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.

The story of the last two decades isn't one of Americans steadily moving left or right. It's the story of voters repeatedly searching for candidates who promise to challenge a political system they increasingly believe has stopped working for the average American, yet failing to find anyone who can rise to that challenge.

JB Pritzker signed another 75 bills into law Friday, bringing his total to more than 350 signed in 2026 and leaving him with about 20 left to consider.

Despite $350M funding increases, overall ‘adequacy gap’ grows for 3rd straight year

Four managers of a sprawling Franklin County mine face federal charges of concealing an underground fire, falsifying safety records and obstructing investigators, while a fifth pleaded guilty in August 2025

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.

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.

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.

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.