If you’re a fan of Monty Python and a Harry Potter nerd (and I know you’re out there), you’ll want to hurry to The Black Box Theatre to take in the wacky and quirky Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic, a 2015 original comedy by playwright Matt Cox directed by Kailey Ackerman. The play is a parody of the Harry Potter book series by J. K. Rowling, but from the perspective of the "Puffs": that is, members of the Hogwarts house, Hufflepuff.

…could I get that in a sentence, please? Um…H.I.L.A.R.I.O.U.S…hilarious! So describes the Quad Cities Music Guild’s current production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee directed by Quad Cities gem: Mike Turczynski.

This was another marathon theatre weekend with shows opening in three different venues. Playcrafters Barn Theatre’s offering is Murder by Poe by Jeffrey Hatcher and is an adaptation from the works of Edgar Allan Poe stories. Pam Cantrell, a well-known Quad Cities actor, makes her directorial debut with this script and, as a first effort, delivers a show worth watching.

Routine eye exams do more than check how well you can see. Learn why regular exams are important for detecting vision problems and eye diseases early, and how they can even reveal signs of other health conditions.

Capitol News Illinois sued the state child protection agency after it denied release of caseworker personnel records

WGLT talks to Faisal Rashid from Bloomington, organizer of Central Illinois' first local celebration of Pakistan Day. It's set for Aug. 23 in Mahomet.

JB Pritzker and Republicans Darren Bailey and Don Tracy participated in a candidate forum about agriculture policy on Monday on an Illinois farm.

A new bill Gov. JB Pritzker has signed into law better accommodates survivors of sexual assault during the reporting process, but police are struggling to find the numbers to make it happen.

The decades-old killing of 18-year-old Terri McCauley inspired her family to help others seeking justice for their loved ones.

Farm Bill progress stalled Thursday as the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee failed to move forward its version of the omnibus legislation due to a conflict over when states will shoulder a share of federal nutrition assistance costs.

The legacy of former President Herbert Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover is on display at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, open now for the first time since January 2025.

An Iowa training course is the first federally approved program that's part of the country's new Workforce Pell Grant program. The expanded program was included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in 2025 and is designed to help low-income students access short-term career training.

Fewer people are buying cotton thanks to the rise of synthetic fibers like nylon and polyester. Now, the U.S. cotton industry wants to boost demand for American-grown cotton with tax credits and marketing campaigns.

U.S. Geological Survey researchers developed models to better understand the timing and sources contributing to nutrient pollution in streams and rivers. They say their findings can help guide efforts to improve water quality.

The plains spotted skunk is becoming harder to find in the central U.S. states it calls home. As federal officials consider the skunk for federal protections, researchers and environmentalists are hoping to learn more about the long understudied species.

Passing on the family farm to the next generation is typically an involved process, both financially and emotionally. A turbulent agricultural economy the past few years has made that transition even more difficult.