Michelle O'Neill

In mid-September, the I-74 bridge project manager continued to say the new, westbound lanes might open before winter.

But after a newspaper article revealed some difficult negotiations with one of its contractors, Danielle Alvarez says the Iowa-bound side won't open until much later, in the second half of next year.

That means parts of I-74 will continue to be closed in downtown Moline and Bettendorf. And drivers will have to use existing detours throughout the winter, next spring, and part of the summer.

After oral arguments in the appeal of the Rock Island County Courthouse demolition, the head of the county board is confident the county and Public Building Commission will win. 

Chair Richard Brunk says the separation of powers gives the chief judge the authority to tear down the courthouse without getting a permit from the State Historic Preservation Office.

And he says even if the county loses the appeal, nothing in the lawsuit would prevent the demolition.

Brunk says Rock Island County's attorney told the appeals court that the board already tried and failed to find a way to re-purpose the 122-year-old courthouse for county use.

And it's not willing to sell the property.

"The long-term efficiences will be huge. It'll save taxpayers a lot of money to consolidate county facilities whether it happens in two, five, or ten years down the road." He says the savings would dwarf the revenue from property taxes from a private developer.

The board and sheriff also say the courthouse poses a threat to the security of the new justice center annex. And the property has been the site of various Rock Island County buildings since 1841.

With the forecast calling for three to five inches of snow starting later today, the City of Davenport has declared a snow emergency. It will start at 7:00 tonight and continue through 7:00 PM Thursday.

After years of study, a federal agency is ready to use MidAmerican Energy to help protect wildlife from the effects of wind farms.

Nearly six months after the Mississippi River flooded dozens of Davenport companies, most of them are back in business. The Downtown Davenport Partnership says 75 to 80 companies across the Quad Cities were impacted by the flood, with about 35 of them located in downtown Davenport.