As reported by numerous outlets, the newspaper chains Gannett and Gatehouse will be merging.  Gannett prints 110 daily papers. GateHouse has 156 papers, including several in this region. The deal will formally close by the end of the year.

U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) focused on health care during a campaign stop in downtown Burlington Monday morning. She touted her “Medicare For All” plan, telling the crowd of about 100 people that health care is a right in the United States, not a privilege.

Much of Route 34 is currently a two-lane road between Monmouth, IL and Burlington, IA. There is no median and not much of a shoulder in many spots. Students in Henderson County in western Illinois are pushing for the state to provide funding to make the road a four-lane highway, a lobbying effort that started before they were born.

Macomb re-did the streets around the courthouse during Phase 1 of the Downtown Square Streetscape project. The city is now laying the groundwork for Phase 2.

Monmouth would like to beautify its downtown square but cannot afford the project without funding assistance through a grant program.

Fort Madison’s new police chief brings decades of law enforcement experience to the post. The city council this week unanimously agreed to hire Mark Rohloff to replace Tim Sittig, who resigned several months ago.

In recent weeks, there have been hosted discussions and meetings, as well as dialogue on social media, regarding race relations, inclusivity, and moving our community forward. As the mayor of Macomb, I have been involved in the meetings hosted by the NAACP and others, and I have personally met with many of our community's leaders and residents.