corynnhanson-thumb.jpgAugustana Sights & Sounds, an exhibit of photographs from Augustana College and high-school students, will be on display at the Bucktown Center for the Arts (open Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 225 East Second Street in Davenport) through February 26.

To download a pdf of the puzzle, click here.

For the answers, check back on Tuesday, February 17.

For the answers to last week's puzzle, click here.

To download a pdf of the puzzle, click here.

For the answers, click here.

For the answers to last week's puzzle, click here.

localnatives.jpgYou've probably never heard of Local Natives, but Daytrotter.com wants to change that. Daytrotter is bringing in the unsigned California quintet to headline a show at Huckleberry's in downtown Rock Island on Sunday, January 18. The show starts at 7 p.m., admission is $7, and the bill also includes The Union Line and Voxhaul Broadcast.

The three bands our touring together in a pair of vans, and spending the night at the homes of whoever will have them. In an interview this week, keyboardist, percussionist, and singer Kelcey Ayer talked about Local Natives' debut record, and the band's efforts to get noticed and get signed.

The group is earning favorable comparisons to Arcade Fire and Fleet Foxes. Here's an opportunity to judge for yourself, with two Local Natives tracks and a Talking Heads cover, and a recording of the Reader interview with Ayer.

To download a pdf of the puzzle, click here .

For the answers, click here.

For the answers to last week's puzzle, click here .

Click here to download a pdf file of the puzzle.

Click here for the answers.

 

whitmore-small.jpgWilliam Elliott Whitmore, a farm boy who hails from Lee County, Iowa, is set to release his new record, Animals in the Dark, on the Anti- label on February 17. After a trio of acclaimed, intimate, spare, and highly personal albums on the Southern label, Whitmore gets more political on Animals in the Dark, and he also fleshes out his sound. What remains the same is his wizened, worn voice, which gives a startling authenticity to his straightforward, woodsy folk music.

Whitmore will be performing with The Donkeys, Pictures of Then, and Meth & Goats at RIBCO on Saturday, January 17, in a show presented by Daytrotter.com. The show starts at 9 p.m., and admission is $8.

In this interview with the River Cities' Reader, Whitmore talks about why he began looking outward, the challenges of writing political songs, and why he decided to collaborate more on this album.

Reader issue #714 (Editor's note: What follows are excerpts from the 76-page federal criminal complaint against Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris. Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday. The full document is available here.)

 

The Basics

a. Defendant Rod Blagojevich and at times defendant John Harris, together with others, obtained and attempted to obtain financial benefits for Rod Blagojevich, members of the Blagojevich family, and third parties including Friends of Blagojevich, in exchange for appointments to state boards and commissions, state employment, state contracts, and access to state funds;

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