* Mortgage closing costs jump 40% in Illinois

The origination and third-party fees on a $200,000 mortgage added up to $3,505 in the the 2010 survey, up from $2,486 a year ago.

Illinois was not alone in the dramatic rise. Nationally average closing costs increased 36 percent to $3,741

* Central Illinois may lag behind last year’s corn yields

The corn crop in Illinois is expected to yield 180 bushels an acre, up 6 bushels from last year’s yield and equal to the yields of 2004, the best in state history, according to the USDA.

Sweet corn production is also up in Illinois with 7,600 acres, up 7 percent from 2009.

Soybean production in the state is expected to top 453 million bushels, 5 percent above last year. Yields are expected to average 49 bushels an acre, 3 bushels over last year and one bushel short of 2004’s record production.

Farmers who recently checked cornfields last week during a plot tour in Tazewell, Woodford and McLean counties reported conditions that look to fall short of last year’s yields, said Kim Craig, merchandiser for Bell Enterprises Inc., the Deer Creek grain elevator that has organized the plot tour the past 15 years.

* Company will bring new jobs to MidAmerica; could be dramatic turnaround for airport

“The only thing I can tell you at this point is that it is a major announcement and it will be good for this area,” said U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, the chairman of the powerful House Aviation Subcommittee. Costello said the announcement will include an unspecified number of jobs coming to the region.

* Rostenkowski to be buried today

* Hundreds attend Rostenkowski wake

* Chicago Says Farewell to Congressman Rosty

* Syndicated columnist James Kilpatrick dies at 89

* Black, U.S. clash over 2007 criminal fraud conviction

The U.S. Supreme Court had asked the appellate panel in Chicago to reconsider the 2007 jury finding in light of the high court’s June decision to limit the federal “honest services” fraud statute to instances of bribery and kickbacks not present in the Black case.

* Tribune Co. opening business office in Texas

* 8 years after partnership, promise of destination oases remains elusive

* Survey of an ‘economic catastrophe’

According to the survey:
• 63 percent of warehouse workers in the Will County area are working for temp agencies.
• 62 percent make poverty-level wages.
• The median hourly wage for a temp was $9 an hour, $3.48 less than direct hires.
• 37 percent of current warehouse workers had to work a second job to provide for their families.
• Only 5 percent of warehouse temp workers had sick days and 4 percent had insurance.
• 18 percent of warehouse workers had been hurt on the job. Of those, one in three were disciplined or fired when they reported their injury.

* Daily Herald: Wrong time to borrow $70 million

Schillerstrom’s proposal includes several red flags.

Chief among them: Reliance on the state’s word that it will catch up by the end of this year on what it owes to the county for sales tax, income tax and other reimbursements. With Illinois in the worst fiscal mess in its history, it’s folly to base financial decisions on those assertions.

County board members should be wary of the loan’s balloon payments, which jump to $5.9 million a year for most of the last half of the 30-year loan, compared to $2.3 million a year initially.

* IEMA finishes flood damage assessments

* Governor Quinn Requests Federal Assistance for Seven Flood-Ravaged Counties

* State seeking federal assistance for July flood victims

* Federal and state assessors back in Stephenson County

* New website tracks deadbeat dads

* Rockford center for troubled girls hit by spate of runaways

* Mayor: City Council’s maneuver over promotion won’t work

Morrissey, who was on vacation and didn’t attend the council meeting, said that his designee for the position of HR director remains Julia Scott Valdez, even though the council did not approve her appointment.[…]

Last month, Morrissey recommended a raise for Valdez, from $80,000 annually for her job as deputy city administrator to $114,000 to take on the job of HR director and continue her current responsibilities.

* Belvidere School Board OKs union’s rejected deal

* East Moline approves modified sewer, water rate hike plan

* Q-C Chamber names Barney, Baker to top posts

* Area rail link top transportation priority

* [Peoria] hopes to secure grant to pay officers

* [East Peoria] School Board anticipates nearly half of budget will be paid by state

“We tried to estimate our expenses higher,” said Superintendent Chuck Nagel on Monday. “Our revenues are a little bit less than realistic. This is all predicated that the state will have the money to pay the bills.

“They haven’t had a real good track record over the course of the year, and we were very conservative on what we expect for the upcoming year.”

The state owes the district almost $900,000, which will be applied to the education and transportation funds.

* In B-N, Rep. Johnson talks health care, FutureGen

* B-N developers slam ISU over plans for apartments

* LeRoy aldermen choose new city administrator

* [Decatur] Council faces repair costs on 85-year-old dam

* McElroy assures council that Tate & Lyle a priority for city

* State woes crunching Macon County clerk’s budget

* Urbana council approves gas tax by 4-3 vote

* Six cities vying to become part of FutureGen 2.0

* Charleston wants to purchase easements for water main work

* [Alton School] District not out of financial woods, Elson says

* Grafton projects up for Governor’s Home Town Awards

* Belleville residents get extra month to pay wheel tax

* O’Fallon OKs TIF district expansion

* News-Democrat: Time for action in District 189

East St. Louis School District 189 has been on the state’s Academic Watch List for nine years now.

* ICP fans cause hardship in Hardin County