CHAMPAIGN – Champaign City Council member Tom Bruno says he doesn't want to wait until the end of January to implement a citywide indoor public smoking ban.

The veteran council member said he's prepared to put forward an amendment separating Champaign's smoking ban from that of Urbana, making Champaign's effective Aug. 15.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed legislation late last week that would help defray costs for smaller districts seeking to form cooperative high schools.

While school consolidation is still highly controversial, the cooperative high school option allows districts to maintain their own elementary and middle schools while forming a single, larger high school. Several area districts have considered the idea, but a lack of state help with the costs of such mergers has been an obstacle.

CHAMPAIGN – Outdoor cafes could soon begin appearing along Green Street in Campustown, but city officials don't want customers to be able to drink alcohol at those cafes.

The Champaign City Council will consider at its study session Tuesday night whether to allow outdoor cafes along Green Street, between Wright and Fourth streets.

SPRINGFIELD – Gov. Rod Blagojevich is expected to sign legislation today creating an independent redevelopment commission for the former Chanute Air Force Base, which closed more than a decade ago.

"This legislation is another important way of turning the Chanute Air force Base into a powerful economic engine once again," Blagojevich stated in a written release. "By working together on the federal, state and local levels, we can attract new companies and bring more jobs to the region."