A weekly roundup of news from around the region.
WIU workers to rally
The union representing around 500 Western Illinois University employees will hold a rally and news conference on Monday, August 5.
It begins at 10:30 a.m. at Chandler Park in downtown Macomb.
Organizers from the University Professionals of Illinois said they have community members, students, and faculty lined up to speak
UPI’s members include faculty, instructors, academic support professionals, and technical support staff.
The rally comes as the university prepares to lay off more employees.
Western’s Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, August 6.
The agenda calls for a budget and financial report, followed by a vote on authorizing a staff reduction.
One dead in Keokuk shooting
A Keokuk man is dead after a shooting on Sunday, July 28.
Police responded to the 500 block of Morgan Street just after 9 a.m. for a report of a man with a gunshot wound.
Colby Deck, 27, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police have identified the shooter. No charges have been filed and the shooting remains under investigation.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is assisting with the investigation.
SRC wall breaking event scheduled
Spoon River College will hold a Wall Breaking Ceremony at its new Macomb campus at 1 p.m. Thursday, August 29.
SRC is renovating a former retail building at 2500 E. Jackson St.
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and representatives from the Illinois Capital Development Board will be among the scheduled speakers.
Renovations to the building began about a month ago.
The project is scheduled to be completed next June.
The college bought the building in 2006. A portion of it has housed the SRC Office of Community Outreach for more than a decade.
Update on July derecho
The National Weather Service has updated its report on the derecho that blew through parts of the region on July 15.
The weather service said the storm included widespread damaging winds of up to 100 mph.
In addition, there were 10 tornadoes confirmed in the agency’s Quad Cities service area, including a tornado in Davenport and two in Kewanee.
The storms also produced very heavy rainfall that fell in a short amount of time, with many locations seeing more than an inch.
The highest totals fell in McDonough and Warren counties, where amounts between two and three inches fell.
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