CHAMPAIGN – If you’ve ever bought a scone or a jar of strawberry jam at your local farmers market, you’ve likely supported someone in the cottage food business. A cottage food business is just what is sounds like: food prepared in a private home for sale to the public (bonus points for quaintness if that
The consumer price index is widely used by Americans to determine inflation, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics only surveys American counties that include a metro or micropolitan area. In rural southwest Illinois, fourth generation grocery store owner Craig Norrenberns said his three shops across the region are “fighting the price battle.” “There’s no doubt
STILWELL, Okla. — When Matthew Brunk took a job as a school principal in Stilwell, Oklahoma, he commuted to work from a larger community almost an hour away. He and his wife faced a major hurdle in moving back to Brunk’s hometown — there was no day care facility for their two-year-old. Listen to this
HOUSTON, Mo. — A town of 1,000 people feels like a rural place to someone from Chicago. To a person living in a town of 200 people, that population of 1,000 feels almost urban. But what the government defines as rural determines tens of billions of dollars a year in spending aimed at propping up