Less than a third of Champaign Unit 4 third graders are meeting or exceeding expectations on state reading exams, according to Illinois State Board of Education data. That’s why the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce and United Way of Champaign County say they’ve partnered with the district in the hopes of boosting the number of students reading at grade level.
 

In Champaign County, the Chamber of Commerce and the Farm Bureau think that a county executive would make government more effective. But the chair of the Champaign County Board isn’t so sure it would work.

The Chamber of Commerce and the Farm Burea are collecting petition signatures to put a referendum on the November ballot in Champaign County to convert the county government to a system that includes an elected county executive.

Wednesday morning's announcement of the pending merger between food giants Kraft and Heinz could have a future impact on Illinois.