That is some official city bird!
Louise the peregrine falcon and her new mate, Brian, are the proud parents of five baby chicks that recently hatched in a drainage channel on the eighth floor of the historic Register Star News Tower’s exterior.
Babies one and two hatched Thursday, a third was born Friday, the fourth hatched Saturday and the fifth chick emerged on Monday, according to Sinnissippi Audubon Society President Jennifer Kuroda.
“They all look fantastic, and they grow super fast,” Kuroda said. “They’re usually banded around 20 days and by 40 days they’ll have fledged. The transformation is always fun to watch.”
ROCKFORD U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos on Monday laughed off Republican suggestions that she will leave Congress after a decade of service because she is worried she might lose an election.
During an interview at the Register Star News Tower, Bustos noted she has won seven straight elections two for East Moline City Council and five as congresswoman representing the sprawling 17th District, which stretches from south of Peoria to the Quad Cities to parts of Rockford and the state line.
Despite it being an area that leans Republican and voted for Donald Trump, Bustos remains unbeaten. And she will retire undefeated from her congressional career in January 2023 following the completion of her fifth term.