LONG GROVE, Iowa -- WQAD News 8 partnered with the Pride of the Wapsi to create a 6.2-acre corn maze with a familiar logo: StormTrack 8.

Families can navigate paths of the StormTrack 8 logo and a bridge connected by a large "8" in the center.  The maze has weather-related questions throughout; correctly-answered questions lead visitors on the right path.  Answer incorrectly, however, and wanderers may find themselves a bit more lost.

The maze opens up Saturday, September 29.  Visitors can come meet the StormTrack 8 team from noon until 6 p.m.  Pride of the Wapsi is located at 14600 305th street, Long Grove, Iowa.

ROCK ISLAND, Illinois — Rock Island County residents can cast their ballots early for the November 6 Mid-Term Election.

Early voting was set to open Thursday September 27 at the Rock Island County Clerk’s office, 1504 3rd Avenue, Rock Island, Illinois.

On Monday, October 22 four more early voting locations were set to open through Friday, November 2 at:

• Moline Library: 3210 41st St., Moline, IL, 11 am- 7 pm.
• Western Illinois University: 3300 River Dr., Moline, IL, 10 am- 4 pm.
• Milan Municipal Building: 405 E. 1st St., Milan, IL, 10 am- 4 pm.
• Silvis City Council Chamber: 121 11th St., Silvis, IL, 10 am- 4 pm.

Click here for the list of traveling locations where early voting is offered.

WAYNESBORO, Va. – New details were released Friday about a two-headed baby copperhead found earlier this month outside a home in Woodbridge, Virginia.

The snake is currently being monitored by a state herpetologist after it was examined at the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro.

"It appears as though the left head is more dominant – it’s generally more active and responsive to stimulus," a spokesperson for the veterinary hospital said. "Radiographs revealed that the two-headed snake has two tracheas [the left one is more developed], two esophaguses [the right one is more developed], and the two heads share one heart and one set of lungs. Based on the anatomy, it would be better for the right head to eat, but it may be a challenge since the left head appears more dominant."

Photos and video of the snake were going viral on Facebook after Powhatan-based animal removal business Virginia Wildlife Management and Control shared them earlier this month.

Virginia Wildlife Management and Control owner Rich Perry said the person who found the snake called his company's 24-hour snake identification hotline in an effort to better determine what she found. Perry's business later posted the photos, without many details, on Facebook. He said the person who found the snake asked that their name not be released.

"That snake has been going crazy," Perry said in reference to his social media post.

He said he had been fielding calls and messages from around the country from people looking to buy the rare reptile.

For now, the snake will remain with the state herpetologist.

"Wild two-headed snakes are extremely rare," a spokesperson for the center said. "They just don’t live that long. The herpetologist will continue monitoring the snake; if it survives, it will likely be placed in an educational facility."

(Illinois News Network) — Illinois businesses are taking another look at hiring people with criminal records amid changes to state laws and evolving attitudes.

The legislature has changed licensing laws and lengthened the list of offenses that can be sealed and not reported to potential employers.

Johnny Taylor, president and CEO of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), said the group’s research shows two-thirds of employers have hired workers with criminal records.

“It doesn’t cost more to hire them, they have better retention, they compete and perform at work at the same level in terms of quality performance,” he said.

Still, those with criminal records face many barriers to employment.

Related: Out of prison and heading to Stanford, Illinois man pushes for criminal justice reform

“We have data now to where we can actually get an employer to get past their bias, but there is nonetheless a bias,” Taylor said.

About 27,000 people were released from prison in Illinois in 2017. Illinois is joining other states across the country in taking steps to help those with criminal records get jobs. Data show 42 percent of Illinois’ population has a criminal record or arrest record, which can be an impediment to finding employment. Another issue is coworkers.

“The average employee said, ‘I don’t want to work next to someone who just got out of prison.’ And that’s our biggest challenge,” Taylor said.

Some new measures from state and federal governments could alleviate employers’ concerns over liability. Certain types of bonds would cover an employer if someone they hire with a criminal record does something to hurt the company.

“So that if the employer hires someone who has a background in theft or embezzlement or fraud and that person engages in that conduct, the employer is essentially reimbursed,” Taylor said.

SHRM’s research on the topic shows that more than 80 percent of managers and two-thirds of human resource professionals feel that the value workers with criminal records bring to the organization is as high as or higher than that of workers without records.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the special counsel investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election, headed to the...

MOLINE, Illinois — Maintenance work throughout the Quad Cities will temporarily interrupt internet, phone and television service for residents on both sides of the river.

Mediacom released a statement on Monday, Sept. 24, saying multiple upgrades across the area are needed. The interruption will happen on Wednesday, Sept. 26, from 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m.

Illinois will see interruptions in Rock Island, Whiteside County and parts of Carroll and Henry Counties.

In Iowa, the temporary service interruption will affect customers in Scott, Clinton, and Jackson Counties, as well as the community of Durant.

“The results of these maintenance projects will also enhance service reliability and network capabilities for Mediacom customers throughout the greater Quad Cities and into neighboring counties in both Iowa and Illinois,” said Mediacom Group Vice President Todd Curtis.

According to the statement, one of the most important projects is transferring the fiber optic cable near the I-74 bridge to a more permanent location. The cable was moved last month after it was damaged by an industrial vehicle.

Related: Fiber cut causes issues for Mediacom, US Cellular and Verizon customers in Henry County, Illinois

Fiber optic cables are capable of carrying information at high speeds through the transfer of light. These cables are capable of delivering high speed internet as well as other telecommunications.

Mediacom’s statement says crews will upgrade several fiber enclosures across the QCA, and Moline will see some permanent upgrades after getting damaged during an electrical storm early September.

Kate Hennessy, the granddaughter of Dorothy Day — who founded the Catholic Worker Movement and is being considered for canonization by the Catholic Church — will be reading from her...

For the second time this month the Cedar River at Cedar Rapids is threatening to reach major flood stage. While Eastern Iowa was dry throughout the weekend, this did not effect the Cedar...

When it comes to YOUR MONEY, we want to take it a step further. That's why Mark Grywacheski appears on Good Morning Quad Cities every Monday to give us his analysis of the latest business, economic, and financial news.

On Monday, September 24th, Mark gave his analysis of the stock market and explained why he thinks the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 hit record highs on Friday, September 20th.

He also used his expertise to tell us if he thinks the stock market is going to remain strong for the remainder of the year.

We also talked about the latest development in the tariff disputes between the United States and China and how that is impacting the stock market. Click the video above to hear our conversation.

The spectacular fall colors that we will observe in the next few weeks will be thanks to the cooler temperatures, right? Well, sort of. Here's the science behind why fall provides one of the most beautiful landscapes of any season.

As our days become shorter and we see fewer and fewer hours of daylight leading up to the winter solstice, the amount of chlorophyll, or sugary substance that gives leaves their green appearance, begins to dwindle in supply. Chlorophyll is produced using energy from the sun. The less energy it receives, the more sparse it becomes. As the production of this substance grinds to a halt, the leaves begin to show their natural shades of yellow, orange, and red.

Interestingly enough, scientists believe there may be another reason why the leaves turn such vibrant colors. Some theories suggest that the bright colors warn insects that would otherwise eat the leaves or try and lay their eggs on them, that the leaves themselves are nearing the end of their lifespan on the branch and no longer provide the nutrients or the security the insects are looking for. Who knew!

At the final stage, the tree will begin preparing itself for the bitterly cold temperatures that lie ahead by sealing off the base of the leaf stems, effectively creating a scab and causing the leaves to fall to the ground. These discarded leaves serve a new purpose during the winter and spring months as they are used to fertilize and protect the tree.

Mother Nature is truly amazing!

Meteorologist Andrew Stutzke

Download the News 8 Weather App — for iOS, click here and for Android, click here

Download the free News 8 App — for iOS, click here and for Android, click here

(CNN Money) — SiriusXM is buying Pandora in a $3.5 billion all-stock deal.

The deal will create the world’s largest audio entertainment company, the companies said early Monday.

SiriusXM has 36 million subscribers in North America. It was formed with the merger of the Sirius and XM satellite radio services in 2008.

Sirius had paid Howard Stern hundreds of millions of dollars to lure him from traditional radio in 2006. SiriusXM has built a stable of stars with exclusive programming to go along with its lineup of music, news, talk and sports.

Pandora, a groundbreaking streaming music service founded in 2000, has more than 70 million active users. It faces intense competition from Spotify, from music services offered by Apple and Amazon, and from Jay-Z’s Tidal, which is partly owned by Sprint.

Pandora’s ability to stay an independent company was very much in doubt. SiriusXM had already invested $480 million to buy 19% of Pandora’s stock last year, and it was widely reported to be looking at a full purchase.

“We believe there are significant opportunities to create value for both companies’ stockholders by combining our complementary businesses,” SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer said in a statement.

SiriusXM stock was slightly lower in premarket trading following the announcement. Shares of Pandora jumped 9%, close to the price implied in the deal.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A second allegation of sexual misconduct has emerged against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a development that has forced the White House and Senate Republicans onto the defensive and fueled calls from Democrats to postpone further action on his confirmation.

The new accusation landed late Sunday in a report from The New Yorker, just a few hours after negotiators had reached an agreement to hold an extraordinary public hearing Thursday for Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, who accuses him of sexually assaulting her at a party when they were teenagers. Kavanaugh denies the claim.

The second claim against Kavanaugh dates to the 1983-84 academic year, which was his first at Yale University. Deborah Ramirez described the incident after being contacted by The New Yorker magazine. She recalled that Kavanaugh exposed himself at a drunken dormitory party, thrust his penis in her face, and caused her to touch it without her consent as she pushed him away.

In a statement provided by the White House, Kavanaugh said the event “did not happen” and that the allegation was “a smear, plain and simple.” A White House spokeswoman added in a second statement that the allegation was “designed to tear down a good man.”

Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, called for the “immediate postponement” of any further action on Kavanaugh’s nomination.

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee said they would investigate Ramirez’s accusation. Taylor Foy, a Judiciary spokesman, complained that Democrats “actively withheld information” from the Republicans. He said they appear “more interested in a political takedown” than a bipartisan process.

The New Yorker said it contacted Ramirez after learning of a possible involvement in an incident with Kavanaugh. It said that the allegation came to the attention of Democratic senators through a civil rights lawyer. The Democrats then began investigating.

Ramirez was reluctant at first to speak publicly “partly because her memories contained gaps because she had been drinking at the time of the alleged incident,” The New Yorker reported. After “six days of carefully assessing her memories and consulting with her attorney, Ramirez said that she felt confident enough of her recollections” to speak publicly, the report said.

The Associated Press tried reaching Ramirez at her home in Boulder, Colorado. She posted a sign on her front door, indicating she has no comment.

Joining the maelstrom, Michael Avenatti, the attorney representing porn actress Stormy Daniels in her legal fight with President Donald Trump, claimed to represent a woman with information about high school-era parties attended by Kavanaugh and urged the Senate to investigate. Avenatti told The Associated Press that he will disclose his client’s identity in the coming days and that she is prepared to testify before the committee, as well as provide names of corroborating witnesses.

The accusation from Ramirez raise the stakes further for a dramatic showdown Thursday, as Kavanaugh and Ford testify in public about an incident she characterizes as attempted rape — and that he says simply never happened.

Kavanaugh’s nomination hangs precariously. A handful of senators in both parties remain undecided on his nomination. Defections among Republicans would likely block his path to the Supreme Court.

The White House is approaching Ford’s potential testimony with trepidation, nervous that an emotional performance might not just damage Kavanaugh’s chances but could further energize female voters to turn out against Republicans in November.

Still, the White House and Republicans have cast doubt on Ford’s allegations. The Judiciary panel said it had talked to three other people who Ford has told The Washington Post were at the party where the alleged assault took place — Mark Judge, Patrick J. Smyth and Leland Ingham Keyser. All three told investigators that they had no recollection of the evening in question, the committee said.

The Post reported Sunday that Keyser said in a brief interview at her home that she still believes Ford, even if she doesn’t remember the party.

As he builds a case for his innocence, Kavanaugh plans to turn over to the committee calendars from the summer of 1982. Those calendars, he says, don’t show a party consistent with Ford’s description of the gathering in which she says he attacked her, The New York Times reported Sunday. The calendars list basketball games, movie outings, football workouts, college interviews, and a few parties with names of friends other than those identified by Ford, according to the Times.

A person working on Kavanaugh’s confirmation backed up the Times account of the calendars to The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.

Even before the latest turns, the carefully negotiated hearing at the Senate Judiciary Committee with Kavanaugh and Ford carried echoes of the Anita Hill hearings in 1991. Then, like now, another Republican president had selected a Supreme Court nominee, now-Justice Clarence Thomas, facing accusations of sexual harassment.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, wrangled with Ford’s lawyers for the last week over the exact terms of her appearance. A breakthrough came over the weekend as Ford agreed to testify.

Ford’s lawyers said it was still unclear as of Sunday who will ask questions, as Republicans were trying to hire an outside female counsel for the role. The 11 senators on the GOP side of the dais are all men, creating dangerous optics for a hearing that will be carried on live television.

Democratic senators are expected to ask their own questions. They have protested the panel’s treatment of Ford, comparing it to bullying.

-CNN contributed the video in this story.

SPRINGFIELD (Illinois News Network) -- It's too soon to know how bad this year's flu season will be, but Illinois' Department of Public Health officials are encouraging people to go get a flu shot.

Last year's flu season wasn't as effective as other years. The Centers for Disease Control said it was a high severity season.

The Illinois Department of Public Health's Melaney Arnold said no one knows what this flu season will bring, but she says no matter what, a flu shot is your best defense.

"Getting a flu shot is still better than not getting one," Arnold said. "It can lessen the impact of the flu if you still get it."

Arnold said it's too soon to know what this year will bring.

"The overall vaccine effectiveness in the 2017-2018 flu season was about 40 percent," Arnold said. "The vaccine reduced a person's overall risk of having to seek medical care for the flu by about 40 percent. We typically hope that's a little higher, about 60 percent."

Arnold said people can get a flu shot at their doctor's office, local pharmacies, and often times at their local public health department.

- WQAD contributed the video in this story. It is not from this year.

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(CNN) — The trade fight between the United States and China intensified Monday as the two economic superpowers hit each other with their biggest round of tariffs yet.

The Trump administration imposed new 10% tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods just after midnight ET (noon in Beijing), spanning thousands of products, including food seasonings, baseball gloves, network routers and industrial machinery parts. China retaliated immediately with new taxes of 5% to 10% on $60 billion of US goods such as meat, chemicals, clothes and auto parts.

The moves are a significant escalation in the growing conflict between the world’s top two economies.

“We are squarely in the midst of the ‘it’ll get worse before it gets better’ phase,” Aninda Mitra, senior sovereign analyst at BNY Mellon Investment Management, said in a note after the latest tariffs were announced last week.

President Donald Trump’s waves of new tariffs on China now apply to over $250 billion of Chinese goods, roughly half the amount the country sells to the United States. The latest round affects thousands of products bought by US consumers, including hundreds of millions of dollars of furniture and electronics imports. The US tariffs imposed earlier in the year mostly hit industrial goods.

The measures are meant to punish China for what the Trump administration says are unfair trade practices, such as intellectual property theft.

Beijing has rejected the US assertions, accusing the United States of protectionism and bullying. It has fired back with tariffs on American goods worth more than $110 billion.

The Trump administration has made “false accusations” and sought to “impose its own interests on China through extreme pressure,” the Chinese government said in a lengthy white paper published Monday about the two countries’ trade relationship, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Further escalation is already looming.

The latest round of US tariffs is set to increase at the end of the year from 10% to 25%. China hasn’t yet spelled out how it will respond to that.

Trump has also threatened tariffs on another $267 billion of Chinese products. That would mean the US measures effectively cover all China’s annual goods exports to the United States (the total for 2017 was about $506 billion).

China, which imports a far smaller amount from the United States, is running out of new products to target, but analysts say it still has other options to retaliate. They include charging even higher tariffs, imposing import quotas, restricting Chinese citizens’ travel to the United States for study and tourism, and slashing taxes for companies affected by the tariffs.

‘Deadlock’

Trump administration officials have said that the ultimate goal is to achieve free trade with zero tariffs and zero subsidies on both sides. But analysts say Beijing is becoming more suspicious about US intentions.

“China is growing concerned that the US motivation is now trying to keep China down and contain it,” Timothy Stratford, a managing partner at law firm Covington & Burling in Beijing, said last week. “I expect that we’re going to have a deadlock for some time.”

Trump’s decision to move ahead rapidly with the latest tariffs appears to have put the brakes on plans for a new round of negotiations between the two sides. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had invited Chinese negotiators to Washington to resume talks, but a senior White House official said Friday that no new meetings are planned for the time being.

Many American business leaders agree that China’s trade practices must be addressed, but they object to the use of tariffs, which are paid by companies importing the products. CEOs now have to decide whether to absorb the cost or pass it on to consumers. Some may be able to find a new supplier outside of China, but that takes time.

Thousands of companies have asked the government to exclude certain products from the tariff list, claiming they cannot find another supplier outside of China for the items they need. None of their requests have been granted so far.

How are the tariffs affecting your business? Share your story with CNN here.

Companies and consumers paying the price

Big corporations are already warning about the damage. US chipmaker Micron said Thursday that the new wave of US tariffs is likely to hurt its profits in the coming year. China’s tariffs could hurt America’s energy companies planning to export an abundance liquefied natural gas.

American consumers are likely to see prices rise later this fall for a variety of household products, ranging from shampoo, to dog food and appliances, said Doreen Edelman, co-chair of the global business team at law firm Baker Donelson.

Walmart has said the new tariffs could force them to raise prices on wide variety of items, and Target said working families will pay more for school essentials like notebooks, calculators and binders. Procter & Gamble has also warned that tariffs could raise the cost of many of its household staples.

Chinese businesses are feeling the effects, too.

Feng Renhao said his trading firm in the northeastern city of Dalian has suffered “a huge impact.”

It had been buying seafood from American companies for more than 20 years. But after China slapped 25% tariffs on seafood from the United States in July, Feng said he had to drop his US suppliers and turn to Canada and European countries.

“We hope the trade war can end soon,” he told CNN.

SEATTLE, Wash. - After decades of letters and living worlds apart, two international pen pals are finally meeting face-to-face.

Dana and Kathy began writing to one another in the 7th grade, according to KCPQ. On Sunday, they finally met each other after 53 years.

Loneliness prompted 13-year-old Dana to reach out after discovering an ad for a pen pal in an old "Archie" comic book, that was in 1965.

Six months later, the first letter arrived from Kathy, who had responded to a similar ad in an Australian newspaper.

"We just told each other about our families and our interests," Kathy told Q13 News. "I met a boy -- my future husband when I was 17... we all had news about boyfriends and it was great."

"Oh yeah, marriage, kids," added Dana.

And despite the build-up of dust, Dana and Kathy both saved all their old letters, written on special stationery.

DAVENPORT- There’s a unique event Thursday, September 27th from 5 to 8 p.m. at the River Center downtown.

The event is called the Professional Development Integrative Lifestyle Forum. Andrea Olson, Founder and CEO of Prag’madik, will be there, along with Michael Larry, CEO/ Founder of BluJacket, and keynote speaker Kevin Reome, who’s the lead instructor from Second City, a training improv center in Chicago.

Mandala Integrative Medicine’s Rumaisa Khawaja and Olson are going to join us Monday, September 24th on News 8 at 11 to talk about the forum.

General admission to Thursday’s event is free. For registration, click here.

 

The Score Sunday features Iowa vs. Wisconsin recap. Davenport North players in the house to talk about their 4-1 start to their season. Kory Kuffler goes "Off The Kuff" with Alleman's Sam Mattechech. FCA story of the week Muscatine Muskies.

MOLINE, Illinois – Running a marathon is no doubt nerve racking.  But for Joel Thomas, nervous was an understatement.

Last fall, Joel fell off a 30-foot tree when hunting last fall and broke his hip.

But that wasn’t keeping him from his tradition of running the TBK Quad Cities Marathon.

Joel and his brother Jamie have run every Quad Cities Marathon since it started 21 years ago together - every step of the way.

They say it all started out of stupidity.

“My brother started me on it,” remembers Joel, “I was perfectly happy at 25 years-old drinking beer and smoking cigarettes.”

You’ll never see one without the other on the race route.

“It’s old habit because we always run together, but I wouldn’t do it any other way.  I couldn’t imagine running a race without him,” says Joel.

“I don’t know what it’s like not to have him, it’s just normal,” says Jamie.

And just like that, the Thomas brothers made their 21st marathon look like a piece of cake, even though it didn’t feel like it.  At the end they said they felt sore and a little nauseous.

But now that the race is over they have other plans.

“We might soak in the hot tub.  A buddy of mine has a hot tub, so might soak the muscles,” says Joel.

“And have an adult beverage,” adds Jamie.

A well-deserved beverage that is.

They are now looking forward to hunting season. But they’ll be careful this time, so they can continue their running tradition next year.

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar River still is expected to reach major flood stage this week, with the expected crest increasing slightly Sunday, to 17.5 feet. As of Sunday evening, the National...

DAVENPORT, Iowa  --  Place of Refuge Ministries received a loan for $150,000 from Quad City Bank & Trust.

The church has been renting their current space for the last four years. They have more than a hundred members, so now they need more room for their growing congregation. The bank presented them with the money at their Sunday service.The church says they've been trying to expand for years and this loan makes the dream possible.

"The passion and desire that I had meant I was not going to stop until I found the finances that I needed to get this project off the ground," Place of Refuge Ministries Pastor Tom Thomas said.

The new church will be in downtown Davenport on Brown Street. They plan to break ground by the end of October 2018 and have the new church up by March 2019.