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MOLINE, Ill. — Moline Police confirmed one of its officers was involved in a fatal accident after a squad car hit a 13 year old boy on a bike south of the 1100 block of Moline’s 34th Street at 2:55 p.m. Tuesday.
One day after the collision, the teen was identified as Charles W. Hubbard, a former student of Wilson Middle School in Moline.
RELATED: Moline-Coal Valley School District offers counseling after death of teen killed in bicycle collision with squad car
Illinois State Police are investigating the incident.
“The City of Moline mourns the loss of life in a tragic event that occurred this afternoon,” Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati said in a statement.
Police say at about 2:52 p.m. a beat officer was dispatched to a disturbance near 41st Street and 12th Avenue in Moline.
The officer was driving southbound when the collision with the bicycle occurred. 
“The child was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased,” Moline Police said in a written statement.
Police said the squad car has an Axon incar video system. 
“Our deepest sympathies are conveyed to the family during this difficult time,” said Moline Police Chief Darren Gault.
“Words cannot describe this situation.”
Moline Police say the officer driving the squad car has been placed on Administrative Leave pending the outcome of the investigation. 
Police said that’s normal procedure to remove an officer from duty while an examination of the incident is conducted. 
“The officer is also understandably distraught over the incident,” Chief Gault said in the police department statement.
“For now we need to let the investigation into this event take its course,” said Mayor Rayapati. 
The Illinois State Police will conduct the independent investigation of the traffic crash. 
Moline Police say State Police will provide a complete report to the State’s Attorney when the investigation is complete. 
The Moline Police Department also said it will ensure the cooperation in transferring in-car video, body camera video, squad car data, interviews and any other items needed from the department to the Illinois State Police.
A GoFundMe has been launched to help the Hubbard family cover funeral costs, which they estimate could reach up to $10,000. The fundraiser met its initial goal of $8,500 within 8 hours. The campaign is now shooting for $11,000 to help cover other related costs.
COMPLETE STATEMENT FROM CHIEF GAULT
On May 4, 2021, a Moline Police Department officer was involved in a traffic crash that resulted in the death of a bicyclist. 
At approximately 2:52pm a beat officer was dispatched to a disturbance near 41st Street and 12th Avenue. The officer was travelling southbound in the 1100 block of 34th Street. A traffic crash occurred just south of 11th Avenue where the squad car struck a 13-year-old male on a bicycle. The crash occurred at approximately 2:55pm. 
The child was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. 
The Moline Police Department immediately requested the Illinois State Police to respond to the scene. Illinois State Police District 7 troopers arrived at 3:08pm and assumed control of the crash scene and the Moline Police squad car. This squad car is equipped with an Axon incar video system. The Illinois State Police requested their certified crash reconstruction specialists from the Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit as well as investigators from the Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation in Zone 2. 
The Illinois State Police will conduct the independent investigation of the traffic crash. They will provide a complete report to the State’s Attorney when the investigation is complete. 
The Moline Police Department will ensure the cooperation in transferring in-car video, body camera video, squad car data, interviews and any other items needed from our department to the Illinois State Police. 
Any questions on the traffic crash investigation should be directed to ISP.Zone02.Media@Illinois.gov. 
The Moline Police Department will conduct a separate Internal Affairs investigation to review policies, procedures and actions of the department personnel. An internal investigation is an employment law related investigation. These investigations are conducted separately and have different purposes and outcomes. 
The officer driving the squad car has been placed on Administrative Leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Placing an officer on leave is normal procedure to remove an officer from duty while an examination of the incident is conducted. The officer is also understandably distraught over the incident. 
This is an is extraordinarily tragic and difficult loss of life. Our deepest sympathies are conveyed to the family during this difficult time. Words cannot describe this situation. 
We ask that the public keep everyone involved in their thoughts and prayers. 
– Darren Gault, Chief of Police Moline Police Department
COMPLETE STATEMENT FROM MAYOR RAYAPATI
“The City of Moline mourns the loss of life in a tragic event that occurred this afternoon. 
As Mayor of Moline my thoughts are with everyone involved in this situation.
Unexpected tragedies do occur. May we hug our loved ones tighter this evening as we are reminded of the unpredictability this world often hands us.
Our community will get through this difficult time together. 
For now we need to let the investigation into this event take its course. 
The City of Moline Police Chief Gault will work with the Illinois State Police to ensure full cooperation into the investigation.”
– Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati, Moline, Illinois  
ORIGINAL STORY
 Moline police have blocked off an area at the corner of 34th Street and 12th Avenue after an incident before 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 4.
The incident took place sometime before 3 p.m. in the 1100 block of 34th Street, and police arrived quickly to block off the area.
Illinois State Police, the Rock Island County Sheriff’s Department, and an ambulance were also spotted at the scene.
Police are not allowing motorists to travel down the area of 34th Street between 11th and 12th Avenues.
No information about the incident has been made available. Moline PD says a press release will be released in the near future.
 
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Anne-Marie Slaughter
CARBONDALE — Anne-Marie Slaughter, one of the United States’ most respected policy analysts and CEO of the think tank New America, will join Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute for a virtual conversation at 10 a.m. Nov. 18.
Slaughter and John Shaw, institute director, will talk about Slaughter’s newest book, “Renewal: From Crisis to Transformation in Our Lives, Work, and Politics,” as well as her career in public policy and her work at New America.
The event will be held remotely over Zoom and is free and open to the public. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link. Visit paulsimoninstitute.siu.edu/events to register.
Slaughter became CEO of New America — formerly known as the New America Foundation — in 2013. According to its website, the “think and action tank … connects a research institute, technology lab, solutions network, media hub and public forum.” Slaughter is also a professor emerita of politics and international affairs at Princeton University.
Slaughter served as director of policy planning for the U.S. Department of State from 2009 to 2011. Before that, she was the dean of Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs and was a professor of international, foreign and comparative law at Harvard Law School. She also was the convener and academic co-chair of the Princeton Project on National Security.
She is the author of several books and scholarly articles and is a contributing writer to Financial Times. Her 2012 Atlantic essay, “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” ignited a renewed national discussion on gender equality at home and at work.
“Anne-Marie Slaughter is one of the most creative and influential policy analysts in the United States,” Shaw said. “She is remarkably skilled at seeing around corners and connecting dots and providing shrewd and practical policy prescriptions on a wide range of issues.”
The event is part of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute’s “Understanding Our New World” virtual conversation series with government and private sector leaders, policy experts, political analysts, authors, and journalists.
Those attending are encouraged to submit questions for Slaughter with their registration forms or send questions to paulsimoninstitute@siu.edu.

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MARION — The Williamson County Board established a $200 utility permit fee at its Tuesday board meeting.
Anne-Marie Slaughter
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Two suspects accused of killing an armored car guard and two of their accomplices in an attempted robbery have been ordered held without bond after a court hearing Thursday.
Deandre Jennings, 20, and Antwon Montgomery, 19, are both facing life in prison in connection with the killings, which left 47-year-old Lashonda Hearts and two other men dead earlier this week.
According to evidence provided in a proffer, Jennings and Montgomery are accused of killing Hearts and wounding one of her colleagues during a botched armored car robbery on Monday in the city’s Chatham neighborhood. The men are also accused of killing 21-year-old Naiqwon Harper and 27-year-old George Holmes, both of whom are suspected of helping the defendants in carrying out the violent attack before being killed just over an hour later on the city’s South Side.
The documents also shed new insight into how the violent crime spree occurred over a two-hour period beginning at 9:32 a.m. According to authorities, a witness in the case was raking leaves when two men, whom police believe to have been Harper and Holmes, approached him with hoods and masks on. The two men, with guns drawn, demanded the keys to the victim’s Lincoln Sedan, and they fled the scene.

At around the same time, Jennings and Montgomery allegedly had a discussion at a residence in the 8700 block of South Saginaw about robbing an ATM. The pair then left the home with multiple weapons, including a handgun with an extended magazine and a long rifle, according to a witness.
Just after 10 a.m., the armored car carrying three guards drove down 83^rd Street and parked at a Bank of America location in the 200 block of that roadway. Surveillance footage then shows the stolen Lincoln sedan driving across Princeton and pulling into a parking spot.
As the armored car guards opened ATM machines and exchanged money out, putting an estimated $50-to-80,000 inside, the defendants in the case got out of the Lincoln and approached the bank on foot.
Montgomery then allegedly tried to take money from a 46-year-old male guard, and a struggle ensued. During that struggle, a third person got out of the Lincoln, and he, Jennings and Montgomery all opened fire.
Hearts was struck at least three times, and collapsed near the armored car, while the second guard continued to struggle with Montgomery. A third guard then got out of the vehicle and returned fire, according to police.
Hearts suffered gunshot wounds to her chest and abdomen, and was pronounced dead a short time later. The second guard suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen, and his condition has since stabilized, according to the proffer.
The suspects then got back into the Lincoln and fled the scene, police said.
After that, both Jennings and Montgomery got out of the Lincoln, and a witness saw them get into an Infinity SUV.
Just before 11 a.m., the stolen Lincoln was seen pulling into the parking lot of a Boost Mobile location in the 6700 block of South Stony Island Avenue. Montgomery, who was still wearing a gray-hooded sweatshirt that he had been seen wearing at the bank, then got out of the car and entered the store, pulling out two weapons and demanding money from the clerk.
A witness told prosecutors that Montgomery also grabbed multiple bags and multiple phones, and fled the store in the Lincoln.
Half an hour later, Montgomery and Jennings had allegedly met back up with Harper and Holmes. It was at that time that a witness was standing near a truck in the 8700 block of South Saginaw when he heard shots and a loud crash. He looked out and saw an Infinity SUV, which matched the description of the vehicle that Jennings and Montgomery had gotten into near the bank, that had crashed into a tree.
The vehicle was allegedly registered to Harper’s girlfriend, according to the proffer.
The witness then saw a person getting out of the car, and later identified the individual as Jennings through a photo array. He also saw Montgomery get out of the car, still wearing the gray hoodie and carrying a bag.
Both men ran into a house at 8714 South Saginaw, where two more witnesses had remained. The man allegedly discussed hiding the weapons with the two witnesses in the home, along with shoes and hoodies that had been worn during the attack.
It was at that time that several 911 callers reported the crash and gunshots, telling police that the suspects had exited the vehicle and ran into the residence on Saginaw Street.
Officers discovered the vehicle at the scene, and found Harper, who was in the driver’s seat and had been shot in the back of the neck, and Holmes, who had been shot in the left ear, shoulder, chest and right knee. Harper was pronounced dead at the scene, and Holmes died a short time later at a local hospital.
Officers also found multiple boxes of Boost Mobile phones, with some of the boxes featuring the address of the store that Montgomery had allegedly robbed.
Officers then searched the home, finding weapons, a gray hoodie, a black mask, multiple pairs of shoes and a dufflebag.
Montgomery, who was arrested at the home, allegedly had gunshot residue on his person, according to crime scene technicians. Shell casings from the Bank of America crime scene matched the weapon that Jennings had been carrying, and other shell casings matched weapons found inside the home.  
Other shell casings are still being analyzed.
Jennings faces multiple charges in the case, including three counts of first-degree murder. Montgomery faces similar charges, and was out on parole following a conviction for armed robbery, according to authorities.
Both men will appear in court on Dec. 6.

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ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The Rock Island Community and Economic Development Department will host an open house Wednesday for a newly rehabbed home on 15th Avenue.
The open house will be from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 1435 15th Avenue in Rock Island – just a block away from Longview Park. All are welcome to attend.
The City of Rock Island purchased the house during a tax auction sale in 2019, according to a news release from the department. The city thought the property was a good candidate for rehabilitation and sale to an income qualified buyer. 
The goal of the Community and Economic Development Department, according to the City of Rock Island website, as been revitalizing the city’s riverfront and downtown areas. The rehab project was done to fulfill the city’s commitment to provide Rock Island residents with safe and affordable housing opportunities.
   
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MOLINE, Ill. — UPDATE: 4/4/2021 9:15 PM –
Moline Fire Department released new details after two fires broke out Easter Sunday.
News 8 is told that the first structure fire happened at 3:02 pm near 18th street B and 17th Street. Fire crews on scene made not that the front porch was on fire and was spreading to the home. No injuries happened as a result of this fire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation right now.
The second structure fire happened at approximately 3:40 pm near 50th street and 50th Avenue. Moline Fire Department tells News 8 that a garage started on fire and was spreading to other buildings around it. Crews stayed on the scene for about 2 hours putting out hotspots. The cause of this fire also remains under investigation.

ORIGINAL:
A fire has broke out around 3pm in East Moline, Illinois this afternoon near 18th Street. The East Moline, Rock Island, Rock Island Arsenal, and Moline Fire Departments have all been called to help fight the flames. Firefighters appeared to be initially checking the gas line. 
A second fire broke out around 3:45pm in Moline, Illinois at 4829 50th Ave. Neighbors in the area say it was a propane tank that caught fire, which is unconfirmed so far. The street is currently blocked off right now. 
Witnesses say the fire on 50th Ave started at a garage, and thick smoke filled the sky. Those witnesses say they saw flames and heard the fire from their house, which is about two blocks away. 
That fire also melted siding on the house and garage next door, and at least one other garage. 
The Moline fire marshal is investigating what caused this fire.
Neighbors tell News 8 no one was hurt in the fire.
Firefighters are currently trying to stop the fire from spreading to other houses, with surrounding houses now being evacuated. Both a garage and a fence are on fire there. News 8 has a crew on the scene for updates as they come. 
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KEWANEE, Ill. — Updated story:
Kewanee Police arrested a 15-year-old boy on Thursday morning. The teen was reportedly involved in the rumors of a potential shooting at Wethersfield High School.
According to the Kewanee Police Department’s Facebook page, the arrest was part of an investigation which police received a tip about a shooting rumored to take place on Friday, September 16th.
Police say multiple students came forward to help identify the suspect.
The teenager has been charged with the preliminary offense of falsely making a terroristic threat.
He was released to the custody of his father and referred to the Henry County Juvenile Probation Office.
KPD says there are no serious threats, but there will still be an increase in police presence at the school.
“The completion of the investigation revealed to officers that the threats were made out of anger and poor judgement, not with malice intent,” read the Facebook post. “At this time, the Kewanee Police Department does not believe there to be an imminent threat to the school or the students.  However, there will still be a police presence at the school and associated events to help ease any concerns of parents or community members.”
Original story:
Police in Kewanee plan to have more officers around the Wethersfield School District this week following a shooting rumored to take place at Wethersfield High School on Friday, September 16.
In partnership with the school district, Kewanee Police Department released a statement on their Facebook page, saying the decision is out an abundance of caution.
“The Kewanee Police Department has not substantiated any threats at this time, but are still actively investigating the matter in conjunction with school officials,” read the Facebook post. “Nevertheless, Wethersfield CUSD #230 and the Kewanee Police Department take all threats seriously, and additional police presence will be made available out of an abundance of caution to ensure the safety of students and staff.”
The school district and police say they cannot release any additional information due to the ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information regarding this situation is encouraged to contact Kewanee Police Department at 309-853-1911
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Illinois lawmakers faced a number of big votes this week, but as the fall Legislative session came to an end Thursday, a number of big proposals were sent to Gov. Pritzker’s desk.
Here’s a look at some of the plans now awaiting the governor’s signature:
Illinois Democrats advanced Thursday new congressional district maps intended to eliminate two Republican-held districts and send more Democrats to Washington.

To do it, Illinois Democrats have embraced gerrymandering, the practice of drawing district boundaries for political benefit that party leaders including former President Barack Obama and former Attorney General Eric Holder have railed against as “rigging” elections. The new map is a collection of odd shapes resembling abstract art and, critics say, a symbol of Democrats’ hypocrisy.
Even with Illinois losing a seat due to population loss, the map was drawn to create a congressional delegation of 14 Democrats and three Republicans starting in 2022, a change from the current 13-5 split. The Princeton Gerrymandering Project, a nonpartisan group that evaluates maps, gave Illinois’ maps an “F” grade, saying they give Democrats a significant advantage and are “very uncompetitive.”
Illinois Democrats defended the maps they released late Thursday and passed a short time later, saying they ensure minorities and other Illinois residents have an equal voice in government.
The Illinois Senate approved the maps late Thursday, with all Republicans voting no, and it later passed the House.
Pritzker signed both the first set of legislative maps and the do-over maps, despite pledging during his 2018 campaign that he would veto any legislative maps drawn by politicians. He is expected to sign Democrats’ congressional maps as well.
The Senate approved on Thursday night a weakened and criticized plan to preserve ramifications for those who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Democrats who control both houses of the General Assembly struggled through caustic debate all week in pushing a COVID carve-out of the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act. The Senate endorsed the plan 31-24 on the last day of the Legislature’s fall session.
Initially approved in the 1970s to protect physicians from repercussions for refusing, based on religious beliefs, to perform abortions, supporters argue the law was never intended to give similar protections to people who refuse to get a preventive shot in a worldwide pandemic.
“Your right to exercise your religious belief is not always without consequence and the Health Care Right of Conscience is not a defense in certain circumstances…,” Harmon said during floor debate. “You’ve asked where we draw the line. The line of my personal liberty ends at the beginning of your nose.”
Lawsuits have sprung up — nine alone in which Gov. J.B. Pritzker or other public agencies are defendants — in which repercussions, such as losing a job, are being contested based on the right of conscience law.
Republicans have taunted their opponents, accusing Democrats of changing the rules midstream because Pritzker can’t get sufficient buy-in to his virus mitigation plan, ridiculed by the GOP as a series of top-down demands without public input.
The proposal, which now goes to Pritzker, doesn’t require anyone to be vaccinated. It targets the law’s language prohibiting retribution, such as dismissal from a job, in the case of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Proponents contend the place to invoke religious exemptions from medical care is in federal law. Pritzker’s office pointed to general religious protections and those prohibiting workplace discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Civil Rights Act and age and genetic information discrimination laws.
But even if Pritzker signs it without delay, it won’t stop any lawsuits for months. To take effect immediately, it would have required approval by three-fifths majorities in both houses, more than Democrats could whip. As it stands now, the law wouldn’t take effect until mid-next year.
Lawmakers voted to repeal a law requiring that parents or guardians be notified when girls younger than 18 are seeking an abortion, sending the measure to Pritzker’s desk.
Building on momentum among abortion-rights activists after September’s Texas “heartbeat” law banned most abortions, Democrats who control the General Assembly want to dump the 1995 law requiring notification, which both sides of the debate call the last restriction on abortions in Illinois.
Republicans repeatedly point out that notification has the support of nearly three-quarters of Illinoisans responding to a poll conducted last spring. And they publicized the nearly 50,000 notices of opposition to the legislation that were filed electronically before the vote.
Pro-notice advocates note that the 48-hour alert to a parent or guardian the law requires involves only notification, not consent. According to the Guttmacher Institute, of 38 states requiring parental involvement in a minor’s abortion decision, 21 require parental consent — in three of those, both parents must consent.
Opponents say the notification law, adopted by Republican majorities in 1995 but not in effect until 2013 because of legal challenges, is a means of denying abortion rights to teenagers by delaying the procedure. They say most teen girls have good relationships with their parents but notification is a hindrance to those who live in abusive environments and are intimidated by an alternative process — pleading their case to a judge. Only one judge since 2013 has denied a minor’s abortion, however.
A new bill that would allow betting on in-state college athletics has been sent to Pritzker.
House Bill 3136 passed both chambers of the General Assembly with bi-partisan support. It would allow businesses to accept bets on an Illinois college team.
That bet, however, would have to be made in-person and cannot be done virtually.
Under the law, bets would need to be filed before the start of a game and gambling can only be done on a game’s final score or final outcome.

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CANTON, Iowa — A group of people floating along the Maquoketa River discovered human remains near Canton, Iowa in Jones County on Independence Day weekend. 
According to Jones County Chief Deputy Brian Eckhardt, the remains were found on Saturday, July 3, just south of Canton, near 15th Avenue. This area is located about 60 miles north of the Quad Cities. 
The discovery prompted a multi-day investigation, which included assistance from Jones County Conservation, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the DNR and Iowa SAR K-9 with cadaver dogs.  They conducted a search along the river and wound up finding more human remains. 
As of Monday, July 12, they have not been identified. 
   
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DAVENPORT, Iowa — Blood donation centers across the Quad City Area are in critical demand for donors, and there’s an added push during Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month.
Companies like ImpactLife continue to feel the effects surrounding the pandemic as it faces an urgent blood shortage. 
ImpactLife on Thursday, Sept. 30 hosted a blood drive with the Davenport NAACP at the MLK Interpretive Center.
“There’s a lot of people that need it,” donor Vera Kelly said.
 “It makes you feel a part of the process,” donor Michael Guster said.
Most blood drives were canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19.  
“We still aren’t seeing the same level of turnout,” ImpactLife’s Kirby Winn said.
As a push during Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month, ImpactLife is trying to reach the Black community to supply those in need.
“We want to have a donor base that also matches the community,” Winn said.
Sickle cell are red blood cell disorders that causes pain and blocks blood. It’s common among minorities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; about 1 in 13 African-American babies are born with a sickle cell. 
“Maybe mine is different, and I can pass it on to somebody else,” Kelly said.
In order to help those in demand blood, ImpactLife staff said having more people take a donate will turnaround a dire blood shortage.
“We wanted to make sure we are doing our part and giving back in some kind of way,” Guster said. 
 “That enables us to have enough blood on the shelves,” Winn said. 
Kirby said blood donations impact everyone, especially in times of need.
 “There’s really no group of individuals that might not need a blood transfusion,” Winn said. 
The goal is to have at least a five-day supply of blood. As of Thursday, ImpactLife is only at about two days.
“It can be very painful but also can be alleviated. Part of the treatment can be a blood transfusion,” Winn said.  
The more donations, the better chance it will be a life-line especially for people battling diseases like Sickle Cell. 
ImpactLife said its facing staff shortages as well, which has slowed the amount of blood drives.
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ILLINOIS, USA — Illinois State Representative Mike Halpin is calling for more progress in the Moline to Chicago passenger rail project.
Halpin says the federal, state, and local parties are all on board. Now he says it’s time for the Iowa Interstate Railroad to come on board too. The railroad company owns the tracks from Bureau County, Illinois to Moline, but they’d have to upgrade them to make them ready for passenger trains. The distance between the two locations is about 55 miles.
“All we can do as federal, state and local officials is to reiterate our support for the project, reiterate that we’ve put the dollars there to pay for the project and simply ask the railroad to sign the maintenance agreement on the dotted line and get the project moving,” Halpin said in an interview Thursday, April 1st.
In a statement released to News 8, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Transportation said, “IDOT continues to negotiate in good faith with the hope that we can reach agreement this year. We remain very optimistic. Once an agreement is reached, we anticipate hosting a public meeting that shares these details after they are finalized.” 
Local transportation leaders briefly touched on the infrastructure plan being proposed in Congress in a meeting hosted by the Quad Cities Chamber Friday, April 23rd. 
Illinois Deputy Secretary of Transportation Doug House, former Chairman of the Rock Island County Democratic Party and Moline Public Works General Manager, said they’re negotiating with a private entity in the Iowa Interstate Railroad, and just because you haven’t heard anything about the project publicly, doesn’t mean work isn’t going on behind the scenes. The federal funding of $177 million has been extended by the Federal Railroad Administration through 2024 as well. 
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