Free Republic

MOLINE, Ill. - The Satanic Temple has opened an "After School Satan Club" at an elementary school in Moline, Illinois. The club is being held at Jane Addams Elementary School, Fox News reported. Lucien Greaves, co-founder of the Satanic Temple, said the club will teach students benevolence, empathy, critical thinking, problem-solving and creative expression.

The lead contractor for a Mississippi River bridge is involved in a now-public feud with the state of Iowa over whether the bridge is buildable. The I-74 bridge is meant to replace a bridge on the same location connecting Moline, Ill, and Bettendorf, Iowa. Known as the Iowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge, the bridge is a pair of suspension bridges located near the geographic center of the Quad Cities. The original bridge was designed by engineer Ralph Modjeski. The first span opened in 1935 as a toll bridge. In 1961, an identical twin span, built from the same blueprint, opened to facilitate...

Prince's heirs are suing Walgreens and the Illinois hospital that treated him after he suffered a drug overdose just a week before he died. Prince was 57 when he was found in an elevator at his Paisley Park estate on April 21, 2016. He died from an accidental overdose of the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl. About a week earlier, his plane made an emergency stop in Moline, Illinois, when he suffered from an opioid overdose and had to be revived by paramedics...

More than 100 concerned residents peppered state and local officials Monday for information about the new Interstate 74 Bridge. Moline Mayor Stephanie Acri hosted the event, part of a series of casual meetings to share ideas and air concerns about the city. Experts on site included Ryan Hippen, construction field engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation, and Danielle Mulholland, I-74 project engineer with the Iowa Department of Transportation. "I don't get tired of talking about this improvement," Hippen said. The basket handle true arch twin bridge is to cost an estimated $1.2 billion, and open late in 2020 after...

MOLINE -- Building the new Interstate 74 bridge will take years, but certification to bid on the jobs building it should only take about 90 days. The Illinois Department of Transportation held a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certification and supportive services workshop Monday evening at the Moline Public Library, 3210 41st St. At the workshop, officials from IDOT shared information on how those who are in presumed disadvantaged groups can bid on contracts associated with the project. To qualify for DBE certification, the business owner must have a personal net worth of less than $1.32 million. Engineering consulting businesses must average...

Construction on the new Interstate 74 Bridge is supposed to be done by 2020, but money – and time – is running out. On Saturday, July 11th, 2015, Representative Cheri Bustos visited the Quad Cities to meet with local leaders about federal funding. Right now, Congress is trying to pass a highway bill to fix and fund our area’s infrastructure. However, if they don’t find a solution by July 31st, 2015, federal funding for those projects – like the I-74 Bridge – will end. Monday, July 13th, 2015, a spokesman for Bustos said that if federal funding for the project...

MOLINE - Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner has pulled out of Thursday's Rock Island County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner citing fear of being linked to what his campaign calls "inflammatory" views of a local, African-American pastor. Rev. Don Johnson was initially scheduled to speak at the event but was dis-invited by Rock Island County GOP Chairman Bill Bloom in an effort to assuage Rauner's concerns. However, the change failed to appease the campaign, which announced that Rauner would no longer keynote the event. Defending the decision, Rauner's office released a statement saying, "Bruce (Rauner) condemns the inflammatory remarks written...

An Illinois playground was bobby-trapped with straight-edged razors glued to equipment frequented by children, WQAD.com reported. The sharp razors were discovered by parents at Millennium Park in East Moline, near the state’s western border with Iowa. The parents say their 2-year-old son was cut by one of the blades on the monkey bars. "He said, 'Ouch,'" Sally Jenks, the boy's mom, told the station. "He started bleeding and we looked and they [the razors] were everywhere."

Sarah Palin's bus has been parked in Moline all day long, and it was creating quite a buzz. The question was is she actually in town? Well, she was not in town. The bus driver was told to go to Moline and wait for further instructions. Palin's bus was tucked behind Benjamin Franklin Crafts in Moline. Even though you could not see it from the main road, folks were still finding it. "I think that it spreads quickly. I think that it's really one person saw it, couple more people. But truthfully we haven't had much interest through the store,"...