Afternoon News Update: July 22

Governor Pat Quinn has signed a $1 billion plan for Illinois road and bridge construction. State officials say the program will fund about 200 projects that could start this summer. The money is an extension of a six-year plan that some transportation groups say will soon run out of money.
The government says Illinois corn is maturing faster than normal. The weekly update from the USDA says 81 percent of the crop is rated good to excellent right now and about three-quarters of the soybean crop is considered good to excellent.
Illinois has improved on 11 of 16 measures in a new national child welfare report. But the annual Kids Count survey estimates 347,000 Illinois children live in neighborhoods where the poverty rate is 30 percent or higher. Illinois ranks 20th among states for overall child well-being.
The Illinois State Police have announced the results of a roadside safety check held last weekend. The detail was held at Rock Cut State Park. There were no driving under the influence arrests, however, there were 11 registration offenses and 3 drug arrests.
Illinois-based Walgreens is considering a move overseas to escape high U.S. taxes, but U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is not happy about it. He wrote a letter to the President and CEO of Walgreens claiming that they have benefited from infrastructure and federal programs. He says although it could save the company $4 billion in taxes, it could hurt more than it would help, as he believes patriotic customers would shop elsewhere.

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