination.Requires extra handling but may not need a pallet.Balances shipping cost and delivery speed equally.Bottom line: Weight is only one piece of the puzzle. Dimensions, packaging, destination and handling requirements all influence the best shipping mode. Taking a few minutes to compare parcel and LTL options can help you choose the solution that delivers the best overall value.Options for shipping large packagesOnce you’ve decided whether parcel or LTL is the best fit, you’ll still have several shipping options to consider. Parcel carriers offer specialized services for heavy and multi-package shipments, while LTL carriers provide different ways to prepare freight for safe, efficient transportation. Understanding these options can help reduce costs, improve handling, and simplify delivery. ShipStation ShipStation Frequently asked questions about shipping large packagesWhat's the difference between parcel and LTL freight shipping?Parcel shipping is designed for individual packages. LTL (less-than-truckload) shipping is designed for larger, heavier or palletized freight that doesn’t require a full truckload.When should I choose LTL instead of parcel?LTL is often the better choice when shipments exceed parcel size or weight limits, include multiple large cartons, or require palletization or specialized delivery services.Is 150 pounds the cutoff for LTL shipping?No. Many businesses begin comparing parcel and LTL shipping around 150 pounds, but dimensions, packaging and carrier requirements are just as important as weight.Can oversized packages still ship through parcel?Yes. Many oversized packages remain within parcel carrier limits. The best choice depends on the shipment’s size, weight, destination and handling requirements.What is dimensional weight?Dimensional weight is a pricing method based on package size rather than actual weight. Large, lightweight packages often cost more because they occupy more space in a trailer.How can I reduce shipping costs for large packages?Compare parcel and LTL rates, consolidate shipments when practical and choose the shipping mode that best fits the shipment instead of relying on habit.What services are available if my customer doesn't have a loading dock?Many LTL carriers offer liftgate, inside delivery and residential delivery services to accommodate locations without loading docks or forklifts.Choose parcel and freight with confidenceChoosing between parcel and LTL isn’t about following a rule or relying on the shipping method you’ve always used. It’s about evaluating each shipment and selecting the transportation network that’s the best fit. A few extra minutes spent comparing your options can help control shipping costs, improve shipping efficiency over time and avoid common shipping mistakes.This story was produced by ShipStation and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Oprah Winfrey's Global Express: Privacy at scale For most people, getting to the airport is just another part of the journey. For someone like Oprah Winfrey, it could be an event in itself. One of the most recognizable women in the world can’t exactly step into a crowded terminal without causing a ruckus.With a schedule built around running a global media empire, Oprah can't afford delays. More critically, she needs privacy for confidential strategy meetings and sensitive business discussions. BlackJet examined the media mogul’s relationship with private aviation and how this mode of travel can accommodate needs for high-profile executives like Oprah that commercial aviation doesn't allow.Oprah’s Private Aviation JourneyThroughout her career in the media industry, Oprah has owned five private planes. Her first was a Gulfstream IV (G-IV), bought in 1991 for around $20 million. Her main reason for making this move was for privacy and flexibility.According to Aero Corner, it was a four-hour delay at Chicago O’Hare that finally pushed Winfrey toward private aviation. As the need to fly internationally grew, the media mogul upgraded to an ultra-long-range Bombardier Global Express XRS in the early 2000s.In 2013, Oprah went back to Gulfstream by paying around $61 million for a G550. Come 2016, she made the switch to a G650ER and recently added a G700 (acquired in 2025) to the fleet. All her planes carried the N540W tail number, starting with the G-IV and ending with the G700.Oprah favors Gulfstream-produced planes, with the exception of her second acquisition, the Global Express XRS. The aircraft was produced in Canada, between 2005 and 2012, and, at the time, featured the quietest cabin in the industry.Why Ultra-Long-Range Aircraft Win for Frequent FlyersAs Oprah’s career expanded, she needed a swift office in the sky, and the Global Express XRS delivered. The plane can fly roughly 6,000 nautical miles (over 11,000 km) nonstop at Mach 0.85, easily connecting pairings like New York to Tokyo or London to Singapore.Advanced cabin pressurization maintains a low cabin altitude (4,500 ft at high cruise), significantly reducing jet lag and fatigue during long trips. Also, the acoustic insulation keeps noise at a minimum level, allowing passengers to work, make phone calls, or sleep.These features make the Global Express XRS one of the most sought-after planes by frequent flyers who need to zip around the world for business.Turning a Jet Into a Mobile OfficeWhile celebrities like Kim Kardashian or Kylie Jenner customize their aircraft in their brand’s image, Oprah took a different approach. She configures her planes as comfortable offices and resting areas.For her Bombardier, the TV star focused on custom conference tables, dedicated sleep areas, comfortable chairs, and other features that help her and her team work or rest while in flight. The Global Express XRS can fly 12+ passengers. Oprah customized her aircraft with elegant, designer fixtures, high-end materials, and state-of-the-art amenities.The cabin features a spacious layout that Oprah had divided into three zones:A forward office for confidential strategy meetingsA central work area with comfortable seatingAn aft private stateroom with a fold-out bed and en-suite facilities for restShe also added soundproofing to keep cabin noise as low as possible, facilitating clear phone calls, script reading, and sleep without the sound of plane engines in the background. The focus was on functional privacy and comfort for everyone on board, whether they were team members, crew, or Oprah herself.To make each journey both productive and entertaining, the aircraft also features advanced in-flight entertainment systems, satellite communications, specialized gourmet appliances, custom espresso equipment, and tailored galley storage.Why A-Listers Choose Private Over CommercialTight schedules and the need for a private and safe way to travel around the world have pushed more A-listers and industry leaders toward private aviation. While not all of them own an aircraft, they will charter a flight or get involved in fractional ownership.But Oprah Winfrey is special. As both a business mogul and a widely recognized celebrity, she has double the reason to fly privately. Over the course of her career, she has continued to upgrade her aircraft to meet the needs of an expanding global empire.This story was produced by BlackJet and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Three things to know: Oct. 2, 2026 Quad City Symphony musician visits Davenport Central High School, Heart to Heart Screening Day in Rock Island and a look at the forecast!
	Rock Island High School illness outbreak traced to team dinner There’s new information on the illness outbreak at Rock Island High School that caused the school to reschedule its Homecoming game last month. The City of Rock Island and Rock Island County Health Department have taken immediate steps to mitigate a foodborne illness outbreak at Rock Island High School. The outbreak was traced to a [...]
	How to choose a medical virtual assistant for your practice As administrative demands grow, medical practices often face staff overload, delays, higher costs, and less time for patient care. A medical virtual assistant can help manage many of these tasks remotely, but choosing the right fit requires careful evaluation.In this guide, My Mountain Mover answers critical questions about choosing a medical virtual assistant, including what they do, what operational benefits this role can support, and what the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance requires from this arrangement. Understanding these factors can help your practice evaluate how to build a secure, efficient remote staffing model with the right safeguards, onboarding, and oversight.Key TakeawaysChoosing a medical virtual assistant starts with identifying where the administrative workload creates the most operational strain:A medical virtual assistant cannot perform direct, hands-on clinical patient care, but they can handle remote clinical support tasks like real-time medical scribing and electronic health record (EHR) documentation.Common responsibilities include scheduling, patient communication, insurance verification, and documentation support.HIPAA compliance requires appropriate safeguards when virtual staff access protected health information.The right medical virtual assistant should match your workflows, technology, schedule, and administrative priorities.Structured onboarding helps establish security practices, system access, and performance expectations.What Is a Medical Virtual Assistant?A medical virtual assistant is a trained administrative professional who remotely supports healthcare practice operations through approved digital systems, including electronic health records, scheduling software, communication platforms, and practice management systems. Depending on the arrangement, they may also support insurance, billing, and referral workflows.A medical virtual assistant does not replace a licensed medical professional or provide clinical care, such as diagnosing patients or prescribing medication. Instead, they manage administrative processes that help practices maintain operational continuity before, during, or after patient encounters.For example, a medical virtual assistant may confirm appointments before a patient arrives, update administrative information after a visit, or follow up on an outstanding insurance request. In this way, remote medical administrative support can complement an existing healthcare team.The specific duties should be documented before the relationship starts. Clear responsibilities help prevent role confusion and support appropriate system access.What Tasks Can a Medical Virtual Assistant Handle for My Practice? My Mountain Mover Physicians and their staff can spend about 13 hours a week on prior authorizations alone. A medical virtual assistant steps in to support these administrative processes across the patient journey. The specific workload depends on the practice, specialty, technology, and staffing model. Common tasks include:Appointment scheduling: Coordinating new appointments, follow-ups, cancellations, and reschedulesAppointment confirmations: Sending reminders and confirming upcoming visits through approved communication channelsPatient communication: Responding to routine administrative questions and routing clinical concerns to the appropriate staffPatient intake: Managing forms and collecting the required administrative information before appointmentsInsurance verification: Check eligibility, benefits, and other required insurance informationPrior authorization support: Tracking authorization requests and following up on outstanding requirementsEHR management: Entering approved information and maintaining administrative recordsReferral coordination: Tracking referrals and communicating with external officesPractices can define which responsibilities the medical virtual assistant will take on. They should also establish escalation procedures for tasks that need further clinical judgment.What Are the Key Benefits of Hiring a Medical Virtual Assistant?A medical virtual assistant can support more than task completion by helping practices redistribute eligible administrative work across providers, on-site staff, and remote professionals. For many practices, this model can reduce administrative pressure, improve staffing flexibility, and expand access to specialized administrative skills.Reduced Administrative OverheadAdministrative work can take up substantial time across a medical practice. The medical virtual assistant can manage scheduling requests, documentation tasks, patient messages, and billing follow-up, all of which accumulate quickly. Clinical staff then have more time for patient-facing work.This arrangement can also reduce interruptions. Providers and medical assistants do not need to address every routine administrative request themselves. For practices experiencing documentation backlogs or delayed callbacks, this redistribution can improve workflow consistency. The goal here is not to remove administrative work, but to assign each task to the appropriate team member.Lower Staffing CostsTraditional hiring involves more than an employee’s salary, because practices also need to account for benefits, payroll expenses, office space, equipment, and other overhead. A remote staffing model can reduce some of those physical workplace costs.The total financial impact varies by provider, workload, and staffing arrangement. Practices should compare the full cost of each model rather than hourly rates alone. Costs should also be evaluated against performance. A lower-cost medical virtual assistant may not provide value if training requirements, turnover, or quality issues create additional work.Access to a Broader Talent PoolApproximately 314,400 annual staff openings are projected across the broader secretary and administrative assistant category. These are driven primarily by retirement and role transfers rather than net new positions, reflecting ongoing replacement demand rather than supply growth.Because local recruitment limits practices to candidates within a reasonable commuting distance, remote staffing can expand the available talent pool and help practices find professionals with healthcare administrative experience who may be difficult to source locally. A broader recruitment pool can also provide access to workers familiar with specific EHRs, scheduling platforms, and revenue cycle processes.Experience still requires verification. Practices should assess healthcare knowledge, communication skills, technology proficiency, and reliability before making any hiring decisions.Scalable Administrative CapacityAs a practice grows, new providers, additional patients, and expanded services can increase scheduling, billing, and communication workloads. A medical virtual assistant can add administrative capacity without requiring the practice to immediately expand its physical footprint.The model can also support practices with fluctuating administrative requirements. Responsibilities can be reviewed and adjusted as workloads change. Scalability should remain structured. Additional responsibilities need appropriate training, supervision, and system permissions.What Does a HIPAA-Compliant Medical Virtual Assistant Arrangement Require? My Mountain Mover HIPAA requirements still apply when administrative work happens outside the practice, so remote professionals who access protected health information need appropriate safeguards and clearly defined responsibilities. Before granting system access, practices should evaluate the relationship, technology, and information involved.Business Associate AgreementsA business associate agreement (BAA) may be needed when a medical virtual assistant or staffing company performs certain services involving protected health information on behalf of a covered entity. When a remote staffing provider or individual medical virtual assistant acts as a business associate and will access, process, or transmit protected health information (PHI) on the practice’s behalf, a BAA is generally required. This agreement establishes permitted uses and disclosures of PHI while outlining responsibilities for safeguards, reporting, and other applicable requirementsPractices should determine whether their specific arrangement requires a BAA. They should also verify that the agreement reflects how the virtual assistant will handle information. Operating without a BAA in place constitutes a HIPAA violation, regardless of whether a data breach occurs. The absence of the agreement itself constitutes noncompliance.Role-Based Access ControlsMedical virtual assistants should have access based on their assigned responsibilities. Role-based permissions can limit a worker’s exposure to information they do not need. Access should also be reviewed when these responsibilities change.Secure authentication provides another layer of protection. Practices should use appropriate credentials and authentication controls for healthcare systems. Remote workers should follow documented procedures for passwords, authentication, and device security. Access should be removed promptly when it is no longer necessary.HIPAA Compliance ProtocolsHIPAA compliance requires more than additional training. Practices should maintain procedures that address privacy, security, access, and incident response. Medical virtual assistants should understand how these procedures apply to their responsibilities. Training should cover the appropriate handling of protected PHI and the approved communication method.Practices should document relevant training and acknowledgments. They should also maintain access records, conduct policy reviews and engage in other compliance activities. Regular reviews can identify changes in responsibilities or security requirements. These reviews help ensure the remote staffing arrangement continues to align with the practice’s compliance program.Questions to Ask Any Medical Virtual Assistant ProviderBefore selecting a medical virtual assistant provider, ask questions that address both operations and HIPAA compliance. These questions can help identify providers with structured processes. They can also expose potential gaps before the medical virtual assistant receives access to sensitive systems:With which types of physician offices and specialty clinics do they have healthcare administrative experience?Which EHR practice management systems do they know?Does the provider execute a BAA before sharing any PHI?What does the HIPAA compliance protocol process cover, and at what point does it occur relative to the start of the engagement?How does the provider handle breach reporting, and what is the incident response procedure?What documentation of HIPAA compliance is available for audit purposes?How to Choose a Medical Virtual Assistant for Your PracticeThe best medical virtual assistant is one with skills that closely match your practice’s workload. Use these criteria to find the right fit:Define the workload: Identify where your practice is experiencing workflow gaps, bottlenecks, or scheduling inefficiencies. Matching the assistant’s primary function to the specific operational gap produces stronger outcomes than hiring for broad, undefined “administrative support.”Verify HIPAA compliance: Confirm whether the provider is acting as a business associate and, if so, that a BAA is executed before any PHI is shared. They should also use encrypted systems and multi-factor authentication (MFA) while documenting the HIPAA compliance protocols that their staff complete. Ask for specifics on breach response procedures and how they maintain ongoing compliance.Evaluate EHR experience: Confirm that the medical virtual assistant has experience working with EHR platforms comparable to your practice’s systems. Ask for specifications on which platforms they know, clarify onboarding expectations up front, and establish how workflow alignment will be achieved before the engagement begins.Understand the staffing model: Choose working hours that align with patient demand and practice operations. A medical virtual assistant engaged full-time with one practice can develop greater familiarity with workflows, communication patterns, and operational consistency, especially with structured onboarding and clear expectations.Frequently Asked Questions About Medical Virtual AssistantsThe right staffing model depends on the practice’s responsibilities, patient volume, and administrative needs. These questions address common considerations when evaluating a medical virtual assistant:What is the difference between a medical virtual assistant and a medical assistant?A medical virtual assistant primarily performs administrative work remotely. Their scope is strictly non-clinical: scheduling, billing coordination, insurance verification, EHR documentation, and patient communication. A medical assistant typically works on-site, supporting both administrative and clinical workflows. The two roles are distinct in licensure, function, and setting, and should not be used interchangeably.Can a medical virtual assistant support specialty-specific administrative workflows?Yes, medical virtual assistants support administrative functions across a wide range of specialties, including primary care, behavioral health, allied health, cardiology, orthopedics, and others. While their scope remains non-clinical, many remote administrative professionals have experience with the scheduling patterns, insurance workflows, and documentation conventions specific to particular practice types, which reduces the orientation period when they begin working within a new practice environment.Why is a full-time medical virtual assistant more effective than a part-time arrangement?A full-time engagement allows time to develop familiarity with a practice’s specific systems, workflows, communication preferences, and operational rhythms. A part-time or shared arrangement in which the assistant divides attention among multiple clients limits the depth of that integration. With the right onboarding and oversight, full-time, dedicated support can help promote more consistent task completion, fewer errors, and stronger alignment with how the practice operates day-to-day.What does onboarding a medical virtual assistant typically involve?Onboarding a medical virtual assistant starts with defining responsibilities, workflows, and performance expectations. System access should match the assistant’s assigned duties. Training should address HIPAA requirements, privacy procedures, and security practices. A thorough onboarding process can influence how quickly and effectively the assistant integrates into the practice’s day-to-day operations.The Bottom Line on Medical Virtual AssistantsChoosing a medical virtual assistant starts with understanding where the administrative workload most affects your practice. The goal of this remote hire is to reduce pressure on clinical staff while adding flexible administrative capacity. It can also expand access to healthcare administrative talent beyond the local hiring market.When choosing the right medical virtual assistant, keep HIPAA compliance at the core of practice requirements. Practices should also address BAAs, access controls, training, security, and documentation before work begins. As healthcare organizations face growing administrative demands, remote staffing is becoming a more practical component of modern practice operations.This story was produced by My Mountain Mover and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	The 10,000-step goal is everywhere. But what does all that walking do to your feet? When Every Step Becomes a Fitness MetricSmartphones, smartwatches, and fitness trackers have turned walking into data, making movement visible and step challenges easy to measure.That visibility has made walking an approachable exercise and 10,000 steps a familiar target. But step count is only one measure of activity. When walking becomes deliberate exercise, the feet must adapt, too, KURU reports.Where Did the 10,000-Step Goal Come From?Ten thousand steps did not originate as a universal medical recommendation. The target traces to 1960s Japan and a Yamasa pedometer called the manpo-kei, or “10,000-step meter”; research places the 10,000-step slogan around 1965. Later fitness technology helped popularize the benchmark.Research has since examined steps and health, but 10,000 is not an established minimum. A 2025 systematic review found 7,000 daily steps were associated with reductions in several health risks compared with 2,000, distinguishing a behavioral target from a universal threshold.What Regular Walking Does for the BodyWalking is popular partly because many people can incorporate it into daily life. Brisk walking qualifies as moderate-intensity activity and can contribute toward the recommended 150 minutes weekly for adults.Regular physical activity supports cardiovascular, metabolic, muscle and bone health, mobility and mental well-being. The CDC says it can lower heart disease risk, stroke and type 2 diabetes risk while benefiting bones and reducing the risk of depression.Walking is not the only route to those benefits. People who cannot walk can use activities suited to their abilities; CDC guidance emphasizes that adults of all abilities can benefit from physical activity.More Steps Aren't Automatically BetterHealth does not begin at 10,000 steps. Someone moving from 3,000 to 5,000 has meaningfully increased activity. A meta-analysis found mortality risk declined with increasing steps before leveling off at different totals, depending partly on age.Starting point and recovery matter. Someone relatively inactive should not necessarily jump to 10,000 steps, while extremely high totals may be neither practical nor necessary. CDC guidance recommends people start slowly and work up when increasing activity.Your Feet Absorb Every One of Those StepsWalking repeatedly loads the bones, joints, muscles, tendons, and connective tissues of the feet and lower legs. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons notes that weight-bearing bones absorb forces during walking.Walking is not inherently damaging. But thousands of additional steps mean thousands of additional repetitions, and potentially a new physical demand.What Happens When You Suddenly Increase Your Walking?The body adapts to physical stress during exercise and recovery, while a sharp increase leaves less opportunity for that process. AAOS notes that rapid increases in frequency, duration, or intensity can contribute to bone stress injuries.Not every ache means injury. Increased activity can bring temporary discomfort, while the American Academy of Dermatology notes that friction can cause blisters and recommends moisture-wicking socks to help prevent chafing. Discomfort is useful information rather than something to automatically push through.Why Your Shoes Matter More as Your Step Count Goes UpShoes that feel fine during errands may feel different after hours of walking. Fit, sizing, toe room, cushioning, comfort, stability, and individualized support matter as volume rises.No construction is universally best for everyone. The American Podiatric Medical Association recommends plenty of toe room when forefoot pressure is a concern. Footwear should fit the individual and the activity.Walking Comfort Is About More Than Just ShoesSurface, training volume, recovery, and individual factors can affect physical demands and risk, while terrain, inclines, speed, and duration change what a particular walk involves. Biomechanics and previous injuries or foot conditions can also shape individual experience.Identical step totals can therefore represent different workloads depending on the person, pace, terrain and conditions.Don't Ignore Persistent Foot PainSome discomfort can follow unfamiliar activity, but persistent pain or swelling, numbness or tingling warrant attention. Difficulty bearing weight or significant symptoms can also require medical care.Persistent or concerning symptoms should not simply be “walked through.” A physician or podiatrist can evaluate them rather than assuming every ache represents an injury.How to Increase Your Step Count Without Making It a RaceStart from your baseline and increase walking gradually, paying attention to your body's response and allowing recovery. Longer walks can be broken into shorter sessions, movement incorporated into existing routines, and routes or surfaces varied when appropriate.Prioritize consistency over an arbitrary number. Walking need not reach 10,000 steps to “count.” Instead of asking, “How do I get 10,000 steps today?” consider: “How can I safely become a little more active than I am now?”What Wearables Get Right (and Wrong) About WalkingWearables make activity measurable, and step counts easy to understand, providing motivation and accountability for some users. A study of 39 systematic reviews and meta-analyses found that trackers increased physical activity overall.But step counts cannot capture every aspect of activity or health, and estimates can vary among wearable monitors. Two 10,000-step days can represent different workloads because factors such as training volume and surface affect physical demand. Numerical goals can motivate but should not override how someone feels and functions.The Bigger Goal Should Be More Movement, Not a Magic NumberWalking can be accessible and sustainable for many people, and step counts can be useful behavioral tools. But 10,000 should not become an all-or-nothing test.Increasing movement from an individual's baseline can be meaningful; CDC guidance emphasizes that some activity is better than none. Consistency matters more than an arbitrary total, alongside comfort, recovery, and individual needs. For people who do not walk, other movement can serve the same goal.Conclusion: Every Step Counts, but Every Body Is DifferentStep counting has made walking more measurable, but 10,000 steps is a benchmark rather than a universal requirement. Walking can offer substantial health benefits while remaining accessible to many people.As volume increases, the feet and lower body experience more repetitive loading. Gradual progression, appropriate footwear, recovery, and attention to persistent discomfort can help make activity sustainable. The goal is not a number on a screen, but movement a person can comfortably maintain.This story was produced by KURU and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
	Iowa’s best pork tenderloin sandwich contest reveals its finalists The Iowa Pork Producers Association has its finalists for the best pork tenderloin sandwich in the state.
	State-licensed nurse faces charges of animal neglect in Linn County An eastern Iowa nurse who has worked for the state is facing animal neglect charges after police allegedly found two emaciated dogs, one already dead, on her property.
	Iowa attorney sentenced to federal prison for Rolls-Royce Medicaid fraud scheme A north-central Iowa attorney has been sentenced to six months in federal prison for healthcare fraud in attempting to assist a client in qualifying for Medicaid.
	Couple reopens historic Moline restaurant where they met Amy and Jason Stumphy, who met at Moline's Captain's Table in the late 1990s, are reopening the historic riverfront restaurant in November as Stumphy's Captain's Table.

Saturday, October 3rd, 2026

Friday, October 2nd, 2026