This week on Talking Art, Ben Gougeon talks with metal sculptor John VandeWalle about transforming metal into art, his creative process, and where people can find his work locally, including Skeleton Key Art and Antiques. They also look ahead to the 38th annual Riverssance Festival of Fine Art, happening September 19–20 at Lindsay Park in the Village of East Davenport, and the experience of connecting artists directly with the community.

In this episode of LOVE Girls the Podcast, River Action co-founder and executive director Kathy Wine shares her expert insight as part of the three-part series, Rooted: Girls, the River and the Fight for Environmental Justice, sponsored by the Quad Cities Community Foundation’s annual QC River Connections grant. As one of River Action’s three original founders, Kathy gets real about how Mississippi River recreation inspires more than just river-connected fun: It also inspires communities to keep its local rivers and waterways clean — fostering environmental advocacy that will benefit generations to come.Hosted by: Jasmine Babers Gunn and Kayla Babers, with teen hosts Tamiah Rogers, Illiana Ambriz, and Her Voice Media intern Amiyah Woods.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was the main speaker Sept. 7 at the 57th-annual Salute to Labor Picnic at the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council’s Quad Cities site in East Moline.

This week, learn simple ways to protect your back and support mobility as you age. From strengthening your core and improving posture to taking movement breaks and practicing safer lifting habits, small changes can help keep your spine healthy and support an active, independent lifestyle.

An attorney for the Department of Children and Family Services plans to comply with a judge’s order requiring the agency to release records to Capitol News Illinois.

The gloves once were envisioned to be part of the permanent collection at Abraham Lincoln’s presidential museum in Springfield. But they instead were auctioned for $1.5 million to a mystery bidder amid concerns the public might never see them again.

Illinois has now allocated three years’ worth of local food grants aimed at bolstering food infrastructure.

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood spoke to WCBU during a stop in Peoria to announce federal appropriation money for an industrial park in the city. He gave his thoughts on current events including the federal deficit, mail-in voting and data centers.

Deputy Secretary of Energy James Danly visited rural Linn County to announce the loan, which is the final piece of financing the energy center needed. He called the recommissioning an early chapter of “an American nuclear renaissance.”

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins outlined plans to support cattle producers and streamline how the USDA collects and uses data at the Farm Progress Show.

The new guide from Golden Hills Resource Conservation and Development details 20 places to hike and explore in Western Iowa.

Samples from 41 taps across five eastern Iowa cities show wide disparities in what residents are drinking. A Cedar Falls-based environmental scientist conducted a study to better understand how nitrate levels vary in the region.

A decade ago, a federal task force announced a plan to help monarch butterflies along their great migration. The six-state effort along Interstate 35 didn’t take off as expected, but some roadsides are blooming anyway.

After trade talks between the countries fell apart last month, the Trump administration and Canada's leaders have rolled out new tariffs on everything from dairy products to machinery. Experts say farmers will likely feel the squeeze on both ends.

State officials can’t spend billions in federal funding to connect remote areas to the internet until the Trump administration provides information on how to use the money. Broadband offices are hopeful guidance is on the way – but when remains unclear.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service lost nearly a quarter of its staff nationwide in 2025 after the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal government. Many were local experts that help farmers with soil and water conservation efforts.