“Corn syrup producers deal with sour US sales,” Pantagraph, June 2
Fans of natural foods have tried for years to push the ubiquitous sweetener high fructose corn syrup off Americans’ dinner tables and out of their restaurants and grocery stores.
It seems to be working.
U.S. use of the sweetener found in most soft drinks, cereals and a range of other products dropped 11 percent between 2003 and 2008, the most recent year figures were available. A number of companies also have stopped using corn syrup in some or all products, including Hunt’s ketchup, Snapple, Gatorade and Starbucks’ baked goods.
“Family searches for missing University of Illinois student,” State Journal-Register, June 2
DANVILLE – Relatives and friends have been looking for two weeks for a missing University of Illinois student but so far have no leads.
Police in Urbana say Nizam Ahmed was last seen May 17 packing up his car at the mosque in Urbana where he lived.
“Champaign City Council dissolves Liquor Commission,” Daily Illini, June 1
Champaign City Council members voted unanimously in favor of an ordinance removing the city’s Liquor Advisory Commission from the city’s administration at their meeting on Tuesday night.
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Mayor Gerald Schweighart said the city will continue to correspond with liquor license holders, only without a specified liquor license commission.
“I just would like to state that I do appreciate their service to the city, and it’s just reached a time when I think we can safely close this without a negative effect,” Schweighart said.
“Urbana school board begins process toward new early childhood center,” News-Gazette, June 1
URBANA – The Urbana school board took action Tuesday to begin architectural programming for a new early childhood center.
The board approved hiring IGW Architecture of Urbana.
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At special meetings in May, the board did not reach a consensus on how to replace Washington school. But it agreed to go ahead with looking more closely at the space needs for the school.
“Motorist sentenced to prison in bicyclist’s death,” Pantagraph, May 31
A southern Illinois motorist has been sentenced to nine years in prison for the death of a California man who was bicycling across the country to protest government bailouts.
Twenty-eight-year-old Leon Marcum of Centralia was sentenced last week in Clinton County Circuit Court after pleading guilty to driving under the influence and leaving an accident scene.
“Champaign County Board Members Are In No Hurry To Come [To] Agreement with Employee Unions,” WILL, June 2
Two Democratic Champaign County Board members say there’s been a real sense of cooperation with employee unions as the county seeks out more than a million dollars in cuts.
Both Labor Subcommittee Chair Sam Smucker and committee member Brendan McGinty say there’s no sense of urgency in getting an agreement approved. 127 employees, including 70 union workers, are expected to take furlough days in the next fiscal year. Smucker says the county is trying to avoid layoffs, and without naming specifics, says both sides have discussed a number of other mechanisms to make up for a lack of state funds. “I think all of them have been discusseed publicly and privately, and again, the thing that’s most heartening is I think the employees really do recognize the situation that the county’s in and are coming to the table with that sort of seriousness.”