Illinois House Democrats were told last week that a state capital projects plan designed to assist Arlington Height’s bid to lure the Chicago Bears away from their Indiana stadium gambit would cost up to $895 million. None of the money would be used to directly build the new Bears stadium or the surrounding commercial district envisioned by the team’s ownership.

Iowa Government Entities Should Get Out of License Plate Surveillance Contracts

Iowa ACLU and University of Iowa Technical Law Clinic Release Exhaustive and Alarming Report on Automatic License Plate Readers Statewide

Local governments in Iowa should pause the use of automated license plate readers, civil rights advocates said last month, arguing the devices infringe on the privacy of drivers who have not violated any laws.

With Elmore magazine raving about his “intimate and confessional” lyrics and Live Gig Shots describing him as “one of the best, most versatile songwriters around,” folk-rock singer/songwriter and Illinois native Dan Hubbard and his band return to Davenport's Redstone Room on January 30, the album-release show for his six song EP Vol 1: Letting Go demonstrating why Independent Clauses stated, “Dan Hubbard should be on your to-hear list.”

Lauded by Today's County Magazine as an artist who displays "a refreshing honesty" and "stays 100-percent true to her roots," singer/songwriter Jenna Paulette headlines a February 4 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, her 2024 album Horseback hailed by Entertainment Focus as "an evocative dive into the heart of country music, weaving stories of love, resilience, empowerment and the rugged beauty of life in the American West."

A delightful multimedia show composed of 12 short films by Georges Méliès, a pioneer of the cinema and wizard of special effects, the popular touring production Right in the Eye lands at Galesburg's Orpheum Theatre on February 1, the event's three virtuoso musicians playing some 50 different instruments – including rare and unique ones – and breathing fresh impetus into these cinematographic gems.

Lauded by St. Louis' STL.com for his "quick wit and fast thinking," and beloved for his YouTube channel on which he posts content and occasionally streams a show titled Dog Vlog, standup comedian Drew Lynch returns to Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center on January 30, his credits including a recurring role in the final season of IFC's hit series Maron and several appearances on TBS' Conan.

An award-winning hypnotist and mentalist who has become one of the most sought-after entertainers in United States, Brian Ambus brings Miracles of the Mind to Maquoketa's Ohnward Fine Arts Center on January 24, inviting crowds to marvel as Imbus astounds with uncanny abilities to influence thoughts, predict the future, and create an unforgettable journey into the mysteries of the human psyche.

A half-hour episode of the lauded documentary series Wild Hope exploring how the return of adorable yet landscape-changing creatures brings chaos, controversy, and unique benefits to England, Beaver Fever serves as the third presentation in the 2026 QC Environmental Film Series hosted by River Action, the doc and bonus short Over & Under: Wildlife Crossing screening at St. Ambrose University's Galvin Fine Arts Center on February 1.

Remember the national uproar last November when US Representative Chuy Garcia bowed out of his re-election race at the last minute and quietly passed petitions to put his chief of staff Patty Garcia on the ballot? We saw a lesser, but still quite palpable, mass grumbling when state Rep Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, did the same that month for his chief of staff Justin Cochran, who was subsequently appointed to the House by the district’s Democratic township committeepersons after Moylan resigned.