Soybean rot sightings reported
Illinois’ soybean crop could be in trouble after a fungus has appeared in some fields.
The publication Farm Week reports there have been recent sightings of “red crown rot,” which spread to 22 Illinois counties last year, mostly in the western part of the state. The University of Illinois wants farmers who suspect they have rot in their soybeans to send samples to its lab in Urbana.
Illinois is the number one soybean producer in the country.
Suspect’s cause of death revealed
The cause of death for the lone suspect in the 1982 Tylenol cyanide poisonings that killed seven people in the Chicago area has been revealed.
James Lewis was found dead last month in Massachusetts at the age of 76. A medical examiner said Lewis died of a pulmonary embolism.
Lewis was the focus of the investigation after he sent an extortion letter to the drug’s manufacturer. He was convicted in that case and spent 13 years in prison.
Index indicates economic growth
The University of Illinois Flash Index for July rose to 103.2, up from 103 in June.
According to the authors, the combination of moderating inflation and an unexpectedly strong second-quarter GDP growth rate of 2.4% has generated a more optimistic view that the economy may avoid what was once thought to be an inevitable recession.
The Flash Index is a weighted average of Illinois’ growth rates in corporate earnings, consumer spending and personal income as estimated from receipts for various taxes.
