Author: Nick Green

DAVENPORT – When Gonzalo Pereira says he ‘enjoys a challenge,’ he’s not kidding. On Dec. 19 he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Business, and two additional majors in Management and Marketing. He also earned a minor in Supply Chain Management and completed that heavy academic load in just 3 1/2 years. At the same time, Gonzalo was a student-athlete on the men’s soccer, volleyball, and tennis teams; served as an international student ambassador; worked at the Wellness and Recreation Center and for Sodexo; and participated in Model UN. “Setting goals and holding myself to high standards were things my parents instilled in…

Iowa – There are only a few weeks left in 2020, and so many people are still having a tough time from the previous 350 days of 2020. For some families, that financial struggle was from the pandemic or the August 10 derecho, making it difficult to offer a giving heart when gifts often come with a price tag. “Normally, I get my kid’s stuff every year,” Jennifer Franks, of Cedar Rapids, said. “When it hit December 1st, I was just overwhelmed. Franks was struggling with homelessness. Her income was from a disability check. She said the office where she…

DAVENPORT, Iowa – Police are investigating after a man was shot in Davenport Sunday evening. Police say just after 7 p.m. the department was called to the 1500 block of Mound Street following a report of shots being fired. As officers arrived they were notified that a gunshot victim had arrived at the hospital. Police say both incidents were determined to be connected. Preliminary information shows there was a dispute between people in two vehicles when a gun was fired from one of the vehicles. The victim, a 29-year-old man from Moline, suffered a serious and possibly life-threatening gunshot wound.…

DAVENPORT, Iowa – No matter where your Christmas shopping takes you this year, it’s so very important to remember charities and non-profits like River Bend Foodbank this holiday season. 2020 has been so difficult because of lost employment and income leading to higher levels of food insecurity since the Great Recession. Mike Miller, President & CEO of River Bend Foodbank, is the segment guest on PSL. He said that the aftermath of the spring-season COVID lockdowns resulted in a 50% increase in need for food. People who have never relied on non-profits or food banks are lined up because they need to feed their families.…

DAVENPORT, IOWA – The Davenport Community School District’s school board has approved the retirement package of Robert Kobylski, the district’s contracted superintendent. Kobylski was hired by the district to replace Art Tate, but the state of Iowa recently put T.J. Schneckloth in charge as interim superintendent as part of an ongoing effort to address noncompliance issues identified during state audits of the district’s operations. These issues included providing equitable education for Black students. Kobylski continued with the Davenport schools afterward, but was working off site under the direction of the interim leadership. With the vote — at Monday night’s regular board meeting — Kobylski’s retirement becomes effective retroactively to…

DAVENPORT, IOWA – The big news in the Quad-Cites this week was the arrival of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine that was administered for the first time Tuesday in the Iowa Quad-Cities and Wednesday on the Illinois side. Friday, Dec. 11 The city of Davenport launched its Small Business Resiliency Project to assist small businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19 on Oct. 1, and 10 of the 42 businesses that applied have been notified they will receive assistance. Rock Island County has had 195 people die of the coronavirus since the pandemic began, while Scott County has had 116. The six latest…

DAVENPORT – Collector cars aren’t the only objects Mecum Auctions has offered up for bidding in recent weeks as it returned to live if socially distanced sales. Mecum’s Gone Farmin’ division staged its Fall Premier auction recently in Davenport, Iowa, and reports nearly $3.6 million in sales with a 90 percent sell-through rate. That despite last-minute changes in Iowa’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. “Due to restrictions announced by the governor of Iowa within 24 hours of the auction’s slated start time, the Gone Farmin’ team was forced to make a sudden transition, taking what was planned as a live-auction event and…

Iowa — A man was found dead at a rural intersection in Dallas County. and authorities say they are investigating the killing as a homicide. The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday to an intersection in rural Adel, where they found a man with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The man wasn’t immediately identified. The sheriff’s office says the public isn’t believed to be at danger from anyone involved in the shooting. The sheriff’s office and state Division of Criminal Investigation are continuing an investigation.