TODD MIZENER

 

A grieving mother’s marathon- Gina Young, of Viola, Ill., trains for the Quad Cities Marathon's half-marathon in the cemetery where her son, John-Michael Perry, is buried. The 20-year-old died Aug. 3, 2016, after falling out of a moving car while leaving the Mississippi Valley Fair in Davenport with friends. The grieving mother says she is running the race to honor her late son and help heal her pain.

 

Wayne Viager: In his own words - Wayne Viager, of Cable, Ill., the father who was able to save his two sons but lost his wife, daughter, and her three friends to a terrible fire that swept through their home talks about the horror of that night and how he's trying to rebuild a life through rebuilding a home.

 

Legacy of hope: Cubs fans recall loved ones who aren't here to celebrate. For many people, the love of the Chicago Cubs is a sacred heirloom passed down through generations of families. These six Quad-Cities Cubs fans talked about how their loved ones who are gone would feel about their beloved Cubs finally making it to the World Series for the first time since 1945. Clockwise from the top left are Michelle McMullen, Bill Burrus, Craig DeVrieze, Paula Hamerlinck Bagby, Brad Dye, and Darren Bizarri.

 

 

Eat A Sub And Support JA - Promo Video - Spring 2021: Promo video to promote Junior Achievement of the Heartland's Month of Giving in conjunction with the Jersey Mike’s franchises in Moline, Davenport, and Dubuque.

 

 

Bass Street Landing: Moline Rising - After years of neglect the area known as the Bass Street Landing in Moline, Illinois has been transformed into a mixed-use riverfront development that includes public space, retail, restaurant, office, and housing. The site's architectural and plaza spaces are consistent with the existing character of the Historic Moline Centre area. The public space offers a venue for events that include seasonal festivals, a staging area for performing arts, seating areas and lawns for day-to-day users, and a fountain gateway feature that ties the theme of the Mississippi Riverfront to the plaza.

 

AUDIO ESSAY: Betty Sample - My Old Friend

During your career, you come across those unique characters on an assignment that just sticks with you. 100-year-old Betty Sample is one of those people for me. This podcast episode is about Betty and the portrait I made for her 100th birthday.

 

Viking Pups slay stress - Five adorable ”Viking Pups” provided Augustana College students with a welcome break from their finals week Monday, Nov 2, 2015, with their wet noses, soft fur, and an unquenchable desire for attention. Service dog in training Blue, a female Labrador retriever, welcomed a hug from Augustana College freshman Katherine Ludwig, of Belvedere, Ill., during the Viking Pup's fundraiser in school's Gerber Center, in Rock Island. Ms. Ludwig said she had just finished a final exam and spending the time with the Viking Pups was a welcome distraction from studying. Monday’s event was a fundraiser for the college's student group which fosters and trains service and facility dogs. Petting the pups costs 50-cents, hugs are $2 and pressures are $3. "Pressure is one of our deep pressure therapy tasks, where the dog will lay across your lap until released and it compresses your blood vessels and slows your heart rate and lowers blood pressure," said Sara Diemer, vice president of Viking Pups.

 

Putting the band back together - Bruce Peterson, of Navarro Canoe, Rock Island, Ill., put the band back together. Follow the month-long restoration leading up to the triumphant return of the Blues Brothers statues to downtown Rock Island in 2014. 

 

Lessons of THAT TREE - an iPhone film - During his 2016 Quad City Arts Visiting Artist residency, photographer Mark Hirsch, author of 'That Tree', taught both photography and life lessons to his students. This video, ’Lessons of THAT TREE', features his work with Rock Island junior high and elementary school students. All of the video in this short film was captured with either an iPhone 5s or iPhone 6.

 

Documentary: Arsenal at 150 - The Rock Island Arsenal has had a major impact on the Quad-Cities and the military personnel it has supported around the world. "The Arsenal at 150" offers a look at the rich and colorful history of the installation, beginning with its establishment in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln. The short documentary was produced by Todd Mizener and Paul Colletti of The Dispatch The Rock Island Argus.

 

Bird's Eye View - Ironworker Charlie Matkovic watches the final beam be lowered by crane down to his position atop the KONE Centre in Moline Wednesday morning during the topping off ceremony for the new office building. The $40 million KONE Centre celebrated the construction milestone with a topping-off ceremony for the structure is being built north of River Drive, east of the Arsenal Bridge ramp and west of 17th Street, at Bass Street Landing.

 

Ian's "Endeavor" - Meet the 13-year-old behind the original composition "Endeavor". Wilson Middle School student Ian Brown talks about his music and the thrill of debuting his work at Wilson's Spring Concert on, Thursday, May 22, 2014.

 

2009 JDC - Imaginary Golf in the Rain - Dispatch/Argus sportswriter Dan Tomlin plays an imaginary hole of golf during the rain delay Friday at the John Deere Classic. Video originally posted July 10, 2009.

 

President Obama visits Ross' - President Barack Obama puts his arm around Cynthia Freidhof, co-owner of Ross' Restaurant, while making an impromptu stop at the Bettendorf eatery on Tuesday, June 28, 2011. In his hand, the president is holding a large cinnamon roll.

 

Students bring inventors to life - Eugene Field 6th graders held a 'Talking Wax Museum' event Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, at the Rock Island school. Every year the Rock Island school has its own "Wax" museum for a day. 6th graders create projects based on the lives of people who invented things during the Industrial Revolution. Parents and classrooms can tour the "museum" and listen to 1-minute speeches about the lives of the famous and some not-so-famous personalities.

 

Milestones without Mom- Mia Duarte, 19, holds a photograph of her deceased mother, Edna Duarte while sitting in the small family park on the site of her family's former home in Rock Island. Mia's mother was killed and the house was set on fore July 13, 2007. "Sitting here holding this photo makes me want to put my arms around her and give her a hug," said Ms. Duarte. The Rock Island High School graduate sat down with the Dispatch/Argus in honor of Mother's Day to talk about life without her mom and her hopes for her mother's killer to come to justice.

 

Honor Flight: A soldier's painful memory - On Nov. 1, 2008, I had the honor of being part of the media contingent which covered the Inaugural Honor Flight of the Quad Cities trip to visit the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. The trip was a life-changing event for me in part because of my experience with a WWII veteran named Joe Colmer of East Moline, Illinois. Joe was a real live American hero who likes many of his comrades never spoke about the war after they came home. On that crisp November day, Joe decided, for whatever reason, to share for the first time a memory which had haunted him ever since that day on the battlefield near Villard-de-Lans, France. In honor of Veteran's Day, I have re-edited the original video. After returning from Washington I only had time to build an audio slideshow. The video is a powerful reminder of the extreme sacrifices paid by Joe and the rest of his generation.

 

William “Pete” White talks in jail - Convicted murderer William “Pete” White of Viola, Ill., talks with Dispatch/Argus reporter Stephen Elliott, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014, in the Mercer County Jail. White recently pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for killing his estranged wife, Melissa White, with a crowbar in 2011.

 

Big Mama's house comes down - Rock Island law enforcement officials hope they closed an ugly chapter in the city's history on Monday, September 28, 2009, when they razed 'Big Mama's Houseapos'. According to the Rock Island Police, the house was the center of criminal activity perpetrated by members of the Lee family, who are currently in federal prison after being convicted of dealing crack cocaine. The house was subject to forfeiture under the United States Department of Justice's asset forfeiture program because it was used to facilitate drug dealing. Jeffie Jearline Lee, a.k.a. Big Mama; who was released in June after spending one year in prison for maintaining a drug-involved dwelling, showed up to pronounce to neighbors, family, and friends that the razing of her former home does not affect her or her family.