(Springfield-jm) -- Illinois’ agriculture and manufacturing sectors will reap gains from trade deals coming together through the Trump administration, and those deals could pave the way for more agreements with other countries. That’s according to U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria. He praised the House's passage of the US Mexico Canada Agreement that’s up for final passage in the U.S. Senate and looked ahead to an agreement with China being signed Jan. 15. Forty percent of the products grown, produced or manufactured in Illinois go to Canada or Mexico. Phase 1 with China, 25 percent of Illinois soybeans go to China every year.
(Rantoul-jm) -- A ribbon cutting and grand opening of a Rantoul business will be held today. Shields Auto Center will hold the ribbon cutting at 10 am at their new location next to Walmart. Everyone is invited to attend.
(Paxton-jm) -- Students in the Paxton Buckley Loda School District are almost one to one learning. One to one learning allows each student to have some form of technology to help them learn. PBL Schools Superintendent Cliff McClure says it wouldn’t be possible without the help of the PBL Education Foundation…
PBL Schools Superintendent Cliff McClure.
(Undated-jm) -- More Americans are working past the traditional retirement age of 65 compared to a decade ago. Census data shows that between 2014 and 2018, 26 percent of people ages 65 to 74 were employed. For those over 75 years old that number was 6 point 6 percent. Labor force participation also declined from 66 percent to 63 point 1 percent. The typical worker saved only $50,000 for retirement. Those who made less than $50,000 only saved about $3,000 for retirement.
(Springfield-jm) -- If you want to be exempt from Illinois' new sales tax exemption when trading in a vehicle, buy a truck. Illinois will now no longer give a full exemption on the trade-in value of a car. Instead, Illinois’ sales tax will apply to any trade-in vehicle worth more than $10,000. That means trading in a $30,000 car for one worth $60,000 will cost the customer an extra $1,200 in additional sales taxes. The sales tax will also apply to RVs, ATVs and boats valued at more than $10,000. State officials expect the new tax to bring in $60 million annually. Exemptions include one of the more popular forms of transportation in rural Illinois. Pickup trucks or other hauling vehicles are exempt.
(Springfield-jm) -- Recreational marijuana sales in Illinois topped three million dollars Wednesday. 77 thousand transactions were made on the first day for legal pot sales in Illinois with receipts totaling nearly three point two million dollars Illinois is just the second state in the midwest to legalize recreational marijuana, following Michigan which opened sales last month.
(Ludlow-jm) -- The Ludlow Grade School District has a new member. Jacob Good replaces Jill Jamison who stepped down in December. Good is an alum of Ludlow Grade School and Rantoul Township High School. He farms in the Ludlow area.
(Washington-jm) -- Seven USDA-led Agricultural Trade Missions are scheduled for next year in continuing efforts to diversify export opportunities. Rod Bain has the details…
(Undated-jm) -- Long hours on the job can lead to high blood pressure according to a recent survey from the American Heart Association. Those who work 49 or more hours a week had a 66 percent higher chance of getting hypertension. They were at an even greater risk of developing masked hypertension, a condition that often goes undetected during routine visits. The survey tracked more than 3,500 white collar employees. Hypertension affects nearly half of US adults and leads to an average of 82,000 deaths per year.
