SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Some farmers and local food enthusiasts say raw milk is getting a raw deal in Illinois.

For 30 years, the state has allowed Illinoisans to purchase raw milk directly from farmers with no rules.

Now, the Illinois Department of Public Health is proposing raw milk production regulations that include permits, inspections and specific equipment.

Wes King, executive director of the agricultural advocacy group Illinois Stewardship Alliance, says many raw milk farmers have said they will not be able to comply with the proposed rules.

"We're talking about regulations that could cost something like $25,000 to comply with for farms that have one to two cows that are milking maybe 50 gallons a week to sell to friends, family or just neighbors in the community surrounding them," he explains.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) opposes the sale and distribution of raw milk because it can contain bacteria that would normally be killed through pasteurization.

Supporters counter that many types of bacteria found in raw milk can be beneficial to health.

State leaders say more than 800 comments on the new regulations have already been submitted, and a public comment hearing will be held tonight at the state fairgrounds in Springfield.

State health leaders say the rules will allow for better tracking of food-borne illness outbreaks.

But King says since 1998, there have only been two incidences of illness outbreaks from raw milk in the state, with no hospitalizations and no deaths.

He says people should have a right to choose what they consume, and he sees the proposed regulations as a solution looking for a problem.

"We're really left scratching our heads, wondering why the department would propose rules that are going to hurt farmers, they're going to hurt consumers and they're not addressing any sort of emerging or evident public health threat here in Illinois," he says.

The public comment period ends Dec. 4.

The proposed rules go to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, which will take comments for 45 days.

A bill banning the sale and distribution of raw milk in Illinois failed last year.





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BOISE, Idaho - Millions of members around the world, including some Idahoans, are observing International Credit Union Day today.

This year marks 73 years of International Credit Union Day. These not-for-profit financial institutions stretch across 118 countries.

Jon Maroni is the marketing director with Canopy Credit Union in the Northwest.

"International Credit Union Day, in general, is just really a day to celebrate our movement and the impact that credit unions have had," said Maroni. "Both for their members and then also, the communities that they serve."

More than 1.1 million Idahoans are credit union members. There are more than 120 million members nationwide.

To celebrate, credit union employees across the Northwest are volunteering for community and service projects.

Maroni said he sees credit unions as being especially beneficial in the early days of the pandemic, when the economy was in flux and many people weren't able to work.

"A lot of credit unions were offering things like, 'Hey, connect with us if you're needing to skip a couple of loan payments, or if you're needing to just work out an arrangement for payments on loans, or if your account's negative,' things like that," said Maroni. "Just really embracing the fact that our members own our credit unions."

International Credit Union Day is also when the institutions set their agendas for the coming years. The World Council of Credit Unions aims to digitize its organizations around the world in the next four years with its Challenge 2025 goal.

CARSON CITY, Nev. -- Twenty state Attorneys General, including Aaron Ford from Nevada, are slamming proposed new federal banking guidelines for not addressing what are known as "rent-a-bank" schemes.

The state leaders asked federal regulators for a crackdown on non-bank lenders that partner with real banks to make loans sold to the non-bank partner.

By using the bank's name on paperwork, the non-bank can claim the loan should not be subject to state regulations, including interest-rate caps.

Rebecca Borné, senior policy council at the Center for Responsible Lending, said the federal guidance should explicitly condemn rent-a-bank arrangements.

"Because the guidance is essentially silent on it, it definitely raises the question of, is it going to be read as permission for more banks to engage in these rent-a-bank schemes?" Borné pointed out.

Also Tuesday, a coalition of consumer and civil rights groups sent a letter to federal regulators calling for a crackdown on rent-a-bank partnerships.

In June, President Joe Biden eliminated a Trump-era "true lender" rule, saying it favored predatory lenders over consumers.

A report from the National Consumer Law Center said in Nevada, a company called Elevate offers loans under the "Rise" brand, with interest rates of 149%, in connection with FinWise Bank or Capital Community Bank. Elevate also offers "Elastic"-branded loans up to 109% effective APR, through Republic Bank and Trust.

Nevada passed a bill in 2019 limiting predatory lending practices and capping interest rates to about 40% for installment loans.

Borné noted loans with high rates can lead to an unending cycle of debt.

"These loans are designed to be unaffordable," Borné asserted. "Lenders succeed by causing borrowers to fail. Customers pay on these loans for years, often without reducing the principal."

The National Consumer Law Center also warned of a company known as Axcess Financial, working under the name "Check 'n Go." It offers loans with the brand-name "Xact," up to 199% APR, through an agreement with Capital Community Bank.

MINNEAPOLIS - Post offices around the country are implementing service changes described by the Postmaster General as a way to reverse major financial losses. However, labor leaders in Minnesota say the moves lack transparency and will affect vulnerable populations.

Since Oct. 1, service standards have been altered to slow the pace of delivery for some first-class mail, while cutting retail hours and increasing prices.

Peggy Whitney, a local business agent for the Minneapolis Postal Workers Union, said customers in urbanized settings might not notice it as much. However, she warned it's a different story for rural Minnesotans, especially those who see the daily mail service as a lifeline, including "senior citizens and veterans who rely heavily on medication by mail."

Whitney and other union leaders noted that the changes don't align with recommendations from the Postal Regulatory Commission, and said the Postmaster General failed to produce enough evidence to the commission. Minnesota and nearly 20 other states recently filed an administrative complaint, asking for a more detailed review of the new plan.

Postal leaders have argued that the longstanding service model was unsustainable, but Whitney said treating the Postal Service as a business runs counter to the organization's mission. When focusing on revenue losses, she said, she feels the 10-year overhaul plan doesn't make any sense, and added, "How many businesses raise prices for their customers and provide them with less products?"

Other critics of service reductions say the system could thrive by venturing into other areas, such as
banking. The Postmaster General has said some of the current price hikes will be temporary, to help with $160 billion in losses the USPS faces over the next decade.