(CNN) — Ice is back with a brand new … food holiday: July 23 is National Vanilla Ice Cream Day!

Vanilla has historically been the favorite ice cream flavor of Americans. Here are some ice cream facts from the International Dairy Foods Association:

Approximately 1.53 billion gallons of ice cream and related frozen desserts were produced in the U.S. in 2011.

The U.S. ice cream industry generated total revenues of $10 billion in 2010, with take-home ice cream sales representing the largest section of the market, generating revenues of $6.8 billion or 67.7 percent of the market’s overall value.

The central region of the U.S. led production of ice cream and related frozen products, producing 726 million gallons in 2011.

Frozen dairy production follows a clear seasonal pattern. Summer is the unchallenged season for eating ice cream and other related products. Production kicks up in March and April to fill retail and foodservice pipelines in the late spring and early summer. June is the highest production month of the year, but production remains strong through August to satisfy summer demand.

The best part about vanilla ice cream, though, is that it lends itself extremely well to toppings. What’s your favorite way to spruce up the old favorite?

The reports of graffiti were received between July 6 and July 20, 2012.

Streets involved are West 5^th Street, West 4^th Street, West 9^th Street, West 10^th Street and Avenue L.   Police said about eight reports of graffiti were received so far.

Anyone with information about the graffiti is asked to contact Sterling Police at (815) 632-6640 or Whiteside County Crime Stoppers at (815) 625-7867.

(CNN) — Jury selection begins Monday in the murder trial of former Chicago-area police officer Drew Peterson, who is accused of killing his third wife and is the leading suspect in the disappearance of his fourth.

Opening statements are scheduled for next week. Peterson’s defense attorney Joel Brodsky told CNN’s sister network In Session that he expects the trial to last about a month.

Peterson, 58, is charged in the 2004 death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio. He also remains under investigation in the October 2007 disappearance of fourth wife, Stacy Peterson.

In April, an Illinois appellate court ruled that prosecutors can use potentially incriminating statements made by Savio and Peterson’s still-missing wife against him — a key development in the case.

The ruling overturned an earlier judge’s decision that forbid prosecutors from using eight statements made by Savio before her death and by Stacy Peterson before her disappearance.

When Savio was found dead in a bathtub in 2004, it was ruled accidental. She had been divorced from Peterson for about five months when she died, although a court was still deciding how their marital assets would be divided. Savio was to receive part of Peterson’s pension and other support.

Just eight days after his divorce from Savio, Peterson married Stacy Cales, then 19.

After Stacy Peterson went missing in October 2007, her husband became the focus of a police investigation. Authorities exhumed Savio’s body and conducted a second autopsy, this time ruling her death a homicide.

Since Savio is dead and Stacy Peterson is missing, the defense has argued that using their alleged statements to family and friends violates Peterson’s Sixth Amendment right to confront the witnesses against him.

Among the statements the appeal court allowed is one in which Stacy told her pastor that she saw Drew Peterson return home the morning Savio died, dressed in black and carrying a bag of women’s clothes that were not hers.

In general, hearsay statements made to third parties cannot be introduced at trial unless a defendant can cross-examine the person who made them. There are some exceptions if prosecutors can prove the statement is reliable. But a new Illinois law, which some call “Drew’s Law,” goes beyond those exceptions.

The law, passed in 2008 while investigators were looking for Stacy Peterson, allows courts to consider statements from “unavailable witnesses,” provided prosecutors can prove the witness was killed to prevent his or her testimony.

The intrigue surrounding the case has added to Drew Peterson’s mystique and prompted the Lifetime movie “Drew Peterson: Untouchable,” which set a ratings record of 5.8 million viewers for the channel when it premiered in January.

(CNN) — Authorities investigating the disappearance of two young girls in Iowa said Saturday that they believe them to still be alive.

Check out our complete coverage of this story – click here

Lyric Cook, 10, and her cousin Elizabeth Collins, 8, were last seen by their grandmother more than a week ago when they left on a bike ride.

“We believe these girls are alive and we are not discouraged by the passage of time since their disappearance,” FBI spokeswoman Sandy Breault told reporters in Evansdale, Iowa.

She declined to discuss exactly what evidence investigators might have that pushed them toward that conclusion. Breault said she believes someone knows something, and she urged anyone with information to step forward.

A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the successful recovery of the girls and the prosecution of the person, or people, responsible, she said.

“Cooperation with law enforcement is the key factor in discovering the whereabouts of Lyric and Elizabeth. Unfortunately, in this case law enforcement has not received total cooperation from all family and close friends. It’s important to note that the majority of the family has cooperated 100%,” Breault said. “We believe there’s someone out there and we would urge them to come forward.”

The girls’ bicycles and a purse were found near Meyers Lake hours after they were reported missing July 13.

A search of the 25-acre lake turned up nothing, and the FBI is confident the girls aren’t in the lake, said Breault.

Authorities are now calling their disappearance an abduction.

The blistering heat has returned around the Quad Cities with the hottest of the air to be felt these next several days.  We could likely see numbers reach near or around 100 degrees for daytime highs.  As past days, the humidity will lay low for another day before increasing in the days to follow.

Clusters of thunderstorms continue to pop up along the outer edge of this bubble of air which is now located just to our north.  During these next several days I am expecting one or two of these to sneak in the area with the better chances occurring later on Wednesday.

Chances begin to drop quickly heading toward the weekend but so will the afternoon highs.  Looking forward to that.

Get the latest Iowa burn ban information – click here

Volunteer to help clean up QC area waterways

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Why should you win the “Love of a Lifetime Wedding Giveaway”?

My fiance and I have been together for three years now, and in those three years we have been through some ups and some downs. The first of those three years was spent 6 hours apart from each other, but with the help of Andrew and his amazingly wonderful family I was able to move home to the Quad Cities so we could be together. Two years ago he went through a very difficult time when he lost his grandpa with whom he is very close, and shortly after that his only sister miscarried twins. That very next summer while he was working for a company that built pole barns, and while he was re-roofing a building one afternoon he fell through and landed approximately 25 feet below on concrete. Because of the incident, he lost his job and has had to undergo two different surgeries, one of which he is still recovering from. With a wedding to plan for and no job, money is definitely a concern for us. I know he has a lot of stress in his life right now because after two years of unemployment, he will soon be looking for a new job. I know that this wedding package would really take away a lot of the stress of planning and paying for the wedding of our dreams.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE.

Why should you win the “Love of a Lifetime Wedding Giveaway”?

We are High School Sweetheart that have been dating for 10 1/2 years. The proposal took place down by the Mississippi river in Moline. Since the proposal, we immediately started wedding planning.

In March we received bad news about my nephew Rylan (the ring bearer) that is 4 years old. He was born with a bicuspid valve that started to leak. He needed Open heart surgery in Peoria to replace the valve. Upon hearing the news we decided to stop wedding planning temporarily in order to help my family during this process. The surgery was planned for April however Rylan fell sick and had to reschedule. The next surgery was planned early May but the doctor had an emergency surgery and rescheduled for middle May. The first surgery went well until two 1/2 weeks later they needed to install a pacemaker. An hour after the pacemaker was installed, Rylan complained of pain, arched his back and coded in my sisters arm. He had a heart attack and doctors discovered he had a clotting disorder. Since then he has had multiple open heart surgery to try to stabilize him. He is now in St. Louis with a Berlin device running his left side of his heart, waiting for a heart transplant. On average it takes up to 6 months to receive a heart. He is still in critical condition and will remain in St. Louis until he receives a heart. He tends to take one step forward and two more backwards. Everything is taken minute by minute with Rylan’s changes in Condition.

These past couple of months have been extremely stressful for us. We would be grateful to win this contest to decrease any add stress that comes from wedding planning since we are already dealing with enough. These are just a few reasons why we deserve to win this wedding package contest.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE.

Congratulations to our 5 finalists! 

Voting begins Monday, July 23, 2012 at 12:00:01 a.m. and concludes on Friday, July 27, 2012 at 11:59:59.  You are allowed one vote per email address per day.

Learn about our 5 finalists by clicking the links below.

Finalist #1	Finalist #2	Finalist #3	Finalist #4	Finalist #5
Brooke Anderson and Andrew Anselmi Click Here	Jill Badrick and Jeff Hipskind Click Here	Emily Schwenker and Nathan Ehlers Click Here	Abigail DeLoose and Brian Yost Click Here	Brittany Logsdon and Andrew Wicks Click Here

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

One winner will be announced on Monday, July 31, 2012.   The winning couple receives a wedding package valued at over $13,000:

One lucky couple will win a wedding prize package valued at over $13,000 that includes

• Use of the Stern Center including rental of the reception hall on a non-booked day in 2013 or 2014., tables and seating for 150 people, good chairs and tablecloths, head table & food tables, waiters and waitress for the reception (8 people total), bridal room for the bride, and access to the Kid Zone.

• Food for the reception provided by D’Alessandro’s including food for 150 people at The Stern Center, buffet setup – Up to $12.95/person, and 1 keg of Budweiser or Bud Light from Steve’s Old Time Tap.
• A photography package from Kevin Walker Photography including wedding day photography at up to three locations Including the reception. Winner will also receive an edited DVD of their wedding images. Value $2450 (6 month prior booking required).
• An entertainment package from Kevin Walker Entertainment including a DJ — Up to five hours of entertainment at the wedding reception complete with sound and lighting to create a once in a lifetime reception.  Value $1100 (6 month prior booking required).
• $500 voucher for grooms ring from Necker’s Jewelers.
• $1000 voucher for a “Hope’s Bridal collection wedding gown” from Hope’s Bridal.

Why should you win the “Love of a Lifetime Wedding Giveaway”?

Over two plus years ago, on a website that everyone knows. Highly touted to find one’s “Match,” I was finally paired up with my perfect catch.

Jeff as a manufacturing engineer, me as a physical therapist (always sincere).

While we might seem like your average “Joes”, that’s not how our story goes…
We went out for a date on a walk and nice dinner, after messages online suggested he was a winner.

I lured him in with a home-cooked meal, after a long match of tennis—what a good deal?
While some people hunt little, furry creatures, Jeff hunts for Indian artifacts with unusual features.

In creek beds, farm fields, and river banks he looks, for pieces that are down in the deepest of nooks.

Arrowheads, axes, and blades galore, you never know what the day has in store.
Traveling the country for artifact auctions and shows, looking at items from a million years ago.

We also like to do some traveling for fun, North Carolina and Mexico—bring on the sun!!
While long walks on the beach may sound very cliché, this is exactly what we do on our vacations away.

I’d love to compete on the show “The Amazing Race,” to travel the whole world while completing the chase.

The rest of the time we try to stay busy, between running, biking, and volleyball—it can be quite a tizzy!

While all our adventures together have been exciting, there is nothing more simply inviting.
Than all the time we spend together, even if it’s a movie night “in” to avoid the cold winter weather.

Over the course of the past two wonderful years, one thing has become strikingly clear.
I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, and I couldn’t wait to tell all my friends.

That we got engaged in May, 2012, and all of the details they wanted to delve.

While we won’t be married until 2013, I look forward to all of the memories and challenges in between.

I am completely in love with Jeff, my best friend and I look forward to all our days together without end.

While we don’t want a wedding that’s extreme or outlandish, WQAD and QC businesses you could help fulfill our wishes.

We recognize that we are each already so blessed, please select us as the winner of this contest.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

Why should you win the “Love of a Lifetime Wedding Giveaway”?

When we first found out about this giveaway from one of our mother’s, we looked at each other really excited because we knew this giveaway would be a perfect fit for us! That’s because it was in the time frame we wanted to get married and it would be a great opportunity for us to have the wedding of our dreams. Andrew and I have been a couple for just over 6 ½ years and we are high school sweethearts. When we first got engaged on September 4th we initially thought, as most college students would, “Oh no! How are we going to pay for it?!” But instead of worrying about the most difficult aspect of a wedding, we celebrated with our family and friends for making such a big step in our relationship.

That’s why I’m entering us in this today. We are both seniors at Monmouth College and we are working towards our degrees in Elementary Education. Once we graduate college in May, we will be faced with the thousands of dollars of debt we’ve built up. This will make it very hard for us to have our wedding we are planning for in 2013 but with the help of this giveaway we could just focus on beginning the rest of our lives together. However, that’s a very small reason why we deserve this wedding package. We sit here writing this and agree, we deserve it because we soon plan on giving back to our Quad Cities community as committed and impactful teachers. By our local businesses giving to us the most amazing gift, we can one day give back to them by creating a wonderful learning environment for our community’s students. We are very much in love with each other and we would be honored to represent this giveaway by showing the Quad Cities that our love is definitely a “Love of a Lifetime”!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE.

Why should you receive the “Love of a Lifetime Wedding Giveaway”?

Nathan and I met on OKCupid.com. Our first date lasted three days! We knew right away we loved each other, as sentimental as that sounds. Since we got engaged, we’ve been planning and budgeting for a wedding. I’ve been steadily saving money from my job as a Catholic school teacher for years, as well as working part-time at Hy-Vee during the summer.

Nathan works at Quad City Bank & Trust. Unfortunately, our parents, who are close to retirement, aren’t able to help out very much, which we understand completely. However, this puts a lot of financial stress on Nathan and me to pay for our special day.

We are both paying back college loans and unable to set very much money aside for our wedding, let alone a honeymoon! We would love a chance to celebrate our wedding stylishly with our friends and family!

Please consider Nathan and me for this giveaway. We would be forever grateful!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE.

Click here for more news from Davenport and West Scott County

Click here for more news from Davenport and West Scott County

A group of 30 high school students from China took a tour of the new Sustainable Technologies building as a part of the Rivers to Bridges program.  The international environment program focuses on promoting culture and conservation with a goal to create collaboration and friendship.

On Monday, the students will visit the Lucille A. Carver Mississippi Riverside Environmental Research station also known as LACMRERS in Muscatine.

Click here for more news from Moline East Rock Island County

Alisha Jones, 21, and Shawn Perales, 20, were arrested after police found a stolen firearm in an apartment at 704 Locust Street at about 4 a.m. Sunday.

Perales has been charged with four felonies and one misdemeanor and there could be even more charges.

Click here for more news from Whiteside County

On Saturday, Rock Island Police chased after a suspect with an outstanding misdemeanor warrant.

The pursuit ended with shots fired and that suspect wounded in the groin, according to the Rock Island County Integrity Task Force.

The subject had a handgun on him during the pursuit and that gun, as well as the officer’s guns, were taken in as evidence.

The shooting victim was transported to Trinity West and then later moved to St. Francis in Peoria with non life-threatening injuries.

No names have been released.

Click here for more news from Rock Island and West Rock Island County

Get the latest Iowa burn ban information – click here

Volunteer to help clean up QC area waterways

Click here to watch live streaming video of our newscast

Click here for more news from Moline East Rock Island County