Good morning, Rockford.

MolinaCares Accord – partnering with Molina Healthcare, the Rockford Police Department and 5 Alarm Coin Laundry – granted $50,000 on July 28 to expand free laundry programs for Rockford students and seniors.

The initiative will help improve health and dignity through access to clean laundry and additional services.

A Rockford resident has monitored a longstanding cat colony that began 40 years ago and now houses about 11 to 13 cats — she is urging community members to support spaying, neutering and adoption efforts to keep the animals safe.

The Discovery Center Museum rescheduled its Foam Party to Friday, July 31, with the event running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot and Kresge Hall where mermaid and pirate characters and an underwater planetarium show & dance party will entertain families.

Forest Hills Lanes at 7742 Forest Hills Road closed permanently Wednesday, and Shooter's North also shut its doors while the volleyball and tiki bar area remains open (until the end of the summer volleyball season).

Rockford-based Hope for Haitians is raising funds to help rural Haitian women entrepreneurs save on travel costs and boost profits through a wholesale distribution initiative in three communities as donors can give funds today during the Together for Haiti Match Day campaign.

Rockford's Test Site on North 3rd Street recently switched its black exterior to white as part of a refreshed, open canvas design that combines art and business (featured in Under Rocks).

Sarah Greyson also demonstrates crystal singing bowls in the space.

A River District Historic Walking Tour led by Gary Anderson will explore demolished historic buildings near the Rockford Public Library today at 5:30 p.m. and will cover eight downtown blocks (lasting about 1 hour and 15 minutes) while discussing architecture and urban revitalization.

Rockford Promise scholars have a new pathway to earn a bachelor's at Rockford University with tuition paid if they complete an associate degree at Rock Valley College with a 2.3 GPA.

The three partners signed an agreement on July 24 and extended deadlines to Aug. 1 for fall enrollment.

According to the Illinois State Board of Education, teachers in Winnebago County achieved a retention rate of 88.9% on a three-year average ending in 2025 — with an average salary of $71,980, 2,767 full-time staff, and 43,613 students served across 77 schools.

The Rockford airport will begin a four-phase project on Monday, Aug.

3 that moves the terminal entrance across Airport Drive and relocates the cell phone waiting lot to Parking Lot F — changes expected to ease traffic until work wraps in October.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 2886 on Monday, which expands privacy protections for biomarker testing and limits employer and insurer use of sensitive health information — the law takes effect January 1.