respublica

Illinois' Cottage Law makes farmers markets better

Granite City's Melting Pot Market hasn't allowed vendors to sell homemade goods like jelly and baked goods during its 3 years in business, but that has changed since Illinois enacted the Cottage Law. This law allows vendors to sell these things after passing a 15 hour sanitation test and paying a $50 registration fee.

Here's the line in the story which is arguably the most over the top description of saleable food I've ever read:

"The law allows non-potentially hazardous foods, like apple pie, dried oregano or peach preserves, to be produced in a home kitchen and sold at open-air farmers markets."

 It's nice to know apple pie and oregano are now not considered hazardous. 

In other news, Granite City has a farmers market?

Transparency in Illinois

State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka has created a new website which provides a full accounting of Illinois public dollars.

Named The Ledger, the site will allow you to perform searches on specific revenues, expenditures, and entities, or even track a state employee's salary. You can even send an FOIA request.

No small job pulling this together, but it may be the first stop for anyone wanting financial information on the state of Illinois.

Too bad

The University of Illinois fired basketball coach, Bruce Weber today. Not really a surprise, but sad it had to happen to a nice guy.

The unclog your drains law

Here's a new Illinois law which just caught my attention.

If you need a drain cleaner (Drano, liquid Plumr, etc) in Illinois you'll now need to show ID at the store checkout.  

Someone threw Drano at someone in 2008 so now all of us have to jump through hoops in order to unclog our sinks.  If someone today were to throw a 2 liter bottle of Coke at another person causing a concussion, will ID be needed to buy soda in 2016?

It's almost as if when someone gets to the statehouse or Congress they forget what it's like to live in the real world.  

Memorialize the cows

Seriously.  PETA is seeking to have highway memorial signs put in place in memory of cows who died on Illinois roads.  

The state's Roadside Memorial Act specifies that only relatives who lost loved ones in highway crashes may request memorials.  Peta spokesman counters:  "Because there are no surviving family members for animals in the meat trade, we ask that you waive this requirement of the program and allow concerned Illinois citizens like me to apply in lieu of a relative."

Alrighty then.

New Illinois laws for 2012-->The entire list

If you want to know all the new laws, click here.  

New Illinois laws for 2012-->Seat Belts

Beginning January first passengers in the back seat of cars will now be required to wear a seat belt.

The entire list of new laws is here.

New Illinois laws for 2012-->Electronic recycling

There are a lot of them, more than 200.  Here's a look at one which will affect us on a personal level.

1.  It will be illegal to put electronics in the normal trash.    The trash hauler will red flag you if you try to put it in your trash and being caught calls for a first time $25 fine.  All of these will now be required to be recycled and recycled for free, a responsibility being given to the manufacturers.  

Here's the list:  Televisions
Monitors
Printers
Computers ( laptop, notebook, netbook, tablet )
Electronic Keyboards
Facsimile Machines
Videocassette Recorders
Portable Digital Music Players
Digital Video Disc Players
Video Game Consoles
Small Scale Servers
Scanners
Electronic Mice
Digital Converter Boxes
Cable Receivers
Satellite Receivers
Digital Video Disc Recorders

Just a reminder

The Missouri v Illinois Braggin' Rights game tonight.  Missouri has won the past 2 years but previous to 2009 Illinois won 7 in a row.  The history of this series has Illinois winning 27 games to Missouri's 14.  During the years it became known as the Braggin' Rights game, Illinois won 20 Missouri 10.  This year Mizzou enters the game undefeated and ranked 9th in the nation while the Illini are 11-1 and ranked 25th.  Should be one great game.

Let's go Truman, get your attitude on.

This picture was from the 2006 game, but the words on the shirt are even more true today.

If you have tickets, you'll be in a fantastic game atmosphere.

An all Illinois face off tonight

The Cancun Challenge preseason basketball invitational championship game tonight will pit the University of Illinois against Illinois State University.  I have to say, this is pretty cool.  These two teams rarely play each other, one from the Big Ten the other the Missouri Valley, they've only played each other 8 times.  

I'll be rooting for ISU since that is my alma mater.  Rarely have the chance to see them in a game like this. CBS Sports Network which means probably not Channel 4 but some other high number.  

Go Redbirds.  Here's a funny thing.  ISU-Illinois has a Redbird because they're the Redbirds.  Iowa State University another ISU also has a fierce redbird head on their uniforms but they're the Cyclones.  Weird.