Herb Trix

Doctor Martin Luther King Junior's "dream" in 1963 has still not be realized today. That was the message from the keynote speaker during the 38th Annual Memorial Service and Awards Celebration Monday morning at the King Center in Rock Island.

Reverend Earlye Julien, from Living Water Christian Center in Moline, says his dream expressed during the famous march in Washington was that America would live up to the words in our Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

The Eastern Iowa Community Colleges want to help the state train the workers it'll need for the future. So last week, the board of trustees approved a 40 million dollar bond referendum for the ballot in March (3/2).

Chancellor Don Doucette says the money will pay for new and expanded facilities in Clinton, Jackson, Muscatine, and Scott counties - to offer training in everything from robotics and welding, to agriculture and nursing.

Illinois's strict rules to try and stop the spread of the coronavirus have been relaxed for some parts of the state, including the Quad Cities. Friday Governor J.B. Pritzker announced three regions have met his goal to move out of the strictest level of his mitigation plan, Tier 3, to Tier 2.

That means some businesses, organizations, and activities can re-open, including youth and recreational sports. One example is Jumers Hotel and Casino that's announced plans to re-open Saturday morning - at 25 per cent capacity. But indoor dining is still not allowed in Tier 2.

Even before final census figures are known, Rock Island County has begun working on how to re-draw county board member districts. This week, the county board's Governance, Health, and Administration Committee held its first meeting on re-apportionment.

Board Chair Richard Brunk says the committee looked at state laws and recent census estimates, and talked about the process it'll use.

"I'm very confident that there will be a reduction in the number of county board members through this process. The only question is exactly what that number will be."

School children and the homeless will be the beneficiaries of some major grants. Wednesday, the Quad Cities Community Foundation awarded 100,000 dollar Transformation Grants - to the United Township and East Moline school districts, and to Humility Homes and Services.

Foundation Vice President Kelly Thompson says the two school districts will use their grant to begin the process to insure students have WIFI access in their homes.

While we wait for the next winter storm, the city of Davenport wants to remind residents about its snow plan, and to be patient if it takes a while to plow their street.